1) India declares itself free from H5N1 and H5N8 bird flu
•India has declared itself free from highly pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 and H5N8) after surveillance in the states showed no evidence of its presence. It has been notified to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
•The surveillance was carried out throughout the country since completion of the operation including culling, disinfection and clean-up and surveillance in the states showed no evidence of the presence of Avian Influenza Virus. India had reported outbreaks of influenza at various epicenters in different states across the country between October 2016 and February 2017.
2) India Rises to 96th in FIFA World ranking, Best in Two Decades
•India has moved four places up to the 96th position in the FIFA World Ranking released recently. This is the country’s second-best ranking and its previous best was the 94th position in February 1996.
•India has moved 77 positions up from the 173rd rank on March 2015.
3) India ranks 23rd among 165 nations in cybersecurity index
•India is ranked a high 23rd out of 165 nations in a global index that measures the commitment of nations across the world to cybersecurity. The second Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) was released by the UN telecommunications agency International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
•India is ranked 23rd on the index with a score of 0.683 and has been listed in the maturing category. The index has been topped by Singapore with a 0.925 score.
•The top 5 most committed countries to cybersecurity are-
1. Singapore,
2. The United States,
3. Malaysia,
4. Oman,
5. Estonia.
4) European Parliament approves first ever EU-Cuba pact
•The European Parliament overwhelmingly approved a first-ever cooperation deal between the EU and Cuba. MEPs in the eastern French city of Strasbourg approved the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement which was signed in December 2016.
•With the deal, Cuba joins other Latin American countries with similar agreements with the EU, whose relations with the island had previously been conducted in the so-called Common Position that linked ties to improvements in human rights.
5) Pakistan successfully test fires short-range ballistic missile Nasr
•Pakistan has successfully test-fired short-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile 'Nasr'. NASR is a high-precision weapons system with the ability for quick deployment and a range of 70 kilometers, or 43.5 miles.
•Pakistan Army has conducted a series of training launches and tests during the current week for validation of new technical parameters of 'NASR' with an enhanced range of 60-70 kilometers and flight maneuverability.
6) Siemens opens its first digital factory in India
•Siemens opened its first digital factory in India, also the third globally after one each in Germany and China, as the industrial conglomerate pitches smart facilities to small and medium scale enterprises in the country.
•The digital factory is one of the nine divisions at Siemens. It aims to provide a comprehensive portfolio of hardware and software products which enable comprehensive integration of data from development, production and suppliers.
