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General Awareness

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Daily G.K. - Top Stories

18 Mar 2020

DAILY G.K. TEST

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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Iraqi President Appoints Adnan al-Zurfi as New PM-designate

  • Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country's new Prime Minister-designate in the latest bid to resolve a months-long political crisis.
  • Al-Zurfi has 30 days to form his cabinet which he must then put to a vote of confidence in Iraq's fractious Parliament. The 54-year-old former governor of the holy Shia city of Najaf heads the Nasr parliamentary grouping of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
  • Al-Zurfi would replace caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who quit in December 2019 following widespread mass demonstrations against a government that protesters see as corrupt, failing to provide them with basic services, and beholden to powerful neighbouring Iran.

Philippines President Duterte Locks Down Island

  • Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte widened a monthlong quarantine in the Manila region to cover all of the country's main island to prevent coronavirus from spreading. The "enhanced quarantine" of Luzon, which has 60 million people and is responsible for 70% of the Philippines' economic output, will place tens of thousands of daily wage earners at risk of penury. Hours after the announcement, the country's central bank governor said that policy makers are "inclined" to cut the key interest rate by 50 basis points.

Trump Moves to Save US Economy

  • Admitting for the first time that the coronavirus outbreak may send the US economy into a recession, President Donald Trump is asking Congress to unleash a torrent of emergency economic aid to help people through the financial pain of the crisis, with sizable cheques directly to Americans as part of the deal.
  • The White House was asking Congress on Tuesday to approve a sweeping emergency stimulus package to help businesses and taxpayers cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin planned to outline the roughly $850 billion package to Senate Republicans at a private lunch, with officials aiming to have Congress approve it this week. It's the most far-reaching economic rescue package since the Great Recession of 2008.
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BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

Microsoft India, NASSCOM Foundation Launches Initiative to Empower People with Disabilities

  • Microsoft India and NASSCOM Foundation launched the Innovate for Accessible India campaign aimed at empowering people with disabilities with the technology and tools required for better integration into society and access to equal opportunities.
  • The campaign will be an aggregator of workable technology solutions developed using Microsoft cloud, artificial intelligence and other technologies that address gaps faced by people with disabilities, especially in acquiring services and support in education, skill building, employment, mobility, rehabilitation and other government services.
  • The campaign will invite applications from students, citizens and social impact organisations to build customised solutions that address challenges faced by people with disabilities across the 21 officially recognised disabilities.
  • The10 best solutions that address key challenges faced by people with disabilities will be provided mentoring support by Microsoft and NASSCOM Foundation, along with grants to develop and scale their solution.

Ex-SBI Head is Salesforce India CEO

  • US cloud-based service provider Salesforce.com Inc hired Arundhati Bhattacharya, one of India's best-known former bankers, as its India chief executive officer. Bhattacharya declined to comment, while Salesforce did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bhattacharya previously headed the State Bank of India (SBI), the country's largest lender, and was the first woman to lead the more than 200-year-old bank. She retired from SBI in 2017 after spending four decades in various roles. "She is a hugely credible name who comes with a wealth of experience and will help Salesforce expand in India.

Chinese, South Korean Companies Keen to Invest in Haryana

  • Top companies of South Korea and China have evinced interest in making multi crore investment in Haryana in the field of electric vehicles and Information Technology.
  • The interest was shown by the investors during a meeting held under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister, Manohar Lal to discuss various investment opportunities in Haryana.
  • Edison Motors India, a leading South Korean Company and manufacturer of Electric Buses and Trucks offered to establish its manufacturing plant over 30 acre with an investment of over Rs 500 crore. This will also generate employment opportunities for about 500 to 800 youth. Similarly, the Chinese firm has shown keen interest in establishing the Head Quarter building in Gurugram with a potential of generating employment opportunities for 600 to 700 youth.
  • As a result of various facilities and clearances being provided to the entrepreneurs under one roof in a time bound manner, Haryana has become a favourable destination for the industries to set up their units in the State. In terms of Ease of Doing Business rankings, Haryana is currently at number three in the country and first in northern states.
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SPORTS

ATK FC Wins ISL Trophy for the Third Time

  • ATK FC (Football Club) won the ISL (Indian Super League) trophy for the 3rd time following a 3-1 win against Chennaiyin FC in the final match held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao, Goa.

First Global Postponement: Euro 20 Now Euro 21

  • The Euro 2020 championship, trumpeted as a feast of football to mark UEFA's 60th anniversary, was postponed for a year as the coronavirus pandemic claimed its biggest sporting casualty yet.
  • The fate of the 24-nation, month-long showpiece due to start in June had hung in the balance ever since Europe's domestic leagues began shutting down in the wake of the sweeping health crisis.
  • Europe's flagship tournament, second only to FIFA's World Cup in terms of prestige, will now be staged from June 11 to July 12, 2021.
  • This year's Copa America, too, has been postponed until 2021, according to the South American Football Confederation . The 12-team tournament, which had originally been scheduled to take place from June 12 to July 12 in Colombia and Argentina, would be played between June 11 and July 11, 2021.
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NATIONAL AFFAIRS

Ajay Kumar India's High Commissioner to Uganda

  • Ajay Kumar was appointed as India's next High Commissioner to Uganda, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Kumar, a 2001-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is currently serving as the Joint Secretary in the MEA.

Haryana Renames Amin Village as Abhimanyupur

  • The Central Government approved renaming the Amin village as Abhimanyupur in Kurukshetra district of Haryana as per the request of the State government. The decision was taken by the Union Home Ministry after getting permission from a few central organisations.
  • The Union Ministry approves the change of name of any place after taking no-objections from the Ministry of Railways, Department of Posts and Surveys of India.
  • These organisations have to confirm that there is no such city, town or village in their records with a name similar to the proposed one.
  • In order to change the name of the village or a town or a city an executive order is needed and for renaming a state requires amendment of the constitution with a simple majority in the Parliament.
  • The Central Government has approved renaming at least 25 towns, villages or districts across the country in the last 3 years, including Uttar Pradesh's (UP) Faizabad as Ayodhya and Allahabad as Prayagraj.

India Orders 1 mn Probes for Testing from Germany

  • With delays in procuring diagnostic and drug raw material from China because of the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Wuhan last year, India has turned to Europe for the probes needed for testing for the deadly infection.
  • India ordered one million probes from Germany, which is expected to reach in a day or so. For Reverse Transcript-Polymerase Chain Reaction assays – which is the test for Covid-19 -- primers, probes and positive and negative controls are needed.
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DEFENCE

Advanced LCA Tejas Makes its Debut Flight

  • A more advanced version of the Tejas light combat aircraft made its debut flight from a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited facility in Bengaluru, bringing it closer to induction in the Indian Air Force.
  • The first LCA in final operational clearance (FOC) standard, piloted by Air Commodore KA Muthana (retd), took to the skies for its maiden flight and was airborne for 40 minutes.
  • The IAF has already inducted Tejas fighters in the initial operational clearance (IOC) standard and is now gearing up to operate fighters in the more advanced FOC configuration.
  • This (the maiden flight) would pave the way for production of remaining 15 fighters from the FOC block which are planned to be delivered (to the IAF) during the next financial year.

Indian Army Now World's Largest Ground Force

  • With approximately 1.4 million personnel, the Indian Army has become the world's largest ground force, pulling ahead of China, which cut down its strength by half and is instead focusing on its navy, air force and technology. According to the Defence of Japan 2019 report, released in 2019, China has the third largest ground force in the world following India and North Korea, with approximately 9,80,000 personnel.
  • The Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) was always regarded as the largest army in the world with an approximate strength of two million soldiers. India, which has been keenly watching the PLA's modernisation, is just in the initial stages of building a leaner and modern technology-enabled force as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015.
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PERSONS IN NEWS

Ashwani Lohani New Chairman of APTDC

  • Former Chairman and Managing Director of Air India Ashwani Lohani was appointed as the Chairman of Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).
  • According to an order issued by Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney, the appointment is for a period of one year.
  • Lohani had previously served as Chairman of the Railway Board and CMD of the India Tourism Development Corporation.

Patil Puttappa Passes Away

  • Veteran journalist and Gandhian Patil Puttappa, better known as 'Papu', passed away after a brief illness. He was 99.
  • A journalist par excellence, writer, khadi activist, and a former Rajya Sabha member, Mr. Puttappa was a strong voice of Kannada and Kannadigas throughout his life.
  • Recipient of several awards, including the Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, T.S.R. Award, and "Nadoja', Mr. Puttappa was born at Kurubagoda village in the then undivided Dharwad district (now, Haveri district) to Siddalingappa and Mallamma.

M. Gopal Reddy New Chief Secretary of MP

  • Madhya Pradesh (MP) Government appointed M. Gopal Reddy as Chief Secretary of the state replacing Sudhi Ranjan Mohanty with effect from April 1, 2020.
  • M. Gopal Reddy is a 1985 batch IAS officer is currently serving as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) before he takes charge as the state's new Chief Secretary. He worked as a vice-chairman of the Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) prior to the current position.
  • Sudhi Ranjan Mohanty is to take charge as a Director General of RCPV Academy of Administration.
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DAYS AND EVENTS

Ordnance Factory Day

  • Ordnance Factory Day is celebrated every year on 18th March in India. The production of India's oldest Ordnance Factory in Kosipur, Kolkata was started on 18th March 1802. Ordnance Factory, Field Gun Factory, Small Arms Factory, Ordnance Parachute Factory and Ordnance Equipment Factory celebrate this day with great fanfare in Ordnance Factories in which employees of all categories participate in various organised events. This day commemorates the display of guns, ammunition, rifles, artillery etc. in exhibitions all over India. Exhibitions are usually open to all. The ceremony begins with a parade. Apart from this, photographs of several mountaineering expeditions are also displayed in the exhibition.

Global Recycling Day

  • Global Recycling Day is celebrated on 18th March. This year was the third annual Global Recycling Day – an international initiative aiming to promote the value of recycling in the development of the circular economy.
  • Global Recycling Day, which was first set up in 2018 by the Bureau for International Recycling (BIR), aims to encourage people to consider recycled or recyclable materials as a 'Seventh Resource' – after water, air, coal, oil, natural gas and minerals – which can play an important role in climate change mitigation.
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GOVERNMENT POLICIES AND SCHEMES

Lok Sabha Passes the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020

  • The Lok Sabha passed a bill which seeks to extend the upper limit for permitting abortions from the present 20 weeks to 24 weeks for "special categories of women" which include rape survivors, victims of incest, differently-abled and minors.
  • The Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which seeks to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 was passed by a voice vote.
  • Certain amendments moved by opposition members were defeated.

Lok Sabha Passes Bill to Give Statutory Status to Aviation Regulators

  • The Lok Sabha passed a bill which seeks to improve India's aviation safety ratings and provide statutory status to regulatory institutions, including the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
  • Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri assured the House that the aviation sector would emerge from the current challenges posed by the coronavirus outbreak, which forced countries around the globe to impose travel restrictions.
  • The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 provides for statutory backing to the DGCA, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The Bill also proposes to increase the fine amount for violations of new rules from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 1 crore for aviation industry players.
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GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION

E-learning Platforms Step in

  • With the Coronavirus outbreak gaining steam in India, governments around the country are shutting down schools and colleges to prevent mass gatherings. To prevent the educational year from breaking down, e-learning platforms are stepping in with their services. To be clear, the pandemic also gives the platforms a chance to market themselves and find prospective customers.
  • Coursera, one of the largest e-learning platforms in the world, has announced that its Coursera for Campus platform will be made available for free to any university so students can "continue to learn on the platform". The platform is free to universities till July 31 this year and Coursera plans to provide month-to-month extensions "depending on prevailing risk assessments" after that.
  • Similarly, homegrown Byju's has announced that its complete app is going to be free for school students till the end of April. Another platform called Toppr has said its content is available to all students for free unconditionally.
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TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS

Tourism Industry Set to Suffer a Loss of over Rs. 15k crore

  • According to early estimates, India is staring at a potential loss of over Rs. 15,000 crore to the tourism industry because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which has led to global travel restrictions and forced foreign vacationers to cancel airline reservations and hotel bookings.
  • As the health crisis is expected to linger, the final numbers could far exceed the amount. To counter the setback, the Centre is working on a revival plan for the tourism industry.
  • The culture ministry shut down all centrally protected monuments to the public until March 31 in its latest measure to stanch the coronavirus.
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