Exam Power : 12 July 2018 Today Current Affairs

Exam Power : 12 July 2018 Today Current Affairs

Indian Railways to start Shri Ramayana express from November 14

The Indian Railways is planning to start a special train, ‘Shri Ramayana Express’, which will cover important destinations related to the epic in a 16-days journey in the month of November. The train will begin its journey from Delhi’s Safdarjung railway station on November 14, 2018.

The tour will be spread across India as well as Sri Lanka. The cost of the trip will be Rs.15,120 per person, which will cover all meals, accommodation, wash and change facilities in Dharmashalas, all transfers, sightseeing arrangements and a dedicated tour manager.

Andhra Pradesh tops Ease Of Doing Business Ranking

Andhra Pradesh with a score of 98.42 per cent, has topped the ease of doing annual business ranking of states and Union Territories, prepared by the World Bank and Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).

Others in the top ten are:

2. Telangana,

3. Haryana

4. Jharkhand,

5. Gujarat,

6. Chhattisgarh,

7. Madhya Pradesh,

8. Karnataka,

9. Rajasthan

10. West Bengal.

67th Plenary meeting of the North Eastern Council held in Meghalaya's Shillong

This Meeting was chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and attended by Union Minister of Development of NER (North Eastern Region) and Governors and Chief Ministers of the north-eastern States.

It stressed on livelihood programmes, management of water resources, afforestation and doubling farmer’s income, by 2022, road connectivity, Implementation of Poshan Abhiyan and Ayushman Bharat etc.

Meghalaya:-

♦ Capital: Shillong

♦ Governor: Ganga Prasad

♦ Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma

International Conference on 'Data for New India' held in New Delhi

The Round Table Conference was inaugurated by D.V. Sadananda Gowda (Union Minister of Statistics & Programme) and was organised by Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

Objective:- To discover innovative ideas for improving the statistical system in India, taking cue from the best practices followed in advanced countries like Canada, UK and Australia.

India and South Korea signed MoUs and pledged to double trade

India and South Korea signed MoUs and agreements and vowed to more than double trade in the next decade. The MoUs included a statement on expanding the 2010 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and a joint vision statement that committed to more military exchanges and enhancing defence projects together. 

The two countries agreed to try to increase their bilateral trade to $50 billion by 2030, up from current levels of $20 billion.

India and South Korea have also agreed to cooperate on a “tripartite” basis in development assistance in third countries, beginning with a project in Afghanistan. 

Both the countries are committed to strengthening the “special strategic partnership” in the region and aligning India’s Act East Policy with South Korea’s New Southern Policy.

World Cities Summit 2018 held in Singapore

The 6th edition of biennial 'World Cities Summit' was held in Singapore from July 8 to 12, 2018, with the theme of "Liveable & Sustainable Cities: Embracing the Future through Innovation and Collaboration".

The summit will be held together with the Singapore International Water Week and the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore.

India surpasses France to become world's sixth largest economy

According to World Bank data on a gross domestic product (GDP) of countries for 2017, India has recorded a GDP of USD 2,597,491 million, followed by USD 2,582,501 of France.

United States has topped the list recording a GDP of USD 19,390,604 million, followed by China with USD 12,237,700 million.

Fossils of the first giant dinosaur species found in Argentina

A team of excavators in Argentina discovered the remains of a 200-million-year old giant dinosaurs species.

The species, Ingentia prima, was about three times the size of the largest Triassic dinosaurs from its era. It was discovered in the Balde de Leyes dig site in San Juan province, 1,100 km west of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

Excavators found several vertebrae from the neck and tail as well as fore and hind leg bones. It’s believed that the species grew to eight to 10 meters tall and weighed around 10 tonnes.

Seven new wasp species discovered in the Amazon forests

From Peru, Venezuela and Colombia in the Amazon forests, 7 new wasp species of the genus Clistopyga were discovered.

The new wasp species are:

♦ Clistopyga crassicaudata

♦ Clistopyga kalima

♦ Clistopyga panchei

♦ Clistopyga taironae

♦ Clistopyga nigriventri

♦ Clistopyga splendida

♦ Clistopyga isayae

Sources : The Hindu, ANI, TOI, Indian Express, HT,PIB, Economic Times