Daily Current affairs - March 7, 2018 for all competitive exams
India has got
the go-ahead to join the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development
(EBRD). Shareholders of EBRD have given their consent in this regard.
- Now,
India will become EBRD’s 69th member, enabling Indian companies to
undertake joint investments in regions in which the EBRD operates.
- The
formal membership process will now get underway, which includes the
purchase of shares by India at an estimated cost of around 1 million
euros. The EBRD’s Board of Governors voted in favour of India’s membership
application.
- Membership
of EBRD would enhance India’s international profile and promote its
economic interests. It will also give access to EBRD’s Countries of
Operation and sector knowledge.
The European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is an international financial
institution that supports projects in over 30 countries, from eastern Europe
to central Asia and the southern and eastern Mediterranean. Investing
primarily in private sector clients whose needs cannot be fully met by the market,
the EBRD promotes entrepreneurship and fosters transition towards open and
democratic market economies.
The mandate
of the EBRD stipulates that it must only work in countries that are committed
to democratic principles. Respect for the environment is part of the strong
corporate governance attached to all EBRD investments.
The EBRD is
owned by 65 countries and two intergovernmental institutions: the
European Union and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
|
Transport Ministry Launches a Scheme and Sukhad
Yatra App
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways
Nitin Gadkari has announced that soon there will be no human interface in
granting driving licences to heavy vehicle drivers in the country.
- Sukhad
Yatra mobile application has been prepared by National Highways Authority
of India, NHAI, to empower the Highway user.
- The
key feature of the app includes provision for the user to enter road
quality-related information or to report any accident or pothole on the
highway.
- It
also provides users with real-time data related to waiting time expected
at Plazas and various facilities like points of interest, highway
nest/nest mini, etc., available across the highway.
- The
app can also be used by the users to purchase the FASTag tag and further
facilitate the highway user experience.
He has launched the scheme for District Driving Training
Centres in New Delhi.
The process of approving such driving licenses will be made
fully computerised. The Minister also launched Sukhad Yatra
mobile App and Toll-free Emergency number (1033) for
highway users.
|
Union government sanctioned Rs.1000crore for IMPRINT-II
In a major
boost for research and innovation in the country, the Central Government has
sanctioned a sum of Rs. 1000 crore for the phase two of the Impacting Research
Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) India programme.
- Under
the IMPRINT-II, a fund is being created by the Department of Science and
Technology and Ministry of Human Resource Development together, in which
participation will come from industry and other interested Ministries. The
project will be run as a separate vertical in coordination with the DST.
The
initiative, ‘IMPRINT India’, is a pan-IIT and IISc joint collaboration to
develop a blueprint for research of immediate relevance to society requiring
innovation, direct scientific research into identified areas, ensure higher
funding support for research into these areas and measure outcomes of the
research efforts with reference to the impact on the standard of living in
rural/urban areas.
|
Animal
Welfare Board of India headquarters shifted from Chennai to Ballabhgarh
The
headquarters of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has been shifted from Chennai
to Haryana’s Ballabhgarh for “better coordination” between the environment
ministry and the board.
- The
Board was initially within the jurisdiction of the Government of India’s
Ministry of Food and Agriculture. In 1990, the subject of Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals was transferred to the Ministry of Environment and
Forests, where it now resides.
Animal Welfare Board of India Established in 1962 under Section 4 of The Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals Act,1960, the Animal Welfare Board of India is a statutory
advisory body advising the Government of India on animal welfare laws, and
promotes animal welfare in the country of India. Animal Welfare Board of
India was started under the stewardship of Late Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale,
well known humanitarian.
|
Union ministry asked for stop imports of GM soybean
The Union
environment ministry has asked the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)
to stop imports of genetically modified (GM) soybean for food or feed without
the approval of the regulator for transgenic products.
- GEAC,
which is the regulatory body for Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and
products thereof, has not authorized or approved GM soybean or any other
products derived from GM soybean seeds for import or cultivation in India.
- The
issue of GM foods has been controversial in India, with cotton being the
only transgenic crop which is allowed to be cultivated. The environment
ministry is yet to take a final call on allowing the commercial
cultivation of GM mustard.
GM soybean
is one of the most widely planted genetically modified plants in the world
today. The GM soybean, otherwise called as the Roundup Ready (RR)
soybean, was developed by the biotech giant Monsanto and made it commercially
available to farmers in 1996. It was developed to make the plant survive
being sprayed on with the non-selective herbicide, Roundup, which can kill
conventional soybean plants.
GM Soybean was developed by introducing a copy
of a gene from the Agrobacterium sp. strain CP4.
|
The Genetic
Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body constituted in the
Ministry of Environment and Forests under ‘Rules for Manufacture, Use,
Import, Export and Storage of Hazardous Microorganisms/Genetically Engineered
Organisms or Cells 1989’, under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
|
Neiphiu Rio Appointed Nagaland CM
Nagaland Governor PB Acharya has
appointed Neiphiu Rio as the new Chief Minister of the
state. Mr Rio will replace TR Zeliang.
- Mr
Rio will take the oath of his duties shortly. The Governor has also
requested Mr Rio to prove his majority on the floor of the House on or
before 16th of March.
Iraq Becomes India’s Biggest Oil Supplier
Iraq has become India’s biggest crude oil
supplier by overtaking Saudi Arabia with a wide margin in this
current financial year.
- Iraq
supplied 38.9 million tonnes (MT) of oil, which was more than 20% of
country’s oil needs. India is 80% dependent on imports to meet its oil
needs.
Washington becomes 1st state to approve
Net-Neutrality rules
Washington has become the first state to
enact its own net-neutrality requirements after U.S. regulators repealed
Obama-era rules designed to keep the internet an even playing field.
- The
new law also requires internet providers to disclose information about
their management practices, performance and commercial terms. Violations
would be enforceable under the state’s Consumer Protection Act.
North, South Koreas to hold landmark summit
The leaders of North and South Korea will hold a
historic summit in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) next month after Pyongyang
expressed willingness to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for security
guarantees
- The
meeting, to take place in Panmunjom, the truce village in the DMZ, will be
the third between the leaders of North and South, but the first to take
place in the DMZ after summits in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007.
- The
North is open to “frank” talks with the U.S. on denuclearisation, South
Korea’s national security adviser Chung Eui-yong said after returning from
a meeting in Pyongyang with leader Kim Jong-un.
SpaceX Landmark 50th Falcon 9 Flight
SpaceX has
successfully launched a Spanish communications satellite- Hispasat, on the
landmark 50th flight of the company’s workhorse Falcon 9 rocket.
- Falcon
9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX for the
reliable and safe transport of satellites and the Dragon spacecraft into
orbit. Falcon 9 is the first orbital class rocket capable of reflight.
Rare mineral discovered in plants for first time
Scientists
have found that the mineral vaterite, a form (polymorph) of calcium carbonate,
is a dominant component of the protective silvery-white crust that forms on the
leaves of a number of alpine plants.
- Naturally
occurring vaterite is rarely found on Earth. Small amounts of vaterite
crystals have been found in some sea and freshwater crustaceans, bird
eggs, the inner ears of salmon, meteorites and rocks. This is the first
time that the rare and unstable mineral has been found in such a large
quantity and the first time it has been found to be associated with
plants.
Vaterite is
a mineral, a polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It was named after the
German mineralogist Heinrich Vater. It is also known as mu-calcium carbonate.
Vaterite was often associated with outer space and had been detected in
planetary objects in the Solar System and meteorites: Vaterite is not very
stable in the Earth’s humid atmosphere as it often reverts to more common
forms of calcium carbonate, such as calcite.
|
Microsoft inks Renewable energy deal for
Bengaluru Facility
Tech giant Microsoft has inked
its first renewable energy deal in India for powering its new
facility in Bengaluru. The facility, which will be operational starting June,
is spread over 5.85 lakh square feet.
- The
agreement will see Microsoft purchase 3 megawatts of solar-powered
electricity from Atria Power for its new office building in Bengaluru,
meeting 80% of the projected electricity needs at the facility.
Forbes Billionaires List 2018: Amazon's Bezos
Richest
With a fortune worth $110 billion, Amazon
founder Jeff Bezos is the world's richest man and tops a 2018 Forbes
Magazine list of billionaires. According to the Forbes, Bezos is the first
person to top $100 billion as number one on the Forbes list of the World's
Billionaires.
- Microsoft
founder Bill Gates is second ($90 billion), investment
guru Warren Buffet third ($84 billion), Bernard Arnault and
family fourth ($72 billion), and Facebook founder-CEO Mark
Zuckerberg fifth ($71 billion).
- Indian
industry titan Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries
Limited, is 19th on the list. He's valued at $40.1 billion.
Airports Council International (ACI) – ASQ 2017 rankings
Delhi’s Indira
Gandhi International Airport has been rated as the world number one among
airports handlingmore than 40 million passengers per annum in a survey by the
Airports Council International (ACI).
- Mumbai’s
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has been ranked as the World’s
Best Airport for customer experience.
- Last
year, in Airport Service Quality by ACI, South Korea’s Seoul Incheon was
ranked number one, followed by Delhi, Mumbai, Singapore in second position
and Beijing, Haikou in third position.
ACI is a
trade association of 1,953 member airports across 176 countries. As part of
its survey on Airport Service Quality, views of passengers on 34 key
performance indicators are measured. Nearly 74% of the world’s top 100
busiest airports are part of the ASQ network.
|
Italy elects its first black senator Tony Iwobi
Nigerian-origin Tony Iwobi has been elected as
Italy’s first black senator.
- The 62-year-old, who belongs to the anti-immigration
North League party, came to Italy on a student visa nearly 40 years ago.
Japan’s navy appoints the first woman to
command warship squadron
Japan’s navy on Tuesday appointed the first woman
to command a warship squadron, including the flagship Izumo helicopter carrier.
- Ryoko Azuma will command four ships with a combined
crew of 1,000, of which only 30 are women.
- When she joined the MSDF in 1996 women were barred from
serving on warships.
- By 2030, the SDF plans to increase the combined number
of women serving in the air-sea and ground forces to 9 percent.
Gayle joins elite club
Chris Gayle joined Hashim Amla and Sachin
Tendulkar as the third batsman in the history of ODIs to score centuries
against 11 different countries as the West Indies defeated the UAE by 60 runs
in the World Cup qualifier
- Gayle smashed 11 sixes and seven fours in his 91-ball
123 runs
