Daily GK Updates - 4th October, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Reliance ties up with Dassault to execute Rafale offsets: Dassault Aviation of France has entered into a partnership with Reliance group to execute offsets for the recently concluded deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets. This is the largest offset contract to be executed by any defence company in India till date.

2. K J Yesudas appointed as the Brand Ambassador of Kerala’s Haritha Kerala Project: Playback singer K J Yesudas has been roped in by the Kerala' government as the brand ambassador of its ambitious ‘Haritha Keralam' project. ‘Haritha Keralam’ (Green Kerala) project, a massive initiative envisaged for a garbage-free and clean state.

3. Jharkhand becomes the 1^st state to launch Direct Benefit Transfer in Kerosene: Jharkhand has become the first state in the country to implement Direct Benefit Transfer in Kerosene.

4. Prasar Bharti CEO Jawhar Sircar resigns: Jawhar Sircar has resigned as the Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati Corporation. His resignation came 4 months ahead of the end of his tenure which was about to end in February 2017.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Three researchers share 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics: The Nobel Prize in Physics for 2016 has been awarded to scientists - David J Thouless, who receives half the prize, and Duncan M. Haldane and J. Michael Kosterlitz, who share the other half. The three physicists discovered a mathematical framework in the field of topography, to explain unexpected properties of solid materials.

2. 4-10 October: World Space Week: World Space Week is an annual event that is observed from 4-10 October every year in various parts of the world including Europe and Asia. World Space Week, 2016 is being observed with the theme, Remote Sensing: Enabling our Future.

3. France confers knighthood on elephant researcher: Film-maker and elephant researcher Prajna Chowta has been appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite (Knight in the National Order of Merit), one of the highest civilian recognitions of the French government.

  

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. RBI announces 4^th Bi-Monthly Policy Statement: RBI's 24th Governor Urjit Patel, who has been recently appointed, has announced his first and country's 4th Bi-monthly Policy Statement for the year 2016-17. The RBI has reduced the policy Repo Rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points from 6.5% to 6.25% with immediate effect.

2. SBI becomes first domestic bank to open branch in Yangon: The State Bank of India today announced its entry into Myanmar by opening a branch in the capital city of Yangon, becoming the first domestic lender to do so. The Yangon branch is the 54th foreign branch of the nation's largest lender.