Daily GK Updates - 29th September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ravi, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, elected PTI chairman : Ravi, the publisher of The Hindu Group of Newspapers, unanimously elected Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI), the country’s largest news agency.Vijay Kumar Chopra, the chief editor of Punjab Kesari Group of newspapers, unanimously elected Vice Chairman of PTI.Ravi, 70, succeeds Viveck Goenka, Chairman and Managing Director of the Express Group.

2.Mary Kom has been named brand ambassador of Tribes India : Five-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom was named as the brand ambassador of TribesIndia, an initiative of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.The Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the "Punch Tantra" collection to promote tribal artifacts and named Mary Kom as the brand ambassador of "Tribes India"- an initiative to promote tribal artifacts.Punch Tantra is an exclusive collection, which comprises a range of ethic and traditional tribal handicrafts and handloom products, was also unveiled during the event.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Typhoon Trami hit Japan's southern island of Okinawa : Typhoon Trami hit Japan's southern island of Okinawa with a maximum speed of 216 kilometres per hour today.Officials said, at least five people have been injured so far but no one is feared dead.However, the number may rise.

2. Nearly 400 killed in Indonesian quake, tsunami : Nearly 400 people were killed when a powerful quake sent a tsunami barrelling into the Indonesian island ofThe national disaster agency put the official death toll so far at 384, all of them in the tsunami- struck city of Palu but warned the toll was likely to rise.Some 540 people were badly injured, it added.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.  India's external debt declines 2.8 percent $514.4 billion at end-June- RBI :According to the RBI, India's external debt declined 2.8 percent to USD 514.4 billion at June-end over the previous quarter       on account of a decrease in commercial borrowings, short-term debt, and non-resident Indian (NRI) deposits.at end-June 2018, the external debt was placed at USD 514.4 billion, recording a decrease of USD 14.9 billion over its level at end-March 2018.As per the RBI, the decrease in the magnitude of external debt was primarily due to valuation gains resulting from the appreciation of the US dollar against the Indian rupee and major currencies.

2.  RBI slaps Rs 5 crore penalty on Karur Vysya Bank : The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Karur Vysya Bank for non-compliance of its directives.According to an RBI statement on Friday, the penalty was imposed for non-compliance with its directions on "Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms, reporting of frauds, and on the need for discipline at the time of opening of current accounts".

SPORTS:

1. India lift Asia Cup for the 7th time : India has lifted the Asia Cup for a record seventh time.In the final of Asia Cup 2018, India defeated Bangladesh by 3 wickets on the final ball of the match to successfully defend the title. India won the toss and chose to field.At one time Bangladesh was 120 for no loss but the team was all out on 222 in 48.3 overs. Opener Liton Das scored 121, his maiden ODI ton.

Kuldeep Yadav bagged 3 wickets.