Current Affairs - April 1, 2018 Current Affairs

The Union Cabinet approved the MoU between India and Canada to establish bilateral cooperation activities in the field of Intellectual Property (IP). The MoU is intended to promote innovation, creativity and economic growth in both countries. Both countries can exchange best practices and work together to raise awareness on IPRs and better protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).

Asia's largest startup ecosystem congregation, 'Huddle Kerala', will be held at Kovalam on April 6 & 7. The initiative is envisaged to provide a platform for start-ups to pitch their products & interact with a wide array of technology & industry leaders from around the world. It will primarily focus on emerging sectors like blockchain, cryptocurrency, IoT, VR among other latest technologies.

Fino Payments Bank is planning to deploy multi-utility Android-based mPOS devices across 10000 banking points across India in a phased manner. In context of this news, abbreviation mPOS stands for mobile Point Of Sale. Android-based mPOS is a handheld device with in-built finger print scanner, card reader, camera, printer and tablet. It thus eliminates the need for multiple devices that are currently used to facilitate finger print authentication and digital transactions. Through mPOS devices, Fino representatives will be able to provide all banking services viz, account opening, deposit, withdrawal, money transfer, insurance sales and Aadhaar-enabled payment systems (AEPS) to customers at their doorstep.

Rivigo, a homegrown logistics start-up that owns as well as acts as an aggregator of trucks is tying up with YES Bank, IDFC, and 10 other financial institutions to make cheaper funds available to truck owners and operators on its platform. The funds will be available at an interest rate of 1-2 percent per month, lower than the usual industry standard of 2-3 percent.

India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises. In statements issued last evening by both foreign ministries, India and Pakistan have mutually agreed to resolve matters related to the treatment of diplomats and diplomatic premises, in line with the 1992 'Code of Conduct' for treatment of Diplomatic or Consular personnel in India and Pakistan. The Code provides for "smooth and unhindered functioning" of the diplomatic and consular officials of the two countries in conformity with the international laws without violating their privileges and immunities. The Code also says that the two countries should not resort to intrusive and aggressive surveillance and actions such as verbal and physical harassment, disconnection of phone lines and et cetera.

In wake of increasing and unacceptable levels of anti-Sikh bigotry, US state of New Jersey's State Assembly has declared April as 'Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month'. During the month of April, efforts will be made to promote public awareness of the Sikh faith, recognise the important contributions of the Sikh community and combat anti-Sikh bigotry. As per US Government data, nearly 60 per cent of Americans know nothing about Sikh religion or its practitioners. After 9/11 terrorist attacks in US, rates of anti-Sikh bigotry rose dramatically as Sikhs in America are often confused for Muslims.

R Dinesh, Joint Managing Director of T V Sundram Iyengar and Sons, has been elected Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Southern Region for the 2018-19 period. R Dinesh is also the Chairman of CII Institute of Logistics Advisory Council and Chairman of Logistics Sector Skill Council. Before this appointment, he was Vice-Chairman of CII Southern Region. Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu, Chairman and Managing Director of Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd. that is based in Coimbatore, was elected Deputy Chairman of CII Southern Region for 2018-19. Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu has served as Chariman of CII Tamil Nadu State Council during 2006-07. Also, he was the Chairman of Textiles (Sub-Committee), CII Southern Region during 2002-04.

Twitter has introduced "Timestamps" - a new feature that will make it easier for its users to share a key moment from long, live videos.This will help to draw attention to the specific moment in a live video.The "Timestamps" update has started rolling out on Twitter for Android and iOS devices.

Andhra Pradesh government appointed shuttler Kidambi Srikanth as a Deputy Collector. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu gave the appointment letter to Kidambi Srikanth in the presence of former All-England champion and badminton coach Pullela Gopichand, in Amravati. Kidambi Srikanth has received the Padma Shri award. He became the second youngest sportsperson in India after PV Sindhu to bag the Padma Shri award. After he won the title at the Indonesian Championship in June 2017, he was promised a government job.

The Russian military has successfully tested its latest intercontinental ballistic missile 'SARMAT'. The RS-28 Sarmat can cross South Pole as well as the North Pole, the shortest route between Russia and US and can strike targets anywhere in the world. Sarmat is intended to replace the Soviet-designed Voyevoda, the world's heaviest ICBM known as "Satan" in the West.

The Tripura government has decided to set up a "well-equipped" crime branch under the state police to deal with unlawful activities such as drug and narcotics peddling. The new wing will be modelled after Delhi Police's crime branch. The crime branch would exclusively deal with crimes like drug peddling, indulging in social unrest and crimes on women.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has retained the top spot on 'IE 100 2018', The List of Most Powerful Indians. PM Modi has retained the top spot as he has been the face of BJP in every election (Assembly, by-poll or civic polls) contested since 2014. UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi (at No. 5) is the most powerful woman on the list. Surprisingly, President Ram Nath Kovind's name has not featured in this list.

Scientists have identified a new organ "interstitium" in the human body, which could help in understanding the spread of cancer within the body. "Interstitium" is a series of fluid-filled compartments, found beneath the skin, as well as lining of gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles. These compartments join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins.