Daily GK Updates - 9th July, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NHAI and NIIF Signs MoU for funding highway projects: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) signed an MoU for funding highway projects. The MoU is related to co-operation in formation of SPVs to execute the fund arrangement for large size road projects particularly green field projects to be executed by NHAI in future.

Note: Minister of road and highway: Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari.

2. 10k monthly allowance to Padma Shri awardees by Odisha govt: Odisha government has decided to give monthly allowance of Rs 10,000 to Padma award winners of the state facing financial problems. The decision has been taken on the basis of the Culture Department's report on the economic conditions of the Padma award winners of the state.

Note: CM of Odisha: Naveen Patnaik; Governor of Odisha: Ganeshi Lal.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kyriakos Mitsotakis becomes Greece's new PM: Kyriakos Mitsotakis (51-year) was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Greece.  Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party won an outright majority with 158 seats in the 300-seat legislature. Earlier, he was Leader of the Opposition (from 2016 to 2019) and also served as Minister of Administrative Reform (from 2013 to 2015). Mitsotakis is the son of former Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis, one of the country’s longest-serving parliamentarians.

Note: Capital of Greece: Athens, Currency: Euro.

2. Sri Lanka inaugurates model village built with Indian assistance: Sri Lanka has inaugurated first model village built with Indian assistance. The village is a part of housing project meant for war affected people. India has partnered with the ministry of housing and construction and cultural affairs of Sri Lanka to build 100 model villages with Indian grant of Rs 1,200 million. 

Note: Capitals of Sri Lanka : Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte; Currency: Sri Lankan Rupee.

3. Sharjah issues 1st permanent residency visa to Lalu Samuel:  Sharjah's first Golden Card visa was issued to an Indian expat businessman Lalu Samuel. The move is a part of the permanent residency system tailored for investors. The Golden Card is a 10-year long-term visa eligible for investors and entrepreneurs to engage them in the renaissance and development of the UAE. Lalu Samuel is a Chairman and Managing Director of Kingston Holdings and Chairman of Sharjah Industry Business Group.

Note: Capital of UAE: Abu Dhabi; Currency: Dirham.

4. Shailesh Tinaikar assumes charge as Force Commander of UN mission: Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar of India assumes charge as Force Commander of United Nations Mission in South Sudan. Shailesh Tinaikar has been awarded the Sena Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal for Distinguished Service.

Note:UN Secretary- General: António Guterres; Headquarters: New York, United States; Established: 24^th October 1945. 

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Rahul Dravid appointed NCA’s Head of Cricket: BCCI has formally appointed Rahul Dravid as the National Cricket Academy’s Head of Cricket. Dravid will oversee all cricket related activities at NCA and will be involved in mentoring, coaching, training and motivating players, coaches and support staff at the NCA.

2. Magnus Carlsen won the 2019 Croatia Grand Chess Tour title: Magnus Carlsen won the 2019 Croatia Grand Chess Tour title. He scored 8 points. Wesley So finished second with 7 points. India's Viswanathan Anand ended up with 4.5 points and finished 11th.

3. Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting Championships: 4 gold medals for India in Commonwealth Senior Weightlifting Championships. Following is the list of winners in the different categories: Mirabai Chanu wins gold in the senior women’s 49 kg event; Jhilli Dalabehra wins gold in the senior women’s 45 kg event; Soroikhaibam Bindyarani Devi wins gold while Matsa Santoshi wins the silver medal in the senior women’s 55kg event; Rishikanta Singh grabbed the gold in the senior men’s 55kg event.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. RBI board finalises ‘Utkarsh 2022’: The Reserve Bank of India board has finalised a three-year roadmap ‘Utkarsh 2022’. It is a three-year road map for medium term objectives to be achieved for improving regulation and supervision of the central bank.

Note: RBI 25th Governor: Shaktikant Das; Headquarters: Mumbai; Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata.

2. Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2019-20 Series-II issue starts: The Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2019-20 Series-II is now open for the issue (from July 08 to July 12, 2019). Government of India has decided to offer a discount of Rs 50 per gram less than the nominal value to those investors applying online and the payment against the application is made through digital mode. For such investors, the issue price of Gold Bond will be Rs 3,393/-per gram of gold.

Note: The minimum investment in the Bonds shall be one gram with a maximum limit of subscription per fiscal year of 4 kg for individuals, 4 kg for Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) and 20 kg for trusts. The tenor of these Bonds will be for a period of 8 years (exit option after the 5th year). The Bonds can be bought from Commercial banks, designated post offices and recognized stock exchanges.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. LinkedIn appoints Ashutosh Gupta as country manager for India: Ashutosh Gupta has been appointed as the Country Manager for India of LinkedIn (Microsoft-owned social networking site). He will replace Mahesh Narayanan, who was the country manager for India (LinkedIn) from January 2019 to June 2019. Gupta will take charge, in his new role, from 2nd September 2019. LinkedIn has over 630 million global users and more than 57 million members in India.

Note: LinkedIn is an American business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps. It is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs. LinkedIn allows members (both workers and employers) to create profiles and "connections" to each other in an online social network which may represent real-world professional relationships.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. 'Gully Boy' wins NETPAC award in Bucheon film festival: Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar's directorial 'Gully Boy' has won the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award at the 23rd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in South Korea.

Note: Capital of South Korea: Seoul; Currency of South Korean: South Korea won.

DEFENCE

1. Indian Naval Ship Tarkash arrives in Morocco: Indian Naval Ship Tarkash arrived at Tangier, Morocco. The visit is part of an ongoing Overseas Deployment by the Indian Navy to the Mediterranean Sea, Africa and Europe. On its departure, INS Tarkash will carry out a Passage Exercise at sea with ships of the Royal Moroccan Navy.

Note: Chief of the Naval Staff: Karambir Singh.

2. India successfully tests vertical steep dive version of Brahmos missile: India has successfully tested the vertical steep dive version of the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile that changes the dynamics of conventional warfare. Brahmos missile, which cruises at almost three times the speed of sound at Mach 2.8, is the heaviest weapon to be deployed on the Su-30 fighters.

Note: The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or land. It is a joint venture between the Russian Federation's NPO Mashinostroyeniya and India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) who together have formed BrahMos Aerospace. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

3. Two new heavy-lift Chinook helicopters for IAF arrive in Gujarat: American aerospace major Boeing has announced the arrival of two new heavy-lift Chinook helicopters for the Indian Air Force at the Mundra port in Gujarat. The Indian Air Force has ordered 15 Chinooks and the first four helicopters arrived in February. The IAF had placed the order in 2015 along with 22 Apache attack helicopters. According to Boeing India, the advanced multi-mission helicopter will provide the armed forces unmatched strategic airlift capability. The CH-47 Chinook is an advanced multi-mission helicopter and has unsurpassed ability to deliver heavy payloads to high altitudes.

OBITUARIES

1. Brazilian bossa nova pioneer Joao Gilberto passes away: Brazilian singer, guitarist and songwriter Joao Gilberto (88-years) passed away. He was considered one of the fathers of the bossa nova genre that gained global popularity in the 1960s and became an iconic sound of the South American nation. Bossa nova is a fusion of samba and jazz that emerged in the late 1950s and gained a worldwide in the 1960s.

Note:  Over his career, he won two Grammy awards and was nominated for six, and the US jazz magazine Down Beat in 2009 named him one of the 75 great guitarists in history and one of the five top jazz singers.