CURRENT GK
1.NASA discovers new planetary system ‘remarkably similar’ to our own :-
(I)New investigation by astronomers has revealed a planetary system with an “architecture” that is strikingly like our solar system.
(II)The star Epsilon Eridani, located just 10.5 light years away in the southern section of the constellation Eridanus, has been found to have a planetary system around it that is similar to our own system around the sun in its primitive years.
(III)The Epsilon Eridani, though similar to the sun, is just one-fifth its age.
2.Rise & fall of Swachh cities :-
(I)In some cases, it was not the ‘independent observation’ score that dragged past high performers down, but the ‘public feedback’ score. For others, though, the reverse was true.
(II)Chandigarh slipped to the 11th spot from number 2 last time, which Mayor Asha Jaiswal blamed on ‘public feedback’.
(III)Indore got to the top spot among all the entries due to a “mega public movement and wholehearted people’s participation”, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan said.
3.Minority rights, NGO crackdown raised at UN meet, India says freedoms secure :-
(I)From complaints of eroding minority rights and religious intolerance to the crackdown against NGOs, women’s rights to LGBT rights, Kashmir to Afrophobia — India’s track record on human rights came under sharp scrutiny at the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday in Geneva.
4.House passes Obamacare repeal Bill :-
(I)Relieved Republicans muscled their health care Bill through the House Thursday, taking their biggest step toward dismantling the Obama healthcare overhaul since Donald Trump took office.
(II)They won passage only after overcoming their own divisions that nearly sank the measure six weeks ago.
5.No media glare for South Asia Satellite :-
(I)A communication spacecraft, the South Asia Satellite, which will serve India and six of its regional neighbours, is set to lift off from Sriharikota off Andhra Pradesh on Friday evening.
6.Cut corporate tax to 18%, remove all incentives: CII :-
(I)Broadly backing NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy and Chief Economic Adviser Arvind Subramanian, new CII president Shobana Kamineni has batted for taxation of agricultural income above a certain threshold,
(II)but also pitched for steps including cutting corporate income tax to 18% along with removal of all incentives, to help India achieve a 10%-plus GDP growth by 2019-20.
7.Dalai Lama’s Arunachal visit: China said no to foreign ministers’ meet in Delhi :-
(I)Upset with the Dalai Lama’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, especially Tawang, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi refused to come to Delhi to attend the Russia-India-China foreign ministers’ trilateral meeting in April, The Indian Express has learnt.
(II)Sources said the RIC ministerial meeting, to be hosted by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, was scheduled to be held in Delhi on April 14, but Wang refused to come for the meeting.
8.Yadav Singh case: Akhilesh govt paid ₹21 lakh as lawyers fee :-
(I)The Akhilesh Yadav government had paid ₹21.15 lakh as fee to senior lawyers of the Supreme Court engaged to save suspended Noida Chief Engineer Yadav Singh from facing CBI probe in graft and money laundering cases, according to an RTI response.
(II)As per the RTI information provided by Surendra Pal Singh, Special Secretary (Law), four senior lawyers were engaged by the previous Akhilesh Yadav government.
9.Non-performing assets: President Pranab Mukherjee approves ordinance, RBI can now take action :-
(I)President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday approved an ordinance that amends the Banking Regulation Act.
(II)The amendment gives the Reserve Bank of India more powers to deal with non-performing assets (NPAs) in the banking sector.
(III)The RBI can now take action against loan defaulters and defaulting companies under the bankruptcy code.
10.U.K.’s Prince Philip to retire from public life :-
(I)Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh, is to retire from public engagements from September, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday as it put to end frenzied speculation about a meeting of royal staff from across the U.K. that took place in the morning.
(II)Buckingham Palace was forced to squash rumours that it related to the health of either the Queen or the Duke, aged 91 and 95 respectively, who will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary later this year.
