Daily GK Updates - 18th August, 2017

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. H1N1 death-door for Five in August 2017 till now: Five persons have died of the H1N1 influenza virus and  two succumbed to leptospirosis  in the last two weeks. Swine flu is a respiratory disease with symptoms that include fever, coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body ache and fatigue. The city has also reported scores of cases related to other monsoon-related diseases.

2.“Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali” Campaign – Celebrate Pollution-Free Diwali this Year: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr.  Harsh Vardhan, launched the “Harit Diwali, Swasth Diwali” campaign, here today.  Addressing a gathering of about 800 children from schools of Delhi and NCR, the Minister impressed upon the children the importance of their contribution towards reducing pollution by not bursting harmful fire crackers during Diwali.  

3. TRAI cracks the whip on call drops: Telecom operators will now have to pay hefty penalties for call drops: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday issued stringent guidelines with a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh on companies if they fail to meet the benchmark for three consecutive quarters. if an operator fails to meet the call drop benchmark in consecutive quarters, the penalty amount will be increased 1.5 times and in the third consecutive month it will be doubled.

4. Indian Army to get six heavy-duty Apache attack helicopters: The Army will finally get its own heavy-duty attack helicopters after a bitter tussle with the IAF over the last several years. The defence ministry on Thursday cleared the acquisition of six Apache attack helicopters, armed with Hellfire and Stinger missiles, for the Army at a cost of Rs 4,168 crore.

5. Manipur cut off as crucial Barak Bridge collapses: The Barak bridge is located along the Imphal-Jiribam highway and passes through the hill district of Tamenglong. The highway, considered as the second lifeline of the border state, assumed greater importance after a massive landslide at Viswema in neighbouring Nagaland cut off the major Imphal-Dimapur national highway.

                                 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. First regional centre of NDB opens in South Africa: The first regional centre of the New Development Bank, set up by India and other BRICS nations, was officially opened here today by South African President Jacob Zuma and the bank's Indian head K V Kamath.  The New Development Bank (NDB), formerly referred to as the BRICS Development Bank, is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) with an initial authorised capital of the bank is USD 100 billion.The idea for setting up NDB was proposed by India at the 4th BRICS summit in 2012 held in New Delhi. The creation of a NDB was the main theme of the meeting.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Vishal Sikka quits as Infosys CEO: Vishal Sikka has resigned as managing director and CEO of Infosys, citing "personal attacks" on him as one of the reasons for his sudden decision. The company's board accepted his resignation with immediate effect and has appointed chief operating officer UB Pravin Rao as interim managing director and CEO. The sudden move came amid growing acrimony between the company's board and its founders led by NR Narayana Murthy. Infosys shares plunged over13 per cent today after the announcement. Infosys in a statement said Mr Murthy's "continuous assault" is the primary reason Dr Sikka resigned despite enjoying strong support of the board. 

2. Mamta Suri – The new Executive Director of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board: Mamta Suri has taken charge as the Executive Director, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). Before joining IBBI, Dr. Suri was serving as Chief General Manager, Insurance Regulatory Development Authority of India. Dr. Suri has obtained her Ph.D. in Finance from University of Delhi and M. Sc.in Insurance Risk and Management from City University, London.

SPORTS:

1. Lakshya Sen-wins Bulgarian Open International crown: Lakshya Sen on Thursday clinched the Bulgaria Open International Series title after notching up a hard-fought win over Croatia’s Zvonimir Durkinjak in the men’s singles final in Sofia, Bulgaria.

OBITUARIES:

1. Veteran photographer S Paul dies at 88: He worked with T he Indian Express for over two decades before retiring in 1989. Veteran photographer S Paul died at a hospital in New Delhi on Wednesday, The Indian Express reported. He was 88. His family members said Paul had undergone a surgery a few days ago.