Important Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

U.S Govt shutdown

●    The US government officially shutdown today for the first time in five years.
●    This happened after the Senate rejected a short-term spending bill to keep the federal government running.
●    Trump blamed the Democrats for the shutdown which comes exactly a year after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. 
●    More than 800,000 federal employees would be furloughed. 

Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

MeitY launches Cyber Surakshit Bharat initiative

●    The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology launched Cyber Surakshit Bharat.
●    It is an initiative to strengthen cyber security.
●    It has been launched in association with National e-Governance Division (NeGD) and industry partners. 

Government launches Liveability Index to rate 116 Indian cities

●    The ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has decided to bring out a liveability index of 116 cities.
●    Cities together account for a total population of 13.4 crore people.
●    The ministry has decided to involve the Economist Intelligence Unit, which brings out an annual liveability index of cities.

India’s First Automatic Early Warning Dissemination System to come up in Odisha

●    The Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS is expected to be commissioned by this March.
●    It is a project that aims at establishing a fool-proof communication system to disseminate disaster warning up to the community level, 
●    The EWDS had missed several deadlines of its launch.

India to offer Yoga classes at World Economic Forum

●    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s delegation to the World Economic Forum at Davos will offer yoga classes.
●    India aims to showcase its potential as a driver of global economic growth, after China.
●    Two yoga teachers from India will hold daily classes next week at the summit.
●    It has attracted 70 heads of state and government, including US President Donald Trump as well as celebrities, chief executives and top bankers.
●    Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to attend the WEF in 21 years.

Union Government Announces List of 9 New Smart Cities

●    Nine cities have been chosen in the latest round of the central government's flagship Smart Cities Mission.
●    It was announced by the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
●    The number of cities are now 99. 
●    The nine cities are Bareilly, Moradabad and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, Erode in Tamil Nadu, Bihar Sharif in Bihar, Silvasa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Diu in Daman and Diu, Kavarati in Lakshadweep and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.

India to set up $350 million Solar Development Fund for solar projects

●    India will set up a $350 million fund to finance solar projects.
●    It was announced by Power Minister R.K. Singh.
●    India will need at least $125 billion to fund a plan to increase the share of renewable power supply in the country’s grid by 2022.

Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018:: ECONOMY NEWS

Mauritius was largest source of FDI in India in 2016-2017: RBI

●    Mauritius was the largest source of FDI in India.
●    US and the UK are next.
●    Singapore and Japan were the next two sources of foreign direct investment.
●    It was announced by the Census on Foreign Liabilities and Assets of Indian Direct Investment Companies 2016-17, released by RBI.

Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan crosses 1 crore mark

●    Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda said that the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan programme crossed one crore mark.
●    The PMSMA programme was launched in 2016.
It was to fulfil his vision and ensure comprehensive and quality antenatal checkups to pregnant women across India.

Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018:: DAYS AND DATES

2018 to be observed as National Year of Millets

●    Union government has decided to declare 2018 as the ‘national year of millets’.
●    Millets are nutrient-rich. 
●    This decision has been taken following a request by Karnataka, which is the country’s leader in the millet sector.

NDRF Celebrated its 13th Raising Day

●    The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) celebrated its 13th Raising Day.
●    The Director Intelligence Bureau, Shri Rajiv Jain was the chief guest. . 
●    An MoU was also signed in between NDRF and NSDC. 
●    National Disaster Response Force is a specialized multi skilled, humanitarian force of the country.
●    It came into existence on January 19th, 2006.

Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018:: APPOINTMENT NEWS

Sudeep Lakhtakia appointed as new DG of National Security Guard

●    CRPF special DG Sudeep Lakhtakia has been appointed as the new chief of National Security Guard. 
●    Lakhtakia will take over S P Singh who is the current chief.
●    He is currently serving as a Special Director General in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018: AWARD

Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust of Odisha wins prestigious UNWTO Award

●    Mangalajodi Ecotourism Trust has won the prestigious United Nations World Tourism Organisation Awards.
●    It is a community owned and managed venture promoted by RBS Foundation India and Indian Grameen Services.
●    The trust was honoured with the coveted award for "Innovation in Tourism Enterprise" at the 14th UNWTO Awards ceremony.

Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE
 

4th India International Science Festival to be held in Lucknow

●    The fourth edition of the India International Science Festival will be held in Lucknow.
●    The decision was taken at the first preparatory meeting for the 4th India International Science Festival (IISF) chaired by Union Minister for Science & Technology, Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Earth Sciences, Dr. Harsh Vardhan. 
●    The 1st IISF was held at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) New Delhi in December, 2015.

Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018: OBITUARY

Iconic Cartoonist Chandi Lahiri Passes Away

●    Eminent cartoonist Chandi Lahiri passed away.
●    He was 86. 
●    Lahiri, is survived by his wife and a daughter.
●    He started his career as a journalist.
●    He is also called the creator of ‘pocket cartoons’ in Bengal.

Current Affairs 20th JANUARY 2018: DEFENCE

INS Vikramaditya formally Affiliated to Bihar Regiment

●    Indian Naval Ship Vikramaditya was formally affiliated to the Indian Army's highly-decorated and battle-hardened Bihar Regiment and the Indian Air Force's No 6 Squadron.
●    It is the Indian Navy's largest ship and its sole aircraft carrier.

Important Current Affairs 19th January 2018

Current Affairs 19th January 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Union Home Minister inaugurated IWDRI 2018
●    Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh today inaugurated an international workshop organized on the subject of the Disaster Resistant Infrastructure (IWDRI) here.
●    This two-day workshop was organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with the United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNIDR).
●    Underlining the importance of disaster-resistant opportunities, Shri Rajnath Singh said that it creates opportunities for economic development and plays a major role in sustainable development.

Prakash Javadekar chaired the 65th meeting of Central Education Advisory Board (CABE)

●    Today, 65th meeting of the Central Education Advisory Board (CABE) was organized under the chairmanship of Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar.
●    Keeping in mind the concerns expressed by the State Governments along with the agenda, several decisions were taken in the meeting.
●    In this meeting, Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Thawarchand Gehlot, Union Minority Affairs Minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Minister of State (Independent Charge) Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Union Human Minister of State for Development, Shri Satyapal Singh was also present.

Saksham -2018

●    The mass-centered mega campaign 'Saksham -2018' of Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, was launched on January 16 in an inaugural function held in New Delhi, which will continue throughout the month.
●    PCRA-enabled national essay and painting competition-2013 has been very popular among schoolchildren.
●    Approximately 4 million children from all schools of the country participated in it.

Organizing 'Mega Conclave' to ensure the implementation of the Rail Infrastructure Development Projects of the Ministry of Railways.

●    As a major initiative to ensure speedy implementation of the ambitious 'Rail Infrastructure Development Projects', the Railway Ministry is organizing a 'Mega Conclave' with all the stakeholders, including the leading construction industry on January 17, 2018.
●    During this Conclave, members of the Railway Board and Senior Zonal Railway Officers will interact with the leading companies of the construction sector, but Minister of Railways and Coal, Shri Piyush Goyal will also interact and communicate with the participants personally.
●    The name of this Conclave has been named 'Construction Dialogue', which is being organized by Railway PSU Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), which is a dedicated subsidiary of the Ministry of Railways for the speedy implementation of railway projects.

Arrestor Gohela Boro for financial assistance of Rs. 2 lakhs from 'Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund Scheme' for the players.

●    Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge) Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore provided a grant of Rs 2 lakh to the National level archer, Ms. Gohela Boro, under 'Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Welfare Fund Scheme' for his medical treatment. Has approved.
●    Under the 'Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Welfare Fund Scheme' for players, lump sum financial assistance is provided to those excellent players for medical treatment, which is currently facing severe poverty.

Former CM of Gujarat Anandiben Patel will be the governor of Madhya Pradesh

●    Former CM Anandiben Patel of Gujarat will be the Governor of Madhya Pradesh.
●    She resigned from the post of Chief Minister of Gujarat and her name was being discussed for a long time.
●    Now the Governor of Gujarat, Om Prakash Kohli, is looking after additional charge of the governor of Madhya Pradesh.

Membership of 20 AAP MLAs canceled

●    The Election Commission has declared 20 MLAs of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party disqualified in Delhi in the case of profit.
●    The Commission will send its report to President Ramnath Kovind.
●    If he issues an order to declare these MLAs disqualified on the recommendation of the commission, then the elections in Delhi can be re-elected.

Honda launches Vintage Style Scooter 'Super Cub'
●    Japanese company Honda recently launched its vintage-style scooter 'Super Cub' in Thailand.
●    This is Honda's so successful scooter that by October 2017 more than 100 million units have been sold globally.
●    This new scooter has been inspired by Honda inspired in the model created in 1958.
●    This scooter was first made in 1958.
●    By 2005, it sold 5 million units worldwide.
●    In the next 12 years the sale doubled and the figure crossed 10 million.

Government finishes subsidy for Haj pilgrims

●    People who visit Haj pilgrimage will not get any concession from this year.
●    Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi announced on Tuesday that the concession given on Haj pilgrimage has ended this year.
●    It has been said by the government that this decision is a part of the agenda of empowering minorities without appealing.
●    The Government's decision will affect 1.75 lakh Haj pilgrims.
●    In 2012, the Supreme Court had asked the Haj subsidy to be endured gradually by 2022 in a decision.

Current Affairs 19th January 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

India's strong stronghold in NSG, India becomes member of Australia Group

●    India has now become a member of Australia Group.
●    It ensures through its control of the export of group chemical and biological agents that it can not become chemical or biological weapon.
●    This achievement will increase the status of non-proliferation of India in the world.
●    Along with this, India's claim for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group will also be strengthened, in which China is closing.

Whatsapp App Business App Launch

●    Whatsapp App Business App Has Been Launched
●    It is only available in some countries.
●    This new app will make the process of interaction between shoppers and customers easier.
●    The Business App has been launched to bring shoppers-customers closer.
●    The Business App of WhatsApp has been launched in 5 countries- Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the UK and the US, currently it is not available in India.

The largest submerged cave found in Mexico

●    Archaeologists have discovered the world's largest cave underwater in Mexico.
●    The team of 'The Great Maya Aquarer' (GAM) project has spent many years researching the secrets of Sack Eightan and Dos Ojos and studying the mysterious waters in Tulum of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
●    This discovery identifies the identity of an incredible archaeological site, which exposes the stories and rituals of the disappeared Maya civilization.

Pakistani organization demanded Pakistan's highest gallantry medal for Bhagat Singh

●    An organization of Pakistan has demanded that Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh should be given the title of 'Sir-e-Haider', the country's highest gallantry medal and his statue should be installed at Shadman Chowk, Lahore, where he was hanged 86 years ago. 
●    The demanding organization is working to prove the freedom fighters in the court innocent.
●    Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation gave a fresh petition to the Government of Punjab province of Punjab that Bhagat Singh had sacrificed his life for the independence of the subcontinent.

Mobile-Internet in flight

●    Now people will be able to enjoy mobile phones and internet in air travel.
●    TRAI has given a suggestion on Friday about this, as per the availability of ground mobile network, the mobile service will be valid for a minimum of three kilometers in the Indian Air Services.
●    However, the mobile operators who want to call or internet in the aircraft will have to get a separate license for this.

Current Affairs 19th January 2018: ECONOMY

In December, 2017, arrival of foreign tourists increased by 15.2 percent compared to December 2016

●    The Ministry of Tourism compiles monthly estimates of the arrival of foreign tourists (FTAs) along with the arrival of foreign tourists on the e-tourist visa as well as on the basis of Nationality-wise and port-wise data obtained from the Immigration Bureau (BOI).
●    Compared to December, 2016, the growth rate of FTA was 15.2 percent during December 2017, compared to December, 2015, when the growth rate was December 11, 2015, at 11.9 percent.
●    The highest number of FTAs in Bangladesh (19.04%) in India during December, 2017 in the top 15 source countries.
●    After this, the United States (16.90%), Britain (10.41%), Australia (5.31%), Canada (3.85%), Russian Federation (3.79%), Malaysia (3.11%), Germany (2.08%), China (2.06%) , Sri Lanka (2.01%), Singapore (1.85%), France (1.81%), Japan (1.64%), Thailand (1.60%) and Italy (1.44%).

Approval of purchase of Assault Rifles and Carbine equal to 3547 crores

●    A meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) was held today under the chairmanship of Defense Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman.
●    In it, 'Make II' process was simplified.
●    It determines the guidelines followed in the development and manufacturing of defense equipment through the Indian industry.
●    DAC approved the purchase of 72,400 Assault Rifles and 93,895 Carbines on an accelerated basis in order to enable the defense forces to fulfill the urgent need of the troops deployed on the borders.

Important Current Affairs 18th  JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 18th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

59th National Exhibition of Arts inaugurated by Dr Mahesh Sharma

●    Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated The 59th National Exhibition of Art at Lalit Kala Gallery in New Delhi today. 
●    The exhibition covers artworks from extensive series of mediums like paintings, sculptures, graphics, photographs, drawings, installation and multimedia. 
●    The catalogue for the 59th National Exhibition of Art has also been released by Dr Mahesh Sharma.

Modi has revived the deal to buy Spike anti-tank missiles

●    Narendra Modi has revived the deal to buy Spike anti-tank missiles from Israel.
●    It is a $500 million deal.
●    India had opted out of buying the anti-tank guided missiles in December after the Defence Ministry decided to back the state-owned DRDO.
●    DRDO promised to deliver a world-class missile within four years.

States To Discuss Steps To Empower Minorities 

●    Minority affairs ministers and ministers of social justice from several states will discuss measures to empower minorities.
●    The meeting will be launched by Yogi Adityanath.
●    Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will be the chief guest. 
●    Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Chandigarh will take part in the meeting.
 

Mumbai more expensive than Singapore for expats

●    Mumbai has been ranked as Asia's fifth most expensive rental city for expatriates.
●    It makes Mumbai more expensive than Singapore.
●    Tokyo has been ranked second on the list.

Make sanitary napkins available at reduced prices: Bombay HC

●    The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to consider making sanitary napkins available at concessional rates to needy women. 
●    The court was hearing a PIL which said 88% women do not have access to sanitary napkins due to lack of awareness and high price of the product. 

Current Affairs 18th JANUARY 2018: DEFENCE

Successful Fifth Flight Test of Agni-5 Ballistic Missile

●    Long Range Surface-to-Surface Ballistic Missile, Agni-5, was successfully flight tested for its full range today at 0953 hrs from Dr Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha. 
●    This was the fifth test of the Missile and the third consecutive one from a canister on a road mobile launcher. All the five missions have been successful.
●    The flight performance of the missile was tracked and monitored by radars, range stations and tracking systems all through the mission.

Current Affairs 18th JANUARY 2018: ECONOMY

Maharashtra Cabinet Approves 1 Per Cent Quota For Orphans

●    The Maharashtra cabinet approved a 1% reservation for orphans in government jobs.
●    The cabinet, also approved the Maharashtra State Innovation and Startup policy.
●    It aims to attract investment of Rs.5,000 crore.

India To Become $5 Trillion Economy In 8-9 years

●    Commerce and Industries Minister is Suresh Prabhu.
●    He said that India is expected to become a $ 5 trillion economy in the next 8-9 years.
●    Manufacturing sector will contribute 20% to that.

Current Affairs 18th JANUARY 2018: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Namaste Shalom-monthly magazine on bilateral relations between  INDIA-ISRAEL

●    The Jewish community is going to launch 'Namaste Shalom'.
●    It is going to be a regular monthly magazine on bilateral relations between the two countries.
●    The magazine would be launched at the Magen David Synagogue at Byculla in south Mumbai.

Current Affairs 18th JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

French startup launches world's 1st hydrogen-powered bicycle

●    Pragma Industries, based in Biarritz, France and makes fuel cells for military use.
●    It has made hydrogen-powered bikes.
●    Cost is about 7,500 euros per bike.
●    The bikes are too expensive for the consumer market.
●    Bike runs for about 100 km (62 miles) on a two-litre tank of hydrogen.

Current Affairs 18th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has been jailed

●    Saudi Arabia's richest man Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was first arrested and detained in "anti-corruption" sweep. 
●    He was moved out of his restricted quarters at the Riyadh Ritz Carlton Hotel and moved to Al Ha'ir prison.
●    For more than two months, the prince had been held at the Riyadh Ritz.

Malaysia's Sultan gets Stone Age 'Flintstones car' as gift

●    A Malaysian sultan has been given a life-size replica of Fred Flintstone's car.
●    This car is from a classic cartoon.
●    Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar of Johor is one of Malaysia's most powerful and wealthiest state rulers. 

Israel PM describes Mahatma Gandhi as "Humanity's Great Prophet"

●    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Mahatma Gandhi as one of the great prophets of humanity.
●    Mr Netanyahu arrived the Sabarmati Ashram today.
●    Before this, Israeli PM and his wife spent around 20 minutes in the ashram premises.

This City Could Be World's First To Run Out Of Water

●    South Africa's Cape Town, one of the world's iconic tourist destinations, could run out of water by April.
●    "Day Zero" is the day when the city will go dry. 
●    The date is April 22.
●    Almost 2 million tourists flock to Cape Town every year.
●    A maximum 25 litres of water will be provided per person, per day.

Critically Endangered Sumatran Elephant Gives Birth In Indonesia

●    A critically endangered Sumatran elephant has given birth to a new calf in Indonesia, 
●    Sumatran elephants are a protected species.
●    The newborn was found with its 40-year old mother Seruni.

Current Affairs 18th JANUARY 2018: AWARDS

 National Bravery Awards 2018

●    16 courageous have been selected from different parts of the country to be given the National Bravery award 2018. 
●    Out of f the 16 children, four would be awarded posthumously. 
●    The children have been selected from 13 states.

Important Current Affairs 17th January 2018

Current Affairs 17th January 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Government To Announce 10 More Smart Cities

●    10 more cities will be added in Centre's flagship Smart City Mission.
●    Till now 90 cities have been named under the scheme.
●    Under the scheme, each city will get Rs. 500 crore.

Inauguration of oil refinery in Barmer

●    Narendra Modi will inaugurate the oil refinery in Rajasthan's Barmer district.
●    This project is a Joint Venture of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. and Rajasthan government.
●    It is worth over Rs 43,000 crore.

Current Affairs 17th January 2018: ECONOMY

3.36% rural youth can’t name India’s capital, finds survey

●    Fourteen per cent of rural youth in the age group of 14-18 failed to identify the map of India.
●    36% did not know that Delhi is the capital of India.
●    This data was given by Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), brought out by Pratham.

Current Affairs 17th January 2018: SCHEMES 

Lt Governor Approves "Quality Health For All" Scheme

●    Lt Governor Anil Baijal approved a Delhi government scheme.
●    This scheme is for quality healthcare service for people without any income criteria. 
●    The scheme was passed by the AAP cabinet on December 12.

Current Affairs 17th January 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

America's Fastest Spy Plane Could Be Back

●    Lockheed Martin has been developing a successor to the SR-71 Blackbird.
●    Lockheed officials are calling the new upcoming invention as "Son of Blackbird" .
●    It could be fly by 2030.
●    Hypersonic applies to speeds above Mach 5.
●    It is five times the speed of sound. 

UK gets world's first-ever 'Minister for Loneliness'

●    Britain appointed its first-ever minister to combat loneliness.
●    Government said that this affects more than 9 million people in the country.
●    The new minister is Tracey Crouch.
●    She will build on the legacy of the late Jo Cox who was murdered in 2016.

World's coldest village records temperature of -62°C

●    The thermometer in a remote Siberian village has broken all records.
●    It is known as the coldest inhabited place on earth.
●    Temperature has gone down to -67C.
●    Last time such temperature was recorded in 1933.

World's longest underwater cave system discovered in Mexico

●    A group of divers has connected two underwater caverns in eastern Mexico.
●    It is now the biggest flooded cave on the planet.
●    The discovery can help understanding the ancient Maya civilization.

Ferrari will be the first to build an electric supercar

●    Ferrari is going to build a battery-electric supercar.
●    It is being planned to challenge Tesla.
●    It wants to create high-end, eco-conscious luxury market. 
●    Ferrari CEO is Sergio Marchionne.
●    He also heads Fiat Chrysler.

Current Affairs 17th January 2018: SPORTS

Assam wins 8th Sub-junior Hockey Champ

●    Hosts Assam Hockey beat Hockey Rajasthan in the final of the 8th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2018.
●    Match took place in Hojai Hockey stadium.
●    Their first breakthrough came in as Manish Sahani scored off a penalty stroke.

North, South Korea to march under 1 flag at Winter Olympics

●    North and South Korean athletes will march together at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony.
●    It will happen under a unified flag.
●    The nations have also agreed to form a joint North and South Korean women's ice hockey team.

15-yr-old girl youngest in Grand Slams 3rd round in 20 yrs

●    Ukraine's 15-year-old player Marta Kostyuk became the youngest to enter the third round of a Grand Slam.
●    It happened for the first time after Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in the 1997 US Open. 
●    38-year-old Ivo Karlovic became the oldest man to reach the Australian Open third round in 40 years.

India lose their first Test series in 3 years

●    South Africa defeated India by 135 runs.
●    Match was held in the Centurion. 
●    The last time India lost a Test series was when Australia defeated them in 2014-15. 
●    The last Test will start from January 24 in Johannesburg.

Pujara first Indian to be run-out twice in a Test

●    Cheteshwar Pujara is the first Indian cricketer to be run out twice in the same match.
●    Pujara was run out in the first innings of the 2nd Test with South Africa.
●    He again got run out on the 5th day.
●    Former Australian skipper Mark Taylor and former Australian wicket-keeper Ian Healy have both been run-out in both innings of a Test on two occasions.

Current Affairs 17th January 2018: AWARDS

Sudhir gets Janakavi Sawlaram award

●    Actor Sudhir Dalvi was honoured with the Janakavi P Sawlaram award.
●    Thane Mayor Meenakshi Shinde gave the 79-year-old artist a citation, shawl and 'shreefal'.
●    The award is jointly given by the Thane Municipal Corporation and the Janakavi P Savlaram Kala Samiti. 
●    Well-known dancer Jaishree T was given the Ganga Jamuna award.
 

seventh South African to win a Man of the Match award

●    Pacer Lungi Ngidi became the seventh South African to win a Man of the Match award on Test debut.
●    Ngidi took six wickets in the second innings.
●    Lungi had replaced injured Dale Steyn for the Test.

Current Affairs 17th January 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Scientists study elasticity of cells using their vibrations

●    Canada-based scientists have developed a technique to map the elasticity of cell components.
●    It is similar to how seismologists study Earth's vibrations.
●    The technology is called "cell quake elastography".
●    It uses a high-speed camera to study cells. 

Harvard team makes 'heart-on-a-chip' for faster drug testing

●    Harvard University researchers have developed a 'heart-on-a-chip'.
●    This can be used to test the reaction of heart tissue to external stimuli. 
●    The team replicated cardiac muscles using hydrogel.
●    The hydrogel-making process is 60% faster than the older one.

NASA image shows cluster with mass of 3 million billion Suns

●    NASA has shared an image of a galaxy cluster containing the mass of three million billion Suns. 
●    Image was shared from the Hubble Space Telescope.
●    It has been Nicknamed as "El Gordo".
●    It is the largest, hottest, and brightest X-ray cluster discovered. 

Important Current Affairs 16th January 2018

Current Affairs 16th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

T.N. children severely malnourished: report

●    Severe Acute Malnutrition is high among children under the age of five in Tamil Nadu.
●    This is said by the National Family Health Survey-4.
●    Job Zachariah, chief of Unicef for Tamil Nadu and Kerala said that there is a need for a detailed State-level study of this phenomenon as the NFHS data was inadequate. 

Focus on education, skill development in NDMC budget

●    The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) presented its budget for 2018-19.
●    It focused on education and skill development, especially for girls. 
●    The council announced the formation of an Under-10 football team for female students.
●    He said the NDMC will also take care of the diet of the selected students so that all aspects affecting their game are taken care of.

Current Affairs 16th JANUARY 2018: OBITUARY 

Ex-Union Minister Raghunath Jha Passes Away

●    Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Union minister Raghunath Jha died.
●    He was 78.
●    Jha was a Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise in the United Progressive Alliance government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

Current Affairs 16th JANUARY 2018: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Israel seeks ‘big data’ from India, signs 4 agreements

●    Israel wants to counter cyberthreats and to “revolutionise” Indian farm production.
●    For this Israel has proposed to access India’s “big data”.
●    Minister for Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh participated in the delegation-level talks.
 

Current Affairs 16th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

Presidential term is only five years: Sri Lankan SC

●    President Maithripala Sirisena had proposed for staying in office for a year longer.
●    Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has denied the proposal.
●    A five-judge bench in a unanimous decision ruled that the President's term was limited to five years only.

Israeli PM To Visit Taj Mahal

●    Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Taj Mahal in Agra with his wife Sara.
●    Prime Minister Narendra Modi accompanied Netanyahu to Gujarat on Wednesday.
●    He will be welcomed with a road show in Ahmedabad.
●    The roadshow is an 8-kilometre drive from the airport to the Sabarmati Ashram. 

Benjamin Netanyahu Pushes For Free Trade Deal With India: Report

●    India and Israel will begin work on a free trade pact.
●    Israel has been pushing for it.
●    Israel has given initial approval for Indian energy companies to explore oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean.
●    Bilateral trade has jumped from $200 million in 1992 to $4.16 billion in 2016,.

Japan mistakenly issues false N Korea missile attack warning

●    Japan’s public broadcaster errantly issued a warning of a North Korean missile launch.
●    It happened just days after Hawaii caused panic for its citizens by triggering a false emergency alert of an incoming missile.
●    Japanese broadcaster NHK issued the alert..
●    The warning was flashed across the broadcaster’s website.

Current Affairs 16th JANUARY 2018: ECONOMY

Wholesale inflation eases to 3-month low of 3.58%

●    Wholesale price-based inflation eased to 3.58 per cent in December 2017.
●    Wholesale price index (WPI) based inflation was 3.93 per cent in November 2017.
●    Inflation on food articles slowed to 4.72 per cent in December, from 6.06 per cent in November 2017.

Current Affairs 16th JANUARY 2018: SPORTS

Indian boxers’ gold rush in Serbia

●    In the seventh Nation’s Cup tournament for junior and youth women, India claimed 11 gold medals in all.
●    This tournament is being held in  in Sombor, Serbia.
●    The junior team won 13 medals -- nine gold, two silver and two bronze medals --, while the youth team clinched four medals -- three gold and one bronze.

Shankar, Sanjivani bag National titles

●    Shankar Man Thapa and Sanjivani Jadhav won the men’s and women’s 10km titles in the 52nd National cross country championship.
●    It was organised in Ponda near Panaji in Goa.
●    Sanjivani is the 10,000m silver medallist.

Second win for Anand

●    Viswanathan Anand defeated World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana to a 42-move masterclass.
●    He moved into the joint lead with Anish Giri.
●    This happened after three rounds of Tata Steel chess tournament.
●    It was Anand’s second successive victory which raised the Anand’s tally to 2.5 points.

Maria Sharapova wins her first match on Grand Slam return

●    Former world number one Maria Sharapova returned to Grand Slam tennis recently.
●    In her first match after her return, she won a first-round at the Australian Open 2018.
●    Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer also reached the second round of the tournament with straight-set wins.

Current Affairs 16th JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Only 24 astronauts have flown to the Moon, 3 of them twice

●    NASA has sent 24 astronauts to the Moon between December 1968 and December 1972. 
●    12 walked on the Moon while three astronauts were launched twice. 
●    Jim Lovell orbited the Moon on both occasions, Eugene Cernan and John Young landed on their second Apollo missions.

Scientists accidentally find oldest ever butterfly fossils

●    Netherlands-based researchers have accidentally discovered the oldest-ever butterfly fossils.
●    This fossil is at least 200 million years old. 
●    The discovery was made while extracting pollen grains from rock samples in Germany.

Current Affairs 16th JANUARY 2018: DEFENCE

Vajra Prahar: Indo-US joint military exercise to be held in Seattle

●    Joint military exercise ‘Vajra Prahar’ will be held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Seattle.
●    45-member Special Forces team from Indian Army’s Southern Command will train alongside US soldiers in the third week of January.
●    ‘Vajra Prahar’ is a Indo-US Special Forces joint training exercise conducted alternately in India and the US. 

Important Current Affairs 15th  JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 15th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

Telangana to have new passbooks on March 11

●    Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao announced for the distribution of the new pattadar passbooks in all villages.
●    Distribution will be done in one day on 11th March.
●    The new passbooks are the result of a over-three-month exercise taken up by the Revenue department to verify and update land records by going to the door-step of people.

Tamil Nadu to give Medals for outstanding service

●    The State government announced medals for 1,686 personnel.
●    These medals will be given to the police, Fire and Rescue Services and Prison Services departments.
●    1,500 police personnel in the rank of police constables, head constables and equivalent ranks be awarded the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Constabulary Medals for this year.

Tirupati poised to be an ‘IT Hub’

●    Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said that the temple city Tirupati, would become an ‘IT and Knowledge Hub’.
●    This is because of its proximity to metropolitan cities.
●    He said this after unveiling the Zoho Corporation’s first facility in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Chinese bike-sharing startup Ofo to launch service in India

●    Beijing-based bicycle sharing start-up Ofo will launch its services in India. 
●    It will be made available on Paytm.
●    According to the report, users will be able to book and pick up Ofo bikes for $1 per hour using an app. 
●    Ofo signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) last week.

Current Affairs 15th JANUARY 2018: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

India, Israel sign 9 agreements in space, defence, cybersecurity

●    India and Israel will begin work on a free trade pact.
●    Israel has given initial approval for Indian energy companies to explore oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean.
●    Bilateral trade has jumped from $200 million in 1992 to $4.16 billion in 2016, largely in favour of Israel.
●    Netanyahu wants to increase exports to India by 25 percent over the 3 years.

Current Affairs 15th JANUARY 2018: RANKING

India ranks 30th on WEF’s Global Manufacturing Index

●    The World Economic Forum (WEF) in its Global Manufacturing Index put India on the 30th position.
●    India is five places below China.
●    Japan topped the rankings.
●    India had a total manufacturing value of over $420 billion in 2016 which has grown up by over 7% per year.

Current Affairs 15th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

Teen Murti Chowk renamed after Israeli city Haifa

●    Teen Murti Chowk has been renamed as Teen Murti Haifa Chowk.
●    The three bronze statues at Teen Murti represent the Hyderabad, Jodhpur and Mysore Lancers who were part of the 15 Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade. T
●    The brigade carried out the victorious assault on the fortified city of Haifa on September 23, 1918, during World War I.

Visitors can zip line over 1,000 feet above Grand Canyon

●    A zip line has been launched over 1,000 feet above Grand Canyon West, United States. 
●    4 visitors at a time can travel at speeds of about 72 kmph.
●    It will cost $89 per person. 

Rhino Shot Dead By Poachers In Kaziranga National Park

●    An adult female rhinoceros was shot dead by poachers in Assam's Kaziranga National Park.
●    This park is a UNESCO declared World Heritage site.
●    Poachers could not take away the horn of the dead rhinoceros.
●    A combing operation has been launched to trace the poachers..
●    The incident was the first case of rhino killing by poachers this year.

Current Affairs 15th JANUARY 2018: DAYS AND DATES

January 15 celebrated as Army Day

●    Indian troops on monday celebrated the 70th Army Day, officials said.
●    Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Indian naval staff Sunil Lanba and Indian air chief marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa visited Amar Jawan Jyoti.
●    Army celebrates Army day in its parade Ground in New Delhi cantonment.
●    This time 15 medals were presented to soldiers.

Martin Luther King Jr Day

●    On 15th January, US celebrated Martin Luther King Jr day.
●    This day celebrates life and legacy of civil rights activist.
●    He was a Baptist minister, Nobel Laureate and civil rights activist.
●    In 1983, then-President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that created a federal holiday in King's honour. 
 

Current Affairs 15th JANUARY 2018: DEFENCE

Navy to buy its 3rd aircraft carrier for ₹1.6 lakh crore

●    The Indian Navy will buy its third aircraft carrier in ₹1.6 lakh crore.
●    It will also buy 57 twin-engine fighter planes.
●    Recently Navy was denied by Nitin Gadkari for giving any land for their families.
 

Current Affairs 15th JANUARY 2018: ECONOMY

First-ever Pentagon audit to cost over ₹5,700 crore

●    The US Department of Defence's first-ever financial audit will cost more than ₹5,700 crore. 
●    Around 1,200 auditors will be tasked with examining the Defence Department's estimated $2.4 trillion assets.
●    Defence Department comptroller is David Norquist.

Current Affairs 15th JANUARY 2018: SPORTS

Virat Kohli fastest player to hit 53 international hundreds

●    Indian captain Virat Kohli became the fastest batsman to reach 53 international hundreds.
●    He made his 21st Test hundred against South Africa.
●    After Sachin Tendulkar, he is the only Indian to score multiple Test centuries in South Africa.

Racing legend Dan Gurney dies after pneumonia complications

●    Dan Gurney, died on 14th January.
●    He was 86.
●    He was the first driver with victories in each of the Formula One, IndyCar and NASCAR Cup series. 
●    Gurney began racing in 1955.
●    He won almost every race.

Important Current Affairs 14th January 2018

Current Affairs 14th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

108 year old Mono Rail is now operational in National Rail Museum, New Delhi.

●    The rich heritage of Indian Railways has now been opened in the National Rail Museum, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi for viewers.
●    The main center of attraction in the museum is the 108-year-old monorail which used to be used by late Shri Bhupindr Singh, Maharaja of Patiala.
●    This monorail run by steam engines is unique in its kind in the world.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways signed with Transport for London

●    Ministry of Road Transport and Highways today signed an MoU with Transport for London (TFL) in New Delhi.
●    Its aim is to use the expertise of TFL to bring new life into the public transport infrastructure.
●    TFL is the agency that manages the transportation system in Greater London.

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 a special guest.
●    It will be held from 12th to 16th January 2018 at Gautam Buddha University, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Greater Noida.

Railway Ministry launches Smart Freight Operation Optimization and Real Time Information (PURCH)

●    Railway Ministry has launched Smart Freight Operation Optimization and Real Time Information (PURCH) application to help in the flow of rail traffic and the best freight operations scheme.
●    This application is for freight managers and its features are supported by monitoring and management of freight business using Geographic Information System (GIS) Views and Dashboard.
●    This app can see the movement of cargo on the Geographic Information System (GIS) view.
●    In a single GIS view in Zone / Mandal and sections, both the carriage and carriage cart can be monitored.
 

Ministry of Tourism launches Incredible India Digital Calendar and Wall and Desk Calendar of 2018

●    In pursuance of Government's Digital India initiative, Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge) and Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri K. J. Alfons launches 'Incredible India Digital Calendar - 2018' here today.
●    He also released the Incredible India wall and desk calendar of 2018.
●    The Incredible India digital calendar application will provide the user with information about all the festivals and festivals of India simultaneously.
●    Digital calendars can be downloaded on Android and iOs platforms.

Ministry of Water Resources signed MoU with Bihar and Jharkhand

●    In order to fulfill the remaining works of the estimated North Kole reservoir project of Rs. 1622.27 crores, the MoU has been signed between the Water Resources, River Development and the Ganga Protection Ministry, Bihar and Jharkhand State Government of India.
●    The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 12 January 2018 during a meeting chaired by Water Resources, River Development and Secretary, Ganga Protection, Shri Upendra Prasad Singh.
●    On this occasion Shri N. D. D.D., Director General, Shri Sanjay Kundu and Deputy Managing Director, NABARD, Shri H.R. Dave was also present.

Seventh edition of 'National Culture Festival -2018' will be held in Karnataka from January 14-20, 2018

●    To commemorate the idea of unity in diversity, the Ministry of Culture is organizing the seventh edition of National Culture Festival in Karnataka from January 14, 2018.
●    Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananth Kumar and Union Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge) and Environment Minister Dr. Mahesh Sharma will inaugurate the festival on January 14, 2018 in the Jnan Jyoti Auditorium, Palace Road, Gandhi Nagar and Bangalore.

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch the project work of Barmer Refinery on January 16, 2018

●    Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will launch the project work of Barmer Refinery in Pachapadra, Rajasthan on January 16, 2018.
●    The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje and Central Petroleum and Natural Gas, Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and other dignitaries will also be present on this occasion.
●    Project cost - 43129 crores
●    The goal of concluding the engineering - 4 years
●    Refinery capacity 9 MMTPA
●    HPCL's equity share - 74 percent
●    Equity share of Rajasthan Government - 26 percent

Indian Railways launches 'new online vendor registration system' in its research department RDSO

●    Keeping in mind the priority of making systems and processes digital and transparent, the research arm of Indian Railways - Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO, Headquarters Lucknow) launched the new online vendor registration system.
●    This new system has been developed after reviewing the RDSO's working system by the Union Railway and Coal Minister, Mr. Piyush Goyal.
●    Various changes have been made for registration under the new system.
●    RDSO has invited letter of interest for all over 600 items and services.

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

●    The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Shri Suresh Prabhu chaired the third meeting of the Business Development and Promotion Council in New Delhi today.
●    On this occasion, he called upon the states to find ways to tap the world trade of 5 trillion dollars (trillion) by promoting service exports.
●    At the same time, he also laid special emphasis on organic farming, value addition of agricultural products, use of benefits received by Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and creation of employment.

To increase safety and efficiency in the operation of trains, Railways decided to deploy drone cameras in all its zones / divisions

●    Indian Railways have decided to deploy the drone cameras to monitor their activities, especially the monitoring of the tracks, the tracks and the railway structure.
●    Railways have issued instructions to do all of their boards to do this. With the help of railway technology, it is trying to make the operations of trains more secure and better.
●    Drone cameras will help in monitoring relief and rescue operations as well as important actions, track status and inspection work will be monitored.

Current Affairs 14th JANUARY 2018: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The Cabinet approved the consent memorandum between India and Canada for cooperation in science and technology.

●    Under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet has approved the consent memoranda with Canada for cooperation in science and technology.
●    An arrangement will be made from the Memorandum of Understanding and will help in enhancing scientific cooperation between research and development and academic institutions of India and Canada.
●    Under the consent memorandum between the Department of Science and Technology and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), innovative models of research and development cooperation between India and Canada will be implemented.

Current Affairs 14th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

Organized fifth bilateral meeting between India and Malaysia for cooperation in traditional medicine systems

●    The fifth bilateral meeting between India and Malaysia was held here today to cooperate in traditional medicine systems.
●    This meeting was convened in 2010 under the agreement between the two countries.
●    The meeting was presided over by Mr. Pramod Kumar Pathak, Joint Secretary, AYUSH Ministry, and on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Deputy Director, Public Health (Medicine), from the Ministry of Health.
●    In his concluding statement, Secretary, AYUSH, Shri Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said that steps taken for the promotion of traditional medicine systems and homeopathy from Malaysia are welcome.
 

Current Affairs 14th JANUARY 2018: DAYS AND DATES

Home Minister inaugurated 43rd Anniversary Day of MES Builders Association of India

●    Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh has assured that there will be no shortage of funds for border infrastructure.
●    While inaugurating the 43rd Anniversary Day of the MES Builders Association of India here today, he said that the government will accelerate the issues related to forests and environment clearance, which has been consistently hampering strategic projects.
●    Shri Rajnath Singh said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has also emphasized that and clearance will be received to complete the projects in the interest of the nation.
●    He said that private-public partnership (PPP) model for strategic structure will be important.

Home Minister will inaugurate International Workshop on Disaster-Resistant Infrastructure

●    The Union Home Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh will inaugurate a two-day International Workshop on Disaster-Resistant Infrastructure here on Monday, 15th January, 2018.
●    This workshop was organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
●    This workshop will bring together different parts of the world - from Chile to Australia and Japan to Sri Lanka - for various social, economic backgrounds and geographical features.
●    This workshop will be a good opportunity to learn from the experiences of these countries towards the creation of disaster-resistant infrastructure.

Army Air Defense Corps celebrated its 25th Raising Day

●    25th Foundation Day of Army Air Defense Corps (AAD) was celebrated on January 10, 2018.
●    On this occasion, on the occasion of 'Amar Jawan Jyoti', the AAD's Adjutant General and Senior Colonel Commandant Lt Gen Ashwani Kumar and Lt Gen PS Jaggi paid tribute to the martyrs and presented a floral circle.
●    On this occasion, Aad pledged to be dedicated to the nation service and its motto 'Akash Shatru Jahi' by selflessly for the soldiers of all ranks.
●    The establishment of AAD was done on January 10, 1994 and since then its role has increased greatly and it has proved its worth in all previous major wars.

Important Current Affairs 13th  JANUARY 2018

Current Affairs 13th JANUARY 2018: NATIONAL NEWS

K'taka smart city to have poles to charge electric vehicles

●    Citizens living the Hubballi-Dharwad Smart City project will be able to charge their electric vehicles from smart poles.
●    These poles will also act as wifi spots.
●    Each smart pole is of Rs 10 lakh.
●    It will also be equipped with telecommunications infrastructure that will support 4G and 5G. 

Tamil Nadu Assembly passes bill hiking MLAs' salary by 91%

●    Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami has introduced a bill to increase the salary of MLAs in the state Assembly.
●    The Tamil Nadu Payment of Salaries (Amendment) Bill proposes to increase the monthly salary to Rs 1.05 lakh from Rs 55,000 presently.
●    Hike is of 91%.

India Tops Domestic Air Traffic Demand

●    India's domestic air passenger traffic grew by 16.4 percent in November 2017.
●    It was announced by global aviation body, the International Air Transport Association.
●    The IATA, comprising major air carriers, said India continued to witness double-digit growth for the 39th consecutive month.

India should avoid China-like urbanisation: NITI Aayog VC

●    NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar has said that the India should not copy China for urbanization.
●    He also said that the country needs to use less resources per unit of GDP.
●    India still does not have empowered cities.
●    He stressed at the need of resurrecting the old tradition of having strong mayors in cities.

Cabinet approves continuation of MPLADS

●    The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval to continuation of Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) till the term of the 14th  Finance Commission. 
●    The Scheme would entail an annual allocation of Rs. 3,950 crore and a total outlay of Rs. 11,850 crores over the next three years.
●    The MPLADS funds are released to the nodal District Authorities on receipt of requisite documents and as per provisions of Guidelines on MPLADS.
 

Current Affairs 13th JANUARY 2018: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

ISRO workhorse PSLV-C40 puts 31 satellites in space

●    ISRO workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C40) successfully placed 31 satellites in two different orbits.
●    It was one of the longest mission.
●    With this launch ISRO demonstrated multiple-burn technology.
●    This is 40th successful launch of PSLV.

NASA demonstrates space navigation using X-rays for 1st time

●    a team of NASA engineers has demonstrated fully autonomous X-ray navigation in space.
●    It has been tried for the first time. 
●    The SEXTANT experiment showed pulsars (rotating neutron stars) could be used to track fast-moving objects in space, like GPS satellites. 
●    With this engineers located a satellite orbiting Earth at 17,500 mph within a 10-mile radius.

Rajesh Murthy steps down as Infosys President

●    Rajesh Murthy has resigned from the post of President of Infosys.
●    This happened after Salil Parekh took over as chief executive officer. 
●    Murthy has been with Infosys for over 25 years has left the company for 'personal reasons'.
●    His last day at Infosys will be at the end of the January.

ISRO to perform 'bungee jump' test on Chandrayaan-2

●    Scientists at ISRO will conduct a stunt at Mahendragiri hills in Tamil Nadu. 
●    A bungee jump is being planned for Chandrayaan-2 craft.
●    It is being planned as a part of soft landing tests using a 100-metre tall crane.
●    Chandrayaan-2 is India’s most ambitious project.
●    It will land on the moon.

Current Affairs 13th JANUARY 2018: GLOBAL NEWS

Chinese transgression increased by 53% in 2017: Reports

●    In a fresh event in Ladakh Chinese PLA troops entered almost 6 km deep inside Indian territory.
●    They entered near the scenic Pangong lake area.
●    This led to another stand-off between security personnel of the two countries.
●    Chinese transgression increased by 53% in 2017.

Saudi allows women to attend men's soccer match for 1st time

●    Saudi Arabia has allowed women to spectate at a football match.
●    It has happened for the first time.
●    Saudi Arabia has taken many steps to stop gender separation.
●    Women from this June will be allowed to drive vehicles also.
●    Women special showroom has been opened in Saudi Arabia.

America First' and 'Make in India' are compatible: US

●    United States Ambassador to India Kenneth Juster put emphasis on economic and commercial relations between the two countries.
●    "America First" and "Make in India" are not incompatible. 
●    He said that investing in each other's markets will be mutually beneficial.
●    The US envoy to India further emphasized on the "many" benefits of growing the bilateral economic relationship and making India a regional hub for U.S. business.

Current Affairs 13th JANUARY 2018: ECONOMY

IDFC Bank announces merger with Capital First

●    IDFC Bank and Capital First announced a merger of the two businesses.
●    Capital first is a non-banking finance company.
●    After merger it will form a combined entity of assets under management of Rs 88,000 crore and distribution network of 194 branches. 
●    IDFC Bank will issue 139 shares for every 10 shares of Capital First.

Zuckerberg loses 4th richest person's spot to Zara Founder

●    Facebook CEO has lost the position of world's fourth-richest person.
●    Now Zara Founder Amancio Ortega is the fourth richest person.
●    Zuckerberg's fortune fell by $3.3 billion.
●    This happened after his announcement of shifting users' News Feed towards content from family and friends, instead of content from publishers and businesses. 

Current Affairs 13th JANUARY 2018: SPORTS

S Korea proposes joint women's ice hockey team with N Korea

●    South Korea has proposed fielding a joint women’s ice hockey team with North Korea at next month’s Winter Olympics.
●    It happened after Pyongyang agreed to send a large delegation to the Games.
●    South Korea’s vice-minister for sport is Roh Tae-kang.
●    North Korea has not responded to the joint-team proposal.

Current Affairs 13th JANUARY 2018: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

India, Indonesia hold 1st sec. Dialogue

●    India and Indonesia held their first security dialogue.
●    They agreed on operational cooperation in security and counter-terrorism.
●    The dialogue was led by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs H Wiranto.
 

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.