Daily GK Updates - 31st May, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Krishna Murari as CJ of Punjab and Haryana HC : The Union Law Ministry has cleared the appointment of Justice Krishna Murari of the Allahabad High Court as the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court.Justice Murari will succeed former chief justice S J Vazifdar, who retired on May 3.Punjab and Haryana High Court is the common High Court for Haryana, Punjab and Union Territory of Chandigarh.

2. Guidelines for Adventure Tourism launched : The Government is for the first time issuing guidelines for Adventure Tourism in India.The guidelines on Safety and Quality Norms for Adventure Tourism in India have been formulated along with the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India.The aim of this initiative is to help adventure tour operators understand and execute safety guidelines in a better manner.

3. Andhra Pradesh gets new state bird & flower : Andhra Pradesh government has decided to notify ‘Rose-ringed parakeet’ popularly known as ‘Rama Chiluka’, as the state bird.The neem is the official tree of the Andhra Pradesh.The blackbuck is the animal while Jasmine as its state flower.Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated to create Telangana in June 2014.

4. New Northern Army Commander : Lt Gen Ranbir Singh has been appointed as the new Northern Army commander.Lt Gen Singh succeeds Lt Gen Anbu who has been appointed as the Vice-Chief of the Indian Army.Lt Gen Ranbir Singh was the Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) when India carried out surgical strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. RIMPAC from June 27, 2018 : As many as 26 countries, including India, would participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) military exercise from June 27 to August 2, in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.RIMPAC is known as the world’s largest international maritime exercise.Four countries — Brazil, Israel, Sri Lanka and Vietnam — are participating in RIMPAC for the first time in 2018.

2. World No Tobacco Day observed on 31 May : World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on 31 May. It is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption around the globe.The World Health Organisation(WHO) has designated 31st May of each year as the World No Tobacco Day.The theme for 2018 is “Tobacco and heart disease”.

3. India, Indonesia to set up task force : India and Indonesia have agreed to set up a special task force to enhance connectivity between the strategic Andaman andNicobar Islands and provinces in Sumatra Island.This will promote trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts.The Joint Task Force will undertake projects for port related infrastructure in and around Sabang which is an Indonesian island.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Microsoft becomes third most valuable firm : Microsoft has surpassed Alphabet, in the market capitalisation for the first time in 3 years, becoming the 3^rd most valuable firm after Apple & Amazon globally.On May 29, 2018, Microsoft reportedly had a market cap of $753 billion at the close of trading, almost $14 billion ahead of Alphabet.Apple leads with a market cap of $924 billion & Amazon is at second spot with nearly $783 billion.

BANKING/FINANCE :

1. Yes Bank inks MoU with SIDBI : Yes Bank has entered into an agreement with SIDBI under which it will act as a preferred financial institution for giving loans to the small and medium enterprising customers.This will facilitate smooth flow of credit in a hassle-free manner to MSME customers availing term loan facility from SIDBI.Small enterprises will also be entitled to use Yes Bank’s varied banking solutions.

DEFENCE:

1. India-Nepal joint military exercise begins : A joint military exercise between India and Nepal began on May 30 in Uttrakhand.The military exercise, which is set to conclude of June 12, is called ‘Surya Kiran’ and is conducted alternatively in India and Nepal every six months.Surya Kiran with Nepal is India’s largest military exercise in terms of troop participation.

2. Upgraded Pinaka rocket successfully test-fired : An upgraded version of Pinaka rocket, with a guidance system and an enhanced range, was successfully test-firedfrom the Proof & Experiment Establishment at Chandipur in Odisha.Pinaka has now been upgraded into a guided version, with a navigation, guidance & control kit developed by the Research Centre, Imarat, Hyderabad.The conversion helped in enhancing the range and accuracy of Pinaka.