Current Affairs – March 26 2018
1. Reliance Jio ranked as no 1 innovator brand, beats Airtel, Flipkart, Paytm and Oyo
India Innovation Outlook 2018 has identified Reliance Jio as the no 1 innovator brand in India ahead of Airtel, Flipkart, Paytm and Oyo. Google has been identified as the no 1 global innovator brand. The research was conducted among 135 heads of marketing, digital marketing, communication and corporate affairs of leading global and Indian brands across the 8 cities of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
2. Malaysia proposes 10 years’ jail for ‘fake news’
The Malaysian government has proposed a “fake news” law which would carry a maximum 10-year jail term, including for articles published abroad. Governments in several countries, emboldened by US President Donald Trump’s fulminations against “fake news”, are considering such legislation.
The bill, which described fake news as a “global concern”, includes a maximum 10 years in jail or fine of up to 500,000 ringgit ($130,000) for anyone guilty of creating or disseminating what authorities deem to be fake news.
3. BSNL to invest Rs 4,300 crore for network expansion in 2018-19
State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will invest about Rs 4,300 crore to expand network in 2018-19, and another Rs 5,000-6,000 crore is likely to be the utilised for government telecom projects.
The investment of Rs 4,300 crore earmarked for BSNL’s own expansion will primarily go into strengthening the mobile network, upgrading broadband infrastructure and strengthening the core network.
BSNL’s Chairman and Managing Director – Anupam Shrivastava
4. Indian, Chinese firms sign agri deals worth $2.36 billion
Indian and Chinese companies have signed commercial deals linked to agriculture worth nearly $2.36 billion. This comes ahead of a proposed meeting between Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu and his Chinese counterpart Zhong Shan in New Delhi this week. The deals aim to boost trade in castor oil, coco fiber, peppermint oil, green coffee bean, black tea and other products.
5. UK conducts its first-ever virtual court case
A virtual court case was held in the UK for the first time with the claimant filing an appeal against fines imposed by the Customs Department. While the claimant appeared from Northern Ireland, judges were seated in London. This is a part of the government’s modernisation programme which aims to make the judiciary more accessible through the use of technology.
6. Steve Smith steps down as Rajasthan Royals captain, Rahane to lead
Steve Smith has stepped down as IPL side Rajasthan Royals’ captain, with Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane being named as the side’s new skipper. This comes after Smith was handed a one-match ban by the ICC for planning the ball-tampering act during the third South Africa Test. Reportedly, Smith could be handed a lifetime ban by Cricket Australia.
7. India ranks 67th in fixed broadband speed globally at 20Mbps
India ranked 67th in fixed broadband speeds globally at 20.72 Mbps in February this year, as per internet testing and analysis platform Ookla. While India ranked 109th in mobile internet download speed, average download speeds rose to 9.01 Mbps in February from 8.80 Mbps last year. Also, India’s upload speeds for mobile data stood at 3.66 Mbps.
8. Asia’s largest tulip garden in Srinagar opens for visitors
Srinagar’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, Asia’s largest tulip garden, was opened for visitors. This year, 12.5 lakh tulip bulbs of 48 varieties were sown in the garden by the floriculture department, state Floriculture Minister Javaid Mustafa Mir said, adding that 20% bloom was recorded on Sunday. Apart from the tulips, 40,000 hyacinth bulbs have also been planted.
9. Anish Bhanwala won a gold medal at the ISSF Junior World Cup
India’s 15-year-old shooter Anish Bhanwala won a gold medal at the ISSF Junior World Cup in the 25m rapid fire pistol event, which was India’s third gold at the event. Bhanwala was placed 7th in the same event at the ISSF Senior World Cup earlier this month. Elsewhere, Anhad Jawanda, appearing in his second Junior World Cup final, finished fourth.
10. India’s oldest city to go wireless 86yrs after getting power
The overhead cables in India’s oldest city, Varanasi, are being dismantled and replaced with underground lines 86 years after the city first got electricity. As a part of the process, a ₹432-crore project aiming to lay down 16 sq km of underground lines was started in December 2015. The project, which is expected to serve 50,000 people, lasted two years.
11. Commerce ministry terminates anti-dumping probe on solar cells
The Commerce Ministry’s investigation arm Directorate General of Anti-Dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) terminated its anti-dumping probe on imports of solar cells from China, Taiwan and Malaysia. The probe was initiated by the DGAD on July 21, 2017 following complaints of dumping of the product by the association. The Indian Solar Manufacturers Association has made a request to terminate the present investigation.
12. e-Tribes India to be launched by Tribal Affairs Ministry
The “e-Tribes India” would be launched soon by the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry. The Launch of e-Tribes includes www.tribesindia.com, www.trifed.in and Retail Inventory Software and M-commerce app. Besides, the occasion will also mark the launch of ‘Tribes India’ Banners at Amazon, Snapdeal, Paytm & GeM.
13. First International Exhibition of Graphic Prints held in New Delhi
The first-ever International Print Biennale, an International Exhibition of Graphic Prints was held in New Delhi. It was organised by Lalit Kala Akademi. The event displayed a total of 200 original prints created by Indian and international artists of impeccable competence. Total 988 entries at the national level were received of which 127 were chosen for display.
14. Canadian mathematician Robert P. Langlands wins Abel Prize 2018
Canadian mathematician Robert P. Langlands (81) has won prestigious Abel Prize 2018 for his visionary programme connecting representation theory to number theory. He will receive the award from Norway’s King Harald V at an award ceremony in Oslo in May 2018.
Abel Prize is awarded annually by Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters to one or more outstanding mathematicians. The award was established by Government of Norway in 2001 and awarded annually since 2003. It is named after 19th century Norwegian mathematician Niel Henrik Abel.
15. Navy warship INS Ganga decommissioned in Mumbai
INS Ganga, an indigenously built frigate of the Indian Navy, was decommissioned, after over three decades of service. Commissioned on December 30, 1985, the ship represented a big step forward in the nation’s warship building capability. The chief guest for the ceremony was Vice Admiral A K Bhal, himself a former crew member of the ship from 1989 to 1991.
INS Ganga (F22) is a Godavari-class guided-missile frigate of the Indian Navy. Built in Mumbai by Mazagon Dock Limited, she was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 30 December 1985.
16. Chandrababu Naidu flags off Naipunya Ratham for digital literacy
World on Wheels (WoW) Project is an innovative initiative of HP Inc. India deploying self-contained internet-enabled digital lab aimed at driving digital literacy, education programming, entrepreneurship training and other community services in underserved areas, said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu while flagging off the Naipunya Ratham at Secretariat.
The project will be initially implemented in identified 28 Smart Villages in 13 districts and will be expanded to other Smart Villages in a phased manner. It aims to create opportunities in underserved communities and empower people everywhere to build a better and more prosperous life.
