Current Affairs 8th May 2018

National News

1. India Signs USD200 million Loan Deal with World Bank for National Nutrition Mission

i. India has signed a loan deal worth $ 200 million with the World Bank for the National Nutrition Mission (POSHAN Abhiyaan). The loan would help India in achieving its goal of reducing stunting in children 0-6 years of age from 38.4% to 25% by the year 2022.
ii. A large component of POSHAN Abhiyaan involves gradual scaling-up of the interventions supported by the ongoing World Bank assisted Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Systems Strengthening and Nutrition Improvement Project (ISSNIP) to all districts in the country over a 3-year period.

2. ‘1st Apex Conference for CEOs of Smart Cities’ in Bhopal Inaugurated

i. Mr Hardeep Puri, Minister of State (I/C) for Housing & Urban Affairs inaugurated the 'First Apex Conference for the CEOs of Smart Cities' in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Since its launch in June 2015, the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), has been one of the most transformational urban missions.
ii. The two-day conference is being organised for providing a platform for cross-learning and knowledge sharing among the Smart City CEOs.

3. NITI Aayog, Google Sign SoI to Help Grow AI Ecosystem in India

i. Aiming to foster growth for India’s nascent Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) ecosystem, NITI Aayog and Google have signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) to work on a range of initiatives to help build the AI ecosystem across the country.
ii. The NITI Aayog has been entrusted to set up a national programme to conduct research and development in frontier technologies such as AI.

4. India to Host 15th Asia Media Summit

i. India would be hosting the 15th Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) in New Delhi. The theme of this summit is “Telling our Stories Asia and More”.
ii. The summit mainly aims to provide a unique opportunity to the broadcasters in Asia to share their thoughts on broadcasting and information. The annual summit will be organised by Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) in collaboration with its partners and international organisations.

5. ISRO Develops Atomic Clock for Indigenous Navigation Satellites

i. The Indian Space Research Organization has developed an atomic clock to be used in navigation satellites. It is supposed to measure precise location data.
ii. Once it successfully clears all tests, the desi atomic clock will be used in an experimental navigation satellite to test its accuracy and durability in space.
iii. At present, ISRO imports atomic clocks from European aerospace manufacturer Astrium (EAMA) for its navigation satellites.

6. India Ranks 4th in Asia-Pacific On Power Index

i. India has ranked fourth out of 25 nations in the Asia-Pacific region on an index that measures their overall power. The US has topped the list. India has been pegged as a “giant of the future”.
ii. The Lowy Institute Asia Power Index measures power across 25 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region, reaching as far west as Pakistan, as far north as Russia, and as far into the Pacific as Australia, New Zealand and the US.
iii. India is ranked fourth on the parameters economic resources, military capability, diplomatic influence and fifth on resilience. 

7. NSIC Inks MoU with MSME Ministry for FY 2018-19

i. The National Small Industries Corporation Limited (NSIC) signed an MoU with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) for the year 2018-19.
ii. The MoU envisages provision of enhanced services by NSIC under its marketing, financial, technology and other support services schemes, for MSMEs in the country. The corporation projects to increase its total business by 21.30% from Rs. 22,258 crore in the year 2017-18 to Rs. 27,000 crore in the year 2018-19.

8. 3rd Edition of UNPCAP Inaugurated in New Delhi

i. The third edition of the United Nations Peacekeeping Course for African Partners (UNPCAP) was inaugurated in New Delhi. The course is being conducted by the Centre for United Nations Peacekeeping in India (CUNPK) in partnership with the United States.
ii. The main aim of the course is to build and enhance the capacity of the African Troop Contributing Countries to the UN and to further train the trainers from these countries.

International News

9. Venkaiah Naidu 3-Nation Visit: India, Guatemala Sign Agreement in Education Sector

i. A pact has been signed between India and Guatemala for strengthening diplomatic cooperation through Respective Foreign Service Institutes in the educational field.
ii.  The agreement was inked after a meeting between Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and his Guatemala counterpart, Jafeth Cabrera Franco in Guatemala city. The main focus of the meeting was on core sectors such as; pharmaceutical, cooperation in education, technology, conservation of wildlife, Yoga, Tourism and Automobiles. 

10. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman Resigns

i. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced that he would be resigning from office hours after four women accused him of physical violence.
ii. He had taken on high-profile roles as an advocate for women’s issues and an antagonist to the policies of President Donald Trump.

11. Israel Withdraws From Race for UN Security Council Seat

i. Israel withdrew from a race against Germany and Belgium for two seats on the United Nations Security Council in 2019-20. Israel, Germany and Belgium were competing for two seats allocated to the Western European and Others Group.
ii. Germany and Belgium are now running uncontested, but they still need to win more than two-thirds of the overall General Assembly vote to be elected.

Economy News

12. Finished Steel Exports Increased by 16.7% in 2017-18

i. India’s total export of finished steel increased by 16.7% to 9.6 million tonnes, in 2017-18. The country exported 8.2 million tonnes finished steel during 2016-17 fiscal, according to the Joint Plant Committee report.
ii. Empowered by Ministry of Steel, Joint Plant Committee is the only institution which collects data on the Indian iron and steel industry.