Daily GK Updates - 20th September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Dr. Raghupati Singhania conferred with the civilian honor of Mexico : Dr. Raghupati Singhania has been conferred with the 'Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle', the highest honor accorded to non-nationals by the Government of Mexico (on 128^th National day of Mexico).Dr. Singhania is the Chairman and MD of JK Tyre & Industries Ltd.The top honor has recognized Dr. Singhania's exemplary leadership and efforts to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Mexico.

2.  President Kovind Promulgates Ordinance banning the practice of instant triple talaq : According to Ministry of Law and Justice in a Gazette notification, President Ram Nath Kovind has Promulgated an Ordinance banning the practice of instant triple talaq.Earlier, Union Cabinet had approved an Ordinance making instant triple talaq a punishable offense with a three-year jail term.Under the Ordinance, the crime will be recognized only when the woman herself or her blood relative files a complaint against the husband.

3.PM Narendra Modi lay the foundation stone of IICC in New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) at Dwarka (Sector 25) in New Delhi.The Centre would be a world-class state-of-the-art Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre, with facilities like financial, hospitality and retail services.The project is implemented by India International Convention and Exhibition Centre Limited and the estimated cost of the project is Rs.25,700 crores.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Delhi airport gets top honor at ASQ Awards 2017 : Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has won the title of Best Airport to handle over 40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) by the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards 2017.

The award was given by the Airports Council International (ACI).Now, Delhi airport is the seventh busiest airports in Asia and among the top 20 busiest airports in the world.

2.  Exercise Aviaindra-18 Commences at Lipetsk : India and Russia joint Air Force level exercise ‘Aviaindra-18’ held in Lipetsk, Russia (17-28^th Sep 2018).It will be conducted in Jodhpur (India) from 10 - 22 December 2018.The aim of the exercise is focused towards anti-terrorist operations in a bi-lateral scenario.The contingent comprises of 30 officers from different branches and streams of IAF including four women officers of Flying, Admin and Medical Branch.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. India signs a loan agreement with the World Bank for USD 74 Million for Uttarakhand : The World Bank has signed a loan agreement for IBRD Credit of USD 74 million for Uttarakhand Workforce Development Project (UKWDP).The objective of the project is to improve the quality and relevance of training at priority Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and to increase the number of labor -market-relevant workers through short-term training in Uttarakhand.

SPORTS:

1. Lewis Hamilton wins Singapore Grand Prix 2018 : Mercedes’ driver Lewis Hamilton has won the Singapore Grand Prix at Marina Bay Street Circuit, in Singapore.He was followed by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the 2nd spot and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in 3rd place.Now, with this victory, Hamilton has increased his chance to win this year’s Formula One World Championship.

2. Hangzhou to host 2022 Asian Para Games : The Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) confirmed that Hangzhou(China) will host the fourth edition of Asian Para Games in 2022.The confirmation came following a visit to Hangzhou by Majid Rashed(APC President) and Tarek Souei (APC CEO).Hangzhou will be the third Chinese city to play host to the Asian Games after ‘Beijing’(1990) and 'Guangzhou' (in 2010).