Daily GK Updates - 9th February, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Brijbhushan Saran Singh appointed as the President of SAWF: Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brijbhushan Saran Singh has been appointed as the President of the South Asian Wrestling Federation (SAWF). 

2. Coast Guards to induct 38 aircrafts and helicopter by 2020: The Indian Coast Guards has proposed to induct 38 more aircrafts and helicopter into its fleet by 2020. The CG has a fleet strength of 62 airplanes and helicopters.

3. Indo-Nepal joint military exercise Surya Kiran 9 begins in Uttarakhand: The 9^th edition of the Indo-Nepal joint military exercise Surya Kiran has commenced at Pithoragarh district in Uttarakhand.

4. R K Pachauri appointed as Executive Vice Chairman and Dr. Ajay Mathur as the Director General of TERI.

5. Rs 1 lakh crore disbursed under MUDRA Yojana: Loans worth about Rs 1 lac crore have been sanctioned to small entrepreneurs under the PradhanMantri MUDRA Yojana.

6. Prime Minister Shram Awards 2014 announced: There are 9 nominations for the ShramBhushan, 19 nominations for the ShramVir and 26 nominations for Shram Shree awards. ShramRatna award is the highest award in this category.

7. Chettinad cotton saree won India Handloom tag for its unique designs and identity: The Union Ministry of Handlooms and Textiles authorised the Amarar Rajiv Gandhi Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society, which produced the sarees, to use the brand and logo for marketing the product.

8. DGCA signed grant agreement with USTDA for India Aviation Safety Technical Assistance Phase-II: India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and United States Technical Development Agency (USTDA) signed the grant agreement for India Aviation Safety Technical Assistance Phase II in New Delhi.

9. Union Government signed MoU with Chhattisgarh for development of railway infrastructure.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. North Korea launched Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite: North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) launched the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite on board the Kwangmyongsong rocket. It is an earth observation satellite and was launched as per the 2016 plan of the 5-year program for national aerospace development. 

2. MukeshAmbani and Sam Pitroda elected as members of US National Academy of Engineering.

3. Storm Imogen lashed parts of Britain: It forced the environment agency to issue multiple flood warnings requiring immediate action for parts of south west, south east and Wales. 

4. UNESCO medals conferred for contributions to development of nanoscience and nanotechnologies:  2014 Nobel Prize winner in Physics Professor Isamu Akasaki, Prof. L Jiang, Dr. Mikhail Dubina were among the names conferred with the medals at Paris.

5. Bangladesh cancelled Sonadia Island Port Project with China.

6. New species of Hybrid Poly also called Hydrozoas, emitting green fluorescence discovered in Red Sea.

7. Royal Navy of UK to study India’s Operation Raahat.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. JoshnaChinappa wins gold in squash at 12^th South Asian Games.

2. Indian wrestlers win 14 out of 16 gold in 12^th South Asian Games: India won gold in all eight women’s categories, while their men counterparts won 6 gold and 2 silver. Pakistan won 2 gold.

3. New Zealand cricket team won Chappell-Hadlee Trophy against Australia by 2-1.

OBITUARIES:

4. Former Nepal Prime Minister SushilKoirala passes away at the age of 78.