Current Affairs Daily Updates: 8th February 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 8th February 2017

APPOINTMENTS
Jovenel Moise sworn in as Haiti's new president
  • Jovenel Moise has been sworn in as Haiti's new president, opening a new chapter in the country's history after a long-running political crisis .
  • The 48-year-old banana exporter, who has never held political office.
  • The elections were further postponed in October after Hurricane Matthew battered the country, killing hundreds and causing extensive damage.
  • Moise won a November election redo with 55 percent, vowing to stimulate the economy and create more jobs.
  • The new president begins his five years in power with an already fragile popularity, since he is at the centre of an unresolved money laundering probe.
Adani appoints Purdie as CEO for renewable energy unit in Australia
  • The Adani Group has appointed Jennifer Purdie as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for its renewable energy business unit in Australia in a bid to drive its plans to become the largest renewable energy player in the country.
  • Adani’s aim is to become the largest renewable energy industry participant in Australia with a total capacity of 1,500 MW in the near term.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Hyderabad Surgeon Raghu Ram Honored with B C Roy Award
  • Hyderabad based Dr P Raghu Ram, President of Association of Breast Surgeons of India (ABSI) has been honored with the prestigious Dr B C Roy National Award for ‘outstanding service in the field of socio medical relief’ for the year 2016.
  • The award will be conferred upon Ram by President Pranab Mukherjee on July 1, 2017 which is also observed as National Doctors Day.
  • Dr Ram was honored for his significant contribution towards improving the delivery of breast health care in India and creating the much needed awareness about importance of early detection of breast cancer in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh through a number of initiatives.
  • He is the youngest surgeon ever from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to have been selected for the award.
  • Apart from ABSI, Dr. Ram is also the Director of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) and CEO of Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation.
Indian film 'Sexy Durga' the 1st to win Rotterdam fest jury award
  • 'Sexy Durga' by Malayalam filmmaker Sanal Sasidharan became the first Indian film to win the Hivor Tiger Award at International Film Festival of Rotterdam.
  • The award also includes a cash prize of ₹28.9 lakh (40,000 euros). Shot without a script in 20 days, the film is about a couple who elopes at night and hitches a ride with four men.
BANKING AFFAIRS
RBI keeps key rates unchanged in 6th bi-monthly monetary policy review:
  • The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) headed by RBI Governor Urjit Patel has kept the key policy rates unchanged.  
  • Policy rates:
    • Repo Rate- 6.25%
    • Reverse Repo Rate- 5.75%
    • Marginal Standing Facility Rate- 6.75%
    • Bank Rate-  6.75%
    • CRR- 4%
    • SLR- 20.50%
HDFC Bank, KMB go live with Bharat Bill Payment System
  • Private sector lenders HDFC Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank are live with the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) that is aimed at easing utility and other repetitive bill payments for consumers.
  • The BBPS is a centralised system created by the National Payments Corporation, involving banks and non-banks and allows agents to access bill payments services in an interoperable manner, HDFC Bank stated.
  • A customer can pay multiple bills from a single platform without the hassle of visiting multiple websites or issuing individual cheques, or also registering billers with her bank for standard instructions for debit.
Bank of Baroda, IFFCO launch co-branded debit card for farmers:
  • In a novel initiative that would push digitalisation and cashless economy, Bank of Baroda (BOB) has tied up with IFFCO, a cooperative, to provide co-branded debit cards with inbuilt overdraft facilities to the farmers.
  • In this regard, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between G.B.Panda, General Manager (government relationship) BOB and Yogendra Kumar, General Manager (Marketing) IFFCO.
  • Under this MOU, two lakh co-branded debit cards will be issued to the farmers beginning with the state of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Subsequently more cards will be issued across rest of India.
ICICI Securities partners with Saxo Bank:
  • ICICI Securities, a subsidiary of ICICI Bank, has entered into a strategic partnership with Saxo Bank, an online multi-asset trading and investment specialist.
  • This partnership will offer Saxo's trading and investment capabilities via a digital platform to Indian investors.
  • It will enable ICICI Securities' 4 million clients of ICICIdirect.com to diversify their investments outside of the domestic Indian market and access multi-asset investment opportunities on 36 stock exchanges across 24 countries, through SaxoTraderGo.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
‘Samsung Pay’ to Launch in India:
  • The technology giant Samsung will launch its mobile payment wallet “Samsung Pay” in India.
  • The launch is expected to happen in the first half of 2017.
  • According to reports, Samsung will be partnering with American Express (Amex) to bring its mobile payment solution to India.
  • The company is also exploring the possibility of pairing with the two global financial services companies, ‘Visa’ and ‘MasterCard’.
Federal Bank ties up with data portal for loans against warehouse receipts
  • Federal Bank has partnered with leading online data and information portal Commodity Online for the distribution of loans against warehouse receipts and collateral management services across the country.
  • Commodity Online will roll out an agri commodity financing platform through its flagship portal www.commodityonline.com where farmers and traders can track commodity markets and warehouses online and get financing for their commodities quickly.
BOOKS AND AUTHORS
Salman Rushdie's 'The Golden House' to release in September
  • British-Indian Novelist and essayist Salman Rushdie’s new novel titled "The Golden House" will release in September 2017.
  • The book will be published in India by Penguin Random House.
  • The novel is a modern-day thriller, tells the story of a wealthy family from Mumbai desperately seeking to forget the tragedy of 26/11 as they try to reinvent themselves in New York City.
  • Rushdie’s last novel Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights was published in 2015.
  • He won the Booker Prize for his novel Midnight’s Children in 1981.
IMPORTANT DAYS OBSERVED
Safer Internet Day celebrated on 7 February 2017
  • The Safer Internet Day was celebrated on 7 February 2017 with the theme - Be the Change: Unite for a Better Internet.
  • To mark the occasion, various activities were undertaken across the world by the stakeholders of the internet like internet service providers (ISPs), search engine service provider Google and policy makers.
  • In  India, Google distributed awards to the winners of the 2nd edition of the Web Rangers initiative. The initiative was launched by the company to promote digital literacy and spread awareness about internet safety.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India to host international nuclear security meet
  • India is going to host Implementation and Assessment Group Meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), a key meet on nuclear security on February 8-10, 2017.
  • It is being hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in coordination with the Department of Atomic Energy. Approximately 150 delegates from 100 GICNT partner countries and international organisations will participate in this event.
  • The event will highlight India’s commitment to global nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy and its overall engagement with the international community on nuclear security issues.
Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos wins Senate confirmation vote
  • In United States, Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's controversial nominee for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos by the slenderest possible margin.
  • US Vice-President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to secure her cabinet role, splitting the chamber 50-50.
  • It was the first time ever that a vice-president has interceded in such a way for a cabinet secretary.
China Becomes World’s Largest Solar Energy Producer
  • China has become the world’s largest producer of solar energy, according to a new report from the country’s energy administration.
  • China's National Energy Administration announced over  that their photovoltaic (PV) capacity reached an impressive 77.42 gigawatts.
  • Germany, the former global solar-power leader, produced 40.78 gigawatts in November 2016.
BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meet concludes
  • The 17th Session of BIMSTEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) has concluded in Kathmandu, with an understanding to host the summit meeting by the end of 2017.
  • The SOM meeting represented by senior foreign ministry officials from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand gave concurrence to Nepal's proposal to host the fourth BIMSTEC Summit in October/November in Kathmandu.
  • As the current chair of BIMSTEC, Nepal is hosting the fourth BIMSTEC Summit.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Delhi’s Dalhousie Road is now Dara Shikoh Road
  • New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has renamed Dalhousie Road as Dara Shikoh Road. Dara Shikoh was the elder brother of Mughal emperor Aurganzeb.
  • The road, named after Lord Dalhousie who served as governor general of India from 1848-56, is located less than 2 km from Rashtrapati Bhawan.
  • NDMC Chairman Naresh Kumar announced the change in name of the road, which comes five months after Race Course Road was renamed Lok Kalyan Marg.
Arunachal Pradesh becomes first NE State to implement e-Cabinet Solution:
  • Arunachal Pradesh became the first state in the northeast to implement e-Cabinet solution for the state cabinet members.  
  • It is a powerful governance tool that will be used to streamline its decision-making process.
  • Using this system, state cabinet members can access the cabinet notes before the meeting.
  • The e-Cabinet system is being implemented by the state department of Information Technology and Communication.
Global conference on Nuclear Terrorism to begin in New Delhi today:
  • Today, three -day Implementation and Assessment Group (IAG) conference of the GICNT (Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism) partner countries has begun in New Delhi.
  • Indian’s Foreign Secretary Jaishankar has inaugurated the meet organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Atomic Energy.
  • The meeting highlights India’s commitment to global nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
  • Nearly 150 delegates from various partner countries and international organizations are taking part in the event.
HDIL to launch budget homes in Mumbai Metropolitan Region
  • Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd will soon launching its new budget homes brand in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
  • Through this brand, HDIL aims at making quality housing at affordable prices accessible to a wider section of people.
  • Under this brand, HDIL will provide affordable homes within Rs. 50 lakh inclusive of stamp duty and registration in Mumbai’s suburbs and within Rs. 20 lakh, including stamp duty and registration charges, in the Vasai–Virar region.
India’s first centre of disabled sportsmen to come up in Gandhinagar
  • India’s first ever Centre of Excellence for differently-abled sportsmen will be established in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
  • The centre will be built on 7.5 acres of land belonging to the Sports Authority of India (SAI).
  • It will train the para athletes for various international sporting competitions including Olympics, Asian Games and Common Wealth Games.
  • It will have dedicated tracks and a 64 m long, fully air conditioned indoor hall having swimming pool as well as other training facilities for the athletes.
Union Government notified amendment to Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme
  • The Union Ministry of Finance notified an amendment to the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme (PMGKDS), 2016.
  • The notification was issued by the Union Government on 7 February 2017 in conusltation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • The amendment allows declarants to make deposits on one or more occasions in the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Deposit Scheme (PMGKDS), 2016. Before the amendment, the declarants were allowed to deposit in the scheme in only one installment.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AFFAIRS
International Conference & Exhibition on Terrestrial & Satellite Broadcasting held in New Delhi:
  • The 23rd edition of International Conference and Exhibition on Terrestrial & Satellite Broadcasting was held in New Delhi. The 3-day conference was organized by the Broadcast Engineering Society (India). 
  • The theme of the conference is 'Hybrid Technologies in Broadcasting New Opportunities'. 
  • In this EXPO, nearly 300 companies from 25 countries displayed their products directly or through their dealers and distributors in India. 
Japan's Scientists have developed terahertz (THz) transmitter technology
  • Japan's Scientists have announced the development of a terahertz(THz) transmitter which can transmit digital data at a rate exceeding100 gigabits per second over a single channel using the 300-gigahertz band
  • It is a next generation system which can transmit digital data over 10 times faster than 5G mobile networks expected to appear around 2020.
1st stable compound of chemically inactive helium confirmed
  • Helium, considered to be a chemically inert and unreactive gas due to its extremely stable and closed-shell electronic configuration, has been confirmed to form a stable compound (Na2He) with sodium under high pressure.
  • These findings were so unexpected that it took more than two years to convince science reviewers and editors to publish their results, said the lead researcher.
SPORTS AFFAIRS
Delhi batsman becomes 1st to score 300 in T20s at any level
  • Twenty-one-year-old Delhi batsman Mohit Ahlawat has become the first batsman to score a triple hundred in a T20 match at any level.
  • Ahlawat, who has represented Delhi in Ranji Trophy, scored an unbeaten 300 off 72 balls in a local T20 tournament at Delhi's Lalita Park. Ahlawat smashed 39 sixes and 14 fours in his knock.
  • The 21-year-old wicketkeeper batsman, playing for Maavi XI, scored the record 300 not out in a local T20 tournament - Friends Premier League, at Delhi's Lalita Parkagainst Friend's XI.
  • Mohit's unbeaten knock came off just 72 balls, which included 39 sixes and 14 fours. His effort led his side to 416 in 20 overs. Mohit's teammate Gaurav contributed 86 off 39 balls as Maavi XI won the match by 216 runs.
2,000m women's world record broken by Genzebe Dibaba
  • Ethiopian runner Genzebe Dibaba broke the women's 2,000-metre world record, running the distance in five minutes, 23.75 seconds, at an indoor arena in Spain.
  • Dibaba's timing was almost seven seconds less than the previous indoor world record of 5:30.53, and also almost two seconds less than the outdoor record of 5:25.36.