Daily GK Updates - 4th September, 2017

                    NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Central scheme for senior citizens in Gujarat: Union minister Thawarchand Gehlot launched a scheme that provides for physical aids and assisted-living devices for senior citizens belonging to the BPL category in Gujarat. The centrally-sponsored scheme, `Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana’, was unveiled on April 1 this year. Under the scheme, aids and assisted-living devices like walking sticks, elbow crutches etc are provided free of cost.

2. Cabinet reshuffle details: Nirmala Sitharaman has taken charge as the Minister of Defence. She has become the first woman to take charge as the full-time defence minister (Indira Gandhi had the additional charge). The previous Railways Minister, Suresh Prabhu will hold the office of Minister of Commerce & Industry. Piyush Goyal has taken charge as the Minister of Railway and also Minister of Coal. Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who earlier had the independent charge as the Minister of State for Minority Affairs will now hold the office of Minister of Minority Affairs. Uma Bharti will hold the post of Minister of Drinking Water & Sanitation. Earlier, she held the portfolio of River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation.

3. President to lay foundation stone for Link-4 of SAUNI Scheme in Rajkot: President Ramnath Kovind laid the foundation stone for a link - 4 of Saurashtra Narmada Avataran Irrigation Scheme (SAUNI) Yojana in Rajkot, Gujarat.Earlier, SAUNI project had been launched by Mr. Modi to fill up 115 major dams by diverting overflow of water from the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada River. Three phases of SAUNI yojana already dedicated to the people following completion of the work.

4. Augmentation Programme In Buxa Tiger Reserve: Tigers will roar again at Buxa Tiger Reserve in West Bengal.  Located in Alipurduar district, the reserve, parts of which border Bhutan, has been identified for the tiger augmentation programme by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.

5. Ministry of Defence to procure weapons from HAL: The Ministry of Defence will buy 41 more ALH advanced light helicopters from public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The Rs. 6,100-crore order signed recently includes 40 of the indigenously developed ALHs for the Army and one for the Navy.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. BRICS summit begins in Xiamen: The 9th BRICS summit begins in the Chinese city of Xiamen. This is the second time the China has hosted the summit after the 2011 summit. In a joint declaration, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) condemned all terror attacks worldwide, including those attacks in the member states, stressing that there can be no justification whatsoever for any such act. Host country China has also invited five guest countries (Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico, and Thailand) for the summit under its BRICS plus approach.

2. Nepal signs UN development assistance plan: Nepal govt. has signed a USD 635 million United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for 2018-2022 to lay out the country’s development strategy for the next five years. The package involving 26 individual UN agencies is aimed at assisting Nepal in four areas - inclusive economic growth, social development, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

3. Trump to nominate Kenneth Juster as US Ambassador to India: America's foremost expert on US-India trade relations Kenneth I. Juster has been nominated as the U.S ambassador to India.He will succeed Richard Verma.The appointment will take effect once the U.S Senate confirms him.

4. Iran tests its homegrown air defence “Bavar”: Iran has tested its home grown air defence system, designed to match the Russian S-300, the head of the Revolutionary Guards’ air defence has said. Bavar (which means “belief”) is Tehran’s first long-range missile defence system, and is set to be operational by March 2018.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Country's foreign exchange reserves swell to lifetime high of USD 394.55 billion: The country's foreign exchange reserves swelled by USD 1.148 billion to a new lifetime high of USD 394.55 billion for the week ended 25th August this month.RBI data showed the foreign currency assets (FCAs) increased by USD 1.142 billion to USD 370.833 billion for the week under review. Gold reserves remained unchanged at USD 19.943 billion. The country's reserve position with the IMF also rose by USD 3.6 million to USD 2.273 billion. The total reserves had declined by a marginal USD 211.1 million to USD 393.401 billion in the previous reporting week.

2. AMD presented a new line of microprocessor chips called ‘Ryzen Pro’: The Ryzen Pro desktop processor is an 8 core and 16 thread CPU and much faster than the rival Intel’s ‘Core i7’. The new Ryzen Pro processors are for commercial usage.

SPORTS:

3. Konsam Ormila Devi bags Gold at Commonwealth Youth championship: India’s Konsam Ormila Devi bagged a gold medal in 44kg weight category of the Commonwealth Youth (boys & girls) weightlifting championships, held at Gold Coast, Australia. Ormila lifted 57kg in snatch and 76kg in clean and jerk for an overall effort of 133kg, to finish on the top of the podium.

4. Tejasvi Duduka wins US Open Carrom Tournament: Tejasvi Duduka from Hyderabad won the women’s singles of U.S. Open Grand Slam Carrom tournament.

5. Lewis Hamilton wins 2017 Italian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton was first, while Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel came second and third respectively. The 2017 Italian Grand Prix was the Formula One motor race held on 3 September 2017 at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy.

6. MS Dhoni becomes the first wicketkeeper to effect 100 stumpings in ODI Cricket: Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the first wicketkeeper in world cricket to effect 100 stumpings in One Day Internationals(ODI). He has taken 281 catches apart from scoring 9,657 runs so far. 

SPORTS:

7. Pulitzer-Prize winning poet John Ashbery passes away: Pulitzer-prize winning poet John Ashbery, a post-modern American trailblazer passed away in Hudson, New York. His 1975 collection, "Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror," was the rare winner of the book world's unofficial triple crown: the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle prize.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd September, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Latest Cabinet reshuffle: PM Modi inducted 9 new ministers and promoted 4 to expand his Cabinet. Nirmala Sitharaman became the Defence Minister. Piyush Goyal got Railways and Coal MInistry. Suresh Prabhu got Commerce and Industry whereas Sushma Swaraj retained External Affairs Ministry.

2. Ram Rahim to lose access to VIP lounges: The Airports Authority of India has written to Civil Aviation Ministry to remove rape convict Ram Rahim Singh’s name from the list of people who have access to VIP lounges in the airports. The access to lounges is granted to dignitaries like the PM, President and the Cabinet secretary among others.

3. World Bank suggests safety measures to Indian Railways: This was done to help the Railways in averting accidents. It advised that the trains be painted yellow to enable visibility during twilight hours and has asked the Railways to set up an independent rail safety regulator.

4. Coconut palm declared State tree of Goa: The BJP-led coalition Cabinet of Goa passed an amendment granting coconut palm the status of “State tree”. “The State government has decided to include coconut palm as tree in the Goa, Daman and Diu (Preservation of) Trees Act, 1984 to regulate felling of coconut trees under this Act.

                                 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. N Korea’s 6th nuclear test 9.8 times powerful: South Korean weather agency claimed that the 6th test was 9.8 times powerful than the 5th test conducted in Sep 2016. N Korea has hailed the bomb test as a perfect success and a meaningful step to complete its nuclear programme.

2. UN suspends food aid to refugees in Myanmar: The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended the aid works citing safety concerns as the ethnic violence escalated among Rohingya Muslims. The violence erupted after Rohingya Muslims attacked Myanmar’s security forces.

3. US takes control of Russian trade mission in DC: The Russian trade mission building in Washington DC has been closed down and its staff is barred access. The US State Department is conducting a search inside the building which the Russia’s US embassy spokesperson called ‘illegal’.

4. Rohingya children to get UNHCR cards: The West Bengal government will distribute identity cards issued by the UNHCR to Rohingya children lodged in the juvenile justice homes of the State. The move comes at a time when there are reports that the Union government is planning to deport Rohingyas refugees.

                                OTHER UPDATES:                               

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Aditya Birla Group’s valuation crosses $50 billion: The Group has crossed market capitalisation of $50 billion after the listing of Aditya Birla Capital.Among Indian conglomerates, Tata is on the top with a total valuation of its listed firms at over Rs.8.46 lakh crore.

2. Nike fires 20% of employees in India: Sportswear giant Nike has fired 20% of its Indian workforce and asked many others to join its operations in Southeast Asia. Earlier, as a cost cutting measure, Nike closed around 35% of its stores in India.

SPORTS:

3. Bumrah sets record for most wickets in 5-match ODI series: Jasprit Bumrah set the record in a 5-match bilateral ODI series after taking his tally in the India-Sri Lanka series to 15.He overtook Australia’s Clint McKay who had taken 14 against Pakistan in 2010.

4. Rajyavardhan Singh first sportsperson to become the sports minister: Olympic silver medal winning shooter was named the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports in the cabinet reshuffle. He is the first sportsperson to hold the position and he replaced Vijay Goel.

BANKING/FINANCE:

5. Syndicate Bank gets new Chairman: Ajay Vipin Nanavati has assumed charge as Chairman of Syndicate Bank. A board member of Alicon, Nanavati is an innovation evangelist. He mentors start-ups/SMEs, and is an angel investor.

6. IDRBT to develop a model platform for blockchain technology: IDRBT, an arm of the RBI is developing a model platform for blockchain technology. It’s a type of distributed ledger or decentralised database that keeps records of digital transactions. People generally use a trusted third-party like a bank to make a transaction but blockchain removes the need for a third-party by directly connecting the customers and suppliers on the same platform

7. RBI cuts repo rate by 25 bps to 6%: The RBI has cut the repo rate by 25 bps to 6%.

The economy has slowed down through the past five quarters from a high of 9.1% registered in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 to a level of 6.1% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017. Reverse Repo rate has also been cut by 0.25 % to 5.75 %.

OBITUARIES:

8. Poet Shirish Pai passes away: Shirish Pai, the renowned Marathi poet and activist, passed away in Mumbai. She was credited with introducing Japanese ‘Haiku’ to the Marathi speaking world.

Daily GK Updates - 2nd September, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Karnataka government will provide free education to girls up to graduation: The Karnataka government has recently decided to provide free education for girls across the state from Class 1 up to graduation in all public and aided private schools and colleges, excluding professional institutions. The scheme will be able to avail free education without paying a penny from the next academic year.

2. Sunil Arora appointed new Election Commissioner: Former Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sunil Arora will be the new the Election Commissioner of India. It is noteworthy that Achal Kumar Joti is the CEC (Chief Election Commissioner of India), Om Prakash Rawat is the other Election Commissioner.

3. Government plans to create FarmerZone: The union Govt. has planned to create “FarmerZone”, a collective open-source data platform for smart agriculture. It will use biological research and data to improve the lives of small and marginal farmers.

4. Ahmedabad formally accorded status of India's first World Heritage City by UNESCO: UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova handed over the certificate declaring Ahmedabad as a 'World Heritage City' to Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani in Gandhinagar.

                                 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Air Force becomes first military branch in UK open to women: The Royal Air Force (RAF) has become the first branch of Britain’s armed forces to open every role to female personnel. The decision comes after the Britain lifted the ban on women serving in combat roles last year.

2. The world’s tallest sandcastle built in Germany: The world’s tallest sandcastle 54.72 feet (16.68 metres) has been built in the German city of Duisburg. It takes the title from a 14.84-meter (48.69-foot) sandcastle built early this year in India.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Saab & Adani join hands for defence manufacturing: Saab (Swedish defence giant) and Adani group (Indian conglomerate) have announced collaboration in defence manufacturing entailing billions of dollars of investment in New Delhi. They mainly are eyeing a contract for single-engine fighter jets for the Indian Air Force.

2. Bitcoin crosses the $5000 milestone for the first time ever: Bitcoin’s price surged past the $5000 mark setting a fresh record high. The cryptocurrency has surged over 400% this year.

SPORTS:

3. Divya Deshmukh wins gold in the girls’ Under-12 category at the World Cadets Chess Championship: Divya Deshmukh has won gold in the girls’ Under-12 category at the World Cadets Chess Championship at Pocos de Caldas, Brazil. It is Divya’s second world title after her victory in the under-10 World Youth Chess Championship-2014 in Durban.

Daily GK Updates - 1st September, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India and Switzerland sign pacts for technical cooperation: India and Switzerland have signed two pacts for technical cooperation in the field of Railways after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President of Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard in New Delhi. The main theme of the presidential visit is the Treaty of Friendship signed between Switzerland and India in 1948, in which the two countries gave assurances of “perpetual peace” and “unalterable friendship”.

2. Annual conference ‘Rajaswa Gyan Sangam (RGS – 2017)’ inaugurated: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the annual conference – Rajaswa Gyan Sangam (RGS-2017). The conference is jointly organised by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). The objective of the Conference is to enable a two-way communication between the policy-makers and the senior officers in the field offices with a view to increase revenue collection and facilitate effective implementation of law and policies in key result areas.

3. Rajiv Kumar takes over as the new Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog: Noted economist Rajiv Kumar has take over charge as the new Vice-Chairman of government think-tank Niti Aayog.

4.Goa government has launched an online Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS): Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar has launched an online Public Grievance Redressal System at the state secretariat on September 1, 2017. It is a single window online portal for citizens to register grievances towards any state government department.

5.  Rajiv Mehrishi to be next Comptroller and Auditor General: Former home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi will be the next Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India. He will replace Shashi Kant Sharma.

6. Anita Karwal has been appointed as the new Chairperson of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE): Anita Karwal, a Gujarat-cadre IAS officer, has been appointed as the new Chairperson of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). She succeeded Rajesh Kumar Chaturvedi, who has been moved to the National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) as Director General. At present, she is Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD).

7. Rajiv kumar has been appointed as the new Secretary in the Department of Financial Services (DFS):  Rajiv Kumar, a 1984 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand cadre, has been appointed as the new Secretary in the Department of Financial Services (DFS). He succeeded Anjuly Chib Duggal, who superannuated.

8. Reliance Foundation awarded with Prestigious Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar: The Reliance Foundation was rewarded with the prestigious Rashtriya Khela Prostahan Award at Rashtrapati Bhavan. This was awarded for its contribution to the promotion of sports.

                                 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nepal is hosting the 2017 International Hindu Conference (IHC): The 3-day International Hindu Conference has started in Kathmandu, Nepal with the theme of ‘Emerging spiritualism: Renaissance of Hinduism’. The aim of the conference is to make Kathmandu the global capital of Hinduism.

2. Myanmar will sign pact with India for the conservation of earthquake-damaged pagodas at Bagan: India and Myanmar will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the conservation of earthquake-damaged pagodas at Bagan during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Myanmar on September 6-7, 2017.

3. J Y Pillai becomes the acting President of Singapore: He will replace Tan Kang Yam, who completed his six-year term as President. Pillai will remain in office till the end, unless a candidate gets elected after the election day on 13th September.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India wins Bronze at World Boxing Championships: India’s Gaurav Bhiduri won a Bronze at the world Boxing championships after losing his semifinal bout against American Duke Rangan.With this medal ended with a lone Bronze medal.

Daily GK Updates - 31st August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Anganwadi workers to provide pre-school education to kids: Anganwadi workers across India will be trained to provide pre-school education to children between three and six years of age, reports said. The idea is to make Integrated Child Development Services more meaningful and effective.

2. Andhra government to ensure Rs. 10000 monthly income for poor by 2019: The Andhra Pradesh government is trying to make sure that every poor family in the state gets a monthly income of at least ₹10,000 by January 2019, Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh said on Thursday. Adding that an action plan will be decided next week, he said the state will use various technologies to become a poverty-less state.

3. ISRO launched IRNSS-1H satellite from PSLV C39: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched its navigation satellite IRNSS-1H from Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, on board the rocket PSLV C39. The PSLV-C39 however has failed in its mission, as its heat shield failed to separate, preventing the satellite IRNSS-1H to reach its designated orbit. The satellite IRNSS-1H is a part of the indigenous navigation system called ‘NavIC’ (Navigation with Indian Constellation).

4. Govt. approves increase in income criteria for Creamy Layer: The union Govt. has approved an increase in income criteria for the creamy layer for excluding socially advanced persons from the purview of reservation of other backward classes (OBC) from six to eight lakh rupees per annum.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. CDC of Nepal submits its report with 165 electoral constituencies: The Constituency Delimitation Commission (CDC) of Nepal chairman Kamal Narayan Das has submitted its report to Nepal’s Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba at Kathmandu. The Commission has recommended 165 constituencies for the of House of Representatives and 330 for Provincial Assemblies.

2. Two-day Indian Ocean Conference being held in Colombo: Two-day Indian Ocean Conference 2017 being organized by India Foundation in Temple Trees (official residence of the Lankan prime minister) in Colombo. The theme of this year’s conference is Peace, Progress and Prosperity and will involve participants from more than 35 countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Indian Hotels Company appoints Puneet Chhatwal as MD and CEO: Indian Hotels Company Limited (runs the Taj chain of hotels) has appointed India-born Puneet Chhatwal as its Managing Director (MD) chief executive officer(CEO). He will replace Rakesh Sarna who is stepping down from 30thSeptember 2017.

2. NTPC signs Rs. 3,000 crore term loan agreement with ICICI Bank: National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has signed a term loan agreement for Rs. 3,000 crores with ICICI Bank Ltd for partially funding its capital expenditure.

The loan which has a door-to-door tenure of 15 years will be utilized to part finance the capital expenditure of NTPC.

3. New features in BHIM app, allows users to split bills and collect payments: The National Payments Corporation of India-backed BHIM (Bharat Interface for Money) app has been updated with features like splitting bills and collecting payments. The app allows users to send or receive money from other users through a mobile number or payment address and is available on Android app store.

SPORTS:

4. India post their biggest ODI win in SL, take 4-0 series lead: India defeated Sri Lanka by 168 runs in Colombo on Thursday to register their biggest ODI win in terms of runs in Sri Lanka, taking a 4-0 series lead. India's previous biggest win in Sri Lanka had come in 2009 when they defeated the hosts by 147 runs. 

Daily GK Updates - 30th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Hercules training centre at Hindon Air Force Station: Mahindra Defence Systems in association with Lockheed Martin has opened the C-130J Super Hercules simulator training center at Hindon Air Force station. It will train air crew who operate the C-130J special operations aircraft acquired from Lockheed Martin.

2. No interview in UP Government jobs for Group B, C, and D categories: Uttar Pradesh Govt has decided to end the process of holding interview for selection of candidates for the govt jobs in all the non-gazetted posts of Group B, C, and D categories. This new rule will not be binding on the ongoing recruitment for Class II officers.

3. GST collections cross Rs. 92000 crore mark: India’s maiden GST collections hit Rs 92,283 crore in July, surpassing the target. The tax mobilisation so far is from 64.4% of the 59.57 lakh taxpayers registered with the new Goods and Services Tax and the number is likely to go up.

4. Atal Pension Yojana surges ahead with 62 lakhs enrollments: Atal Pension Yojana has surged ahead with 62 lakh enrolments till date after launch of the scheme. Atal Pension Yojana is a government-backed pension scheme in India targeted at the unorganized sector. It was formally launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9thMay, 2017.

5. PM inaugurates “hanging bridge” over the river Chambal: The bridge, 1.4 km in length, is constructed at a cost of Rs 278 crore at Kota. The bridge will benefit the residents of Hadouti region of Rajasthan. The much-awaited 'hanging bridge' will help ease traffic congestion in Kota city and reduce travel time, officials said.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Annual five-day Hajj pilgrimage begins today in Saudi Arabia: The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey and can support their family during their absence. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, and Sawm. Around one lakh 70 thousand pilgrims from India are performing Hajj this year.

2. BRICS Innovative Competitiveness Report 2017: According to the BRICS Innovative Competitiveness Report 2017 report, India’s innovation growth rate would see a significant rise and could surpass that of China in the next decade, China ranks first in terms of national comprehensive innovation competitiveness in 2016, followed by Russia, South Africa, Brazil, and India.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. YouTube changes its logo: Google-owned YouTube has refreshed its iconic logo, Unlike minor tweaks, this is the biggest change the YouTube logo has received over the years. The logo will now work better “across a variety of devices, even on smallest of screens”.

2. Uber to offer free insurance: Global ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies will give free insurance to its 450,000 driver partners in India. For this insurance programme Uber has tied up with ICICI Lombard, it will provide cover ranging from Rs. 5 lakhs in case of death to Rs. 50,000 rupees for outpatient treatment.

3. Paytm rebrands Postcard service: Paytm has rebranded its Postcard feature as Lifafa following its feud with India Post. This comes soon after India Post (government-operated postal system) sent a notice to Paytm that it had the sole right to use the word ‘postcard’ under the IPO Act. Lifafa is a digital version of gifting money on festive occasions.

BANKING & FINANCE:

4. RBI report says 99% of demonetized notes back: RBI has revealed in its annual report that Rs 15.28 lakh crore or 99% of the Rs 15.44-lakh-crore scrapped currency notes, had come back to central bank after the government called for demonetization. About 89 million units of the demonetized Rs 1,000 notes worth Rs 8,900 cr have not come back into the system.

5. CHOICE launches ‘PoS’ product: Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance Company (CHOICE) has come up with a ‘Point-of-Sale’ product targeted at the mass-market segment. The product  ‘PoS – Easy Bima Plan’ is the first PoS product for the company and is a pure term insurance plan.

6. Solar energy services company Freyr Energy ties up with Axis Bank: It will offer term loans for solar rooftop installations in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Axis Bank will offer term loans ranging from Rs. 5 lakh to Rs. 50 lakh for tenures up to five years.

Daily GK Updates - 29th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi to attend BRICS summit in China: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Xiamen in China to attend the BRICS summit which will be held from September 3-5. The announcement comes a day after India and China ended their 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing their troops from the area.

2. National Sports Day observed: National Sports Day in India is celebrated on August 29, the birthday of Dhyan Chand, one of the greatest field hockey players of all time. Dhyan Chand is also known as ‘The Wizard’ in the world of hockey. The Government of India (GoI) has designated 29th August as the country’s ‘National Sports Day’ in 2012. The President confers Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, and Dronacharya Award at Rashtrapati Bhawan on this day.

3. Winner of Miss Transqueen India 2017: Nitasha Biswas, a trans woman who hails from Kolkata, was crowned Miss Trans Queen India 2017, winner of the first beauty pageant for trans women in the country. Nitasha will now represent India at the Miss International TransQueen in Thailand in March 2018.

4. Mandarin made a must for ITBP: Following Doklam standoff, Indo Tibetan Border Police has decided to make it compulsory for new recruits to learn Chinese language — both Mandarin & version of the language that is spoken in Tibet. Good knowledge of Chinese language will help in avoiding misunderstandings & lead to better resolution of confrontations.

5. India & Germany ink agreement to improve grid integration of renewable energy: India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) of Germany have signed an agreement on technical cooperation under the Indo-German Energy Programme-Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC). The main objective of this program is to improve the sector framework and conditions for grid integration of renewable energies with conventional power grids.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Atomic Fuel Reserve Bank to open in Kazakhstan: International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Low Enriched Uranium Bank is all set to open this week in Kazakhstan. The reserve is a “mechanism of last resort” for situations in which a UN member nation cannot access fuel by the usual means.

2. France holds migration summit: European countries are at loggerheads over how to deal with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war, poverty and political upheaval in Middle East & Africa. Hence, the European leaders will meet their counterparts from Niger, Chad, and Libya in Paris to discuss ways of stemming economic migration.

3. Kenya comes up with toughest law against usage of plastic bags: Kenya has imposed world’s toughest laws to reduce plastic pollution, with people selling or using plastic bags at risk of up to 4 years in prison & fines of up to 4m Kenyan Shillings.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Indian Commodity Exchange launches the world’s first derivatives exchange for diamond futures contract: The diamond contracts initially will be in size of 1 karat with compulsory delivery. It likely to create a new market for diamond industry players where sellers can deliver their certified quality diamonds to a different set of buyers from across the country. The Indian Commodity Exchange is promoted by the Anil Ambani group.

2. Ease of Doing Business report: NITI Aayog launched Ease of Doing Business report based on an Enterprise Survey of 3,500 manufacturing firms across Indian states & Union Territories. Survey has conducted along with IDFC Institute, to assess business regulations & enabling environment across India from firms’ perspective.

3. Bharti Airtel joins hands with Symantec Corporation to protect users from online threats: Bharti Airtel has entered into a partnership with Symantec Corporation to protect businesses in India from online threats. Through the partnership, these two companies will target IT security requirements of large enterprises, small & medium businesses, as well as the government.

4. DIPP releases next edition of consolidated FDI policy: The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) compiles all policies related to foreign investment regime into a single document to make it simple and easy for investors to understand. In the last year, the union government has liberalized FDI policy in over a dozen sectors, including defence, civil aviation, construction and development, private security agencies and news broadcasting.