Sanjay Verma Appointed India’s Ambassador to Spain

Sanjay Verma, a 1990 batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to Spain. 
He is currently the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs. He has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to Spain. 
Source- DD News

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • Spain: Capital: Madrid, Currency: Euro. 

Pankaj Sharma Appointed India’s Ambassador to UN Conference on Disarmament

Pankaj Sharma has been appointed as the ambassador and India’s permanent representative to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament (UNCD) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Mr Sharma will replace Amandeep Gill. He is currently the joint secretary (Disarmament and International Security Division) in the Ministry of External Affairs. 


Source- DD News

Static/Current Takeaways Important for NIACL Clerk Mains Exam 2018- 

  • Michael Møller is the 12th Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UN Geneva).

India’s 1st ‘Methanol Cooking Fuel Program’ Launched in Assam

In a historic day for India, Northeast and Assam Petro-chemicals, a state-owned company for launched Asia’s first cannisters based and India’s first “Methanol Cooking Fuel Program”. The program was inaugurated by Dr V K Saraswat, Member, NITI Aayog and Chairman at Namrup. 
500 households inside the Assam Petro Complex will be the first pilot project, scaling it to 40,000 households in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Goa and Karnataka. 

Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • Assam CM- Sarbanand Sonowal, Governor- Jagdish Mukhi. 

Youth Olympic Games 2018 Begins in Argentina


The 3rd Youth Olympic Games has officially begun at Buenos Aires, Argentina. India is represented with a contingent of 68 members, including 46 athletes, will compete in 13 sports during the prestigious event. 16-year-old Manu Bhaker is leading the Indian team in the opening ceremony as the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent for the games. 
With over 200 countries taking part, the event marks the start of young athletes’ career before they go on to bigger and better things. The event will see thousands of athletes, aged 15-18, compete in various categories. 
                                                                                                                         Source- Indian Express

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 

  • Capital: Buenos Aires, Currency: Argentine peso. 
  • Official Mascot– Pandi.
Source- Indian Express

21 IORA Countries Adopt Delhi Declaration On Renewable Energy

As many as 21 countries in the Indian Ocean Rim Association, IORA, adopted the Delhi Declaration on Renewable Energy in the Indian Ocean Region. These nations adopted the Delhi Declaration post the second IORA Renewable Energy Ministerial Meeting held in Greater Noida, near Delhi. 
As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, the Delhi Declaration calls for collaboration among IORA member states in meeting the growing demand for renewable energy in the Indian Ocean littorals.

Source- News On AIR

GI Tag for Alphonso Mango From Konkan

Alphonso Mango from Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and other adjoining areas in Maharashtra, finally gets a Geographical Indication (GI) Tag. A Geographical Indication or a GI is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. 
Darjeeling Tea, Mahabaleshwar Strawberry, Blue Pottery of Jaipur, Banarasi Sarees and Tirupati Laddus are some of the GIs. The king of mangoes, Alphonso, better known as ‘Hapus’ in Maharashtra, is in demand in domestic and international markets not only for its taste but also for pleasant fragrance and vibrant colour. 
Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • The first product to get a GI tag in India was the Darjeeling tea in 2004. There are a total of 325 products from India that carry this indication. 

India And ADB Signs $110 Million Loan to Improve Rural Connectivity in MP

The government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a $110 million loan to finance the upgrade of 2,800 kilometers all-weather rural roads in the State of Madhya Pradesh under the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Program (PMGSY). 
Tranche 2 loan is part of the $500 million Second Rural Connectivity investment Program for India approved by the ADB Board in December 2017. 
Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Indian Bank PO Exam 2018- 
  • The Asian Development Bank is a regional development Bank established in 1966.
  • Headquarters of ADB is in Manila, Philippines.
  • Takehiko Nakao is Present President of the Asian Development Bank. 

India, Russia Seal $5 Billion S-400 Missile Air Defence Deal

India and Russia signed the $5 billion S-400 air defence system deal during the annual bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin at Hyderabad House. The two countries are also expected to seal a number of pacts in key sectors such as space and energy.
India wants to procure the long-range missile systems to tighten its air defence mechanism, particularly along the nearly 4,000-km-long Sino-India border. The S-400 is an upgraded version of the S-300 systems. The missile system, manufactured by Almaz-Antey, has been in service in Russia since 2007.

Source- Economic Times

Complete List of Agreements/MoUs Exchanged between India and Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin is in India on the 2-day visit. Following are the set of agreements signed between India and Russia during his stay. 
1. Protocol for Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and MEA for the period 2019-2023
2. MoU between the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation and the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog)
3. MoU between Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and the Federal Space Agency of Russia ‘ROSCOSMOS’ on Joint Activities in the field of Human Spaceflight Programme
4. Memorandum of Cooperation between the Indian and Russian Railways
5. Action Plan for Prioritization and Implementation of Cooperation Areas in the Nuclear Field
6. MoU between the Russian Ministry of Transport and Indian Railways in the Development Cooperation in Transport Education
7. MoU between the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), of India and the Russian Small and Medium Business Corporation (RSMB), on Cooperation in the field of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
8. Cooperation Agreement in the Fertilizers Sector between the Russian Direct Investment Fund” (“RDIF”); PJSC Phosagro (PhosAgro) and Indian Potash Limited (IPL).
Source- Press Information Bureau (PIB)


Nobel Prize 2018: Nobel Prize in Peace Goes To Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad “for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict”.

Denis Mukwege is the helper who has devoted his life to defending the victims. Nadia Murad is the witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated against herself and others. 

Source- nobelprize.org
Static/Current Takeaways Important for RRB Clerk Mains Exam 2018- 
  • The Nobel Peace Prize 2017 was awarded to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) “for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.” 
  • Malala Yousafza (age 17) is the Youngest Nobel Laureate ever.