7th & 8th January CURRENT AFFAIRS 7th th & 8 January Current Affairs 1. Bilateral Annual Haj 2018 Agreement between India and Saudi Arabia Signed According to the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Saudi Arabia has given the green signal for India’s decision to revive the option of sending Haj pilgrims through sea route also. The practice of ferrying Haj pilgrims between Mumbai and Jeddah by waterways was stopped in 1995. For the first time, Muslim women from India will go to Haj without “Mehram” (male companion). Takeaways 1. Saudi Arabia Capital- Riyadh, Currency- Saudi riyal. 2. Indian Navy Signs MoU with Cochin Port Trust The Indian Navy has inked an MoU with the Cochin Port Trust (CPT), Kerala towards leasing of 228 metres of berths at Mattancherry Wharf for a period of five years. The MoU has been concluded to cater for the futuristic requirements of the Navy with the sizeable increase in its fleet scheduled in the near future. This is the first time such an agreement has been signed between the Navy and CPT. Takeaways 1. Cochin Port Trust Chairman- P.Raveendran. 2. Admiral Sunil Lanba is the present Chairman of Indian Navy. 3. Haryana Becomes First State to Launch High-Risk Pregnancy Portal Haryana has become the first state in the country to launch High-Risk Pregnancy (HRP) Portal. This portal not only helps in early identification of high-risk pregnant cases up to the grass-roots level but also ensures their timely referral to the civil hospitals for further management and delivery by specialists. This innovative web application has been designed to track every high-risk pregnant woman till 42 days after delivery. Takeaways 1. Haryana CM- Manohar Lal KhattaR 2. Governor- Kaptan Singh Solanki. 4. International Kite Festival launched in Gujarat 1 7th & 8th January CURRENT AFFAIRS The International Kite Festival started at Sabarmati River Front in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The International Kite Festival was inaugurated by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. Gujarat Governor O. P. Kohli was also present at the occasion. Nearly 149 foreign kite fliers from 44 countries are taking part in this festival. From India, around 96 kite fliers from 18 states and 290 kite fliers from Gujarat participate in this kite festival. This International Kite Festival is to be held at small towns like Dakor, Gandhidham, Jamnagar, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Aravali, Dwarka, Amreli, Palanpur, Pavagadh, Valsad and Saputara also. Takeaways 1. Bilakhiya Stadium – Vapi 2. CB Patel International Cricket Stadium – Surat 3. Commerce College Ground – Ahmedabad 5. India’s Second FTII to be Set up in Arunachal Pradesh Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh announced that Arunachal Pradesh would get its first Film and Television Institute, being set up by the Union Government. This would be the second such one in the country. The first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up in Pune. Takeaways 1. FTII Pune Established in – 1960, Current Chairman – Anupam Kher. 2. FTII is an autonomous institute operating under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. 6. Indian Railways to equip 8500 stations with Wi-Fi by March 2019 Indian Railways has finalised a plan to equip nearly 8500 railway stations across India (including those in rural and remote areas) with Wi-Fi facilities at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore. At 1200 railway stations, Wi-Fi facility will be provided to rail passengers while at about 7300 stations (in rural and remote areas) the facility will be available not only to passenger but also to local people. Such Railway stations will have kiosks with Wi-Fi, offering services like digital banking, issuing government certificates, including birth and death certificates, Aadhaar generation and filing taxes and paying bills. Target is to provide Wi-FI facility at 600 stations by March 2018, and to cover all 8500 stations by March 2019. 2 7th & 8th January CURRENT AFFAIRS It is to be noted that under Central Government’s Digital India initiative, Indian Railways has already commissioned Wi-Fi services at 216 major stations, providing internet access to nearly 7 million rail passengers. 7. India’s 1st Multi-Petaflop Supercomputer ‘Pratyush’ Dedicated to Nation Union Minister of Earth Sciences Dr Harsh Vardhandedicated India’s fastest and first multi- petaflops supercomputer named ‘Pratyush’ to the nation in Pune. It is established at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. It will be a national facility for improving weather and climate forecasts and services under the umbrella of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. 8. In a First, Delhi Government Launches Common Card for Bus & Metro Rides Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwallaunched a common card for rides on public buses and the metro. Delhi is the first city in the countryto have a common mobility card. The card, which will function like a debit card, will be operational in all DTC and cluster buses from April 2018. Takeaways 1. Transport Minister of Delhi- Kailash Gahlot. 2. Lieutenant Governor of Delhi-Anil Baijal. 9. T S Tirumurti appointed economic relations secretary India’s High Commissioner to Kuala Lumpur T S Tirumurti has been appointed as the Secretary (Economic Relations) in the External Affairs Ministry by the government 10. NPCI appoints Dilip Asbe as new MD and CEO Payment utility major National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) announced the appointment of Dilip Asbe as its Managing Director and CEO with immediate effect. 11. Golden Globe Awards 2018: The Complete List of Winners The 75th Golden Globe Award ceremony was held in Los Angeles, the USA. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” dominated the 2018 Golden Globes, taking home four statues, including best drama, best screenplay, and acting awards for Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell in the drama category. Seth Meyers hosted the star-studded show. Here is the Complete List of Winners of Golden Globe Awards 2018- 3 7th & 8th January CURRENT AFFAIRS 1. Best motion picture, drama: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. 2. Best motion picture, musical or comedy: Lady Bird. 3. Best director, motion picture: Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”. 4. Best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama: Frances McDormand. 5. Best performance by an actor in a motion picture, drama: Gary Oldman. 6. Best performance by an actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy: Saoirse Ronan. 7. Best performance by an actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy: James Franco. 8. Best motion picture, animated: Coco 9. Best motion picture, foreign language: In the Fade 10. Best television series, drama: The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu 11. Best performance by an actress in a television series, drama: Elisabeth Moss. 12. Best performance by an actor in a television series, drama: Sterling K. Brown. 12. All You Need to Know About New Rs10 Banknote in Mahatma Gandhi Series The Reserve Bank of India has announced to issue Rs10 denomination banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) Series. The new denomination has the motif of Sun Temple, Konark on the reverse, depicting the country’s cultural heritage. The base colour of the note is Chocolate Brown. The dimension of the banknote will be 63 mm x 123 mm. 13. AIIB plans to issue first US dollar bonds in June 2018 Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is planning to issue its first US dollar-denominated bond by June 2018 4 7th & 8th January CURRENT AFFAIRS . AIIB’s first US Dollar Bonds: Soren Elbech, Treasurer of AIIB has stated that the minimum size of the issuance will be one billion dollars. Maturity of these bond will be between three and five years depending on investor demand. On account of its strong capital base and stable outlook, AIIB has received three top-notch ratings from the global credit rating agencies, S&P Global Ratings, Fitch and Moody’s. China is the largest shareholder in AIIB holding 26.06 per cent voting shares followed by India with 7.5 per share. Energy, power generation, transport and rural infrastructure are AIIB’s priority areas of investment. Takeaways 1. Opened for Business in – January 2016 2. Headquarters – Beijing, China 3. Current President – Jin Liqun 14. Defence Innovation Centre to be set up in Coimbatore to assist small industries On January 6, 2018, Defence Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman announced that a Defence Innovation Centre would be set up by CODISSIA in Coimbatore, to assist small industries in manufacturing components for the defence sector. Information about Defence Innovation Centre in Coimbatore: 5 7th & 8th January CURRENT AFFAIRS Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (CODISSIA) is a trade organization based in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. CODISSIA will receive initial funding of Rs 20 crore from Union Defence Ministryfor setting up the Defence Innovation Centre. CODISSIA will identify small and micro units as well as start-ups, that can manufacture components required for defence production. Decision to set up this Defence Innovation Centre has been taken in line with Central Government’s “Make in India” programme. 15. Philippe Coutinho Joins Barcelona, Becomes 2nd Most Expensive Transfer in World Soccer History Team Liverpool sold Brazilian football player Philippe Coutinho to Team Barcelona for 160 million Euros ($192 million). With this, transfer of Philippe Coutinho has become the 2nd Most Expensive transfer in World Soccer History. World’s most expensive transfer is Brazilian football player Neymar’s transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint Germain team in 200 million pounds in 2017. Takeaways 1. FC Barcelona President – Josep Maria Bartomeu 2. Based in – Barcelona, Spain. 16. Gilles Simon Wins Inaugural Tata Open Title Gilles Simon of France has lifted the inaugural Tata Open Maharashtra Tennis trophy. In the summit clash in Pune, the unseeded French player defeated second-seeded Kevin Anderson in straight sets.