Daily GK Updates - 14th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Children’s Day observed on 14^th November: On 14th November, Children’s Day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of our first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Pandit Nehru had a great love for children. He wanted to be among them, talk to them and play with them. The children also loved and respected him and called him CHACHA NEHRU.

2. Israel President arrives in Mumbai on 6-day visit to India: Israel President ReuvenRivlin arrived in Mumbai on November 14th on a six-day visit to India to further strengthen bilateral ties. He will meet Prime Minister NarendraModi and External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj

3. Molinari Rail to set up manufacturing unit in India: Swiss major Molinari Rail will set up a manufacturing and assembly centre for auxiliary power units for diesel locomotives in India by next year.  Molinari Rail AG has entered into a strategic pact to design, manufacture and deliver the auxiliary power units (APUs) for 1,000 diesel locomotives to be built in India for Indian Railways.

4. Mahindra and Mahindra elevatePawanGoenka as MD: Mahindra and Mahindra appointed Pawan Goenka as Managing Director and Anand Mahindra was redesignated as executive chairman.

5. Mauritius PM Anerood Jugnauth to visit Mumbai on November 18: Mauritius Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth is set to visit the city on November 18, where he is expected to discuss various issues, including one that provides a subsidy for Bollywood films shot there, with the Maharashtra government.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Diabetes Day celebrated on 14^th November: The theme for this year is "Eyes on Diabetes". World Diabetes Day is an annual campaign, led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its member associations. It is celebrated every year on 14 November and engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness.

2. APEC Forum’s Week starts in Lima, Peru: The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum's Week started at Lima in Peru today bringing together leaders of world's largest economies, businessmen and investors. A creation of Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, which would include all APEC states, is one of the main topics on the agenda of the 2016 APEC Summit that is widely seen as the premier business event drawing together business and economic leaders of 21 Pacific Rim countries.

3. Fortune magazine named Mark Zuckerberg as the Business Person of the Year: The 32-year-old Zuckerberg, was honored based on various criteria, including the company’s performance year over year as well as his vision for growth and the ability to achieve it.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Yes Bank appoints AmreshAcharya as Head Global Indian Banking.

2. Federal Bank to open its first overseas branch in Dubai: Federal Bank, India's major commercial bank in the private sector has received Reserve Bank of India (RBI)'s permission to open its first international branch at the Dubai International Financial Centre.

SPORTS:

3. Aditi Ashok makes history by winning the Women’s Indian Open: Aditi Ashok is an Indian professional golfer who has scripted history on November 13th as she became the first Indian woman to win a Ladies European Tour title by clinching the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

AWARDS:

4. 5 decades and 200 films later, Jackie Chan ‘finally’ wins Oscars: Hollywood actor Jackie Chan received his little gold statuette, an honorary Oscar for his decades of work in film on November 13th at the annual Governors Awards.

5. Gulzar named for Tata LitFest’s Poet Laureate 2016 award: Lyricist-writer Gulzar will be honoured with 2016 Tata Literature Live! Poet Laureate Award. The award will be presented to Gulzar, an Oscar and Grammy Award winner, at the inaugural of the festival on November 17.

6. Indian-origin humanitarian gets Global Citizen Award: An Indian-origin man from South Africa was awarded the Global Citizen Award for his "innovative and visionary" contribution to the global community. ImtiazSooliman founded the internationally-lauded Gift of the Givers Foundation, which is Africa's largest disaster relief organisation.

Daily GK Updates - 13th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India and Bhutan signs agreement on trade for better bilateral relations: Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Bhutan's Economic Affairs Minister Tengye Lyonpo Lekey Dorji signed the agreement in New Delhi. The first agreement on trade and commerce between both countries was signed in 1972.

2. India to preside next edition of COP in Geneva in 2018: India will preside the eighth edition of the Conference of Parties (COP) to WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) which will be held in Switzerland's Geneva in 2018. Health Secretary CK Mishra has been chosen as the President of the COP Bureau, for the next two years, after a unanimous decision by the COP7 Plenary session.

3. Pune to host India-China 'Hand-In-Hand 2016': The India-China Joint Training Exercise "Hand in Hand 2016" is scheduled to be held in Pune from November 15-27. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sydney to host Invictus Games in 2018: Britain's Prince Harry: Australia will host the 2018 Invictus Games for wounded military personnel, Britain's Prince Harry announced. More than 500 serving and former personnel from 17 nations will compete in the multi-sports competition in Sydney.

2.IMF approves largest-ever loan for a Middle East nation: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a three-year $12 billion loan program for Egypt, the largest such package to a Middle East nation. The loan will help in boosting Egypt’s foreign currency inflows, which have dwindled since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, and revive the African nation's economy.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Batra 1^st Indian to be elected as International Hockey Federation Chief: NarinderBatra has become the first Indian to be elected the President of the International Hockey Federation. He was voted to the top post by an overwhelming margin during the penultimate day of the 45th FIH Congress in Dubai.

2. Vandana Kataria to captain Indian women’s hockey team in Australia series: Forward Vandana Katariya will captain Indian senior women's hockey team in the Test Series against Australia to be played at Melbourne from November 23 to November 30.

Daily GK Updates - 12th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India, Japan Sign Landmark Nuclear Energy Deal:India on Friday signed a historic civilian nuclear deal with Japan during the annual bilateral summit held in Tokyo. India is the first non-member of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) to have signed such a deal with Japan.

2. 11-year-old Pune girl wins ‘Doodle 4 Google’ 2016 contest: 11 year old Pune girl Anvita Prashant Telang has been named national winner of the “Doodle 4 Google” contest. The sixth standard student from Vibgyor High School in Balewadi area was chosen for her Doodle submission on the theme titled “If I could teach anyone anything, it would be”.

3. TAFE setting up Centre of Excellence in Rajasthan: TAFE, the world’s third largest tractor maker, in collaboration with the Rajasthan government, is setting up a Centre of Excellence — ‘JFarm Rajasthan’ — and a Custom Hiring Centre in six zones in Rajasthan at a total outlay of Rs.970 crore. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Pneumonia Day Observes today: 12th November: World Pneumonia Day is observed across the world on 12 November. The day is annually observed to raise awareness about pneumonia, the world’s leading killer of children under the age of five; promote interventions to protect against, prevent and treat pneumonia; and generate action to combat pneumonia. 

2.Chinese Minister elected Interpol President: China’s Vice-Minister for Public Security on Thursday was elected the President of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). Meng Hongwei is the first Chinese official to take the post.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Indian Women's team wins Gold at the 7th World Carrom Championship: Indian women’s carrom team defeated Sri Lanka to win the gold at the seventh World carrom championship in Birmingham (UK) on Friday.India's S Apoorwa and Kajol Kumari also won gold in the women's doubles event.

OBITUARIES:

5. Leonard Cohen dies aged 82: tributes pour in to legendary singer-songwriter:Leonard Cohen, the baritone-voiced Canadian singer-songwriter who seamlessly blended spirituality and sexuality in songs like Hallelujah, Suzanne and Bird on a Wire, has died at age 82.

Daily GK Updates - 11th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.G Mahalingam is SEBI’s new Full-Time Member: Gurumoorthy Mahalingam took charge as Full-Time Member of SEBI on 10th November. He will be responsible for leading the Integrated Surveillance Department, Investment Management Department, Enforcement Department (ED), Foreign Portfolio Investors and Custodians, Collective Investment Schemes, and Department of Economic and Policy Analysis, among others.

2. Maharashtra, Canada to work on urban infrastructure, smart cities: Maharashtra government has signed an agreement with Canada to implement a joint action plan on urban infrastructure development in the state. 

3. Tata Chemicals' Director Bhaskar Bhat resigns: Bhaskar Bhat, the non-executive and non-independent director on the board of Tata Chemicals Ltd, has resigned with immediate effect. Bhat had expressed displeasure at the continuation of Mistry as Chairman. On Friday, the independent directors unanimously supported Mistry's chairmanship on Tata Chemicals board.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.Roger Federer wins Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award: Former world number one Roger Federer won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award at the ATP awards on 10th November, for the 12th time in his career.  

2. Mumbai’s Western Railways beat Haryana 4-2 to win Surjit trophy: Mumbai's Western Railways women's team on 10 November 2016 won the 33rd Indian Oil Servo Surjit Hockey Tournament.The team defeated Haryana XI 4-2 in the title clash played at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar.

Daily GK Updates - 10th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New series of Rs 500 & 2,000 notes to be available from today: Union Finance Minister ArunJaitley has announced that the new series of 500 and 2,000 rupees notes will be available in banks and post-offices from today and assured that there will be adequate availability of the new notes in the coming days.

2. ATMs to dispense Rs 50 notes from Nov 11: RBI: Come November 11, ATMs in the country will also dispense banknotes of Rs. 50 denomination. Currently, the lowest denomination note a customer can get at an ATM is Rs. 100.

3. Nadda launches “Healthy India Initiative” magazine and mobile app: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda has launched Healthy India Initiative magazine and No More Tension mobile App for the promotion of health and to strengthen the health communications programmes.

4.Union Government launches Smart India Hackathon: The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has launched Smart India Hackathon 2017. It is the world’s largest digital national building initiative. 

5.Delhi Declaration on Agro-biodiversity Management adopted: The 1st International Agro-biodiversity Congress that was held in New Delhi from 6 November to 9 November 2016 concluded with the adoption of Delhi Declaration on Agro biodiversity Management. The event saw the participation of 900 participants from 60 countries.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Twitter COO Adam Bain is stepping down: In a big loss to Twitter, the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Adam Bain who was in charge of the micro-blogging website’s revenue business has decided to leave the company. 

2.China launches pulsar navigation satellite: China has launched a navigation satellite, which will conduct in-orbit experiments using pulsar detectors to demonstrate new technologies. The X-ray pulsar navigation satellite was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center today.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today conferred the Uttarakhand Ratna award on his arch rival and former chief minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari on the occasion of the state's 17th foundation day. 

2. Professor Raj Bisaria to get Madhya Pradesh government govt's Kalidas Samman for Theatre: Renowned theatre personality and Padma Shri, Prof Raj Bisaria is all set to weave another feather in his cap with the Madhya Pradesh government honouring him with its prestigious 'KalidasSamman' national award for 2015-16 for achievement in theatre. 

Daily GK Updates - 9th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes invalid now: Prime Minister NarendraModi talked about fighting corruption and black money during his address to the nation. In a major step to check black money, the prime minister announced demonetization of Rs 500 and 1000 currency notes from 8th November midnight. The RBI has issued new series of notes for 500 rupees and 2000 rupees denomination with improved features and newer sizes.

2. Government to open Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Kendra in every LS constituency: The Centre has decided to open Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Kendra in every Parliamentary Constituency to impart skill training to the people and make them employable.

3. President of India inaugurated Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of ECGC: The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India Limited (ECGC) on November 8, 2016) in New Delhi.

4. India’s first LNG powered bus rolls out in Kerala: India’s first liquefied natural gas-driven bus has been launched in Kerala. Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan jointly flagged off the first pilot run eco-friendly bus.

5. Amitav Ghosh to be honoured with Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award: Acclaimed Indian American fiction author Amitav Ghosh, 60, has been named for 2016 Tata Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Indian literary space.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. UCO Bank to raise Rs 271 crore equity from LIC: UCO Bank has announced that it would raise Rs.271 crore from Life Insurance Corporation of India in preferential allotment of equal shares at Rs.37.74 apiece.

2. Asian Development Bank $48 million loan to help Assam improve power distribution: This is the second tranche loan of the USD 300 million multi-tranche financing facility for the Assam Power Sector Investment Programme that was approved by the ADB Board in July 2014.The project will help Assam to enhance capacity and efficiency of its power distribution system to improve electricity service to end user. 

3. Corporation Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army on the defence salary package.

OBITUARIES:

4. Janet Reno, first female US attorney general, dies: Janet Reno, the first woman to be appointed as Attorney General of US, passed away as a consequence of Parkinson’s disease. She was 78.

Daily GK Updates - 8th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India and Britain sign two agreements: India and the United Kingdom have signed two pacts to boost cordial relations between the two nations.The pacts were inked during the 3 days visit of Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to India.PM Theresa May was on a three Day visit to India. Two agreements, one on intellectual property (IP) and another for bilateral cooperation on raising ease of doing business were signed.

2. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan starts: The Union Government launched Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan to provide free health check-ups to pregnant women at government health centres and hospitals.

3. Demchok mission of Indian Army successfully completed: The Indian army has successfully completed its task of laying an irrigation pipeline in the Demchok region of Eastern Ladakh. The project was being conducted under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to link the villages in the region with a hot spring.

4. VinodRai to head advisory commission: VinodRai has been appointed as the Chairman of Fund Trustee and Advisory Commission of Kerala. He will be entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that the funds of the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) are properly utilised and the interest of investors is protected.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 600 million pounds masala bonds to be listed in London: The British government has announced that, 4 rupee-denominated bonds worth of 600 million pounds are expected to be listed in London in the next three months.

2. NASA’s MMS creates new Guinness World Record: NASA’s Magnetospheric Multi-scale (MMS) Mission on 5 November 2016 set the Guinness world record for highest altitude fix of a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal at 70000 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. Magnetospheric Multi-scale (MMS) mission successfully completed commissioning activities on 1 September 2015 and is now in full science mode.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. RBI issues clarifications on hedging for ECBs: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued the Clarifications on hedging for External Commercial Borrowings (ECB). The Clarifications were issued under section 10(4) and 11(1) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999.

2. Ratnesh Kumar appointed MD and CEO of BOB Capital Markets.

AWARDS:

3. Tunisian leader among four conferred Jamnalal Bajaj awards: Well-known Gandhian and President of Tunisia's Ennahdha Party, Sheikh RachedGhannouchi was among four prominent personalities conferred with the prestigious 39th Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation Awards for 2016.Mohan HirabaiHiralal, founder and convenor of Vrikshamitra was honoured for outstanding contribution in the field of Constructive Work.BonBehari Vishnu Nimbkar, founder of Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute was presented the award for application of science and technology for rural development.Dr.Nannapaneni Manga Devi, founder secretary of Sri VenkateswaraBalaKuteer and Chetana Charitable Trust was honoured with the award for development and welfare of women and children.