Daily GK Updates - 12th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India added 9.1 million new taxpayers during financial year 2016-2017: An 80% increase over the typical yearly rise, highlighting the impact of India’s November demonetisation of high-value currencies. This is expected to significantly boost the government’s tax revenue. India had only 55.9 million individual taxpayers at the end of 2015-16.

2. Bengaluru tops list of most affordable tech cities worldwide: According to the Savills Tech Cities Index Bengaluru is the most affordable tech cities in the world followed by Cape Town and Santiago. Overall rank of Bengaluru was 20th on the list of 22 cities that were evaluated. Bengaluru is at the 17th position in terms of talent pool, the list is topped by Boston.

3. Vinay Mohan Kwatra named India’s new ambassador to France: He is currently serving as joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He will replace Mohan Kumar.

4. Telangana becomes first state to introduce logo for hearing impaired drivers: Telangana has become the first state to introduce a logo for vehicles driven by persons with hearing impairment. Hyderabad based graphic designer Manikanta Annapragada has designed the logo. The logo should be six inches tall and five inches wide at the rear side and four inches tall and three inches wide in the front for four-wheelers.

5. Indian Army to re-introduce CASO: Indian Army has planned to re-introduce cordon and search operations (CASO) as a part of its counter terrorism operations after a gap of 15 years. The major objective behind the reintroduction of combing operations is to bring the situation in the Kashmir Valley under control. The decision to re-introduce CASO comes against the backdrop of the recent killing of  Army officer Ummer Fayaz.

6. GM mustard gets approval: A genetically-modified variety of mustard, developed by a Delhi-based institute, has been cleared for commercial cultivation by the GEAC, or Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee. The mustard is called DMH-11. GM mustard is the only other food crop which has made it to this last stage, after prolonged debate and several rounds of regulatory checks.

7. Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary Festival: The annual hunting festival of the tribal community was observed in a ‘bloodless and symbolic’ manner in and around Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary for the third consecutive year. The 2017 hunting festival ‘Bishu Parv’ of the tribal community was observed in Jharkhand.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Nurses Day: May 12: Every year May 12 is celebrated as International Nurses Day(the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth) to mark the contributions nurses make to society. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965. Theme of 2017 International Nurses Day – Nurses: A voice to lead – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

2. Bahamas elects Hubert Minnis as new Prime Minister: Hubert Minnis emerged as the Bahamas’ next prime minister in general elections that saw incumbent Perry Christie concede defeat.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sachin Tendulkar has bought a stake in the new Tamil Nadu franchise of the Pro Kabaddi League: Sachin will jointly own the yet-to-be named Tamil Nadu franchise along with serial entrepreneur N. Prasad. This is Sachin’s second investment in a sports team, he also owns the Kerala franchise in the Indian Super League.

2. Younis Khan to be the new coach of Afghanistan’s cricket team: The ACB head Atif Mashal announced that Younis Khan has agreed to coach the Afghanistan team. Younis Khan is set to join the Afghanistan national team as coach after he retires from international cricket.

3. Justice MukulMudgal elected as the head of FIFA Governance Committee: Mukul Mudgal headed the panel probing the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. He was elected as the Head of FIFA’s governance committee at the 67th FIFA Congress in Bahrain.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

4. Snapdeal to merge with Flipkart: SnapDeal is finally ready to merge with Flipkart. The deal valuing Snapdeal at around $1 billion, a steep fall from its peak of $6.5 billion last year, signals the biggest consolidation in the sector and fierce competition between Amazon and Flipkart. The transaction is through, sources in the know confirmed, and an announcement could come anytime within the next 72 hours.