Current Affairs 10 February 2018 1. Winter Olympic Games Starts In Pyeongchang ● The 23rd Olympic Winter Games officially kicked off with a colorful ceremony at Pyeongchang in South Korea. Ninety-two countries are participating in the event. ● There will be 102 medals up for grabs in Pyeongchang, covering seven sports and 15 disciplines. ● The ceremony was directed by Song Seung-whan, a South Korean actor. Hosts South Korea also produced a show of unity with neighbours North Korea during the ceremony. Important points: South Korea ➢ Capital: Seoul ➢ Currency: South Korean won ➢ Prime minister: Lee Nak-Yeon ➢ President: Moon Jae-in
2. RK Singh launches ASH TRACK Mobile App for better management of fly ash ● Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, Shri R.K Singh, launched a Web-based monitoring System and a Fly Ash mobile application named ASH TRACK. ● These platforms will enable better management of the ash produced by thermal power plants by providing an interface between fly ash producers (Thermal Power Plants) and potential ash users such as road contractors, cement plants etc.
3. Indra Nooyi appointed as the first independent female director of the ICC ● PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi has been appointed as the first independent female director of the ICC (International Cricket Council) Board.
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Nooyi will join the world cricket body’s Board in June 2018 to align with the term of the ICC independent chairman, following the unanimous confirmation of her appointment.
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The Independent Director will be appointed for a two-year term although she may be re-appointed for two further terms with a maximum six-year consecutive period of service.
4. CCI slaps Rs 136 crore fine on Google for unfair business practices ● The Competition Commission of India (CCI) a fine of Rs 136 crore on search engine major Google for unfair business practices in the Indian market for online search. ● The penalty was being imposed on Google for “infringing anti-trust conduct.” ● It was alleged that Google was indulging in abuse of dominant position in the market for online search through practices leading to search bias and search manipulation, among others. Important points: Competition Commission of India ➢ Founded: 14 October 2003 ➢ Headquarters: New Delhi ➢ Chairperson: Devender Kumar Sikri
5. SCR becomes 1st railway zone with 100% LED lighting at stations ● The South Central Railway (SCR) has become the 1st railway zone in the country to complete 100% LED lighting at all the stations under its jurisdiction. ● The SCR has been on the forefront of adopting energy conservation measures. It has attained the status of becoming the first zone in the Indian Railways to complete 100 percent LED lighting in all the 733 stations under its jurisdiction.
6. NHAI to start ‘pay as you use’ pilot project on the Delhi-Mumbai Highway ● The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to start ‘pay as you use’ pilot project on the Delhi-Mumbai Highway to study and implement the ability of the system in the country. ● The project to be run for one year involves implementing a satellite-based electronic toll collection system running on GPS/GSM technology for around 500 commercial vehicles on the Delhi-Mumbai National Highway.
7. NITI Aayog releases Healthy States, Progressive India Report ● NITI Aayog released a comprehensive Health Index report titled, Healthy States, Progressive India” at a function in the capital. The report was released by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. ● Among the Larger States, Kerala, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu ranked on top in terms of overall performance, while Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh are the top three ranking States in terms of annual incremental performance. ●
Among Smaller States, Mizoram ranked first followed by Manipur on overall performance, while Manipur followed by Goa was the top ranked States in terms of annual incremental performance.
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Among UTs, Lakshadweep showed both the best overall performance as well as the highest annual incremental performance.
Important points: NITI Aayog ➢ Chairperson: Narendra Modi ➢ CEO: Amitabh Kant ➢ Founded: 1 January 2015 ➢ Headquarters: New Delhi