Extensive Coverage Of Current Affairs 20/3/2016

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NATIONAL:

2016 'Year of Farmers Self-respect' in Maharashtra:

·        The Maharashtra government will observe 2016 as the 'Year of Farmers Self-respect' in view of the prevailing drought across the state, said Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar.

·        He allocated 25,000 crore for various schemes in the Agriculture Sector.

AYUSH ministry to enter agreement with WHO:

·        The AYUSH ministry is set to reach an agreement with the World Health Organisation to popularise AYUSH system of medicines on a global scale.

·        Inaugurating the National Arogya Fair for promoting AYUSH systems, AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik added that India will also enter a partnership with the United States for research in AYUSH medicines for treating cancer.

Prove majority by March 28: U'khand Governor to Rawat:

·        Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul asked Chief Minister Harish Rawat to prove his majority in the Assembly by March 28.

·        Meanwhile, the Congress has expelled rebel MLA Harak Singh Rawat for his alleged anti-party activities. The BJP Opposition had earlier proposed to form the government after nine Congress MLAs switched sides

Delhi saves 229 MW power in global Earth Hour initiative:

·        Delhi saved around 229 MW of power in the global Earth Hour initiative aimed at energy conservation. In a statement, power major BSES said, this is more than last year’s 200 MW.

·        BSES had, earlier, appealed to its over 37 lakh customers to unequivocally support the event and voluntarily switch off non-essential electrical appliances for an hour.

Air Odisha decides to ground its aircrafts from tomorrow:

·        The Air Odisha has decided to ground its aircrafts from tomorrow citing the reason that the State Government is not paying the subsidy and rebate on aviation turbine fuel and exemption on value added tax.

·        The airline stopped it services to Sambalpur and Rourkela while it would stop flights to Jeypore and will ground its crafts totally tomorrow. The Air Odisha Operations department said services will be withdrawn as the company is not getting the operational subsidy promised by the State government.

Auditorium named after Tagore planned in Sri Lanka:

·        A 1,500-seating capacity auditorium named after India’s celebrated litterateur-philosopher Rabindranath Tagore is expected to come up in Matara in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka by September 2017.

·        The structure will be located on the campus of the University of Ruhuna. It will come up on 3,000 sq.m. The Indian government is undertaking the project at a cost of 265 million Sri Lankan rupees.

Wilson College adopts Mumbai’s Charni Road station for cleanliness:

·        One of Mumbai’s oldest colleges, the Wilson College has adopted the Charni Road station in Mumbai for cleanliness and upkeep as part of the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan.

·        A group of students led by executive co-ordinator Dr Kamal Jadhav met the Governor and Chancellor of of Mumbai University CH Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan

First Gay marriage bureau set up in India:

·        Benhur Samson, an NRI, has set up India’s first Gay marriage bureau for homosexuals to help gay people find the right match for them.

·        The bureau has so far received around 250 inquiries and around 24 people are enrolled with us, he said, adding that the process to identifying the right match for them is on.

·        The bureau charges $5,000 so that only serious candidates came forward to look for their match. If in case the person does not find the match the money charged is refundable.

INTERNATIONAL:

US, Philippines sign 10-year security agreement:

·        The United States and the Philippines announced a new 10-year security pact to allow a rotating US military presence at five bases on the Philippines islands.

·        The US Ambassador to the Philippines said the movement of personnel and supplies to the bases will start "very soon". This comes amid growing concerns with China in the South China sea

Congo Orders Telecom Shutdown during Presidential Election:

·        Congo's government has ordered the country's two largest telecom operators to block all communication during the Presidential election.

·        The operators, MTN Congo and Airtel Congo, were directed "to cut off communicationon March 20 and 21 for reasons of security and public tranquillity".

·        The shutdown is expected to cause alarm as most Congolese rely on mobile phone communication.

Kazakhstan bans Smartphones in Government Offices:

·        Kazakhstan has banned smartphones in government offices and police stations to prevent information leak.

·        A government document, leaked to the media, cites "increasingly frequent cases of confidential information being leaked through the WhatsApp mobile application" as the reason for the ban.

·        However, basic mobile phones with no cameras and internet access can still be used in the said premises.

US Prez Obama to embark on a historic 3-day visit to Cuba today:

·        US President Barack Obama will embark on a historic 3-day visit to Cuba which is expected to open a new era in the relationship between the two countries.

·        Mr Obama, who will be the first US president to visit Cuba in 88 years, will hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro, followed by a joint press event and a state dinner.

Chinese doctors operate 9-month old baby using 3D-printed heart model:

·        Doctors in China have successfully operated on a nine-month old baby using a 3D-printed heart model.

·        Surgery performed in northeast Jilin Province was the first open heart surgery performed using 3D printing technology through which a full sized heart replica modelled the boy’s cardiac structure and helped the doctors plan the operation.

Britain’s Prince Harry reaches Kathmandu on 5-day visit to Nepal:

·        Britain’s Prince Harry reached Kathmandu on a five-day visit to Nepal to mark the 200th anniversary of the bilateral ties.

·        Prince Harry, who is leading a 30-member delegation, called on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and discussed Nepal-Britain bilateral co-operation. During the meeting, he praised the role played.

U.K. lifts ban on Sikh separatist outfit:

·        The British government has lifted the ban on the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) after both houses of the British Parliament supported a motion to drop it from the list of proscribed organisations.

·        The statutory instrument relating to the Terrorism Act 2000 (Proscribed Organisations) (Amendment) Order 2016 was signed by Minister of State in the Home Office, John Hayes.

116 people affected by Zika in the U.S:

·        The mosquito-borne Zika virus has infected at least 116 people, including an infant who was born with a severe brain development disorder, in the U.S., according to a leading American public health institute.

·        During January 1, 2015-February 26, 2016, a total of 116 residents of 33 U.S. States and the District of Columbia had laboratory evidence of recent Zika virus infection based on testing performed at CDC,”.

APPOINTMENTS:

Messi appointed as Huawei global ambassador:

·        FC Barcelona’s player Lionel Messi has been named Huawei global ambassador. 

·        Huawei shipped 108 million smartphones in 2015 and became the third-largest player after Apple and Samsung.

·        Messi is also global brand ambassador for Indian auto major Tata Motors. 

·        In recent months Huawei has launched a series of blockbuster products like the Huawei Nexus 6P and Honor 7, which were amongst the top ranked phones of 2015. 

Sudhir Raheja given extra charge as AAI chairman:

·        Member (Planning) Sudhir Raheja has been given the additional charge of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman after R K Srivastava’s tenure was curtailed suddenly by the government.

·        This is the second time Raheja has been entrusted with the task of heading the national airport company.

·        Raheja took over the additional charge of the post left vacant by the sudden exit of R K Srivastava, a 1984 batch Jharkhand-cadre IAS officer, was removed from the post by the government, nearly 15 months after he was brought at the helm for a five-year term.

Pfizer India appointed S Sridhar as Managing Director:

·        Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer appointed S Sridhar as its Managing Director (MD) with immediate effect for a period of five years.

·        However, Sridhar’s appointment will be subject to approval of the company's shareholders at the annual general meeting.

BANKING :

RBI eases reporting of NEFT by Non-A/C holders:

·        The Reserve Bank said it is discontinuing a two-year-old provision where banks had to submit data pertaining to NEFT transactions by walk-in customers not having an account with them.

·        The Central Bank said banks should continue to maintain the relevant records, adding as and when required, the Reserve Bank can call for ad hoc reportsregarding the data.

·        It had asked banks to educate staff about the NEFT (National Electronic Fund Transfer) process in general and extension of the facility to walk-in customers and charges applicable for the same.

GOI allows 49% automatic route FDI in Insurance:

·        Seeking to attract more foreign investment, the government has relaxed FDI norms for insurance sector by permitting overseas companies to buy 49 per cent stake in domestic insurers without prior approval.

·        Currently, FDI up to 26 per cent is permitted through automatic approval route. For FDI up to 49 per cent, the approval of Foreign Investment Promotion Board is required.

·        There are 52 insurance companies operating in India, of which 24 are in the life insurance business and 28 in the general insurance.

·        During April-December 2015, FDI into the country grew by 40 per cent to USD 29.44 billion

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

Cisco to invest $100 million in India:

·        US technology giant Cisco said that it will invest $100 million in India to fund startups and train 2.5 lakh students by 2020.

·        The company will infuse $40 million in early-stage and growth-stage startups focused on Internet of Things, security and smart cities. Cisco has already funded about 25 companies in India

Yahoo considering ad partnership with FB: Report

·        Yahoo is considering an advertising partnership with Facebook that would allow the social networking website to sell ads inside Tumblr's mobile app.

·        Tumblr is a microblogging website that was acquired by Yahoo in 2013 for approximately $1.1 billion. Notably, Yahoo already has similar ad-sales deals with Google and Microsoft.

Hinduja brothers top UK's 'Asian Rich List':

·        Majority stakeholders of UK-based conglomerate Hinduja Group, SP Hinduja and GP Hinduja, have topped the list of the richest Asian-origin entrepreneurs in the UK.

·        With an estimated fortune of £16.5 billion, the duo topped the list for the fourth consecutive year. Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal was second on the list, followed by Sri Prakash Lohia, Chairman of Singapore-based Indorama Corporation.

USFDA  nod for Aurobindo Pharma osteoporosis drug:

·        Aurobindo Pharma has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to manufacture and market its generic Naproxen Sodium tablets, used for treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

·        The company said the drug has an estimated market size of $96 million for the twelve months ended January 2016 and expects to launch it in the next fiscal's first quarter.

AWARDS AND HONOURS:

DataWind receives award for Maximum Consumer Pull for Tablet Brand:

·        DataWind Inc., the leader in delivering Internet access to emerging markets, has been recognized for the tablet brand with maximum consumer pull.

·        The award was presented to DataWind during the Tele Analysis Device World 2016, Confluence of Indian Device Ecosystem, in New Delhi.

·        DataWind was recognized for making UbiSlate, the low cost, affordable internet connectivity devices accessible to people at the grass root level and in turn making a transformational impact to the Indian Tech industry.

Cairn India bags five awards at ‘FICCI Excellence Awards’:

·        Cairn India has remained in the top deciles of safety performance amongst peer group companies for the FICCI Safety Systems Excellence Award in Manufacturing.

·        The awards, which are dedicated for best safety and occupation health systems act as a motivation and a catalyst for adopting best safety practices and systems in the manufacturing sector.

·        Cairn India considers safe transportation of its people and its products as an integral part of responsible care.

DLF Mall of India wins `Best Retail Project of the Year` award:

·        DLF Mall of India (Noida) has won the award for ‘Best Retail Project of the Year – 2015’ at CNBC Awaaz Real Estate Awards held in Mumbai.

·        Mall of India launched the first phase of the mall in Mid- December 2015 with over 180 brands opening their doors to the customers.

·        DLF Limited also received the most prestigious awards for Developer of the Decade for DLF Ltd. and Project of the decade for DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon.

Indian student wins Noor Inayat Khan Prize:

·        An Indian student is the winner of the first Noor Inayat Khan Prize for 2016, the London-based Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust announced.

·        Geetakshi Arora, a post-graduate student of the South Asia Institute at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, won the prize which consists of £1,000 and a certificate for her dissertation on “Goddess Myths in Graphic Novels: Reimagining Indian Feminity”

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

DRDO develops sensor to detect radiation levels:

·        Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Jodhpur has developed a sensor capable of detecting radiation levels during a nuclear accident.

·        The sensor, 'Derald Nuclear', can be fitted on a drone and can detect gamma radiation from a height of 50 m.

British Astronomers Find Nine ‘Monster’ Stars:

·        Nine “monster” stars which are 30 million times brighter than the Sun have been spotted by British astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope.

·        The cluster of stars around 170,000 light years from Earth is the largest group of very massive stars ever identified.

·        They were discovered by an international team led by astronomers from Sheffield University.

·        The cluster is called R136, and measures a few light years across.

·        It sits in the Tarantula Nebula inside the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. It is extremely large, hot and bright stars whose energy is radiated mainly in the ultra violet.

App tracks every balance deduction from SIM:

·        Pune-based startup Smartbro Optinno has developed an Android app named 'Smartbro', which tracks and logs every single deduction of balance from a user's prepaid mobile SIM.

·        It tracks both the main and data balance, shows current available balance on the phone's dialler and reminds about the expiry of the balance. The app does not require a data connection to work.

Indian develops mind-controlled wheelchair:

·        New Delhi-based robotics researcher Diwakar Vaish has developed a mind-controlled wheelchair for paralytic patients priced at  2 lakh.

·        The wheelchair uses brain signals of the user to control its speed and sends an alert in case of any risk.

·        Further, a user can immediately stop the wheelchair during an emergency by blinking

Russia reveals plans to send cosmonauts to Mars:

·        Russia recently announced that in 2018 it will test a nuclear engine that could help cosmonauts reach Mars in six weeks, as compared to the 18 months a spacecraft currently needs to travel to Mars.

·        The $274 million project uses nuclear propulsion rockets that weighs around half as much as a chemical rocket without reducing the thrust

SanDisk launches wireless 200GB stick for phones:

·        SanDisk on Friday launched the new Connect Wireless Stick with 200 GB of flash storage for mobile phones, priced at 9,990.

·        Initially, it will be available on Amazon India, before coming on the other platforms. The wireless stick comes with the SanDisk Connect app, which enables its users to manage content among their devices including iPhone, iPad, iPod and Android.

Videocon launches World's First Satellite AC:

·        Videocon launched the World's first Satellite Air Conditioner (AC), Aryabot, in eight variants priced from 34,000 (1 ton) to 39,000 (1.5 ton).

·        It can be operated through embedded voice commands and can be paired up with Smartwatches and smartphones to respond to a user's GPS position.

·        All its features and services can be accessed through a mobile application.

WhatsApp rolls out new features for iOS users:

·        WhatsApp has launched new features on iOS including the ability to save incoming media content for specific chats and groups.

·        Earlier, users could either save media for all chats or for none. Further, missed WhatsApp calls now show inside the chat itself rather than the recent tab.

·        Users can also share PDFs through WhatsApp, a feature already available on Android.

SPORTS:

Yogeshwar Dutt Qualified for Rio 2016 Olympics:

·        India wrestling star Yogeshwar Dutt has qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics in the 65 kg weight category in freestyle category.

·        In the road to the final at the Asian Qualifying tournament, Yogeshwar defeated Ju Song Kim 8-1 and then in the quarter-finals the Indian wrestler defeated Xuan Dinh Nguyen of Vietnam by fall.

Kohli records most number of T20I half-centuries:

·        Playing against Pakistan in the ICC World T20, Indian batsman Virat Kohli scored his career's 14th T20I half-century, which is the highest in the history of T20I cricket.

·        Kohli took 40 matches to surpass Tillakaratne Dilshan (75 matches), Chris Gayle (46 matches) and Brendon McCullum's (71 matches) 13 half centuries to achieve the feat.

India win 5th straight World T20 game vs Pak:

·        India defeated Pakistan by six wickets, in what was their fifth victory in as many matches against their arch-rivals in World T20.

·        Batting first, Pakistan reached 118/5 courtesy Shoaib Malik's 26(22). In reply, Virat Kohli's 55*(37) helped India register their first win over Pakistan at Eden Gardens and maintain their unbeaten record against Pakistan in World Cup matches.

Pakistan first team to concede 14,000 T20I runs:

·        Pakistan, playing against India in a World T20 Group match, became the first team to concede 14,000 T20I runs. New Zealand (12,743) and Australia (12,305) are in the second and third place respectively, while India (9,684) is yet to breach the 10,000-run mark.

·        Notably, this was also Pakistan's 104th T20I, the most by any  international team.

Taskin and Sunny suspended for illegal actions:

·        Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny and pacer Taskin Ahmed were suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after having been found guilty of illegal bowling actions.

·        The two were reported to have suspect actions in the World T20 Qualifier match against Netherlands

Rugby: England win their 1st 6-nation Grand Slam in 13 years

·        In Rugby, England have won their first 6-nation Grand Slam in 13 years after holding out to secure a historic victory over France in Paris.

·        First half tries from Danny Care and Dan Cole had given them a five point half time lead, only for the relentless penalty precision of Maxime Machenaud to keep France within touching distance

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