Daily GK Updates - 25th December, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rs 100 coin in memory of Vajpayee launched : A commemorative coin worth Rs 100 in honour of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was launched on 24 December 2018.The coin features the Emblem of India on the front side. The reverse side of the coin features a portrait of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The years 1924 and 2018 are inscribed below Vajpayee’s portrait to mark the year of his birth and death respectively.

2.MSAMB appoints officers to facilitate trade : Maharashtra has become the first state in the country to appoint out-of-state trade representatives. The Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board (MSAMB) appointed six trade representatives to  promote trade in semi-perishable commodities. They will also collect relevant market information. They have been posted in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Assam, and Tamil Nadu.

3. Book on Maharaja Jagatjit Singh launched :  Punjab’s Chief Minister Amarinder Singh released a book on former ruler Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala on 24 December 2018. The title of the book is ‘Prince, Patron, and Patriarch – Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala’. It is co-authored by Brigadier (Retd) Sukhjit Singh and Cynthia Meera Frederick.

4. Good Governance Day-25 December : Good Governance Day is observed annually on 25th December, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.Good Governance Day was established by the government of India in 2014.The aim of the day is to make people aware of the government’s commitment to providing a transparent and accountable administration in the country.

5. Longest rail-cum-road bridge inaugurated : India’s longest rail-cum-road bridge – Bogibeel Bridge was inaugurated in Assam on 25 December 2018. The Bridge is situated 17 km downstream of Dibrugarh city in Assam. It crosses the Brahmaputra river and will connect Assam’s Dibrugarh town with Dhemaji. The bridge will also facilitate faster movement of army troops and supplies to Arunachal Pradesh.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Hamilton awarded Drivers’ Driver of the Year : On 22 December 2018, Lewis Hamilton won the ‘Drivers’ Driver of the Year’ award.For the first time, voting was done to determine the winner of the award. He won the award after he claimed the 5th World Drivers’ Championship. Lewis Hamilton is the third man in history to secure the 5th world title. Max Verstappen was placed in the 2nd position and Fernando Alonso got the 3rd place.

2. Belgium tops FIFA rankings : Belgium ended the year at the top of the FIFA rankings for December released on 20 December 2018.They are one point ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup champions France. Belgium has 1,727 points by FIFA’s calculations and France has 1,726 points. France was ranked second. France is followed by Brazil, Croatia, and England.

3. Turkmenistan launches first messaging app : Turkmenistan launched its first messaging app on 24 December 2018. The name of the messaging app is ‘BizBarde’.The app will allow the exchange of messages, files, photos, and videos. The application is available via the Google Android platform as well as Apple’s iOS and Microsoft Windows.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.Bharathi appointed as head of Corporation Bank : P V Bharathi has been appointed as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation Bank on 24 December 2018.She is at present Executive Director of Canara Bank. She will take over the charge on or after 1 February 2019 and remain in the post till March 31, 2020 – the date of her superannuation.

2. PNB launches special card for Kumbh Mela : Punjab National Bank (PNB) has launched a special card for Kumbh Mela 2019.The bank has partnered with the Uttar Pradesh government to create a model for digitization at Kumbh Mela 2019.For convenient and hassle-free transactions at these shops, the bank has created the ‘PNB Rupay’ card which works even without the internet.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1.SpaceX launches new GPS satellite : SpaceX successfully launched the US Air Force’s first Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite, nicknamed ‘Vespucci’, on 23 December 2018. The new GPS satellites, built by Lockheed Martin, will provide three-times better accuracy than the current system of GPS and will be eight times better at anti-jamming. The GPS is owned by the U.S. military and operated by the U.S. Air Force. 

2.‘Super-Earth’ in ‘Cassiopeia’ discovered : Researchers have discovered a new exotic planet outside the solar system in the constellation ‘Cassiopeia’. The planet has been named ‘HD219134 b’. It is located 21 light years away from earth. It has a mass of almost five times that of Earth, which is considered a so-called ‘super-Earth’.It is rich in calcium and aluminum alongside magnesium and silicon.