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Daily Current affairs - January 29th to 31st, 2018 for all competitive exams

January 30 - Martyrs’ Day
Nation observes the death anniversary of the Father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi as Martyrs’ Day on 30 January 2015.
  • The country also observed Martyrs’ day to honour all those who gave their life for the country.
In India, there are several days declared as Martyrs' Day (at national level also known as Sarvodaya day). They are named in honour of those who are recognised as martyrs for the nation.
  • March 23 - The anniversary of the deaths of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru on 23 March, 1931, is declared to be Martyr's Day
  • India observes 21 October, the Police Commemoration Day
  • Orissa observes 17 November, the death anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai 
  • The birthday of Rani Lakshmibai, 19 November,1828, queen of the Maratha-ruled princely state of Jhansi, is observed as Martyrs' Day in the region


January 30 – world Leprosy Day
The Anti-Leprosy day, observed every year on the Martyrdom Day of Mahatma Gandhi, remembers his selfless efforts and care for the people affected by leprosy.
  • Anti-Leprosy day aims to make people aware of the real need to fight the infectious disease. A campaign named as the ‘Sparsh’ Leprosy Awareness Campaign, has been organised in all the Gram Sabhas throughout the country by the Central Leprosy Division of the Health Ministry.
  • The campaign carries important information about the disease to help affected people. It includes free of cost multidrug therapy that is available at all government dispensaries, health centres and hospitals to provide complete treatment.


January 30 - National Cleanliness Day
Since 2014, every year on January 30th is observed as National Cleanliness Day to commemorate the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
  • This responsibility for environmental cleanliness, calls to maintain high standards of cleanliness in our homes, workplace, road/streets and public places.


India’s GDP growth to be 7-7.5% in 2018-19: Economic Survey
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tabled the Economic Survey 2017-18 in the Parliament, which predicts India’s GDP growth at 7-7.5% in 2018-19.
  • Major reforms over the past year will allow growth to reach 6.75% this fiscal.
  • The survey added that retail inflation during 2017-18 averaged to the lowest in the last 6 years at 3.3%.
  • The survey underlines the role of the newly introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST), the new Indian Bankruptcy Code, the implementation of the recapitalization package to strengthen the public sector banks, further liberalization of FDI and the export uplift from the global recovery, in contributing to the economic growth this year.


Beating the Retreat Ceremony held on January 29
Beating the Retreat ceremony will be held on 29th January.
  • The Beating Retreat ceremony officially denotes the end of Republic Day festivities.
  • It is conducted on the evening of 29 January, the third day after the Republic Day. It is performed by the bands of the three wings of the military, the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. Colours and Standards are cased and flags lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by.
  • ‘Beating the Retreat’ has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded.


Maharashtra wins best tableau at Republic Day
Maharashtra won the award for the best tableau at the 69th Republic Day parade in New Delhi.
  • The tableau was on the coronation ceremony of Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and was created by art director Nitin Desai and his team.
  • The second and third positions were won by Assam and Chhattisgarh respectively.


Sports Ministry’s Republic Day tableau adjudged best among ministries
The tableau of Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports was adjudged the best tableau among all the ministries which participated in the Republic Day parade.
  • The theme of the tableau was ‘Khelo India’. The float displayed a small team showcasing the ‘malkhamb’ with a couple of boxers sparring in a ring.


Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology announced Stree Swabhiman Initiative
Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has announced an initiative by common services centres (CSCs) on women’s health and hygiene. The initiative is named ‘Stree Swabhiman’.
  • Stree Swabhiman aims to create a sustainable model for providing adolescent girls and women an access to affordable sanitary products by leveraging CSCs.
  • Under the ‘Stree Swabhiman’ project, sanitary napkin micro manufacturing units are being set up at CSCs across India, particularly those operated by women entrepreneurs. The initiative is driven by awareness and personalised outreach by women entrepreneurs who produce and market sanitary napkins themselves.
  • Common Services Centers (CSCs) are a strategic cornerstone of the Digital India programme. They are the access points for delivery of various electronic services to villages in India, thereby contributing to a digitally and financially inclusive society.


New Khadi dress for Postmen/MTS launched by Communications Minister Manoj Sinha
Communications Minister Manoj Sinha had unveiled a new khadi uniform for the Department of Posts personnel, including postmen and multi-tasking staff.
  • The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) had designed this new uniform.
  • The new dress carries the logo of ‘India Post’ on the pocket and the cap, along with red stripes on shoulders and shoulder blade.


Indian Railway launches first touch-screen inquiry systems for passengers at New Delhi station
The Railways launched a one of its kind touch-screens for answering all queries of passengers including about navigation for accessing various facilities available at the New Delhi railway station.
  • Chairman Railway Board Ashwani Lohani launched the ‘Rail Yatri Guide Kiosk’ at the station, designed by the Delhi division.
  • The system comprises touch-screen kiosks with a 40-inch display of 3D-digitized railway station map and helps the passenger at the touch of the screen.


Center proposed to setup Cybercrime coordination centre
The Centre has proposed to set up Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) in Delhi. It has asked States to establish a similar mechanism in every district. It has also released Rs.83 crore for setting up of a cyber forensic training laboratory-cum-training centre for police officials in each State.
  • The funds were given under the Cyber Crime Prevention against Women and Children Scheme.
  • It is an apex coordination centre to deal with cyber crimes such as financial frauds, circulation of communal and pornographic contents. 
  • The Centre will be set up under the newly created Cyber and Information Security (CIS) division of the MHA.


India commissions high performance computer system Mihir
India recently commissioned its High Performance Computer (HPC) system – named ‘Mihir’ (meaning Sun) – at the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting at Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
  • The new system will be India’s largest HPC facility in terms of peak capacity and performance and will propel India’s ranking from the 368th position to the 30th in the list of top 500 HPC facilities in the world.
  • The country will now also be ranked 4th – after Japan, UK and USA – for dedicated HPC resources for weather/climate community.
The new HPC facility is expected to improve the following services:
  • Weather forecasts at block level over India which can predict extreme weather events.
  • High resolution seasonal/extended range forecasts of active/break spells of Monsoon.
  • Very high resolution coupled models for prediction of cyclones with more accuracy and lead time.
  • Ocean state forecasts including marine water quality forecasts at very high resolution.
  • Tsunami forecasts with greater lead time.
  • Air quality forecasts for various cities.
  • Climate projections at very high resolution.


Quota for Acid Attack Survivors, People with Disability In Government Jobs
The Department of Personnel and Training has written to all central government departments to ensure that 1% of each posts be reserved for people with blindness and low vision; deaf and hard of hearing; locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy.
  • The move to enhance reservation quota for those with learning disability and acid attack victims comes after passage of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and the notification of relevant rules in this regard.
  • As per an earlier order of the DoPT, issued in 2005, 3% of the total posts were to be reserved for people with disabilities. Of these 1% each was for those with blindness or low vision; hearing impairment and locomotor disability or cerebral palsy.
  • In case of direct recruitment, 4% of the total number of vacancies, up from the existing3%, in groups A, B and C shall be reserved for people with benchmark disabilities. Benchmark disability means a person with not less than 40% of a specified disability.


IT ministry tests LED-based wireless communication tech
IT ministry has tested LiFi, an LED-based wireless communication technology, jointly conducted with IIT-Madras and lighting company Philips India.
  • LiFi, or light fidelity, aims to replace WiFi by using light to transmit internet signals with speeds up to 10 Gbps.
  • The technology was reportedly being tested to cover areas that cannot be reached by the existing network.
Professor Harald Haas coined the term "Li-Fi" at his 2011 TED Global Talk where he introduced the idea of "wireless data from every light".[21] He is a Chair Professor of Mobile Communications at the University of Edinburgh, and the co-founder of pureLiFi


Nodal agency to fight malnutrition
Aiming to eradicate malnutrition among children, Congress MP Jyotiraditya Scindia has introduced Child Nutrition and Development Nodal Agency Bill, 2017 in the Parliament.
  • The bill proposes setting up a nodal agency for child nutrition and development.
  • Despite thousands of crores of rupees being spent and a number of government schemes working for child development, the status of health and nutrition of children in the country remains abysmal.
  • All nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive schemes work in silos. As a result, they are not able to achieve the intended outcome. Therefore, the establishment of a nodal agency that would facilitate coordination of all ministries and departments and execute the schemes in a convergent manner is urgently required.


Center asked SC to classify tobacco as Res extra commercium
To curb the $11 billion tobacco industry’s legal right to trade, the government, for the first time, has asked the top court to classify tobacco as “res extra commercium”, which is a Latin phrase for “outside commerce”. The move is part of the government’s effort to tame the tobacco companies looking to challenge tough regulations pertaining to the industry.
  • India’s tobacco labelling rules, which mandate 85% of a cigarette pack’s surface be covered in health warnings, have been a sticking point between the government and the tobacco industry since they were enforced in 2016. But a court in southern Karnataka state last month quashed those labelling rules after the tobacco industry successfully argued the measure was “unreasonable” and violated its right to trade.
  • Therefore, seeking to apply this doctrine to tobacco, the government argued it should have the power “to regulate business and to mitigate evils” to safeguard public health.
Res extra commercium means things beyond commerce, i.e., which cannot be brought or sold, such as public roads, rivers, titles of owners etc. it is a doctrine originating in roman law. In some contexts, it can refer to areas beyond national borders, such as space and the seabed.


Haryana Chief Minsiter announces free travel for Kashi pilgrims
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has announced that the state government will provide free travel facility to pilgrims from Haryana to Uttar Pradesh’s Kashi.
  • The facility will be provided on first-come, first-served basis in Indian railways from next year, (2019).
  • The facility will be available for the first 5,000 people.


Zero Budget Natural Farming project
Himachal Pradesh has launched Zero Budget Natural Farming project to promote organic farming.
  • Zero Budget Natural Farming, as the name implies, is a method of farming where the cost of growing and harvesting plants is zero. This means that farmers need not purchase fertilizers and pesticides in order to ensure the healthy growth of crops.
  • It is, basically, a natural farming technique that uses biological pesticides instead of chemical-based fertilizers. Farmers use earthworms, cow dung, urine, plants, human excreta and such biological fertilizers for crop protection. It reduces farmers’ investment. It also protects the soil from degradation.


Thar Link Express received an extension for 3 more years
  • Thar Link Express, the solitary rail link between India and Pakistan has received an extension for three more years from Islamabad.
  • The Thar Link Express connects Khokhrapar in Pakistan and Munabao in Rajasthan.
  • The agreement to run the Thar Link Express was signed in 2006 and is one of the cheapest means of transport between the two rival countries. The rail link facilitates people-to-people contacts which Pakistan believes are essential for improving relations between both the countries.


Indian, Vietnamese Armies Hold 1st Military Exercise- VINBAX
Armies of India and Vietnam have begun a six-day-long military exercise in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. 
  • The exercise named ‘VINBAX’ is the first military exercise between the two countries.
VINBAX-2018 was Table Top Exercise to carry out training for Peace Keeping Operations under United Nations (UN) mandate.
  • Defence ties between India and Vietnam have been on an upswing with the primary focus being cooperation in the maritime domain. 
  • India and Vietnam had signed a protocol on defence cooperation in 1994. The partnership was thereafter elevated to strategic level in 2007 and a pact on boosting bilateral defence cooperation was signed in 2009. The strategic partnership was elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in September 2016.


GoI,Tamil Nadu and World bank signed $100 million loan for Tamilnadu Rural Transformation Project
India and the World Bank have signed a $100 million loan agreement to support Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project.
  • This is expected to promote rural enterprises, facilitate their access to finance, and create employment opportunities for youth, particularly women, in selected blocks of Tamil Nadu across 26 districts, directly benefitting over 400,000 people.
The Tamil Nadu Rural Transformation Project will create an enabling environment for producer organisations and enterprises to promote businesses across select value chains. The project will enable producer organizations and enterprises in Tamil Nadu build businesses that will help them access finance, markets and networks and generate employment.


AAI, Lao PDR sign civil aviation cooperation agreement
Celebrating 25 years of the India-ASEAN relationship, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has signed a historic agreement with Lao Air Traffic Management, Department of Civil Aviation, Lao PDR, for providing SkyRev360, a comprehensive e-data gathering, invoicing and collection system.
  • SkyRev360 is a fully automated and comprehensive data gathering, invoicing and collection service which eliminates inaccuracies, errors and delays for better revenue management. SkyRev360 has been developed in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) under the Government of India’s Make in India initiative.
  • SkyRev360 automates data processing, helping ANSPs overcome strenuous manual processes which are prone to mistakes. A collaboration between two experts of the aviation industry: IATA and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The solution gathers 100% of your flight data and produces comprehensive billing data. Therefore, with SkyRev360, ANSPs’ financial operations become both more accurate and efficient in one stroke.


60th anniversary of first US satellite into space
United States is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the launch of the first spacecraft sent into space.
  • Explorer 1, a two-metre long satellite carrying a scientific instrument, was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on 31 January 1958. Explorer 1 was around two metres in length. Within that the science instrument took up about 95cm.
  • The main instruments were a cosmic-ray detection package; internal, external and nose-cone temperature sensors; a micrometeorite impact microphone; a ring of micrometeorite erosion gauges; and two transmitters. There were two antennas in the body of the satellite and its four flexible whips that formed a turnstile antenna. Electrical power was provided by batteries that made up 40% of the total weight.
  • Overall, Explorer 1 was not the first object launched into space, as almost a year earlier the USSR successfully put a small metal satellite, Sputnik 1, into orbit. A month later, they also successfully launched a second, Sputnik 2.


China, Pakistan ink 6 agreements for the development of Gwadar port
Pakistan and China signed six agreements  for the development of Gwadar port.
  • Representatives from the two countries signed five agreements and a memorandum of understanding in the presence of Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
  • Prime Minister Shahid Abbasi inaugurated the Gwadar Free Zone, with state media describing it as another milestone in efforts to transform the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor into reality.


Researchers found Red handfish
Researchers have found a new population of red handfish in the waters off Tasmania.
  • The red handfish is believed to be the world’s rarest fish species. Until now, only 20 to 40 individuals of red handfish have been identified in the whole world.
  • The new find expands the number of unique fish that has born with finger-like fins.


NASA Fund Researches the Potential of Blockchain Technology in Space
NASA recently awarded a grant of $330,000 USD to the University of Akron to research the potential of blockchain technology to improve space communications.
  • NASA wants ways to reduce the time it takes for their exploration vehicles to receive signals and react to potential threats in space. Also, a decentralized blockchain would ensure there is no degradation or loss of the critical data collected by vehicles in space.
Blockchain is the digital and decentralized ledger that records transactions without the need for a financial intermediary, which in most cases is a bank. A blockchain is an anonymous online ledger that uses data structure to simplify the way we transact. Blockchain allows users to manipulate the ledger in a secure way without the help of a third party.
  • Blockchain enables two entities that do not know each other to agree that something is true without the need of a third party. As opposed to writing entries into a single sheet of paper, a blockchain is a distributed database that takes a number of inputs and places them into a block. Each block is then ‘chained’ to the next block using a cryptographic signature. This allows blockchains to be used as a ledger which is accessible by anyone with permission to do so.  If everyone in the process is pre-selected, the ledger is termed ‘permissioned’. If the process is open to the whole world, the ledger is called unpermissioned.


Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) science satellite
A long lost NASA satellite has been found alive. NASA has confirmed it stumbled across radio transmissions from Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) science satellite, which lost contact with mission control over 12 years ago.
  • On march 25, 2000, NASA launched the IMAGE satellite atop a Delta II rocket. 
  • The unmanned orbiter kept an eye on the Earth’s magnetosphere and how it reacts to the solar winds. Then on December 18, 2005, radio contact was lost for unknown reason. After weeks of attempts by NASA to regain contact, the probe was written off for good.
IMAGE was the first satellite mission dedicated to imaging the Earth’s magnetosphere, the region of space controlled by the Earth’s magnetic field and containing extremely tenuous plasmas of both solar and terrestrial origin.


Facebook bans ads promoting cryptocurrencies
Facebook has prohibited advertisements that promote financial services that are associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, naming cryptocurrencies and initial coin offering.
  • While Facebook said it wants people to learn about these services through its ads, it added that many companies advertising such services “are not currently operating in good faith”


Axis Bank Launches 4th Edition of “Evolve”
Private sector Axis Bank launched the fourth edition of ‘Evolve’ in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. 
  • It is an annual multi-city knowledge series for Bank’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) customers. The current edition of 'evolve' is titled as “Transform your Family Business into your dream company”.
  • It will empower the SMEs to understand the winning strategies and best practices that have helped some of the leading family businesses in India grow into the reputable enterprise.


Equitas Bank launches digital wealth management
Chennai-headquartered Equitas Small Finance Bank (ESFBL) announced the launch of its digital wealth management service.
  • The bank has collaborated with Valuefy Solutions – a fintech start-up – to create an online platform where customers can make paperless investments in mutual funds and other products.
  • With the launch, ESFBL aims to provide to its clients the facility to invest in mutual funds digitally.


Paytm, Alibaba’s AGTech Holdings Launch New Mobile Gaming Platform
Mobile payments company Paytm and Alibaba Group-owned AGTech Holdings Ltd have formed a joint venture to launch 'Gamepind' a gaming platform aimed at mobile users in India.
  • AGTech Media currently holds 45% in the joint venture, and Paytm owns the rest. At the time of the signing of the agreement, Paytm’s parent company One97 invested $8.8 million in the venture for its 55% stake, and AGTech Holdings put in $7.2 million for its 45% stake.
Aadhaar is Oxford Dictionary’s Hindi Word of 2017
Oxford Dictionaries has chosen ‘Aadhaar’ as the Hindi word of 2017. The word gained popularity due to Aadhaar card, which was in news in 2017.
  • The announcement was made in the Jaipur Literature Festival.


India is world’s 3rd largest steel producer
As per the latest data released by World Steel Association, India is the world’s third-largest steel producer.
  • India remained the world’s third-largest steel producer for the third year in a row in 2017. India had grabbed the third slot in steel production in 2015 from the US after long been holding the fourth slot.
  • In 2017, China and Japan have occupied top two positions respectively.
Worldsteel is a non-profit organisation with headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. A second office in Beijing, China, opened in April 2006.
  • The World Steel Association (worldsteel) was founded as the International Iron and Steel Institute on 10 July 1967. It changed its name to the World Steel Association on 6 October 2008.


New Delhi is most polluted city in the country
A report on air pollution data compiled by Greenpeace India revels cities of Gurgaon and Faridabad were among the most polluted cities in the country.
  • The report revealed that the average level of PM10 in Faridabad was 272 making it the second most-polluted city in the country.
  • Though Gurgaon fared better than Faridabad, the PM10 level stood at 227 making it the 12th most polluted city in the country.
  • The list of most polluted cities in the country was topped by Delhi, with the PM10 level at 290.


3rd edition Difficult Dialogues forum will be held in Goa
The third edition in the series of Difficult Dialogues Summit wil be held in Goa in the month of February.
  • This year, the forum will be held in partnership with UCL (University College London), Goa University (GU) and the ICG.
  • Difficult Dialogues 2018 will focus on how Indian gender constructs affect fundamental aspects of daily lives and citizenship.
Difficult dialogues is an independent, non-partisan forum for conversations around critical issues concerning our lives in South Asia. To be held as an annual festival of topical ideas and motions, it is premised on the conviction that knowledge sharing is the cornerstone of progressive change in this fastest growing, volatile region of the world.


First Ever 'Khadi Haat' Inaugurated in Delhi
Marking the 69th Republic Day celebrations, Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) have launched the first ever 'Khadi Haat' in the country.
  • The Khadi Haat was inaugurated by Union Minister of State Giriraj Singh in Connaught Place, New Delhi.


International Bird Festival to be Held in Dudhwa National Park
A three-day international bird festival will be held at the Dudhwa National Park, Lakhimpur Kheri, Uttar Pradesh in February 2018 with nearly 200 leading ornithologists expected to attend.
  • The purpose of the international bird festival is to promote eco-tourism in Dudhwa and to give it a distinct international identity besides highlighting its traditional arts, culture and heritage.


5 MPs Chosen for Outstanding Parliamentarian Award
The Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) headed by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan announced that five members of parliament (MPs) selected for the Outstanding Parliamentarian Awards.
  • This includes, Manipur’s governor Najma A Heptulla (2013), BJP’s Lok Sabha member Hukumdev Narayan Yadav (2014), Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad (2015), Trinamool Congress’ Dinesh Trivedi (2016), and five-time Rajya Sabha member Bhartruhari Mahatab of the Lok Biju Janata Dal (BJD) (2017).
The Outstanding Parliamentarian Award was established in 1995. So far 18 eminent MPs have received the award.
  • Chandra Shekhar of the Samajwadi Janata Party was the first member to receive this award.


Documentary on Kailash Satyarthi wins top prize at Sundance Film Festival
A film on the life of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi has won the US Documentary Grand Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
  • The documentary, titled “Kailash” and directed by debutante Derek Doneen, traces Satyarthi’s journey and his efforts to eliminate child trafficking and child labour.
  • The film has been produced by Davis Guggenheim and Sarah Anthony, and co-produced by Purnima Raghunath.


NITI Aayog member Dr Vinod Paul wins the global award
NITI Aayog member Dr Vinod Paul was awarded the Ihsan Dogramaci Family Health Foundation Prize by the Executive Board of the World Health Organization.
  • The former professor at AIIMS, Delhi, is the first Indian to win the award that recognises work in the field of family health.
  • He will be conferred the prize formally at a World Health Assembly event in May.


Vijay Keshav Gokhale takes charge as Foreign Secretary
Vijay Keshav Gokhale assumed charge as the new foreign secretary for a two-year term.
  • He succeeded former foreign secretary S Jaishankar who completed his term of three-years, including one extended year.
  • Gokhale, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1981, played a major role in resolving the 73-day-long Doklam standoff between India and China last year.


S.K. Joshi appointed new Chief Secretary of Telangana
Shailendra Kumar Joshi, Special Chief Secretary, Irrigation, was appointed the new Chief Secretary of Telangana State 
  • The government earlier had written to the Centre seeking a three-month extension of service to Mr. S.P. Singh as he was supervising the progress of Mission Bhagiratha for supplying piped drinking water to all households in the State.
  • Mr. Joshi will be taking charge as the fourth Chief Secretary of Telangana State.


Finland re-elects Sauli Niinisto as its President
Finland’s moderate President Sauli Niinisto cruised to a rare first round election win as his delicate balancing of ties with neighbour Russia and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance resonated with voters.
  • The 69-year-old Mr. Niinisto, known for cultivating good relations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, won his second six-year term with an overwhelming 62.7% of the vote.
  • His closest rival, Pekka Haavisto of the Greens of Finland, secured just 12.4% votes.


Indian-American Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to Lead USISPF Board
Indian-American Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen has been elected as the Vice Chairman of the US-India Strategic and Partnership Forum. 
  • It is a new organisation set up to enhance business relations between India and the US.
  • The new representative body - US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) was set up to promote bilateral trade and work on creating meaningful opportunities that have the power to change the lives of citizens. The USISPF now has 31 board members.


Prakash Padukone bestowed with life time achievement award by BAI
Former world number one badminton player Prakash Padukone was conferred with Badminton Association of India’s (BAI) inaugural Lifetime Achievement award for his contribution to the sport.
  • The 62-year-old was conferred with the award in the presence of his family, including daughter and actress Deepika Padukone, and several top badminton players from India and abroad.


Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad dies at 91
Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad, who built a global business empire and known for his contempt for taxes, died aged 91.
  • Born in 1926 in the southern Swedish region of Smaland, Kamprad founded the company at age 17.
  • In 1973 he fled Sweden’s higher tax structure for Denmark before seeking even lower taxes in Switzerland.


Kohli is the only player to remain with same IPL team for 11 years
Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli is the only player to be associated with the same franchise for 11 years.
  • Next to him Harbajan singh is retained in Mumbai Indians for 10 years Now he moved to CSK.


Sandeep Lamichhane Becomes 1st Nepal player to Get IPL Contract
Sandeep Lamichhane became the first cricketer from Nepal to land a deal an IPL contract. He was picked by Delhi Daredevils in the player's auction. 
  • The 17-year-old, the only Nepal player in the IPL auction, was sold at his base price of Rs 20 lakh.
  • The leg-spinner hogged the limelight in 2016 U-19 World Cup by becoming the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 14 scalps in six innings.


Australia to host World T20 in 2020 across eight cities
Eight cities across Australia will host the T20 World Cup in 2020 with the tournament to commence on October 18 and the final on November 15.
  • The women’s event kickstarts on February 21 and goes on until March 8.
  • Both finals will take place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
  • Australia is extremely happy for hosting the ICC World T20 tournaments in 2020.


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