Current Affairs 10th May 2018

National News

1. 15th Asia-Media Summit Begins in New Delhi

i. The 15th Asia Media Summit (AMS) has begun in New Delhi. Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Smriti Irani inaugurated the summit. The theme of the Summit is 'Telling our Stories - Asia and More'. Representatives from 40 countries are participating in the Summit.
ii. The AMS 2018, an annual summit of the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) Kuala Lumpur, is a prestigious summit in the Asia Pacific Region and India is hosting the event for the first time.

2. Ravi Shankar Prasad Launches Website of Digital India Internship Scheme

Ravi Shankar Prasad 

i. Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad launched the website of Digital India Internship Scheme in New Delhi. Under this scheme, 25 interns will be inducted for a period of three months.
ii. The internship is an opportunity for a student to secure first hand and practical work experience under the guidance of qualified and experienced Supervisor and Mentor. 

3. 15th Finance Commission Constituted Advisory Council

i. The 15th Finance Commission has constituted an advisory council to advise and assist the commission. The six-member council will be headed by the President of Forum for Strategic Initiatives, Arvind Virmani.
ii. The role and functions of the council will be to advise the commission on any issue or subject related to the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the Commission.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     Mr Arun JAitley is the present Finance Minister of India.

4. TRAI Releases Draft of Telecom Interconnection Regulations

i. Telecom regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) issued a draft to amend interconnect regulations, proposing certain changes in terms and conditions for operators to seek fresh call connect ports from other telcos.
ii. The 'draft Telecommunication Interconnection (Amendment) Regulations 2018' proposed that a service provider can ask another operator for additional ports, in case the projected utilisation of the capacity is likely to exceed 85% over 60 day period.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     Manoj Sinha is the Minister of State (I/C) of the Ministry of Communications.

·                     Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is the Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

5. Madhya Pradesh Launches India’s 1st ICCC For Its Smart Cities

i. In a major step towards realising the centre's Smart City Mission (SCM), the Madhya Pradesh government launched the country's first Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) for all seven smart cities of the state, in Bhopal.
ii. Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Satna, and Sagar are the seven smart cities under SCM in Madhya Pradesh. It was launched in the first "Apex Conference for the CEOs" of smart cities.

International News

6. Sushma Swaraj on 2-Day Visit to Maynmar

i. External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj left on a two-day visit to Myanmar. The visit is part of ongoing high-level interaction between the governments of India and Myanmar.
ii. During her visit, Swaraj will hold discussions with the Myanmar leadership on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest to both countries.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     Myanmar State Counsellor- Aung San Suu Kyi, Capital- Naypyidaw, President- Win Myint.

7. China Launched Gaofen-5  to Monitor Air Pollution

i. China has successfully launched a hyperspectral imaging satellite 'Gaofen-5' for comprehensive observation of the atmosphere, including air pollution which is one of the country's major problems. The Gaofen-5 satellite was launched off the back of a Long March 4C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
ii. It was the 274th flight mission by a Long March carrier rocket. Gaofen-5 is the first China-developed satellite that can monitor air pollution.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     China National Space Administration is the national space agency of China responsible for the national space program and for planning and development of space activities.

·                     Founded in- April 1993, Headquarters: Beijing, China.

8. Beijing To Hold World Robot Conference

i. The 2018 World Robot Conference (WRC) will be held in Beijing, China in August 2018. The event will see over 12,000 competing teams and 50,000 participants from more than 10 countries and regions.
ii. A robot competition will be held during the conference where participants will compete in five categories.

9. Leaders of China, Japan and South Korea Met in Tokyo

i. The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea met in Tokyo against the backdrop of historic diplomatic moves by North Korea and a push for the isolated country to give up its nuclear weapons.
ii. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and South Korean President Moon Jae-in held talks in the first three-way summit in two-and-a-half years. The leaders also discussed cooperation on economic issues.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     Japan Capital- Tokyo, Currency- Japanese yen.

·                     China Capital- Beijing, Currency- Renminbi.

·                     South Korea Capital- Seoul, Currency- South Korean won.

10. Venkaiah Naidu 3-Nation Visit: India, Panama Sign 2 Agreements

i. India and Panama have signed 2 agreements on the exemption of Visas for holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports and in the field of Agriculture. These agreements were signed during the second leg visit of  Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu to Panama.
ii. These ties are based on common values and a shared commitment to democracy, pluralism, and multi-culturalism of both the countries. 2 centres for Biodiversity and Innovation will be set up by India in Panama worth US $10 mn and US $15 mn each.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     Panama Capital- Panama City, Currencies- United States Dollar, Panamanian balboa.

·                     President of Panama- Juan Carlos Varela Rodrigues.

Awards

11. Nisha Bhalla Conferred With 'WEF 2018' Award

i. Nisha Bhalla, a 46-year-old holistic coach and consultant from Mumbai was felicitated at the recently concluded Annual Women Economic Forum (WEF) 2018 Awards. WEF is the largest global gathering of women entrepreneurs and leaders worldwide.
ii. The event was held in Delhi. Nisha was presented the 'Excellent Woman of Excellence' award for her spiritual service at the event.

Ranks and Reports

12. Business Optimism Index: India Ranks 6th, Austria Tops

i. India was ranked 6th on Global Optimism Index released as part of Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) in the first quarter of 2018. The report was prepared based on the results of a survey of 2,500 businesses in 37 economies.
ii. India had topped the chart for four years. The top five nations in the report are Austria, Finland, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the US.

13. India Fastest Growing Economy at 7.4% in 2018: IMF

i. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reaffirmed that India will be the fastest-growing major economy in 2018, with a growth rate of 7.4% that rises to 7.8% in 2019 with medium-term prospects remaining positive, according to the IMF's Asia and Pacific Regional Economic Outlook report.
ii. As per the report, the consumer price increase in 2017 was 3.6% and projected it to be 5% in 2018 and 2019.  After India, Bangladesh is projected to be the fastest-growing economy in South Asia with growth rates of 7% for 2018 and 2019.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     Managing Director of IMF- Christine Lagarde, Headquarters in- Washington DC, USA.

Miscellaneous News

14. Google Officially Launches Things, Its IoT Platform

i. In an effort to better secure and control Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Google has officially launched Android Things. 
ii. With Android Things, each connected device that uses the platform will receive three years of OS updates directly from Google nd all of these updates will be free.

Static/Current Takeaways Imprtant for NABARD Grade-A Exam 2018-

·                     Google CEO- Sundar Pichai, Parent organization- Alphabet Inc., Headquarters- the USA.