Daily GK Updates - 17th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Home Expo India 2019 begins: The 8th edition of Home Expo India 2019 began at India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida on 16 April 2019. It covers sectors with maximum thrust and growth potential in home decor, furnishing, furniture, flooring and textiles. The three-day exhibition has been organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts. 

2. India’s First Foreign Interactive Bird Park Launched in Mumbai: India’s first exotic Bird Park ‘Essel World Bird Park’ was launched by EsselWorld Leisure Pvt. Ltd, the entertainment arm of the $6-billion Essel Group in Mumbai. The Park is spread over 1.4 acres of land and surrounded by flora and fauna. It is home to over 500 exotic birds from more than 60 species of flying, terrestrial and aquatic birds and has 200 species of special plants and trees for the birds.

3. EC cancels polling in Vellore constituency on grounds of misuse of money: Accepting the recommendations of the Election Commission, President Ram Nath Kovind cancelled polling in Vellore constituency, making it the first Lok Sabha  in the history of independent India seat to have had its elections countermanded over abuse of money power. Vellore was scheduled to go to polls with the rest of Tamil Nadu on April 18.

4. Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated across the country today: Today, the birth anniversary of 24th and last Jain ‘Tirthankar Bhagwan Mahavir’ is being celebrated across the country. It is one of the most sacred days for Jain people. The followers of Lord Mahavir celebrate this festival by chanting prayers, offering Prasad and participating in chariot processions.

5. Ajay Dixit appointed CEO of Cairn Oil & Gas: Cairn Oil & Gas, a vertical of Vedanta Limited, has appointed Ajay Dixit as its chief executive officer (CEO). Mr. Dixit succeeds Sudhir Mathur who, after seven successful years with the company, moves on to pursue personal endeavours.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mohammed Ishtayeh- PM of Palestine: The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has appointed Mohammed Ishtayeh as the new Prime Minister. Mohammed Ishtayeh will succeed Rami Hamdallah. Palestine Capitals- Ramallah & East Jerusalem, Currency: Israeli new shekel and Jordanian dinar. 

2. Google Opens Its First African AI Lab in Ghana: Google has opened its first African artificial intelligence (AI) centre in Ghana’s capital Accra, one year after announcing the project. The research laboratory will host software engineers and research scientists to work on projects dedicated to next-generation technology. CEO Google: Sundar Pichai.

3. IMF & World Bank Launched 'Learning Coin' For In-House Purposes: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank have together launched a private blockchain with a pseudo-token. The new token, called “Learning Coin” and only accessible within the IMF and World Bank, has a purpose to teach relevant individuals within the organizations about blockchain. Though the coin has no real value– hence the description pseudo-token – staff members who pass educational milestones will receive the tokens which can then be redeemed for certain rewards. World Bank President: David Malpass, Headquarters in Washington DC, USA, Established in 1944. MD of IMF- Christine Lagarde, Headquarters in: Washington DC, USA.

4. World Haemophilia day- 17 April: Every April 17 World Haemophilia Day is recognised worldwide to increase awareness of haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. World Haemophilia Day was started in 1989 by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) which chose to bring the community together on April 17 in honour of WFH founder Frank Schnabel’s birthday. This year’s theme: ‘OUTREACH & IDENTIFICATION’. Hemophilia is a rare disorder in which your blood doesn't clot normally because it lacks sufficient blood-clotting proteins.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Mithali Raj Named Goodwill Ambassador of Team India At The Street Child Cricket World Cup: Indian women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj has been named the goodwill ambassador of Team India at the Street Child Cricket World Cup (SCCWC). Mithali joins IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals and former captain Sourav Ganguly in supporting the team.

2. Arantxa Sanches Vicario- ambassador of TCS World 10K run: Former women's world no 1 tennis player Arantxa Sanchez Vicario was named the ambassador of the IAAF Gold Label TCS World 10K run. Vicario will encourage the 25,000 runners of the 10k run through her story of determination and never-say-die-attitude. The Spanish legend accumulated 14 Grand Slam titles -- four singles, six doubles, and four mixed doubles and is also considered to be one of the most decorated Olympians in Spanish history with two silver and as many bronze.

BANKING AND FINANCE:

1. Bandhan Bank Gets CCI Nod For Merger With Gruh Finance: Bandhan Bank has received approval from the Competition Commission of India (CCI)for the proposed scheme of amalgamation of Gruh Finance with the bank. Bandhan Bank had, in January 2019, announced the merger of Gruh Finance with it.

2. IDBI Bank Launches 'NRI-Insta-Online' Paperless Account Facility: IDBI Bank has launched 'NRI-Insta-Online' account opening process for NRIs residing in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) member countries. The person will not be required to furnish physical documents as well as KYC proofs for opening an account with the bank.

3. ADB Committed Highest-ever $3 bn In Sovereign Loans To India In 2018: ADB committed to provide USD 3 billion in sovereign loans to India in 2018, the highest level of assistance since sovereign operations began in the country in 1986. In all, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), owned by 68 member countries, committed a total of USD 3.88 billion, including sovereign loans and co-financing during the year ended December 2018. ADB Headquarters: Manila, Philippines, President: Takehiko Nakao.

4. Canara Bank Becomes The First Public Sector Bank In India To Meet RBI’s EMV Mandate: ACI Worldwide, a global provider of real-time electronic payment and banking solutions, announced that Canara Bank has successfully rolled out major new functionality to support EMV card acquiring across its ATM network and Aadhaar Authentication, leveraging ACI’s UP Retail Payments solution to achieve market firsts.

5. RBI puts into circulation Rs 50 banknotes signed by Governor Shaktikanta Das: The Reserve Bank of India has put into circulation 50 rupees denomination banknotes signed by its Governor Shaktikanta Das. According to RBI, the design of these notes is similar in all respects to 50 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series. All banknotes in the denomination of 50 issued by the Reserve Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender.

6. IDRBT Sets Up 5G Lab For Banking, Financial Sector: The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), an arm of Reserve Bank of India, has launched a 5G Use Cases Lab for banking and financial sector. The 5G technology, along with blockchain, will be progressively adopted by banks. Department Of Telecommunications had already launched test beds for 5G use in the academia in Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore to develop 5G for Indian use. 

7. Punjab National Bank appoints Rajesh Yaduvanshi as Executive Director: Punjab National has appointed Rajesh Kumar Yaduvanshi as the Executive Director of the bank with effect from April 15. Yaduvanshi brings with him a diversified experience of over 3 decades in the banking industry, having held senior positions in the banking sector both in India and abroad. 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. India Becomes Net Steel Importer In 2018-19: India was a net importer of steel during the 2018-19 fiscal year, the first time in three years, as the country lost market share among its traditional steel buyers and imports jumped on demand for higher-quality steel domestically. The country's finished steel exports fell by 34% in the fiscal year that ended in March to 6.36 million tonnes, according to preliminary government data given to Reuters on Friday. During the same period, finished steel imports rose 4.7% to 7.84 million tonnes.

AWARDS AND HONOURS:

1. NY Times, Wall Street Journal Win Pulitzers for Trump Probes: The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal were awarded Pulitzer Prizes for their separate investigations of President Donald Trump and his family. The ‘Associated Press’ won a Pulitzer for international reporting for its coverage of the war in Yemen. Reuters was honoured for international reporting for its coverage of atrocities committed against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. About Award: The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. It was established in 1917.

2. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo To Receive 2019 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize: Reuters journalists, Kyaw Soe Oo, and Wa Lone have been selected for UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize 2019. Currently, they are serving 7-year prison sentences in Myanmar.  They collected classified military records that revealed extrajudicial assassinations of Rohingya Muslims by the army in Rakhine State. About Award: The award is a tribute to Colombian journalist Guillermo Cano Isaza. In December 1986, he was killed in front of the offices of his newspaper El Espectador in Bogota, Colombia. UNESCO Headquarters: Paris, France.

3. Fincare Small Finance Bank Awarded the Celent Model Bank 2019 Award: Fincare Small Finance Bank (SFB) has been awarded the prestigious Celent Model Bank 2019 Award in the category of Financial Inclusion, for 'Redesigning Lending to Reach Small Businesses'. The award recognizes LAP (Loans Against Property) D.Lite, a tab-based solution designed and developed in-house by Fincare SFB for origination and instant underwriting of loans against property targeted at micro and small enterprises. MD & CEO of Fincare Small Finance Bank: Mr. Rajeev Yadav.

4. Indian Teams Win Awards at NASA Annual Rover Challenge: Three teams from India have won awards at the NASA’s annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge which invites high school and college students to build and test roving vehicles for future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Indian Teams Awarded

(i) The team from KIET Group of Institutions in Ghaziabad Uttar Pradesh, won the “AIAA Neil Armstrong Best Design Award”, which recognises systems best designed to meet the Rover Challenge performance requirements.

(ii) The team from Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering from Mumbai, Maharashtra, won the “Frank Joe Sexton Memorial Pit Crew Award” for ingenuity and persistence in overcoming problems during the race as well as the “System Safety Challenge Award”.

(iii) The team from Lovely Professional University in Phagwara, Punjab, won the “STEM Engagement Award”, presented to the team that best-informed others about rocketry and other space-related topics.

5. Aretha Franklin wins posthumous Pulitzer Prize: Aretha Franklin has been posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her contribution to American music and culture. The music icon passed away last year at the age of 76 after battling pancreatic cancer. Aretha is also the first individual woman to earn this special citation since 1930. She sold millions of albums and won countless awards, including 18 Grammys, the National Medal of Arts and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

DEFENCE

1. Indian Navy-Vietnam Peoples’ Navy Bilateral Exercise Concludes: The Indian Navy undertook the second edition of the bilateral maritime exercise between the Indian Navy and Vietnam Peoples’ Navy, (IN – VPN BILAT EX) at/ off Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. The exercise was undertaken as a part of the ongoing Overseas Deployment of Eastern Fleet ships to South East Asian countries.

2. Coast Guard Patrol Ship Veera Commissioned: Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Veera’ at a ceremony held at Naval Jetty at the dockyard at Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Veera, third in the series of offshore patrol vessels of the Coast Guard, was built by L&T at its shipbuilding facility at Kattupalli in Chennai.

OBITUARIES

1. Renowned Space Scientist SK Shivakumar Passes Away: Former Director of Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Centre (ISAC), SK Shivakumar died at the age of 66 in Bengaluru. He hailed from Mysuru, Karnataka. He was part of the team which had developed telemetry system for India’s first moon mission Chandrayan -I.