National News
1. India, Nepal Sign MoU on Preliminary Survey Of
Railway Line Between Raxaul & Kathmandu
i. India and Nepal have
signed an MoU on Preliminary Engineering-cum-Traffic Survey on
Broad Gauge Rail Line between Raxaul (Bihar) and Kathmandu. Indian
Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri and Nepal’s Secretary of Ministry of
Physical Planning and Works, Madhusudan Adhikari signed the MoU in
Kathmandu.
ii.
India and Nepal had agreed in April 2018 to construct a new
electrified rail line with India’s financial support connecting the border city
of Raxaul in India to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli is
the current Prime Minister of Nepal.
·
Bidhya Devi Bhandari is
the current President of Nepal and commander in chief of Nepalese Army.
·
The Nepalese Rupee is the
currency of Nepal.
2. Bi-Annual Talks Between Indian and Bangladeshi
Border Forces Begin in New Delhi
i. The bi-annual talks between Indian and Bangladeshi
border forces have begun in New Delhi. Director
General of Border Security Force (BSF) KK Sharma represented the
Indian side while Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)
Major General Md Shafeenul Islam led the Bangladeshi side in the
talks.
ii. This is the 47th DG-level conference between the two sides since it began in 1975.
ii. This is the 47th DG-level conference between the two sides since it began in 1975.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Bangladesh PM- Sheikh Hasina, Capital- Dhaka, Currency- Bangladeshi
Taka.
International News
3. President
Ram Nath Kovind Embarks on 3-Nation Tour
i.
President Ram Nath Kovind embarked on an eight-day three-nation
tour to Cyprus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. He was accompanied by
first lady Savita Kovind.
ii. President Kovind will hold talks with the leaders of the three European countries to deepen ties, particularly in the economic sphere. He will hold talks with that President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades.
ii. President Kovind will hold talks with the leaders of the three European countries to deepen ties, particularly in the economic sphere. He will hold talks with that President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Cyprus Capital: Nicosia, Currency: Euro.
·
Bulgaria Capital: Sofia, Currency: Bulgarian
lev.
·
Czech Republic Capital: Prague, Currency: Czech
koruna.
4. International Tourist Arrivals Hit Record High
In 2017: UN Report
i. International
tourist arrivals hit record high in 2017 with India leading the growth in South
Asian region. According to data from the UN’s tourism organisation, a total of
1,323 million international tourist arrivals recorded in destinations around
the world. The figure represents an 84 million increase over 2016, and a new
record.
ii. According to
the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), positive results in
South Asia were largely driven by the strong performance of India, the
subregion’s largest destination, which benefited from increasing demand from
western source markets and simpler visa procedures.
iii. In
India, international tourists arrivals grew from 14.57 million in 2016
to 15.54 million in 2017. International tourism receipts for India
grew from 22.42 billion dollars in 2016 to 27.36 billion dollars last year.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
Zurab Pololikashvili is
Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
·
UNWTO’s membership includes 158 countries, 6
Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members.
·
UNWTO Headquarters in Madrid, Spain.
5. 6th East Asia Summit And 15th India-ASEAN Economic Ministers
Meeting Held in Singapore
i. Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh
Prabhu attended the 6th East Asia Summit- Economic
Ministers’ Meeting (EAS-EMM) and 15th India-ASEAN Economic
Ministers’ Meeting (AEM) in Singapore. Singapore is currently
holding the Chair of ASEAN.
ii. The 6th East-Asia Economic Ministers’ Meeting
was chaired by Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore, and
was attended by Economic Ministers from 10 ASEAN countries
and their eight dialogue partners, Australia, China, India,
Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United
States of America.
Appointments
6. Mark
Read Appointed WPP CEO In Place of Martin Sorrell
i. WPP Plc, the world’s largest communication services
group, announced the appointment of Mark Read as
the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Director (ED) to
the company’s board with immediate effect.
ii.
He has replaced Martin Sorrell.
Asian Games 2018
7. Ikee Rikako Named 'Most Valuable Player' Of Asian Games
Ikee Rikako |
i.
Japanese swimmer Ikee Rikako has been named as the Most Valuable
Player (MVP) of the recently-concluded 18th edition of the
Asian Games.
ii. The 18-year-old, who bagged six gold and two
silver medals in the tournament, became the first female athlete to win the
MVP title.
8. India Finishes With Biggest Ever Medal Tally of 69
8. India Finishes With Biggest Ever Medal Tally of 69
i.
The 18th Asian Games came to a close, with India achieving its
best-ever medal haul of 69 and equaling its best gold medal haul of 15 after 67
years. In the final few medal events on the 14th day, India added four medals
to its kitty, two Gold, a silver and a bronze.
ii.
Boxer Amit Panghal stunned the Olympic Champion Hasanboy Dusmatov
in the men’s 49 Kilogram category to win India’s only boxing gold. Indian
men’s bridge team won bridge gold for India. The duo of Pranab
Bardhan, Shibhnath Sarkar finished top of the table with 384 points.
Static/Current
Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018-
·
The Host cities for Asian Games 2018 are Jakarta
and Palembang, Indonesia.
·
Bhin Bhin, Kaka, and Atung are
the mascots of the 2018 Asian Games.