Daily GK Updates - 31st March, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 'Namami Brahmaputra' starts in Assam: It is  India’s biggest river festival. This is a festival to be organized across 21 districts in Assam from 31^stMarch to 4^th April, 2017. President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated India's largest river festival “Namami Brahmputra“ in Assam. The basic objective of the festival is to show case the trade and commerce, culture, skill, industry, and tourism of Assam to the world.

2. An initiative for Child cancer patients in Mumbai: The Union Shipping Minister “Mr. Nitin Gadkari” has inaugurated a residential facility for child cancer patients in Mumbai. The Centre aims to help cancer patients by providing clean accommodation and transport so that there is no fear of any secondary infection.

This Child Care Centre for patients of Tata Memorial Hospital has been developed by Mumbai Port Trust as part of its corporate social responsibility.

3. Release of a Postage Stamp on Cub Scouts: The Union Minister of Communications Manoj Sinha has released a Postage Stamp on Cub Scouts to commemorate the Centenary year of Cub Scouts in India and abroad. Cub Scouting is meant for children of age group between 8 to 11 years and Cubbing involves games, stories, play acting, handicrafts and also work through the Star tests and Badges. Scouting was developed for youth between the ages of 11 and 17 to engage in activities in public parks, open spaces and wherever they found a suitable place.

4. ‘Kanha tiger reserve’ becomes first in India to get official mascot: The ‘Kanha tiger reserve’ (Madhya Pradesh) has become the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha" to create a better connection with its visitors. The Barasingha or swamp deer is the state animal of Madhya Pradesh. The mascot was chosen among four variations by the Madhya Pradesh forest department.

5. Launch of Online Film Certification System: The union Information & Broadcasting Minister ‘M Venkaiah Naidu’ has launched the online film certification system, 'e-CinePramaan' with an aim to the elimination of middlemen and promote clean cinema. The new system of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) will make the entire process of certification transparent and efficient. This will make the process for films to obtain a certificate fully digital and will include QR Codes to check fraudulent certificates.

6. Government announces regional aviation routes and airlines under UDAN scheme: The Union Civil Aviation Ministry has announced regional aviation routes and airlines after the first round of bidding under UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) Scheme. In the first round, as many as 128 routes connecting 70 big and small airports across the country were selected and all flights will become active within 4-6 months.

7. Government launch e-challan and m-parivahan apps for enforcement of traffic rules: The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has launched two mobile applications —e-challan and m-parivahan to provide a comprehensive digital solution for enforcement of traffic rules. These applications will provide access to various services and information, and enable citizens to report any traffic violation or road accident. 

8. Government unveils online vigilance clearance system, e-service book:  The Union Government has launched the Online Vigilance Clearance System and e-Service Book in New Delhi. It was launched by Union Minister Jitendra Singh in New Delhi. The online system aims to fast track process of cases of vigilance clearance for senior-level appointments in central government.

9. Government, NDB ink $350 million loan pact: India has signed its first loan agreement with the New Development Bank (NDB)/BRICS Bank for $350 million to be used in the development and upgradation of district roads in Madhya Pradesh. The objective of the project is the upgrade major district roads in Madhya Pradesh to improve road connectivity of the interior areas of the state with the national and state highway networks. The project will include upgradation, reconstruction and rehabilitation of approximately 1,500 km of district roads to intermediate lane, all-weather standards. It will also have road safety features and improved road maintenance and management.

10. IIT Madras, Indian Army ink MoU to strengthen critical technological areas:The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) and Indian Army have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to identify the critical technological areas that can be enhanced in the armed forces. The MoU was signed by IITM Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi and Deputy Chief of Army Staff (P&S) Lt. Gen. Subrata Saha in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Venezuelan Opposition alleges coup as Supreme Court seizes power: Opposition leaders branded Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a "dictator" after the Supreme Court stripped the Opposition-dominated National Assembly of its powers on Thursday. "Nicolas Maduro has staged a coup d'état," National Assembly President Julio Borges said after the ruling. The three branches of the Venezuelan government will now be controlled by the ruling United Socialist Party.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. BCCI to felicitate Indian cricket's 'Fab Five' at IPL opening ceremony: The IPL Governing Council has decided to felicitate five legends (Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag) during the opening ceremony of the cash-rich league in Hyderabad on 5^th April 2017. The former India women's cricketers, who will be getting one-time ex-gratia payment will be handed over their cheques at their local IPL venue during the matches.

2. Pakistani cricketer Irfan banned for one year for failing to report approach: Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Irfan has been banned from all forms of cricket for a year and a fine of USD 1000 after he pleaded guilty to failing to report details of two approaches to corrupt the game. His ban is effective from the day he was provisionally suspended on 14^th March. Irfan has played four Tests, 20 Twenty20 format matches and 60 one-day internationals(ODI), where he grabbed 83 wickets at an average of 30.71.

3. India’s S.V Sunil named Asian Hockey Player of Year for 2016: In the senior Hockey men's category, Indian forward ‘V Sunil’ has been named the ‘Asian Player of the Year 2016’ by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF). In the junior Hockey men's category, drag flicker ‘Harmanpreet Singh’ has been named the Asian Promising Player of the Year 2016. Sunil played a vital role in India's successful outing at the FIH Champions Trophy in London where the team earned a silver medal.

4. Tamil Nadu beat India 'B' to win ‘Deodhar Trophy’: Tamil Nadu beat India ‘B’ by 42 runs in the final to clinch the ‘Deodhar Trophy’ at Visakhapatnam. Tamil Nadu had scored 303/9 but in reply, India B were bowled for just 261. Dinesh Karthik (Tamil Nadu) scored 126 off 91 balls with the help of 14 boundaries and 3 sixes.

BANKING & FINANCE:

5.  Truecaller partners with ICICI Bank for UPI-based mobile payment: Truecaller partners with ICICI Bank to launch its new Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-based mobile payment service “Truecaller Pay”. It will allow users to send money to any UPI id or a mobile number registered with the BHIM app.

The non-ICICI bank users can use it by registering on to Truecaller Pay app.

Daily GK Updates - 30th March, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

 1. Govt. announces regional aviation routes & airlines under UDAN scheme: The union Civil Aviation Minister ‘Ashok Gajapathy Raju’ has announced regional aviation routes and airlines after the first round of bidding under UDAN. The first phase of the UDAN scheme for regional aviation will include 45 airports and about 70-odd routes.

2. Suresh Prabhu inaugurates high-speed rail wire Wi-Fi facility: Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu  inaugurated the high-speed rail wire Wi-Fi facility at National Rail museum in New Delhi. The free Wi-Fi service built over the fiber network of Rail Tel is designed to offer High- Speed Broadband like experience to users. Mr. Prabhu also launched a book " Indian Railways- The Weaving of a National Tapestry". The book has been authored by Bibek Debroy, Sanjay, and Vidya Krishnamurthi.

3. SC bans sale, registration of BS-III vehicles: The Supreme Court has banned the sale and registration of Bharat Stage (BS)-III emission norm-compliant vehicles from April 1, 2017, when environmentally friendly BS-IV emission norms will come into force across the country.

4. Lok Sabha passes 4 GST Bills: Lok Sabha has passed four Bills relating to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST). It paves way for implementing a new, consolidated indirect tax regime from the proposed date of July 1, 2017. The four bills passed were Central GST Bill, Integrated GST Bill, GST Compensation Bill, and the Union Territory GST Bill, 2017. These Bills were passed as Money Bills, thus eliminates the role of Rajya Sabha.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1.  Turkey's Abeylegesse stripped of 1 world silver, 2 Olympic silver medals: Turkish runner Elvan Abeylegesse (34-year) was stripped of two Olympic silver medals and one world silver after a re-analysis of an in-competition doping test dating back to 2007.

2. Srinath Narayanan set to become India's 46th Grandmaster: Srinath Narayanan (23-year) is all set to become India's 46th Grandmaster after he defeated David Anton Guijarro (Spanish Grandmaster) at the ongoing Sharjah Masters 2017 chess tournament. He had become India's youngest FIDE rated player in 2002 when he was just eight and also finished as joint winner in the Under-12 World Championship in 2005 in France.

BANKING & FINANCE

3. SBI launches 'Unnati' credit card: ‘SBI Unnati card’ is a credit card offered those SBI customers who have a minimum account balance of Rs. 25,000 in their accounts. The annual fee of Rs.499 is waived off for the first four years.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

4. Amazon makes entry in UAE by acquiring Souq.com: The USA based e-commerce giant Amazon made its entry in UAE by acquiring the Middle East’s largest online retailer Souq.com. Souq.com is the largest e-commerce platform offering more than 400,000 products in the Arab world, currently delivers to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar.

Daily GK Updates - 29th March, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India becomes net exporter of power for the first time: According to Central Electricity Authority (CEA), under Union Power Ministry, India for the first time has become a net exporter of electricity during the April-February period in fiscal 2016-17. During this period, India exported around 5,798 million units of electricity to Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar. It is 213 million units more than the import of around 5,585 million units from Bhutan.

2. Indian Navy inducts surveillance ship INLCU L51: Indian Navy has commissioned latest indigenously developed surveillance ship INLCU L51. It was commissioned at a ceremony held in Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Command of Navy INLCU L51 is the first of the eight ships of the LCU Mk IV Class.

3. IAF launches Aviation Turbine Fuel Digital Issue and Payment: Indian Air force has formally launched web based e-billing system Aviation Turbine Fuel Digital Issue and Payment (ATF DIP). It was unveiled by Chief of Air Staff (CoAS), Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa in New Delhi and it will be implemented from April 1, 2017.

4.  Union Govt. imposes 10 % import duty on wheat & Tur dal: The Union Government has imposed 10% import duty on wheat and tur dal to protect farmers’ interest amid projection of a record crop this year.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  British PM Theresa May signs letter to trigger Brexit from EU: British Prime Minister Theresa May has signed the letter that will trigger Britain's exit from the European Union. Official notification to other 27 European Union members that Britain has invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, will be delivered to European Council President Donald Tusk. Britain would be able to leave the economic bloc by 29th March, 2019.

2. UN appoints David Beasley to head World Food Programme:  United Nations General Secretary Antonio Guterres has appointed David Beasley as head of the Rome-based World Food Programme (WFP).

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Gauri Singh becomes the first girl to swim from Sea Link to Gateway of India: Gauri Singh (14-year) has become the first Indian girl swim from Sea Link near Worli Koliwada to the Gateway of India in the Arabia Sea. She took over 6 hours 30 minutes to complete the 36-km long distance route. Gauri Singh is a class 8^th student from Udaipur (Rajasthan).

2. Bhubaneswar to host 2017 Men's Hockey World League final: Today, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has confirmed that the ‘Men’s Hockey World League Final 2017’ and ‘Hockey Men’s World Cup 2018’ will be held in Bhubaneswar, (Odisha) India.

HONOURS & AWARDS

3. R Ashwin receives Sir Garfield Sobers trophy: Indian off-spinner ‘Ravichandran Ashwin’ has received the ‘Garfield Sobers Trophy’ for the ‘ICC Cricketer of the Year 2016’ as well as the ‘ICC Test Cricketer of the Year 2016’ from former India captains and ICC Cricket Hall of Famers Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.

OBITUARIES:

4. Renowned playwright Arun Sarma passes away: Noted playwright & Sahitya Akademi Award winner Arun Sarma (86-year) passed away after a brief illness. He won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1998 for the novel Ashirbadar Rong (The Hues of Blessing). He has won the Assam Sahitya Sabha's Best Playwright Award for two consecutive years and also has the rare distinction of having won the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 2003 for his contributions to drama and the Sahitya Akademi award in 1998 for literature. He was also the recipient of the Assam Valley Literary Award in 2005.

5. South African anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada passes away: Veteran South African’s Indian-origin anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada (87-year) passed away. Kathrada was among eight African National Congress activists sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964. He spent 26 years and 3 months in prison, including 18 years on the infamous Robben Island. He was one of Nelson Mandela’s closest aides in his struggle to end the white minority

Daily GK Updates - 28th March, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Government launches Online Film Certification System: The Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry has launched the e-Cinepramaan, an online film certification system of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

2. India, Nepal renew petroleum supply agreement: India and Nepal have signed an agreement to renew supply of petroleum to Nepal for a period of five years i.e. till 2022. The renewed agreement, which was overseen by the Petroleum Ministers of both countries, was signed even as both sides pledged to build a new pipeline for LPG.

3. Government approves 101 cold chain projects to boost food processing sector: The Union Ministry of Food Processing Industries (FPI) has sanctioned 101 new integrated cold chain projects across the country. These projects will leverage a total investment of Rs. 3,100 crore for creation of modern infrastructure for the food processing sector.

4. Indian Navy de-inducts TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft: The Indian Navy has de-inducted TU142M Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft after 29 years of dedicated service to the nation and 30,000 hours of accident-free flying. The aircraft was formally de-inducted at a ceremony held at INS Rajali naval air station in Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu. Now its role will be taken on by the newly inducted Boeing P-8I aircraft.

5.  Rana Kanwar Pal elected speaker of Punjab Assembly: Today, former Punjab Youth Congress President Rana Kanwar Pal Singh (59-year) has unanimously elected speaker of Punjab Assembly. Rana K P Singh is elected from the Anandpur Sahib constituency for the third time.

6. Union Petroleum Ministry launches MoPNG e-Seva: The Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has launched MoPNG e-Seva. It is a dedicated grievances redressal platform on Social Media for all queries and grievances relating to Oil and Gas Sector. The grievances will be dealt on real-time basis.

7. Uttar Pradesh BPL households to get free power connection: In Uttar Pradesh, all below poverty line (BPL) households in the urban and rural areas of the state will get free power connection while those above poverty line (APL) will be given 100 % financing option with easy EMIs. The decisions were taken after a meeting between Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal and Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma in New Delhi.

8. Odisha becomes the first state to bring banking to remote rural areas through SHG: Odisha has become the first Indian state to carry financial inclusion and extend banking services to unbanked areas through Self Help Groups(SHGs). The state government has signed an agreement with State Bank of India (SBI) to provide banking facilities to people in unbanked areas.

9. Anil Ambani gets a seat on Atlantic Council advisory board: Reliance Group chairman Anil Ambani has been inducted into the international advisory board of The Atlantic Council. He joins News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar, Airbus CEO Thomas Enders among others, on the board. The Council is a foreign policy think tank.

                       OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India beat Australia by 8 wickets to win Test series 2-1: Today, India beat Australia by eight wickets in the fourth and final cricket Test to claim the four-match series 2-1 at the HPCA stadium, Dharamsala. Player of the series: Ravindra Jadeja (India).

2. Satwiksairaj & Chirag won Vietnam Open International Challenger Badminton Doubles title: Indian pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty have won the USD 20,000 ‘Vietnam Open International Challenger badminton title’ in Hanoi, Vietnam. They defeated the fifth-seeded Thai duo of Trawut Potieng and Nanthakam Yordphaisong.

BANKING & FINANCE:

3. Syndicate Bank opens 40 ‘Ananya’ branches: The ‘Syndicate Bank’ has digitally inaugurated 40 ‘Ananya’ transformed branches to enhance customer experience, improve sales focus, and improve digital transactions through a dedicated digit zone. ‘Project Ananya’ is a two-year large-scale transformation project undertaken by the bank to provide customers with ‘best in class’ services while improving and modernizing the whole bank.

4. ‘Karur Vysya Bank’ bags ‘best small bank’ award:  The ‘Karur Vysya Bank’ (KVB) has been adjudged the ‘Best Small Bank for 2016’. The managing Director(MD) of ‘Karur Vysya Bank’ has received the award from Sudhir Munguntivar, Minister of Finance and Planning, Government of Maharashtra, at a function in Mumbai. This is the eighth award won by KVB in the current fiscal.

5.  Vijaya Bank inks MoU with Piaggio Vehicles: Vijaya Bank entered into an MoU with Piaggio Vehicles for providing financial support for the purchase of vehicles under Small Road Transport Operators (SRTO) scheme in Bengaluru.

Daily GK Updates - 27th March, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  Kerala transport minister resigns: Kerala transport minister A. K. Saseendran has announced his resignation after allegations of misconduct were raised against him. The minister made the decision following an audio clip hinting at alleged misconduct with a woman was aired by a TV channel.

2. Bengaluru gets India’s first vertical garden:  The first vertical garden of India has been set up at the Hosur Road Electronics City Flyover in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The garden will help to control the pollution level of the city and also act as a sound proofing barrier. The vertical garden is an automatic drip irrigation system allowing the plants to get water on a daily basis.

3. BHEL commissions 250-MW eco-friendly unit in Gujarat: State-owned power equipment maker BHEL has commissioned a 250-MW eco-friendly unit using low-grade coal (lignite) as a primary fuel.  The lignite-based thermal unit, based on circulating fluidised bed combustion (CFBC) technology, is the second such facility to be commissioned at Bhavnagar Energy Company’s (BECL) 2x250-MW thermal power project at Padva in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat.

4. Environment Ministry official to chair animal welfare board: The government has notified that Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory advisory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) will now be permanently chaired by a senior MoEF official. This step came into effect due to the recently held Jallikattu Protest in Karnataka.

5.  Conference on 'Make in India' held in Houston: A first-ever Houston India conference on 'Make in India' was held in Houston, the USA, for bringing together various constituencies that have an interest in doing business in India and discussing the latest developments. The theme of the Conference is 'Make in India -The Inside Story'.

6.  GIC to be first PSU general insurer to launch IPO: General Insurance Corporation (GIC Re) is likely to be the first PSU insurer to tap the capital market as the Finance Ministry has started scouting for merchant bankers to manage its Initial Public Offering (IPO), yet not officially released.

7.  Kolkata to host India's first ever FIFA U-17 World Cup final: Kolkata's iconic Salt Lake Stadium has been selected by FIFA to host the final of the Under-17 World Cup on October 28. 

8. World's largest capstone discovered by archaeologists in Telangana: The archaeology department of Telangana has discovered the world's largest capstone after excavating an ancient human burial site in Siddipet district, Telangana.  The capstone of the menhir burial reportedly weighs about 40 tonnes.

9. Uttarakhand Assembly introduces Lokayaukta Act: The crucial 2011 Lokayukta Bill has been introduced in Uttarakhand Assembly. Governor of State, KK Paul, said he has kept the issue of Lokayukhta on top priority. The new government will also revive the Transfer Act brought in 2011 by the erstwhile Khanduri government to curb corruption.

10. CCEA approved closing of CHBL and ICBL: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approvedclosure/winding up of CREDA HPCL Biofuel Ltd (CHBL) and IndianOil - Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) Biofuels Limited (ICBL).  Joint Ventures between CREDA HPCL Biofuel Ltd (CHBL) and IndianOil-CREDA Biofuels Limited (ICBL) were formed for carrying out energy crop (Jatropha) plantation and production of bio-diesel in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

11.  Pawan Hans ties-up with HAL to train helicopter pilots: State-run Pawan Hans has joined hands with public sector chopper maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to train helicopter pilots. Pawan Hans is a joint venture where state-owned ONGC holds 49 per cent.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Theatre Day: 27th March: The World Theatre Day (WTD) is celebrated globally on 27th March. World Theatre Day was created in 1961 by an international non-governmental organization International Theatre Institute (ITI), France. ITI was founded in 1948 by UNESCO and the international theater community.

                       OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. India wins 73 medals in 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games: India’s special athletes have won 73 medals (37 golds, 10 silver, and 26 bronze) in the 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Austria. This year’s edition witnessed 2,600 athletes from over 105 countries competing with each -other.

2. West Bengal win Santosh Trophy for the 32nd time: West Bengal has won the 71st edition of premier domestic football tournament ‘Santosh Trophy’ by defeating Goa 1-0 in the final at Bambolim, Goa.

3. Shaun Tait retires from all forms of cricket: Australian fast bowler 'Shaun Tait' retires from all forms of cricket. Tait represented his country in 3 Tests, 35 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 21 Twenty20 Internationals during which he picked up 95 wickets. He made his Test debut against England at Trent Bridge in the 2005 Ashes and last played for Australia in January 2016.

BANKING & FINANCE

4. Karnataka Bank’s launched platinum card: Karnataka Bank has launched the ‘MoneyPlant RuPay International Platinum Debit Card’ to provide more privileges to its premium and HNI (high net worth individual) customers. The card can be used for domestic and international cash withdrawals and purchases.

HONOURS & AWARDS

5. Ravish Kumar awarded first Kuldip Nayar journalism award: Eminent TV journalist Ravish Kumar (Senior executive editor of NDTV India) has been awarded inaugural ‘Kuldip Nayar journalism award’ for his contribution to the field of journalism at the India International Centre, New Delhi. He conferred with an award plaque along with a cash amount of Rs. 1 lakh. The award was set up to honor those working in vernacular media.

Daily GK Updates - 26th March, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Aadhaar to be mandatory for driving licence: The Central government has asked all the states to make Aadhaar card a mandatory requirement in order to procure a driving licence in India.  The rule will come into effect from October, 2017.

The move will ensure that there are no multiple driving licenses under one name.

2. Anupam Kher receives Kala Ratan Award from Vice President: Actor Anupam Kher was honoured with the Kala Ratan Award from Panjab University with the Vice President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari giving away the award.

3. Indian Railways to install Wi-Fi kiosks at 500 remote stations for e-services: Railways will set up Wi-Fi hotspot kiosks at about 500 stations and help people access an array of online services, including various government schemes.  Christened as Railwire Saathi, the Wi-Fi kiosks will function like a PCO for Digital India and enable people to use services like e-commerce, online banking and much 

4. India becomes 3rd largest aviation market in domestic traffic: India has become the 3rd largest aviation market in terms of domestic passenger traffic, beating Japan.

According to aviation think-tank Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, India's domestic air passenger traffic stood at 100 million in 2016. It was behind only the US (719 million) and China (436 million).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Harvard to launch world's biggest solar geo-engineering study: Harvard University scientists are set to launch the biggest solar geo-engineering study by sending aerosol injections 20 kilometres into the earth's stratosphere to act as a solar shield. The study will explore the possibility of solar shielding as a future solution to global warming.  The $20 million project aims to simulate the atmospheric cooling effects of a volcanic eruption.

2. Bangladesh celebrates 46th Independence Day: On March 26th Bangladesh celebrates its Independence day. Bangladesh's President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed wreaths at National Memorial in Savar paying respects to those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom.

3. Bali named the best global travel destination for 2017: TripAdvisor, the travel planning and booking website, has named Bali as the global winner of its 2017 Travelers' Choice Awards for destinations. London and Paris have bagged the second and the third spots respectively on TripAdvisor’s list of 10 best travel destinations around the world for this year.

                       OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1.  Cheteshwar Pujara sets a record by scoring the most runs in a Test season (by an Indian): Pujara achieved the landmark for scoring the most runs in a Test season, surpassing the mark of 1269 by Gautam Gambhir which he achieved in the 2008/09 season. He has scored 1316 runs at an average of 65.8 in the season, the most ever by an Indian batsman in Tests. He needs 168 runs to break Ricky Ponting’s mark, who holds the record for the most runs ever by a batsman in a season, with 1483 runs at an average of 78.05.

2. India wins archery team gold at Asia Cup: India's (men's) archery team won a gold medal in the men's compound event at the 2017 Asia Cup Stage 2 in Bangkok on Saturday.

3. Ferrari's Vettel wins season opener at Australian Grand Prix: Ferrari's Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel began the Formula One season with a win at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas finished the race in the second and third places respectively.

BANKING

4. HDFC Bank's Aditya Puri named in world's 30 Best CEOs list: HDFC Bank's Managing Director Aditya Puri has featured on the list of world's 30 best CEOs, published by American financial magazine Barron's.