Daily GK Updates - 25th July, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ram Nath Kovind sworn in as the 14th President of India: Shri Ram Nath Kovind was sworn-in as the 14th President of India by the Chief Justice of India Shri Khehar. The ceremony was attended by political dignitaries including the Prime Minister.

2. DD plans to replace logo, invites entries: Doordarshan, the state-owned broadcaster, is planning to change its iconic logo and create something youthful in a bid to tap the “children of liberalization”, moving away from nostalgia.

3. Vande Mataram mandatory in Tamilnadu schools, colleges, offices – Madras High Court: The Madras High Court has issued an order making the national song ‘Vande Mataram’ compulsory in schools, colleges and Government offices in Tamil Nadu. The National Song shall be played and sung in all schools/colleges/Universities and other educational institutions atleast once a week. However, court added that a person shall not be forced it sing it provided he or she has valid reasons.

4. Reliance Defence launches Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels: Reliance Defence and Engineering Limited has announced launch of its first two Naval Offshore Patrol Vessels at their shipyard in Gujarat. 2 NOPVs — ‘Shachi’ and ‘Shruti’ — are among five ships being constructed by RDEL under the P-21 project of the Indian Navy. Reliance Defence is the first private shipyard in India to obtain defence production licence & sign a contract for defence ships.

5. FSSAI bans stapler pins in tea bags effective from Jan 1, 2018: Food Safety & Standards Authority of India has banned use of stapler pins in tea bags effective Jan 1, 2018. Use of stapler pins in tea bags poses potential hazard to consumers since any loose staple pin consumed inadvertently with tea may cause a serious health hazard.

6. NIFTY breaches 10,000 mark for the first time: Nifty at NSE breached 10,000 level for the first time ever, to touch an all-time peak of 10,011 in the opening trade. Analysts believe continuous rally of global markets coupled with influx of foreign investment have kept the bull run going in stock market.

7. Uttar Pradesh to provide free power connection to BPL families: Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Srikant Sharma launched free power connection scheme for the BPL card holders in the state. Scheme would also benefit poor people who do not have BPL cards at present. Such people would have to pay b/w Rs. 80 to Rs. 120 for getting power connection.

International UPDATES:

1. World’s first fullscale floating wind farm setting up in Scotland: World’s 1st full-scale floating wind farm has started to take shape off the north-east coast of Scotland. It will allow wind power to be harvested in waters too deep for current conventional bottom-standing turbines.

OTHER UPDATES:

1. PSU banks plan capital raising amid NPA clean-up: Bank of Maharashtra and Dena Bank, both under the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) prompt corrective action (PAC), have invited bids for empanelling merchant bankers for their capital raising plans. Bank of Maharashtra intends to raise up to Rs800 crore by way of qualified institutional placement (QIP). Dena Bank plans to raise up to Rs1,800 crore in this fiscal year through a variety of instruments, including follow-on public offering, rights issue and QIP.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Michael Kors to buy shoemaker Jimmy Choo for $1.2 billion: Michael Kors will acquire Jimmy Choo for $1.2 billion, clinching the London-based maker of strappy stilettos, handbags and perfume.

3. Sanjay Gupta appointed as Head of Marketing at Uber India: Ridesharing app Uber has appointed Sanjay Gupta as the Head of Marketing for its India operation. Gupta, who has over 15 years of experience, comes from online furniture portal Urban Ladder, where he was chief marketing officer.

4. Microsoft to shut down MS Paint: Microsoft’s Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is going to kill the 1985-released image editing feature Microsoft Paint. The company has revealed that Paint is no longer “in active development”, and may be removed from Windows altogether.

5. Sundar Pichai joins Alphabet’s board: Google’s chief executive officer Sundar Pichai is going to join Google’s parent company Alphabet’s board of directors.

He joins the company’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin and 9 other veterans of technology, finance and automotive industries.

SPORTS:

6. India to host men’s World Boxing Championship in 2021: India will host men’s World Championship for the 1st time in 2021. International Boxing Association made the announcement at the end of its 2-day executive committee meeting in Moscow.

7. Indian weightlifter Konsam Ormila Devi bags gold medal: She won the gold medal at the Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Kathmandu, Nepal. She lifted 56kg in snatch and 70kg in clean & jerk for a total effort of 126kg in the 44kg weight category to finish on the top of the podium.

OBITUARIES:

8. Veteran Scientist Yash Pal passes away: Veteran scientist, administrator and popular science communicator, Professor Yash Pal died in Uttar Pradesh. A scientist of international repute, Mr. Pal was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1976 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2013.