CURRENT GK
1.Coast Guard Ship ‘Varuna’ Decommissioned :-
Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Varuna’ decommissioned with full armed forces honours after an illustrious service spanning about 30 years, in a traditional military ceremony held at the naval base,Kochi.
The ceremony was presided over by Inspector General K R Nautiyal, Commander, Coast Guard Region (West).
ICGS Varuna was fourth of its series, known as Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) and built by Mazagaon Dock, Mumbai.
2.RBI to Issue Rs200 Notes :-
The government gave a go ahead to the RBI to issue 200 rupee notes that will ease pressure on lower-denomination currency bills.
Finance Ministry, in a notification, said that on the recommendations of the Central Board of Directors of the RBI, the government has notified bank notes of 200 rupees.
The new 200 rupee notes are likely to be in circulation shortly. This is the fourth new note to be announced since November when 1000 and 500 rupee notes were demonetised.
3.Qatar Airways Enters Into Interline Partnership with Vistara :-
Qatar Airways entered into a new interline partnership with full-service domestic airline Vistara.
According to the Gulf-based airline, the new interline agreement will allow Qatar Airways’ passengers to travel seamlessly to and from a wide range of cities within India across Vistara’s network.
“The Indian market is very important to us, and we operate more than one hundred flights a week between Doha and 13 Indian cities. This new partnership expands Qatar Airways’ presence in India and reinforces our commitment to this market,” Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said.
4.Ashwani Lohani: New Railway Board Chairman :-
Ashwani Lohani will be the new Chairman of Railway Board following the resignation of the incumbent A K Mittal owning moral responsibility for Muzzafarnagar train accident.
The appointment of Mr Lohani was cleared by Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. He was serving as the Chairman and Managing Director of Air India.
Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor in Petroleum Ministry, Rajiv Bansal has been given additional charge of Chairman and Managing Director Air India.
5.Bright yellow ₹200 note hits market today :-
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will start pumping ₹200 notes into the system from Friday in a bid to ease cash transactions and make the currency system more efficient. The base colour of the ₹200 note will be bright yellow, RBI said in a statement on Thursday.
This is the second new denomination to be issued, after ₹2,000, since the demonetisation exercise in November.
6.Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence :-
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik conferred the Biju Patnaik Award for Scientific Excellence for the year 2016 to Prof Digambar Behera.
Behera is senior professor and Head, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh.
Instituted by Odisha Bigyan Academy (OBA), the award is given to an Odia Scientist working anywhere in India or abroad each year for his/her lifetime research contributions in the field of science and technology.
7.Brian Aldiss, British Science Fiction Writer Died :-
Brian Aldiss, the “grand old man” of science fiction whose writing has shaped the genre since he was first published in the 1950s, has died at the age of 92.
Aldiss was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Hugo and Nebula prizes for science fiction and fantasy.
8.Right to privacy verdict: A victory for all citizens, say legal luminaries :-
Legal luminaries and experts hailed Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment as victory for common citizens which would have a far-reaching impact on almost all aspects of life.
Senior lawyer Sanjay Hegde said it was a watershed moment.
9.Pakistan rejects Trump’s comments :-
Pakistan on Thursday rejected the comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump about its counter-terror approach.
A statement issued by the National Security Committee after a five-hour meeting said “scapegoating Pakistan will not help in stabilising Afghanistan”. The meeting was headed by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
10.U.S. General vows to annihilate IS in Afghanistan :-
Afghanistan’s security forces, with the help of U.S. and NATO ground and air support, will annihilate the Islamic State group affiliate in the country and crush remnants of al-Qaeda, Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, vowed on Thursday.
Gen. Nicholson also had a message for the Taliban- “Stop fighting against your countrymen. Stop killing innocent civilians.
