Daily GK Updates - 15th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nawazuddin appointed brand ambassador of UP farmers' scheme: The Uttar Pradesh govt has appointed Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui as the brand ambassador of its flagship programme 'Samajwadi Kisan Beema Yojana'.

2. India Declares itself Free from Avian Influenza (H5N1): The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers welfare has declared India free from Avian Influenza (H5N1) from 5th September, 2016.

3. Priyanka Chopra among world's 10 highest paid TV actresses: Forbes: Bollywood queen Priyanka Chopra is in the top 10 in Forbes magazine's annual list of best-paid television actresses.

4.Gionee signs MoU with Haryana govt for investment of Rs 500cr: Gionee mobile phones would now be manufactured in Haryana as the company today signed a MoU with the state government to set up its phone manufacturing hub with an initial investment of Rs 500 crore which, later on, would be increased to Rs 1,500 crore. 

5. Uttarakhand Governor releases book by author “Nagrath”: Uttarakhand Governor K K Paul has released a book titled 'Shanti ki Talaash mein Zindagi' written in Hindi by Haridwar-based author and journalist Radhika Nagrath. 

6. Narayana Murthy named Director of RCI, DRDO:BHVS Narayana Murthy, an expert in Avionics has been appointed as Director, Research Centre Imarat (RCI), Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), Hyderabad.

7. Vice President Ansari to represent India at NAM Summit: Vice-President Hamid Ansari will be representing India at the upcoming 17th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) to be held at Margarita Island in Venezuela from September 17-18.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Jim Yong Kim heads for second term as World Bank president:Kim, 56, has focused the World Bank on programs to reduce extreme poverty.
Kim's first term ends on June 30, 2017.

2. US sign 38 billion dollars deal with Israel:The United States has signed a 38 billion dollars deal with Israel to provide the country with military assistance over a 10-year period. 

3. Hiroshi Nakagawa takes over as Chairman of Isuzu Motors India: Japanese automobile maker Isuzu today announced top-level changes in its Indian operations with Hiroshi Nakagawa taking over as the Chairman of Isuzu Motors India (IMI) with immediate effect. 

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Axis Bank, BHU team up for banking courses: Private sector Axis Bank has tied up with Banaras Hindu University (BHU) to offer specialised banking courses. 

SPORTS:

2. India Blue wins 2016-17 Duleep Trophy Tournament:GautamGambhir-led India Blue has won the inaugural day/night Duleep Trophy Cricket tournament held in Greater Noida.

3. India wins 6 medals on opening day of Track Asia Cup: Indian cyclists put up a commendable show on the opening day of the Track Asia Cup 2016, bagging 6 medals, including three gold and two silver and one bronze.

AWARDS:

4. Actor Ewan McGregor will receive the Britannia Humanitarian Award at the British Academy Britannia Awards in California next month.