State
Tamilnadu:
IIT-M tops in NIRF(National Institutional Ranking Framework) Ranking 2018
- The Indian Institute of Technology – Madras maintains its lead as the second best institution overall, next only to the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.Tamil Nadu continues to boast of some of the best institutions in engineering, management, pharmacy, medicine and arts and science, as per the NIRF ratings which encourage institutions to volunteer their applications for the process.
11 colleges from south Tamilnadu in top 100 in NIRF Rankings
- Colleges from south Tamil Nadu have found a place in the top 100 of the National Institutional Ranking Framework rankings announced on Tuesday. Two universities – Alagappa University, Karaikudi (43), and Madurai Kamaraj University (81) – and Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai (95), are in the top 100 in overall ranking among 957 institutions.
Kerala:
Varkala emerges prime tourist destination
- Varkala, known for red laterite cliffs fringing the Papanasham beach, has registered a growth rate of 130.02 % in tourist arrivals in the last five years.The emergence of Varkala as a prime destination contrasted with the fortunes of Kovalam, which registered just 5% growth in the said period.
Telangana:
Mahua price cut : blow to Adivasis
- Ippapuvvu is an important source of income for the tribals in adilabad.The aboriginal people of the erstwhile unified Adilabad stand to lose an estimated 1 crore in supplemental income this summer because the State government has slashed the purchase price of mahua flower, orippapuvvu, by 50 per cent without intimating the Adivasis.Ippapuvvu collection it is a centuries-old traditional work for the Adivasis.
Karnataka:
Former judge of supreme court to launch water awareness campaign
- GopalaGowda, retired judge of the Supreme Court to launch a campaign on the water problem faced by the people in the Bayaluseeme districts of central Karnataka region.The campaign will focus on the issues related to water woes of Benagaluru Rural, Kolar, Chickballapur, Tumakuru and Chitradurga districts.
Basavaraju award: Bengaluru-based writer
- Bengaluru-based writer BilumaneRamadas has been selected for the L. Basavaraju Award for the year 2018.This award is presented by Kolar’s Dr. L. BasavarajuPratishthana, founded in memory of scholar L. Basavaraju, since 17 years.
Goa
Goa new accreditation guidelines for journalists
- The Goa Union of Journalists(GUJ) expressed shock at a new set of Guidelines for accreditation of media organisation and their representatives issued by the Goa Legislature Secretariat which proposes to govern passes to mediapersons covering the Assembly proceedings.The guidelines strike at the very root of the freedom of speech and the right to be informed both of which are at the core of our fundamental rights as citizens.
National News
Defence Minister of India meets Russian counterpart
- DefenceMinister NirmalaSitharaman met her Russian counterpart General Sergei Shoigu on April 3 and discussed defence cooperation between the two countries with a focus on military technical cooperation.This is her first visit to Russia in her capacity as the DefenceMinister.She also met Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov and discussed strategies to strengthen defence production cooperation between the two countries.
Project Swarn in Railways
- Project Swarn has been started to upgrade the condition of Rajdhani and Shatabdi Express Trains. This initiative is likely to give improved look to the coaches.
- The objective of Project Swarn is to significantly improve the passenger experience across 9 dimensions which include coach interiors, toilets, onboard cleanliness, staff behavior, catering, linen, punctuality, security, on-board entertainment. Real time feedback is also a part of Project Swarn.
Cyber threats:India third most vulnerable country
- India emerged as the third most vulnerable country in terms of risk of cyber threats, such as malware, spam and ransomware, in 2017 .The U.S. remains most vulnerable to such attacks, followed by China, according to the recently released ‘Internet Security Threat Report’
- In 2017, 5.09% of global threats detected were in India, slightly less than 5.11% in 2016. The U.S. (26.61%) was most vulnerable to such attacks, followed by China (10.95%), according to ‘Internet Security Threat Report’.
- The global threat ranking is based on eight metrics — malware, spam, phishing, bots, network attacks, web attacks, ransomware and cryptominers.
Cabinet approvesa Cooperation Arrangement between India and Afghanistan for cooperation in the field of food safety and related areas
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi has approved the signing of a Cooperation Arrangement between Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) and Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation & Livestock (MAIL), Afghanistan for cooperation in the field of Food Safety and related areas.
The areas of cooperation include the following:
- Establishment of a mechanism of information exchange and communication;
- Facilitating technical exchange on identified topics of interestespecially about import procedures, quality control operations, sampling,testing, packaging and labeling;
- Facilitating/organization of joint seminars, workshops, visits, lectures,trainingprogramme, etc;
- Other areas of interest to the participants within their responsibilitiesas they may mutually determine.
Afghanistan:
Capital: Kabul
President:AshrafGhani
Currency:Afghani
High Performance Computing (HPC) Systems Pratyush and Mihir
- The Two High Performance Computing (HPC) Systems Pratyush and Mihir installed at IITM, Pune and NCMRWF, Noida respectively have a total computing capacity of 6.8 peta flops. After the current augmentation, the total HPC capacity of the ministry has gone up to 8.0 Peta Flops.The Ministry HPC system with a combined capacity of 8.0 Peta Flops is now placed at the 4th position after Japan, UK and USA for dedicated HPC resources for weather/climate community.
Cabinet approves the Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018
- The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister ShriNarendraModi has given its approval to the Protection of Human Rights (Amendments) Bill, 2018 for better protection and promotion of human rights in the country.
Salient Features:
- It proposes to include “National Commission for Protection of Child Rights” as deemed Member of the Commission;
- It proposes to add a woman Member in the composition of the Commission;
- It proposes to enlarge the scope of eligibility and scope of selection of Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission as well as the State Human Rights Commission; and
- It proposes to incorporate a mechanism to look after the cases of human rights violation in the Union Territories.
- It proposes to amend the term of office of Chairperson and Members of National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commission to make it in consonance with the terms of Chairperson and Members of other Commissions.
International
U.N. terror list: 139 Pakistan entries
- The UN Security Council’s updated list of terrorists and militant groups has 139 entries from Pakistan alone, including outfits like Mumbai attacks mastermind HafeezSaeed’sLashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
- The list, headed by Osama bin Laden’s heir apparent Ayman al-Zawahiri and also includes Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, an Indian national who, according to the U.N. Security Council, has held several Pakistani passports issued in Rawalpindi and Karachi.
United states returns stolen idols to Nepal
- A pair of rare idols stolen from Nepal three decades ago were returned to the country by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- The two statues — one of Buddha and the other of the Hindu god Shiva and his wife Parvati — were stolen in the 1980s when rampant looting saw many important artefacts whisked out of Nepal and into the hands of private collectors.
Science and Technology
Icarus, the farthest star
- Scientists have detected the most distant star ever viewed, located more than halfway across the universe and named it after the ancient Greek mythological figure Icarus.The star was formally named MACS J1149+2223 Lensed Star-1, but its discoverers dubbed it Icarus, who flew so close to the sun that his wings fashioned from wax and feathers melted, sending him plunging fatally into the sea.
Satellite launched by ISRO
Satellites launched by ISRO in the last four years and the current year are as follows:
| Communication Satellite | 8 |
| Navigational Satellite | 7 |
| Remote Sensing Satellite | 5 |
| Meteorological satellite | 2 |
| Science Satellite | 1 |
| Technology Demonstration/ Student Satellite | 9 |
Business
US proposes tariffs on 1,300 Chinese products
- The US Trade Representative (USTR) sectors subject to the proposed tariffs include industries such as aerospace, information and communication technology, robotics, and machinery.The United States announced a proposed list of products imported from China that could be subject to additional tariffs of 25 per cent amounting to $50 billion.
India becomes second largest crude steel manufacturer
- India has overtaken Japan to become the world’s second largest producer of crude steel in February, according to the Steel Users Federation of India (SUFI). At present, China is the largest producer of crude steel in the world, accounting for more than 50% of the production.India’s crude steel production was up 4.4% and stood at 93.11 million tonnes (mt) for the period April 2017 to February 2018, which has helped India to overtake Japan and becomes the second largest producer of crude steel in the world.
Sports
South African MorneMorkel retires
- South African fast bowlerMornemorkel announced his retirement from international cricket
Commonwealth Games: starts with colourful opening ceremony at Gold coast,Australia
- The 21st Commonwealth Games are officially under way after a spectacular opening ceremony on the Gold Coast.More than 4,500 athletes from 71 nations and territories will be competing for 275 gold medals over the 11 days of competition. crowd of 35,000 packed into the Carrara Stadium, normally the home of Australian Rules football side Gold Coast Suns.
CWG: Gururaja claims silver
- Gururaja was third after snatch, pulling off a best of 111kg after two good lifts.Weightlifter P Gururaja opened India’s medal account on the first competition day of the 21st Commonwealth Games, claiming a silver in the men’s 56kg category in Gold Coast.