Daily Current Affairs 18th April, 2018

Daily Current Affairs 18 April 2018 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Bombay HC bars MCA from using water from Pavana dam
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday barred Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) from using water
from Pavana dam for maintaining Pune ground for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 matches till further
orders.

  • Pavana Dam is constructed across the Pavana River in Pune.

Delhi to host third annual 5G India Congress 2018
Third edition of the Annual 5G India Congress 2018 will be held on April 20 at Le Meridian Hotel, New
Delhi.

  • 5G Indian Congress 2018 will focus more on understanding and analysing current Network infrastructure
    and its developments, 5G market condition and requirements, role of operators and service providers in
    bringing huge amount of data capacity, challenges and their respective solutions in terms of 5G
    deployment scenarios.

‘Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities (GITC), 2018’ to be held in New Delhi
“Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities (GITC), 2018” will be held in New Delhi during 8th to 11th
November, 2018.

  • A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between
    Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and
    Empowerment and Rehabilitation International Korea.
  • This event will have around 300 participants including 120 Youth with disabilities from 24 Asia Pacific
    countries.
  • GITC is being held every year in Asia- Pacific region and such events were held in the past in
    countries like Korea, China, Thailand, Vietnam etc.
  • This competition is amongst four categories of disabilities namely, Physical, Visual, Hearing and
    Intellectual.

1st regional workshop on star rating of garbage- free cities held in New Delhi
The 1st regional workshop on star rating of garbage- free cities, organized by the Ministry of Housing
and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) was
inaugurated in New Delhi.

  • The Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) focuses on two key objectives- eradication of open defecation and
    100% scientific solid waste management (SWM).
  • To continue the momentum on scientific management of solid waste and motivate cities to achieve
    more cleanliness, the Star-Rating Protocol of Garbage Free Cities was launched by MoHUA on January
    20, 2018. The 7-star rating is innovatively designed on a SMART (Single metric, Measurable, Achievable,
    Rigorous verification and Targeted towards outcomes) approach – making it the first-of- its kind rating
    tool for assessing cleanliness of cities and towns in India. The system, based on 12 parameters.

Study in India’ portal of HRD Ministry launched
Smt. Sushma Swaraj and Shri Prakash Javadekar launched ‘Study in India’ portal of HRD Ministry to
promote Indian education to 200,000 international students by 2023.

  • The portal will enable students from 30 countries across South Asia, Africa, CIS and Middle East to select
    and apply for different courses from 150 select Indian institutions which are high on NAAC and NIRF
    ranking. The Study in India is aimed at making India a preferred destination for the foreign students to
    pursue their education.

Chandrayaan-2 moon mission to cost Rs 800 crore
India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 which is expected to be launched around October-
November this year, is likely to cost Rs 800 crore, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman
K. Sivan said on Wednesday.

  • It includes Rs 200 crore for launching and Rs 600 crore for the satellite.

India’s first metal-to- metal bonding facility setup in Hyderabad
Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures (TLMAL) on Wednesday inaugurated Indias first metal-to- metal
bonding facility at Adibatla, Hyderabad.

Atal Amrit Abhiyan scheme launched in Assam
M Venkaiah Naidu launched a health scheme of the Assam government named Atal Amrit Abhiyan that
offers free medical care of up to Rs 2 lakh for every individual from Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above
Poverty Line (APL) families.

  • The state government has earmarked Rs 400 crore for the scheme in the financial year 2018-19

 



INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Steven Spielberg becomes 1st director to gross $10b at global BO
Three-time Oscar winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg has created history by becoming the first director
whose films have globally taken in over $10 billion. His latest film Ready Player One has helped the 71-
year-old achieve this milestone.

  • The Lord of the Rings filmmaker, Peter Jackson, and Transformers Michael Bay are the next two
    highest grossing directors.

PM Modi to do Bharat ki Baat from London
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be participating in a unique programme Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath
at the iconic Central Hall Westminster, London.

  • Prime Minister Modi will answer questions of people on hopes, aspirations and all issues relating to
    India. The moderator for the event will be Prasoon Joshi who will also ask and facilitate questions from
    around the world.

State of Global Air Report released by HEI
According to the annual State of Global Air Report, published the Health Effects Institute
(HEI), more than 95% of the world’s population is breathing unhealthy air and the poorest nations are
the hardest hit.

  • India has largest numbers of people exposed to household air pollution in 2016: 560 million in India and
    followed by 416 million in China.
  • China (26%) and India (25%) together continue to bear most (51%) of the mortality burden attributable
    to PM2.5.

34 global technology and securities firms sign Cybersecurity Tech Accord
Top 34 global technology and securities firms, led by Microsoft and Facebook, have signed a Cybersecurity Tech Accord to defend people from malicious attacks by cyber-criminals and nation-states.

  • The Cybersecurity Tech Accord is a public commitment among 34 global companies to protect and
    empower civilians online and to improve the security, stability and resilience of cyberspace.


AWARDS

Pulitzer Prize 2018

The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. Prizes are awarded yearly in twenty-one categories.

  • In twenty of the categories, each winner receives a certificate and a U.S. $15,000 cash award (raised from $10,000 in 2017). The winner in the public service category of the journalism competition is awarded a gold medal.

Awards Category

Pulitzer Prize For Public Service – Jointly awarded to
The New York Times: for reporting led by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey and
The New Yorker : for reporting by Ronan Farrow

Pulitzer Prize For Breaking News Reporting – Staff of The Press Democrat

Pulitzer Prize For Investigative Reporting – Staff of The Washington Post

Pulitzer Prize For Explanatory Reporting – Jointly awarded to
The staffs of The Arizona Republic and
USA Today network

Pulitzer Prize For Local Reporting – Staff of The Cincinnati Enquirer

Pulitzer Prize For National Reporting – Jointly awarded to
The staffs of The New York Times and
The Washington Post

Pulitzer Prize For International Reporting – Clare Baldwin, Andrew R.C. Marshall, and Manuel Mogato of Reuters

Pulitzer Prize For Feature Writing – Rachel Kaadzi Ghansah, freelancing for GQ

Pulitzer Prize For Commentary – John Archibald, of the Alabama Media Group

Pulitzer Prize For Criticism – Jerry Saltz of New York magazine

Pulitzer Prize For Editorial Writing – Andie Dominick of The Des Moines Register

Pulitzer Prize For Editorial Cartooning – Jake Helpern and Michael Sloan, freelancing for The New York Times

Pulitzer Prize For Breaking News Photography – Ryan Kelly of The Daily Progress

Pulitzer Prize For Feature Photography – photography staff of Reuters

Pulitzer Prize For Fiction – Less, by Andrew Sean Greer

Pulitzer Prize For Drama – Cost of Living, by Martyna Majok

Pulitzer Prize For History – The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea, by Jack E. Davis

Pulitzer Prize For Biography – Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder, by Caroline Fraser

Pulitzer Prize For Poetry – Half-light: Collected Poems 1965-2016, by Frank Bidart

Pulitzer Prize For General Nonfiction – Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America, by James Forman Jr.

Pulitzer Prize For Music – DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar



IMPORTANT DAYS

18 April: World Heritage Day
April 18 is International Day For Monuments and Sites, also called World Heritage Day.
Theme 2018: “Heritage for Generations”



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