Daily GK Updates - 12th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India, Kenya ink seven agreements: MoU on Cooperation in the field of standardisation, expertise sharing and mutual trade between Bureau of Indian Standards and Bureau of Kenya Standards, MoU on Cooperation in the field of National Housing Policy Development and Management, the line of Credit Agreement for US $15 million (first tranche of US $30 million) to IDB Capital Limited, Kenya, for the development of various small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Kenya, the line of Credit Agreement for the US $29.95 million to the Government of Kenya for the upgrade of Rift Valley Textiles Factory (RIVATEX East Africa Limited), Kenya, revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), a bilateral agreement on the exemption of Visa for holders of Diplomatic passports and MoU on Defence Cooperation were in the list.

2. D Rajkumar appointed CMD of BPCL and Utpal Bora appointed as CMD of Oil India Ltd.

3. HDFC Bank’s AdityaPuri named best banking CEO in Asia: AdityaPuri, the chief executive and managing director (MD) of the second largest private sector lender HDFC Bank, has been ranked as the best banking CEO in Asia by the investor community.

4. Ministry of Health launches Nationwide Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDFC): Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri J P Nadda, Ministry of Health launched nationwide Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF) to be observed from July 11-23.

5. Maharashtra Police launches 4 apps: The four applications Pratisaad Ask, Police Mitra, Vahanchoritakrar and Railway helpline app were launched by Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis in Nagpur.With the launch of these apps, dependency on police emergency number 100 would reduce substantially and citizens can reach out to police to report any emergency situation or crime like robbery or assault on women 24X7.

6. Karnataka trade body inks pact with Sanya City:The Karnataka Region Economic and Trade Organisation (KRETO) and the Sanya People Municipal Government, China, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to foster trade between Sanya City and Karnataka.

7. Lafarge to sell India assets to Nirma for $1.4 billion: Lafarge-Holcim has entered into an agreement with Nirma Ltd to sell its entire 100% holding in cement maker Lafarge India for an enterprise value of $1.4 billion.

8. Sun Pharma introduces anti-cancer product in Europe: Sun Pharma has announced rollout of Gemcitabine InfuSMART in Europe. InfuSMART is a technology in which oncology products are developed in a ready-to-administer (RTA) bag.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nepal’s first woman chief justice sworn in: Justice SushilaKarki took charge as the first woman chief justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court after her name was endorsed by a parliamentary panel.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Jinson Johnson, Dharambir Singh and RenjithMaheshwari qualify for Rio Olympics 2016: Sprinter Dharambir Singh and Jinson Johnson along with Triple jumper RenjithMaheshwari were the latest athletes to join the line for representing the country at the Olympics in Brazil.

AWARDS:

2. President confers the 51^stJnanpith Award on Dr.RaghuveerChaudhari.

Daily GK Updates - 11th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Tathagata Roy sworn-in as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh: Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy was sworn-in as the acting Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. Roy has been given the additional charge of Governor of Arunachal Pradesh during the leave of absence of incumbent Governor Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa.

2. DRDO inks pact with IITs for Centre for Propulsion Technology: The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has signed an agreement with IIT-Bombay and Madras to establish a bi—nodal ‘Centre of Propulsion Technology’ (CoPT) at the two institutions.

3. Talgo train clocks 120kmps during Mathura-Palwal trial: Spanish train Talgo commenced its second phase trial from Mathura at 120km per hour speed with senior officials from Spain and Railways on-board.The trial between Mathura and Palwal will go on for 25 days and the speed will go up to 180 kmph this time.

4. Bill introduced in US to prevent Indian firms from hiring staff on H-1B, L1 visas: A bipartisan group of two US lawmakers has introduced in the House of Representatives a legislation, which if passed by the Congress would prevent Indian companies from hiring IT professionals on H-1B and L1 work visas. The bill if passed would prevent Indian companies from hiring IT professionals on H-1B and L1 visas that will prohibit firms from hiring H-1B employees on certain grounds.

5. Dumping duty imposed on PTA imports from 5 countries: The Finance Ministry has imposed definitive anti-dumping duty on purified terephthalic acid (PTA) imports from China, Iran, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia. An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value.

6. Union Government constitutes cyber cell:The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) is taking measures to protect women and children from harassment and trolling on social media platforms. Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi announced a cyber-cell in New Delhi to keep a check in this regard.

7. Aircel, Airtel 4G Spectrum Trading Deal approved by DoT: Telecom Ministry is believed to have cleared the Rs 3,500-crore 4G spectrum trading deal between service providers BhartiAirtel and Aircel.Airtel has entered into an agreement with Aircel to acquire rights to use 4G spectrum of Aircel in eight telecom circles for Rs 3,500 crore.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China Navy conducts Combat Drill in the South China Sea: The Chinese navy conducted combat drills near its southern island province of Hainan and the Paracel islands in the South China Sea, the ministry of defence said on July 9.

2. Astronomers discover planet with 3 suns located 340 light years from Earth: A team of astronomers led by the University of Arizona discovered a planet HD 131399Ab which is unlikely any other known world – one with, by far, the widest known orbit within a multi-star system.Located about 340 light years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus, HD 131399Ab is believed to be about 16 million years old, making it one of the youngest exoplanets discovered to date.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Serena Williams and Venus Williams won women’s doubles of Wimbledon Open 2016.

2. Lewis Hamilton wins 4^th British Grand Prix of his career.

3. Portugal wins Euro 2016 football championship by defeating France 1-0.

OBITUARIES:

4. Indian football legend Amal Dutta passed away at the age of 86.

Daily GK Updates - 10th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Andhra Pradesh decided to conduct ‘Smart Pulse Survey’ of 1.48 crore households: Andhra Pradesh government has decided to conduct a 'Smart Pulse Survey' for collecting socio-economic data of 1.48 crore households in the state. The survey started on 8 July 2016 will end on 30 July 2016.

2. Zydus, Medicines Patent Pool inks agreement for Bristol-Myers Squibb’s daclatasvir tablets: ZydusCadila, a leading global healthcare firm inked a non-exclusive, royalty free agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). Under the pact they will be manufacturing global pharma major Bristol-Myers Squibb’s daclatasvir tablets used for the treatment of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).

3. Union Government launched National Green Highways Mission: Under this initiative, plantation drive on 1500 km of National Highways was launched at a cost of about 300 crore rupees. The greening project has a huge potential to generate jobs and can prove to be a game-changer for agriculture and rural economy.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US sanctions North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un for human rights abuses: The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on 6 July 2016 designated top officials of the North Korean regime along with Kim Jong-Un and for their ties to North Korea’s notorious abuses of human rights.

2. New Tarantula species named after Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Scientists has named a newly discovered species of tarantula (a big hairy spider) as KankuamoMarquezi after the famed Colombian novelist and 1982 Nobel Prize in Literature winner Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The species was discovered in large number in an isolated mountain range in Caribbean Colombia.  It was named after him as homage to the country where it was found.

3. Russian leader Putin signs ‘Big Brother’ law: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the “anti-terrorist” legislation adopted by the lower and upper houses of parliament.This anti-terror amendment is dubbed as Big Brother by US intelligence contractor turned privacy activist Edward Snowden. It boosts the surveillance powers for the security services by requiring communication providers to store users’ calls, messages, photographs and videos for six months, and the Metadata for up to three years.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. SBI launches social media banking platform SBI Mingle: The State Bank of India (SBI) on 1 July 2016 launched SBI Mingle, a social media banking platform for Facebook and Twitter users. The platform was launched by SBI Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya, on the occasion of 61st State Bank Day that is observed on 1 July every year. To avail services from this platform, customers will have to register for it through a simple one time registration process using either their social account number or their ATM/Debit Card details.

SPORTS:

2. Andy Murray beat Milos Romanic to win the Wimbledon 2016 grand slam.

Daily GK Updates - 9th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India and South Africa sign MoUs in four areas of co-operation: The first MoU is on cooperation in the area of information and communication technology. Another MoU calls for cooperation in the tourism sector and is being seen as an important bid to improve people-to-people ties. A third MoU calls for cooperation in grassroot innovation in the science and technology sector. While the fourth agreement has been signed for a programme of cooperation in arts and culture. The two countries have also agreed to cooperate in combating terrorism, regionally and globally.

2. India gives SUVs to Mozambique, completes delivery of $4.5 million grant: Coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Mozambique, India has handed over 30 SUVs to Mozambique. With this India completed the delivery of 4.5 million US dollar grant assistance as part of supporting the institutions of this African country.

3. NirmalaSitharaman to lead business delegation to Russia: Commerce and Industry Minister NirmalaSitharaman will lead a delegation of over 110 Indian companies that will showcase their engineering prowess at a trade fair in Russia. India is the partner country for 'INNOPROM 2016', which is the largest annual international industrial trade fair of Russia. The 4-day fair starts from the coming sunday (10th july) in Ekaterinburg.

4. Kerala Government imposes 14.5% Fat tax on junk food: The Kerala government has announced its decision to impose 14.5 per cent tax on junk food on the lines of ‘Fat Tax’ imposed on such food items. This will make food items like burgers, pizzas, pasta costlier.

5. RadhikaMenon becomes the first woman to receive award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea: RadhikaMenon will become the first woman in the world to receive the Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea from the International Maritime Organisation for saving the lives of seven fishermen, whose hopes of survival were all but over.

6. PhirozVandrevala steps down as TCS Director:The country’s largest IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services stated that its non-Executive Director PhirozVandrevala has resigned from the company. However, Vandrevala, also the Vice-Chairman and MD of Diligenta, a TCS subsidiary, will continue with this role.

7. Sanjay Gupta named as the CMD of Konkan Railway.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NATO summit begins in Warsaw: The NATO summit has begun in Warsaw, Poland. In the two day Summit, the leaders of the 28 NATO Allies and many partner nations will deliberate and take decisions to enhance the Alliance’s security by strengthening its deterrence and defence, and projecting stability beyond its borders.

2. COO of Microsoft Kelvin Turner has resigned.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Serena Williams beat Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon Open 2016 to equal the record of Steffi Graff for having winning 22 grand slams.

AWARDS:

2. Ad award for Srinivasan K Swamy: The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has announced that Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman of R K SwamyHansa, would be the recipient of this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award.

OBITUARIES:

3. Noted Pakistani Philanthropist Abdul SattarEdhi has passed away at the age of 88.

Daily GK Updates - 8th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India sets up apparel training centre in Nigeria: India has set up an apparel training centre in Nigeria to support textiles industry of the West African country. This is a first of its kind centre in Nigeria set up in partnership with their government. The centre is aimed to support and catalyse the initiative of Nigeria in realising the objectives to rebuild the cotton and textile value chain and address the need for the skilled workforce for domestic as well export-oriented apparel industry in the West African region.

2. Government to rolls out KVK portal for monitoring of farm centres: Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh has launched an online portal designed to monitor the functioning of nearly 645 KrishiVigyanKendras (KVKs), known as farm-science centres, spread across the country. The KVKs, which have the mandate to assess agri-technology and demonstrate to farmers application and capacity development, are being set up in rural districts. Each KVK has direct interface with at least 1,000 farmers.

3. India and Mozambique sign three agreements during PM visit: ndia and Mozambique have signed three agreements in the area of drug trafficking (1st), pulse trading (2nd) and youth affairs & sports (3rd). These MoUs have been signed in the presence of PM Modi and Filipe Nyusi, President of Mozambique, between Secretary of Economic Relations in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Amar Sinha and Mozambique’s Finance Minister.

4. Maharashtra CM inducts 11 ministers including 10 new faces in cabinet: Maharashtra Chief Minister DevendraFadnavis has inducted 10 new faces in his cabinet today while one existing minister was elevated to cabinet rank. With this, the total strength of Maharastra ministers in the cabinet has become 39 now. Maharashtra Governor C VidyasagarRao has administered the oath of the position for the 11 newly elected ministers at the Parishad hall in VidhanBhavan in the presence of Chief Minister.

5. Government to clean 10 iconic places under Swachh Bharat Mission: The places which have been selected are Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir, TajMahal in Uttar Pradesh, Tirupati temple in Andhra Pradesh, Golden Temple in Punjab, Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan, Jagannath temple in Orissa, ChhatrapatiShivaji Terminus in Maharashtra, ManikarnikaGhat in Uttar Pradesh, Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu and Kamakhya Temple in Assam.

6. The second phase of Haritha Haram programme launched today:The Haritha Haram programme aimed to plant 46 crore plants to improve green belt. The plantation programme which is two weeks long includes both the sides of over 163 kilometers long national highway between Hyderabad - Vijayawada.

7. West Bengal to set up three biotechnology hubs: The three proposed biotechnology hubs will come in Bardhaman, Kalimpong and Medinipur districts. They will help in the coordination of various departments with the Biotechnology Department in a better way.

8. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the BRICS drug control meeting: The Union Home Minister ShriRajnath Singh has inaugurated the second anti-drug Working Group meeting of Heads of Drug Control Agencies of BRICS countries in New Delhi today. The meet is organized by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Indian delegation will be headed by Shri Rajeev RaiBhatnagar, Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau.

9. Nasscom unveils India’s first IoT-focused centre: National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) has unveiled India’s first centre of excellence focused on Internet of Things (CoE- IoT) at its Startup Warehouse in Bengaluru which is inaugurated by Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Electronics, IT, Law & Justice.

10. S K Kohli appointed chief defence accounts auditor: Senior bureaucrat S K Kohli has been appointed as Controller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA). He is an Indian Defence Accounts Service officer.

12. Vishal Kapoor to be the new CEO of IDFC Mutual Fund.

13. Srini Gopalan quits Bharti Airtel and going to join Deutsche Telekom.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. IMF sets $5.3 billion programs for Iraq: The IMF has announced a $5.34 billion program for Iraq to help strengthen the country's finances, hit by the crash in oil prices and the fight against the Islamic State group. The International Monetary Fund said the three-year loan will see $634 million immediately allocated to Baghdad, which needs the money to stabilise its balance of payments and ensure it can keep up with its debt obligations.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Dipa Karmakar named as the World Class Gymnast by International Gymnastics Federation.

OBITUARIES:

2. Veteran Music Director Om Prakash Sonik passed away at the age of 77.

Daily GK Updates - 7th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM reaches Mozambique on the first leg of four-nation tour: In the first leg of his four-nation tour of African countries, Prime Minister NarendraModi has reached Maputo, the capital of Mozambique today. This is the first official visit of the Prime Minister to Mainland Africa.

2. 231 NamamiGange projects have been launched: Giving a major boost to NamamiGange Programme, Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has inaugurated 231 projects at various locations across seven states including Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana and Delhi.

3. India slips to 91^st place in 2016 Networked Readiness Index: India has slipped by two places to 91st position in the recently released 2016 Networked Readiness Index (NRI) by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). The list is topped by Singapore followed by Finland, Sweden and Norway at the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th place respectively.

4. GOI constitutes a committee to examine desirability and feasibility of new FY: The Committee headed by Dr. Shankar Acharyawill examine the merits and demerits of various dates for the commencement of the financial year including the existing date (April to March), taking into account the various relevant factors. The Committee has been given time till 31st December 2016 to submit its Report.

5. Film festival on wildlife has begun in Shimla today: A three-day Woodpecker Environment and Wildlife Film Festival has begun at historic Gaiety Theatre in Shimla from today (7th July). The festival is being organized by WWF-India in collaboration with CMSR foundation, Delhi with the support of the Himachal Pradesh's Department of Language, Art and culture and Department of Forest. The focus of the festival is the critical environment and wildlife conservation issues like climate change, forest conservation, biodiversity and man-animal conflict and success stories will also be showcased in it.

6. Deepak Singhal takes charge as the Chief Secretary of UP.

7. Former Nokia executive TejinderKalra joins Indus Towers as COO.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China inducts largest home-grown Y-20 military transport plane:  China has inducted its largest indigenously-built transport aircraft, which is named as Y-20. Y-20 is a breakthrough in military aviation technology for the PLA that allows the world's largest force to transport cargo and troops over long distances in diverse weather conditions.

2. Google buys France-based start-up Moodstock: The Moodstock is a Paris-based startup that develops image recognition technology for smartphones whose APIs for developers have been described as "Shazam for images."

3. TripAdvisor appoints Gary Fritz as President Asia Pacific.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                               

1. SBI Card launches premium credit card ‘Elite’: SBI Cards and Payment Services (SBI Card), the third-largest card issuer by number has launched a premium credit card 'Elite'. Elite is a bundle of several privileges and benefits for high net worth individuals (HNIs).

AWARDS:

2. South African writer LidudumalinganiMqombothi wins 2016 Caine Prize: The Moodstock is a Paris-based startup that develops image recognition technology for smartphones whose APIs for developers have been described as "Shazam for images."

Daily GK Updates - 6th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s largest Charkha unveiled at Delhi airport: The idea behind displaying the Charkha at the airport is to highlight India’s quest to foster an egalitarian society as demonstrated by Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation.

2. TRAI launches app to track mobile data speed: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will soon start a consultation process to fix ‘quality of service’ rules for mobile data, including the average data speed for operators.The regulator also launched a mobile app (TRAI Myspeed App) for measuring real-time internet speeds that consumers get. The data will be made available on the Trai Analytics Portal.

3. President of India inaugurates Swami Vivekanand Sabhagar at Kathak Kendra of Sangeet Natak Akademi: The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated Swami Vivekanand Sabhagar at Kathak Kendra of Sangeet Natak Akademi in New Delhi.

4. Rajasthan becomes first state to introduce minimum wages for part-time workers: Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to introduce minimum wages for part-time workers. Labour Department has issued a notification in this regard. With this notification, part-time workers now come under the Minimum Wages Act 1948. In another decision, the government has increased minimum wages in all categories of scheduled employments by Rs 104 per month.

5. Nation pays homage to Babu Jagjivan Ram on his death anniversary: Nation pays homage to the veteran leader and great freedom fighter and administrator BabuJagjivan Ram on his death anniversary today at SamtaSthal near Rajghat in New Delhi.

6. PM and the whole nation pays tribute to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary:Prime Minister Narendra Modi has led Parliamentarians in paying tribute to former Parliamentarian, Minister in the first cabinet post independence and founder of Bharatiya Jana SanghDr.Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary at the Parliament house.He founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh in 1951 which was re-formed as the Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP in 1980.

7. World famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath begins: The world famous RathYatra or chariot festival of Lord Jagannath has begun today in Puri, Odisha as well as in different parts of the country.Rath Yatra marks is an annual celebration of the journey of Lord Jagannath, his brother Lord Balbhadra and sister Subhadra to the Gundicha temple.

8. Aditya Birla Fashion acquires global clothing brand Forever 21: Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) has stated that it will acquire global clothing brand ‘Forever 21’ in the Indian market for USD 26 million (around Rs. 175.52 Crore).

9. Centre appoints ThiruppathiVenkatasamy as the new Accountant General, Economic and Revenue sector audit, of Tamil Nadu.

10. Zee Learn appoints DebshankarMukopadhyay as CEO.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Annu Rani sets national record at National Interstate Athletics Championships: Javelin thrower Annu Rani has bettered her national record with a 59.87m throw at the 56th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Hyderabad.

2. Bengali actor Jeet acquires Kolkata team of PFL: Bengali cine star Jeet has acquired the Kolkata franchise of the first-ever multi-nation Premier Futsal League (PFL), which is scheduled to start on July 15.The team will be known as 'Kolkata 5s' as each franchise will be similarly named in the inaugural season. 

OBITUARIES:

3. Actress Noel Neill passed away at the age of 95: Noel Neill, the first actress to play Superman’s love interest, has passed away at the age of 95.
ii. Neill was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1920, the daughter of Minneapolis Star Tribune news editor David Neill and the New York vaudeville performer LaVere Neill.

4. Acclaimed Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami passed away at the age of 76: Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, whose 1997 film "Taste of Cherry" won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, has passed away following a prolonged illness in Paris.