Daily GK Updates - 9th June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India ranked 141 on Global Peace Index: India has been ranked 141 on the 2016 Global Peace Index, falling behind countries like Burundi and Serbia on the 163-country list. India was ranked 143 on last year’s list. Meanwhile, Iceland was named the world’s most peaceful country.

2. India becomes the third largest oil consumer: According to recently released BP Statistical Review of World Energy, India has surpassed Japan to become the world’s third largest oil consumer.

3. ADB approves $100 million loan for irrigation system in TN: Asian Development Bank has approved a USD 100 million (around Rs 660 crores) loan to strengthen a key irrigation system and improve water management in the Vennar sub-basin of Cauvery Delta in Tamil Nadu.

4. Naresh Goyal re-elected to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Board of Governors.

5. P Rama Mohan Rao appointed as the new Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu.

6. G Kalyanakrishnan took over as the new Chief Executive for Nuclear Fuel Complex.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Bank cuts global growth forecast to 2.4%: The World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim has slashed the global growth forecast of 2016 by 0.5% to 2.4%.

2. Pakistan tops in 2016 Malware Infection Index: Pakistan has topped the list of 19 countries figuring in the 2016 Malware Infection Index (MII) in the Asia-Pacific region.

3. International Monetary Fund approved 1.5 billion US dollar loan to Sri Lanka.

4. Thailand becomes the first Asian country to eliminate mother to child HIV as per a report released by WHO.

5. Names of 4 new Periodic Table elements announced: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has announced the names proposed for the new elements, whose discovery helped complete the seventh row of the Periodic Table in December last year. The names proposed for the elements with atomic numbers 113, 115, 117 and 118 were Nihonium (Nh), Moscovium (Mc), Tennessine (Ts) and Oganesson (Og) respectively.

6. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree awarding the Order of Friendship to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban-ki-moon.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Maria Sharapova banned for two years over doping by the International Tennis Federation.

OBITUARIES:

2. Former Kerala Assembly Speaker T S John passed away.

3. Veteran Journalist K K Katyal passed away in Delhi at the age of 88.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

4. Book titled ‘The Unseen Indira Gandhi’ authored by Dr K P Mathur released.

Daily GK Updates - 8th June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. List of Top 30 Programmes launched by Modi Government: Pradhan Mantri Jan DhanYojana, Deep Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Yojana, Mission Housing for All, Digital India, Make in India, Skill India, MUDRA Bank Yojana, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana were on top in the list.

2. Mirza Imtiyaz Judicial Commission constituted to probe Mathura violence.

3. Shahid Rasool takes charge as Director of Commonwealth Education Media Centre for Asia.

4. Rajasthan Government launches Mobile App Raj Vayu on Air Quality Index: The information provided on Raj Vayu is based on the data collected by sophisticated air quality monitoring equipment and weather sensors.

5. Union Government launched Surya Mitra mobile app: Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal launched Surya Mitra mobile app at National Workshop on Rooftop Solar Power in New Delhi. The app will be very useful in the field of Renewable energy to serve customers at their doorsteps with quality installation, repair and Observations and Measurements (O&M) services.

6. India signed MoU with USA to facilitate hassle-free entry of Indians to US: The agreement was signed as a part of America’s International Expedited Traveller Initiative which is also known as the Global Entry Programme. India became the 9^th country to sign the agreement with US.

7.  Rajiv Gauba Committee on Decongestion of Traffic in Delhi submitted its report to the Union Ministry of Urban Development.

8. Exercise Desert Eagle-II, which was the second in the series of bilateral exercises between Indian Air Force (IAF) and United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAE-AF) concluded in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Monetary Fund approved 1.5 billion US Dollar loan to Sri Lanka: The funding is aimed at meeting balance of payments needs arising from external environment and pressures, raising revenue through new taxes and financing the additional budget spending.

2. Forbes released World’s 100 Most Powerful Women 2016 list: The list is topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel for the sixth consecutive year, while US Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yelled grabbed the 2^nd and 3^rd spot.

3. No detention for illegal migrants under 2008 Return Directive: EU Court: The European Court of Justice ruled that non-EU (European Union) migrants who illegally entered an EU member state should not face detention.

4. World Oceans Day observed across the world on 8^th June 2016 with theme ‘Healthy oceans, healthy planets’: The main focus of this year’s theme is on curbing the plastic pollution.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Lucknow to host Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup 2016: The men’s Hockey Junior World Cup 2016 will be played between 8 December and 18 December 2016, while the women’s Hockey World Cup will be played in Santiago, Chile.

2. Tintu Luka won silver in 800m at Josef Odlozil Memorial Athletics Meet in Prague.

OBITUARIES:

3. Composer of Nepali National Anthem, Amber Gurung passed away at the age of 78: He was suffering from Diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

4. Chess Grandmaster Viktor Korchnoi died at the age of 85 in Switzerland.

Daily GK Updates - 7th June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Himachal Pradesh becomes the first state to launch green-concept based State Data Centre: It has become the first state in the country to have a State Data Centre (SDC), designed using green data centre concept to minimize power requirement and increase power utilization efficiency.

2. Guwahati declares Gangetic River Dolphin as its ‘city animal’: Gangetic River Dolphin is locally known as ‘Sihu’ which remains in the River Brahmaputra along Guwahati.

3. Swachch Yug campaign to make gram panchayats along Ganga open defecation free: As a part of its efforts to make villages located along Ganga open defecation-free, Government has launched a campaign ‘SwachchYug’, a collaborative effort of three Union Ministries, to bring about behavioural change among people staying in villages along the holy river.

4. Rajasthan Government launches Mobile App RajVayu on Air Quality Index: The information provided on RajVayu is based on the data collected by sophisticated air quality monitoring equipment and weather sensors.

5. Government and ADB sign $120 million loan agreement for Odisha: The government and multilateral lending agency Asian Development Bank has signed a $120 million loan agreement to improve irrigation and water management infrastructure in Odisha.

6. Facebook appoints former Adobe Executive UmangBedi as India MD.

7.  Ashok Ganapathy appointed as Director of Airtel Business.

8. Kulmeet Bawa appointed Adobe MD for South Asia.

9.  Diya Mirza named Ambassador for SwachchSaathi (student internship) programme: It is a youth based programme of Swachch Bharat Mission. Under this programme, more than 2000 interns would be enrolled to coordinate around 10000 schools across India.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US Army Reserve Officer Deshauna Barber crowned as Miss USA 2016.

2. Walmart retains top position in Fortune 500 list: In 2016 rankings, Walmart has topped the Fortune 500 list for the fourth consecutive year. Apple, which was the most profitable company on the list jumped to no. 3 from no.5.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. RBI announces second bi-monthly monetary policy statement: Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram G Rajan has announced the second bi-monthly monetary policy statement for the year 2016-17. This time he keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.5%, reverse repo rate at 6% and CRR remains at 4% while, LAF will remain unchanged at 6% and the MSF and Bank rate at 7%.

SPORTS:

2. Serena Williams overtakes Maria Sharapova as the World’s highest paid sportswoman as per the Forbes Magazine report.

AWARDS:

3. International Olympic Committee (IOC) honours Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chief N Ramachandran with ‘Olympic Order’ for his outstanding services to the Olympic movement.

Daily GK Updates - 6th June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Suresh Prabhu launches Tiger Express train on the World Environment Day: Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhu has flagged off the inaugural run of the Tiger Trail Circuit Train from Delhi Safdarjung station.

2. ADB, India inks $200 million loan agreement for Jharkhand roads: The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank have signed an agreement for a $200 million loan to upgrade 176-km roads in Jharkhand.

3. India and Qatar sign seven agreements to boost bilateral ties: The MoUs include MoU for investment in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), MoU on cooperation in tourism, agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance in custom matters, MoU on Finance Intelligence Unit-India and Qatar Financial Information Unit, MoU in the field of youth and sports, MoU on cooperation in skill development and recognition of qualifications and MoU on cooperation in the field of health.

4. India ranks 70^th on 2015 Good Country Index, and 2^nd in GRD index: The list has been topped by Sweden as the best country in the world out of 163 countries.

5. V Narayanasamy sworn in as the CM of Puducherry.

6. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar launches Right to Public Grievance Redressal Act: The act seeks disposal of peoples’ complaints or Redressal of grievances from Government officials within 60-days.

7.  P Dhanpal re-elected as Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Environment Day observed on 5^th June 2016 with theme ‘Zero tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Renowned Indian Sand Artist Sudarsan Patnaik wins gold in People’s Choice Prize at the World Championship festival of sand sculpting Russe, 2016, which was held in Bulgaria.

OBITUARIES:

2. Veteran Actress Sulabha Deshpande passed away at the age of 79.

3. India’s first Mr Universe Manohar Aich passed away at the age of 104.

Daily GK Updates - 5th June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. TRAI launches DND services mobile application to register complaints against pesky calls, SMSs: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) launched DND Services Mobile Application for telecom subscribers to register their complaints against pesky calls and SMSs.

2. P Dhanpal re-elected as Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Speaker.

3. CCEA approved Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for kharif crops for 2016-17 seasons: The approved MSP is based on recommendations of Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices (CACP) which takes into account the cost of production, overall demand-supply among others.

4. Singapore International Arbitration Centre to open representative office at GIFT City, Gandhinagar.

5. Union Cabinet approves proposal for extension of Corridor-1 of Chennai Metro Rail Project Phase-1.

6. Sachin Tendulkar’s name to be used in Kerala Government’s Anti-Drug Campaign: The cricket icon has given his consent to use his name to strengthen the campaign against liquor and drug abuse in the state.

7. Indus Valley Civilization is 8000 years old as per IIT Kharagpur research.

8. India announces to double investment in Clean Energy Research in next five years.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. German Parliament passes Resolution recognising Massacre of Armenians as Genocide: The motion was put forward for voting by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governing coalition of right and left and the opposition Greens.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to clinch the French Open 2016 Trophy.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

2. Book titled ‘The Unseen Indira Gandhi’ authored by Dr K P Mathur released.

Daily GK Updates - 4th June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. C R Sasikumar appointed as the Managing Director of State Bank of Travancore.

2. Odisha becomes first state to give social welfare benefits to transgender community: It is the first state in the country to give transgender people social welfare benefits such as a pension, housing and food grains. This move seeks to give the transgender community in the state same benefits as those living below the poverty line (BPL) in order to improve their overall social and economic status.

3. Indian Boxing Council (IBC) gets affiliation from Commonwealth Boxing Council.

4. Haryana Chief Minister ManoharLalKhattar inaugurated ‘Jai JawanAwasYojana’ to provide affordable housing to serving and retired JCOs.

5. HDFC Ergo buys L&T Insurance for Rs 551.

6. PM Modi and Afghanistan President Dr Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurated the Afghan-India Friendship Dam with in Herat province in Western Afghanistan.

7. Afghan President Dr Ashraf Ghani conferred the highest civilian honour of Afghanistan, the Amir Amanullah Khan Award on Indian PM NarendraModi.

8. Asia’s first Gyps Vulture Reintroduction Programme launched at Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre, Pinjore (Haryana): It is a significant step in the direction of saving the endangered species.

9.  Navin Agarwal appointed as the Director General of Anti-Doping Agency.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression 2016 observed: The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse.

2. Asia’s largest annual security forum Shangri-La Dialogue inaugurated in Singapore: It is the 15^th Asia Security Summit to openly discuss and debate security matters in the Asia-Pacific region.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Leander Paes wins to complete mixed doubles ‘Career Slam’: Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes completed a ‘Career Slam’ in mixed doubles with Swiss partner Martina Hingis with a hard-fought win over compatriot SaniaMirza and Ivan Dodig in the French Open.

2. Spaniard GarbineMuguruza stunned defending champion Serena Williams to win the French Open 2016.

AWARDS:

3. V O Chidambaranar Port bags National Award for Excellence in Cost Management.

OBITUARIES:

4. Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali dies at the age 74: He also wrote several best-selling books about his career, including ‘The Greatest: My Own Story’ and ‘The Soul of a Butterfly’.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. BSE gets RBI nod to start online bidding platform for SGBs: BSE, Asia’s oldest bourse, has received the Reserve Bank approval to start an online bidding platform for Sovereign Gold Bond scheme. The exchange plans to offer an online bidding platform for collecting bids from members and their clients for the SBG issue.

2. CPI (M) nominee P Sreeramakrishnan elected as Kerala Speaker.

3. India and Tunisia sign MoUs for co-operation in IT, handicrafts sector: The MoUs were signed after the delegation level talks between the two countries in the presence of Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Tunisian Prime Minster HabibEssid in Tunis. The two sides also discussed the issue of spreading tide of terrorism and decided to enhance co-operation in counter terrorism.

4. India joins The Hague Code of Conduct: India has joined the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC) to further strengthen global non-proliferation.

5. N K Chari appointed as the MD of State Bank of Mysore.

6. India-US ink MoU to boost energy security, clean energy cooperation: India and the United States of India have signed aMoU to enhance cooperation on energy security, clean energy and climate change in New Delhi with an aim to promote sustainable growth.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. BRICS Bank to issue first Yuan denominated bonds: The reason behind the grant is to support China from sharp slowdown as Chinese economy slipped to 6.9% last year. Although, India is the only member among the BRICS countries whose GDP continues to grow above 7%.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Argentina retains top spot in FIFA rankings: Argentina retains its top ranking while Belgium continues to hold 2^nd spot.

AWARDS:

2. Dr R Seetharaman conferred with 2016 Green Economy Visionary Award for his contribution in environment-friendly activities and thereby promoting green economy for nearly two decades.

OBITUARIES:

3. Actor-director BaluAnand dies of heart attack at the age of 62.