Daily GK Updates - 8th September, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Assam govt makes Hima Das as Sports Ambassador of state :Assam govt. has made Asian Games medalist Hima Das as the Sports Ambassador of the state.Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal handed over a cheque of 1.6 crore rupees to Hima at a function in Guwahati.Recently, Hima won 3 medals in concluded Asian Games.

2.  Piyush Goyal launches 'AAPOORTI' app of ‘ Indian Railways E-procurement system : Ministry of Railways & Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) has organized a seminar on “Leveraging IT for Mobility” in New Delhi. Shri Piyush Goyal (Minister of Railways & Coal) graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.Shri Goyal also launched a new app – “AAPOORTI’ mobile App of ‘Indian Railways e-procurement system’ (IREPS).This App provides information and data related to e-tendering and e-auction related activities of Indian Railways.

3. Centenary of the Battle of Haifa Celebrated : The Embassy of India held a ceremony in Haifa to mark the Centenary of the Battle of Haifa.The ceremony was attended by a delegation from India led by Maj Gen VD Dogra and included personnel from the 61st Cavalry.The Battle of Haifa was fought on 23 September 1918 towards the end of the Battle of Sharon which together with the Battle of Nablus formed the set piece Battle of Megiddo.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.International Literacy Day being observed today : The International Literacy Day (ILD) is being observed on 8th September every year throughout the world to raise public awareness to eradicate illiteracy and create an environment in favor of adult education programs.This year’s theme is ‘Literacy and skills development.’This year's theme explores integrated approaches that simultaneously support the development of literacy and skills, to ultimately improve people’s lives and work and contribute to equitable and sustainable societies.

2. The U.S. returns two antique statues stolen from India : Two antique statues worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (USD 225,000) stolen from India and displayed at two American museums have been repatriated to India by the US.The first statue, ‘Lingodhbhavamurti’, a 12th-century granite sculpture depicting an iconic representation of Lord Shiva, dates back to the Chola dynasty.It was stolen from Tamil Nadu and was on display at the Birmingham Museum in Alabama.

3. 'Gold' becomes first Bollywood film ever to release in Saudi Arabia : Indian movie 'Gold' has become the first Bollywood film ever to release in Saudi Arabia.The film Gold is a fictional re-telling of India's iconic win at the 1948 London Olympics.This film is only the second movie after Rajnikanth's social drama "Kala" to hit the theatres in the Gulf country.Saudi Arabia had held a private screening of international cultural phenomenon, "Black Panther" in May this year to herald the launch of movie theatres in the kingdom and opening them to the public.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. SBI appoints Anshula Kant as Managing Director : The Union Government has appointed Anshula Kant as the Managing Director of the State Bank of India (SBI).Currently, she is the Deputy Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of SBI.With this appointment, SBI has four MDs - PK Gupta, DK Khara and Arijit Basu.

SPORTS:

1. Saurabh Chaudhary clinches gold in ISSF World C'ship : India's Saurabh Chaudhary (16-year) clinched the 10 meters Air Pistol Junior gold at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Championship in Changwon, South Korea.Arjun Singh Cheema claimed bronze in the same event with a score of 218 while Korea’s Hojin Lim clinched silver.India also picked up a silver medal in the junior men's trap team competition.