Daily GK Updates - 12th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Bankruptcy Bill passed in RajyaSabha: The RajyaSabha has passed the insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016, which had already been passed by the LokSabha last week. The code seeks to consolidate and amend the laws relating to reorganising and insolvency resolution in a time bound manner.

2. President of India presents National Florence Nightingale Awards: He presented the awards to 35 nursing personnel at function in RashtrapatiBhavan on the occasion of International Nurses Day which is celebrated on 12^th May 2016.

3. President appoints CJs of MP, Allahabad and Kerala HCs as SC Judges.

4. Government inks MoU with NDTV Ethnic Retail Ltd to popularize India Handloom products: The joint endeavour will endorse and launch a project, Indiaroots Fashion Accelerator (IFA), a project by NDTV to support fresh talent and to support new and innovative ventures in fashion industry. Government will support the project with incubation and production support.

5. NALCO signs MoU with BARC for research and development.

6. Reliance JioInfocomm launches digital wallet: MukeshAmbani-owned Reliance JioInfocomm has launched its digital wallet service, called as JioMoney Wallet, for Indian consumers, following the introduction of 4G services to the public through an employee-driven invite system.

7. Kotak sole Indian on Forbes’ most powerful list: Kotak Mahindra Bank Chief UdayKotak, with a net worth of $7.1 billion is the only Indian in the list.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rwanda hosts 26^th World Economic Forum on Africa: Rwanda is hosting the 26^th World Economic Forum on Africa (WEF) in its capital Kigali from 11^th to 13^th May. The theme of this 26^th WEF on Africa is ‘Connecting Africa’s Resources through Digital Transformation. The event is focusing, among other things, on how to diversify economies, tackle inequality and strengthen collaborations among countries.

2. Iran stops free shipping of oil to India.

3. Kenya to close World’s biggest refugee camp in Dadaab: The Kenyan Government has decided to close the World’s biggest refugee camp in Dadaab. Presently, around 3, 28,000 refugees mostly from Somalia are staying in Dadaab camp.

4. Brazil PrezRousseff suspended for six months: Brazil’s President DilmaRousseff was suspended for at least six months after the country’s Senate voted 55-22 to impeach and put her on trial.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. ICICI launches country’s 1^st contactless credit cards for SMEs: It has launched the country’s first contactless business credit card in association with Jet Airways for small and mid-sized enterprises and their employees.

SPORTS:

2. AR Rahman named Goodwill Ambassador of the Indian Contingent for the Olympics 2016.

3. SashankManohar elected as first independent ICC Chairman.

4. Stephen Curry named NBA’s Most Valuable Player for second straight year.

AWARDS:

5. Obama honours Indian-American elementary teacher RevathiBalkrishnan: She was honoured by the US President at the White House for the excellent work in the field of education. She was also named as 2016 ‘Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year’ by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

OBITUARIES:

6. Cricket commentator Tony Cozier has passed away at the age of 75.

7. RajyaSabha MP from Gujarat Praveen Rashtrapal has passed away at the age of 76.

Daily GK Updates - 11th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 11^th May celebrated as National Technology Day: The theme for this year was ‘Technology enablers of Start-up India’. This day glorifies the importance of science in day to day life and to celebrate the anniversary of first of the five tests of Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II) nuclear test which was held on 11^th May 1998 in Pokhran, Rajasthan.

2. Indian Navy decommissions fighter planes Sea Harriers: The Naval Air Squadron 300- INAS 300, popularly known as ‘white tigers’, de-inducted these fighter aircrafts and replaced them with new generation Mig-29 K fighters in a touching ceremony on INS Hansa near Vasco.

3. Indian Navy launches underwater vigil system in Vishakhapatnam: It has launched the state of art Harbour Defence Systems, viz. Integrated Underwater Harbour Defence and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) and Mine Warfare Data Centre (MWDC) which would enable the Navy’s surveillance capability and response to security threats at the Naval Dockyard in Vishakhapatnam.

4. Harish Rawat set to return as Uttarakhand CM: He is all set to be reinstated as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, over six weeks after he was ousted by the centre, with the Supreme Court, putting its stamp of approval on the floor test in the Assembly.

5. Government constitutes Sanjay Mitra committee to prepare policy framework for taxi operators: The Union Government has launched nine projects initiatives for rural sanitation initiatives for conservation of river Ganga in Sahibganj, Jharkhand.

6. India signs revised tax treaty with Mauritius: After this India will get taxation rights on capital gains arising from sale of shares acquired on or after 1^st April, 2017 in Indian companies.

7. India to develop regional connectivity projects worth $5 billion in South Asia: The projects include road corridors connecting India with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan through West Bengal and India-Myanmar through Manipur.

8. Quikr acquires in-home beauty services provider Salosa for an undisclosed amount.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US-India Defence Cooperation Act introduced in Senate: The US-India Defence Technology and Partnership Act was introduced in the Senate by Senators Mark Warner and John Cornyn- co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus. If the act is passed, it will elevate the status of the Indo-US defence relationship on par with that of America’s closest allies like NATO and Israel.

2. Amazon launches its online video service: The online video service is called Amazon Video Direct. This facility will facilitate the users by allowing to post clips on its website and earn through advertising, royalties and other sources.

3. Bangladesh hangs Jamaat-e-Islami chief Nizami for war crimes committed during the country’s 1971 Liberation War.

4. Rodrigo Duterte wins 2016 Philippines Presidential Elections: He will become the 16^th President-elect of Philippines.

5. Sadiq Khan elected as the first Muslim Mayor of London.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. RBI cancels license of 4 NBFCs and 7 other surrender licence: The NBFCs whose certificate of registration were cancelled include M/s Neelanjali Engineering Pvt Ltd, M/s Novoflex Tradecom Pvt Ltd, M/s Guide Investment and Trading Co. Pvt Ltd and M/s Enol Ventures Pvt Ltd.

2. Karnataka Bank launches ‘cash back’ campaign: It has launched ‘cash back’ campaign for its VISA debit cardholders. Those cardholders, who have done a minimum of five swiping at POS terminals or five online transactions with a minimum value of Rs 200 each will qualify under this campaign.

SPORTS:

3. Sania-Hingis continue to lead Women’s Doubles rankings.

AWARDS:

4. MP Tourism wins Lonely Planet’s Best Indian Destination for Wildlife Award: It was conferred with the National Award for Smart Policing instituted by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Daily GK Updates - 10th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Parliament passes Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2016: It has passed the Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2016 to widen ambit of law dealing with this hijacking crime. The bill was first passed in RajyaSabha and later in LokSabha in May 2016.

2. President of India to attend the National Technology Day celebration tomorrow: ShriPranab Mukherjee will attend the National Technology Day (May 11) celebrations at VigyanBhavan, New Delhi tomorrow.

3. Ministry of Environment and Forests launches web-based application on Integrated Waste Management System: Objective of the Integrated Waste Management System is to enhance transparency in the working of the Ministry and other Centre/state level regulatory bodies and to reduce the time taken for processing applications, seeking various types of permissions under the recently notified waste management regulations.

4. Indian Army conducts ‘Chakravyuh-2’ training exercise in Suratgarh, Rajasthan.

5. Rural sanitation initiatives for Ganga Rejuvenation launched in Jharkhand: The Union Government has launched nine projects initiatives for rural sanitation initiatives for conservation of river Ganga in Sahibganj, Jharkhand.

6. Google launches free Wi-Fi at five railway stations namely Ujjain, Jaipur, Patna, Guwahati and Allahabad.

7. Asia’s leading cloud telephony company, Knowlarity Communications acquired Delhi-based customer engagement platform Smartwards.

8. Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Dr Mahesh Sharma has released a Commemorative coin of Rs 100 and a circulation coin of Rs 10 in New Delhi on the 475^th birth anniversary of MaharanaPratap.

9. Sanjay Kaul is the new Country Head for Apple India.

10. MrugankParanjape took charge as MD and CEO of Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX).

11. Indian Scientist bags SGD 3 million grant from Singapore’s NRF: Dr.Manvendra K Singh from UP’s Gorakhpur city has been awarded a grant of about Rs 14.7 crore by National Research Foundation of Singapore to research in congenital and adult cardiovascular diseases.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. BAFTA TV Awards 2016 announced: The British Academy Television Awards hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) were announced. Drama Series: Wolf Hall (BBC2), Entertainment: Strictly Come Dancing, International: Transparent, Single Drama: Don’t take my baby.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. RBI to issue Rs 1000 banknotes with inset letter ‘R’: As per the Reserve Bank of India it will shortly issue Rs 1000 denomination bank notes in the Mahatma Gandhi Series of 2005 with the insertion of letter ‘R’ in both the number panels.

2. 100% FDI through Automatic Route permitted in Asset Reconstruction Companies: Till now Foreign Direct Investment through Automatic Route was only 49%.

3. RBI releases ‘Draft Guidelines for ‘on tap’ licensing of Universal Banks in the Private Sector’

SPORTS:

4. ShashankManohar quits as BCCI President as he is currently the ICC Chairman.

5. Indian boxers won 4 medals at 7^th Asian Youth Championships held in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan and finished third.

OBITUARIES:

6. US actor William Schallert passed away at the age of 93.

Daily GK Updates - 9th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s single emergency number ‘112’ to be active from January 1, 2017: It will help people to reach immediate services of police, ambulance and fire department.

2. India ranks 9^th among crony capitalist nations: India is ranked at the 9^th position in crony-capitalism with crony sector wealth accounting for 3.4% of the gross domestic product (GDP). Among the 22 countries in the updated index, Germany is the cleanest with least number of crony capitals.

3. India launches Bharat Darshan Tourist Train for pilgrims: Railways has launched the Bharat Darshan Tourist Train for pilgrims to visit Shirdi, Tirupati, Jagannath Puri, Gangasagar, Baidyanath Dham and Jyotilingams among others.

4. Government of India starts UBIN drive for budding entrepreneurs: GOI has started the process for issuance of Unique Business Identification Number (UBIN). It will help enable budding entrepreneurs to set up their business without any delays as it produce results within targeted time and it is no longer business as usual in India.

5. Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Kalraj Mishra inaugurated Khadi Spinning and Weaving Centre in Srinagar.

6. Gujarat Government accords minority status to Jain community: The Gujarat Government has granted minority status to the Jain Community after issuing a resolution for the same. This will be benefiting the poor among Jain community as they will be eligible for many scholarships and welfare schemes.

7. Infosys Foundation signs pact with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune to support from economically weaker section to pursue ‘high quality’ education.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Cultural festival in Egypt inaugurated to observe Tagore’s birth anniversary: To mark the 155^th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore a five day cultural festival has been organised by India in Cairo, Egypt from 8^th May to 12^th May.

2. England automotive brand Jaguar Land Rover Ltd and a subsidiary of Indian Automaker Tata Motors tied up with UK-based Bullitt Group to develop mobile devices and a range of accessories under its brand.

3. United Nations launched Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Zika Virus response: The fund aims to provide rapid, flexible and accountable platform to support a coordinated response from the UN system and partners.

4. Airport show opens in Dubai: It has shown a participation of more the 300 companies from 55 countries. This is the 16^th edition of the Airport Show.

5. Sadiq Khan elected as the first Muslim Mayor of London.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Saraswat Bank donates Rs 1 crore reliefs for drought for Maharashtra.

2. South Indian Bank announces tie-up with National Australia Bank for online inward remittances from Australia at a competitive rate.

SPORTS:

3. Novak Djokovic wins 2016 Mutua Madrid Open.

AWARDS:

4. SMS-based Vehicle Monitoring Service of Nagaland Police bags award: It was conferred with the National Award for Smart Policing instituted by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  

OBITUARIES:

5. Veteran freedom fighter and former Sircilla MLA Chennamaneni Rajeshwar Rao passed away at the age of 93.

Daily GK Updates - 8th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Bombay High Court decriminalizes beef possession, upholds ban on slaughter of bulls, bullocks in Maharashtra: It upheld the ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks in Maharashtra indicating that consumption of beef will remain banned across the state.

2. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabu launched Wi-Fi hotspot at Vijayawada, Kachiguda and Raipur in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Chhattisgarh respectively.

3. H R Nagendra Committee on Yoga Education in Universities submitted its recommendations.

4. Indian Railways creates Non-Fare Revenue Directorate to explore advertising in Train Coaches: It will explore getting advertisements on coaches, wagons, locomotives and at stations and commercial exploitation of vacant rail land among others.

5. Radha Binod Barman took over as part-time Chairperson of National Statistical Commission.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US based private space transport Service Company; SpaceX successfully launched Japanese JCSAT-14 communication satellite into the space.

2. Alberta Wildfire: State of Emergency declared by Canada Government: Alberta, a province in Western Canada, came in news as on 5^th May 2016 a state of emergency was declared in the city of Fort McMurray due to a massive wildfire destroyed several of homes.

OTHER UPDATES:

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

1. Shashi Kapoor’s biography ‘Shashi Kapoor-the Householder, the Star’ authored by Journalist Aseem Chhabra was released.

Daily GK Updates - 7th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES: 

1. President presents Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations to Defence Personnel: Constable Gautam Koch of Assam Armed Branch who made supreme sacrifice fighting ULFA insurgents in Assam’s Difu was awarded Kirti Chakra posthumously. Naib Subedar Rajesh Kumar Singh who made supreme sacrifice while fighting terrorists in J&K was awarded Kirti Chakra posthumously.

2. 4^th SAIEVAC Ministerial Meeting to be held in New Delhi: The eight nations composing the South Africa Initiative to End Violence Against Children, SAIEVAC are assembling in New Delhi next week for their 4^th Ministerial Meeting.

3. Union Government approves proposal of Infosys to set up IT SEZ: The Union Government has approved the proposal of Infosys to set up an IT/ITeS special economic zone (SEZ) in Bengaluru in an area spread over 4 hectares.

4. Offshore patrol vessel IGCS Shourya launched: Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) has launched Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Shaurya at Panaji.

5. Australian State of Victoria, Swinburne University signed two MoU with India to provide medical technology.

6. India and Japan to sign MoU for Cooperation in Sports: India and Japan has decided to exchange sports persons, coaches, experts and administrators to improve the standard of the game between both nations.

7. Facebook and NASSCOM sign MoU to Support Start-Ups: Facebook and the trade body of Indian IT firms ‘National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM)’ has signed an agreement to build a product design initiative to engage the country’s young entrepreneurs into becoming problem solvers and solution builders.

8. Flipkart to launch its own map services: The e-commerce giant Flipkart has partnered with a Bengaluru based social technology company ‘MapUnity’ to launch its map services.

9. Somnath Ghosh has been appointed as the next ambassador to Tajikistan.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Enda Kenny re-elected as Ireland’s Prime Minister: Mr Kenny is the first Fine Gael leader in history to secure two terms in power back to back. He secured the support of a diverse group of independents and managed to strike a deal with opposition party Fianna Fail.

2. Nepal recalls its Ambassador to India over charges of non-cooperation: It has recalled its Ambassador to India over charges of non-cooperation and indulging in anti-government activities.

3. Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines to conduct joint water patrols to curb kidnappings: The three countries have agreed to conduct coordinated sea patrols and establish a hotline to combat piracy and kidnappings in waters bordering the three nations.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Yes Bank gets SEBI nod to provide custodian services: It has received a ‘Custodian of Securities’ license from the markets regulator SEBI to allow the entity to offer custodial services to financial market participants, including FIIs and Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs).

SPORTS:

2. South African former cricketer Mickey Arthur appointed as Pakistan cricket team’s head coach.

3. Pakistan beat India at Asian Kabaddi Championships in Islamabad.

Daily GK Updates - 6th May, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Bankruptcy Bill 2016 passed in Lok Sabha: It aims to defuse the crisis of the looming bad loans in the banking sector and also to cover individuals, companies and partnership firms. The bill proposes setting up of an Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board and Insolvency and Bankruptcy Fund.

2. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu launches new train services for J&K: He flagged off two new train services for Jammu and Kashmir from the Rail Bhavan in New Delhi. These trains will ply on the Banihal-Baramulla-Budgam route.

3. Cabinet apprised IT agreement between India and Qatar: The Union Cabinet has apprised of the MoU between India and Qatar for promoting bilateral cooperation in the field of Information Communication Technology (ICT).

4. Snapdeal acquires TargetingMantra: E-commerce marketplace Snapdeal has acquired Gurgaon-based predictive marketing technology start-up TargetingMantra for an undisclosed amount.

5. Google partners Idea for direct carrier billing: It has entered in a partnership with telecommunication major Idea Cellular to offer direct carrier billing in India. Idea user will now be able to make purchases on Google Play Store directly through their postpaid and prepaid accounts.

6. Sudhir Yadav has been appointed as the new Director-General of the Tihar Jail.

7. Kumar Rajesh Chandra appointed as Aviation Security Wing Chief.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Zimbabwe to print own version of US Dollar: It is all set to introduce its own version of US Dollars in order to ease a cash shortage in the country.

2. Musician Angelique Kidjo honoured with Amnesty International top human rights award: The issuance of the 500 euro banknote will be stopped around the end of 2018, when the 100 euro and 200 euro banknote of the Europa series are planned to be introduced.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. State Bank of India launches card-less payment solution for offline transactions: The country’s largest bank, SBI has launched a mobile payment solution that will enable customers to make digital payments at offline stores by scanning a QR (quick response) code on their smartphones at merchant outlets.

2. ICICI Bank, first Indian bank to partner with New Development Bank: The largest private sector lender of India has become the first financial institution in the country to tie up with the New Development Bank to explore opportunities around bond issuance, co-financing, treasury management and human resource.

SPORTS:

3. Cricketer Rohit Sharma unveils India’s first ever sports expo in Pune: It is the first sports expo being held in the country organised by city-based Steps Sports Entertainment Pvt Ltd.

4. India finishes fourth at the Junior Shooting World Cup while Italy topped the points table.

AWARDS:

5. Andhra Pradesh Harita-Priya Agriculture Project wins 2016 WSIS Prize: It has won the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2016 Prize in the e-Agriculture category.

6. Indian Author and Social Science Professor Prashar Kulkarni has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize for 2016, in the Asia region for his ‘politically grounded, funny’, fiction ‘Cow and Company’ about four men in search of a cow.