Daily GK Updates - 17th November, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Governing Council of National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) constituted under the chairmanship of Finance Minister: The GC will be chaired by the Union Minister and the members included Secretary: DEA, Secretary: Financial Services, Arundhati Bhattacharya, Hemendra Kothari, T V Mohandas Pai.

2. AMRUT Action Plans for 81 cities approved with total project outlay of 5748 crore rupees: The 81 cities are in 5 states viz. Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Mizoram.

3. Standard Chartered names Zarin Daruwala as new India CEO.

4. Global Cancer Summit on Nov 18-20: Global Cancer Summit, a three-day programme focussed on understanding and suggesting strategies to tackle cancer, will be organised from November 18-20 at the Indian Institute of Science.

5. Axis Mutual Fund launches Children’s Gift Fund: Axis Mutual Fund announced its new fund offer, the Children’s Gift Fund. This is Axis’ first goal-based investment option, the MF house said. Investments can only be made for a minor, represented by a parent or guardian.

6. World Bank, Andhra Pradesh ink $75 million credit deal for rural project: The project seeks to enhance agricultural incomes of small and marginal farmers and ensure increased access to services related to health, nutrition, sanitation and social entitlements.

7. Competition Commission of India (CCI) slaps Rs 258 cr penalty on Jet Airways, IndiGo and SpiceJet.

8. Andhra Pradesh Government decided to waive off 110 crore loans of over 25000 weavers.

9. Foundation stone of first Mega Food Park of Telangana laid: Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal laid the foundation stone of the first Mega Food Park in Telangana.

  

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Marriott International to acquire Starwood Hotels and Resorts worldwide: With this, Marriott International is set to become world’s largest hotel company. The all-cash deal is valued at 12.2 billion US dollars.

2. India, China agreed to deepen defence ties, maintain peace at LAC: Both the countries decided to deepen bilateral defence ties and maintain peace and tranquillity at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

3. India and Bangladesh agreed to share Militant Information: Both the countries agreed to share information on militants as home secretaries of the two neighbours concluded their talks here reviewing internal security and other cross-border issues.

4. 2015 G20 Summit held in Antalya, Turkey: It was the 10^th summit since the inception of G20 in 1999. The focus of the summit was to evolve strategies to ensure inclusive and robust growth through collective action.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. FIFA banned Nepal football Chief Ganesh Thapa for 10 years for corruption.

2. Siril Verma clinched silver at World Junior Badminton Championships held at Lima, Peru.

3. Australian Cricketer Mitchell Johnson retires from International cricket.

4. Czech Republic defeated Russia to retain Fed Cup: The victory marked a fourth Fed Cup success for the Czech Republic in five years.

OBITUARIES:

5. VHP leader Ashok Singhal died at the age of 89.

6. Former RAW chief Shankaran Nair passed away at the age of 94.

Daily GK Updates - 16th November, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. First AMRIT outlet opened at AIIMS Delhi for selling affordable drugs: Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the Affordable Medicines and Reliable Implants for Treatment (AMRIT) pharmacy outlet at the AIIMS, New Delhi.

2. Maareech, an Advanced Torpedo Defence System, handed over to Indian Navy: Defence Minister ManoharParrikar handed over the Maareech-Advanced Torpedo Defence System, developed by DRDO to the Navy Chief Admiral R K Dhowan.

3. Jharkhand introduced Mobile Governance: The Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das introduced Mobile Governance in the state to realise the dreams of Digital India during the occasion of 16^th Foundation Day of the state.

4. Alcatel-Lucent, Nokia name new India, MEA heads: Nokia announced that Sandeep Girotra would become the head of India and AmrKarim El-Leithy would become the head of the middle-east and Africa as part of the planned combination of Nokia and Alcatel-Lucent.

5. Practo and Uber enter into pact: Healthcare booking platform Practo and taxi-hailing platform Uber announced a global partnership to help people reach doctors easily.

6. Thomas Cook India signs pact with OYO Rooms: Travel service provider Thomas Cook India has entered into a partnership with online aggregator of budget hotels, OYO Rooms, offering access to over 3200 hotels, spread over 140 cities across India.

7. Union Government declared NSCN-K as terrorist organization under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act), 1967.

8. Online auto classifieds portal CarTrade acquired CarWale: CarTrade.com acquired car selling portal CarWale.com from Automotive Exchange Pvt Ltd in a full-cash deal.

9. PRASAD and SwadeshDarshan schemes of Ministry of Tourism launched: The two initiatives, along with Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs), were launched to achieve 1% share of international tourist arrivals by 2016-17 from the present 0.68%.

10. Syed Akbaruddin appointed as next Permanent Representative of India to UN.

11. VishakhaMulye appointed as ICICI Bank Executive Director.

12. Former IPL COO Sundar Raman to join as CEO of Reliance Sports.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day for Tolerance observed across the world: It was observed globally on 16^th November 2015 with an aim to educate people about the need for tolerance in society and help them understand the negative effects of intolerance. 

2. India and Australia completed formalities for Civil Nuclear Pact: Both the countries announced completion of procedures for bringing the two-nation nuclear deal into force. With this, India will be the first country to buy Australian Uranium without being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation treaty.

3. International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) suspended Russia from the World Track and Field Events due to doping allegations against the country’s athletes, coaches, trainers, doctors and officials.

4. India and Bangladesh signed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to operationalize Agreement on Coastal Shipping.

5. Ford tested driverless car using LiDAR technology: With this Ford has joined California tech giants Google, Apple and Tesla that are developing autonomous cars using the Light Detection and Ranging Technology.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. ICICI Bank Canada launches student programme: ICICI Bank Canada, a subsidiary of private sector lender ICICI Bank, has launched Student GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate) Program for students applying to study in Canada. As per the terms of the programme, the amount of 10,000 Canadian dollars is paid back to the students while he/she is studying in Canada in 12 equal instalments along with the interest amount.

SPORTS:

2. Saina Nehwal wins silver medal at 2015 China Open: Ace Indian shuttlerSainaNehwal lost to Xuerui Li in the final of the 2015 China Open to settle for the silver medal.

3. NicoRoseberg beat Lewis Hamilton to win Brazilian Grand Prix.

OBITUARIES:

4. Children’s book writer Kamala Laxman died at the age of 90.

5. Veteran actor Saeed Jaffery passed away at the age of 86.

Daily GK Updates - 15th November, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Smriti Irani inaugurates National Children Assembly: Union Human Resources Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani inaugurated the National Children Assembly at BalBhawan.

2. Naval ship Vishwakarma commissioned: INS Vishwakarma, the erstwhile Shipwright School (SWS) and a premier training establishment. It was commissioned by Admiral R K Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff at a formal ceremony held at Vishakhapatnam.

3. 21^st Kolkata International Film Festival began in Kolkata on 14^th November 2015.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi inaugurates Ambedkar memorial in London: He inaugurated the recently acquired Ambedkar memorial by Maharashtra Government at King Henry’s Road in London, UK.

2. 2017 announced as the UK-India Year of Culture: Britain announced 2017 as the UK-India Year of Culture to mark the 70^th Anniversary of Indian Independence. To mark the occasion, UK Institute will partner with Indian Institutes for the program and the British Library will digitize 2,00,000 pages from its South Asian Archives.

3. World Pneumonia Day observed with the theme ‘Every breath counts; stop pneumonia now’: It was observed across the world on 12^th November 2015.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Abraham M Keita from Liberia won the 2015 International Children’s Peace Prize: Liberian teenager Abraham M Keita was awarded with the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize 2015. He was awarded for his extraordinary and peaceful fight for justice for child victims of physical and sexual violence, and for successfully campaigning for the Liberian parliament to adopt the Children’s Law.

Daily GK Updates - 14th November, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Children’s Day observed across India on 14^th November 2015.

2. 35^th IITF begins at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi: The 35^th India International Trade Fair, IITF has begun on 14^th November 2015 in New Delhi. The theme of the fair this year is Make in India.

3. 21^st Kolkata International Film Festival began in Kolkata on 14^th November 2015.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India, UK announced commercial deals worth 9 billion pounds: The deals took place between the companies operating from both the countries and were agreed upon during PM Modi’s visit to the UK. The deals were done in the fields of education, healthcare, IT and cyber, energy and finance and professional services.

2. Terrorist attack in Paris; hundreds killed: Terrorists attacked six locations around Paris around 160 civilians and injuring another 200 people and security personnel. France President Francois Hollande announced a state of emergency.

3. 2015 Valletta Summit on Migration concluded: It was held for two days at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valleta, Malta.It was attended by around 65 heads of governments/high level policy makers from Europe and Africa, besides official from the UN and various organisations of the European Union. It committed to solve the on-going Mediterranean Migration Crisis.

4. World Pneumonia Day observed with the theme ‘Every breath counts; stop pneumonia now’: It was observed across the world on 14^th November 2015.

5. Pakistan and China kick off ambitious economic corridor project: Both the countries kicked their ambitious 46 billion USD economic corridor project with Beijing acquiring over 2000 acres of land in restive Balochistan to develop the strategic Gwadar port.

6. UK signs a deal with Ghana: The UK has signed a deal with the West African nation of Ghana for the transfer of prisoner between the two countries.

7. Japan and Turkey agree to cooperate on climate change and refugees: The leaders of Japan and Turkey have agreed that their countries will cooperate in dealing with global issues such as climate change and refugees.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Naresh Kumar becomes first para athlete from India for 2016 Rio Paralympics: Veteran shooter Naresh Kumar Sharma became the first para athlete from India to grab a quota for 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Daily GK Updates - 13th November, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. President approved Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gau Samvardhan Bill: The bill was passed by the Haryana Legislative Assembly on 16 March 2015. Cow slaughter in Haryana will invite rigorous imprisonment ranging from 3 to 10 years and a fine of up to 1 lakh rupees.

2. India inked MoUs with six countries in the International Civil Aviation Negotiations: The Government of India announced that it signed MoUs with six countries namely Finland, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Sweden, Norway and Denmark, and Oman and Ethiopia. The MoUs were signed during International Civil Aviation Negotiations (ICAN) 2015, which was held in Antalya, Turkey.

3. India’s GSAT-15 communication satellite launched successfully: Indigenously made communications satellite GSAT-15 was successfully launched by the European Ariane 5 VA-227 launch vehicle. The launch took place from Kourou in French Guyana in South America.

4. Defence Minister commissioned India’s Coast Guard offshore patrol vessel ‘Samarth’ at Vasco in Goa.

5. Annual Hundred Drums Wangala Festival begins in Meghalaya.

6. World famous wax museum Madame Tussauds’ to open in Delhi.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Russian President Putin ordered inquiry into allegations of major drug abuse in athletics: He ordered an inquiry into allegations of major drug abuse in athletics that have left the country facing a possible Olympic ban.

2. Opposition Croatian Democratic Union led by HDZ Party won Parliamentary Elections of Croatia: On the basis of 99.5 percent of votes counted, the opposition conservatives HDZ party headed by former intelligence chief Tomislav Karamarko won 59 seats in the 151-seat parliament.

3. Indian origin barrister KalyaniKaul sworn-in as Circuit Judge in the UK.

4. 12^th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ meet held in Luxemburg: 12^th Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers’ meeting took place in Luxemburg. The meeting was held under the theme ‘Working together for a Sustainable and Secure Future’.

5. Ukrainian Parliament approved amendment to Labour Code prohibiting discrimination at workplace: The Sexual Minorities Anti-Discrimination Bill that bans any discrimination at the workplace on the basis of age, health condition, race, political inclination, religion, family and property status, social and foreign origin, gender identity and sexual orientation, was passed by 234 votes.

6. IEA released World Energy Outlook 2015: International Energy Agency released the report which in light of low energy prices, calls for no complacency on energy security front and sees clear signs that the energy transition is underway, that is, from fossils to renewable.

7. Sameer Panda-led Indian team won NASA award for Burst Prevention and Puncture Curative technology: A team of Indian scientists led by Sameer Panda won the NASA award for an innovative technology named Burst Prevention and Puncture Curative (BPPC) technology.

8. PM Modi launches Neev Fund in UK: India’s 1^st Low Income State Infrastructure Equity Partnership (the Neev Fund) was launched by PM Modi in the UK. The fund has co-investment from the UK Department of International Development and the State Bank of India.

9. India and UK strike 3.2 billion pound deal on energy, climate change during PM Modi’s visit in UK.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Abraham M Keita from Liberia won the 2015 International Children’s Peace Prize: Liberian teenager Abraham M Keita was awarded with the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize 2015. He was awarded for his extraordinary and peaceful fight for justice for child victims of physical and sexual violence, and for successfully campaigning for the Liberian parliament to adopt the Children’s Law.

OBITUARIES:

2. Former Israeli President Yitzhak Navon died at the age of 94: He was the 5^th President of Israel.

Daily GK Updates - 12th November, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Jayant Sinha is planning to meet Chief Executives of state-run banks every 45 days: Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Finance, is planning to meet CEOs of state run banks every 45 days to take stock of various performance parameters and discuss evolving issues.

2. Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd (IHFL) has acquired a 40% stake in OakNorth Bank of the United Kingdom.

3. Easier FDI norms: advantage realty companies, private banks: The changes in the Foreign Direct Investment policy will help listed companies in the real estate and construction sector. Removing the caps on project size, giving greater flexibility in transfer of investments to other overseas investors and allowing investments in completed projects will attract more investments into this sector.

4. Subir Gokarn, former RBI Deputy Governor appointed as the Executive Director on the board of International Monetary Fund (IMF).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Budweiser maker Anheuser-Busch InBev finalised takeover of SABMiller: As part of the deal, SABMiller will sell its stake in a venture with Molson Coors. AB InBev is seeking to bolster growth by acquiring SABMiller’s brands in Africa and Asia as changing tastes and craft beers cut sales in developed markets.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. State Bank of India announced partnership deal with Emirates NBD: A leading UAE based bank has announced its partnership deal with SBI to help NRI customers in the gulf to carry out their remittances instantly and more conveniently.

SPORTS:

2. Pakistan Cricketer Younis Khan retired from ODI Cricket.

AWARDS:

3. Indian-origin community campaigner awarded by British PM for charity work: MunaChauhan, an Indian-origin community campaigner has been named a ‘Point of light’ by the British PM David Cameron for her fantastic charity work and empowering young people, including women.

OBITUARIES:

4. Rhythm and Blues legend Allen Toussaint died at the age of 77.

Daily GK Updates - 11th November, 2015

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Tension prevails in Kodagu (Karnataka): In Karnataka, tension prevails at Madikeri town in Kodagu district, when two groups clashed on 10^th November 2015 over the birthday celebrations of Tipu Sultan, erstwhile ruler of Mysore Kingdom. Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister inaugurated the Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations in Bengaluru on 10^th November 2015.

2. NHRC issues notice to Gujarat Government: National Human Rights Commission, NHRC has issued notice to Gujarat Government over the issue of a separate Anganwadi for the Dalit children in Hajipur village of Patan district.

3. Amazon goes brick and mortar with Udaan:  Amazon, which is on its way to become India’s top online marketplace, has launched a project code-named Udaan to go offline across the country.

4. India’s first foreign exchange mobile app launched: Thomas Cook (India) on 10^th November, 2015 launched ‘foreign exchange app’, a consumer-empowering one stop shop for foreign exchange transactions. The Android mobile app features live rates across major global currencies, including USD, Euro, Swiss and Franc, to cover both buying and selling foreign exchange.

5. Tata Mutual Fund launches ‘Own a Piece of India Theme’: Tata Mutual Fund has announced five new fund offerings (NFOs) and one current scheme under what it termed ‘Own a piece of India’ theme.

6. First Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav organised by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India held at New Delhi.

7. CISF launched ‘m-Power’ mobile app for its troops which will enable them to check their pay-related queries and register grievances while being on the move.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UNESCO rejects Kosovo membership: UNESCO rejects Kosovo’s bid for membership yesterday after Kosovo failed to receive the support of two-thirds of the body’s member nations.

2. Indian Economy to grow at 7.2%: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said that the Indian economy is expected to grow by 7.2% this fiscal (2015-2016). It will be followed by 7.3% in 2016-17 and 7.4% in 2017-18 periods.