Daily GK Updates - 10th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Andhra Pradesh decided to conduct ‘Smart Pulse Survey’ of 1.48 crore households: Andhra Pradesh government has decided to conduct a 'Smart Pulse Survey' for collecting socio-economic data of 1.48 crore households in the state. The survey started on 8 July 2016 will end on 30 July 2016.

2. Zydus, Medicines Patent Pool inks agreement for Bristol-Myers Squibb’s daclatasvir tablets: ZydusCadila, a leading global healthcare firm inked a non-exclusive, royalty free agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). Under the pact they will be manufacturing global pharma major Bristol-Myers Squibb’s daclatasvir tablets used for the treatment of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).

3. Union Government launched National Green Highways Mission: Under this initiative, plantation drive on 1500 km of National Highways was launched at a cost of about 300 crore rupees. The greening project has a huge potential to generate jobs and can prove to be a game-changer for agriculture and rural economy.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US sanctions North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un for human rights abuses: The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on 6 July 2016 designated top officials of the North Korean regime along with Kim Jong-Un and for their ties to North Korea’s notorious abuses of human rights.

2. New Tarantula species named after Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Scientists has named a newly discovered species of tarantula (a big hairy spider) as KankuamoMarquezi after the famed Colombian novelist and 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The species was discovered in large number in an isolated mountain range in Caribbean Colombia.  It was named after him as homage to the country where it was found.

3. Russian leader Putin signs ‘Big Brother’ law: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the “anti-terrorist” legislation adopted by the lower and upper houses of parliament.This anti-terror amendment is dubbed as Big Brother by US intelligence contractor turned privacy activist Edward Snowden. It boosts the surveillance powers for the security services by requiring communication providers to store users’ calls, messages, photographs and videos for six months, and the Metadata for up to three years.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. SBI launches social media banking platform SBI Mingle: The State Bank of India (SBI) on 1 July 2016 launched SBI Mingle, a social media banking platform for Facebook and Twitter users. The platform was launched by SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya, on the occasion of 61st State Bank Day that is observed on 1 July every year. To avail services from this platform, customers will have to register for it through a simple one time registration process using either their social account number or their ATM/Debit Card details.

SPORTS:

2. Andy Murray beat Milos Romanic to win the Wimbledon 2016 grand slam.