Daily GK Updates - 16th July, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Conference of Heads of AYUSH Institutes : All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) under Ministry of AYUSH is organizing two days Conference of Heads of AYUSH National Institutes at India International Centre, New Delhi.Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Prakash Javadekar will inaugurate the conference.Health Universities and research institutes sign MoUs with Sports Authority of India, Indian Institute of Technology.

2. Gujarat to form Sanskrit Bhasha Vikas Board : The Sanskrit language, the state government has decided to form the Sanskrit Bhasha Vikas Board.The decision was announced by state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama at an event held at the Gujarat University.The university has started a dedicated centre for spoken Sanskrit and also plans to celebrate Sanskrit Utsav.

3. ‘Paudhagiri’ campaign launched in Haryana : Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched the ‘Paudhagiri’ campaign, aimed at increasing the green cover in the state.Under this campaign, 22 lakh students from class 6 to 12 of all government and private schools in Haryana will plant a sapling each during three months of monsoon.

4. ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ award for Aruna Sairam : Carnatic vocalist Aruna Sairam has been selected for this year’s ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ award of the Music Academy.Veteran Mridangam artiste ‘Thanjavur’ R Ramadas was selected for the ‘Sangita Kala Acharya’ award.The ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ and other music awards would be presented at the ‘Sadas’ of the music festival on January 1, 2019.

5. IFFCO rolls out portal for farmers : Fertiliser major IFFCO has partnered with Singapore-based technology firm iMandi to start an e-commerce platform for farmers, with an investment of about ₹80 crore.An e-commerce app, ‘IFFCO iMandi’, has been introduced and would cater to 5.5 crore farmers already associated with the cooperative. A web portal has also been developed.

IFFCO’s managing director is U.S. Awasthi.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India, Bahrain sign pact to boost investment : India and Bahrain signed agreements in the field of healthcare and renewable energy and decided to enhance investments among both countries.The two sides also did an agreement on Exemption from Short Stay Visa for holders of Diplomatic and Official passport.The agreement comes after Sushma Swaraj meets Bahrainain Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

2. J K Rowling’s next book ‘Lethal White’ : J K Rowling will come out with the fourth novel “Lethal White” in the series about the exploits of private investigator Cormoran Strike under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith.The three previous Strike novels are “The Cuckoo’s Calling” (2013), “The Silkworm” (2014) and “Career of Evil”(2015).J K Rowling is well renowned for her Harry Potter Series.

3. China to launch 300 satellites : China plans to launch 300 low-orbit satellites to provide worldwide communication services, with the first in the series to be launched later this year.The first in the 300-satellite array — known as the Hongyan constellation — is set to be launched by the end of this year.China is already developing BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) to rival America’s Global Positioning System.

4. India signs pact to ease visa restrictions : India on July 15 signed a revised travel agreement with Bangladesh to ease visa restrictions for citizens from the neighbouring country.Under the Revised Travel Arrangement (RTA)-2018, freedom fighters and elderly Bangladeshi nationals will get five year multiple visa from India.Mr. Singh and Mr. Khan also held the 6th Home Minister-Level Talks between India and Bangladesh

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. T.V. Narendran new chairman of Bhushan Steel : Bhushan Steel Ltd, acquired by Tata Steel Ltd, has approved the appointment of T.V. Narendran as chairman and non-executive additional director of the company.Narendran, CEO and MD of Tata Steel, has over 30 years of experience in the metal and mining industry.Tata Steel acquired the controlling stake of 72.65% in Bhushan Steel in accordance with ₹35,200-crore resolution plan.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Transformation Series Challenge by YES Bank : YES Bank, through partnerships with tech giants such as Microsoft, Cisco, IBM and Adobe has unveiled the 7th edition of ‘Transformation Series Challenge’.The Theme of the event is ‘tech for urban development’.The issues identified include over-utilisation of plastic and declining air quality in cities.Rana Kapoor is Managing Director and Chief Executive of YES Bank.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1. ISRO scientists test Vikas Engine : ISRO has successfully conducted a ground test of its high thrust version of the Vikas Engine that would improve the payload capability of the space agency’s launch vehicles.The Vikas Engine is the liquid rocket engine used to power the second stage of the ISRO’s trusted Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).The test was conducted at the ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.

SPORTS:

1. Marc Marquez Wins German Grand Prix : Marc Marquez cruised to his ninth consecutive German Grand Prix win to extend his MotoGP lead at Sachsenring.The Marc Marquez has won in the top category for the last six years and before that won three times in the smaller classes.Rossi finished second and Maverick Vinales coming third.

2. Vinesh grabs gold at Grand Prix of Spain : Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat grabbed a gold at the Spanish Grand Prix in Madrid.Vinesh won the gold medal in the women’s freestyle 50kg category.Vinesh outclassed Canada’s Natasha Fox in the final to claim her second consecutive gold.She had won a gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in the 50kg category.

3. Nozomi Okuhara wins Thailand Open 2018  : Nozomi Okuhara of Japan wins Thailand Open 2018 which was held in Bangkok.She defeated PV Sindhu 21-15, 21-18 in 50 minutes match. By virtue of this win, Okuhara has taken a 6-5 head-to-head win-loss record over Sindhu.The last time the duo met at the All England Championships earlier this year, it was Sindhu who prevailed over the Okuhara.

4. Brij Bhushan to be Chef de Mission : Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Saran Singh is set to be named the Chef de Mission of the Asian Games-bound Indian contingent.The four deputy Chefs de Mission are set to be be appointed.The IOA has announced a 524-member contingent of athletes for the August 18-September 2 Asian Games in Indonesia.