Important Current Affairs 12th January 2018

Current Affairs 12th January 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Mumbai to get a new International Cruise Terminal

●    Mumbai will soon have an international cruise terminal at its port.
●    A new cruise terminal being planned at the port.
●    It will be 10 times the size of the existing one and will have all the facilities available at airports.
●    Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Minister for Shipping and Ports Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the international cruise terminal.

Current Affairs 12th January 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

Saudi allows women to visit country without a male companion

●    Saudi Arabia has decided to give more power to the women.
●    It is planning to give them freedom for education, travel and medical  treatment.
●    Now women can move to other countries for education and all without any male companion.

India grants ₹288 crore to develop Sri Lankan port

●    India has granted 288 crore for upgrading Kankesanthurai (KKS) Harbour in Sri Lanka.
●    It has to be upgraded into a commercial port.
●    Sri Lanka’s ministry of finance and Exim Bank of India signed an agreement for this on January 10.
●    It will make KKS Harbour a full- fledged commercial port.

GIA -PM Modi named No.3 world leader, ahead of Trump, Putin

●    An international survey has ranked PM Modi among the top three leaders of the world. 
●    It has been declared in Gallup International in its annual survey.
●    Survey was conducted across 50 nations.
●    First rank went to the French President Emmanuel Macron.
●    Second position went to German chancellor Angela Merkel.

‘India’s vote at UN not an issue’

●    Israel's Ambassador to India is Daniel Carmon.
●    He said that India's vote against Israel at the UN General Assembly will not influence the bilateral ties.
●    Earlier India has voted against Israel on the issue of Jerusalem.
●    Benjamin Netanyahu will arrive on a six-day visit to India on January 14.

China’s Silk Road hits hurdles

●    China has planned for a modern Silk Road of railways, ports and other facilities.
●    It is going to link Asia with Europe.
●    Pakistan has now said no to plans for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam.
●    Pakistan rejected it on the ground of being against the national interest.

Kazakhstan beats Iraq to be OPEC's biggest oil over-producer

●    Kazakhstan has became biggest over-producer in the pact between OPEC and its allies.
●    It has overtaken Iraq.
●    This will curb oil output.
●    Country’s total oil production increased by 10.5 percent to 86.2 million metric tons in 2017.

Saudi Arabia Gets Its First Women-Only Car Showroom

●    A Saudi private company opened the first car showroom for women only.
●    This has came into existence just before a decision allowing females to drive takes effect.
●    It has opened up in the western Red Sea port city of Jeddah.
●    Recently King Salman gave Saudi women the right to drive.

Bill For Increasing Allotment Of Green Cards Introduced In Us

●    A legislation to push for a merit-based immigration system by allotment of Green Cards by 45 per cent annually has been introduced in the US.
●    It may benefit Indian software professionals.
●    It is called 'Securing America's Future Act'.
●    It will reduce the overall immigration levels from currently 1.05 million to 260,000 a year.

Current Affairs 12th January 2018: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

India confirms NSAs met in Bangkok

●    Ministry of external affairs has confirmed that the NSAs of the two country met in Bangkok. 
●    It was confirmed by the spokesperson of MEA Raveesh Kumar.
●    The National Security Advisers (NSAs) of India and Pakistan met on December 26.
●    The talk decision was taken after attack on the Pathankot airbase, when New Delhi cancelled the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue.

U.S. could return to Paris climate deal, says Trump

●    President Donald Trump gave a sign of returning back to the Paris climate accord.
●    Paris climate accord is a global efforts to limit warming to under two degrees Celsius.
●    Trump declared himself as a champion of environmentalism.
●    A complete back off of US from this accord could put global efforts at back foot.

Current Affairs 12th January 2018: ECONOMY

Retail inflation in December hits 17-month high of 5.21%

●    India's annual retail inflation reached 5.21 per cent in December 2017.
●    December's inflation was predicted to rise to 5.10 percent from November's 4.88 percent.
●    It is because of increased prices for some foods and the impact of higher pay for government employees.

Foreign students boost U.K. economy

●    U.K. has a positive impact on the economy because of foreign students.
●    It comprises of a total of £20 .3 billion to the British economy.
●    This has put tremendous amount of pressure on the British Govt. which is planning to change rules for the international students.
 

Current Affairs 12th January 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Scientists discover 18 spider-eating pelican spider species

●    Scientists were conducting research in Madagascar.
●    They have discovered 18 new spider-killing spider species.
●    They are called pelican spiders.
●    Entomologist Hannah Wood, authored the paper.

NASA finds ice buried under Mars' surface

●    NASA spacecraft have detected eight ice deposits near the Martian surface.
●    It is a potential source of water.
●    It could help future human outposts.
●    Scientists already knew that about a third of the surface of Mars contains shallow ground ice.
●    The researchers used images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Important Current Affairs 11th  JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 11th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Supreme Court to form SIT to probe 186 anti-Sikh riot cases

●    The Supreme Court will appoint a new SIT to probe 241 cases from the 1984 riots.
●    SIT will have a retired high court judge and two IPS officers, one serving and the other retired. 
●    These 241 cases were closed by an earlier SIT. 
●    Riots took place in 1984 as a response to the killing of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
●    Thousands of Sikhs were killed in the riot.

Maritime focus for India, ASEAN

●    The ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit is going to take place on January 25.
●    It is likely to focus on maritime security for the region.
●    Secretary in-charge of eastern affairs in the MEA is Preeti Saran.
●    This is meeting is called every year to discuss different topics to improve Maritime power of India.

PM sets targets for 115 backward districts

●    Prime Minister ordered all ministries to report on the initiatives taken by them for 115 backward districts.
●    Ministries have been asked to come up with an action plan for these districts.
●    In November 2017, Niti Aayog appointed officials as prabhari or in-charge to coordinate these plans.

Female lawyer directly recommended as SC judge for 1st time

●    Indu Malhotra is the first woman lawyer who has been directly recommended from the Bar to Supreme Court judgeship.
●    Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra unanimously recommended the name.
●    If she gets appointed she would be the seventh woman judge in the Supreme Court's history.

Telecom tycoon becomes Zimbabwe's first billionaire

●    A London-based businessman has become Zimbabwe's first billionaire.
●    He is the 14th richest man in Africa.
●    His name is Strive Masiyiwa.
●    He is 56 years old.

Comic book titled 'The Wall' releases on Dravid's 45th b'day

●    Rahul Dravid is the latest addition to the list of comic heroes. 
●    Dindigul-based KS Divakar, 23, has come up with a comic book 'The Wall'.
●    It was launched online on January 11.
●    It was launched at www.sportwalk.com.

Current Affairs 11th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

UK govt now has highest number of Indian-origin ministers

●    UK parliament now has a minister of state (Alok Sharma) and three junior ministers (Rishi Sunak, Shailesh Vara and Suella Fernandes). 
●    Sunak is the son-in-law of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy.
●    Till now the only Indian-origin minister to hold a cabinet position was Priti Patel.
●    Sunak was appointed in the ministry of housing, communities and local government, while Vara.
●    He previously held junior posts in the department of justice and works and pensions

GI tag for ‘Gulbarga Tur Dal’ in a month

●    The Kalaburagi red gram, “Gulbarga Tur Dal”, which is known internationally for its superior quality.
●    It will soon be added to the list of Karnataka producers with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
●    Dean of Agriculture College Jayaprakash R. Patil and senior agriculture scientist Raju Teggalli, announced it.

China to fund base in Afghanistan

●    China will fund construction of an Afghan counter-terrorism base in Afghanistan.
●    It will be setup in Badakshan.
●    The decision to build the facility was taken during last month’s visit to China by Afghan Defence Minister Tariq Shah Bahrami.

Sri Lanka lifts ban on liquor sales to women after 60 years

●    Sri Lanka allowed women over the age of 18 to buy alcohol legally.
●    It has happened for the first time in 60 years.
●    The government is amending a 1955 law.
●    Sri Lanka has been criticised for this .

US lists Russia among world's most dangerous countries

●    The US State Department has listed Russia as one of the most dangerous countries to visit in 2018.
●    The department's latest travel advice, released on 10 January.
●    Nearly 250,000 US citizens travel to Russia each year.

Current Affairs 11th JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Sivan K named new chairman of ISRO

●    Dr. Sivan will take over as the new ISRO chief on 14th January.
●    He will replace A.S.Kiran Kumar.
●    He will be the 9th chairman of the organisation.
●    He is a Rocket scientist and is currently Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre.

Current Affairs 11th JANUARY 2018: DEFENSE

PSLV all set to ferry 31 satellites tomorrow

●    The PSLV rocket will be launched from Sriharikota on 12th January.
●    Last launch was failed on August 31. 
●    The launch will take place at 9.28 a.m. from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh. 
●    The main payload is 710-kg Cartosat-2F.

Current Affairs 11th JANUARY 2018: ECONOMY

Chhattisgarh gets ₹696-crore assistance for Naxal districts

●    The Union Government sanctioned Rs 696 crores to eight Naxal affected districts of Chhattisgarh.
●    It has been given for 3 years under its Special Central Assistance Scheme.
●    Chief Minister of the state is Raman Singh.
●    Each of these districts will get an assistance of about Rs 29 crores per year.

In FDI push, Centre allows 49% foreign ownership in AI

●    Indian Govt.allowed overseas airlines to own up to 49% of Air India. 
●    The Union Cabinet allowed foreign airlines to invest up to 49% under the approval route in Air India.
●    The changes to the FDI norms would trigger significant interest in the carrier from foreign airlines.
●    Kapil Kaul is the CEO, Indian subcontinent & Middle East, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).

World Bank projects 7.3% growth in 2018

●    India's growth rate in 2018 will be 7.3%.
●    It will grow to 7.5% in next two years.
●    World bank announced these predictions.
●    India is estimated to have grown at 6.7 per cent in 2017.

Important Current Affairs 10th January 2018

Current Affairs 10th January 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Vizag could be India’s new scuba diving hotspot

●    A 200-year-old shipwreck has been found in village of Bheemunipatnam.
●    It is about 45 km from Visakhapatnam.
●    This is now becoming the next big scuba diving destination of the country.
●    The wreck is located six metres below the sea surface.
●    It was first spotted by scuba divers Balaram Naidu and dive master Anil Kumar on December 21. 

PIOs make ‘mini-world Parliament’

●    The 1st PIO-Parliamentarian Conference got inaugurated by Narendra Modi.
●    India reached out to lawmakers of Indian origin spread across the world.
●    The PIO Parliamentarian forum was planned last year.
●    It was brainchild of Sushma Swaraj.

Goa bird festival to offer pelagic avian tour

●    The second edition of the Goa Bird Festival will be held from January 12 to 14.
●    It will be held at Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary, Canacona.
●    The State Forest department is organising the event.
●    It is being done with the help of Goa Tourism, the Goa Bird Conservation Network (GBCN) and Birderpics.com.
●    It was announced by said Ajai Saxena, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. 

Two Indian-origin MPs join Theresa May's Cabinet

●    Narayana Murthy’s son-in-law Rishi Sunak and Goan-origin MP Suella Fernandes have been made ministers in Theresa May’s Cabinet. 
●    Mr. Sunak entered Parliament in 2015.
●    Ms. Fernandes will become a minister in the Department for Exiting European Union.

New industrial policy in a few months, says Suresh Prabhu

●    The new industrial policy will be launched in few weeks.
●    It was announced by Commerce and industry minister Suresh Prabhu.
●    This policy seeks to promote emerging sectors.
●    It will revamp the Industrial Policy of 1991. 

PNB Ties up with NSFDC

●    Punjab National Bank tied up with National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC).
●    This tie up has been done to provide financial assistance for economic empowerment of Scheduled Caste (SC) families below Double Poverty Line (DPL).
●    Corporate General Manager, B.M.Padha and General Manager, NSFDC, Devanand signed MoU.
 

India owns three research stations in the Antarctic

●    Indians reached Antarctica for the first time 30 years ago. 
●    There have been over 30 explorations by the National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research of India.
●    Programme was initiated in 1981.
●    It was started by a team of 21 members. 
●    The expedition started from Goa on December 6, 1981.

Current Affairs 10th January 2018: DEFENCE

Army satisfied with Akash missile

●    Indian Army has Expressed satisfaction over the performance of Akash missile.
●    It is a Made-in-India supersonic missile.
●    Army Air Defence (AAD) Director General Parminder Singh Jaggi expressed his  views.
●    The Army successfully carried out trial in December 2017.
●     It is a Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (SRSAM).

Current Affairs 10th January 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

Infosys signs pact with U.S. Internal Revenue Service

●    Infosys signed an Advance Price Agreement (APA) with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in January 2018.
●    This APA will enable it to reverse tax provisions of about $225 million.
●    It will boost consolidated basic earnings per share for the three months.
●    Initial discussions with the IRS started in 2015. 
 

World's Busiest Air Routes: Tiny Island Beats London, New York

●    The world's busiest air route is between Seoul and a tiny island in South Korea.
●    Planes made 65,000 trips between the Korean capital and Jeju island.
●    It is a trip of around an hour.
●    Busiest North American routes are Los Angeles to San Francisco.
●    It sees 35,000 trips in a year.

Current Affairs 10th January 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ISRO mulls launching 65 satellites

●    ISRO was going to launch around 65 satellites. They are planned to be realised over the period from 2017 to 2021.
●    Satellites made in India over the last 40 years has gone above 100.
●    M. Annadurai is Director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC).
●    ISAC was set up in 1972.

ISRO To Launch Its 100th Satellite

●    India will be launching its 100th satellite.
●    It will launched on 12th January.
●    It will have 30 satellites, including 28 from six other countries.
●    Launch will take place at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
●    It will be ISRO's 40th space mission.

Current Affairs 10th January 2018: ECONOMY

CIL raises non-coking coal price; stock surges 5.6%

●    Coal India Ltd. increased prices of non-coking coal from January 9.
●    It may result in a 15-paise increase in power price for distribution companies.
●    CIL projected annual increase in revenue at Rs. 6,421 crore.

World Bank Says India Has "Enormous Potential", Projects 7.3% Growth Rate In 2018

●    India is likely to have growth rate around 7.3% in 2018.
●    It has been predicted by World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects.
●    The World Bank report projected China’s economy to slow down to 6.4% in 2018 from 6.8% in 2017. 

Current Affairs 10th January 2018: AWARDS

India bags its first-ever international medal in skiing

●    Aanchal Thakur made history by winning India's first ever international medal in skiing.
●    She is 21-year-old.
●    She is from Manali.
●    Roshan Thakur is her father and the secretary general of Winter Games Federation of India.

Current Affairs 10th January 2018: DAYS AND DATES

5-day National Youth Festival begins on January 12, 2018

●    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the National Youth Festival through video conferencing on January 12, 2018 and address the present.
●    This festival will commence on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the young heart of India's lord Swami Vivekananda.
●    The inauguration ceremony was co-chaired by Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath and Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge) Col Rajyavardhan Rathore.
●    On this occasion, the Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge) Mr. Mahesh Sharma will be the special guest.

Important Current Affairs 9th  JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 9th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

The Central Government notifies the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017

●    The Central Government notified the Companies (Amendment) Act, 2017.
●    Section 53 of the Companies Act, 2013 prohibited issuance of shares at a discount. 
●    Section 197 of the Companies Act, 2013 required approval of the company in a general meeting for payment of managerial remuneration in excess of 11 percent of the net profits. 

India unveils Pratyush, its fastest supercomputer yet

●    India unveiled Pratyush.
●    It is India’s fastest supercomputer till now. 
●    It was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Earth Sciences Dr.Harsh Vardhan.
●    Pratyush costs over Rs. 450 crores.

Bihar government bans electronic cigarettes in state

●    Bihar has banned e-cigarettes. 
●    E-cigarette is smoked through electronics nicotine delivery system (ENDS).
●    State drug controller (SDC) Ravindra Kumar Sinha issued ordered the new rule.
●    The state has already banned all tobacco products and items containing nicotine not approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI).

Snowfall in Sahara Desert's Ain Sefra for 3rd time in 37 yrs

●    Snowfall has been recorded in the Sahara.
●    It happened in Ain Sefra.
●    It has made a layer of 16 inches.
●    Ain Sefra has seen record lows of -10.2C in winter.
●    In 1979, a snowstorm lasting half an hour stopped traffic. 
 

AR Rahman appointed Sikkim's brand ambassador

●    Music composer A R Rahman became the brand ambassador of Sikkim.
●    It was announced by Sikkim chief minister Pawan Kumar Chamling.
●    Sikkim witnessed approximately 12 lakh tourist footfalls in 2017.
●    It was 7.5 lakh domestic and 62,000 foreign tourist footfall in 2016.

Current Affairs 9th JANUARY 2018: DAYS AND DATES

Army Technology Seminar: 2018

●    The second edition of Army Technology Seminar was organised at Manekshaw Centre in Delhi.
●    It was organised by Indian Army on 08 January 2018. 
●    The theme of the seminar was ‘Technology as a Key Enabler to Overcome Challenges of Military Operations in High Altitude’. 

January 9 observed as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

●    Pravasi Bhartiya Divas is annually celebrated on January 9
●    It is celebrated to remember the contribution of NRI community towards India.
●    This began in 2003.
●    On January 9, 1915 Mahatma Gandhi left South Africa and returned to India.

Current Affairs 9th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

China agrees to stop road construction in Arunachal Pradesh

●    China agreed to stop road construction in Arunachal Pradesh.
●    The Chinese labourers have been called off after Indian Army intervention.
●    Both countries had meeting on January 6.
●    Stand-off between both the troops started on 16 June.
●    The stand-off ended on August 28.

Kannur airport to be fully solar-powered

●    Kannur International Airport (KIAL) would be fully solar powered airport.
●    This airport has been commissioned by the govt. recently.
●    Decision was taken in the director board meeting of the airport board.
●    The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

UK's ban on plastic microbeads takes effect

●    UK banned making any product with microbeads.
●    It is a tiny plastic particles which are used in the manufacturing of cosmetics to shampoo and toothpaste.
●    Barack Obama in his presidency signed a bill to outlaw microbeads in rinse-off products in 2015. 

Jeff Bezos now worth more than Bill Gates ever was

●    Jeff Bezos’s net worth has crossed $105.1 billion.
●    Amazon shares have gone up by 6.6 percent this year.
●    It has  captured 89 percent of online spending among all the retailers.
●    Bill Gate has given away almost 700 million Microsoft shares and $2.9 billion of cash and other assets since 1996.

World's oldest known wild bird aged 67 lays egg

●    The world's oldest known wild bird has laid an egg.
●    She has done it at an age of 67 years.
●    The lifespan of Laysan albatrosses around 50 years.
●    Wisdom was first given an identification tag in 1956, by ornithologist Chandler Robbins.

N Korea agrees to participate in Winter Olympics in S Korea
 
●    North Korea will send athletes and cheerleaders Winter Olympics in South Korea.
●    Both countries ended their first official talks.
●    Winter Olympic Games are going to start from 9 February.
 

Current Affairs 9th JANUARY 2018: SPORTS

22-yr-old Rabada becomes world's highest-ranked Test bowler

●    Kagiso Rabada has become the number-one ranked bowler.
●    He scored this rank in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Player Rankings.
●    He was one in South Africa’s campaign in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup.
●    It was in the UAE in 2014.

Current Affairs 9th JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ISRO made ₹289 cr from foreign satellite launches in 2016-17
 
●    ISRO's earned ₹288.75 crore by launching satellites for other countries in 2017.
●    ISRO’s commercial arm, Antrix earned this revenue.
●    ISRO has launched over 200 foreign satellites.
●    It includes 101 Nano satellites in its record launch in February 2017.

Current Affairs 9th JANUARY 2018: AWARDS

HG Khorana is the only India-born Medicine Nobel Laureate
 
●    Biochemist Har Gobind Khorana jointly won the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
●    He was born in Punjab on January 9, 1922.
●    He got Nobel for "interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis".
●    He generated first artificial gene in 1972.
●    He died in 2011.

Important Current Affairs 8th January 2018

Current Affairs 8th January 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Haryana launches HRP portal

●    Haryana has become first state in the country to launch High Risk Pregnancy (HRP) Portal. 
●    This portal helps in early identification of high-risk pregnant cases.
●    State health minister Anil Vij launched the portal.
●    The Mission Director, National Health Mission is Amneet P. Kumar.

Arunachal to have India’s 2nd FTII

●    Arunachal Pradesh is going to get its first Film and Television Institute.
●    This would be the second FTII in the country. 
●    The first FTII was set up in Pune.
●    It is an autonomous institute operating under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

Tirumurti appointed eco. relations secy

●    T S Tirumurti has been appointed as the Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry.
●    He is Indian High Commissioner to Kuala Lumpur.
●    He has been appointed in place of Vijay Keshav Gokhale.
●    Tirumurti is a 1985-batch officers of IFS.
●    He became High Commissioner of India to Malaysia on December 20, 2013.

The third meeting of the Business Development and Promotion Council was held today in New Delhi

●    Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Shri Suresh Prabhu chaired the third meeting of the Business Development and Promotion Council in New Delhi today.
●    The Lord emphasized the importance of creating a favorable environment for promotion of exports.
●    He said that there was a need to develop state and district level strategies.
●    He said that districts should be made new units of development and plans related to them should be made.

Ananth Kumar inaugurated the 18th All India Whip Conference in Udaipur, Rajasthan

●    Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Chemicals and Fertilizers, Shri Anant Kumar today inaugurated the 18th All India Whip Conference in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
●    The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje Scindia chaired the inaugural session as the chief guest.
●    In this two-day conference, about 90 representatives from 19 states and the Center are participating.
●    The conference will conclude on January 9, 2018.

Govt cancels ₹32,000-cr Make in India warship project

●    The government has cancelled the project to construct 12 advanced minesweepers.
●    It was a Rs 32,000 crore project.
●    It was going to be  in collaboration with South Korea at the Goa Shipyard.
 

Current Affairs 8th January 2018: DEFENCE

INS Arihant left crippled after ‘accident’ 10 months ago

●    Nuclear submarine was damaged after water entered its propulsion chamber few months back.
●    The submarine is built under the Advanced Technology Vessel project (ATV).
●    It is being repaired.
●    On July 26, 2009, Gursharan Kaur launched it in Visakhapatnam.
●    She is wife of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Current Affairs 8th January 2018: SCHEMES

Punjab launches farm debt waiver scheme

●    Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh launched farm loan waiver scheme.
●    5.63 lakh farmers would benefit in first phase.
●    It was one of the promise of the Congress party before elections.

Current Affairs 8th January 2018: AWARDS

SPB to get LV award

●    On January 12, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam will  receive the LV Lifetime Achievement award.
●    He is the Playback singer and music composer.
●    It will mark 75th birth anniversary of music director and violin artist L. Vaidyanathan.
 

Current Affairs 8th January 2018: ECONOMY 

Global debt over 3 times the size of world economy: Study

●    Global debt became highest ever of $233 trillion in the third quarter of 2017.
●    It’s over three times of the global economy.
●    It’s more than $16-trillion extra than 2016. 
●    World's per capita debt is over $30,000.

'Three Billboards...' named Best Picture at Golden Globes

●    Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri won the Best Motion Picture Drama award.
●    It was announced on 75th annual Golden Globes. 
●    Only A24 got more than one Lady Bird was named Best Picture Comedy or Musical and scored a Best Actress win for Saoirse Ronan, and James Franco won Best Actor Comedy/Musical for The Disaster Artist.
●    The film stars McDormand.

Current Affairs 8th January 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

World's largest ice festival kicks off in China

●    The world's largest ice festival has started.
●    It started in Harbin, northeastern China.
●    Its 34th Harbin International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival.
●    It’s going to began on January 5.

Dormant volcano in Papua New Guinea erupts for 1st time

●    A surprise eruption from a dormant volcano covered the village below with dust and ash.
●    Volcanic eruption took place over Kadovar Island off the northeastern coast of Papua New Guinea.
●    Approximately 600 people left the island.

Mahathir to lead Malaysia’s Opposition

●    Malaysia’s opposition named Mahathir Mohamad as candidate for prime minister.
●    He is 92 years old.
●    Election is going to be held by August.
●    Current prime Minister is Najib Razak.
●    He is 64 years old. 

China to build naval base in Pakistan

●    China is planning to build its second overseas naval base near Pakistan Gwadar port.
●    Gwadar port is a key part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
●    China began construction of base in Djibouti in 2016.
●    It is to be used to resupply navy ships taking part in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in Yemen and Somalia.

Current Affairs 8th January 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 

SpaceX launches 'secret' satellite on its 1st flight of 2018

●    SpaceX has launched a secret satellite code-named Zuma.
●    It’s the first flight of the 2018. 
●    The Falcon rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
●    Northrop Grumman provided the satellite.
●    The Govt. which provided the satellite, was not announced. 
●    The name Zuma is of a Southern California beach.
●    Last year SpaceX launched 18 satellites.

Important Current Affairs 7th January 2018

Current Affairs 7th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

'KPME Bill gets Governor’s nod

●    Governor Vajubhai Vala gave his agreement to the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment (Amendment) Bill 2017.
●    It will enforce patients rights charter. 
●    The Act will be enforced in February.
●    It was announced by, Health Minister Ramesh Kumar

States ranked on logistics performance

●    The commerce ministry will launch Logistics Performance Index (LPI) on January 8.
●    The index will act as a dynamic tool for the ministry to identify bottlenecks in this area.
●    The ranking will be based on 8 parameters such as transportation facilities available in states and documentation procedures.
●    The ranking targets to encourage states to work and improving their logistics related infrastructure. 
 

Lalu gets jail term of 3.5 years

●    Bihar's politician Lalu Yadav was convicted in a second case of fodder scam.
●    It was a scam of Rs. 89 lakh.
●    He was given three-and-a-half-years jail term and a fine of Rs. 10 lakh by a special court in Ranchi. 
●    Lalu Yadav is preparing for an appeal in High court.

KIOCL to explore iron ore, gold in Mysore, Tirupur

●    Union Minister for Steel is Chaudhary Birender Singh.
●    KIOCL (Kudremukh Iron Ore Ltd.) has been given task to explore ore and gold in South India, in Tiruppur of Tamil Nadu and Mysuru of Karnataka.
●    KIOCL recently had entered into a MoU with Vishakhapatnam- based Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd., (RINL), also known as Vizag Steel.

US engineer discovers the largest ever prime number

●    A largest ever prime number has been discovered.
●    It has 23,249,425 digits. 
●    It's called M77232917,.
●    It's the 50th prime number of its type ever discovered.
●    It's called a Mersenne prime.
●    It is found by multiplying twos together many times, and subtracting one from the final number. 

Coir sector seeks measures for product value addition

●    The Coir Board is encouraging the setting up of large industries to make value-added coir products. 
●    For this the board is going to unveil a scheme next week.
●    S. Mahesh Kumar is the director of the Federation of Indian Coir Exporters’ Associations.
●    Under this scheme 25% subsidy would be offered for a ₹10-crore investment in plant and machinery. 
●    Coir products worth ₹2,281 crore were exported in 2016-2017. 

Khelo India logo launched

●    The vibrant Khelo India logo of New India was launched by Indian Govt. .
●    It was launched by the Union Minister of State Youth Affairs and Sports Col Rajyavardhan Rathore.
●    The ceremony took place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi.
●    The logo conveys an impression of fitness and competitiveness. 

Current Affairs 7th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

Iran bans English in schools fearing 'cultural invasion'

●    Iran has banned the teaching of English in primary schools.
●    It was termed as the "cultural invasion" from western countries.
●    The teaching of English usually starts in middle school in Iran, around the ages of 12 to 14.
●    Some children also attend private language institutes after their school day. 

Argentinian teen sets Guinness World Record for longest hair

●    A 17-year-old Argentinian, Abril Lorenzatti set the Guinness World Record for the longest hair on a teenager.
●    Her hair is 1.52 meters long.
●    Her nickname is 'Rapunzel'.
●    She did not had a haircut for 10 years.

NZ 'poo tracker' website checks sewage pollution at beach

●    Auckland, New Zealand is introducing a new tool which allows visitors to know in advance the quality of water at each of their city beaches. 
●    Name of this website is “poo tracker,”.
●    It predicts and tracks the safety of Auckland waterways in real time.
 

Current Affairs 7th JANUARY 2018: OBITUARIES 

 
Indian powerlifting world champion dies following car crash

●    Five powerlifting players from Delhi were killed in a car accident.
●    Amog the killed people, a world champion also died.
●    He had bagged the title for India in Moscow last year.
●    The six athletes were going from Delhi to Panipat.
●    Powerlifting world champion Saksham Yadav and Rohit was admitted to Hospital. 

1st astronaut to fly solo around the Moon dies at 87

●    John W. Young was the 1st astronaut  to fly solo around the moon.
●    He was born on 24th September 1930.
●    He has lots of records on his name.
●    He was a navy pilot and served during Korean war.
●    He passed away at the age of 87.
●    He flew into space twice during NASA's Gemini program in the 1960s.
●    Twice on the Apollo lunar missions and twice on space shuttles in the 1980s.

Current Affairs 7th JANUARY 2018: SPORTS

PV Sindhu defeats world number 1 in Premier Badminton League

●    Olympic silver medallist P V Sindhu defeated world no.1 Tai Tzu Ying.
●    She was defending champions Chennai Smashers afloat against Ahmedabad Smash Masters in the third Premier Badminton League.
●    It was a big win for Chennai.

Cook youngest to 12,000 Test runs, beats Tendulkar's record

●    Alastair Cook reached 12,000 Test runs and beaten Sachin Tendulkar’s record.
●    He became the sixth batsman to score 12,000 test runs.
●    He IS 33-year-old.
●    Alastair Nathan Cook was born on 25 December 1984.
●    He is an English cricketer. 

Current Affairs 7th JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NASA unveils 60th anniversary logo

●    NASA was founded by the President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 29, 1958.
●    But the space agency marks it birthday on Oct. 1. 
●    NASA graphic artist Matthew Skeins created a logo featuring a towering "60" above NASA's name.

1st proof of ozone hole recovery post CFC chemical ban found

●    With international ban on chlorine-containing man-made chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), has resulted in about 20 percent less ozone depletion.
●    CFCs are long-lived chemical compounds that eventually rise into the stratosphere.
●    There they are broken by Sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
●    This breaking releases chlorine atoms that destroys ozone molecules. 
●    Stratospheric ozone protects life on the planet by absorbing harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Current Affairs 7th JANUARY 2018: ECONOMY

CBDT relaxes norms for MAT on insolvents

●    The Income Tax Department relaxed norms for levy of Minimum Alternate Tax (MAT) on companies facing corporate insolvency proceedings.
●    As per Section 115JB of the Income Tax Act, MAT is levied on book profit after deducting the amount of loss brought forward or unabsorbed depreciation, whichever is less.
●    This has been done to minimise the genuine hardships faced by such companies, said the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

Current Affairs 7th JANUARY 2018: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

US, South Korea to not hold military drill during Olympics

●    Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have decided not to hold joint military drills during the Winter Olympic Games in February.
●    They both agreed on a phone call.
●    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has long bemoaned the joint US-South Korean drills.
●    He takes the drill as a direct threat to Pyongyang.
 

Current Affairs 7th JANUARY 2018: DAYS AND DATES

1st man-made object to orbit Earth lasted for 92 days

●    On 4 January 1958, the first man-made object to orbit Earth was the Soviet Sputnik I satellite.
●    It fell back into the atmosphere, after 92 days in space.
●    Sputnik means 'companion'.
●    It was launched from Kazakhstan. 
●    The craft circled Earth every 95 minutes at over 40 000 kilometres per hour, 800 kilometres above the planet.

Important Current Affairs 6th  JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 6th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Bengal unveils official State emblem

●    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee unveiled the official emblem of the state government.
●    This was approved by the centre in January 2018.
●    The logo highlights the Ashoka emblem on the top with the theme of "Biswa Bangla" at the centre. 
●    Chief Minister has also contributed its design.

Constitution Bench to look at adultery law

●    A 3 judge Bench led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra announced to reconsider its past decisions on adultery law.
●    The Supreme Court asked constitution Bench a petition to decide if the pre-Independence provision of adultery in the Indian Penal Code treats a married woman as a commodity owned by her husband or not.
●    The petition wants Section 497 (adultery) IPC to be dropped as a criminal offence from the penal code.

Indian-origin man named best central banker in Asia-Pacific

●    An Indian-origin banker in Singapore has been named as the best central bank governor in Asia-Pacific for 2018.
●    Ravi Menon, managing director of Singapore’s central bank Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), has been named for the position.
●    Singapore’s Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat was also named the best banker in 2011. 
●    In last three years, the central bankers of Vietnam, India and Bangladesh were named for the recognition.

After four decades, India gets a Kashmiri film

●    A Kashmiri feature film, shot and produced entirely in the Valley is going to be released.
●    This is going to happen for the first time in 45 years.
●    Unique thing is that this film was produced in a place with no cinema halls and no film industry. 
●    Last Kashmiri film was in 1972.
●    Two locally made films, Partav and Akh Daleel Looluch, produced in the past two decades were not released in cinemas.

Ocean dead zones with no oxygen quadrupled since 1950: Study

●    Ocean dead zones with zero oxygen have quadrupled in size since 1950.
●    Climate change caused by fossil fuel burning is the cause of the large-scale deoxygenation.
●    The oceans feed more than 500 million people.
●    It provides job for 350 million people. 
●    The open ocean has natural low oxygen areas.
 

Government launches online cancer detection course

●    Union health ministry launched a seven-month online cancer detection course.
●    This course is designed by Tata Memorial.
●    It will help people in detecting early signs of the disease.
●    This course is specially targeted to the village and small town population.
●    The course is for physicians, gynaecologists, dentists and other health care professionals, basically non-oncologists.
●    It can play a crucial role in early detection and diagnosis of cancers.
 

Current Affairs 6th JANUARY 2018: DEFENCE

Women can join Territorial Army: HC

●    Women can now join the Territorial Army.
●    Delhi High Court quashed the Centre's advertisements excluding them from being recruited.
●    A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar ordered this decision.
●    It declared that 'any person' mentioned in section 6 of the Territorial Army Act, 1948 "includes both males as well as females".
 

Current Affairs 6th JANUARY 2018: DAYS AND DATES

Earth made its closest approach of 2018 to Sun on Jan 3

●    On January 3, the Earth was most close to the Sun in the year 2018.
●    This is called perihelion.
●    The word is derived from Greek where 'peri' meaning 'near' and 'helios' meaning 'sun'.
●    This distance was 147 million km.
●    On July 6 Earth would reach the most distant point at 152 million km.
●    This most distant position is called the aphelion.

Current Affairs 6th JANUARY 2018: SPORTS

Sachin was first batsman to be given out by third umpire

●    Sachin Tendulkar was the first batsman in history who was given out by a third umpire.
●    He was given run-out by TV umpire Karl Liebenberg in the first Test.
●    It was given in 1992. 
●    Jonty Rhodes was the baller.
●    He was sent back by Ravi Shastri.

Lynn becomes first player in BBL history to slam 100 sixes

●    Chris Lynn became the first player to score 100 sixes in the Big Bash League.
●    Christopher Austin Lynn was born on 10 April 1990.
●    He is an Australian cricketer. 
●    Lynn is a right-handed middle order batsman.

Smith becomes joint second-fastest to reach 6,000 Test runs

●    Steve Smith became second fastest along with Sir Donald Bradman to reach 6000 test runs.
●    He is currently the world's No.1 batsman.
●    He became the equal-second fastest player in history to bring up 6000 Test runs.
●    Smith reached the milestone in his 111th innings.
 

Jasprit Bumrah becomes India's 290th Test player

●    Bumrah became the 290th player to represent India in the test matches.
●    India is ranked No. 1 in this format.
●    Bumrah is also the first debutant to represent India from Gujarat in the last 15 years.
●    Parthiv Patel was the previous one.

Current Affairs 6th JANUARY 2018: ECONOMY

RBI to issue new ₹10 notes in chocolate brown colour: Report

●    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will issue new banknotes of Rs. 10.
●    The new Rs. 10 notes will be in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series, and will have signature of RBI Governor Dr Urjit R Patel.
●    The dimension of the new Rs. 10 banknotes will be 63 mm x 123 mm.
●    The Rs. 10 rupee will be printed on the front of the note in the Devnagari script.
●    The Ashoka Pillar emblem will be on the right side of the front side. 

Ripple Co-founder becomes richer than Google Founders

●    Former CEO of Ripple, Chris Larsen became a multi-billionaire.
●    Ripple issues the cryptocurrency token XRP.
●    value of XRP jumped from $0.25 in December last year to $3.16 now.
●    This cryptocurrency now ranks as the second biggest after Bitcoin.

Current Affairs 6th JANUARY 2018: AWARDS

Ashwini Ponnappa is ‘Coorg Person of the Year’

●    Badminton player and Olympian Ashwini Ponnappa has been named Coorg Person of the year, 2017.
●    It has been announced in a poll conducted by a news portal dedicated to Kodagu. 
●    Ashwini won a gold medal in the womens double event of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.
●    Ashwini Ponnappa is the youngest sportsperson from Kodagu to win the prestigious Arjuna award. 
●    Her father Ponnappa, worked for the Reserve Bank of India at Hyderabad.
●    He was a hockey player and was in the Indian hockey camp during the 1982 Asiad. 
 

Current Affairs 6th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

China to build AI development park worth over ₹13,400 crore
●    China plans to build a technology park for the development of artificial intelligence.
●    It will cost over ₹13,400 crore which is ￥13.8 billion. 
●    It is targeted at attracting enterprises that work on big-data, biometric identification and cloud computing. 
●    Park will generate an annual estimated output value of ₹48,800 crore which is ￥50 billion.

Dubai to break own record of world's tallest hotel

●    Dubai is going to get a 356-metre-high hotel in 2018.
●    It is going to be the tallest hotel in the world. 
●    This hotel will have 528 rooms.
●    It will have 75 floors.
●    Currently 355-metre-high JW Marriott Marquis hotel in Dubai is the tallest one.

Current Affairs 6th JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NASA to launch two missions to explore Earth-space boundary

●    NASA is going to launch two missions to explore area 96 km above Earth's surface. 
●    GOLD and ICON will team up to explore the ionosphere.
●    It is a boundary area between Earth and space where particles are heated up into a sea of electrically-charged electrons and ions by the Sun's radiation.
●    These layers are home to radio signals used to guide planes, ships and GPS satellites.

Important Current Affairs 5th January 2018

Current Affairs 5th January 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to India's stand at WTO

●    The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval to the stand taken by India at the MC11 of the WTO.
●    It was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 2017.
●    The MC11, took place from December 10 to 13 in 2017.
●    It was chaired by Minister Susana Malcorra of Argentina.

Cabinet approves Indo-Myanmar agreement on land border crossing

●    The Union Cabinet recently approved the MoU between India and Myanmar on Land Border Crossing.
●    The agreement will regulate free movement rights for the people living in the border areas of both the countries.
●    It will also also facilitate the movement of people on the basis of valid passports and visas.
●    It will boost the economy of the North East.
●    It will safeguard the traditional rights of the tribal communities living in border areas.

Lok Sabha passes bill to hike salaries of Supreme Court, High Court judges

●    A bill was passed in Lok Sabha which will increase the salaries of judges of the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts.
●    The increment will be more than twice.
●    After the bill is passed SC Chief justice will get a monthly salary of Rs. 2.80 lakh.
●    His current salary is Rs. one lakh a month .
●    Judges of the Supreme Court and chief justices of the high courts will get a monthly salary of Rs. 2.50 lakh.
●    Their current salary is Rs. 90,000.
●    The judges of the high courts will get Rs. 80,000 per month.
●    Their current salary is Rs. 2.25 lakh per month.

Panneerselvam appointed Leader of the House in Tamil Nadu Assembly

●    Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam has been appointed as leader of the house.
●    It was announced by the assembly secretary K Boopathy on 4th January 2018.
●    He’ll replace K A Sengottaiyan.
●    Panneerselvam was the leader of the house during former chief minister J Jayalalithaa regime. 
●    2018 assembly session is set to begin on January 8.
 

Cate Blanchett to head Cannes Festival jury

●    Cate Blanchett became head of the Cannes festival jury.
●    Cate is a two-time Academy award winner.
●    She will succeed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.
●    Pedro headed the 70th edition of the festival last year.
●    This year's festival will take place from May 8-19.

Amazon patents mirror that lets users try clothes virtually

●    Amazon has patented a mirror that let the consumer try on clothes virtually.
●    Consumer can do it by placing themselves into a virtual location.
●    The patent describes the mirror as partially-reflective and partially-transmissive.
●    It uses displays, cameras, and projectors to create the blended image. 
●    Amazon acquired Body Labs last year.
●    Body Labs is an AI-software and computer vision company.
●    Amazon has made its place in the fashion industry.

Current Affairs 5th January 2018: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIP 

Cabinet nod to pact signed with US for co-hosting GES 2017

●    The Union Cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval for a pact signed between India and the US.
●    This pact is for co-hosting the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) 2017 in India.
●    The GES-2017 was held in Hyderabad.
●    It was held from 28 November 28 2017.
●    It was attended by delegates from 150 countries.
 

Current Affairs 5th January 2018: GLOBAL NEWS 

Ancient Aztec Map of Universe Found on Mexican Volcano

●    The remains of an ancient stone sanctuary was found In mexico.
●    It is situated in the middle of a pond, on the side of a volcano.
●    The sanctuary is at a height of 13,000 feet below the Iztaccihuatl volcano.
●    The National Institute referred to the sanctuary as a iztacalco. 

Chinese globes sold in Canada depict J&K out of India

●    It was the third reported instance since December where chinese globe has shown Kashmir separate from India.
●    These globes were manufactured in China and sold at mainstream Canadian outlets.
●    Before this there was another retailer selling globe, made in China, that removed both J&K and Arunachal Pradesh from India.

Power prices go negative in Germany due to overproduction

●    Electricity prices dipped below zero on Christmas in Germany.
●    It means people are being essentially paid to use electricity.
●    This is because Germany's wind and solar plants are very efficient at generating power.
●    But they can’t still match the power demand.
●    The negative pricing compensates the consumers' subsequent electricity billing.

Current Affairs 5th January 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Novel sperm-sorting device could improve IVF success

●    A new device has been discovered by scientists.
●    This device can select fast and healthy sperm cells.
●    This technology will help women undergoing IVF procedure.
●    It uses a field of 3D posts which creates an obstacle for the swimming sperm cells.
●    The strongest and healthiest sperm get through this obstacle and then are collected & used in the IVF process.
●    This device is called the SPARTAN device.

Current Affairs 5th January 2018: DAYS AND DATES

A "super blue blood moon" is coming January 31 

●    On January 31 earth will see third supermoon in a row.
●    It will also be the second full moon of January.
●    It is going to coincide with total lunar eclipse.
●    The last time it happened together 152 years ago.
●    Any full moon which falls within the 90% of the lunar orbit close to Earth is called supermoon.
●    Another such event will happen in 2019.

Current Affairs 5th January 2018: ECONOMY

Govt to launch new savings bonds with 7.75% interest

●    The government of India announced the launch of new savings bonds.
●    It will bear an interest of 7.75% and mature in seven years.
●    Eligible investors can buy 7.75% Savings Bonds from 10 January.
●    The minimum issuance amount for these bonds is Rs1,000. 
●    The interest of 7.75% per annum will be paid semi-annually.
●    Interest on these bonds will be taxable under the Income Tax Act, 1961. 

SRL becomes 1st Indian diagnostic firm to hit ₹1k cr revenue

●    SRL Diagnostics (SRL) announced that the company become first Indian diagnostics company to surpass Rs. 10 billion in revenue in 2017.
●    SRL Diagnostics was established in 1995.
●    Today SRL has a reach of 15 million patients annually.
●    It exists in 600 cities across 30 states in India.
●    The company has also partnered with the government under PPP in Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.
●    SRL has also been chosen as the lab partner for UNICEF's Comprehensive National Nutrition Survey.

India signed ₹2.8 lakh-crore defence deals in last 4 years

●    In last four years India has procured 187 defence deals to procure military platforms and equipment from domestic and foreign firms. 
●    Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre gave this data in Lok Sabha. 
●    India has signed the total value of the defence deals worth ₹2.8 lakh crore. 
●    63% of the total deals were signed with Indian vendors.
 

Current Affairs 5th January 2018: SPORTS

SC directs BCCI to allow Bihar to take part in Ranji Trophy

●    Bihar state cricket team will be playing in Ranji and other national level cricket tournaments in 2018.
●    It will happen after a gap of 17 years.
●    This is directed by the supreme court of India on 4th January 2018.
●    Bihar was banned in 2000 from participating in cricket tournaments at national level when BCCI de-affiliated Bihar Cricket Association.
●    This was because the BCA was released of its value after Separation of Jharkhand from Bihar. 
●    The state team had been participating in Ranji trophy from 1935 to 2000.

Important Current Affairs 4th  JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 4th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Hyderabad gets its own ‘Art District’

●    Necklace Road station got an artistic makeover. 
●    It is Blue Chowk, Yellow Gully, Pink Gully at the Necklace Road station. 
●    At the entrance of MS Maqtha is the sign in black and white about the Art District.
●    All this in one of the rundown areas of the city where sewage flows on the street.

India’s 2nd largest rooftop solar plant

●    GAIL India Ltd commissioned the country's second largest rooftop solar power plant. 
●    It has installed 5.76 MWp (MegaWatt peak) solar plant at its petrochemical complex at Pata in Uttar Pradesh. 
●    In December 2015, Tata Power Solar commissioned a 12 MW solar rooftop project in Amritsar.

Crisil’s index to track FPI investment

●    Rating agency Crisil launched an index to measure the performance of investments of foreign portfolio investors (FPI) in the fixed-income market. 
●    The Crisil FPI index would serve as benchmark for performance of FPI investments.

 
Cabinet approves MoUs with Italy, Israel in energy sector

●    The Union Cabinet approved an MoU with Israel in the field of oil and gas.
●    It also had another MoU signed with Italy on renewable energy. 
●    The MoU between India and Italy was signed on October 30, 2017 in New Delhi.

India calls off missile deal with Israel

●    India has turned down an order to buy Spike anti-tank guided missiles from Israel.
●    The deal was of approximately $500 million.
●    The two countries have came closer since Modi became PM of India.
●    Since 2009 Prime Minister of Israel is Benjamin Netanyahu.
●    He is the 9th Prime Minister of Israel.
●    Netanyahu held longest single term as Israeli prime minister. 

PM Modi Talks To Vladimir Putin, Vows To Strengthen Russia Ties

●    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on telephonic conversation with Vladimir Putin promised  to intensify Indo-Russia ties.
●    Both sides agreed to strengthen the bilateral partnership.
●    They reviewed the relationship between two countries in 2017.
●    During the Cold War, India and the Soviet Union had a strong strategic, military, economic and diplomatic relationship. 
●    After the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia inherited the close relationship with India.
 

Telugu Desam to launch ‘go to villages’ on Jan. 26

●    Telugu Desam Party will launch ‘go to villages’ programme from January 26.
●    It’s a 82 days program.
●    Program will conclude on the birthday of CM N.Chandrababu naidu on 20 April.
●    It aims to improve civic amenities, including roads, particularly in Dalit areas.
●    Foundation stone of a 125 ft statue of B.R. Ambedkar would be laid at Amaravati on the concluding day.
 

Current Affairs 4th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

International meet for women entrepreneurs

●    Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP) is going to hold an international conference for women entrepreneurs.
●    This is being held to focus on innovation, incubation and industrialisation.
●    It is going to start from January 17 till January 19.

Turkey’s Bird Language in UNESCO’s List

●    Unesco accepted the "bird language" of Black Sea villagers as world heritage.
●    The unusual whistle language is used as a means of communication by villagers in remote northern Turkey.
●    People in the district of Canakci in Giresun province, still use whistling to communicate.
●    This form of communication dates back to 500 years ago.

6 nations join UN Security Council as non-permanent members

●    Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Peru, Poland and the Netherlands joined non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.
●    Three women and 12 men are among the 15 ambassadors who will sit in the center of the Security Council’s chamber. 
●    Karen Pierce will take her seat as Britain’s new ambassador.

Pakistan test-fires naval cruise missile Harba

●    The Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired naval cruise missile 'Harba'. 
●    The missile is capable of hitting its target from surface to surface and ground.
●    Pakistani Naval Chief is Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi.
 

Current Affairs 4th JANUARY 2018: AWARDS

Shree Saini from Punjab crowned Miss India

●    Shree Saini was crowned Miss India USA 2017.
●    She is 21-year-old & is a student at the University of Washington
●    Prerna was the first runner-up while Ishwarya was declared the second runner-up at the grand finale of the pageant. 

Current Affairs 4th JANUARY 2018: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Kumbh Logo Before Films In UP Halls To Highlight Religious Importance

●    A new logo for Kumbh Mela has been made by U.P. Govt.
●    This logo will be played in all Cinema halls in U.P. after the national anthem.
●    The decision comes soon after the Yogi Adityanath government announced that all official letters will carry the Kumbh logo.
●    The Kumbh Mela has been recently added in UNESCO's list of intangible world heritage.
●    Kumbh Mela will start in Allahabad from January 2019
 

Current Affairs 4th JANUARY 2018: ECONOMY

Government Approves Rs. 5,369 Crore Waterway Project On NW 1

●    On Wednesday govt. approved Rs 5,369-crore Jal Vikas Marg Project.
●    This project will enhance navigation on the National Waterway-1 (NW-1).
●    The project comes in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and major districts under its ambit are Varanasi, Ghazipur, Ballia, Buxar, Chhapra, Vaishali, Patna, Begusarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur, Sahibganj, Murshidabad, Pakur, Hoogly and Kolkata.
●    The project is going to complete by 2023.

Government's Nod To Rs. 6,809 Crore Tunnel That Will Connect Leh All Year

●    The government approved the Rs 6,809 crore Zojila pass tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir.
●    It will provide connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh in all weathers. 
●    Zojila pass is located at a height of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway.
●    This approval includes construction, operation and maintenance of this tunnel.
●    This tunnel is going to be of 2-lanes & bi-directional. 
 

Current Affairs 4th JANUARY 2018: SPORTS

New Zealand's Colin Munro 1st batsman to hit 3 T20 hundreds

●    New Zealand's cricketer Colin Munro became first batsman to score three hundreds in international in T20 matches.
●    He scored his third hundred against west Indies.
●    He scored 104 runs off 53 deliveries.
●    Colin Munro was born on 11 March 1987.
●    He was born in South Africa.
●    He plays for New Zealand in all formats of the game. 
 

Current Affairs 4th JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Ex-ISRO head once took blame for Kalam-led mission failure 

●    Former ISRO Chairman Satish Dhawan once took responsibility over himself when a SLV-3 mission satellite failed.
●    That SLV-3 was actually headed by late President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam at that time.
●    Next year when the mission succeeded, Dhawan gave all credits to Abdul Kalam.
●    Prof. Satish Dhawan was born on 25 September 1920 & he died on 3 January 2002.
●    He was born in Srinagar.
●    In 2002, satellite launch centre at Sriharikota was renamed as the Prof. Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
●    He is known as the father of experimental fluid dynamics research in India.
●    Satish Dhawan was  a Padma Vibhushan-awardee too.

Important Current Affairs 2nd  JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 2nd JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Wayanad to be made floriculture hub
●    Government has initiated a series of efforts to develop Wayanad district as the floriculture hub of the State.
●    Wayanad had been designated as special zone for floriculture and aromatic rice cultivation.
●    The 18-day fete is being organised jointly by the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) and the Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers’ Welfare.

AAP govt revamps fair price shops

●    The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government announced a revamped system for distribution of rations.
●    It includes an e-point of sale (POS) system.
●    It will allow beneficiaries to buy from any fair price shop.

First Telugu woman to scale Mt. Aconcagua
●    G.R. Radhika, Addl. SP, climbed Mount Aconcagua in Argentina on December 30.
●    She became the first Telugu woman to climb the highest peak in South America.
●    ONGC Supported her financially.
●    She plans to complete the 7-summit world challenge by climbing two more left out peaks.

MGR’s childhood home to become a memorial

●    The childhood home of M.G. Ramachandran will get a facelift.
●    He was former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister & All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam founder.
●    The new house will function as an interpretation centre with displaying of books and photographs of the leader. 
●    There will be a mini-theatre inside the house to screen documentaries on MGR and films in which he acted.

Hollywood women launch abuse campaign

●    More than 300 actresses, writers and directors have launched a project to help fight sexual harassment in the film industry and other workplaces.
●    The initiative is called Time's Up.
●    The campaign is backed by hundreds of actresses.
●    They have already raised more than $13m (£9.6m) of its $15m target.

Vikas Samiksha Yatra

●    Nitish Kumar laid foundation stones for more than 100 projects worth Rs 700 crore in Nalanda district.
●    This has been done as part of his statewide "Vikas Samiksha Yatra".

Cargo Movement On Brahmaputra starts

●    Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari flagged off cargo movement on the Pandu-Dhubri route of the Brahmaputra river.
●    It will boost the inland waterway transport system in the northeast, 
●    5 bridges would be constructed on the river to ease transportation.

Telangana constituted Fin. Commission

●    The State Finance Commission of Telangana has been constituted by the government.
●    The Constitutional body will review financial positions of the local bodies.
●    Former minister and ZP chairman G Rajesham Goud, from Jagtial, has been appointed as chairman of the commission. 

Current Affairs 2nd JANUARY 2018: SPORTS

Vidarbha wins maiden Ranji Trophy

●    Vidarbha won maiden Ranji Trophy after beating Delhi by nine wickets in the final of domestic tournament.
●    Opting to field, Vidarbha bowled out Delhi for 295 in the first innings.
●    Vidarbha scored 547 in reply.
●    In second innings, Delhi were all out for 280.

Current Affairs 2nd JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

China-hand Gokhale to be Foreign Secretary
●    Vijay Gokhale is going to become next Foreign Secretary.
●    He is an officer with great experience on China and the East Asian neighbourhood. 
●    Gokhale is a 1981-batch officer.
●    He is currently Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Marijuana legalised in California

●    California legalised marijuana in new year.
●    It is a much-anticipated change that comes two decades after the State was the first to allow pot for medical use. 
●    Pot is now legal in California for adults 21 and older, and individuals can grow up to six plants.
●    About 90 businesses received state licenses to open on New Year’s Day.

China Develops Underwater Surveillance Networks In Indian Ocean, South China Sea

●    China has established an underwater surveillance network.
●    It will help Chinese navy track its target accurately.
●    It will give China a cutting edge in the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea.

UK To Tax Tech Giants Over Extremist Content
●    Britain is planning to impose new taxes on tech giants like Google and Facebook. 
●    This will be done if they are not able to fight online extremism by taking down material aimed at radicalising people or helping them to prepare attacks.
●    Tech giants are being accused of putting private profit before public safety.

S Korea offers high-level talks with North
●    South Korea has offered high-level talks with North Korea.
●    It will also discuss its possible participation in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
●    Kim Jong-un, is considering sending a team in South Korea for the Games in February.

China’s waste ban will affect US
●    China's waste import ban ha came into effect.
●    Now U.S. and UK will have to deal with mountains of recyclables.
●    Every single day, about 4,000 shipping containers full of recyclables leave U.S. ports, bound for China. 
●    In return, China sends back, electronics, and clothing.

Former winner Carlson crowned new chairperson for Miss America
●    Gretchen Carlson has become chairperson of the Miss America organization’s board.
●    She is former Fox News host and Miss America 1989.
●    Carlson joins the board after the Huffington Post revealed lewd e-mails between former pageant C.E.O. Sam Haskell and lead pageant writer Lewis Friedman on December 21. 

Current Affairs 2nd JANUARY 2018: AWARDS

GAIL Awards Contracts for PMUG yojana

●    GAIL India has awarded contracts for a 520-km pipeline under the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga gas pipeline project. 
●    With this phase-II of the Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra Natural Gas Pipeline (JHBDPL) project has been finalised.
●    JHBDPL is a 2,655-km long project.
●    It is also known as the 'Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga' project.

Current Affairs 2nd JANUARY 2018: SPORTS

India Hosting 10 Asean Leaders on 26 Jan
●    Indian government will host leaders of 10 Asean countries as chief guests on January 26.
●    It will happen for the first time that 10 country’s leader will take part in the event.
●    In 2017 Southeast Asian bloc completed its 50 years of formation.

Current Affairs 2nd JANUARY 2018: SCHEMES

Bhavantar Bharpai scheme in Haryana
●    Haryana government has launched Bhavantar Bharpai scheme.
●    It is also known as  the price deficit compensation scheme for vegetables. 
●    This is being done to support farmers in distress.
●    The scheme aims to ensure income of up to Rs 48,000 to 56,000 per acre to farmers.
 

Current Affairs 2nd JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

NASA’s to explore Saturn’s moon
●    NASA's flying observatory is preparing its 2018 observing campaign.
●    It includes observations of Saturn's giant moon Titan.
●    Sofia is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 100-inch diameter telescope. 
●    It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Center.