DAILY GK UPDATES 5TH JULY 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 5TH JULY 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 19 new ministers inducted and 1 elevated to the cabinet rank into PM Modi’s cabinet: Minister of State with independent charge Prakash Javdekar was elevated to the rank of Cabinet Minister. The Ministers of State are Faggan Singh Kulste, S.S. Ahluwalia, Ramesh Jigjinagi, Vijay Goel, Ramdas Athawale, Rajen Gohain, Anil Madhav Dave, Parshottam Rupala, M.J. Akbar, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Jaswant SinhBhabhor, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Ajay Tamta, Smt. Krishna Raj, Mansukh Mandaviya, Smt. AnupriyaPatel, C.R. Chaudhary, P.P. Chaudhary, and Dr.Subhash Bhamre.

2. Centre to allot Rs 400 crore for developing airports in UP: The Centre government has released an official statement that it will provide an assistance of 400 crore rupees for developing airports at Agra, Allahabad, Kanpur and Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh.

3. National mineral exploration policy unveiled: The National mineral exploration policy has been unveiled to adopt comprehensive exploration of non-fuel and non-coal mineral resources. The new policy aims to bring together best of knowledge and experience, modern technology, trained manpower and financial resources on a collaborative platform. Space technology would be used to check illegal mining by developing a mining surveillance system.

4. Jawaharlal Nehru port becomes India’s first port to implement Logistics Data Tagging of Containers: The logistics data bank tagging of containers is a first of its kind facility which will help importers and exporters track their goods in transit. An RFID  (Radio Frequency Identification Tag) tag would be attached to each container which would be tracked through RIFD readers installed at different locations.

5. Mission Indradhanush to next cover 13 MP districts: Thirteen districts in Madhya Pradesh will be covered under the upcoming phase of the Centre's "Mission Indradhanush" initiative aimed at full immunisation of all children in the country. It (the third phase of 'Mission Indradhanush') will cover Alirajpur, Jhabua, Ashok Nagar, Raisen, Vidisha, Sagar, Damoh, Tikamgarh, Chhattarpur, Panna, Umaria, Satna and Rewa districts," said V Kiran Gopal Rao, Mission Director, National Health Mission for Madhya Pradesh.

6. Centre nod for renaming Mhow railway station after B R Ambedkar: The central government has given its nod for renaming Mhow railway station in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh after BR Ambedkaras the Dalit icon was born there.

7. The Online Pharmacy 1mg acquires lab aggregator Medd: Gurgaon-based online pharmacy 1mg has acquired diagnostic labs aggregator Medd(HolaMed Healthcare Technologies Pvt. Ltd) for an undisclosed amount. However, as a part of the deal, all the three founders of Medd - Arpit Kothari, Anurag Mundhada, and Era Dwivedi, have joined the 1mg team.

8. K B Koliwad elected as Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly: Mr. K B Koliwad has unanimously elected as the Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Mr. K B Koliwad is 72 years old and represents Ranebennur constituency in HaveriTaluk.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NASA’s Juno successfully enters Jupiter’s orbit: It was launched five years ago, and will study Jupiter's composition, gravity, magnetic field and search clues about the planet's formation.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. Sudarshan Sen appointed Executive Director of RBI: Sudarshan Sen has been appointed as the Executive Director of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). He will replace NS Vishwanathan who was elevated as Deputy Governor of RBI.

2. MFIN elects R Bhaskar Babu as new president: Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), an industry association and Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) for the microfinance industry in India, has announced R Baskar Babu, CEO of Suryoday Micro Finance as its new President of the Board in the wake of the previous President retiring.

SPORTS:

3.  First association of Indian Olympians launched: The Olympians Association of India (OAI), the first-ever association for Indian Olympians, by the Olympians, was launched. The Olympians Association of India's official Twitter account, @IndianOlympians, will serve as the platform for real-time updates of the Indian contingent at the upcoming Rio Olympics.

4. Saudi Arbia becomes associate member of ICC: Saudi Arabia was unanimously elected as the 39th Associate Member of International Cricket Council’s (ICC) during its full council meeting in Edinburgh.

5. Niranjan wins eight medals in IWAS World Games: Bengaluru para-swimmer Niranjan Mukundanhas won eight medals, including three golds, at the recently-concluded IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) U-23 World Games in Prague, Czech Republic

OBITUARIES:

6. Veteran Communist leader Romesh Chandra passed away at the age of 94.

DAILY GK UPDATES 4TH JULY 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 4TH JULY 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s first Commercial Court and Commercial Disputes Resolution Centre inaugurated in Chhattisgarh: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh has inaugurated country's first commercial dispute resolution centre and a commercial court in the state capital. The commercial court is located in NayaRaipur area of the city. The court also consists of arbitration centre and a meditation centre.

2. BRICS’ meeting on energy efficiency begins today: A two-day meeting of the BRICS nations working group for enhancing cooperation in energy efficiency and energy saving have started from today in Visakhapatnam. This is the first meeting of the group in which participants from all BRICS countries are attending the meet.

3. President inaugurates smart village pilot project at Rashtrapati Bhavan: President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated a smart model village pilot project at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Initially, this initiative will be implemented in five selected villages in Haryana than later on will be spread to the entire country.

4. PM attends martyrdom anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur: Prime Minister Narendra Modihas attended a commemorative event to mark the 300th Martyrdom Anniversary of Baba Banda Singh Bahadurin New Delhi. On the occasion, Prime Minister Modihas released a book and souvenir on the life of Banda Bahadur.

5. Cyprus set to sign the new tax treaty with India: India and Cyprus have agreed to revise their tax treaty under which capital gains tax will be levied on the sale of shares of investments made after April 1, 2017. The new Cyprus Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), which has been agreed upon by both the countries, would provide for source-based taxation of capital gains on transfer of shares.

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China fits final piece on world’s largest radio telescope: China has hoisted the final piece into position on what will be the world’s largest radio telescope, which it will use to explore space and help in the hunt for extraterrestrial life. The Five Hundred Metre Aperture Spherical Telescope, or Fast, is the size of 30 football fields and has been cut out of a mountain in the south-western province of Guizhou.

2. Linda Burney becomes first indigenous woman elected to Australia’s lower house: Linda Burney, a former teacher has become the first Indigenous woman elected to the House of Representatives (lower house) of the Parliament of Australia. She achieved the fete after claiming victory in the marginal seat of Barton.

 

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:​

1. SBI gets $625 million from World Bank for solar power: State Bank of India (SBI) and the World Bank have inked agreements for a $625 million (around Rs 4,200 crore) facility to support grid-connected rooftop solar programme (GRPV) in the country. Through this initiative, at least 400 megawatt (Mw) solar capacity will be created across the country.

2. India to host world’s first MMA league: India will be hosting the world’s first Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) ‘Super Fight League’ from August 26 to October 1. The franchise-based league will feature eight teams – Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Haryana, Bangalore, Punjab, Pune and Goa.

SPORTS:

3.  India set to host South African Basketball qualifiers: The South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) Zone Qualifying Round of the FIBA Asia Challenge 2016 will be held from July 6 to 8 at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, Bangalore. 

 

4. Double bonanza for India’s Praneeth, Manu-Sumeeth win Canada open titles: India is celebrating its double bonanza as India's badminton player B SaiPraneet has won the Canada Open Grand Prix Badminton tournament and also it's Rio Olympics-bound men’s doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy have also won titles at the $55,000 Canada Open Grand Prix badminton tournament in Calgary.

 

5. Lewis Hamilton wins Austrian Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton has won the Austrian Grand Prix after a dramatic last-lap collision with championship rival Nico Rosberg.

OBITUARIES:

6. Ex-MP Ranji player Kapil Seth passed away: Former Madhya Pradesh cricketer Kapil Seth has recently passed away. He was 36 years old. According to the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), the all-rounder was suffering from Hepatitis B. Mr.Kabil who represented the state in only one first-class and a List A game in the 2000-01 season, made his sole Ranji Trophy appearance against Vidarbha in November 2000.

7. US Oscar-winning director Micheal Cimino at the age of 77.

DAILY GK UPDATES 3RD JULY 2016

DAILY GK UPDATES 3RD JULY 2016

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. BRICS Youth Summit, 2016 held: The 2016 BRICS Youth Summit held in Guwahati, Assam concluded on 3 July 2016. The theme of the 2nd youth summit that started on 1 July 2016 was “Youth as bridge for Intra-BRICS Exchanges”. The three day summit saw participation of officials and youth of the delegation from BRICS nations, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

 

2. Kerala Government decided to ban ‘electronic cigarettes’: It was banned in view of studies claiming that its use can cause various health issues, including cancer and heart ailments. In this regard, the health ministry directed the additional chief secretary (health) to issue an order banning the production, sale and advertisement of 'electronic cigarette' alias 'e-cigarette'.With this, Kerala became the fourth Indian state to ban e-cigarettes. The other three states are Punjab (1st state to do so), Maharashtra and Karnataka.

 

3. National Doctor’s Day 2016 observed on 1 July 2016 across India: The 2016 National Doctors’ Day was observed on 1 July 2016 across India. The day is observed to honour legendary physician, Dr BidhanChandra Roy whose birth and death anniversary falls on the same day.

 

4. INS Tarasa, follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft launched by Indian Navy: Indian Navy launched the fourth in the series of Follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (FO-WJFAC) called INS Tarasa. It was launched at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE), Kolkata. The name of the ship, like the previously launched FO-WJFACs, is based on the picturesque island in the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal.

 

5. Union HRD Ministry launches teacher education portal ‘Prashikshak’: The Union Minister for Human Resource Development Smriti Zubin Irani launched the Prashikshak, a teacher education portal, with a vision to strengthen District Institutes of Education and Training (DIETs) and bring quality teachers into the Indian school education system.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Solar Alliance Cell and World Bank sign Declaration for promoting Solar Energy: The Interim Administrative Cell of the International Solar Alliance (ISA Cell) and the World Bank on 30 June 2016 signed declaration to promote solar energy globally. The declaration was signed during the visit of the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim to India in June 2016. The declaration was signed by UpendraTripathy, Secretary of Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Chairperson, ISA cell and OnnoRuhl, India Country Director of the World Bank.

 

2. Exercise RIPMAC 2016 begins: Exercise RIMPAC 2016, the Pacific military exercise, began on 30 June 2016 at Hawaii with 26 nations participating in the war games that will cover the Hawaiian Island and southern California. The theme of RIMPAC 2016 is Capable, Adaptive, and Partners. RIMPAC 2016 is the 25th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.  ICC relaxes Decision Review System: The International Cricket Council (ICC) approved a change to the DRS (Decision Review System) playing condition relating to the LBW “Umpire’s Call”. The decision will allow changes to the decision review system which will make it easier to overturn not-out LBW decisions. As per the amendment, the size of the zone inside which half the ball needs to hit any part of the stumps for a not out decision.  Currently, half of the ball would need to be hitting a zone between the centre of leg and off stumps.

2. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu becomes first Indian to play in Europa League: Sandhu was named in Norwegian club Stabaek FC's squad for their Europa League qualifying match against Welsh Premier League side Connah's Quay Nomads FC.

 

OBITUARIES:

3. Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocarddied at the age of 85: Michel Rocard, former Prime Minister of France, passed away in Paris, France. He was 85. Rocard served as Prime Minister under President Francois Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991.

 

4. Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel died at the age of 87.