Current Affairs 14 March 2018

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Daily Current Affairs 14 March 2018

 

Short Current Affairs

International Current Affairs

1. President of India inaugurates world Hindi secretariat in Mauritius

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the World Hindi Secretariat building on March 13, 2018 on the third day of his visit to Mauritius.

• He also launched the World Hindi Secretariat’s logo and a large ENT hospital being built with Indian assistance.
• The President noted that the 11th World Hindi Conference is going to be held in Mauritius in August 2018.
• Apart from India, Mauritius is the only country where this conference is being hosted for a third time.

Points to Remember

• Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean.
• Ameenah Gurib is the President of Mauritius while Pravind Jugnauth is the Prime Minister.
• Port Louis is the capital of Mauritius while Rupee is its currency.

2. US tops global arms exporter list, India leads importers

The United States was the world’s biggest arms exporter in the past five years, while India imported the most weapons, according to a new Stockholm International Peace Research Institute report.

• The SIPRI report revealed that the U.S. accounted for 34 percent of global major arms exports in 2013-2017.
• India topped the list of arms importers, followed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and China.

National Current Affairs

3. Tata Motors and IOC commence trials of India’s first hydrogen bus

Tata Motors and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) have begun the country’s first demonstration trials for a hydrogen fuel cell bus.

• The demonstration event was held in the presence of Dr R Chidambaram, principal scientific adviser to the government of India and the chairman and board members of Indian Oil.
• The project is being executed under partial financial support from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). 

4. Regional Conference on Mass Rapid Transport Systems for Urban Areas

The first regional conference on ‘Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) for Urban Areas – Opportunities and Challenges’ was organized in Kolkata.

• The conference was jointly organized by Ministry of Finance, AIIB, ASSOCHAM and Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS).

5. Home Minister to inaugurate International Police Conference on Cybercrime & Terrorism

The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the two-day Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in New Delhi.

• The theme is "Challenges to Policing in 2020- How is Cyber Space shaping our approach to Cybercrime & Terrorism, how do we perform within it and take advantage of it".
• The regional conference is being organised by the Asia-Pacific World Regional Office (APWRO) of the IACP in partnership with the Intelligence Bureau.
• The Director, Intelligence Bureau, as the Chair of APWRO, is the host of the Conference.
• The phenomenal growth and influence of Cyber space and Cyber technology have opened new challenges in the field of policing in recent times.
• The Conference is mainly focused on holding discussions about the growing interest of various terrorist/ organized groups and radical elements in exploiting the Cyberspace and its advanced technologies for their various heinous crimes and nefarious designs.

Business Current Affairs

6. RBI discontinues Letter of Undertaking, Letter of Comfort

In view of the alleged Rs 12,700-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam, done through fraudulent issuance of Letter of Understanding (LoUs) by connivance of the bank’s staff, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has discontinued issuance of LoUs by banks for trade credits for imports into India.

• The RBI notification further said that Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantees for trade credits for imports into India may continue to be issued subject to compliance with the provisions.

Important Appointments

7. Bidya Devi Bhandari relected as Nepal President

Nepal's first woman president Bidya Devi Bhandari has been relected for a second term in office.

• Incumbent President Bhandari defeated Nepali Congress leader Kumari Laxmi Rai with an overwhelming majority in the presidential election.
• She became Nepal's first woman president in 2015.

8. Gina Haspel to become CIA’s first woman chief

U.S. President Donald Trump has chosen Gina Haspel for the position of CIA Director. She will replace Mike Pompeo.

• Ms. Haspel, the agency’s current Deputy Director, will become its first woman chief.
• She is a career spymaster who once ran an agency prison in Thailand.

9. Sebastian Pinera sworn in as Chile's president

Businessman-turned politician Sebastian Pinera was sworn in as Chile's president, beginning what will be his second term in office after a four-year absence.

• Pinera, 68, was re-elected in last November elections, promising to lower taxes and boost investment, and will serve until 2022.
• According to Forbes magazine, Pinera is the fourth wealthiest man in Chile.

Points to Remember

• Chile, officially the Republic of Chile is a South American country.
• Sebastian Pinera is the President of Chile.
• Santiago is the capital of Chile while Peso is its currency.

Awards

10. Dr Rajan Sankaranarayanan wins 27th GD Birla Award

The 27th G D Birla Award for Scientific Research for year 2017 has been given to Dr Rajan Sankaranarayanan.

Using X-ray crystallography and biochemical approaches, his laboratory has identified how chiral checkpoints ensure that D-chiral amino acids are excluded from the translation machinery.

 

 Detail Current Affairs

ICMR wins 2017 Kochon Prize for TB research

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) was awarded 2017 Kochon Prize for building a tradition of excellence in Tuberculosis (TB) research and demand development. It had emerged a winner from among 18 nominations. It was awarded for establishing India TB Research Consortium to accelerate R&D effect.

Sierra Leone frontrunners to contest runoff after first-round stalemate

Sierra Leone's election to pick outgoing President Ernest Bai Koroma's successor will head to a runoff later this month after neither of the two front-runners secured an outright majority in the first round.  According to results announced by the Electoral Commission in the capital Freetown, opposition leader Julius Maada Bio of the Sierra Leone People's Party led the field of 16 candidates with 43.3 percent in the first round of the vote, held last Wednesday.  Maada Bio, who briefly ruled the West African country as head of a military junta in 1996, will square off against first-round runner-up Samura Kamara of the ruling All People's Congress, who took 42.7 percent.  The commission the runoff will take place on March 27.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Launches Campaign To Eradicate TB By 2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a campaign to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) from India by 2025, five years ahead of the globally-set deadline. After inaugurating the Delhi End-TB Summit Modi launched the TB-free India Campaign to take the activities under the National Strategic Plan for TB Elimination forward in a mission mode for ending the epidemic by 2025. A target has been set to end TB globally by 2030. Mr. Modi stated that India has targeted to eliminate Tuberculosis by 2025. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address farmers on March 17 at annual Krishi Unnati Mela

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address farmers on Saturday at the annual Krishi Unnati Mela in New Delhi. Briefing reporters in New Delhi, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said, the objective of the 3-day mela is to create awareness to farmers about the latest agriculture-related technological developments. He will also inaugurate the Jaivik Kheti Portal and confer Krishi Karman Award and Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Krishi Vigyan protsahan awards. Lakhs of farmers and agriculture scientists will participate in the meal. During the latest agriculture and allied sector technologies will be displayed at more than 600 stalls. The main theme pavilion will be based on Doubling of farmers income by 2022. The theme area will display different kinds of organic farming techniques like natural farming and eco-farming.

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurates World Hindi Secretariat in Port Louis, Mauritius

President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated World Hindi Secretariat building in Port Louis, Mauritius. He also launched secretariat’s logo, an Early Digital Learning Programme as well unveiled foundation stones of a social housing project and large ENT hospital being built with Indian assistance. He visited Mauritius as part o the first leg of his two-nation state visit (Mauritius and Madagascar). The Secretariat is fully financed by Government of India and provided a grant of Rs. 33 crore.

Book Signed By Tagore Auctioned For USD 700

A signed hardcover copy of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's 'The King of the Dark Chamber'- the English translation of his famous Bengali play 'Raja' - has been sold for USD 700 at an auction in the US. Signed on a prefatory page in fountain pen by Tagore, the Bolpur edition of the book was published by The Macmillan Company in 1916.

Saudi Arabia Cabinet Approves Nuclear Power Program National Policy

Saudi Arabia's Cabinet approved the national policy of its atomic energy programme, as the kingdom prepares to award contracts for its first nuclear power plants. The policy insists on limiting nuclear activities to peaceful purposes and calls for enhanced safety measures as well as the use of best practices for radioactive waste management. Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, is seeking nuclear power to diversify its energy supply mix in order to free up oil to boost exports.

Bidya Devi Bhandari Re-Elected As Nepal President

Nepal’s first woman President Bidya Devi Bhandari was re-elected for a second term in office with an overwhelming majority. Incumbent President Bhandari, the Left alliance’s candidate was elected with more than a two-thirds majority as she defeated her Nepali Congress (NC) rival Kumari Laxmi Rai in the presidential election.

Karnataka's Belgaum Is Now Home To India's Tallest Flag

India's tallest national flag was unfurled in Belagavi (also known as Belgaum) in Karnataka. The event was attended by leaders, schoolchildren, and leaders of Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Sikh institutions at the Kote Kere front. Where size is concerned, this flag in Belgaum beats the one at the India-Pakistan border at Attari in Punjab.  Belagavi District Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi unfurled the 9,600 sq ft wide flag on a 110-meter-tall flagpole.

BHEL Secures Order Worth Rs 736 Crore From NPCIL

The public sector Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) secured significant orders worth 736 crores Rs., after competitive bidding, for supplying Steam Generators for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).  The generators will be manufactured at the Tiruchirappalli plant of BHEL and will be installed at the Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), Gorakhpur, Haryana.