Daily GK Updates - 2nd June, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Elephanta festival of art and culture begins in Mumbai :  The two-day Elephanta Festival of art and culture kicked off at the iconic Gateway of India in Mumbai. The gala event is organised on the Elephanta Island and promoted by the Maharashtra government. They are a collection of cave temples predominantly dedicated to Lord Shiv.

2. Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa leaves for 4-day Sweden visit :  Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa has left for Sweden a four-day official visit. Mr. Dhanoa will visit various operational and training units as well as interact with senior functionaries of the Swedish Air Force amongst others. The visit would provide an impetus towards defence cooperation and pave the way for greater interaction and cooperation between the Air Forces. This would also strengthen relationships and enable engagement in productive exchanges between the two Air Forces.

3. Centre shortlists five cities for International Yoga Day :  The Union Government has shortlisted five cities (Delhi, Shimla, Mysore, Ahmedabad and Ranchi) to hold National Programme of the International Yoga Day this year. According to Official sources, names of these cities have been sent to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) which will finalize the venue of the main function to be held on June 21. If selected, the national capital would be hosting the event for the second time. About 10,000 people, including yoga teachers, professionals, enthusiasts and others are attending it. For the first time this year, Indian experts will be demonstrating yoga postures to the members of the British Parliament.

4.  2nd June: Telangana celebrates its fifth formation day' :  Telangana people celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Formation Day with enthusiasm and fervour. Telangana was formed on 2nd June in 2014 following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Telangana Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao hoisted the tricolour at a ceremonial programme held on the lawns of Jubilee Hall at Public Gardens in Hyderabad. A number of cultural, sports and social events have been lined up in the state capital Hyderabad & also in districts as part of the celebrations.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  Nayib Bukele sworn in as president of El Salvador :  Nayib Bukele (37-years) has been sworn-in as the Central American country El Salvador's President. Mr. Bukele was sworn-in by the Speaker of the National Assembly in downtown San Salvador. Delegations from 83 countries attended the ceremony.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. GDP growth slows to a five-year low at 5.8% in the January-March quarter :  India's economic growth rate slowed to a five-year low of 5.8 % in January-March 2018-19, due to poor performance in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) data, GDP growth during 2018-19 fiscal stood at 6.8%, lower than 7.2% in the previous financial year. The growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) was slowest since 2014-15. The previous low was 6.4 per cent in 2013-14.

SPORTS:

1. Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur to win Champions League trophy :  Liverpool breezed past Tottenham at Madrid to win the Champions League Football for the sixth time. In the all-English showpiece, the Reds got the better of Spurs with a 2-nil win. Mohamed Salah put Liverpool in front after just two minutes when he converted a penalty following a handball by Moussa Sissoko.