Daily GK Updates - 19th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Gagandeep Kang Becomes First Indian Female FRS: Professor Gagandeep Kang has become the first Indian female scientist to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in the UK fellowship's 358-year-history. ii. The 56-year-old is the Executive Director of Translational Health Science and Technology Institute at Faridabad. Other notable FRS inducted in 2019 includes Fields Medal-winning mathematicians Akshay Venkatesh and Manjul Bhargava.

2. 14 products from different states received GI tag: Himachali Kala Zeera, Jeeraphool from Chhattisgarh and Kandhamal Haldi from Odisha are among the 14 products that have received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the government for 2019 year. The other products which received this tag include Coorg Arabica coffee from Karnataka, Wayanad Robusta coffee from Kerala, Araku Valley Arabica from Andhra Pradesh, Sirisi Supari from Karnataka and Himachali Chulli oil.

3. Deutsche Bank Appoints Kaushik Shaparia As CEO For India: Deutsche Bank appointed Kaushik Shaparia as the chief executive officer for India to succeed Ravneet Gill. Gill left the bank to head private lender YES Bank. Shaparia’s appointment will be effective from May 2019. Shaparia served as Asia Pacific Head of Corp­orate Banking Coverage within Institutional and Treasury Coverage, as well as Global Head of Subsidiary Coverage and has a 30-year experience at the bank. Deutsche Bank Headquarters: Frankfurt, Germany.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sri Lanka’s 1st Satellite ‘Raavana-1’ launched Into Space: Sri Lanka’s first satellite ‘Raavana-1’ was launched into space from NASA’s Flight Facility on Virginia’s east shore. ‘Raavana 1’ weights around 1.05 kg and the lifespan of the satellite is around one and a half years. The satellite was designed and built at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan by two Sri Lankan research engineers. Its camera mission is to capture images of Sri Lanka and its neighboring countries.

2. 7th China International Technology Fair kicked off: The 7th China International Technology Fair opened on 18 April 2019 in Shanghai, a national-level professional fair focused on international technology trade. With an exhibition space covering 35,000 square meters, the fair has five exhibition areas including professional technologies, technological innovation, and trade services.

3. India suspended LoC trade with Pakistan: India has suspended the trade across the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan from 19 April 2019. This was done after probe agencies found the route was being misused to smuggle illegal weapons, drugs and fake currency.

4. Mali's PM Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga Resigns: Mali’s Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga has resigned along with his whole government, following a motion of no confidence over its failure to handle violence in the West African country. President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s office stated that the President accepts the resignation of the prime minister and that of the members of the government.

5. Christina Koch To Set Record For Longest Spaceflight By A Woman: ASA astronaut Christina Koch is going to have her mission on the International Space Station (ISS) extended to 328 days, which would set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. Koch, who arrived at the space station on March 14 is scheduled to remain in orbit until February 2020, will eclipse the record of 288 days set by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson in 2016-17. 

6. World Liver Day being observed today: The World Liver day is observed on the 19th April every year to spread awareness about the second largest organ ‘liver’ in the body. The theme of World Liver Day 2019 is 'Love Your Liver and Live Longer’. Liver diseases can be caused by hepatitis A, B, C, alcohol, and drugs.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Bajrang Regains Top Spot In World Wrestling Rankings: India's Bajrang Punia has regained the world number one spot in the men's 65-kilogramfreestyle category rankings. The rankings were released by United World Wrestling. Punia, who won Gold in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games as well as  a silver in the World Championships in 2018, secured 58 points ahead of Akhmed Chakaev of Russia

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. BoM Joins M1Xchange TReDS Platform for MSME Bill Discounting: Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) has partnered with M1Xchange Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) platform for MSME bill discounting. TReDS is a digital platform to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to get their bills financed at a competitive rate through an auction where multiple registered financiers can participate. Mynd Solutions is a technology management firm which runs the TReDS platform of M1Xchange. The main purpose of TReDS platform is to facilitate smooth flow of liquidity in the system and make finance available at a competitive rate.

2. ICICI Bank launches insta car, two-wheeler loans: ICICI Bank has announced the launch of insta car and two-wheeler loans that will provide existing customers final sanction letters instantly. The first service, called 'Insta Auto Loan', enables over two million pre-approved customers to avail the final sanction letter of a car loan instantly and digitally up to Rs 20 lakh for a tenure of up to seven years. The second initiative, named 'Insta Two-Wheeler Loan', offers over 12 million pre-approved customers the facility to get instant sanction of loan up to Rs 2 lakh for a tenure of up to three years. Both the plans will offer 100 per cent of the on-road price of vehicle.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1.  Indian Peacekeepers Awarded UN Medal of Honour: A total of 150 Indian peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have received medals of honour for their dedicated service and sacrifice. Under the UNMISS, the Indian Horizontal Mobility Engineering Company had completed the renovation of 145 km of roadway connecting Bentiu and Leer in South Sudan, easing the way for the delivery humanitarian aid, trade, and inter-communal dialogue.

2. India Ranks 140th In World Press Freedom Index 2019, Norway Topped: India ranked 140th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index 2019, released by Reporters Without Borders. The index is topped by Norway. Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), or Reporters Without Borders, is a non-profit organisation that works to document and combat attacks on journalists around the world.