Daily GK Updates - 28th August, 2015

 

NATIONAL UPDATES:

 I.     ISRO successfully launches GSLV-D6 carrying GSAT-6 satellite:  The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D6) has successfully blasted from the SatishDhawan Space Centre at ISRO in Sriharikota near Chennai.

II.         NMDC decides to rename Aurangzeb road as A P J Abdul Kalam road: Aurangzeb road one of the most important addresses in Lutyen’s Delhi will be renamed as Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam road.

III.    Union Government gives nod to 6 new SEZ proposals:  Union Government has approved 6 new Special Economic Zones including four from Information Technology and ITeS sector.

IV.     Scientist Dr.M V Gupta to receive inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize: Noted Indian agricultural scientist Dr. M V Gupta has been chosen for the inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize that will be given to him at the South Korean capital city of Seoul.

V.         Union Government launches E-payment module to deposit compensatory levies into CAMPA funds: Union Environment Minister PrakashJavadekar launched an e-payment module to make the payment of compensatory levies into the Compensatory Afforestation Management Planning Authority (CAMPA) Funds.

VI.    Manipur Government handed over 336.93 acres land in Thoubal district for National Sports University.

VII.        Samsung launches free, solar powered mobile charging stations in Bengaluru.

VIII.  K Manohar appointed as Director of NIMS: His appointment as the Director of Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences of Hyderabad was approved by Telangana Government.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.            Greece’s caretaker government sworn in with 1^st female prime minister: Greece’s new caretaker government was sworn in as the country prepares early elections next month. This is the third time that Greeks will go to the polls this year. VassilikiThanou, a top judge and the country’s first female prime minister, will lead the country until the election.

II.            Reliance Communications Ltd tied up with USA based Jasper Technologies, Inc. to offer Internet of Things services in India: Enterprises and Individuals in India will be offered IoT services to launch and manage business activities and monitor individual behavioural patterns.

III.       India and Germany to continue to exchange tax-related information:  With a focus on countering black money, India and Germany have decided to continue to exchange tax-related information spontaneously on the basis of existing agreements.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

 I.          Balchandran M re-appointed as Non-Executive Chairman of Payments Corporation for a further period of two years.

SPORTS:

II.       Barcelona’s Lionel Messi wins UEFA Best Player in Europe Award for the last season.

III.        Usain Bolt defeated Justin Gatlin in World Championships 200m final:Usain Bolt won the rematch and 200m Gold as he ran a wonderful bend to once again leave rival Justin Gatlin chasing silver and fresh air.

IV.       Air India won Guru TegBahadur Hockey title after 7 years: In the final, Air India defeated defending champions Army XI 3-1 in a penalty shootout after the two teams were deadlocked goalless in regular play.

V.         A B de Villiers broke SouravGanguly’s record of fastest 8000 ODI runs: He achieved the feat in just 182 innings while Ganguly had done the same in 200 innings.

Daily GK Updates - 27th August, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

I.      ISRO successfully launches GSLV-D6 carrying GSAT-6 satellite:  The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D6) has successfully blasted from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at ISRO in Sriharikota near Chennai.

II.        Airtel acquires Augure to strengthen 4G footprint: It has acquired Augure Wireless Broadband India in a deal that will allow it to take its 4G operations to nine circles.

III.      Union Cabinet cleared 4 months extension for 7^th pay commission: Union Cabinet chaired by PM Modi gave 4 months extension (up to 31^st December 2015) to the 7^th Pay Commission. Justice Ashok Mathur is the chairman of the commission.

IV.      Government releases smart cities list;13 cities from UP, 12 from Tamil Nadu, 3 from Bihar included.

V.        NITI Aayog launches improved data tool for energy planning: It has launched an improved version of its interactive data tool on the country’s energy security scenario to help policy makers and stakeholders make informed choices for better energy planning for the future. The Indian Energy Security Scenarios (IESS) 2047 (Version 2.0) calculator will suggest measures to shift the energy pattern in a way to ensure advancement of the country’s energy security considerations.

VI.       Union Government approved amendments in the central list of OBCs: It approved the amendments in respect of two states Gujarat and Uttarakhand for making suitable amendments in the central list of OBCs.

VII.     Kolkata port adjudged as the best ‘Major Port of 2014-15’: It was adjudged as the Major Port of the Year for 2015 amongst 12 major ports in the country.

VIII.  Snapdeal appoints former Adobe executive Rajiv Mangla as CTO: e-Commerce major Snapdeal, appointed Rajiv Mangla as Chief Technology Officer.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.         Novak Djokovic named new UNICEF goodwill ambassador: Reigning world tennis champion Novak Djokovic became a new goodwill ambassador for the UN Fund for Children, joining a roster of athletes and celebrities to hold the post.

II.         Kazakhstan to host 1^st Nuclear Fuel Bank: The International Atomic Energy Agency and Kazakhstan have signed an agreement to create the world’s 1^st internationally controlled bank of low-enriched uranium in the ex-Soviet nation to ensure fuel supplies for power stations and prevent nuclear proliferation.

III.        Rajendra Singh conferred with 2015 Stockholm Water Prize: He was named for the prestigious award for his innovative water restoration efforts, improving water security in rural India, and for showing extraordinary courage and determination in his quest to improve the living conditions for those most in need.

IV.       Three Indians were named as Fellows of American Society for Metals for 2015 (ASM): The Indian fellows were PradeepGoyal, VivekanandKain and GankidiMadhusudan Reddy.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

I.         Dilip Vengsarkar elected president of cricket statistician’s body: Former India captain DilipVengsarkar has been elected as the president of the Association of Indian Statisticians and Scorers of India.

II.               Vikas Gowda enters discus final at World Athletics Championships.

Daily GK Updates - 26th August, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.      After Hardik Patel’s huge quota rally, waves of violence across Gujarat: Gujarat police declared curfew at many areas in Ahmedabad, Surat, Junagarh, Baroda and other cities of the state. Internet connectivity and SMS service has been blocked by the administration to stop spreading of any unwanted message. The Patel community led by Hardik Patel is pressing for OBC reservations in educational institutions and government jobs.

II.           Caste Census 2011 data released by Registrar General of India: The data shows that Muslim population in the country’s population increased by 0.8%. Their overall population of Muslims is 14.23% of the total population while Hindus constitute 79.8% of the country’s total population.

III.            Bengaluru goes the BJP way: The ruling Congress party in Karnataka suffered a major setback after it failed to defeat the BJP in civic polls for the Bengaluru city council.

IV.            UP Lokayukta Appointment: The ongoing tussle over the appointment of Lokayukta in Uttar Pradesh intensified with Governor Ram Naik refusing to accept the name of Jutice (Retd) Ravindra Singh for the post, as recommended by CM Akhilesh Yadav.

V.           PM inaugurates birth centenary celebrations of Rani Gaidinliu: On this occasion he launched commemorative coin of 100 rupees and circulation coin of 5 rupees of Rani Gaidinliu to mark her birth centenary celebrations. Rani Gaidinliu was a Naga political and spiritual leader who had led a revolt against British colonial rule in India.

VI.            Rajasthan Government approved Arogya Rajasthan Campaign: CM VasundharaRaje approved the three-month campaign that will help in collection of health data of the rural population in the state.

VII.   India to implement Sendai framework for Disaster Reduction 2015-30: It was adopted during the 3^rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan in March 2015. Its adaptation involves adopting integrated and inclusive institutional measures in order to work towards preventing vulnerability to disaster.

VIII.    War museums built recently at the military stations of Jaisalmer and Yuddhsthal at Laungewala to showcase the traditional bravery of the Indian Army were inaugurated by Lt. Gen Ashok Singh (C-in-C), Southern Command.

IX.        PayU India tied up with redBus to attract customers to use its wallet PayU Money.

X.            2^nd Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) Summit held in Jaipur.

XI.  Rajasthan Government and FCEL inked agreement to launch Annapurna BhandarYojana: Rajasthan State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation inked an agreement with the Future Consumers Enterprise Ltd to launch the Annapurna BhandarYojana, which is a Public Private Distribution Scheme, the 1^st of its kind in India.

XII.    Noble Laureate MuhammedYunus to help Maharashtra in reviving MSMEs:Social Entrepreneur and Noble Peace Prize winner MuhammedYunus of Bangladesh will guide Maharashtra on microfinance and how to revive dying MSMEs in the state. He is the founder of Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank.

XIII.     AnanthPadmanabhan appointed as CEO of Harper Collins India.

XIV.  Girish Sahni assumed charge as Director General of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.        US to deploy F-22 fighter jets in Europe: The United States soon will deploy F-22 Raptors in Europe, sending the stealth fighter jets to reassure NATO partners concerned about Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

II.            Researchers, including those of Indian-origin, from University of Texas have found a new electrical mechanism that can control molecular switches which regulate human cell growth and are linked to life-threatening cancers.

III.      UK to fund Kolkata’s climate action programme: The United Kingdom will fund a capacity building programme for making Kolkata a low carbon city.

IV.    BRIDGE programme of Australia extended to include Navodaya Schools: The agreement was reached during the third Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meeting held in New Delhi.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

  I.            MCX inks pact to set up GIFT city bourse: Commodity exchange MCX has signed an agreement with GIFT SEZ Ltd to establish an International exchange at GIFT City in Gandhinagar.

II.            Suzlon commissions Wind project for NSE: Wind turbine maker Suzlon completed the commissioning of 6.25 MW wind power project for country’s leading stock exchange NSE.

SPORTS:

III.   Kenyan policeman Nicholas Bett won gold in 400m hurdles at World Championships in Athletics.

IV.         India to host Commonwealth weightlifting for the 1^st time: For the 1^st time in the history of weightlifting, an individual international tournament will be organised in India when it hosts the Commonwealth Youth, Junior and Senior Weightlifting Championships in Pune, Maharashtra from October 11-15^th