DAILY GK 19,20 FEB

DAILY GK 19,20 FEB

1.       INDIA-JAPAN ARMY EXERCISE ‘DHARMA GUARDIAN’

·         The 4th edition of the India-Japan joint annual military training exercise ‘Dharma Guardian’ commenced at Camp Imazu in the Shiga province of Japan.

·         Infantry Regiment from the Middle Army of the Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) and Troops of the Garhwal Rifles Regiment of the Indian Army have participated in the exercise.

·         The last edition of Exercise Dharma Guardian was held in Belgaum, Karnataka in February, 2022.

 

2.       OECD STRI INDEX: INDIA RANKED 47

·         India ranked 47th in OECD’s (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) report titled ‘OECD Services Trade Restrictiveness Index (STRI): Policy trends up to 2023’, which highlights the key outcomes of the 2022 OECD STRI.

·         OECD STRI index covers 38 OECD members, as well as Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Peru, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Vietnam.

·         Russia, Thailand and Indonesia are the three countries ranked below India.

·         Japan, the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands displayed the lowest regulatory barriers to services trade across sectors in 2022.

 

3.       12TH WORLD HINDI CONFERENCE

·         The 12th World Hindi Conference, which took place in Nadi, Fiji

·         The Conference was jointly inaugurated by Fijian President Rato Wiliame Katonivere and Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, who was on his maiden visit to Fiji.

·         The main theme of the conference is “Hindi – Traditional Knowledge to Artificial Intelligence.”

·         The 11th World Hindi Conference was held in Mauritius in 2018.

·         During the conference, the “Vishwa Hindi Samman” was presented to a total of 12 Hindi scholars from India and 19 scholars from abroad, as well as two institutions from each of India and abroad.

·         India-Fiji Ink Visa Exemption Pact for Diplomatic and Official Passports Holders

 

4.       PHILIPS DOMESTIC APPLIANCES GLOBALLY RENAMED AS VERSUNI

·         Philips Domestic Appliances, headquartered in the Netherlands, has been rebranded as “Versuni” after Royal Philips sold its domestic appliance business to Hillhouse Capital in September 2021.

·         As a licensee of Royal Philips, the company will continue to use the Philips consumer brand, as well as Saeco, Gaggia and Philips Walita, on its products and services.

 

5.       USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN YUVA PURASKAR 2019, 2020 AND 2021

·         G. Kishan Reddy, Union Minister, Ministry of Culture presented the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar (UBKYP) for 2019, 2020 and 2021 to around 102 Artists (including three joint awards

·         Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is presented to artists up to the age of 40 years to encourage young talents in diverse fields of the performing arts.

 

6.       YOUTUBE’S NEW CEO

·         Neal Mohan, a longtime Google and YouTube executive who is an Indian-American, has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YouTube.

·         Mohan will succeed Susan Wojcicki, YouTube’s outgoing CEO, who is departing after nine years in the position.

·         YouTube:Headquarters – San Bruno, California, United States (US)

 

7.       NEW ARMY VICE CHIEF

·         Lieutenant general MV Suchindra Kumar, who is currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) in the Army Headquarters, was appointed as the new Vice Chief of Army Staff. 

·         He succeeds Lt Gen B S Raju as the Vice Chief of Army Staff.