Daily GK Updates - 15th October, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.      DRDO Missile Complex renamed as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex: The country’s prestigious DRDO Missile Complex in Hyderabad was renamed as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex on his birth anniversary on 15^th October 2015 by Defence Minister ManoharParrikar.

II.   President Pranab Mukherjee becomes 1^st Indian President to address Israeli Parliament Knesset: He addressed the Knesset as last leg of his official visit to three countries of west Asia viz. Jordan, Palestine and Israel.

III.      Union Cabinet gives nod to RCE for Kaladan Multi Modal Project in Myanmar: The Union Cabinet has given its approval for the Revised Cost Estimate (RCE) of 2904 crore rupees for the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar.

IV.    Union Cabinet approved MoU with Mozambique for cooperation in Renewable Energy: The MoU aims at establishing a cooperative institutional relationship to encourage and promote technical bilateral cooperation, investment promotion and partnership on new and renewable energy issues on the basis of mutual benefit, equality and reciprocity.

V.        Tata Housing tied-up with Facebook to sell its affordable homes online: Real Estate developer Tata Housing tied-up with social networking firm Facebook to sell its affordable homes online. For this, Tata Housing launched the new campaign titled Social Sell on Facebook.

VI.      Uttar Pradesh Government launched mobile app mSehat for health workers: The application was developed by Kellton Tech, a company that was selected as the technology partner for the initiative by State Innovations in Family Planning Services Agency (SIFPSA).

VII.  Government to declassify Netaji files from January 23: PM Modi has announced that the process of declassification of files relating to Netaji will begin on 23^rd January 2016, the birth anniversary of Subhash Chandra Bose.

VIII. Union Cabinet approved MoU between India-Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei and Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC) in India: The MoU was signed for the cooperation in the field of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).

IX.   Kundhavi Kadiresan appointed as Food and Agriculture Organisation Assistant Director General.

X.     Union Government approved performance-linked payment for CIL Officers: It gave a green signal to payment of Performance Related Pay (PRP) to executives and non-unionised supervisors of Coal India Ltd (CIL) and its subsidiaries.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  

I.          India, US and Japan navies kick off 2015 Malabar Naval Exercise: The navies have started 2015 Malabar Naval Exercise of the eastern coast in Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean.

II.  Dell Inc acquired EMC Corporation for 67 billion USD: Dell Inc and EMC Corporation signed a definitive agreement under which Dell, together with its owners will acquire EMC Corporation, while maintaining VMware as a publicly-traded company. VMware Inc is a subsidiary of EMC Corporation.

III.   Portugal became the 1^st European country to sign the MoU on establishment of Nalanda University: It was signed in New Delhi by Portugese ambassador to India Ana Martinho and Dr JitendraNathMisra, the ambassador of India to Portugal.

IV.  India and Israel signed pacts on Double Taxation Avoidance and Cultural Exchange: The agreements were inked after President Pranab Mukherjee, who was in Jerusalem on the final leg of his tri-nation tour to West Asia, held a meeting with his Israeli counterpart ReuvenRivlin.

V.  Iran’s Parliament, Majlis approved Vienna Agreement on Iran Nuclear Programme: Ending a 12-year stand-off, the agreement was signed by Iran and P5+1 countries comprising of United States, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany on 14^th July 2015. With this, the agreement gives Iran to develop its nuclear programme for peaceful purposes; on the other hand it lifts the economic sanctions on Iran.

VI.         Omid Kordestani appointed as Executive Chairman of Twitter.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

  

I.           RBI data shows bank credit growth at 9.4%: Credit in banking system continues to grow at a muted pace. As per the RBI data, credit in the system grew by 9.4% by October 2015.

AWARDS:

II.  Kailash Satyarthi selected for 2015 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year Award: Nobel Peace laureate KailashSatyarthi has been selected for the prestigious 2015 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year Award. He has been awarded this award in recognition for championing the cause of child reform and ending all forms of violence against children.

III. Salisbury University of US honoured Tibetan PM LobsangSangay with Presidential Medal for Promoting peace. 

Daily GK Updates - 14th October, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.       Arun Jaitley chosen ‘Finance Minister of the Year, Asia’ by Emerging Markets: The London based magazine said that Jaitley too deserves some recognition for India’s relative economic success over the last 18 months.

II.            Tamil Nadu Government banned drug Ketoprofen to save vultures.

III.   Delhi  Government launched Bill Banvao, InaamPao scheme: Citizens will be eligible for the scheme only on a bill or cash memo/retail invoice of not less than 100 rupees for purchases made from a registered dealer in Delhi. The maximum prize to be given under the scheme is 50000 rupees.

IV.   Akhilesh Sharma appointed as the CEO and MD of Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation.

V.          Sweet Banana species ‘Musa Indandamanesis’ discovered in tropical rain forest of Andaman Islands.

VI.        Ministry of Shipping launched a programme to develop 78 Lighthouse as tourism centres: The lighthouses are in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Puducherry, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

VII.    Rajasthan Government signed 27 MoUs under Housing for All Scheme: 27 MoUs were signed worth 12478 crore rupees in the presence of Union Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu and state CM VasundharaRaje.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.            China operationalizes Zam Hydropower Station on Brahmaputra in Tibet: China has operationalized the Zam Hydropower Station built on Brahmaputra River which has raised concerns in India over the likelihood of disrupting water supplies of River.

II.        India climbs 16 places in WEF’s Global Competitiveness Index: In a rather dramatic turnaround, India has climbed a spectacular 16 places to the 55^th position among 140 economies in this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index, ending five years of decline.

III.     Alexander Lukashenko won Presidential election of Belarus for the 5^th time: With 83.5% votes, the 61 year old who has governed the former Soviet republic almost unchallenged for 21 years, will be in power for the 5^th time.

IV.    Etihad Airways signed deal worth 700 million USD with IBM: The deal aims at improving the airline’s operations and security. The deal incorporates analytics of customer data and the development of technology that can forecast weather patterns to better manage the airline’s flights at its Abu Dhabi centre.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

I.               Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo wins record 4^th Golden Boot: He has received a record 4^th Golden Boot after topping Europe’s goal scoring charts for the 2014/15 season.

II.         Shweta Rathore became 1^st Indian Female bodybuilder to win silver in Asian body building championship: She became the 1^st ever Indian female bodybuilder to win a medal at a continental level tournament. The 49^th Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Championship was held in Uzbekistan.

III.    India beat SA in the 2^nd ODI of the Freedom Series at Indore:Mahendra Singh Dhoni was adjudged Man of the Match for his knock of 92 not out, with the help of which India managed to put up a fighting total of 247 runs. In the end, India managed to clinch a 22 run victory over the visitors.

AWARDS:

IV.       Jamaican writer Marlon James won the 2015 Man Booker Prize for Fiction: He was given the award for his novel ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings’. With this, he has become the 1^st Jamaican writer to win this prize.

V. Al-Quds University conferred Honorary Doctorate on President Pranab Mukherjee: He was awarded the Honorary Doctorate at a ceremony held in Ramallah during his visit to Palestine. He is the 1^st Indian Head to visit Palestine. On this occasion, he met with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and PM Rami Hamdullah and also announced setting up of an Indian-chair in the Al-Quds University.

Daily GK Updates - 13th October, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   

I.            Jayakumar takes over as the new CEO and MD of Bank of Baroda.

II.       India funded 5 million USD grant to Palestine as Budgetary Assistance: The grant was handed over by the Indian President Pranab Mukherjee during his visit to Palestine.

III.      Green India Mission plans approved for four states: National Executive Council of the National Mission for a Green India approved perspective plans and Annual Plans of Operations submitted by four states namely Manipur, Mizoram, Jharkhand and Kerala.

IV.    Gujarat proposed 15375 crore rupees AMRUT plan to ensure basic infrastructure in 31 mission cities: The amount of money is proposed for the next five years.

V.  Centre drafts rules to regulate Uber, other taxi-hailing firms: The federal transportation ministry has asked the states to ensure companies operate with call centres and their taxis follow emission norms, according to a six page advisory issued last week.

VI.       Reliance Power appoints N VenugopalRao as its Chief Executive Officer.

VII.   India-Sri Lanka Joint Exercise ‘Mitra Shakti-2015’ culminated: The 3rd India-Sri Lank joint military exercise, named Mitra Shakti culminated at Aundh Military Camp, Pune.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  I.          Indian Diaspora in UK launches ‘Modi Express’ bus   ahead of Modi’s November visit: The Indian community in the UK launched a ‘Modi Express’ bus that will take the travellers on a tour around iconic landmarks ahead of PM Modi’s maiden visit to the country in November.

II.         India inks Rs 130 croredeals for 194 microlight aircraft: India signed aRs 130 crore deal for 194 microlight aircraft from Slovenian company Pipistrel Aircrafts, for use by its National Cadet Crops (NCC), Air Force and Navy.

III.     African Development Bank to triple Annual Climate Financing to nearly $5 billion by 2020: With this, the AfDB’s climate spending will increase to 40% of its total new investments in 2020.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

  I.    RBI inks MoU with Bank of Botswana for Information Exchange: The RBI has signed an agreement on information sharing with Bank of Botswana under the Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information.

SPORTS:

II.        Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal to win 2015 China Open Men’s Singles title.

AWARDS:

III.       Veteran film-maker I V Sasi honoured with J C Daniel Award for 2014.

Daily GK Updates - 12th October, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

   I.      Mission Abaas launched in Odisha to provide affordable houses to urban poor: The Odisha Government launched Mission Abaas, state’s urban housing mission to provide affordable houses to Economically Weaker Sections, Low Income Groups and slum dwellers.

II.    IRCTC and Apollo Hospitals tied up for medical tourism: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has partnered with Chennai based Apollo Hospitals to offer hassle-free travel for people who travel for medical care.

III.         Sharad Mehrotra appointed as CEO of Telenor India.

IV.        Infosys Chief Financial Officer Rajiv Bansal resigns: The Board of Directors of the Company also appointed Ranganath D Mavinakare as the new CFO, who is also the Executive VP.

V.   PM lays foundation stone of 4^th terminal of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

  

I.      Indian, Chinese army kicks off anti-terrorism exercise: Indian and Chinese armies kicked off their 5^th annual anti-terrorism exercise in China’s Kunming City as both the sides seek to share their successful experiences in counter-terrorism operations during the 10-day drill.

II.       K P Sharma Oli elected as the Prime Minister of Nepal: Veteran communist (Unified Marxist Leninist) leader KP Sharma Oli was elected as the new PM of Nepal. He is the country’s 1^st PM under the newly introduced constitutional system.

III.       Jioji Konrote elected as Fiji’s President.

IV.    4^th International Day of the Girl Child observed across the world: It was observed on 11^th October 2015 with the theme ‘The Power of Adolescent Girl: Vision of 2030’.

V.         5^th Meeting of the India-Maldives Joint Commission held in Maldives:  It was held in Male and was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj and Maldivian foreign minister DunyaMaumoon.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

  I.    RBI inks MoU with Bank of Botswana for Information Exchange: The RBI has signed an agreement on information sharing with Bank of Botswana under the Supervisory Cooperation and Exchange of Supervisory Information.

II.          Yes Bank gets RBI nod for mutual fund, AMC and trustee co: Private sector lender Yes Bank has got RBI’s approval to set up mutual fund, Asset Management Company and a trustee company.

III.  2015 Annual Meetings of World Bank Group and IMF held in Peru: Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund were held in the Peruvian capital Lima. Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley, RBI Governor Raghuram G Rajan and Chief Economic Advisor ArvindSubramanium attended the meetings.

IV.       India and Jordan inked six MoUs to enhance cooperation: Both the countries inked six MoUs in various fields in Amman. The MoUs were signed as a part of the President Pranab Mukherjee’s state visit to Jordan. Some of the MoUs signed were related to agreement on maritime transport, exchange of information on structure and content of training programmes for diplomats, cooperation in the field of IT and Electronics, etc.

SPORTS:

V.       Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal to win 2015 China Open Men’s Singles title.

VI.  Punjab National Bank won Beighton Cup of Hockey: PNB defeated Indian Oil Corporation by 5-3 in penalties in the final played at SAI ground in Kolkata.

VII. Indian shuttler Ajay Jayaram won 2015 Dutch Open Men’s singles title: He defeated Estonia’s Raul Must in the final held at Almere in Netherlands.

VIII.India won four match Men’s Hockey Test Series against New Zealand by 2-1 margin.

IX.   Spaniard GarbineMuguruza won Women’s singles title of China Open defeating Swiss TimeaBacsinszky.

X.         Lewis Hamilton wins Russian Grand Prix held at Sochi.

AWARDS:

XI.   Micro-economist Angus Deaton won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Economics: Micro-economist born in Edinburgh (Scotland) was awarded for his analysis of consumption, poverty and welfare.

OBITUARIES:

 XII. Former British Finance Minister Geoffrey Howe died at the age of 88 due to suspected cardiac arrest.

XIII.    Veteran Tamil actress Manorama died at the age of 78.