1. India along with Argentina, Burkina-Faso, Chad, France, Ivory Coast, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda and Yemen launched a Joint study to define and structure a CRMM (________________) for solar power generation projects in solar rich countries, to reduce cost of finance for renewable energy and the overall price of electricity.
- This is being done as part of international efforts aimed at implementing the the Paris Declaration of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) adopted on 30 November 2015.
2. India ranked _________ (in 40 nations) in 2017's Renewable energy country attractiveness index released by EY (Earnest and Young), with China at top and USA at 3rd Place ?
3. India will supply cheap LED bulbs for citizens of London in _____________ , under Its Flagship‚ UJALA‚ scheme.
- UJALA is among largest global efficiency programs and is run by India's Energy Efficiency Services Ltd.
4. 3 Indian companies - Gitanjali Gems (30th), Titan (31st) and PC Jeweller (44th) named in list of top 50 luxury companies in annual Global Powers of Luxury Goods report. List it topped by _________ Based Louis Vuitton ?
5. _________ became first US company to top $800 billion market capitalization mark. It's shares have gained 33 % this year ?
6. Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID) 2016, by Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), India Ranks ________________ Highest Globally In Internal Displacement Numbers (2.4 million people displaced in 2016). China and Philippines are top 2 ?
7. According to India Development Report released by World Bank, India ranks _________ among 131 countries in terms of women participation in workforce.
- Share of women in services and industry in India is less than 20%. Indian women’s workforce participation is closer to Pakistan (24.6 percent) and the Arab world (23.3 percent) while neighboring Countries Nepal (79.9 percent) and China (63.9 percent) are way ahead.
8. Airlander 10, world’s largest aircraft successfully completed test flight by flying for a total of 180 minutes in Cardington (_________). It is a partly plane and partly airship filled with helium gas. It is 92-metre-long and 43.5m wide. It is built by manufactured by Hybrid Air Vehicles ?
9. ________ will become first country to run all its government ports on green energy, by switching all major domestic ports to solar / wind power ?
10. As per Asia Pacific Tax Complexity Survey by Deloitte -
- Indian tax laws are ____________ most complex in Asia-Pacific region, with China at top. India's tax laws have become even less predictable over last 3 years.
11. As per Times Rich List 2017, 3 India-born citizens are among top 4 richest people in Britain. UK’s 1000 wealthiest people including 40 Indian-born citizens.
- ___________ are richest in UK with worth of 16.2 billion pounds.
- David and Simon Reuben are 3rd Richest in UK with worth approx 14 billion pounds.
- Steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal is ranked at 4th place this year.
12. _____________ Returned 3 Antique Stone Sculptures to India, that were purchased from USA in 2007 and 2005 ?
13. Azraq (______________) became world's first refugee camp powered by renewable energy. UN refugee agency switched on a newly built $9.7 Million solar power plant here, To serve 20,000 Syrian refugees ?
14. __________ announced to withdraw from India's ambitious BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) Motor Vehicles Agreement (MVA), aimed at creating seamless connectivity between the four countries for enhanced sub-regional trade and movement of people ?
15. _________ declared an end to public health emergency for Zika Virus after about 18 months of fight against this mosquito borne virus.?
16. _____________ has become world’s busiest single-runway airport with 837 flights a day or one flight in 65 seconds on an average, during 2016-17 FY. It has overtaken London's Gatwick airport that had 757 flights a day ?
17. _____________ has set up a‚ 160 square-meter laboratory‚ Yuegong-1‚ or‚ Lunar Palace‚ for‚ simulating a lunar like environment (Moon Like environment). Four Postgraduate students from Beijing’s‚ astronautics research university‚ will live in laboratory for 200 days‚ in a bid to prepare for Nation’s long term‚ goal of putting humans on moon ?
18. ____________ launched national satellite navigation and positioning system which would provide positioning services for transport, emergency medical care and city planning and management. It includes 2,700 base stations, a national database center and 30 provincial level database centers ?
19. _________ will launch its own online encyclopedia in 2018, as a rival to Wikipedia ?
20. ___________’s home - made C919 passenger jet took its maiden flight, aiming to take market share from Boeing and Airbus in huge global jet market ?
21. Construction of Extremely Large Telescope‚ (ELT)‚ commenced in ____________ (South America). It will be 5 times bigger than world’s largest optical telescope in use today.‚
- ELT is scheduled to commence its operations in 2024 and budget is slated to be 1 Billion Euros. Main mirror of the ELT will measure‚ some 39 meters (43 yards) across.
22. __________ police inducted world's first operational robot police officer‚ Robocop,‚ during 4th Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC) ?
23. __________ Government approved new bill to regulate non-governmental organisations (NGO).
- It restricts NGO activity to developmental and social work and introduces jail terms of up to five years for non-compliance and fines up to $55000.
- Al Jazeera and other media websites were also recently blocked.
- Under new law, foreign NGOs will have to pay up to 16500 dollars to start working and renew their permit regularly.
24. First-ever women television channel of _____________ - Zan TV (Women’s TV) has been started. ?
25. Forbes 2nd‚ Global Game Changers‚ List (25 Top leaders who make huge impact in their industries) -
- ______________ topped the List, for his efforts to bring internet to India’s masses.
- Top 5 -___________________ , Ziv Aviram and Amnon Shashua of Israel (2nd),‚ ‚ Stewart Butterfield of USA (3rd),‚ John and Patrick Collison of USA (4th),‚ James Dyson of UK (5th).
26. Forbes Global List 2017 in the consumer financial services sector -
- ________ is only Indian company to be named among top 10 consumer financial services companies in world (7th Place).
- American Express topped the list, followed by Capital One Financial and Visa in the second and third place, respectively.
27. Gautam Adani Led Adani Group signed 74 million USD deal with steel group Arrium‚ to buy steel for a 400 km rail line for its Carmichael coal mine project (______________) ?
28. Government approved phasing out FIPB (________________), allowing administrative Ministries / Departments to process applications for FDI requiring government approval ?
29. Headquarter of Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) inaugurated in __________ ?
30. Health care Index in Lancet Medical Journal’s report‚ Global Burden of Disease‚ -
- It assessed Performance of 195 countries for period of 25 years from 1990-2015, based on death rates from 32 diseases that could be avoided by effective medical care.
- Top 5 - Andorra (1), Iceland (2), Switzerland (3), Sweden (4), Norway (5)
- Bottom 5 - Chad (190), Guinea蠪Bissau (2), Somalia (3), Afghanistan (4), Central African Republic (5)
- BRICS - Brazil (95), Russia (57),‚ India (____________), China (82), South Africa (119)
- Neighbours - Nepal (142), Bangladesh (139), Sri Lanka (84), Pakistan (160)
31. India and ____________ signed 12 agreements‚ during visit of PM Narendra Modi . 12 agreements include 9 joint declarations of intent (JDIs) and 3 memoranda of understanding (MoU) -
- JDI -
- Establishment of a Joint Centre for Sustainability.
- Cooperation in cyber policy
- Advanced training of corporate and junior executives‚ from India
- Vocational education and skill development for machine tools.
- Collaboration between Foreign Service institutes‚ of both countries.
- Cooperation in railway safety.
- Cooperation for sustainable urban development
- MOU -
- Collaboration for facilitation of training of Indian skill development officers and cluster managers.
- Cooperation in health sector and alternative medicine.
32. India and Mauritius signed 4 agreements‚ during Visit of PM of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
- India extended a‚ ______________ million dollar line of credit to Mauritius (between‚ SBM Mauritius Infrastructure Development Company and Export-Import Bank of India).
- India and Mauritius agreed‚ to keep a vigil against piracy, humans and drugs trafficking as well as illegal fishing and other forms of illegal exploitation of marine resources.
- Both countries have also agreed to cooperate‚ hydrography for a secure and peaceful maritime domain.‚
- India is also supporting National Coast Guard of Mauritius to augment‚ its capacity through‚ Project Trident.
33. India and Pakistan will be made full member of China-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), at SCO’s‚ summit 2017 to be held in June in Astana (_____________) ?
34. India and Turkey signed 3 agreements During Turkish President __________'s Visit to India -
- An agreement for a cultural exchange programme for years 2017-2020.
- MoU between Foreign Services Institute (FSI) of‚ India‚ and Diplomacy Academy of Turkey.
- MoU for cooperation in information and communication technologies (ICT).
- He was conferred Degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) by Jamia Millia Islamia university.
35. India enabled Pacts for transfer of prisoners From Kazakhstan and _________ ?
36. India has been elected to head UN-Habitat, United Nations’ Human Settlements Programme. M.Venkaiah Naidu (Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation & Information and Broadcasting) Chaired Governing Council Meeting of UN-Habitat in Nairobi (_________).
Since UN-Habitat came into being in 1978, It is 3rd time that India has been elected to lead UN-HABITAT, after 2007 and 1988 ?
37. India imposed anti-dumping duty on certain types of glasses from Iron and aluminium radiators from __________ in order to protect the domestic industry from cheap imports. Duty imposed is USD 55.59 per tonne on clear float glass and USD 22.89 on aluminium radiators.
- Anti-dumping duty also imposed on chemical‚ amoxicillin‚ (@ 8.71 USD / kg), used in pharma industry and aluminium foil (1.63 USD / kg).
38. India overtook __________ to become second-largest steel producer in world after China in 2016, as per data by International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF). India’s stainless steel production was 3.32 million tons in 2016 ?
39. India skipped 2 day OBOR (_____________) summit‚ organised by China‚ to showcase its plans to build a network of trade routes‚ under China’s ambitious development strategy and framework that aims to boost its connectivity with Asia, Africa, Middle East and Europe.
- It was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.
- India refused to send any representative‚ owing to sovereignty concerns related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).‚
- Sri Lanka supported India’s Boycott of OBOR Meet in China and Justified India's concerns about CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), saying that India can not accept CPEC as it goes through heart of Indian interests.
40. India will organise Tagore cultural Festival in ____________ to mark the 156th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore from May 8-12.
- Rabindranath Tagore was famous Indian poet and first non-European to receive Nobel Prize in 1913, for his poems collection‚ Gitanjali
41. India will replace its _________ research station in Antarctica with a new one in 3 - 4 years.
- India's Second Research Station in Antartica is‚ Bharati.
42. India's Prasar Bharati signed agreement with __________'s‚ Societe Nationale de Radiodiffusion et de Television (SNRT)‚ to step up cooperation in broadcasting sector ?
43. India's __________ become only Indian monument to figure in world's top 10 Travellers' Choice awards for Landmarks, ranked 5th. Top spot was accquired by world’s largest religious monument-‚ Angkor Wat‚ in Cambodia ?
44. ___________ Literature Festival 2017 started off in London (UK) ?
45. __________ approved bill to allow Emperor Akihito to step down and hand over crown to Prince Naruhito. This is first abdication by a ___________ emperor in nearly 200 years ?
46. ___________ and USA Started annual military exercises‚ Eager Lion, with 7,400 troops from more than 20 nations taking part in it ?
47. MOUs Approved -
- With Australia, for Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime.
- MOU Between National Defence College New Delhi and National Defence College Dhaka (Bangladesh).‚
- With Tajikistan on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters.
- Bangladesh - Peaceful uses of outer space.
- __________- Organ Transplant Services.
48. Mt __________ (between Tibet and the Khumbu region of Nepal) recorded its first summit in past 3 years.‚ Mt Lhotse‚ (8,516 metre)‚ is 4th highest mountain in world after Mt Everest, K2 and Kangchenjunga ?
49.________ is the highest ranked Indian firm in 2017 Forbes ‘Global 2000’ list. Total 58 Indian companies have featured in this list.
- List is based on analysis of - Sales, Profits, Assets and Market Value
- 58 Indian Companies are featured in List - Reliance (106th), State Bank of India (244) and ONGC (246).
- 40% of companies in list are from China and US.
- Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) topped the list.
50. PM Narendra Modi Visited Spain. It was first visit by an Indian PM to Spain 30 years, since ___________'s visit in 1988. 7 MOUs Signed Between India and Spain -
- Agreement for Transfer of Sentence Persons.
- Cooperation in Organ Transplantation, Cyber Security, Renewable Energy, Technical Cooperation in Civil Aviation, Visa waiver for holders of diplomatic passports and MoU between Foreign Service Institute and Diplomatic Academy of Spain.
51. _________ and US Armies began joint military exercises called‚ Balikatan‚ OR‚ Shoulder-to-Shoulder ?
52. ____________ and Iran signed plan for creating safe zones in Syria, to further cessation of hostilities and a halt in fighting in the zones ?
53. Savills Tech Cities Index 2017 -
- Bengaluru‚ (__________) is named world’s most affordable tech city, out of 22 cities that were graded on different parameters.
- Overall, Bengaluru is ranked 20th‚ among tech cities in world. Austin‚ (in Texas State of USA) topped the list, followed by San Francisco and New York.
54._________’s constitutional court declared that same sex couples have the right to marry legally. This is the first such rule in favour of same sex marriage in Asia ?
55. Tech Firm _________ reportedly has over $256 billion in cash and marketable securities, much more than reserves possessed by Other notable tech firms .
56. To improve bilateral Trade, India and __________ will implement expanded Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). Under this, both the countries have offered to lower or eliminate duties on a number of items traded with each other ?
57. __________ and 6 Gulf Members of Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) signed MOU to curb financing of terror organisations. Under this, Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) will be established ?
58. __________ based SpaceX launched communications satellite for Inmarsat (London-based mobile broadband company) -‚ Inmarsat-5 F4 ?
59. ___________ successfully conducted first-ever test of its defence system against an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). A ground-based interceptor was launched and it successfully shot down a mock ballistic missile ?
60. ________ will sale Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST) protective clothing worth $75 million to India. It is For the first time that USA is selling such equipment to any nation. JSLIST protective clothing‚ along with chemical protective mask‚ would shield Indian Soldiers from exposure to‚ any kind of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare ?
61. US’ THAAD (______________) anti-missile system has been deployed in South Korea, to guard against nuclear missile threats emanating from North Korea. ?
62. United Nations released first draft of ________________________ ?
63. WHO (World Health Organization) Declared an Ebola Disease Outbreak in African Nation _________ ?
64. With inclusion of non- resident Indians among international tourists, India has jumped 16 places in revised World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) rankings to settle at _______________ for 2014 and 2015 ?
65. World Bank’s electricity accessibility list -
- India jumped 73 spots to be ranked ______________ in This year's List, compared to 99th place in 2014. Government has Provided eleictricity access to 13000‚ Villages, out of Over 18000 Villages that did not electricity till last year. This has been done under Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY)v launched with an aim to provide 24”7 uninterrupted electricity in rural areas supply by 2022.
66. World Economic Forum (using UN-Habitat data)‚ report on world’s most crowded‚ cities -
- Dhaka (__________) is Most crowded city in world (44,500 people per square kilometre).
- India's‚ Mumbai (31,700 people per square kilometre) and Kota (Rajasthan) (12,100 people per square kilometre) are ranked 2nd and 7th respectively.
67. World Heritage listed Henderson Island (____________) has been found to be most polluted place on the planet, with over 37 million pieces of Plastic littered on it ?
68. _________ declared a state of emergency in capital‚ Sanaa‚ over deadly outbreak of cholera disease ?
