Daily GK Updates - 20th April, 2018

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. The impeachment motion against CJI: Opposition parties led by Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad have submitted an impeachment motion against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu.Around 60 opposition leaders signed the motion, while TMC and DMK MPs refrained from it.The move comes after CJI-led Supreme Court bench dismissed petitions seeking a probe into Judge BH Loya’s death.

2.Chhattisgarh to Distribute Free Smartphones: Chhattisgarh govt. will start distributing smartphones to over 50 lakh people for free from May under the Sanchar Kranti Yojana.Under the scheme, 40 lakh phones will be given to women heads of households in villages having population of more than 1,000. Smartphones will help to apprise people with the government’s welfare schemes and about the processes to avail benefits.

3. Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting begins: The two-day 25th Commonwealth heads of Govt meeting began in London.The Summit focuses on peace, prosperity, security, trade and investment. Discussions on strengthening cooperation in the fight against global terrorism & cyber crime are expected.It is after 20 years that the UK is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting.PM Narendra Modi is attending the summit for the first time.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.New partnership announced between India-UK: The British government announced a new trade partnership between India-UK.India would be investing more than 1 billion pounds in UK which will aid in creating 5,750 British jobs.The new partnership was announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had talks with the British Prime Minister Theresa May.

2.Scientists in Spain create a new record: Researchers based out in Spain cramp down light to lesser than a nanometer,that is, a space of 1 atom.The team did so by squeezing plasmons into a gap between graphene and metal.This is the smallest confinement done till date.This work was performed in collaboration with MIT (USA) and University of Minho (Portugal).

3.Jim Bridenstine to be the new NASA chief: US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump-nominated Representative Jim Bridenstine to serve as NASA’s 13th administrator.His confirmation following a vote in the Senate ends the longest span of time that NASA has operated without a permanent leader.Bridenstine, a pilot in US Navy Reserve currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee & Science, Space & Technology Committee

4. Cuba gets its first non-Castro President: Cuba has selected First Vice President Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez as the sole candidate to succeed Raul Castro as president of Cuba.Miguel is the first leader outside the Castro dynasty to lead the country since the 1959 revolution.Raul Castro will remain head of the Communist party, designated by the constitution as “the superior guiding force of society and the state”.

5. Spielberg becomes 1st director to gross $10b: Three-time Oscar winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg has become the first director to gross more than $10 billion at the box office.Spielberg’s latest film ‘Ready Player One’ has helped him achieve this milestone.Spielberg is unlikely to lose the top spot any time soon as his closest rivals – Peter Jackson, Michael Bay and James Cameron all are currently around the $6 billion figure.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India, Eritrea to sign MoU: To facilitate a structured dialogue for strengthening bilateral cooperation among themselves, India & Eritrea will sign a MoU on Foreign Office Consultations.India & Eritrea enjoy cordial relations in political, commercial, education and other areas.Over the years, India has provided Eritrea with capacity building assistance in legislative drafting, technical scholarships & food aid.

2.Yes Bank got RBI’s nod to open offices: Yes Bank has received the Reserve Bank of India’s approval to open two representative offices in London and Singapore.The opening of these new offices will help in further diversification andexpansion of financial services to the NRI diaspora.Yes Bank opened its first representative office in Abu Dhabi in April 2015.

3. Standard Chartered ties up with Zoho: Standard Chartered Bank has announced an alliance with Zoho to offer solutions to enhance corporate banking experience.Bank’s business account holders can now pay their suppliers & automate reconciliation right from Zoho Books. The collaboration with Zoho offers clients a revolutionary experience, enabling them to interact seamlessly, resulting in simpler reconciliation & faster payments.

4. Tata Sons appoints new Group Chief HR Officer: Tata Sons has appointed long-time group employee Nupur Mallick as its new Group Chief Human Resource Officer.Currently, Mallick is director, Human Resources for Tata Consultancy Services in the UK and Ireland.She will take over from S. Padmanabhan who will continue to be executive chairman of Tata Business Excellence Group and head, Sustainability Group.

SPORTS:

1. India to bid for 2026 Youth Olympics: Indian Olympic Association has decided to bid for 2026 Youth Olympics as well as the 2032 Summer Olympics.The bidding process for 2026 Youth Olympics is likely to start in early part of 2020.Besides India, Thailand has also expressed interest to host the 2026 Youth Olympics.IOC chief Thomas Bach, who is on a 2 day visit to India, said India has the capability to host big Olympic events.