Current Affairs - January 28, 2018 Current Affairs

India and Cambodia signed four Memoranda of Understanding in areas, including deepening cooperation in culture and preventing human trafficking. The MoUs were signed after delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen in New Delhi. The two countries are committed to taking their relationship at a newer level. He attended the India-ASEAN Commemorative summit in New Delhi and also attended the Republic Day Parade yesterday along with other ASEAN leaders.

One of the highest food producers- India stands on the 100th rank for the title 'Hungry'. Out of 119, India stood on 100th rank which is disturbing for the nation with the highest population. 'Global Hunger Index' carried out by International Food Policy Research Institute chalked out nations that fall under 'Starving' category. The 100 out of 119 countries on the GHI, while last year it was at 97 out of 118. Even though India's 2017 GHI score-31.4-has improved over the years, its hunger problem remains categorized as "serious." The rankings are based on four indicators: undernourishment, child mortality, child wasting, and child stunting. A GHI score of between 20 and 34.9 points reflects serious hunger levels; between 35 and 49.9, it is alarming, and extremely alarming if over 50.

January 2018, International Holocaust Remembrance Day was observed all over the world. Every year, 27 January is observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in remembrance of victims of Holocaust (destruction or slaughter on a mass scale, especially caused by fire or nuclear war). On this day, UNESCO reassures its commitment to combat racism and all forms of intolerance that triggers group-targeted violence. The theme for International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2018 is: "Holocaust Remembrance and Education: Our Shared Responsibility".

The Union Government has allowed Small Finance Banks and Payments Banks to offer Atal Pension Yojana (APY). Recently, 10 Small Finance Banks and 11 Payment Banks have got license from Reserve Bank of India to start banking operations in the country. The Banks include Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, Janalakshmi Small Finance Bank, Suryoday Small Finance Bank, India Post Payment Bank and Paytm Payment Bank. The social security scheme "APY" was launched in 2015 and was the first ever dedicated Guaranteed Pension Product to the people of the country. The scheme is available to the people in the age group of 18 to 40 years. Under the scheme, a subscriber would receive a minimum guaranteed pension of Rs 1,000 to 5,000 per month from the age of 60 years depending upon the contribution. At present, over 84 lacs subscribers are registered under the APY scheme with an asset base of more than 3,194 crore rupees.

AirAsia India carried 1.42 million passengers in the December quarter, a growth of 79% over the same period last fiscal. AirAsia India is a 51:49 joint venture between Tata Sons and Malaysian carrier AirAsia. The carrier ended the quarter with a fleet size of 14 aircraft after adding one plane in the quarter and six in the year.

Corporal Jyoti Prakash Nirala, an Indian Air Force Garud commando, has been posthumously honoured with the India's highest peacetime military decoration "Ashoka Chakra" for service and exhibiting bravery in fighting the militants at the 69th Republic Day 2018. Nirala laid down his life while gunning down two terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)'s Bandipora district in November 2017. He is the first airman to receive the award for ground combat and only the third one to receive it overall after Suhas Biswas and Rakesh Sharma. Corporal Nirala was part of a Garud Special Forces Unit of the IAF, a detachment of which was attached to a Rashtriya Rifles battalion under the aegis of 'Op Rakshak'. Ashok Chakra is the highest peacetime military decoration for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the battlefield.

Delhi won their first Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy by beating Rajasthan. It was held at Eden Gardens stadium, Kolkata. The 2017-18 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is the ninth edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, a Twenty20 competition in India.

Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu released the book 'Staniya Svasasan Mei Addhi Aabadhi' in New Delhi.This book has been authored by Dr. Sadhana Pandey.

Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) of Ghaziabad was announced as one of the champions of the United Nations' initiative on Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. PRME Champions Group consists of B-Schools involved as PRME signatories, working on real-time implementation of sustainability principles from various part of the world. PRME Champions group aims to create and promote activities that focus on United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The member-institutes of PRME Champions group should take initiatives in curriculum, research and partnership to implement the goals.

Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck has confirmed it lost about $524 million after suffering a hack which stole 500 million NEM tokens It is the biggest cryptocurrency hack ever. NEM, the 10th-largest cryptocurrency by market value, fell 11% over a 24-hour period following the hack. The previous largest theft was pegged at $450 million in 2014 from a Tokyo-based exchange.

China has decided to establish three international courts to deal with disputes related to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). BRI is Chinese Government's development strategy that focuses on road connectivity and maritime cooperation between Eurasian countries. The three international courts will be set up in Beijing, Shenzhen and Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. Chinese Government has made massive investment in this initiative. Over 60 countries have signed up for cooperation under this initiative. Xi'an court will handle cases related to the Silk Road, while Shenzhen court will deal with Maritime Silk Road disputes. Court at Beijing will serve as headquarters for international courts.

21st India International Seafood Show (IISS) opened in Margao, Goa on January 27, 2018. This event was inaugurated by Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. IISS is a biennial event which serves as a common meeting point for various stakeholders of marine products sector such as producers, processing machinery manufacturers, processors,and technical experts. Focial theme of 21st IISS is 'Safe & Sustainable Seafood from India'.