Daily GK Updates - 22nd June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISRO launches record 20 satellites in a mission: The launch has been made by using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C-34, carrying India’s latest earth observation satellite Cartosat-2 along with 19 co-passengers satellites from US, Canada, Germany, Indonesia and two Indian academic institutions.

2. Vice President inaugurates a two-day international conference on Yoga: Vice President Hamid Ansari has inaugurated a two-day international conference on 'Yoga for Body and beyond' in New Delhi.About 70 international delegates from 32 countries are attending the Conference.

3. Aadhaar to be linked with caste, domicile certificates: The Centre has asked all the states to link Aadhaar card of school students to their caste and domicile certificate.

4. Jaitley releases silver coin to mark Martyrdom Day of Banda Singh Bahadur: Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley has released a commemorative silver coin to mark the 300th martyrdom day of Sikh General Banda Singh Bahadur.

5. India ranks 10^th in FDI inflows: UNCTAD report: As per the recently released 2016 World Investment Report, India ranks 10th in FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) inflows. As per the report, India’s FDI inflows have increased to 44 billion dollars in 2015 as compared to 35 billion dollars in 2014.

6. Maharashtra Government grants minority status to Jews: Maharashtra Government has accorded minority status to Jews in the state as per the provisions of the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission Act, 2004.

7.  Andhra Postal circle releases stamps on Yoga booklet: To commemorate the International Day of Yoga, Andhra Pradesh Postal circle have organized the programme of releasing the booklet for public and stamps on yoga for Philatelists.

8. Mori village in Andhra Pradesh chosen for development as smart village: Mori village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh will be developed as a smart village of global standards by using digital tools, real-time information, and uninterrupted internet connectivity.

9.  AmbubachiMela at Kamakhya temple, Assam to begin today: In Assam, the annual AmbubachiMela at Kamakhya temple has begun today. For the celebration, the temple doors will remain closed until Sunday. The AmbubachiMela is an annual Hindu mela held at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam.

10. Nagpur and China’s Jinan become ‘sister cities’: Nagpur and the Chinese city of Jinan have become 'sister cities' after signing a pact which allows for the exchange of ideas and technology in the field of education, urban planning, youth affairs, and sports.

11. IWAI and IPGPL ink MoU on Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project: The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and India Ports Global Private Limited (IPGPL) have signed a MoU for implementation of additional works on the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP) in Myanmar.

12. Six Indian WW1 warriors get the place in Digital Archive of the United Kingdom: The archive was launched as part of UK government’s centenary celebrations of WW-I and aims to tell the inspiring stories of war heroes. The Indians to be archived digitally for their important role during the War are: Risaldar Badlu Singh from Punjab, SepoyChatta Singh from Uttar Pradesh, NaikDarwan Singh Negi from Uttar Pradesh (modern day Uttarakhand), Lance Naik Lala from Himachal Pradesh, Rifleman Gabar Sing Negi from modern day Uttarakhand and Lance-DaffadarGobind Singh from Rajasthan.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. SCO summit to begin tomorrow in Tashkent: A two-day meeting of heads of state of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) under the presidency of Uzbekistan will begin tomorrow in Tashkent. The organization was founded in 1996 after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001 and headquartered in Beijing, China.

2. US to provide Afghan forces $3 billion for 2018-2020 year and also donates $20 million to UN for Fallujah refugees: The United States plans to provide more than 3 billion dollars a year in support for the Afghan national security forces from 2018 through 2020. And the United States also donates 20 million dollars in humanitarian aid to the United Nations' effort to help the thousands of refugees who have fled fighting in the Iraqi city of Fallujah.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. SBI named in Hall of Shame list of Banks funding Cluster Bomb Makers: The State Bank of India (SBI) was named in the Hall of Shame list of 158 banking institutions that have invested billions of dollars in companies making cluster bombs.

2. South Indian Bank launches Remit2 India Service: South India Bank has announced the launch of its Remit2India Service. Currently, south Indian Bank’s facility is available for remittance from Europe, Australia, UAE, and Singapore.It is a secure online money transfer service for NRIs.

3. Ken Miyauchi replaced NikeshArora as President and COO of SoftBank Group.

SPORTS:

4. AIFF to launch ‘Mission 11 Million’ for football: The All India Football Federation is set to launch a football promotion programme in October targeting 11 million children across India. The programme, titled ‘Mission 11 Million’, will reportedly be launched in 30 cities, besides targeting the Indian diaspora in Gulf countries.

OBITUARIES:

5. Renowned Telangana poet GudaAnjaiah passed away at the age of 61.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

6. Book titled ‘A Life in Diplomacy’ authored by M K Rasgotra released.