27 December 2017 Current Affairs
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ISRO, NASA jointly working Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of NASA are jointly working on the development of NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR), a Dual Frequency Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging Satellite. NISAR is a dual frequency (L & S Band) Radar Imaging Satellite. It will be the first radar imaging satellite to use dual frequency.
Music Legend Robbie Malinga passes away
Legendary South African musician Robbie Malinga passed away. The veteran musician suffered from anaemia. He announced his retirement as a solo artist in 2016, after more than 20 years in the industry. The musician is known for his hit songs such as, ‘Sobabili’, ‘Mthanda’ and ‘Baby Please’.
In a first, Saudi Arabia hosts World Chess Games
Saudi Arabia is hosting a world chess tournament for the first time, nearly two years after the country’s top cleric issued a religious edict against playing the board game. The tournament has been named as the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. The world’s top three chess players from Norway, Armenia and Azerbaijan are participating in the tournament.
Indian Boxers won 5 Medals at Galym Boxing Tournament
Indian boxers have claimed three gold, a silver, and a bronze medal at the Galym Zharylgapov Boxing Tournament in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. In the event, the country’s Gold Medal winners were K Shyam Kumar in 49kg, Naman Tanwar in 91kg and Satish Kumar in the 91kg category claimed gold medals. The19-year-old Naman Tanwar was also adjudged the best boxer of the tournament.
India’s first pod taxi to follow US safety norms
The five-member committee set up for technical and safety standards of India’s first pod taxi project or Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) has invited fresh bids for strictest safety standards on lines of those prescribed in US. In this regard, the committee has recommended issuance of fresh EOI (expression of interest) incorporating automated people mover (APM) standards and specifications in US, along with other general safety parameters with recommendations of NITI Aayog.
Guatemala to move embassy to Jerusalem
Guatemala has decided to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, following US President Donald Trump’s decision in the holy city. It said that its decisio to follow the US in shifting its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem was a “sovereign” matter that should not affect ties with other countries. Guatemala made this declaration after UNGA (United Nation General Assembly) rejected Trump’s decision to have the United States recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital with two-thirds of the majority.
Only 1.7% Indians paid income tax
Just over 2 crore Indians, or 1.7 % of the total population, paid income tax in the assessment year (AY) 2015-16, according to data released by the I-T department. The number of income-tax return filers increased to 4.07 crore in assessment year 2015-16 (FY 2014-2015) from 3.65 crore in the previous year. Only 2.06 crore actually paid tax as the others claimed income below taxable limits.
President inaugurates conference at ANU in Andhra Pradesh
President Ram Nath Kovind formally inaugurated the Annual Conference of Indian Economic Association at Acharya Nagarjuna University campus near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu felicitated the President at the event. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Kovind said, India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The imaginative policy making is required to tackle the inequities in our society.