i. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) under the aegis of Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology organized the Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT) Conference in New Delhi.ii. This is the 15th Conference of APCERT and first ever conference in India and South Asia. The conference theme is “Building Trust in the Digital Economy”. This was inaugurated by Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Minister of Electronics & Information Technology.

Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team (APCERT) Conference– New Delhi- theme “Building Trust in the Digital Economy”– first-ever conference in India and South Asia.

1. Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology- Ravi Shankar Prasad.
2. APCERT- Asia Pacific Computer Emergency Response Team.

i. India’s first Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit began in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. The event has been organized by NITI Aayog in partnership with the government of United States of America.

ii. The event is a part of 8th Global Entrepreneurship Summit being held in India.

News In-a-Line:
India’s 1st Tribal Entrepreneurship Summit-  in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh- organized by NITI Aayog in partnership with the USA.

i. A Curtain Raiser Event for the Founding Ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) was held in Bonn, Germany.

ii. Shri Anand Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy was present at the event from the Indian side.

The ISA was jointly launched on 30 November 2015 by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and then-President of France, H.E. Francois Hollande, on the sidelines of the UNFCCC Conference of Parties 21 (CoP21) at Paris, France. The ISA is a treaty-based alliance of 121 prospective solar-rich Member Nations.

News In-a-Line:
Curtain Raiser Event- Founding Ceremony of the International Solar Alliance (ISA)- in Bonn, Germany.

1. Germany Capital- Berlin, Currency- Euro.
2. ISA- International Solar Alliance.

i. Scientist Vijay Prasad Dimri has been appointed as the president of the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC), a global platform for the advancement of earth science, to be held in 2020.

ii. He has replaced Shailesh Nayak. India, along with its co-host neighboring countries Bangladesh, Nepal, Srilanka, and Pakistan won the bid to host the 36th IGC in the National Capital Region from March 2 -8, 2020.

Scientist Vijay Prasad Dimri- appointed president of the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC)- replaced Shailesh Nayak.

i. Slovenia’s President Borut Pahor wins Second Term in Runoff Election. He received nearly 53 percent of votes.

ii. His rival, Marjan Sarec, the former actor and mayor of a small town north received a little more than 47 percent of the vote.

i. India, the United States, Japan and Australia held their first official-level talks in Manila, Philippines with a focus on keeping the India-Pacific region “free and open”.

ii. After the meeting, India, Australia and Japan issued separate statements listing the Indo-Pacific as the major area of the deliberations and resolved to expand cooperation to uphold a rules-based order and respect for international law in the strategically important region.

India, the United States, Japan and Australia- held first official-level talks in Manila, Philippines.

i. The Saudi Arabian government has approved the practice of yoga as a sports activity, claimed a social media post of Nouf Marwaai, founder of the Arab Yoga Foundation in the Saudi kingdom.

ii. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recognized the practice of Yoga as an approved sport, which can be practiced freely there.

Saudi Arabian government- approved the practice of yoga as a sports activity.

i. China has launched world’s first all-electric ship that can travel up to 80 km with 2000-tonnes cargo after a two-hour charge.

ii. The 70.5-metre-long ship, which weighs about 600 tonnes, was launched in Guangzhou in South China’s Guangdong Province. The vessel, manufactured by the Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Ltd, is powered by a 26-tonne lithium battery.

iii. It can cruise at the top speed of 12.8 km per hour.

China- launched world’s first all-electric ship- can travel up to 80 km with 2000-tonnes cargo after a two-hour charge- 70.5-metre-long- 600 tonnes weight- manufactured by the Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Ltd.

1. China Capital- Beijing, Currency- Renminbi.
2. President- Xi Jinping.

i. India’s first wave-powered navigational buoy, developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), to guide ships in and out of ports, was launched in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. The buoy, deployed at Ennore Kamarajar Port, will help ships, moving in and out of the harbour, navigate through a designated channel.
ii. According to the NIOT, the buoy’s beacon, for guiding ships, is powered by wave energy while conventional ones use solar power. The buoy stores energy generated by waves in a battery.

India’s first wave-powered navigational buoy– developed by  National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT)– launched in Chennai, Tamil Nadu– at Ennore Kamarajar Port.

1. Tamil Nadu CM- Edappadi K Palaniswami, Governor- Banwarilal Purohit.

i. A report by Bank of America-Merrill Lynch has stated that in the next decade, India will overtake Japan to become the third-largest economy.

ii. The report also adds that India is likely to become the world’s fifth largest economy by 2019. As per data available in the report, India is likely to cross Germany and Japan in nominal GDP by 2028, assuming that the nation witnesses a 10% growth every year for the next 10 years.

1. Reduced dependency ratios are expected to raise saving and investment rates. This is likely to fund 7% real growth.

2. Financial maturity, due to financial liberalization and inclusion, should continue to lower lending rates structurally.

3. Increasing incomes and affordability will likely underpin the emergence of mass markets, supporting an expected 7% real GDP growth.