Daily GK Updates - 31st July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PM Modi flags off ‘Run for Rio’:  Prime Minister NarendraModi has flagged off the Run for Rio event in New Delhi today to celebrate the Olympic mood in the country. The mass run was announced by the Sports Minister Vijay Goel at a press conference.

2. PM Modi wishes Rio-bound athletes in ‘Mann Ki Baat’: PM Modi talked about various subjects such as health, environment, technology, Olympics games while addressing 22nd edition of ‘MannKiBaat’ programme and appealed the country to encourage the Indian contingent for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

3. Centre to organise ‘Make in India’ conference in Bhubaneswar: Centre has decided to organise a Make in India conference in Bhubaneswar in December this year. The conference would be organised by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to attract investment in the state as well as the country.

4. Yahoo researchers built a powerful new online abuse detector: Yahoo researchers have developed a new online abuse detecting algorithm. Most current abuse filters use a combination of blacklisted terms or expressions to catch hate speech online, but the new method applies machine learning as well.

5. Bihar lifts ban on toddy (palm wine) sale, consumption: Bihar government has lifted the ban on the sale and consumption of toddy (palm wine) in the state. In April after Bihar imposed a total liquor ban in the state, it also banned the sale of ‘toddy’. But the decision to banned toddy was not lauded by Lalu Prasad and his party Rashtriya Janata Dal.

6. Kerala tourism bags six National Tourism awards:Kerala Tourism has bagged six National Tourism awards for 2014-15 in the marketing category for states. It received two more awards, including the one for its Responsible Tourism (RT) initiative in Wayanad.

7. WHO to remove transgenders from its mental disorders list: The World Health Organisation (WHO) is considering changing the way it classifies transgender identity. It came following calls from researchers and advocates to remove it from the WHO's list of mental disorders.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Oracle to buy NetSuite for $9.3 billion: Business software maker Oracle has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire NetSuite, the very first cloud company. The transaction is valued at $9.3 billion.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. SEBI’s first phase of new enterprise portal goes live: Markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has initiated the first phase of its new enterprise portal to facilitate accurate and timely circulation of information to internal and external stakeholders.

2. Gold bond schemes sees record Rs 919 crore in 4^th tranche: The government's collections under the Sovereign Gold Bond scheme realised through the fourth tranche reached around Rs. 919 crore, the highest achieved yet.

SPORTS:

3. Skydiver Luke Aikins sets record for highest jump without Parachute: Skydiver Luke Aikins, 42, became the first to jump from a height of 25,000 feet without a parachute, landing in a net in southern California. He has completed the jump in Simi Valley, west of Los Angeles.

AWARDS:

4. AAAI confers Lifetime Achievement Award on adman SrinivasanSwamy: he Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) announced the recipient of this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award as Srinivasan K Swamy popularly known as SundarSwamy.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

5. Book titled ‘Harry Potter and the cursed child’ authored by J K Rowling released.

Daily GK Updates - 30th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. CM Chandrababu Naidu launches ‘Mission Harita Andhra Pradesh’: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has launched 'Mission Harita Andhra Pradesh', with the theme 'green cover for a happy living', by planting saplings at Sunkollu village under Nuzividu mandal in Krishna district.

2. Centre sanctions nearly Rs 620 crore to UP as drought assistance: Centre has sanctioned nearly Rs. 620 crore to Uttar Pradesh as assistance for the recent drought situation in the state. It also approved almost 80 crores for Rajasthan which was affected by hailstorm and 15 crores to Manipur affected by earthquake.

3. Indian-American girl becomes the youngest delegate at DNC: An 18-year-old Indian-American girl has become the youngest delegate at the Democratic National Convention which has nominated Hillary Clinton as the party's presidential candidate. SruthiPalaniappan from Cedar Rapids and a student of Harvard University is a strong supporter of Clinton, the first woman to be nominated as a presidential candidate by a major political party.

4. Cochin Chamber launching Aadhaar-based e-certificate of origin: The Cochin Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CCCI) is launching an Aadhaar based e-Certificate of Origin service.

5. Justice DilipBabasahebBhosale sworn in as the CJ of Allahabad High Court.

6. Gujarat names J N Singh as new Chief Secretary:The Gujarat government has appointed Dr. Jagdip Narayan Singh, a Gujarat-cadre IAS of 1983 batch as Chief Secretary of the State.

7. Suresh Prabhu lays foundation stone of new Railway station at Imphal: Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu laid foundation stone for construction of a new Railway Station at Imphal. Mr.Prabhu also assured that the proposal from Manipur Government to extend the rail link from Imphal to the border town Moreh of the state will be looked into.

8. Joint Indo-Thailand Military Exercise ‘Maitree’ culminates: he Indo-Thailand Military Exercise "Maitree" has been concluded at Krabi, Thailand. The aim of the joint exercise was to train contingents of both the armies on conduct of counter-terrorist operations in an urban environment.

9. HP Government signs MoU with NTPC and NHPC: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed today in New Delhi between Himachal Pradesh government, NTPC and NHPC for setting up Hydro Engineering College in the State.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. IWF bans Russian team from Rio Olympics: International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has formally suspended an 8-member Russian team from next month's Rio Olympics due to doping offences.

OBITUARIES:

2. Rajjat Barjatya, MD & CEO of Rajshri Productions, passes away.

Daily GK Updates - 29th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Government forms ‘Disha’ for timely implementation of Central Schemes: The Centre has announced the formation of District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DDCMC) in place of the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee (DVMC) and to be named Disha for effective implementation of Central government schemes.

2. BCCI Chief Anurag Thakur joins Territorial Army as Lieutenant: BCCI chief Anurag Thakur was commissioned into the Territorial Army (TA) as a regular officer by Army chief Dalbir S Suhag.Thakur is the first serving BJP MP to join the military force.

3. India and Bangladesh agree on anti-terror cooperation: India and Bangladesh have agreed to enhance cooperation on anti-terror efforts with Dhaka saying that New Delhi will be "side-by-side" with it in fighting terrorists. National Security Advisor AjitDoval, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrish and Director Generals of Border Security Force and Narcotics Control Bureau participated in the talks.

4. CK Mishra appointed as New Health Secretary.

5. T Nanda Kumar resigns as NDDB Chairman: T Nanda Kumar has resigned as chairman of Gujarat-based National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) from August 1, about 30 months ahead of the end of his tenure.

6. First woman head of aviation regulator moves out:The first woman chief of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) M Sathiyavathy was named as new Union Labour Secretary.

7. Railway Board chairman, AK Mittal gets 2-year extension.

8. Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari appointed as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court.

9. Intex ropes in Madhuri Dixit as its Brand Ambassador.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Tiger Day being observed today: Every year 29th July is celebrated as the International Tiger Day. The day is celebrated to raise awareness for tiger conservation and to give worldwide attention to the preservation of tigers.

2. A10 Networks acquires cloud firm Appcito: US-based A10 Networks, an application networking and security company has announced the acquisition of Appcito.Appcito is a provider of Software-As-A-Service (SaaS)-based, multi-cloud Application Delivery Controllers (ADC) solutions.

3. Brazilian scientist discover another type of Zika-transmitting mosquito: The public Brazilian laboratory FundacionOswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz) announced that researchers found the presence of the Culexquinquefasciatus mosquito infected by the Zika virus in three out of 80 groups of mosquitoes analyzed up until now.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. OKI installs more than 600 recycling ATMs for State Bank of India: apanese payments company OKI has installed 600 automatic teller machines with cash recycling abilities for country's largest lender State Bank of India across the country.

SPORTS:

2. Germany football team Captain Bastian Schweinsteiger retires: German professional footballer, Bastian Schweinsteiger has retired from the national team, marking the end of a glittering international football career.

AWARDS:

3. Four new writers get Jananpith ‘Navlekhan’ award: AmlenduTiwari and BalramKawant were awarded for their novels 'Parityakt', and 'Sara Morila,' while Om Naagar and Tasneem Khan were awarded for their non-fictions 'Nib KeChire Se' and 'Yeh Mere Rahnuma' respectively.

OBITUARIES:

4. American Author James Alan McPherson passed away at the age of 72.

Daily GK Updates - 28th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. LokSabha passes an amendment to Lokpal Act: The LokSabha has cleared an amendment to the Lokpal Act giving an indefinite extension to the deadline for assets and liabilities' disclosure by central government employees and management personnel of NGOs.

2. Union Cabinet increases limit for foreign investment in Stock Exchanges from 5% to 15%: The Union Cabinet has given its approval for raising foreign shareholding limit from current 5% to 15% in Indian Stock Exchanges. The decision brings the investment limit of foreign entities at par with that of domestic institutions. This enhanced limit is for a stock exchange, depository, banking company, insurance company and commodity derivative exchange.

3. Union cabinet approves Bilateral Investment Treaty between India and Cambodia: The Treaty seeks to promote and protect investments in either country with the objective of increasing bilateral investment flows. It also seeks to encourage each country to create favourable conditions (climate) for investors of the other country to make investments in its territory and also to admit investments in accordance with its laws.

4. Union Cabinet approves setting up of new AIIMS in Bhatinda: The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of a new AIIMS at Bhatinda, Punjab under the Pradhan MantriSwasthyaSurakshaYojana (PMSSY).

5. Two ministers included in Uttarakhand cabinet: The new Ministers are NavPrabhat and Rajender Bhandari. Both the MLAs are from Garhwal region.

6. Bengaluru to host International Transgender Arts Fest: The International Transgender Arts Festival, a performing arts festival for transgenders, is being organized at the National Gallery for Modern Arts in Bengaluru from July 29 to July 31.

7. India signs $1 billion deal with the US for procuring four Poseidon-8I aircraft: India has signed a 1 billion dollar deal with US defense and aerospace major Boeing for procuring four long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, Poseidon-8I.

8. SBI launches Debit card less Instant Money Transfer facility: The India's largest public sector bank, State Bank of India has launched a payment system at its ATMs which will allow the account holders to transfer the money by using the mobile phone number as an identifier.

9.  Sunil Kant Munjal to step down as joint MD from Hero Moto Corp.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Hepatitis Day observed on 28^th July 2016: The theme for this year's global campaign is ‘Elimination’. 2016 is a pivotal year for viral hepatitis. The goal is to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.

2. The European Union appoints chief Brexit negotiator: European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has appointed Michel Barnier, a former EU Commissioner for internal markets, to lead negotiations with Britain to leave the European Union.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. East Bengal to honour Milkha Singh with Bharat Gaurav Award: Kolkata's football giants club East Bengal has announced that this year’s Bharat Gaurav award (Pride of India) will be conferred on legendary athlete Milkha Singh.

OBITUARIES:

2. Noted Sorghum expert NGP Rao passed away at the age of 89.

3. Eminent writer and social activist Mahasweta Devi passed away at the age of 90.

Daily GK Updates - 27th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Manipur becomes 14^th state to join ‘UDAY’: Manipur has joined the Ujwal DISCOM (distribution company) Assurance Yojana (UDAY) scheme meant for revival of debt-stressed power distribution utilities and will get benefits of around Rs 263 crore.Manipur is the 14th state to join the UDAY. It is also the first North Eastern state to opt for the UDAY for improving the efficiency of the DISCOM.

2. Haryana to open Yoga Centres at Municipal level: Yoga centres will be opened in all municipal committees, councils and corporations in Haryana. The announcement was made by Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Vij.

3. Odisha Government approves 3 investment projects worth Rs 874 crore: The Odisha government has approved three projects involving investment of nearly 870 crore rupees. The projects will generate employment potential of 630 persons.The projects are expansion of Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited in Khurda; 2.50 lakh hectolitre capacity brewery plant in Dhenkanal district and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Common User Facility Centre in Jharsuguda district.

4. Lok Sabha passes Child Labour Amendment Bill: The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill was passed by LokSabhawhich prohibits employment of children below 14 years in all occupations except in family business, with the provision for the imprisonment of up to two years for any violation.

5. Centre approves Rs 1601 crore for Skill Development Programme: The Union Government has approved nearly 1600 crore rupees for Jammu and Kashmir under skill development initiative 'Himayat'. Under it, youths from both rural and urban areas of J&K would be imparted with training in various job-intensive vocational courses over the next three years.

6. India’s CSIR ranked world’s 12^th best government institute: The Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) has been ranked world's 12th best government institution. The institutes were ranked by a prestigious Scimago Institutions Rankings that ranks institutes based on the research performance, innovation and social impact.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Brazil free of Measles: WHO: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Brazil free of measles, after no case of the disease was registered in the last year. Brazil saw no domestic cases of measles from 1985 to 2000, although it broke out in 2013 in the northeastern states of Pernambuco and Ceara.

2. IOM becomes part of United Nations: The UN General Assembly has unanimously adopted a resolution approving an agreement to make the International Organisation for Migration part of the UN as a related organisation. IOM, which assisted an estimated 20 million migrants in 2015, is an intergovernmental organisation with more than 9,500 staff and 450 offices worldwide. The headquarters of the United Nations is in Manhattan, New York City, and experiences extraterritoriality.

3. LeEco acquires Vizio for $2 billion: Chinese electronics firm LeEco is buying American TV manufacturer Vizio for $2 billion. As per the deal, VIZIO hardware and software businesses will be owned and operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of LeEco.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. RBI slaps penalty on UCO Bank, Allahabad Bank, Bank of India and Canara Bank: RBI has imposed penalty of Rs 2 crore each on Allahabad Bank and UCO Bank and Rs 1 crore on Bank of India for violation of anti-money laundering norms.The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed an aggregate penalty of Rs. 2 crore on Canara Bank.

SPORTS:

2. MuttaiahMuralitharan to enter ICC Hall of Fame: Spin legend MuttaiahMuralitharan will be the first Sri Lankan to be included in the ICC's Hall of Fame. Australia's Arthur Morris, Karen Rolton and George Lohmann of England are the three along with Muralitharan to share the honours.

3. BCCI Chief Anurag Thakur to join Territorial Army: BJP MP and Anurag Thakur will be commissioned into the Territorial Army (TA) as a regular officer on 29th July 2016.

AWARDS:

4. Bezwada Wilson and T M Krishna win Ramon Magsaysay Award: Classical singer ThodurMadabusi Krishna and National Convenor of SafaiKarmachariAndolan Bezwada Wilson featured in this year's list of winners of the coveted Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016.The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's.

OBITUARIES:

5. Former diplomat ArundhatiGhose passes away at the age of 76: Veteran diplomat ArundhatiGhose, who led the Indian delegation at the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) negotiations in Geneva in 1996, passed away here early on Tuesday aged 76.

Daily GK Updates - 26th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Kargil Divas observed on 26^th July: On this day, 26 July 1999, India successfully took command of the high outposts which had been lost to Pakistani intruders. The Kargil war was fought for more than 60 days, ended on 26 July and resulted in the loss of life on both sides, India and Pakistan and with the India regain possessions of Kargil.

2. 7^th Pay Commission to be implemented from August: The Centre has published the implementation notification of the 7th Pay Commission, stating that central government employees will get the revised pay from August. As the Commission had recommended a 23.55 percent overall hike in salaries, allowances and pension involving an additional burden of Rs 1.02 lakh crore, or nearly 0.7 percent of GDP.

3. Policy planning dialogue meeting of BRICS has begun today in Patna: BRICS policy planning dialogue meeting has begun today in Patna. Delegates of BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are participating in this meeting. The dialogue meeting is being held ahead of the 8th BRICS Summit, which is going to be held in Goa on October 15-16 under the chairmanship of India. This year's theme of dialogue is Building responsive, Inclusive and collective solutions.

4. Hinduja National Power commissions 1040 MW thermal power project in Visakhapatnam: Part of the Hinduja Group, Hinduja National Power Corporation Limited (HNPCL) has commissioned its 1,040 MW coal fired thermal power project on the coast of Bay of Bengal at Palavalasa village in the Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh.

5. Rajasthan planned to double farmers’ income in six years: In an attempt to double the income of farmers by 2022, the Rajasthan government plans to bring in latest technological innovation and introduce best farming practices by inviting experts to Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM) in Jaipur from November 9 to 11.

6. Karnataka opens dedicated start-up cell: The Government of Karnataka has set-up a dedicated start-up cell for speeding up the implementation of the initiatives under its start-up policy. This is the first time in India that a government has come up with a dedicated Start-up Cell guided by the Start-up Policy, which envisages the growth of 20,000 new start-ups, including 6,000 product start-ups, by 2020 in Karnataka.

7. Oldest elephant in Kerala set to enter Guinness World Records: Dakshayani, 86, is all set to enter the Guinness World Records as the oldest living elephant. The Travancore Devasom Board (TDB) - the owner of the elephant - has already written to the Guinness authorities staking claim to Dakshayani being the oldest living elephant in the world.

8. Dr. Buddha Rashmi Mani appointed as the Director General of National Museum.

9. Flipkart’sMyntra acquires Jabong: Online fashion marketplace Myntra has announced that it has acquired its rival Jabong from Global Fashion Group to create India’s biggest fashion shopping destination. The acquisition of Jabong further strengthens Myntra and its parent company Flipkart’s position as the undisputed leader in fashion and lifestyle segment in India.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Solar Impulse completes historic round the world trip: The Solar Impulse has become the first aircraft to circle the globe powered by the sun, after landing in Abu Dhabi on the last leg of its journey, where it first took off on an epic 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) journey that began more than a year ago.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Vodafone M-Pesa ties up with Punjab power utility: Vodafone M-Pesa, a mobile phone-based money transfer service, has tied up with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to enable consumers pay their electricity bills instantly.

SPORTS:

2. R Ashwin becomes No. 1 Test bowler again after taking 6 wickets against West Indies.

Daily GK Updates - 25th July, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rs 2048 crore sanctioned under ‘SwadeshDarshan’ scheme: The Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned 25 projects under the SwadeshDarshan scheme worth Rs. 2048 Crore. The scheme is launched in January 2015. For the North Eastern States, the Ministry has sanctioned 9 projects worth Rs. 821 Crores covering all the 8 states.

2. Solar Power tree developed for the generation of electricity: The Ministry of Science and Technology has come up with a 'Solar Power Tree', an innovative way to generate electricity using solar power in a limited space. The Solar Power Tree model is actually designed like a tree with branches made of steel to hold the photovoltaic panel.

3. TCS top employer in IT industry, says NASSCOM: Software services major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been ranked as the top employer in the Indian IT industry by the representative body Nasscom. Though Cognizant is a US-based IT firm, it has the largest number of employees in India with development centres in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

4. Quikr acquires online recruitment start-up Hiree: Online classifieds platform Quikr has acquired Bengaluru-based online recruitment firm Hiree for an undisclosed amount. Hiree will be merged with the startup's jobs vertical QuikrJobs, and will work out of Quikr headquarters.

5. ITC appoints SanjivPuri as COO.

6. Ricoh India Chairman Tetsuya Takano resigns and Ian Peter Winham appointed as its new Director and Chairman.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. AG600 Aircraft unveiled by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China: The plane AG600 has been unveiled by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) in southern port city of Zhuhai. Before the AG600, the largest amphibious cast was the H-4 Hercules, known as the Spruce Goose, used in WW2. Its wingspan is still longer than the AG600's.

2. Nepal PM KP Oli resigns ahead of a no-confidence vote: Nepal's Prime Minister, Khadga Prasad Oli has resigned from his office. He resigned ahead of a no-confidence vote. Oli, 64, who became prime minister of Nepal in October 2015, has been facing a no-trust motion after the Maoists withdrew support from the coalition government.

3. Ericsson CEO Vestberg steps down: Swedish mobile telecoms maker Ericsson's Chief Executive Officer Hans Vestberg has resigned from his post with immediate effect. Vestberg has been the company's CEO since 2010.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. RBI imposes a penalty of Rs 5 crore on Bank of Baroda: The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of Rs5 crore on Bank of Baroda in the alleged rs. 6,000 crore forex related irregularities that were observed in October last year.

2. ICICI, Axis Bank join Swift’s global payment initiative: ICICI Bank and Axis Bank are the first Indian banks to sign up for Swift’s global payments innovation initiative. The Belgium-based Swift is a global member-owned cooperative and a leading provider of secure financial messaging services.

SPORTS:

3. Lewis Hamilton wins 5^th Hungarian Grand Prix.

4. Indian Shooter ManavadityaRathore clinch Bronze in Junior World Cup in Italy.

5. Feliciano Lopez wins 2016 Swiss Open Gstaad: The 2016 Swiss Open Gstaad, a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts has won by the Spain player Feliciano Lopez. He has defeated Robin Haase of the Netherlands.

AWARDS:

6. Violinist A Kanyakumari, first female violinist to get Sangita Kalanidhi Award: In the 87 years of the Sangita Kalanidhi award, this year is special as Renowned violinist Avasarala Kanyakumari from south India was selected for the prestigious 2016 Sangita Kalanidhi Award.