NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. UP government makes Aadhaar mandatory for board
exam: Uttar Pradesh government has made Aadhaar
compulsory for students appearing for board examinations in 2018. Aadhaar will
help the basic education department to keep a tab on their attendance as well
as their performance. It is noteworthy that the government had made
Aadhaar Card mandatory for students from Class 1 to 8 in government schools.
2. Piyush Goyal launches mobile app 'SEVA' for quick
tracking of coal dispatch: The government has launched an
app named the ‘Saral Eindhan Vitaran Application’ (SEVA). The app is developed
by Coal India Limited (CIL) for power sector consumers.
The aim of the ‘SEVA app’ to increase the “Consumer Connect” as well as the transparency
and accountability in Coal dispatch.
3. Manoj Sinha launches Pt Deendayal Upadhyaya Telecom
Skill Excellence Awards: The Communications Minister
Manoj Sinha has launched ‘Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Telecom Skill Excellence
Awards’ and a scheme ‘Sanchar Kaushal Vikas Pratishthan’ named after the BJP
ideologue at a function in New Delhi.
4. Government launches integration of e- sanad with CBSE's
Academic Repository: e-Sanad is an e-service for
verification and attestation of documents of Indian citizens. The applicants travelling abroad can get their
documents attested and verified through e-Sanad. The integration will
facilitate electronic movement of documents among stakeholders and digital
cross verification by foreign governments.
5. India’s first underwater tunnel finished: India’s first underwater tunnel, which was built under the Hooghly river
for establishing a metro link in Kolkata, has been completed before the
deadline. Rachna, a giant tunnel-boring machine (TBM), was deployed to dig the
underwater tunnel. The entire project is 16.6 km long, out of which 10.8 km
runs under the ground.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Tedros to be new Director
General of WHO: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus from Ethiopia will
be the next Director General of the World Health Organization. He will be the
first African to head up the UN agency.
2. Airlander 10 completes test flight: The world’s largest aircraft Airlander 10 has successfully completed a
test flight. Airlander 10 combines technology from airplanes, helicopters and
airships. This aircraft has been built by Hybrid Air Vehicles. With a
length of 92 metres, it is the largest aircraft currently flying.
3. Taiwan court to recognise gay marriage: Taiwan’s constitutional court has declared that same-sex couples have
the right to legally marry. This is first such ruling in Asia.
4. World’s first robot police officer: Dubai has recruited world’s first robot police officer at the 4th Gulf
Information Security Expo and Conference. This robot is known as robocop. The
robot will patrol shopping malls and other tourist attractions.
5. Martial law in Mindanao: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law on the
southern island of Mindanao after about 100 Muslim fighters laid siege to a
major city following a deadly gun battle with government forces. The emergency
declaration took immediate effect and will last for 60 days.
OTHER UPDATES:
BANKING & FINANCE:
1. Federal
Bank launches new trading platform - ‘Selfie’: Federal
Bank has launched a new trading platform called “Selfie” for customers. The
platform is Designed and managed by Geojit. It will allow users absolute
control over their investments with timely research inputs to make sound
investment decisions. It also provides an advanced charting platform that
enables users to trade directly from charts.
SPORTS:
2. Sweden wins ice hockey world title: Sweden won the 2017 Ice Hockey World Championship by defeating Canada in
a dramatic penalty shootout. Sweden were twice on target in the shootout, while
the Canadians failed to score. It is Sweden’s 10th world title.
3. International Cricketer of the Year, Ashwin takes
the honour: Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has won
the coveted International Cricketer of the Year award at the CEAT Cricket
Rating International awards 2017.