9th January Current Affairs 2018 1. India’s second FTII to be set up in Arunachal Pradesh ● Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced that Arunachal Pradesh would get its first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), being set up by the Union Government as part of tapping the potential of the Northeastern region. ● This would be the second such one in the country. The first Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was set up in Pune, an autonomous institute operating under the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. Important points: Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) ➢ Established: 1960 ➢ Chairperson: Anupam Kher ➢ Director: Bhupendra Kainthola Arunachal Pradesh ➢ Capital: Itanagar ➢ Chief Minister: Pema Khandu ➢ Governor: BD Mishra 2. Haryana becomes first state to launch High Risk Pregnancy portal ● Haryana has achieved the distinction of becoming the first state in the country to launch High Risk Pregnancy (HRP) Portal. ● This portal not only helps in early identification of high-risk pregnant cases up to the grass-roots level but also ensures their timely referral to the civil hospitals for further management and delivery by specialists. ● This innovative web application has been designed to track every high-risk pregnant woman till 42 days after delivery, so that
she receives adequate treatment during the ante-natal period for the healthy outcome of pregnancy. Important points: Haryana ➢ Capital: Chandigarh ➢ Chief minister: Manohar Lal Khattar ➢ Governor: Kaptan Singh Solanki 3. Indian Navy & Cochin Port Trust enter into MoU ● The Indian Navy and Cochin Port Trust (CPT) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding for utilising the Port’s berthing facility at Mattancherry wharf for Naval ships. ● The Indian Navy had requested for an exclusive berthing facility in Cochin Port for berthing their ships during reconstruction period of their berths. ●
In view of the national interest involved, Cochin Port examined the request and decided that Cochin Port’s oldest wharf, Mattancherry Wharf can be spared, since those are not suitable any longer for berthing of big cargo ships due to the limitation of draft and displacement.
Important points: ➢ Cochin Port Chairman in charge: Raveendran P ➢ Chief of the Naval Staff: Sunil Lanba 4. PM Modi to inaugurate first PIO Parliamentary Conference in Delhi ● Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurate the first Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Parliamentary Conference in the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in Delhi on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. ● The day is celebrated every year to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community in the development of India.
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It also commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915. The biggest delegation will be from Guyana with 20 members of parliament and three mayors. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is held from 7-9 January every year.
5. India’s first multi-petaflop supercomputer ‘Pratyush’ dedicated to nation ● Union Minister of Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan dedicated India’s fastest and first multi-petaflop supercomputer to the nation in Pune. ● The supercomputer named as ‘Pratyush’ meaning the Sun, established at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, will be a national facility for improving weather and climate forecasts and services under the umbrella of the Ministry of Earth Sciences. ●
While inaugurating the facility at IITM, Pune, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that it will be India’s number one HPC facility in terms of peak capacity and performance.
6. Former WTO chief, UN envoy Peter Sutherland dies at 71 ● Irish businessman and diplomat Peter Sutherland, who was the first director-general of the World Trade Organization and held top posts in the European Union and the United Nations, has died. He was 71. ● Trained as a lawyer, Sutherland was Ireland’s attorney general between 1981 and 1984. He was Ireland’s representative on the European Commission between 1985 and 1989. ●
Sutherland became founding director-general of the WTO in 1993.
7. Delhi govt launches common card for bus, metro rides ● Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal launched a common card for rides on public buses and the metro, terming it a big step in the city’s transport sector. ● Delhi is the first city in the country to have a common mobility card, which can at present be used on 200 DTC and 50 cluster buses plying on different routes, apart from metro trains. ●
The card, which will function like a debit card, will be operational in all DTC and cluster buses from 1 April.
8. Philippe Coutinho Is The Second Most Expensive Player After Neymar ● Philippe Coutinho is joining Barcelona after Liverpool agreed to sell the Brazilian in a deal that makes him one of the most expensive players in soccer history. ● Barcelona did not reveal the cost of the deal for the 25-year-old playmaker but a person familiar with the details told The Associated Press that the transfer is worth 160 million euros ($192 million). ●
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly about the deal, which would be a club record for Barcelona