Daily GK Updates - 8th August, 2017

Daily GK Updates - 8th August, 2017 NATIONAL UPDATES: 1. Sankalp Parva to be observed on August 15: Centre has decided to observe this Independence Day as ‘Sankalp Parva’ and asked the people to dedicate themselves to social causes.The centre wants to drive the people of India from ‘Sankalp’ to ‘Siddhi’ in a period of 5 years. 2. Deployment of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Solution: The government is planning to install a 24X7 seamless virtual fence with sensors along the India-Pakistan border to curb infiltration bid. A pilot project for deployment of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Solution which includes different types of sensors, day and night vision cameras has been taken up. The pilot project has been undertaken in 2 stretches of 5 to 6 kms each in Jammu sector. 3. Shia board proposes to build mosque at distance from the disputed Babri site: TheBabri Masjid was a Shia property and only Shia Central Waqf Board is entitled to arrive at a peaceful settlement of the issue, the Shia board said.  The Board told the SC that a mosque could be built in a Musilm-dominated area at a distance from the disputed Babri site at Ayodhya. 4. Congress accuses the government and RBI of printing two types of notes: Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that government was printing two kinds of Rs.500 and Rs.2000 notes and called it as the biggest scam of the country. 5. Justice Dipak Misra to be next the Chief Justice of India: Justice Dipak Misra has been appointed as the 45th Chief Justice of India. He is known for some landmark judgements including the death sentence of Yakub Memon. 6. Assam declared a disturbed area for one more month: Centre has declared entire Assam as a “disturbed” area under controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for 1 more month. Assam is under AFSPA since 1990. INTERNATIONAL UPDATES: 1. Framework for crafting code of conduct in South China Sea being mulled: Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia & China have adopted a negotiating framework for a code of conduct in South China Sea. It seeks to advance a 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in South China Sea, which has mostly been ignored by claimant states, particularly China. OTHER UPDATES: BANKING & FINANCE: 1. Axis Bank joins the bandwagon, cuts savings account interest rate: Axis Bank has cut savings account interest rate by 50 bps to 3.5% on balances of up to Rs. 50 lakh. Axis Bank will continue to offer an interest rate of 4% per annum on savings account balances of Rs. 50 lakh and above. SBI was the first one to do so. BUSINESS & ECONOMY: 2. 331 “shell companies” under SEBI’s radar: Market regulator Securities & Exchange Board of India has directed stock exchanges to initiate action against 331 firms that it suspects are shell companies & are listed on bourses. Exchanges have also been asked to appoint an independent auditor to conduct audit of these companies. 3. Amazon signs an agreement with Dept. of Handlooms, Telangana: Amazon India has said it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Telangana Department of Handloom and Textiles. It aims to educate, train and enable weavers and artisans to directly sell their products to Amazon customers across the country. 4. Health & wellness startup CureFit signs actor Hrithik Roshan as ambassador:Hrithik has been signed up for 5 years at Rs100 crore. It is said to be one of the largest endorsement deals signed by an Indian startup. Company plans to introduce HRX workout plan across all CureFit-run Cult fitness centres and on the mobile app, which is expected to rake in Rs250cr annual business in the next couple of years. SPORTS: 5. McLeod wins IAAF World Championships in London: Omar McLeod of Jamaica won the 110m Hurdles final at the London 2017 IAAF World Championships in London. 6. India wins 8 medals at Junior Boxing Championships: India finished the Asian Junior Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa, Philippines with two silver and six bronze medals. Satender Rawat (80+kg) and Mohit Khatana (80kg) settled for silver medals after losing their final bouts in the Asian Junior Boxing Championships.

Daily GK Updates - 7th August, 2017 Posted: 10 Aug 2017 03:08 AM PDT NATIONAL UPDATES: 1. CO sensors developed by IISc: Researchers at Indian Institute of Science have developed a highly sensitive nanometre-scale carbon monoxide sensor by employing an innovative fabrication technique. Nanostructure-based gas sensors are very effective due their high surface-to-volume ratio. 2. National Handloom Day celebrated: National Handloom Day is being observed to give an impetus to sector & encourage use of hand-made loom in the country. 7th August has been chosen due to its special significance as it was on this day that Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905. 1st National Handloom Day was observed on 7th August, 2015 in Chennai. 3. Chabahar Port to start by 2018 – Nitin Gadkari: According to Nitin Gadkari the strategic Chabahar Port will be operational by 2018. As per an MoU signed, India is to equip & operate 2 berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of $85.21 million & annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 million on a 10-year lease. INTERNATIONAL UPDATES: 1. UK agrees to pay $47billion to leave EU: Britain is prepared to pay up to €40 billion (USD47 billion dollars) as part of a deal to leave the European Union. OTHER UPDATES: BUSINESS & ECONOMY: 1. Britannia’s largest plant set to come up in Maharashtra: India’s leading FMCG Britannia Industries would set up its largest plant in Maharashtra in a food park at Ranjangaon. The park would have the largest biscuits manufacturing plant with six lines, along with cake and rusk. 2. TCS to start GST Shiksha hub for small and medium enterprises: TCS iON has announced its partnership with Laghu Udyog Bharati to launch GST-related content to help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. It aims to provide relevant information on GST to all MSMEs on a real-time basis, helping them to be updated on any GST-linked development. 3. FB has the maximum profit per employee: Facebook which employed 20,658 persons in past quarter made roughly Rs 1.2 cr per employee. Microsoft made Rs 33 lakhs & Alphabet Rs 29 lakhs per employee, 4 times less profit per employee than FB. 4. Luxury cars to cost more as GST council recommends car cess hike from 10% to 25%: Sport Utility Vechicles, mid-sized, large, and luxury cars will cost more as the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Council has approved a proposal to hike cess on them to 25%. SPORTS: 5. Kerala HC lifts life ban imposed on cricketer Sreesanth: He was banned in 2013 for his alleged spot fixing in IPL & was charged alongside 2 of his Rajasthan Royals teammates, Ajit Chandila & Ankeet Chavan. This comes as a relief for Sreesanth. 6. Alexander Zverev wins Citi Open title at Washington: German Alexander Zverev won over South African Kevin Anderson at the Citi Open in Washington. 7. India wins bronze in wheelchair basketball world meet: The Indian men and women’s wheelchair basketball teams won Bronze at the 4th Bali Cup International Tournament for Wheelchair Basketball.