Daily GK Update- 27th Feb, 2024

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. British Council brings 'Future of English' exhibition to Delhi: The UK's international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities, is excited to announce the arrival of its global 'Future of English' exhibition to New Delhi. This exhibition is a unique display of cutting-edge developments and best practices in English language teaching, learning, and assessment. Exhibition time: 19 February 2024 to 17 April 2024.

 

2. India's first septic tank cleaning robot strengthening Swatch Bharat campaign: India's first septic tank cleaning robot is strengthening the Swachhata Abhiyan in different corners of the country. The technology called Homosep Atom solves manual cleaning methods and transforms them into robotic cleaning methods. It has been developed by the startup incubated in the Department of Science and Technology (DST)-Technology Business Incubator (TBI) of IIT Madras. It has reached 16 cities in different parts of India.

 

3. PM Modi inaugurates three space infrastructure projects worth about 1,800 c: PM Narendra Modi visited the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and inaugurated three important space infrastructure projects worth about 1,800 crore rupees. These projects include the PSLV Integration Facility at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota; the new ‘Semi-cryogenics Integrated Engine and stage Test facility’ at ISRO Propulsion Complex at Mahendragiri and ‘Trisonic Wind Tunnel’ at VSSC, Thiruvananthapuram.

 

4. Anurag Thakur urges to join ‘Mera Pehla Vote Desh Ke Liye’ campaign: Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur has urged every citizen to join the ‘Mera Pehla Vote Desh Ke Liye’ campaign, encourage young voters to exercise their democratic rights in the upcoming elections. Mr. Thakur shared the anthem of the campaign and called upon everyone to take the campaign forward in one’s ways and style. Everyone embraces this responsibility and celebrates the power of the collective voices online through the My Gov India portal as well as in the colleges

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

 

1. International Polar Bear Day 2024:February 27: International Polar Bear Day falls on February 27 every year. The day was established by Polar Bears International, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the conservation of polar bears and their habitat. It is a day to educate people about the importance of conservation efforts and inspire collective action to preserve the future of polar bears and their ecosystem.

 

2. Elena Norman resigns as Hockey India CEO: Elena Norman resigned as the CEO of Hockey India after holding the position for nearly 13 years. Hockey India, in her tenure, hosted numerous international hockey events including the FIH Champions Trophy, FIH World League Finals in 2015 and 2017, FIH Olympic Qualifiers in 2019 and 2024 as well as the FIH Hockey Pro League home games.

 

3. India and Bangladesh Collaborate for Transboundary Tiger Conservation: A cross-border initiative, focused on harmonious coexistence with tigers in the Sunderbans, seeks to preserve biodiversity in both India and Bangladesh. The people-centric engagement took place at Joymoni, Bagerhat District, Bangladesh, under the Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Program supported by IUCN and Germany’s KfW Development Bank. The WTI partnered with the Lokamata Rani Rashmoni Mission, Joynagar (West Bengal), and WildTeam, Bangladesh.

 

4. Japan commits ODA loan of JPY 232.209 billion for nine projects in India: The Govt. of Japan has committed an Official Development Assistance loan of an amount of JPY 232.209 billion for nine (09) projects in various sectors. India and Japan have had a long and fruitful history of bilateral development cooperation since 1958. Economic partnership, a key pillar of India-Japan relations, has steadily progressed in the last few years.

 

5. World NGO Day 2024:February 27: World NGO Day is observed every year on February 27. World NGO Day honours the incredible contributions of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide. The World NGO Day was proposed for the first time by the Baltic Sea NGO Forum in 2010. Africa's largest mosque inaugurated in Algeria: Algeria President Abdelmadjid Tebboune inaugurated the gigantic mosque on its Mediterranean coastline after years of political upheaval transformed the project from a symbol of state-sponsored strength and religiosity to one of delays and cost overruns. The mosque has been open to international tourists and state visitors to Algeria for roughly five years. The Great Mosque of Algiers features the world’s tallest minaret, measuring 265 metres (869ft).

 

OTHER UPDATES:

 

SPORTS

 

1. Indian Squash player Abhay Singh wins Goodfellow Classic squash: Indian Squash player Abhay Singh clinched the Goodfellow Classic PSA Challenger Tour Title in Toronto, Canada. In the finals, he defeated Elliott Morris Devred of Wales by 3-0. With this win, the Asian Games Gold medalist has won his eighth PSA World Tour title.

 

2. India bags nine gold medals at Archery Asia Cup 2024 in Baghdad: India finished the Archery Asia Cup 2024 with 14 medals, including nine gold, four silver and one bronze medal in Baghdad, Iraq. In the women’s individual recurve category, three-time Olympian Deepika Kumari won the gold medal by defeating compatriot Simranjeet Kaur 6-2. Meanwhile, in an all-Indian final, Dhiraj Bommadevara beat Tarundeep Rai 7-3 to win the men’s recurve archery title. India swept the top podiums in all the individual events, clinching top positions in both the men’s and women’s compound events.

 

BANKING AND FINANCE

 

1. Vijay Shekhar Sharma resigns as chairman of Paytm Payments Bank: Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma has resigned as part-time non-executive Chairman of Paytm Payments Bank Limited (PPBL). The banking regulator had ordered the fintech firm to stop its banking activities after February 29 and later extended the deadline to March 15. Sharma owns a 51% stake in Paytm Payments Bank, while One 97 Communications, as Paytm is formally known, owns the rest.