Daily Current affairs - February 9, 2018 for all competitive exams
Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for
his three-nation visit to Palestine, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and
Oman.
- This
is the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Palestine, and
Prime Minister Modi's second visit to UAE and first to Oman.
- Prime
Minister would be addressing the Sixth World Government
Summit being held in Dubai, UAE at which India has been
extended 'Guest of Honour' status.
Swachh Bharat Sanitation Park inaugurated in
Delhi
The
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in collaboration with the
Environmental Sanitation Institute and Tata Trusts, has developed a Sanitation
Park which was inaugurated in the Capital by Union Minister, Ministry of
Drinking Water and Sanitation, Sushri Uma Bharti
- The
Sanitation Park was developed at CGO Complex in New Delhi with an
objective to create awareness on various safe technological options.
- The
Park demonstrates various options pertaining to toilet technologies and
solid and liquid waste management technologies, with a brief description
of these technologies.
1,86,777 Affordable Houses Sanctioned for Urban
Poor Under PMAY(Urban)
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has
approved the construction of 1,86,777 more affordable houses for the benefit of
urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) with an investment of
Rs.11,169cr with central assistance of Rs. 2,797 cr.
- The
approval was given in the 30th meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee
meeting.
- Haryana
has been sanctioned highest 53,290 houses in 38 cities and towns with an
investment of Rs.4,322cr with central assistance of Rs.799 cr.
RK Singh Launches ASH TRACK Mobile App for
Better Management of FlyAash
Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New
& Renewable Energy, Shri R.K Singh, launched a Web-based monitoring
System and a Fly Ash mobile application named ASH TRACK.
- These
platforms will enable better management of the ash produced by thermal
power plants by providing an interface between fly ash producers (Thermal
Power Plants) and potential ash users such as – road contractors, cement
plants etc.
NHAI to Start 'pay as you use' Pilot Project on
Delhi-Mumbai National Highways
The National Highways Authority of India
(NHAI) will start a pilot project called "pay as you
use" on the Delhi-Mumbai Highway to 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 on the Delhi-Mumbai
National Highway.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is an
autonomous agency of the Government of India, responsible for management of a
network of over 50,000 km of National
Highways out of 1,15,000 km in India.
It is a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways. NHAI has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian
Space Research Organisation for satellite mapping of highways.
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South Central Railway Becomes 1st Rail Zone with 100% LED
Lighting at Stations
The South Central Railway (SCR) has become
the first railway zone in the country to complete 100% LED
lighting at all the stations under its jurisdiction.
- It
has attained the status of becoming the first zone in the Indian Railways
to complete 100% LED lighting in all the 733 stations under its
jurisdiction.
Kailash Yatra via Nathu La to resume
China has
confirmed restarting of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass.
- Kailash
Mansarovar Yatra (KMY) is known for its religious importance, cultural
significance and arduous nature. The annual pilgrimage holds religious
importance for Hindus, Jains and Buddhists.
- The
Yatra is organized by the government of India in close cooperation with
the Government of the People’s Republic of China. State Governments of
Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Delhi, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and
Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam Limited (KMVN) are other major Indian partners
of the Ministry in organizing the Yatra.
Mansarovar
Lake is located at an altitude of 14,950 ft (4,558 m) is
said to be the highest freshwater lake in the world. It is located in the
Tibet Autonomous Region, China, 940 kilometres from Lhasa. To the west of it
is Lake Rakshastal and to the north is Mount Kailash.
Nathu La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas. It connects the
Indian state of Sikkim with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. It is also one
of the four officially agreed BPM (Border Personnel Meeting) points between
the Indian Army and People’s Liberation Army of China for regular
consultations and interactions between the two armies, which helps in
defusing stand-offs.
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Saudi Arabia temporarily bans poultry imports
from India over bird flu
Saudi Arabia has temporarily banned imports of
live birds, hatching eggs and chicks from India after a form of bird flu that
is highly lethal for poultry was found in the south Asian country.
- In
January, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) said, citing a
report from the Indian agriculture ministry, that India had reported an
outbreak of a highly contagious bird flu virus near Bengaluru in the
southern state of Karnataka.
Saudi Arabia
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Capital
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Riyad
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Currency
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Saudi riyal
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King
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Salman
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China deploys Sukhoi-35 fighter jets in the
South China Sea to counter US patrols
China has deployed the newly- acquired Russian
made Su-35 fighter jets in its combat mission over the disputed South China
Sea.
- The
Chinese air force recently sent its Su-35 fighter jets to take part in a
joint combat patrol over the South China Sea, the Chinese air force.
- The
US military periodically sends warships and air force jets to assert
freedom of flights and navigation over the South China Sea as China claims
most of it.
- Vietnam,
the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the
area.
China
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Capital
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Beijing
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Currency
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Renminbi
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President
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Xi Jinping
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US government shuts down for 2nd time in three
weeks
The US government shut down for the second time
in three weeks after a vote on government funding bill was delayed in the
Senate beyond the midnight deadline.
- The
vote was delayed by Senator Rand Paul who said that the deal would result
in a significant increase in the federal budget deficit without any
corresponding cuts to spending.
USA
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Capital
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Washington DC
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Currency
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USA dollar
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President
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Donald Trump
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UN allows sanctioned North Korea official to
attend Olympics
The UN Security Council has given permission for
a North Korean official under international sanctions to travel to the
Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
- The
council’s sanctions committee has granted the exemption to Choe Choe Hwi,
chairman of North Korea’s National Sports Guidance Committee on the
request of South Korea.
- Choe
was sanctioned in June last year as a senior director of the propaganda
and agitation department of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party.
- The
23-member delegation will be led by North Korea’s ceremonial head of state
Kim Yong Nam and will also include Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of
North Korea’s leader and a senior member of the Workers’ Party.
Human eggs developed in laboratory for the
first time
UK and US-based scientists have successfully
developed human eggs outside the human body from their earliest stages to
maturity, where they could be fertilised.
- Earlier,
researchers achieved the same in mice while completing only different
stages for human eggs.
- By
nurturing ovarian tissue in culture, nine eggs reached maturity of the 48
that reached the penultimate step.
Google fined Rs 136 crore in India for
‘search bias’
Search engine major Google has imposed a
fine of Rs 136 crore by the Competition Commission of India for unfair business
practices in the Indian market.
- Matrimony.com
and Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) in 2012, said the penalty is
being imposed on Google for infringing anti-trust conduct.
- Google
was found to be indulging in practices of search bias and by doing so, it
causes harm to its competitors as well as to users.
BSNL starts 4G services in India from Kerala
State Owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL)
rolled out its 4G mobile services in India from the southern state of Kerala.
- Initially,
the 4G service will be available at five locations in the high range
Idukki district.
- The
service was commissioned by making the first call to BSNL Chairman and
Managing Director Anupam Srivastava.
- He
said the 4G service will offer higher data speeds leading to a better user
experience.
Reliance Jio will broadcast PyeongChang Winter
Olympics 2018 in India
Reliance Jio’s live television app Jio
TV has bagged digital rights to broadcast the Winter Olympic
Games PyeongChang 2018 across India.
- JioTV
will work with IOC (International Olympic Committee) to provide
comprehensive coverage of the Games in India.
- The
Olympic Winter Games is scheduled to be held from February 9 to 25 in
Pyeongchang County, South Korea.
- The
Winter Games will feature 102 events across 15 sports, including
Skiing, Skating, Luge, Ski Jumping, Ice Hockey, Snow Boarding, among
others.
WhatsApp Payments feature based on UPI spotted
on Android, iOS beta
WhatsApp Payments with UPI support has been
spotted on Android and iOS beta versions of the app.
- It
also looks like the UPI-based payment feature has been rolled out to
select WhatsApp users for now.
- The
option for UPI-based payments shows up in the attachments segment next to
Documents, Gallery, Audio, Location, Contact, etc.
- A
user needs to input their account details, UPI pin for authorising every
transaction on the platform.
IndusInd Bank Launches New Sonic Identity, a
musical Logo
IndusInd Bank launched its new Sonic
Identity, which is essentially a musical logo called 'MOGO', as part of its
branding initiatives.
- The
objective for associating to a sonic identity is building the Bank's brand
imagery with the strategic use of music and sound for brand experiences
and audience connection.
International Conference on Unani Medicine to
be inaugurated
Dr. Jitendra Singh will inaugurate the two-day
International conference on Unani Medicine on 10th February,
2018 at New Delhi.
- This
year is special for Unani fraternity as it is the 150th Birth Anniversary of Hakim Ajmal
Khan.
- To
mark this day, the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM),
under the Ministry of AYUSH is organizing a two-day International
Conference on Unani Medicine as part of celebration of Unani Day.
- The
theme of the conference is “Integration of Unani System of Medicine
in main stream healthcare”
NITI Aayog organizes two-day Conference on Jobs
and Livelihood opportunities with CII
NITI
Aayog has organized a two-day Conference on Jobs and Livelihood opportunities
in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industries, CII at Dr. Ambedkar
International Centre in the capital.
- The
Conference will provide a platform for dialogue between various
stakeholders to share their views on the potential of job creation and
livelihood opportunities.
Kerala tops Health Index, Uttar Pradesh worst
performer
Kerala has topped the Health Index report
prepared by NITI Aayog while Uttar Pradesh appeared at the bottom among larger
states, though it has shown improvement in the recent past.
- As
per the index report for large states, Kerala was followed by Punjab,
Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.
- Besides
Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha are among the states that
performed poorly in the health index.
- According
to the index, among large states, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar
Pradesh are the top three ranking states in terms of annual incremental
performance.
- Among
small states, Mizoram ranked first, followed by Manipur and Goa.
THE World University Rankings 2018 released
TIMES Higher
Education (THE) World University Ranking has released the rankings for
educational institutes in Asia and only two Indian institutes have made their
way to the top 50 Asian institutes.
- A
total of 17 institutes from India have made their way to the top 200 Asian
Universities. Though representation of India has increased in the list,
several of the universities have fallen down the rankings in comparison to
last year.
The ranks as
released by the THE World University Ranking are:
- Indian
Institute of Science (IISc) – world rank 29.
- Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay – world rank 44.
- Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur – world rank 60.
- Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee – world rank 65.
- Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur – world rank 81.
- Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi – world rank 86.
Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat to visit
Nepal
Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat will make a
four-day visit to Nepal next week when he will participate in the Nepal Army
Day(February 24) celebrations in Kathmandu.
- He
will be among the chief guests at the Nepal Army Day parade at Tundhikhel
in the heart of Kathmandu on February 12.
Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia gets five
years in jail for corruption
A Bangladesh judge convicted opposition leader
Khaleda Zia of corruption and sentenced her to five years in jail.
- The
court found the guilty of embezzling money meant for an orphanage, a
charge she had consistently dismissed as politically motivated.
- Zia,
the leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is expected to
appeal against the verdict. But it may affect her ability to stand in a
general election slated for December.
Rear Admiral Mukul Asthana, NM takes over as
Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air)
Rear
Admiral Mukul Asthana, NM has been appointed as the Assistant Chief of Naval
Staff (Air) at New Delhi.
- He
was commissioned in 1986 in the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy.
- He
commanded INS Rajali a premier Naval Air Station, from Aug 2009 till Dec
2010.
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi Becomes ICC's 1st
Independent 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.
Haryana
crowned champions of Khelo India School Games with 38 gold medals
Haryana topped the overall medal tally after
claiming 38 gold medals in the inaugural edition of the Khelo India School
Games that concluded in New Delhi.
- Overall,
Haryana won 102 medals, with 26 silver and 38 bronze. Maharashtra (110)
finished second overall while Delhi (94) came third.
- On
the final day, Haryana pugilists ruled the boxing ring, winning 10 of the
26 gold medals at stake.
- Maharashtra
finished second overall with a tally of 110 medals, 36 of them gold.
