Current affairs 09/02/2018

Current affairs 09/02/2018

Important Cabinet Approvals- 07th February 2018

 The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given the following set of approvals. The important Cabinet Approvals are given as follows-

1. Signing of India-Australia MoU for Secondment Programme.
2. Signing and ratification of protocol amending the Agreement between India and China for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion.
3. Signing of a MoU with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on Cooperation in the Field of Skill Development, Vocational Education and Training.
4. Signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between India and USA on Law Enforcement Training.
5. Discovered Small Fields (DSF) Policy Bid Round-11 for 60 un-monetised discoveries of ONGC and OIL under Nomination and Relinquished Discoveries under PSC Regime.
6. Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury.
7. Placing the new Instrument adopted by International Labour Organization (ILO) Recommendation concerning “The Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience” before the Parliament.
8. Implementation of ‘Prime Minister Research Fellows (PMRF)’.
9. Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Bill, 2017 to replace the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017.
10. Proposal for Amendment to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 to change the criteria of classification and to withdraw the MSMED (Amendment) Bill, 2015 – pending in Lok Sabha.
11. Cabinet apprised of an MoU signed between India and Tunisia for cooperation on Youth matters.
12. Changes in the Major Port Authorities Bill 2016.
13. Rationalization of Autonomous Bodies under Department of Health & Family Welfare.

Pema Khandu laid the foundation stone of a rhododendron park

Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of a rhododendron park in his hometown Tawang.

Source: the telegraph

HAL develops first Hawk-i flight

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has developed the first flight of Hawk-i with indigenous Real Time Operating System (RTOS).

Hawk-i is the first indigenous RTOS developed in India from scratch and certified by Center for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), HAL Chairman T. Suvarna Raju.

Source: aninews

Admiral Mukul Asthana Takes Over as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air)

Admiral Mukul Asthana, has been appointed as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Air) at New Delhi. He was commissioned in 1986 in the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy.

He is a recipient of the prestigious Nausena Medal. He was also conferred with the Tenzing Norgay National Award by HE the President of India in 2006.

5th South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference Held in New Delhi

 The Fifth edition of South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference was held in New Delhi. It was hosted by Public Procurement Division (PPD) of Ministry of Finance and All India Management Association (AIMA).

 It was held under auspices of South Asia Region Public Procurement Network (SARPPN), which is sponsored and facilitated by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank. The theme this edition of the conference was “Public Procurement and Service Delivery”.

Dubai Retains Rank as World’s Busiest International Airport in 2017

Dubai International Airport says it has held on to its No 1 ranking as the world’s busiest airport for international travel, after seeing some 88.2 million passengers in 2017.

Source: the Hindu business standard

John Mahoney of 'Frasier' fame dies at 77

John Mahoney, a veteran character actor best known for playing the curmudgeonly dog-loving father of the title character in TV's "Frasier," has died. He was 77 years old.

Bermuda becomes first country in world to repeal same-sex marriage

Bermuda has become the first country to legalise and then repeal same-sex marriage, in what critics have called an unprecedented rollback of civil rights by the British island territory.

Forbes Releases its First-Ever Cryptocurrency Rich List

 Business magazine Forbes has released its first-ever Crypto Rich List, comprising 20 wealthiest people in the cryptocurrency space. The list was topped by Ripple Co-founder Chris Larsen, who is estimated to have a crypto net worth of $7.5-8 billion.
 He is followed by Ethereum Co-founder Joseph Lubin ($1-5 billion) and Founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance Changpeng Zhao ($1.1-2 billion).