Daily GK Updates - 14th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New IIP, WPI series introduced:  The new-look index of industrial production (IIP) and the wholesale price index (WPI), which were declared and have been built on the new series of data, paint a healthier picture of the Indian economy in 2016-17 than the old series did.

The new series of the IIP shows higher growth rates in most months in the period April 2012 to March 2017 than was the case when the computation was done in accordance with the old series. This is attributable to the base shift, increase in the number of factories in the panel for the reporting data and excluding closed ones, and including new items and keeping out old ones.

2. Laser walls to bolster security at Indo-Pak border: The Border Security Force (BSF) is all set to get more teeth to man the 198 km India-Pakistan international border using a newly developed technology that can detect intrusions and relay information immediately to the nearest post for action. Developed by Delhi-based defence IoT firm, CRON Systems, the made-in-India technology is called Kavach (KVx) series laser walls and is a notch higher than the existing laser walls. CRON Systems have come up with this intrusion detection system based on infrared array, which is invisible. It is more advanced than laser walls, Kavach walls can also work in transparent water and glass.

3. Errors in Aadhaar, PAN can now be corrected online: The Income Tax Department has launched a facility allowing people to correct errors in their PAN and Aadhaar details. The links for corrections are available on incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in, the department's e-filing website. However, people wanting to update Aadhaar details are redirected to 'Aadhaar Self Service Update Portal'. Scanned documents supporting the changes have to be uploaded.

4. A plane takes off or lands every 65 secs at Mumbai airport, the busiest single-runway airport: The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai overtook London's Gatwick to become the world's busiest single-runway airport, with a plane taking off or landing every 65 seconds. According to a report, Mumbai currently handles an average of 837 flights per day, about 80 more than Gatwick. The airport also saw about 45.2 million flyers, overtaking Gatwick's 44 million in 2016-17.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Mother’s Day celebrated: Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year. This year Mother's Day date is May 14. Anna Marie Jarvis, seen as founder of Mother's Day, was the daughter of Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, a social activist who organized events called Mothers' Day Work Clubs to reduce infant mortality.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Racer Arjun Maini first Indian to win a GP3 race: Arjun Maini has become the first Indian to win a GP3 series race, an F1 support race, after registering a win in Barcelona on Sunday on the sidelines of the F1 Spanish Grand Prix. With the victory, Arjun is third in the championship after the first round of the eight-round GP3 series. The 19-year-old Indian drives for Switzerland-based Jenzer Motorsport.

2. Force India claim 4th and 5th place in Spanish Grand Prix: Force India Formula One team drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished in the fourth and fifth spot respectively in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on Sunday. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton won the race by beating Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who finished second and third respectively.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

3. Food delivery startup Delivery Hero raises $420 million: Germany-based on-demand food delivery startup Delivery Hero has raised over $420 million in funding from global technology and media investment conglomerate, Naspers. The investment was made at the company’s current valuation of over $3.1 billion. Founded in 2011, Delivery Hero operates in more than 40 countries.