Daily GK Updates - 1st June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nirupama Rao appointed public policy fellow to US think-tank: Former Indian envoy to the US Nirupama Rao has appointed public policy fellow to a Washington-based think-tank. She will work on a project on the Sino-India ties for the top American think-tank. Ms Rao will be affiliated with the Wilson Centre's Asia programme.

2. Telangana Government launches T-Wallet: Telangana has launched a digital wallet titled as T-Wallet. It is the official digital wallet of the state, offering anytime anywhere platform for digital payments with no additional charge for citizens. Transaction Analysts has partnered with Telangana to develop T-Wallet. It is 1st official e-wallet from any state government.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Japan launches satellite for high-precision positioning system to complement GPS: Japan launched a satellite from the Tanegashima space centre to help build a high-precision geo-location system that will complement the US-operated Global Positioning System (GPS).

2. India & Spain sign seven agreements: India and Spain have signed seven agreements in cyber security, renewable energy, technical cooperation in civil aviation, visa waiver for diplomatic passport holders. The agreements were signed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with President of Government of Spain Mariano Rajoy at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid.

3. NASA’s first mission to the sun: NASA is launching a spacecraft named ‘Parker Solar Probe’ to Sun in the summer of 2018. It will explore sun’s outer atmosphere and make critical observations that will answer decades-old questions about the physics of how stars work.

4. Global Day of Parents observed: The Global Day of Parents is observed on the 1st of June every year. The Global Day provides an opportunity to appreciate all parents in all parts of the world for their selfless commitment to children and their lifelong sacrifice towards nurturing this relationship.

5. Jhumpa Lahiri Wins 2017 PEN/Malamud Award: Indian American author Jhumpa Lahiri has been announced as the recipient of the 2017 PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in the Short Story. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize.

6. World Milk Day observed: The World Milk Day has been observed on 1st June each year since 2001. The World Milk Day is a day established by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to recognise the importance of milk as a global food.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. ICC Champions Trophy 2017 begins in London: 2017 ICC Champions Trophy (8th edition) began in London with hosts England taking on Bangladesh in the opening encounter at Kennington Oval.

BANKING & FINANCE:

2. ADB and PNB sign $100 million loan: The Asian Development Bank and Punjab National Bank has signed a $100 million loan. The loan will be used to finance large solar rooftop systems on industrial and commercial buildings throughout India. PNB will use the ADB funds to make further loans to various developers and end users to install rooftop solar systems.

3. Indian Railways introduces “Buy Now, Pay Later” service for bookings: Indian Railways has introduced ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ service for passengers to book tickets.

It will allow passengers to make payment for tickets booked online within a window of 15 days.