Current Affairs – April 06 2018
1. World’s first hotel in space to open in 2021
US company Orion Span will open the world’s first luxury hotel in space in 2021. Named ‘Aurora Station’, the hotel will cost $9.5 million (over ₹61 crore) for a 12-day stay, inclusive of launching shuttle price. Facilities include growing food, and high-speed internet access, with guests required to complete a mandatory three-month training prior to their stay.
2. US approves $1.3-billion artillery sale to Saudi Arabia
The US has approved a $1.3-billion artillery sale to Saudi Arabia, including 180 Paladin howitzer systems and artillery-firing vehicles. Earlier, US President Donald Trump’s administration approved an arms sale of $1 billion to the kingdom. The deals come as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made his first official visit to the US.
3. ‘Sholay’ actor Raj Kishore passes away at the age of 85
Actor Raj Kishore, who played the role of a prisoner in ‘Sholay’, passed away at the age of 85. He reportedly passed away due to a heart attack. Kishore also acted in films like Padosan (1968), Deewar (1975), Ram Aur Shyam (1967), Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), Bombay To Goa (1972) and Karan Arjun (1995), among others.
4. Mithali Raj becomes most capped player in women’s ODIs
Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj has become the most capped player in women’s ODI cricket after turning out for the 192nd time against England. Raj, who is also the highest run-getter in WODIs, overtook former England captain Charlotte Edwards, who had appeared in 191 WODIs. Indian fast bowler Jhulan Goswami is the third-most capped WODI player.
5. Former South Korean President sentenced to 24 yrs in prison
Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years in prison and slapped with a $17 million fine after being convicted of corruption. Park was involved in a bribery scandal that has seen the chiefs of giants like Samsung and Lotte being jailed.
6. Qatar introduces national service for women for first time
Qatar will introduce national service for women for the first time under a law issued by the country’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. Women aged over 18 will be able to volunteer for national service under the law. Every Qatari male aged 18-35 is required to perform a compulsory military service, now extended to a year instead of three months.
7. Indian lifter Sanjita Chanu wins 2nd straight CWG gold medal
Indian weightlifter Sanjita Chanu won her second consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal after lifting a total of 192 kg in the women’s 53 kg category at the Gold Coast Games. The 24-year-old had won gold in the women’s 48 kg category in the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. India have won one silver and two gold medals till now.
8. TRAI proposes Wi-Fi grid to bring down cost of internet by 90%
Telecom regulator Trai has mooted a concept of open architecture-based public Wi-Fi grid to bring down the cost of the internet by 90%. The recommendations by Trai are backed by the findings of the pilot project conducted by the regulator. The pilot and trials by Trai were aimed at demonstrating the proof of concept of such an architecture.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has suggested that any entity – company, proprietorship or non-entities – should easily be able to set up a public Wi-Fi access point.
The mesh or grid proposed by the regulator entails various providers coming together to address aspects like services, access, payment, and authentication.
9. Government constitutes committee to regulate news portals
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has instituted a committee to regulate online portals, including news websites, entertainment sites and media aggregators. The 10-member committee will include secretaries of the departments of Home, Legal Affairs, Electronics and Information and Technology, and Industrial Policy and Promotion.
The committee, broadly, will look at three things. One is to bring online information dissemination under regulation. Second is to propose a policy for foreign direct investment in this media. Third is to look at international best practices on such existing regulatory mechanism.
10. Varanasi gets more e-boats for pollution-free boating
A major feature of holy city Varanasi is the custom of sightseeing on boats. The latest addition to the fleet that has been servicing customers for generations is e-boats being launched by Union Minister Giriraj Singh.
These e-boats will ensure pollution free boating and a cleaner Ganga. It is also a govt initiative to generate employment. E-boats are increasingly emerging as a profitable option for the boating community. This initiative will not only curb pollution but provide more employment opportunities in Varanasi.
The boatsmen are delighted by the introduction of e-boats and have said that they had asked the Prime Minister for this facility and it has now got fulfilled as per their request.
