Daily GK Updates - 10th June, 2017

Daily GK Updates - 10th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 'SATH’ initiative launched by NITI Aayog: For furthering the agenda of cooperative federalism, NITI Aayog has launched SATH, a program providing ‘Sustainable Action for Transforming Human capital’ with the State Governments. The objective of this program is to initiate transformation in the education and healthcare sectors.

2. Pranab Mukherjee launches mobile app ‘Selfie with Daughter’: The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee launched a mobile Application ‘Selfie with Daughter’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The App is aimed at raising awareness among people about female foeticide and sex selection. The President has urged the people to take selfies with their daughters to make the campaign a huge success.

3. EU, France give 3.5 Million Euros as Grant to Curb Emissions in India: EU and France will give a grant of 3.5 million euros to three Indian cities- Nagpur, Kochi and Ahmedabad as part of the EU’s commitment under the Paris Climate agreement to curb emissions and promote sustainability in these cities.

4. India’s Forex Reserves reach Life Time High of $381.167 billion:According to RBI, India’s foreign exchange (Forex) reserves have increased by $2.404 billion to touch a lifetime high of $381.167 billion in the week that ended on June 2. The increase was due to increase in foreign currency assets (FCAs).

5. Government awards Contracts for completion of Kaladan project in Myanmar: Government has awarded a Rs 1,600-crore contract for constructing 109-km road connecting Paletwa river terminal to Zorinpui in Mizoram border as a part of the $484-million Kaladan multi-modal transport (KMTT) projects in Myanmar which will offer connectivity to Mizoram.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Preet Kaur Gill becomes Britain's first female Sikh MP: Preet Kaur Gill has become the first Sikh to be elected to the British Parliament’s House of Commons. Labour Party candidate Preet Kaur Gill won her Birmingham Edgbaston seat by polling 24,124 votes, defeating ruling Conservative party rival Caroline Squire by 6,917 votes.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Jelena Ostapenko wins Women’s Crown: Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia has lifted the the 2017 French Open Women’s Singles crown. She defeated Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.  This will be Ostapenko’s first ever Grand Slam title. With this win, Ostapenko, 20, has become the first unseeded woman to win the French Open after Britain’s Margaret Scriven’s feat in 1933. Ostapenko also earned the distinction for being the first player of Latvian origin – men or women – to win a Grand Slam event.

BANKING & FINANCE:

2. Canara Bank partners with New India Assurance: Canara Bank has tied up with New India Assurance recently. Under this agreement NIA will sell its policies through the branches of Canara Bank.

3. SBI reduces the interest rate home loans above Rs. 75 lakhs: SBI has reduced the home loan interest rates above Rs. 75 lakhs by 10 basis points to 8.55-8.6%. The rate of 8.55% is for women borrowers and for the rest , it is 8.6%.

4. IOB launches retail mart in Thiruvananthapuram: Indian Overseas Bank (IOB), the Lead Bank for Thiruvananthapuram district, has launched the Retail Mart, a retail lending concept, in Kerala's capital city. The exclusive facility that handles retail products has started functioning at the main branch of the bank at Statue Junction in Thiruvananthapuram.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

5. Vikram Limaye appointed as the new MD & CEO of National Stock Exchange: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has approved the appointment of Vikram Limaye as the new managing director and chief executive officer (MD & CEO) of National Stock Exchange.

Daily GK Updates - 9th June, 2017

Daily GK Updates - 9th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 2nd National Health Editors’ Conference held: The second National Health Editors’ Conference on Yoga began on June 9 in New Delhi. The conference aims at giving insight to the journalists about the scientific aspects of yoga and its benefits for health. The theme of conference is“Yoga for Health and Harmony”.

2. Twenty-one new railway stations to come up on Konkan route:Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL) is planning to develop 21 new stations on the Konkan route. A total 147 km's of railway track would be doubled under the expansion and modernisation project at a cost of Rs. 3,000 crore. After addition, the total number of stations on the route to 87 and reduce the distance between two stations to 8.3 km from 12.75 kms.

3. India signs OECD to check tax evasion: India signed the OECD multilateral convention that aims to check cross-border tax evasion by multinational companies. More than 65 countries, including India, signed the convention. The OECD/G20 BEPS project delivers solutions for governments to close the gaps in existing international rules that allow corporate profits to “disappear”.

4. Krishi Rin Samadhan Yojana launched by MP Govt.: Madhya Pradesh govt has launched a new debt relief scheme – Krishi Rin Samadhan Yojana for farmers. Under the scheme, the interest rate on loans would be less, which would in turn also help defaulting farmers get loans. Government has also allocated 1000 crore Rupees for the implementation of this scheme.

5. Union Law Ministry clears Kambala Bill: Union Ministry of Law and Justice has cleared Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill 2017 for the Kambala. Karnataka HC had banned Kambala along with bull-cart race while hearing a case filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals citing animal cruelty.

Kambala is the traditional slush track buffalo race that is held annually in coastal districts of Karnataka.

6. Tamil Nadu govt signs MoU with Aviation Ministry for implementation of UDAN scheme: Tamil Nadu govt. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union Civil Aviation Ministry for the implementation of the UDAN scheme in the state. The MoU has been signed in presence of the chief minister Tamil NaduEdappadi K Palaniswamy and the Airports Authority of India ChairmanGuruprasad Mohapatra at the Secretariat in Fort St George, Chennai. Three of the tier-two industrial towns (Hosur, Salem, and Neyveli) are to be developed in the first phase where airstrips are available.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. WHO revises Protocol for Antibiotics: In an effort to curb antibiotic resistance, the World Health Organization has divided the drugs into 3 categories — access, watch and reserve. This is the biggest revision of the antibiotics section in the 40-year history of the essential medicines list.

2. 1 Million Dollar Fund for BRICS Media: The Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) grouping has signaled its intent to expand its footprint in the global media space, with the injection of a $1 million fund. The plan will promote six objectives, including “balanced reporting”— a view shared by several speakers at the forum who called for alternative media narrative, which did not take the cue from Washington or London.

3. Christopher Wray as new FBI director, Trump’s nomination: US President Donald Trump has nominated former justice department official Christopher Wray as the new director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). He would be replacing James Comey. Wray’s nomination would require confirmation from the US Senate.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Bopanna-Dabrowski clinch French Open mixed-doubles title:Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna and his teammate Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada) have won the French Open mixed doubles title 2017 in Paris, France. They beat the pair of Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) and Robert Farah (Colombia) by 2-6, 6-2, 12-10. The event has been named after the French aviator Roland Garros.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Microsoft acquires Hexadite: Microsoft has confirmed that it has acquired Hexadite, an Israeli startup that uses AI to identify and protect against attacks. Hexadite will develop security solutions for commercial Windows 10 customers, specifically with Windows Defender Advanced Threat

Daily GK Updates - 8th June, 2017

Daily GK Updates - 8th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. QS World University Rankings - IIT-Delhi best ranked Indian institution:IIT Delhi has surpassed IISc Bangalore, to become the top-ranked Indian institute according to QS World University Rankings. IIT Delhi Ranked 172 while IIT Bombay and IISc Bangalore stood at 179 and 190 respectively. MIT topped the list for 6th consecutive year, followed by Stanford University.

2. Petrol prices to change daily from 16^th June onwards: Public Sector OMCs have decided to start daily revision in RSP of Petrol and Diesel in the entire country with effect from 16th June, 2017. Daily price revisions of Petrol and Diesel will make retail prices more reflective of current market conditions.

3. War memorial inaugurated in Arunachal at Thembang Village:General officer commanding of Gajraj Corps Lt General Amarjeet Singh Bedi inaugurated a war memorial at Thembang village in Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The memorial has been constructed by the scout battalion of the Indian Army. It has been dedicated to the men of 5 Guards, who fought during the Indo-China war in Thembang village in 1962.

4. Sahithi Pingali to get a planet named after her: Sahithi Pingali, a Class 12 student from Bengaluru, joins an elite league of people to have a minor planet named after them. She represented India and finished 2nd at ISEF following which MIT decided to name a planet after her.

5. National Human Milk Bank “Vatsalya” inaugurated: Health Secretary C K Mishra inaugurated Vatsalya – Maatri Amrit Kosh, a National Human Milk Bank and Lactation Counselling Centre at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. It will collect pasteurise, test and store milk donated by lactating mothers and make it available for infants in need. Vatsalya is established in collaboration with Norwegian government, Oslo University and NIPI.

6. Radha Chauhan appointed CEO of Government eMarketplace:Radha Chauhan has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Government e- Marketplace (GeM). GeM is an online platform for central and state government departments for purchase of goods and services.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Oceans Day being observed globally: World Oceans Day is annually observed on 8th June to raise awareness of the challenges humanity faces to protect the world's oceans. The overall theme of this year is 'Our Oceans, Our Future'.

2. 650 light years from Earth, scientists discover hottest known planet in universe: Scientists have discovered the hottest known planet from Earth (located 650 light years), which is warmer than most stars in the universe and sports a giant, glowing gas tail like a comet. It is hotter than most stars and only 926-degree Celsius cooler than Sun.

3. World Pest Day held for the first time in the world: The first World Pest Day was launched in Beijing, China. Its objective is to increase awareness of pest-borne diseases and safeguard public health through scientific and professional pest control methods. More than 30 national and international organisations have signed to support the initiative.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. Karmakar and Shankar appointed as Independent Directors of IPPB: K G Karmakar and Gauri Shankar have been appointed as the Independent Directors of India Post Payments Bank. Their appointment to the post on the board of directors of the bank is for a period of three years. The IPPB has been incorporated as a public sector bank under the Department of Posts with 100 per cent equity of the government of India.

2. HDFC Bank starts fees on UPI transaction: HDFC bank will start charging its customers for transactions made via the Unified Payments Interface from 10 July. Fees will be imposed on all outward UPI transactions. Transactions from Rs 1 to Rs 25,000 will be charged Rs 3 plus taxes while those above Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh will be charged Rs 5. These charges make small value payments over UPI more expensive than those on NEFT.

3. Axis Bank becomes the first one in India to launch bio-degradable prepaid gift cards: Axis Bank announced biodegradable prepaid gift cards on World Environment Day. The cards are made up of Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol. These cards have a large positive impact on the environment as they can be broke down safely and quickly into raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

4. Annual SCO summit begins in Astana: The two-day annual 17th summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has begun in Astana, Kazakhstan. Heads of six member countries of the SCO (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgzstan, Russia, Tajikisthan, and Uzbekistan) are taking part and deliberate on matters of mutual interest including security and economy in Central Asia. India and Pakistan (so far observers) in the SCO are set to join as its full members and a formal announcement is expected during the summit.