11 January 2018 Current Affairs
Click here to download 11 January 2018 Current Affairs in PDF Format
Harjinder Singh appointed as Chef de Mission for 23rd Winter Olympic Games
Harjinder Singh was appointed as the Chef de Mission of Indian Contingent participating in the 23rd Winter Olympic Games to be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February 2018. Singh’s appointment was confirmed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). Currently, Singh holds the post of General Secretary in the Ice Hockey Association of India.
Jeff Bezos becomes Richest Person Surpassing Bill Gates: Bloomberg Report
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon has become the richest man in the history, overtaking the wealth Bill Gates ever had to his name, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The Index showed that Bezos’ net worth had hit USD 105.1 billion. According to Forbes’ tracker, most of Bezos’ wealth comes from his 78.9 million shares of Amazon stock. According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the richest people in the world are Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, Amancio Ortega.
108 years old Monorail used by Maharaja of Patiala is now operational
One important heritage attraction at National Rail Museum- a 108 years old monorail, which was used by Maharaja of Patiala Lt Bhupinder Singh, became operational on 11 January 2018. The National Rail Museum announced to start this heritage train on every Thursday for visitors. This monorail, hauled by steam locomotives, is one of its kinds in the world. National Rail Museum (NRM) is the focus of Rail heritage of India, a source of fascination and interest in railways for all. The Museum promises to take the visitors on an exciting journey into the Railway history and heritage and depict their contribution to the industrial and economic progress of the country.
CABE sub-committee recommends free education for girls up to PG level
The sub-committee of Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) looking into issues of girl’s education has recommended free and compulsory education for girls up to post-graduate level across the country. The sub-committee is likely to submit an interim report to Union Human Resource Development Ministry during CABE meeting on January 15, 2018.
Karnataka tops States with Investment Intentions of Rs. 1.49 lakh crore
Karnataka topped all states with investment intentions of Rs. 1.49 lakh crore till October 2017, according to R V Deshpande, Karnataka Minister for Large, Medium Industries and Infrastructure Development. The investment was 43 percent of the country’s total investment intentions. Karnataka topped in FDI inflows and has performed well in exports, contributing about 40 percent in electronics and software services.
World Bank Report projects 7.3% growth for India in 2018
The 2018 Global Economics Prospect (GEP) released by the World Bank has projected India’s growth rate to 7.3% in 2018 and 7.5 for the next two years i.e. 2019 and 2020. According to report, India, despite initial setbacks from demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST), is estimated to have grown at 6.7% in 2017, higher than 6.5% estimated by Government.
Government restricts use of national flag made of plastic
The central government insisted people not to use national flag made of plastic, ahead of Republic Day celebrations. An advisory from the Union Home Ministry has said that, since plastic flags are not biodegradable like paper flags, they do not decompose for a long time. Keeping in mind the proper disposal of national flag made of plastic, without affecting its dignity, the advisory has restricted the usage of plastic bags. The advisory has stated that on important national, cultural and sports events, only flags made of paper are to be used by public as per the Flag Code of India, 2002. These paper flags should not be discarded or thrown on the ground after the event. They should be disposed of in private without affecting the dignity of the flag.
IndiGo rated world’s 4th most punctual ‘mega carrier’
India’s IndiGo is the fourth most ‘mega carrier’ in the world, beating British Airways and Lufthansa in a travel analyst company’s annual list. Japan Airlines takes the top spot in OAG’s list of the world’s most punctual ’mega carriers’. Its annual review, the Punctuality League 2018, takes into account airlines’ performance on timekeeping. OAG has two separate punctuality lists, one for all airlines, big and small, and another one for ‘mega carriers’. The company defines ‘on-time performance’ as flights that arrive or depart within 14 minutes and 59 seconds (under 15 minutes) of their scheduled arrival/departure times.
Bahrain to host first-ever ‘Baby Olympics’
Bahrain has unveiled plans to stage the first ever Baby Olympics in April, where medals will be contested by two to four year-olds, in a bid to promote the Olympic principles and exercise at a young age. The Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) intends to include five disciplines. The Athletics competition will host three events: medley relay for four year-olds, a hurdles toddle for three year-olds, while participating two year-olds will cross a specially designed stretch of 15 meters in a freestyle race.