Daily GK Updates - 8th June, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. QS World University Rankings - IIT-Delhi best ranked Indian institution: IIT Delhi has surpassed IISc Bangalore, to become the top-ranked Indian institute according to QS World University Rankings. IIT Delhi Ranked 172 while IIT Bombay and IISc Bangalore stood at 179 and 190 respectively. MIT topped the list for 6th consecutive year, followed by Stanford University.

2. Petrol prices to change daily from 16^th June onwards: Public Sector OMCs have decided to start daily revision in RSP of Petrol and Diesel in the entire country with effect from 16th June, 2017. Daily price revisions of Petrol and Diesel will make retail prices more reflective of current market conditions.

3. War memorial inaugurated in Arunachal at Thembang Village: General officer commanding of Gajraj Corps Lt General Amarjeet Singh Bedi inaugurated a war memorial at Thembang village in Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The memorial has been constructed by the scout battalion of the Indian Army. It has been dedicated to the men of 5 Guards, who fought during the Indo-China war in Thembang village in 1962.

4. Sahithi Pingali to get a planet named after her: Sahithi Pingali, a Class 12 student from Bengaluru, joins an elite league of people to have a minor planet named after them. She represented India and finished 2nd at ISEF following which MIT decided to name a planet after her.

5. National Human Milk Bank “Vatsalya” inaugurated: Health Secretary C K Mishra inaugurated Vatsalya – Maatri Amrit Kosh, a National Human Milk Bank and Lactation Counselling Centre at Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi. It will collect pasteurise, test and store milk donated by lactating mothers and make it available for infants in need. Vatsalya is established in collaboration with Norwegian government, Oslo University and NIPI.

6. Radha Chauhan appointed CEO of Government eMarketplace: Radha Chauhan has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Government e- Marketplace (GeM). GeM is an online platform for central and state government departments for purchase of goods and services.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Oceans Day being observed globally: World Oceans Day is annually observed on 8th June to raise awareness of the challenges humanity faces to protect the world's oceans. The overall theme of this year is 'Our Oceans, Our Future'.

2. 650 light years from Earth, scientists discover hottest known planet in universe: Scientists have discovered the hottest known planet from Earth (located 650 light years), which is warmer than most stars in the universe and sports a giant, glowing gas tail like a comet. It is hotter than most stars and only 926-degree Celsius cooler than Sun.

3. World Pest Day held for the first time in the world: The first World Pest Day was launched in Beijing, China. Its objective is to increase awareness of pest-borne diseases and safeguard public health through scientific and professional pest control methods. More than 30 national and international organisations have signed to support the initiative.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. Karmakar and Shankar appointed as Independent Directors of IPPB: K G Karmakar and Gauri Shankar have been appointed as the Independent Directors of India Post Payments Bank. Their appointment to the post on the board of directors of the bank is for a period of three years. The IPPB has been incorporated as a public sector bank under the Department of Posts with 100 per cent equity of the government of India.

2. HDFC Bank starts fees on UPI transaction: HDFC bank will start charging its customers for transactions made via the Unified Payments Interface from 10 July. Fees will be imposed on all outward UPI transactions. Transactions from Rs 1 to Rs 25,000 will be charged Rs 3 plus taxes while those above Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh will be charged Rs 5. These charges make small value payments over UPI more expensive than those on NEFT.

3. Axis Bank becomes the first one in India to launch bio-degradable prepaid gift cards: Axis Bank announced biodegradable prepaid gift cards on World Environment Day. The cards are made up of Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol. These cards have a large positive impact on the environment as they can be broke down safely and quickly into raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

4. Annual SCO summit begins in Astana: The two-day annual 17th summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has begun in Astana, Kazakhstan. Heads of six member countries of the SCO (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgzstan, Russia, Tajikisthan, and Uzbekistan) are taking part and deliberate on matters of mutual interest including security and economy in Central Asia. India and Pakistan (so far observers) in the SCO are set to join as its full members and a formal announcement is expected during the summit.