Daily GK Updates - 14th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit held: India-Russia Agriculture Business Summit 2018 was held in New Delhi. The two countries discussed trade relations in the agricultural sector. The summit was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. Gajender Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Sergey Beletskiy, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Russia addressed the Summit.

2. PBNS shortlists Siddharth for top edit job: A high-level committee has identified Siddharth Zarabi for Head of TV News in DD News and Abhijit Majumder for the position of Chief Editor, Prasar Bharati News Service (PBNS). Zarabi with 20 years of work experience is currently Executive Editor of Business TV India while Majumder is Managing Editor of Mail Today newspaper. The Prasar Bharati board is slated to meet February 15.

3. Centre to consolidate small savings laws: In a bid to consolidate the legislations pertaining to small savings schemes, the government is proposing a merger of the various laws into a Government Savings Promotion Act. The government gives highest priority to the interest of small savers. In order to remove existing ambiguities due to multiple Acts and rules for small saving schemes, the government has proposed merger.

4. Ashok Das appointed Indian envoy to Brazil: Ashok Das, a 1987 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, was named India’s new Ambassador to Brazil. Das, presently additional secretary in the external affairs ministry, is expected to take up his assignment shortly, according to a ministry statement. Both India and Brazil are members of the BRICS economic grouping that also includes China, Russia and South Africa.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. UK team to study ice shelf in the Antarctic: A British Antarctic Survey-led team will investigate a marine ecosystem hidden for up to 120,000 years beneath the Larsen C Ice Shelf, which lost a trillion-tonne iceberg last year. They will investigate the 5,818-square-km of seabed left exposed by the separation. The team plans to conduct the research before sunlight changes the undersea environment changes, giving birth to new species.

OTHER UPDATES

DEFENCE:

1. Air Force gets vintage Dakota aircraft: Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Chief Marshal (ACM) B.S. Dhanoa received a restored World War-II DC3 Dakota aircraft from an IAF veteran. The gift deed was signed between ACM Dhanoa and Air Cdre (Retd) Chandrasekhar at a handover ceremony. The DC3 Dakota aircraft Parashurama bearing the Tail Number VP-905 will be part of the IAF’s vintage fleet.

2. Government to buy assault, sniper rifles: The Defence Acquisition Council, led by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has cleared proposals worth nearly ₹16,000 crore to buy seven lakh assault rifles and 5,700 sniper rifles. Over ₹1,800 crore was sanctioned to procure Light Machine Guns through the “fast track” route.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. India’s first Online Radio Station Launched: India’s 1st Online Radio Station ‘Radio Umang’ was launched recently in India. Listeners can tune in to this online radio station through web streaming or download the app. With 24 hours programming, it has found listeners in Hindi speaking regions of India and in over 60 countries worldwide.

2. Delhi-Pune in top ten air routes: Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi, Delhi-Bengaluru-Delhi and Mumbai-Bengaluru-Mumbai routes continued on top, ranked in terms of number of seats deployed. Routes such as Delhi-Pune-Delhi have, however, climbed from the fifteenth place in 2007 to the sixth place in 2017. It is according to data sourced from civil aviation research firm OAG.

3. Bajaj Allianz Insurance partners with Quikr: Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has entered into a partnership with Quikr to increase the insurance outreach and offer people with adequate financial protection. With 30 million monthly Unique Visitors, Quikr will be a new age distribution channel for Bajaj Allianz’s products. Under this key agreement, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance will offer personal lines of insurance products.

Daily GK Updates - 13th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. 4th Meeting of Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister held in New Delhi: The 4th meeting of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Dr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman, EAC-PM & Member, NITI Aayog. During the meeting, EAC-PM discussed the possible modalities of implementing National Health Scheme announced by the government in Union Budget-2018-19. Besides, presentations were also made on Health Reforms, World Bank Report on Indian Economy and on Indian Fiscal – Monetary Framework. National Health Protection Scheme (Ayushman Bharat Scheme) will cover 10 crore poor and vulnerable families.

2. 12th International Conference on CSR Held in Bengaluru: The Institute Of Directors organised it’s 12th International Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility in Bengaluru, Karnataka. In the conference, the Prestigious Golden Peacock Award 2017 were presented. The leadership award for philanthropy and social change was presented to Mr. Vineet Nayar, Founder Chairman, Sampark Foundation.

3. R.K. Singh Inaugurates International Conference ‘Indian Power Stations 2018’ in New Delhi: Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, Shri R.K. Singh inaugurated the ‘Indian Power Stations 2018’ in New Delhi. It is the three-day International Conference on Operations and Maintenance. The Minister exhorted the NTPC to become India’s power sector multinational by setting up power plants in other Nations and become world’s largest power producer.

4. India posts marginal increase in forest cover: India posted a marginal 0.21% rise in the area under forest between 2015 and 2017, according to the biennial India State of Forest Report 2017. The document says that India has about 7,08,273 square km of forest, which is 21.53% of the geographic area of the country. Getting India to have at least 33% of its area under forest has been a long standing goal of the government since 1988.

5. Chandrashekhar Kambar to head Sahitya Akademi: Kannada litterateur Chandrashekar Kambar has been elected as president of the Sahitya Akademi in the election held for the post. Hindi poet Madhav Koushik has been elected as vice-president. Prof. Kambar is the third Kannada writer to head the country’s premier literary institution, after Vinayak Krishna Gokak (1983) and U.R. Ananthamurthy (1993).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. World Radio Day observed on 13 February: World Radio Day is observed annually on 13 February. The theme for WRD 2018 is “Radio and Sports“. The Day is organised globally by the UNESCO.

2. Pakistan to get its first Hindu woman MP: The Pakistan Peoples Party’s Krishna Kumari is poised to become the country’s first woman Hindu lawmaker next month, after the party nominated her for the upcoming Senate elections.

3. World’s first Autonomous Pods unveiled in Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority launched the first tests of the world’s first autonomous pods at the World Government Summit. The pods are launched in cooperation with Next Future Transportation and are designed to travel short and medium distances in dedicated lanes. They can be coupled together in as little 15 seconds or detached depending on the riders’ destination in five seconds.

OTHER UPDATES

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1. Cryptocurrency regulation is inevitable-IMF: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde has stated that regulatory action on cryptocurrencies is “inevitable”. “It’s clearly a domain where we need international regulation and proper supervision,” she said.

2. BoB to exit South Africa after controversies: Bank of Baroda will reportedly exit the South African market amid allegations that politically connected Gupta family used its network for illicit transactions. Authorities alleged that the Gupta family used the bank to transfer large sums of illegal money and influence President Jacob Zuma.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. 4% Growth in Foreign Tourist Arrivals in One Year: Ministry of Tourism compiles monthly estimates of Foreign Tourist Arrivals (FTAs) & FTAs on e- Tourist Visa on the basis of Nationality-wise, Port-wise data received from Bureau of Immigration (BOI). The growth rate in FTAs in January 2018 over January 2017 was 8.4%. During the month of January 2018, a total of 2.40 lakh foreign tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 1.52 lakh during the month of January 2017 registering a growth of 58.5%. The percentage share of top 3 source countries availing e- Tourist Visa facilities are- UK (18.6%), USA (10.6%), Russian Fed (6.5%). The percentage share of top 3 ports in foreign tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa are- New Delhi Airport (37.3%), Mumbai Airport (19.6%) and Dabolim (Goa) Airport (12.4%).

SPORTS:

1. Kishan Gangolli Wins 13th Edition of National Chess Championship for Blind: Defending champion Karnataka’s Kishan Gangolli won the 13th edition of the National ‘A’ Chess Championship for the blind in Mumbai. The championship was organised by All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB). Gangolli became the champion for the fifth consecutive time with 10.5 points. Gujarat’s Ashvin Makwana stood second with 9.5 points.

Daily GK Updates - 12th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Bihar Government bans the sale of loose cigarettes: Bihar Government has banned the sale of loose cigarettes in the state. This decision aims to be deterrent to kids and youngsters who start smoking by buying loose cigarettes. In this regard, state health department has issued notification under Section 20 of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003. Bihar is the 12th state in the country to bring such a ban into effect after Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi and others.

2. Nitin Gadkari releases India’s first-ever Highway Capacity Manual: The Minister of Road Transport & Highways Mr Nitin Gadkari, released India’s first ever Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) in New Delhi. The manual is also known as Indo-HCM and it has been developed by CSIR – CRRI on the basis of an extensive, country-wide study of the traffic characteristics on different categories of roads like a single lane, two-lane, multi-lane urban roads, and the associated intersections on these roads.

3. Centre drafts 10-city plan to clean Ganga: The Centre has drafted a plan to check the flow of sewer water into the river Ganga by installing sewage treatment plants (STP) in 10 major cities. These cities reportedly contribute about 65% of the total polluted water flowing into the river. As per an official of National Mission for Clean Ganga, these STPs would ensure 100% sewage treatment.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Asia’s largest Christian meet at Maramon: The 123rd Maramon Convention which is billed as Asia’s largest week-long annual Christian meet began. It started with a call to conserve river Pampa and the environment at its traditional venue on the riverbed of Pampa at Maramon near Kozhencherry on Sunday afternoon.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. NITI Aayog suggests setting up of separate debt office in India: NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar made a strong case for setting up an independent debt management office, saying better servicing of loans could lead to substantial reduction in India’s interest payments. At present, the government debt is managed by the RBI. The interest payment on the public debt is estimated to rise from Rs 5.3 lakh crore in 2017-18 to Rs 5.75 lakh in 2018-19.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. Indian engineer, Vikas Sathaye, awarded at Sci-Tech Oscars: Vikas Sathaye, an engineer from Mumbai, is part of a four-member team that bagged the ‘Scientific and Engineering Award’ at the Oscars 2018 Scientific and Technical Awards. The team was honoured for the development and implementation of Shotover K1 Camera System. The six-axis stabilised aerial camera mount gets attached to the base of helicopters and helps in shooting steady footage.

SPORTS:

1. Sharmila Nicollet becomes the first Indian Golfer to qualify for China LPGA Tour: Sharmila Nicollet has become the first Indian golfer to qualify for the China Ladies PGA Tour. The 26-year-old Bengaluru golfer fought her way back into the tournament in the last two rounds to earn a card for the Tour. Sharmila had played on the Ladies European Tour before losing her full card, played her three rounds in the CLPGA Tour Qualifying School.

2. Rohan More becomes the first Asian to swim across Ocean Seven: Rohan More became the first Asian as well as the first Indian to swim across the Ocean Seven. He is the youngest to complete it. He swam across the Cook Strait between North and South Islands of New Zealand in 8 hours and 37 minutes. With this, More becomes only the ninth person in the world to complete it. He has also received the Tenzing Norgay Award from the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

OBITUARIES:

1. Johann Johannsson passes away: Acclaimed Icelandic musician and Oscar-nominated composer Johann Johannsson has passed away aged 48. In 2014, he was nominated for BAFTA, Grammy and Oscar awards for his score for ‘Theory of Everything,’ and won the Golden Globe award. Johannsson also recorded several albums of his own, including “Fordlandia” and “Orphee.”

Daily GK Updates - 11th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Narendra Modi launches project for first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially launched a project for the construction of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi, describing the holy place as a “catalytic agent” of humanity and harmony that will become a medium of India’s identity. Modi laid the foundation stone for the BAPS Swaminarayan temple via video conferencing from the Dubai Opera House, where he addressed the members of the Indian community.

2. Meghalaya Assembly met for 96 days in 5 years: The eighth Meghalaya Assembly met for 96 days during its tenure of 5 years, an Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report has revealed. A total of 51 bills were passed in the 60-member Assembly and the average attendance for each member in the Assembly was 53 days, it added. Notably, the Meghalaya Assembly elections are scheduled for February 27.

3. UIDAI says no essential service can be denied for want of Aadhaar: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has asked various government departments, state governments and ministries to ensure that no essential service or benefit, such as medical treatment, school admission or ration through Public Distribution Service (PDS), be denied to a genuine beneficiary for the want of Aadhaar. The move comes at a time when several cases have been reported where the beneficiary has either died due to starvation as the Aadhaar-enabled point-of-sale machine at the local ration shop failed to authenticate his/her biometrics or medical treatment has been denied due to lack of Aadhaar.

3. Narendra Modi meets Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, India, UAE sign 5 pacts:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the two sides signed five agreements including a historic pact awarding a consortium of Indian oil companies a 10% stake in offshore oil concession. Modi also visited Wahat Al Karama, the UAE martyr’s war memorial in Abu Dhabi. He is to  travel to Dubai where he will interact with the Indian community at an event at the Dubai Opera House and will witness the groundbreaking ceremony of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. The ceremony will be live-streamed to the Opera House. Prime Minister Modi will also deliver a keynote address at the World Government Summit in Dubai where India is a guest of honour this year. He will make inaugural address on the theme: Technology for Development.

4. Railways to terminate services of over 13,000 ‘absentee’ employees: The Indian Railways has identified more than 13,000 employees in its ranks who are on “unauthorised” leave for a long time and initiated disciplinary action to terminate their services. The railways had launched a drive to improve performance of the organisation and boost the morale of sincere and diligent employees. The action is part of that campaign.

5. Mumbai 12th richest city globally; total wealth at $950 billion: According to a report by New World Wealth, the economic hub of India is the 12th wealthiest city, followed by Toronto with a total wealth of $944 billion, Frankfurt (14th, $912 billion) and Paris (15th, $860 billion). The list of 15 wealthiest cities was topped by New York with a total wealth of $3 trillion. London ranked second in the list with $2.7 trillion, followed by Tokyo ($2.5 trillion), and San Francisco Bay area ($2.3 trillion). Others in the list include Beijing ($2.2 trillion), Shanghai ($2 trillion), Los Angeles ($1.4 trillion), Hong Kong ($1.3 trillion), Sydney ($1 trillion), Singapore ($1 trillion) and Chicago ($988 billion).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. UAE telecom employees get 'Happiness Bank': The UAE's Telecom Regulatory Authority has installed a 'Happiness Bank' for its employees in Dubai as a means to award them with surprises. Employees can redeem points received as tokens of appreciation from colleagues in the form of a surprise gift from the bank. The employees are asked for their areas of interest when they open their 'Happiness Bank' account.

2. Gevora, the world’s tallest hotel, opens in Dubai: Gulf metropolis Dubai, on its never-ending quest to break records, announced the opening of the "world's new tallest hotel" on Sunday, pipping another towering landmark in the city for the title. The gleaming gold 75-storey Gevora Hotel stands 356 metres, or nearly a quarter of a mile, tall. The new record-holder is within view of its predecessor, Dubai's JW Mariott Marquis - just one metre shorter. Dubai is also home to the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which pierces the city skyline at 828 metres (half a mile) high.

OTHER UPDATES

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. Rules on cryptocurrencies should be out soon-SEBI Chief: Amid continuing volatility in bitcoin prices and growing concerns about investors’ safety, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) chairman Ajay Tyagi said the regulations on cryptocurrencies should be out soon and the role various regulators will play is being finalised. Tyagi, who is part of the committee formed by the government to examine the pros and cons of virtual currencies (VCs), including launching an own cryptocurrency, said that a policy in this regard should come out first and then only the role of Sebi can be outlined.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. Electric vehicle sales to see double-digit growth till 2020- Assocham and EY Report: Electric vehicle (EV) sales in India are expected to witness a double-digit growth till 2020, fuelled by government measures for the sector and reducing battery prices, among others, says a report. A joint study by Assocham and global advisory services firm EY said, although EVs are not yet mainstream, government push and increasing consumer awareness are driving EV adoption in India, pointing to a growing momentum. Currently, EVs are not so popular owing to the high Li-ion battery costs.

2. Singapore Exchange to open trading in Indian products as per normal: In its continuing assurances to traders, Singapore Exchange said its entire India suite of products, including Nifty, will open and operate per normal on Monday. The SGX reiterated and reassured international traders of its Indian product trade from Monday. This comes after the Indian Exchanges on 9 February announced a decision to stop the commercial licensing of their indices and market data with a number of foreign exchanges and other business partners.

3. ONGC to acquire stake in UAE’s ADNOC oil offshore concession: India’s biggest explorer Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) is due to sign a contract to acquire a stake in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)’s offshore oil concession. That would make ONGC the first firm to secure a stake in the new concession which expires in March. Sources told Reuters that ONGC would get up to a 10% stake, valuing the deal at $600 million.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. Indian scientists to hold 'Darwin Week' to support evolution: Several scientific organisations and universities across the country will be organising 'Darwin Week' from February 12 to remove "any doubt that has been planted in the minds of common people about Darwin's theory of evolution." This comes after Union Minister Satya Pal Singh's earlier remark that Darwin's theory was scientifically wrong, and that it shouldn't be taught in schools.

DEFENCE:

1. End cap on education fee of martyrs' kids-Defence Ministry: The Defence Ministry has asked the Finance Ministry to remove the cap of ₹10,000 per month on education aid provided to children of martyrs and those disabled on duty. The policy for financial assistance was initiated in 1972 but the government put a limit on it in July 2017. Officials estimated that 250 students were affected by the policy change.

OBITUARIES:

1. Pakistan’s iron lady Asma Jehangir passes away: Pakistan’s top lawyer and human rights activist Asma Jehangir passed away on Sunday due to a cardiac arrest in Lahore, her family said in a statement. She was 66. Known for her bold stance, Asma was the country’s symbol of resistance and a human rights activist who spoke against military dictators and abusers of law for the past five decades. She headed the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and remained the Supreme Court Bar Association chairperson. She was also appointed as UN Rapporteur in the region during the 1990s.

Daily GK Updates - 10th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. ‘Shankhnaad’ creates world record: A record was set at the Rajim Kumbh Mela in Chhattisgarh after over 2,100 saints and locals blew ‘shankh’ (conch shells) together. Golden Book of World Records has certified the record.

2. Modi Conferred ‘Grand Collar Of The State Of Palestine’: PM Narendra Modi on Saturday became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Palestine after he arrived in Ramallah as part of his three-nation tour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred the ‘Grand Collar of the State of Palestine’ by President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, recognising his key contribution to promote relations between India and Palestine. The Grand Collar is the highest order given to foreign dignitaries – Kings, Heads of State/Government and persons of similar rank.

3. First woman Chief Justice of Manipur HC: Justice Abhilasha Kumari is the first woman to become the chief justice of the Manipur High Court. Justice Kumari has served as a Gujarat High Court Judge and Chief Justice of Tripura High Court. She has also served as additional advocate general of Himachal Pradesh after the Congress government came to power in March 2003.

4. NITI Aayog’s health index report released: Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu were the top rankers in NITI Aayog’s latest Health Index report. The report attempted to establish an annual systematic tool to measure and understand the heterogeneity and complexity of the nation’s performance in the health sector.

5. NHAI to Start ‘Pay As You Use’ Pilot Project: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will start a pilot project called “pay as you use” on the Delhi-Mumbai Highway. It will study and implement the ability of the system in the country. The project to be run for one year involves implementing a satellite-based electronic toll collection system running on GPS/GSM technology for around 500 commercial vehicles.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Mahmoud Abbas receives Modi in Palestine: PM Narendra Modi’s first engagement after arriving in Ramallah was to lay a wreath at the Mausoleum of Late President Yasser Arafat. Modi, who is on his maiden trip to Palestine, will be received by President Mahmoud Abbas. Prior to Modi, former President Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Palestine in October 2015 and January 2016 respectively. However, Modi is the first Indian PM to visit Palestine.

OTHER UPDATES

BANKING/ FINANCE:

1. Application for Education Loans to be made online only: The government has directed the banks to only accept online applications for education loans in a bid to make the loan disbursement process transparent and efficient. The banks have also been asked to not consider any application received in physical form. The move also aims to tackle the delay in sanctioning of the education loans.

2. SBI posts a quarterly loss, NPAs the reason: India’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) on Friday reported a loss of ₹2,416.4 crore for the December quarter, marking its first quarterly loss in at least 17 years. The bank had reported a standalone profit of ₹2,610 crore in the corresponding quarter last fiscal.

BUSINESS/ ECONOMY:

1. Indians are the top the list of visitors to Dubai: Dubai witnessed 15% growth in tourist arrivals from India in 2017, hosting 2.1 million visitors, retaining top spot as the source market. It also became the first country to cross the 2 million mark in a single year. The growth is mainly due to the success of Dubai Tourism’s ongoing collaboration with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in the ‘BeMyGuest’ campaign.

SCIENCE/ TECHNOLOGY:

1. Scientists simulate Mars mission in an Oman desert: Over 200 scientists from 25 countries have chosen a desert in Oman to field-test technology for a manned Mars mission for four weeks. Analog astronauts would sport a 50-kg spacesuit and stay in an inflated habitat, having a 10-minute communication delay from their base in Austria. The project features 15 experiments including exploration of the surface using a wind-powered rover.

2. NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft beams the farthest image: NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has beamed back an image while being 6.12 billion km away, breaking a 27-year-old record set by Voyager 1. NASA’s Voyager 1, the farthest man-made object, had captured the “Pale Blue Dot” photo of Earth before exiting the Solar System. Meanwhile, New Horizons shared an image of a Kuiper belt object, beyond the orbit of Neptune.

3. Asteroid shaves past the Earth-NASA: Asteroid 2018 CB, estimated to be around 15-40 metres in size, safely flew past Earth making a closest approach of about 64,000 kilometres, nearly one-fifth the average Earth-Moon distance, on Saturday at 4:00 am IST, NASA revealed.

SPORTS:

1. Indra Nooyi becomes ICC’s First Female Director: PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi has been appointed as the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) first-ever independent female director. Nooyi will join the cricket body in June 2018 for a 2-year term. The introduction of an Independent Director, who must be female, was approved by the ICC in June 2017, aimed at improving the global governance of the sport.

2. Winter Olympic Games Starts In Pyeongchang: The 23rd Olympic Winter Games officially kicked off at Pyeongchang in South Korea. 92 countries are participating in the event. There will be 102 medals up for grabs in Pyeongchang, covering seven sports and 15 disciplines. Hosts South Korea also produced a show of unity with neighbours North Korea during the ceremony.

3. World record for using maximum drones at Pyeongchang Olympics: As many as 1,218 drones outfitted with LED lights were used during a light show at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. This made a world record for the ‘most unmanned aerial vehicles airborne simultaneously’. The drones, controlled through an automated software program, flew in sync and created light-up images of Olympic sports and the Olympic rings.

Daily GK Updates - 9th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kulbhushan Jadhav was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court in April last year on charges of espionage and terrorism: Pakistan claimed India has not responded to its questions on Indian prisoner Kulbhushan Jadhav’s passport and details of his service. “It is regrettable that India has so far not given us any reply on how commander Kulbhushan Jadhav was in possession of the passport of Hussain Mubarak Patel, or any details of his retirement from Indian Navy. This prompted India to move the Hague-based International Court of Justice in May. Subsequently, a 10-member bench of the ICJ restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case. While Pakistan claims its security forces arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3 in 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran, India maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.

2. Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh to go on nationwide agitation against on February 20: The protest is against negligent attitude of the central government towards labour problems. RSS-affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has given a call for a nationwide agitation on February 20 to protest against “anti-labour policies” and is rethinking to attend Indian Labour Conference (ILC) later this month. The Kendriya Karya Samithi (national executive committee or KKS) meeting of BMS held at Ambaji in Gujarat on February 8 has called for “nationwide agitation against the central government’s anti-labour policies, BMS General Secretary is Virjesh Upadhyay.

3. Centre, states to fill posts on child rights panels and implement Juvenile Justice Act - SC: The Juvenile Justice Act is an act to consolidate and amend the law relating to children alleged and found to be in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection by catering to their basic needs through proper care, protection, development, treatment social re-integration, by adopting a child-friendly approach in the adjudication and disposal of matters in the best interest of children and for their rehabilitation through processes provided, and institutions and bodies established hereinunder and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The apex court bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta also directed the states to ensure that all positions in juvenile justice boards and Child Welfare Committees are filled up expeditiously and in accordance with rules.

4. NITI Aayog launches ‘Healthy States Progressive India Report’; Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu best performers: In an effort to better assess health outcomes across India, the NITI Aayog launched the Healthy States Progressive Report. Released by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, Ministry of Health Secretary Preeti Sudan and India country director of World Bank Junaid Ahmad, the report is the first step to establish an annual systematic tool to measure and understand the complexity of nation’s performance in health. the Health Index has been evolved through comprehensive study and inputs from World Bank India and the Ministry of Health.

5. National Fisherfolk Forum demands Justice Chandrachud withdraw his ‘fish market’ remark: "Let us not reduce the dialogue in this court to the level of fish market,"Justice Chandrachud had said during a hearing of PILs seeking a probe into Judge Loya’s death, on February 5.  

6. Punjab - ‘We may not recover production cost of potato for third year in a row’: Under the new scheme announced in the recent Budget, a corpus of Rs 500 crore has been kept to help potato, tomato and onion growers. Despite the Centre announcing its new Operation Greens in the Union Budget last week, potato farmers of Punjab see little hope of recovering their production cost even this year, as harvesting begins in Doaba region, the potato belt of the state. Under the new scheme announced in the recent Budget, a corpus of Rs 500 crore has been kept to help potato, tomato and onion growers.

7. Bird flu alert sounded in Bhitarkanika National ParK (Odisha): Forest officials have sounded a bird flu alert at the habitats of migratory birds’ in Bhitarkanika National Park here following detection of flu infection in Karnataka. Precautionary measures have been initiated to find out possible flu infection of avian species. They are prone to carry the H5NI strain of avian influenza.

8. An area of about 43.6 hectares of Wullar lake is under encroachment in the Kashmir valley – J&K: In a written reply in Legislative Council, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh said that an area of about 43.6 hectares is under encroachment within Wullar lake and these families will have to shift from the lake area. Wullar lake, the largest freshwater lakes in Asia, is in Bandipora district of Kashmir division, 34 km north of Srinagar. The Revenue department has already moved a proposal in which nearly 20 acres of land has been identified outside the lake for rehabilitation of the affected families. 130 square kilometers of the lake is demarcated physically with the help of demarcation pillars, he said adding comprehensive Management Plan for the conservation of Wullar lake was formulated and work on the project was started in 2011-12.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Maldives Political crisis-2018: A political crisis in the Maldives intensified on 6 February 2018, when President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency, and ordered the arrest of two judges of the Supreme Court of the Maldives and former President (as well as his half-brother) Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. This followed a Supreme Court ruling the previous day ordering 12 opposition MPs be released from detention and resume their seats in Parliament, giving the opposition control of the chamber and potentially paving the way for Yameen's impeachment.  Some observers have described the events as an autocoup.

2. India can play a role in Middle East peace process - Palestine Prez Mahmoud Abbas: The unilateral US decision to declare Jerusalem as the capital of Israel was challenged at the UN General Assembly where 128 nations, including India, voted to turn down the move as "null and void". Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic Palestine visit, President Mahmoud Abbas said he will discuss with him India’s role in the Middle East peace process and the creation of a multilateral forum of negotiations to strike a final deal with Isarel. Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Palestine, is reaching Ramallah on Saturday amid heightened tensions in the region after US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

3. Indian journalist among two scribes arrested in Maldives: Two journalists (a British national and an Indian national) employed by French news agency Agence France-Presse were on Friday arrested in Maldives amid the ongoing crisis in the country. Money Sharma from Amritsar and Atish Ravji Patel from London, who are both AFP employees, have been arrested under Maldivian SoE decree for ‘national security purposes’.

4. Egypt launches assault on militants weeks ahead of election: Egypt began a major assault on against Islamist militants in the Arab world’s most populous country, aiming to crush their insurgency ahead of a three-month deadline set by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is seeking re-election. Residents reported seeing and hearing warplanes above the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, which is close to the area of operations in northern and central Sinai. Security forces have for years battled an Islamic State insurgency in North Sinai that has killed hundreds of soldiers and police. The militants have expanded their targets to include civilians over the last year or so.

5. China says US bill on Taiwan ties threatens stability: The United States has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help it defend itself and is the island's main source of arms. China regularly says Taiwan is the most sensitive issue in its ties with Washington. Beijing considers democratic Taiwan to be a wayward province and integral part of “one China”, ineligible for state-to-state relations, and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

6. Turkish warplanes strike Kurdish militia targets in Syria: Turkish warplanes resumed strikes on Kurdish YPG militia targets in Syria’s Afrin region on Friday after a five-day lull that followed the shooting down of Russian warplane elsewhere in Syria, the Hurriyet newspaper and other media reported. Hurriyet said Turkey had halted air strikes as Russia worked on its air defence system after Syrian rebels shot down a Russian warplane in Idlib province on Feb. 3.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018: Delhi thrash Maharashtra by eight wickets, Bengal lose.Delhi thrashed Maharashtra by eight wickets to continue their unbeaten run in the domestic one-day cricket tournament for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Dharamsala. Opting to bowl after winning the toss, Delhi bowled out Maharashtra for 246 in exactly the last ball of the 50th over at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium.

2. 2018 Winter Olympics: Schedule, Athletes to look out for and the political ramifications. 2018 Winter Olympics run from February 9-February 25 in PyeongChang, South Korea. This is the second Olympics for South Korea and the first Winter Olympics. It is the 23rd edition of the Winter Games.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Bosch’s India arm developing a slew of low-cost products: Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions, a 100% owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH, is developing a range of low-cost products in the areas of healthcare, aerospace, agriculture and electronic equipment meant for smart cities. With a team of about 15,000 engineers at its Bengaluru software development center, the largest outside Germany, the company is making “frugal” products meant for testing eyes, tracking traffic violations, pollution levels, stream airport logistics and for farmers. Robert Bosch India has invested about 10 million euros on its labs in Bengaluru, Coimbatore and one in Mexico to test and validate the products.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

1. IISc team identifies an early-stage biomarker for Alzheimer’s Disease: Researchers at Bengaluru’s Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have identified a potential biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease. The biomarker shows up very early in the disease process and well before clinical and even pathological manifestation of the disease. They also found that it is possible to reverse the disease process if identified early.

OBITUARIES:

1. The doyen of Odia literature Chandrasekhar Rath passed away: He was 89 and is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son. The eminent writer breathed his last while undergoing treatment for age-related ailments.Born on October 17, 1929 at Malapada village in Balangir district, the writer was nominated for the prestigious Padma Shri award this year. Rath was conferred with several awards, including Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Odisha Sahitya Akademi Award and Atibadi Jagannath Das Samman, for his contribution in the field of literature.

Daily GK Updates - 8th February, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. I-T Department sends one lakh notices to cryptocurrency investors: Arun Jaitley had stressed that cryptocurrencies are not legal tender and that the govt would clamp down on illegal transactions done using the medium. The Income Tax Department has issued one lakh tax notices to people who have invested in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Central Board of Direct Taxes Chairman Sushil Chandra said. The tax department reportedly conducted a nation-wide survey which showed that Indians had conducted $3.5 billion worth of transactions on the various cryptocurrency exchanges in operation in India over a period of 17 months. People who have made investments in cryptocurrency and have not declared income while filing taxes and have not paid tax on the profit earned by investing.

2. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has organized a three-day National Meet on Grassroot Informatics- VIVID 2018 in New Delhi:  The event has been inaugurated by Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad at India Habitat Centre. The theme for VIVID 2018 is ‘Cyber Security and Innovation’. The Meet is aimed at showcasing the various initiatives of NIC in creating and enhancing the security of Digital Infrastructure in the country. VIVID would be an extensive platform for knowledge sharing which would empower 240 NIC district officials from across the country to interact and leverage each other’s experience and best practices.

3. Maharashtra state will be the first state to have Transgender Welfare Board (TWB) – Dilip Kamble:  The state government will construct TWB within one month and a provision of Rs. 5 crores for the welfare of the transgender community. The board for transgenders will be working for welfare for transgenders in various areas like education, employment, housing, and health scheme. It will also take care of Constitutional and human rights of transgenders.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 'Maldives Prez wanted to send special envoy to India but visit dates did not suit Indian side': Maldives' beleaguered President Abdulla Yameen wanted to send his foreign minister as special envoy but the Indian side did not find the dates "suitable", the Maldivian ambassador said, even as officials here maintained that no "real action" was taken by that country on India's concerns over democracy there. Yameen has already dispatched special envoys to China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to brief them about the deepening political crisis+ in the country.

2. Three Global militant group as per US: The United States designated three militants linked to Pakistan-based terror networks ás ‘global terrorists’ and called on the Pakistani government to deny “sanctuary to these dangerous individuals and organizations”. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Rahman Zeb Faqir Muhammad, Hizb Ullah Astam Khan, and Dilawar Khan Nadir Khan as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for their connections to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other groups.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.The first woman cricketer to claim 200 wickets in one-day internationals(ODI): Indian fast bowler Jhulan Goswami (35-year) has become the first woman cricketer to claim 200 wickets in one-day internationals(ODI). Goswami achieved this feat when she bagged the wicket of South African opener Laura Wolvaardt during the second one-day game of the three-match series at Kimberley. Cathryn Fitzpatrick (Australia) occupies the second spot with 180 wickets followed by compatriot Lisa Sthalekar on 146 wickets. Goswami has taken just 166 one-day games to get 200 wickets with an economy of 3.23.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Bitcoin drops below $6,200 for first time in three months: Bitcoin plunged 20% to a three-month low, its latest sharp loss following a series of setbacks for the cryptocurrency that, with a collapse across global mainstream markets adding to the selling. The virtual currency fell to $6,190 for the first time since mid-November, according to Bloomberg News, and represents the latest hammering for a unit that saw a stratospheric 26-fold rise last year recent collapse comes just six weeks after bitcoin hit a record high of $19,511, fuelled by a flood of speculators looking to make a quick buck, with warnings it could fall another 50 per cent.

2. NCERT joins hand with Google: Google and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) signed an agreement to integrate ‘Digital Citizenship and Safety’ course in information and communication technology curriculum. The NCERT contains a curriculum on IT and communication technologies in its teacher's training programme. Students from class I to XII will be trained using the curriculum developed jointly by NCERT and Google. This curriculum has four themes (being smart, being safe, being a digital citizen and being future ready). No fee is charged by Google for this training.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. RBI to link base rate with MCLR as more sensitivity tool to policy rate signals: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will link the base rate with the MCLR from 1st of April this year to ensure expeditious transmission of its policy rate to borrowers. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had introduced the Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rates (MCLR) system with effect from 1st April 2016. RBI observed that large proportion of bank loans continue to be linked to Base Rate. RBI has been decided to harmonize the methodology of determining benchmark rates by linking base rate to MCLR as it is more sensitive to policy rate signals.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

1. Tesla car sent to Mars takes wrong turn into deep space: Elon Musk's car is headed off into very deep space after being strapped to the top of a rocket. The Tesla Roadster was originally intended to head into orbit around Mars as part of the Falcon Heavy test, which would try out the most powerful rocket on Earth. To fill up the space that would normally be occupied by scientific equipment or another payload, Mr Musk put a car into the rocket — and blasted it out into space, filming it as it went. In the original plan, the car and the dummy that is sat in it would have gone into orbit between Mars and Earth, slowly passing around the solar system. However, the payload has overshot that route and is now headed even deeper into space.

BOOKS:

1. “A century is not Enough” – An autobiography of Sourav Ganguli: India most famous captain Sourav Ganguly (Prince of Kolkata) unveiled the first look of his autobiography titled “A Century is Not Enough”. The book co-authored by Gautam Bhattacharya and published by Juggernaut Books. The contents of the book shall draw from all the highs Ganguly enjoyed in his career as well as the lows. The book will be released by the end of February 2018. Currently, Ganguly is the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and also one of the four members of the Indian Premier League's Governing Council.

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