Daily GK Update : 8th February 2017

 Summits and Conferences

 1. Global conference on Nuclear Terrorism to begin in New Delhi today

• Today, three -day Implementation and Assessment Group (IAG) conference of the GICNT (Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism) partner countries has begun in New Delhi.
• Indian’s Foreign Secretary Jaishankar has inaugurated the meet organized by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Department of Atomic Energy.
• The meeting highlights India’s commitment to global nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
• Nearly 150 delegates from various partner countries and international organizations are taking part in the event.

Note:

• The Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism was launched in 2006 by the Russian Federation and the United States
• In the past ten years, it has grown to include 86 partner nations and five official observer organizations.

 Honors & Awards

 2. Indian-origin British sculptor Anish Kapoor wins USD 1 million Israeli prize

• Renowned Indian-origin British sculptor Anish Kapoor (62-year) honored with the prestigious $1 million Genesis Prize by Israel for his utmost contribution for Jewish community.
• The money received by the innovative artist would be contributed by him to help the Syrian refugees and expand Jewish engagement in the global effort to reduce the refugee crisis.
• He was chosen by the prize committee headed by Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky.

Books & Authors

 3. Salman Rushdie's 'The Golden House' to release in September

• British-Indian Novelist and essayist Salman Rushdie’s new novel titled "The Golden House" will release in September 2017.
• The book will be published in India by Penguin Random House.
• The novel is a modern-day thriller, tells the story of a wealthy family from Mumbai desperately seeking to forget the tragedy of 26/11 as they try to reinvent themselves in New York City.
• Rushdie’s last novel Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights was published in 2015.
• He won the Booker Prize for his novel Midnight’s Children in 1981.

Science & Defence

4. Japan's Scientists have developed terahertz (THz) transmitter technology

• Japan's Scientists have announced the development of a terahertz (THz) transmitter which can transmit digital data at a rate exceeding 100 gigabits per second over a single channel using the 300-gigahertz band
• It is a next generation system which can transmit digital data over 10 times faster than 5G mobile networks expected to appear around 2020.

Obituaries

5. Veteran freedom fighter Racharla Samrajyam passes away

• Veteran freedom fighter Racharla Samrajyam (98-year) has passed away due to age-related illness at Vishakhapatnam.
• Samrajyam was born on April 26, 1919 at Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. She was the younger sister of the social reformer Gora.
• She was inspired by the Quit India Movement at the time when she was undergoing Hindi Pracharak training at Anantapur in 1942.
• She received the ‘Tarmra Patra’ from the Union Government in the year 1972. 

International Affairs

 6. Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos wins Senate confirmation vote

• The United States Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's controversial nominee for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, by the slenderest possible margin.
• US Vice-President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote to secure her cabinet role, splitting the chamber 50-50.
• It was the first time ever that a Vice- President has interceded in such a way for a Cabinet Secretary.
• Mrs DeVos has no experience with public schools, faced a rocky confirmation hearing last month.

7. Qatar Airways launches world's longest scheduled commercial airline route

• Qatar Airways has launched the world's longest scheduled commercial airline route with the arrival of its flight from Doha to Auckland, New Zealand.
• The airliner 777-200LR is 259-seat Boeing crossed 10 time zones before landing in Auckland after taking off from Doha covering distance of 7848 nautical miles.
• Emirates previously held the record for its route between Dubai and Auckland.

Note:

• Qatar Airways is the state-owned flag carrier of Qatar, established on 22 November 1993.
• The company is headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha.

Banking & Finance

8. RBI keeps repo rate unchanged

• Today, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced its Sixth Bi- monthly Monetary Policy Rates for 2016-17 in Mumbai.
• RBI has kept policy rate unchanged at 6.25% at the conclusion of its sixth bimonthly meet.
• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy repo rate under the Liquidity Adjustment Facility unchanged at 6.25%.
• It lowered GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 6.9 per cent and the apex bank expects a rebound in GDP growth to 7.4 percent next year.

9. ‘Samsung Pay’ to Launch in India

• The technology giant Samsung will launch its mobile payment wallet “Samsung Pay” in India.
• The launch is expected to happen in the first half of 2017.
• According to reports, Samsung will be partnering with American Express (Amex) to bring its mobile payment solution to India.
• The company is also exploring the possibility of pairing with the two global financial services companies, ‘Visa’ and ‘MasterCard’.

10. Axis Bank ties up with Earthport

• India’s Axis bank has tied up with a cross-border payment network Earthport Plc. to enable faster outbound cross-border payments for its customers.
• Earthport Plc has a state-of-the-art global payments network, which spans over 60 countries.
• Now, Axis bank has become the first bank in India, who connects with Earthport.

Sports

11. National Badminton Championship: Sourabh Verma clinches Men’s Singles title

• Sourabh Verma (24-years) has won the Men’s singles title of the 81^st senior national Badminton Championships tournament plyed at Patliputra sports complex Patna.
• He defeated Lakshya Sen in straight sets 21-13, 21-12.

12. India to host World Billiards Championship for next four years

• The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) has announced that India will host the World Billiards Championship for the next four years.
• Earlier, the World Billiards Championship -2016 was held in Bengaluru.
• This will be the only World Championship recognized by all as the earlier one being held by the World Billiards Limited will not take place now.
• The World Billiards Limited will only have ranking events.

Thought of the Day

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

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