Daily Current affairs - May 11th, 2018 for all competitive exams
Since 1999, May 11 is celebrated as National Technology Day to mark India’s
technological advancements.
On May 11, 1998, India detonated three nuclear bombs in the Indian Army’s
Pokhran Test Range. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam lead the Indian team of scientists to
successfully test-fire the Shakti-1 nuclear missile at Rajasthan’s Pokhran
test range.
Hansa 3, India’s first indigenous aircraft was first tested on the same
day in 1998 in Bangalore. Successful test firing of Trishul, a short range
missile made in India, was also done on the same day.
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Every year, on this day, the Technology Development Board of India awards
various individuals with national awards for their contribution to indigenous
technology.
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President Ram nath kovind,
2nd President to visits army base in Siachen
President Ram Nath Kovind visited
the Army base camp in Siachen, becoming the first President of
India to visit the world’s highest battlefield in 14 years.
- The previous visit was undertaken by former
president APJ Abdul Kalam in April 2004.
Siachen glacier's region is
the highest battleground on Earth, where Pakistan and India have
fought intermittently since April 1984.
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Venkaiah Naidu 3-nation
visit: arrives in Peru on final leg
Vice President Venkaiah
Naidu arrived in Peru on the third leg of his three-nation visit to
Central America.
- During his visit to Peru, he will be meeting with the
top leaders of the country and discuss various issues of mutual interest.
- Both the counties will review the entire spectrum of
bilateral relations including Trade and Commerce, Investments, Information
Technology, Capacity building, Traditional medicines, Space, Defence,
Culture and others.
Telangana government
launched Rythu bandhu scheme for farmers
The Telangana
government introduced Rythu Bandhu, a scheme to
provide Rs4,000 per acre each to land-owning farmers for Rabi
and Kharif seasons, and issued special passbooks for them.
- The programme was flagged off by chief minister K.
Chandrashekhar Rao, who distributed 298 cheques to farmers at Indira
nagar, Huzoorabad Mandal in Karimnagar district. The first-of-its-kind
scheme in the country will provide Rs 8,000 per acre per year to farmers
in the state.
- The state government has set aside Rs12,000
crore in the 2018-19 budget for Rythu Bandhu.
CM Pema Khandu inaugurates
Arunachal Pradesh’s biggest solar plant
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema
Khandu inaugurated the state’s biggest solar power plant at Energy
Awareness Park in the presence of Power Minister Tamiyo Taga in
Itanagar.
- The plant, with a capacity of 1 MW, was
commissioned on April 1 at an estimated investment of Rs 8.50 crore.
- The officials of Arunachal Pradesh Energy
Development Agency (APEDA) successfully implemented the project.
Gujarat-Poland sign MoU on
organizing independence centenary
The department of youth and cultural
affairs of the Gujarat government will be co-organisers for the
centenary celebrations to mark the independence of
Poland in Delhi and other parts of the world.
- An MoU was signed in this regard between the
Gujarat government and the Poland government.
- The MoU was signed by Polish ambassador to India
Adam Burakowski and principal secretary of youth and cultural affairs
department V P Patel.
Nigeria announced Lassa fever free country
Nigeria has announced that it is free from Lassa fever outbreak.
- The announcement follows the epidemiological review
by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the World Health
Organisation (WHO).
Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness of 2-21 days duration
that occurs in West Africa. The Lassa virus is transmitted to humans via
contact with food or household items contaminated with rodent urine or
faeces.
Person-to-person infections and laboratory transmission can also occur,
particularly in hospitals lacking adequate infection prevention and control
measures.
Lassa fever is known to be endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia,
Mali, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, but probably exists in other West African
countries as well.
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NASA, Uber team up to get
flying taxis off the ground
NASA and Uber have signed an agreement
to explore putting flying taxis in the skies over U.S. cities.
- NASA said that it will begin simulations for
so-called “urban air mobility” vehicles that also include delivery drones.
- The simulations are planned at its research facility
at Dallas Fort Worth.
- The announcement comes as the Uber Elevate summit in
Los Angeles brings together tech and transportation leaders to discuss the
future of urban aviation. NASA says the goal is to create a rideshare
network that will allow residents to hail a small aircraft the same way
Uber users can now use an app to call a car.
- As part of the pact, the ride-hailing company will
share data related to its efforts to build flying taxis in 2020 for the
development of NASA’s urban air mobility program. Using data from Uber,
NASA will use its research facility at the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) airport
to simulate a small passenger carrying aircraft as it flies through DFW
airspace during peak scheduled air traffic, and analyse if these
operations would trigger traffic collision advisories
SpaceX to launch Bangabandhu-1 satellite atop
Falcon 9 Block 5
The Bangabandhu Satellite-1 mission was launched on May 11, 2018. It will
be the first to utilize Falcon 9 Block 5, the final substantial upgrade to
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle.
- Bangabandhu is Bangladesh’s first communications
satellite. Built by Thales Alenia Space, a Franco-Italian aerospace manufacturer,
it is designed to provide a wide range of broadcast and communication
services throughout the country for the next 15 years. The project is
being implemented by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission
(BTRC)
- It is named after Bangladesh’s “Father of the
Nation”- Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
- Once operational, citizens of Bangladesh will gain
access to the Internet, phone services, radio, backhaul, direct-to-home
TV, and other related services.
Falcon 9 Block 5 is designed to be capable of 10 or more flights with
very limited refurbishment as SpaceX continues to strive for rapid
reusability and extremely high reliability.
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China's Alibaba buys
Pakistan e-commerce firm Daraz
Chinese e-commerce giant
Alibaba had purchased leading Pakistani online
retailer 'Daraz', continuing its overseas expansion by
gaining a foothold in the growing South Asian consumer market.
- China is seeking closer economic ties with
Asian neighbours including Pakistan through its Belt and Road initiative,
a strategy to increase trade links that are led primarily by
infrastructure projects.
Naval commanders’
conference held New Delhi
The first edition of 2018 bi-annual
Naval Commanders’ Conference held in New Delhi.
- It discussed aspects concerning country’s maritime
security, analyse mission-based deployments and larger issues of
geo-strategic Indian Ocean Region (IOR), a region witnessing increasing
Chinese presence.
- The new deployment philosophy is in furtherance of
Prime Minister’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region
(SAGAR).
SCO tourism ministers’
conference held in China
The Minister of State (I/C) for
Tourism and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, K. J.
Alphons attended the Tourism Ministers’ conference by Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Wuhan, China.
- At the inaugural session, the Minister stated that
India’s Tourism sector is fast growing and has got an emerging market for
outbound travel and a tremendous potential for tourism co-operation with
the SCO region.
India pavilion inaugurated
at Cannes film festival 2018
The inaugural session of the Indian
Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival 2018 was held at Cannes,
France.
- It was hosted by noted actor Sharad Kelkar.
- A meeting between the Indian delegation
and Ms. Isabelle Giordano, Director General, Unifrance, M. Loic
Wong, Director of International Department, CNC, France was held to
explore co-production opportunities between India and France.
Pacific islands forum approved for establish
Permanent observer office at UNOG
The Pacific Islands Forum has been granted approval to establish a
Permanent Observer Office at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG).
- The Permanent Observer status would entrench the
presence of the Blue Pacific region in, and strengthen its links to the
United Nations organisations, including its specialised agencies,
programmes, fund initiatives and joint programs.
Pacific Islands Forum, formerly (1971–2000) South Pacific Forum,
organization established in 1971 to provide a setting for heads of government
to discuss common issues and problems facing the independent and
self-governing states of the South Pacific.
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US approves the
appointment of Pakistan’s new ambassador
US has approved the
appointment of a prominent Pakistani investment banker Ali Jahangir
Siddiqui as the country’s new envoy in Washington.
- In March, the Pakistan government had announced that
Siddiqui, a Karachi-based businessman, would be the country’s next
ambassador to the US.
- But the agreement for the new envoy was received by
the Pakistan Embassy only two days ago
Pawan Kalyan unfurls
‘largest’ Indian flag
The largest Indian flag was unfurled at
NTR Stadium here coinciding with the anniversary of India’s First War of
Independence of May 10, 1857.
- The flag, measuring 183 feet in length and 122 feet
in breadth, was unfurled by Tollywood actor and Jana Sena party president
Pawan Kalyan, at an event organised by Vibrants of Kalam, an organisation
spreading the ideals and vision of former President Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam.
Donald Trump will meet
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore
US President Donald Trump
said he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 in Singapore.
- The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un
and Trump will take place in Singapore on June 12th.
- The two leaders will discuss North Korea’s nuclear weapons development and testing program, which has deepened long-seated tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.
