Daily GK Updates - 11th June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India Post launches logo and tagline design contest for India Post Payments Bank: India Post wants to involve the people of India in designing the DNA of the India Post Payments Bank by conducting a contest for the design.

2. NIIF, Qatar Investment Authority signed MoU to facilitate investment in Indian Infrastructure sector: The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) Ltd signed a MoU with the Qatar Investment Authority to facilitate investment in Indian infrastructure sector.

3. National Research and Development Corporation (NRDC) inks MoU with Andhra Pradesh government to establish smart agribusiness platform networks.

4. Researchers in Assam developed two rice variants, Ranjit Sub-1 and Bahadur Sub-1, for submerged areas.

5. Indian Reserve Battalion to be named after MaharanaPratap: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced that a new Indian Reserve Battalion in Rajasthan will be named after MaharanaPratap as ‘MaharanaPratap Reserve Battalion’.

6. Union Government to introduce International Yoga Award Scheme: The AYUSH Ministry is working on the scheme and it will start giving the award from 2017. It is an initiative to promote yoga.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Iceland scientists turn carbon dioxide into stone under Carbfix project: Scientists of Iceland found a technique to capture and store the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in deep underground by turning it into rock.

2. NATO launches biggest ever Joint Military Exercise Anaconda-16 in Poland: The exercise involves some 31000 troops from Poland, the US and 17 other NATO member nations and from five partner nations.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Indian-origin Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharya awarded Regius Professorship in Manufacturing by Queen Elizabeth II.

2. Ridley Scott to receive American Cinematheque Award for his valuable contributions to the International Film Industry.

OBITUARIES:

3. Gordie Howe, the legendary ice hockey player died at the age of 88: The Canadian was nicknamed ‘Mr. Hockey’ and was considered one of the greatest ice hockey players of all time.

Daily GK Updates - 10th June, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Suresh Prabhu flags off Champaran Satyagrah Express train in Bihar: In Bihar, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off ChamparanSatyagrah Express train at a function in Motihari.

2. Maharashtra to observe 21^st of every month as Yoga Day across all schools, colleges and universities in the state.

3. Centre announces new Print Media Advertisement Policy with an objective to promote transparency and accountability in issuing of advertisements in print media.

4. India signs up to Europe-led clampdown on tax evasion and corruption: India has joined a group of nearly 40 countries that have signed a Europe-led clampdown on tax evasion and corruption. Besides India, some of the other countries outside Europe include Nigeria, Afghanistan, Mexico and UAE.

5. Nepal Deputy PM Mr Kamal Thapa to land in Delhi today for three-day visit.

6. Food Corporation of India inks pact with Adani Group for construction of two silos to store wheat, at an estimated cost of about of Rs 80 crore.

7.  TATA Power Solar bagged the MNRE Award: The Company has won the award in the Channel Partner/EPC contractor category at the National Excellence Awards 2016 instituted by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for the first time.

8. Internet Saathi, a joint initiative of Google and Tata has been launched in West Bengal: Internet search engine Google and Tata Trusts’ joint initiative Internet Saathi was launched in Kolkata, West Bengal. The initiative aims at reducing the digital gender gap in rural areas of India such as Purulia, where girls have now been trained to use the internet and teach others in turn.

9.  MTNL Chairman Narendra Yadav steps down.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. MajorGeneral Per Lodin appointed to head UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Axis Bank launches India’s first certified green bond at London Stock Exchange: Axis Bank has launched India’s first internationally-listed certified green bond to finance climate change solutions around the world at London Stock Exchange (LSE).

SPORTS:

2. Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo tops Forbes 2016 list of World’s Highest-Paid Athletes.

3. Euro 2016 to kick off in Paris today amid tight security.

AWARDS:

4. Akhil Sharma wins 100,000 pounds Dublin International Literary Award for his novel ‘Family Life’.

OBITUARIES:

5. BJP MLA from Madhya Pradesh RajendraDadu passed away in a road mishap at the age of 62.

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.