SH- Current Affairs Update 27th, Jan 2018

Dear SH Aspirants,

Study Daily Current Affairs and stay updated as well as prepare for General Awareness section of bank exams. It's time to gear up your preparations for IBPS/RBI/SBI/SSC and with the daily dose of current affairs, you can easily prepare G.A and score well.

INDIAN AFFAIRS

India, Cambodia decide to boost defence ties, ink 4 pacts:

On January 27, 2018, India and Cambodia inked following four pacts, post comprehensive talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Visiting Cambodian Prime Minister, Samdech Hun Sen.

• India signed a pact for Cultural Exchange Programme with Cambodia for the year 2018-2022.
• Export-Import Bank of India will extend $36.92 million Line of Credit to finance the Stung Sva Hab Water Resource Development Project in Cambodia.

Jammu Kashmir Student Exchange Programme Maitreyi Yatra concludes:

Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange programme ‘Maitreyi Yatra’ concluded on January 26, 2018 in New Delhi.

About ‘Maitreyi Yatra’:

• Student Exchange Programme is organized by Ministry of Human Resource development with an objective to acquaint the youth of Jammu & Kashmir with culture, language and development of different parts of India.
• Under Jammu & Kashmir Student Exchange programme ‘Maitreyi Yatra’, nearly 500 students of Jammu & Kashmir from Class IX to Class XII along with 50 supervisors visited Delhi on January 18, 2018. 
• During their stay, the students of Jammu & Kashmir were paired with ten governments and one private school. They also went for Delhi Darshan and visited Delhi University, IIT Delhi, Railway Museum, Rajghat, Red Fort and many other places of historical & cultural importance.
• Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar was the chief guest for the closing ceremony of ‘Maitreyi Yatra’.

21st India International Seafood Show Opens in Goa:

21st India International Seafood Show (IISS) opened in Margao, Goa on January 27, 2018. This event was inaugurated by Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

21st India International Seafood Show (IISS):

·         IISS is a biennial event which serves as a common meeting point for various stakeholders of marine products sector such as producers, processing machinery manufacturers, processors,  and technical experts.

·         Focial theme of 21st IISS is ‘Safe & Sustainable Seafood from India’.

·         It has been jointly organised by the Marine Products Export Development Authority and the Seafood Export Association of India (SEAI). MPEDA is the nodal agency of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

·         During the course of this three-day event, leaders and experts of marine products sector will deliberate on policies, market trends, technology and action plan to achieving an export target of US$ 10 billion by 2022.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

IMT Ghaziabad selected as United Nations PRME Champion:

On 23rd January 2018, Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) of Ghaziabad was announced as one of the champions of the United Nations’ initiative on Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.IMT Ghaziabad selected as United Nations PRME ChampionIMT Ghaziabad – United Nations PRME

Champion:

·         PRME Champions Group consists of B-Schools involved as PRME signatories, working on real-time implementation of sustainability principles from various part of the world.

·         Now IMT has joined a league of 38 B-schools that are part of PRME Initiative for the 2018-19 Champions Cycle.

·         PRME Champions group aims to create and promote activities that focus on United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

·         The member-institutes of PRME Champions group should take initiatives in curriculum, research and partnership to implement the goals.

About Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad:

·         President – Kamal Nath

·         Director – Atish Chattopadhyay

·         Location – Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

China to establish international courts to deal with BRI cases;

China has decided to establish three international courts to deal with disputes related to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

·         BRI is Chinese Government’s development strategy that focuses on road connectivity and maritime cooperation between Eurasian countries.

·         Chinese Government has made massive investment in this initiative. Over 60 countries have signed up for cooperation under this initiative.

·         The three international courts will be set up in Beijing, Shenzhen and Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province.

·         Xi’an court will handle cases related to the Silk Road, while Shenzhen court will deal with Maritime Silk Road disputes. Court at Beijing will serve as headquarters for international courts.

Facts about China:

·         Capital – Beijing

·         Currency – Renminbi

·         Current President – Xi Jinping

·         Important Rivers – Yangtze, Yellow River

BUSINESS

Alpha Design Technologies wins Rs.45-crore deal firing simulator order from India Army:

Bengaluru-based Alpha Design Technologies Ltd. has signed a Rs. 45-crore deal with Union Ministry of Defence to supply to Indian Army, indigenous simulators for gunnery and missile firing from BMP II vehicles.

Details about Indian Army- Alpha Design Technologies deal:

• BMP II is a Soviet-origin amphibious infantry fighting vehicle. Simulators manufactured by Alpha Design Technologies will be used to train missile firing personnel of this infantry.
• Alpha Design Technologies has confirmed that it will manufacture 57 simulators and will supply it to Indian Army over a period of two years.
• Currently, missile firing training is conducted on the actual BMP vehicles. Thus the simulators are expected to reduce wear and tear of the vehicle.

AAI, Lao PDR sign civil aviation cooperation agreement:

On January 19, 2018, Airports Authority of India (AAI) signed an agreement with Department of Civil Aviation of Lao PDR, for providing SkyRev360.AAI, Lao PDR sign civil aviation cooperation agreement.

AAI – Lao PDR agreement:

• SkyRev360 is a comprehensive e-data gathering, invoicing and collection system which has been developed in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) under the Government of India’s Make in India initiative
• The agreement was signed in Laos in presence of Ravi Shankar Aisola – Ambassador of India in Laos.
• This agreement is expected to strengthen bilateral cooperation between India and Laos.

Facts about Laos:

·         Capital – Vientiane

·         Currency – Kip

·         Current President – Bounnhang Vorachith

·         Important Rivers – Nam Ou, Nam Ngum

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

Indian-origin boy Mehul Garg sets new Mensa record:

A 10-year-old Indian-origin boy in the UK named Mehul Garg has become the youngest applicant in to achieve the highest score in the Mensa IQ test.Indian-origin boy Mehul Garg sets new Mensa record

Mehul Garg’s Accomplishment:

·         Mensa is world’s largest and oldest high IQ society.  It is a non-profit organization open to individuals who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized, supervised IQ Test.

·         In the Mensa IQ Test, Mehul scored 162, which is  two points higher than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

·         The test which Mehul attempted, comprised questions on language skills, including analogies and definitions and sense of logic.

·         Last year, Mehul’s elder brother, Dhruv Garg (13 year old) also scored the highest score of 162.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNS

World Bank chief economist Paul Romer quits over Chile comments:

On 24th January 2018, Paul Romer resigned from his poistion as the World Bank’s chief economist.World Bank chief economist Paul Romer quits over Chile comments.

Resignation of Paul Romer:

·         Paul Romer has resigned from the chief economist position of World Bank after he made a controversial statement on Chile’s rankings in ‘Doing Business’ annual report by World Bank.

·         Chile ranks 55 out of 190 countries currently in the list. Paul Romer told a newspaper that, the downfall in Chile’s rank was due to methodological changes, and not from Chile’s business environment. He also said that it might even have resulted from the World Bank staff’s political motivations.

·         He has resigned just 15 months after he assumed the position. He returns to New York University as economics professor.

About World Bank:

·         Headquarters – Washington, D.C., U.S.

·         President – Jim Yong Kim

·         Motto – Working for a World Free of Poverty

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Himachal Pradesh CM launches ‘Shakti’ app & ‘GUDDIYA’ helpline for women’s safety:

On 26th January 2018, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur launched the ‘Shakti’ app that features a panic button, for the safety of woman, in Himachal Pradesh.

‘Shakti’ app for women’s safety:

·         The ‘Shakti’ app was developed by Himachal Pradesh government’s National Informatics Centre (NIC).

·         The ‘Shakti’ app is available in Hindi and English. It doesn’t require internet connectivity. When the mobile phone is shook the app is triggered and send its location through GPS (Global Positioning System).

·         Message will be sent to the nearest police control room and audio, video recording is started after 20 seconds.

·         Jai Ram Thakur also launched the ‘GUDDIYA’ helpline number 1515 and ‘Hoshiyar Singh’ helpline number 1090.

·         The ‘Hoshiyar Singh’ helpline will be monitored by the Chief Minister’s office on 24×7 basis.

About National Informatics Centre (NIC):

·         Director General – Neeta Verma

·         Headquarters – New Delhi

·         Formation – 1976

First India-designed vaccine Rotavac passes WHO test:

Rotavac vaccine, developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Limited has been “pre-qualified” by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and has thus become first vaccine that has been entirely developed in India to have passed this test. Rotavac vaccine passes WHO Test

About Rotovac vaccine:

·         Rotavac vaccine is meant for protection against childhood diarrhea caused by the rotavirus. It was developed last year and was included in India’s national immunization programme.

·         Attaining the “pre-qualified” tag means that it could now be sold internationally to several countries in Africa and South America.

·         Earlier, several vaccines from India have been pre-qualified, but Rotovac is the first that has been conceived as well as developed in India.

Facts about World Health Organisation (WHO):

·         Formed in – 1946

·         Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland

·         Current Director General – Tedros Adhanom

SPORTS

Delhi thrash Rajasthan to lift Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in style:

On 26th January 2018, Delhi won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata.

Delhi wins Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:

·         Delhi defeated Rajasthan by 41 runs in the finals and won their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

·         Pradeep Sangwan of Delhi was declared Man of the Match. Unmukt Chand scored a half century and Delhi set a target of 154 runs for Rajasthan. But Rajasthan was dismissed at 112 runs.

About Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy:

·         Administrator – Board of Control for Cricket in India

·         Format – Twenty 20

OBITUARY

Veteran Kannada actor Chandrashekhar passes away:

On 27th January 2018, Chandrashekhar, Kannada actor, passed away following a massive heart attack, in Canada.Veteran Kannada actor Chandrashekhar passes away

Death of Chandrashekhar:

·         Chandrashekhar was 63 years old. He started his acting career as a child artist in 1969.

·         His popular movie is Edakallu Guddadamele. After this movie people referred to him as ‘Edakallu’ Chandrashekhar.

·         After his marriage, he moved to Canada and worked as a visa officer at the Indian High Commission. In 2004, he re-entered the Kannada film industry as a director.

Some of the museums in Karnataka:

·         Kempegowda Museum – Bangalore

·         Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum – Bangalore

·         HAL heritage and Aerospace Museum – Bangalore

BOOKS & AUTHORS

Book titled “Dilli Meri Dilli: Before and After 1998″ by Sheila Dixit released:

“Dilli Meri Dilli: Before and After 1998″, a pictorial book, by former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit has been released.

Dilli Meri Dilli: Before and After 1998:

·         “Dilli Meri Dilli: Before and After 1998″ has been published by Palimpsest Publishers. The book contains pictures of Delhi on subjects such as heritage, culture, law, gender equality, urban environment, education, sports and transport.

·         The book contains comments from Mark Tully, E Sreedharan, Sunita Narain, etc.

·         The book depicts the evolution of Delhi, its transformation from the beginning of the new millennium, etc.

About Sheila Dikshit:

·         Positions held – Governor of Kerala, 6th Chief Minister of Delhi, Member of Legislative Assembly – New Delhi, Member of Parliament – Kannauj, etc.

·         Political party – Indian National Congress

·         Age – 79

Vice President Releases the book ‘Staniya Svasasan Mei Addhi Aabadhi’:

On January 25, 2018, Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu released the book ‘Staniya Svasasan Mei Addhi Aabadhi’ in New Delhi.

About ‘Staniya Svasasan Mei Addhi Aabadhi’:

i. This book has been authored by Dr. Sadhana Pandey.

ii. Mr. Naidu said that it is an empirical study that captures the voices of the rural women who are occupying positions of authority at the local level.

iii. He added that it can help the policy makers to understand the perspectives of women representatives and address the key issues of empowerment, health, education, nutrition, information sharing and economic independence.