Daily GK Updates - 8th September, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi visits Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the 2,500-years-old Shwedagon Pagoda and performed 'puja' at the Kalibari Temple located at the west of the Royal Lake in Yangon.Shwedagon Pagoda is considered to be the most sacred and impressive Buddhist site for the Myanmarese people. Shwedagon Pagoda is covered with hundreds of gold plates and the top of the stupa is encrusted with 4,531 diamonds, the largest of which is a 72-carat diamond.

2. Assam govt. signs MoU with Google to increase digital literacy: Assam govt. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ‘Google India’ to take Internet connectivity to the remotest part of the state.Through the MoU with Google, Assam govt. would work to provide Internet connection to 26,000 villages and 1,500 tea garden areas to increase digital literacy.The MoU would be used as a launch pad to materialize the state government's vision of women empowerment, skill development, and universal education.

3. Narmada Mahotsav Yatra flagged off in Gujarat: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani flagged off statewide ‘Narmada Mahotsav Yatra’ from Surendranagar district.

The aim of this Narmada Mahotsav Yatra – is to create awareness about the importance of increased water supply from Narmada canal-based projects in different parts of the state.

4. Parali I island of Lakshadweep vanishes: One of the uninhabited islands that is part of Lakshadweep has vanished due to coastal erosion & another 4 such territories are shrinking fast, claims a new study. Parali I island, part of Bangaram atoll which had an area of 0.032 square kilometres in 1968 has been completely eroded.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Literacy Day: The International Literacy Day (ILD) is being observed on 8th September every year throughout the world to raise public awareness to eradicate illiteracy and create environment in favour of adult education programs.  The theme of ILD 2017 was ‘Literacy in a Digital World’.

2. India and Sri Lanka begin joint naval exercise ‘SLINEX 2017’: Sri Lankan naval ships Sayura and Sagara entered Visakhapatnam harbour today to participate in the fifth edition of SLINEX 2017, a bilateral naval exercise between India and Sri Lanka, from 7 to 14 September. SLINEX series of biennial and bilateral maritime exercises initiated in 2005.

3. India refuses to join declaration of international meet against Myanmar: The Bali Declaration, adopted at the World Parliamentary Forum on Sustainable Development in Indonesia, called on all parties to contribute to restoring stability and security in the region. It urged everyone to “exercise maximum self-restraint from using violent means, respect the human rights of all people in Rakhine state regardless of their faith and ethnicity, as well as facilitate and guarantee safe access for humanitarian assistance”. India has maintained that the Bali Declaration was not in line with the agreed principles of sustainable development. India also maintained that it continues to support achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

4. Mother Teresa declared a patron saint of Calcutta: The Vatican has declared Mother Teresa a patron saint of the Archdiocese of Calcutta at a Mass in the city where she dedicated her life to the poorest of the poor. The honour came 16 months after Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a ‘saint’.

5. US shuts Pakistan’s Habib Bank: US banking regulators has ordered Pakistan’s Habib Bank to shutter its New York office for repeatedly failing to heed concerns over possible terrorist financing & money laundering. State’s Department of Financial Services slapped a $225 million fine on the bank. The bank permitted at least 13,000 transactions that were not sufficiently screened to ensure they did not involve sanctioned countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India to Host Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in 2019: India will host the 2019 edition of the Commonwealth (Youth, Junior, and Senior) Weightlifting Championships. The Executive Board of Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation met at Gold Coast, Australia and decided to allot the 2019 edition of the competitions to India. The current edition of the tournament is being held at the Gold Coast, Australia.

2. Sonam wins Gold in Cadet World Wrestling: Indian grappler Sonam clinched the gold medal at the Cadet World Wrestling Championship in Athens. She defeated her opponent, Sena Nagamoto by a margin of 3-1.

3. Harendra Singh been appointed as high performance specialist coach for Indian Senior Women Hockey Team (ISWHT): Harendra Singh, the hockey coach and Dronacharya Awardee, has been appointed as High Performance Specialist Coach for Indian Senior Women Hockey Team (ISWHT). The decision was recently taken jointly by SAI and Hockey India on the basis of his recent and past performance.

4. Sjoerd Marijne named chief coach of Indian men’s hockey team: Holland’s Sjoerd Marijne has taken over as the head coach of the India men’s hockey team following the sacking of fellow Dutchman Roelant Oltmans. Marijne, who was working as the chief coach of the India women’s team since February this year, has been asked to take over the men’s team.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

5. NHAI awards first international project to Punj Lloyd-Varaha: National Highway Authority of India has awarded its first international project in Myanmar to a joint venture of Punj Lloyd-Varaha. This is for the upgradation of the Yagyi–Kalewa section in Myanmar to 2 lanes with earthern shoulder in the engineering, procurement, and construction mode.

6. Nestle sets up first food safety institute in Haryana: Swiss food major Nestle has set up a food safety institute to help develop standards in food safety and quality in Manesar, Haryana. The institute aims to train and guide its students in food safety including nutrition check and keeping the ingredients in the food items within the limit among others.