Daily GK Updates - 21st November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Manohar Parrikar commissioned destroyer ‘INS Chennai’: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on 21st November commissioned ‘INS Chennai’, the third indigenously designed guided missile destroyer in the Kolkata class. With an overall length of 164 metres and displacement of over 7,500 tonnes, ‘INS Chennai’ is one of the largest destroyers in the Indian Navy’s fleet.

2. India successfully conducts test-fire of nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile: India today successfully test fired the nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile.ii. The twin trial was conducted from a test range in Chandipur, off the coast of Odisha. The Prithvi-II missile has a payload capacity of 500 kg to 1,000 kg and a strike range of 350 km.

3. Nat Geo Magazine cover features Mangalyaan’s Mars photo: An image of the planet Mars taken by ISRO's Mars-orbiting spacecraft Mangalyaan has found a place on the cover of the November edition of the National Geographic magazine.

4. 47^th International Film Festival of India begins at Goa: The 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), considered to be Asia's oldest film festival, began in Goa on Nov 20, 2016. The Republic of Korea is the focus country of IFFI 2016. Legendary singer S P Bala Subrahmanyam was honoured with 'Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the year' at the opening ceremony of the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

5. Jagadish Singh Khehar appointed Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NASA launches ‘next generation’ weather satellite: The National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) on 20 November 2016 launched the highly advanced geostationary weather satellite Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R). The Satellite was launched by NASA on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It was launched on board of Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Siby Sebastian appointed as CEO of SBM Bank (Mauritius), India: The State Bank of Mauritius (SBM) Group has appointed Siby Sebastian as Chief Executive for its India operations. The SBM Group operates four branches in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ramachandrapuram.

AWARDS:

2. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar gets International Peace Prize: Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was honoured with an International peace prize for his efforts in ensuring world peace. The 'Dr Nagendra Singh International Peace Award' was given to him by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.The award has been instituted in the memory of Dr Nagendra Singh, an Indian judge at International Court of Justice, The Hague.

3. Al Nayhan conferred with prestigious Mother Teresa International Award:Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was awarded the prestigious Mother Teresa International Award by the Mumbai-based NGO Harmony Foundation. Shaikh Abdullah, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, was conferred with the award for his contribution in promoting peace and stability in the West Asia.

Daily GK Updates - 20th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pradhan Mantri Grameen Awas Yojana to provide 3 crore affordable housing units across country: Designed entirely for the rural masses, the ambitious scheme aims to provide affordable houses to all those living below the poverty line by the year 2022. In addition, the prime minister distributed allotment letters to 50 beneficiaries of the scheme, which aims to provide about 3 crore new housing units countrywide.

2. India and Cyprus ink new tax pact to replace 2 decade-old treaty: India and Cyprus has signed a new double tax avoidance pact under which capital gains tax will be levied on sale of shares on investments made after April 1, 2017, bringing the island nation at par with Mauritius in terms of tax treatment. The latest pact would replace the existing Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), which was in place since June 13, 1994.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Universal Children’s Day observed on November 20: United Nations Universal Children’s Day was established in 1954 and is celebrated on November 20th each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare. November 20th is an important date as it is the date in 1959 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. It is also the date in 1989 when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

2. World’s first Bollywood theme park opens in Dubai: Bollywood Parks, Dubai has opened with fanfare, fireworks, dance, music and simulator 4D shows based on hit Hindi-language movies. Visitors were greeted by ­performers dancing to thumping Bollywood music across the park with some atop a mock-up of a suburban Mumbai railway train and others outside the ­Rajmahal theatre, which will stage live musicals.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Catholic Syrian Bank to appoint CVR Rajendran as MD & CEO: The Reserve Bank of India has granted approval for appointment of C.V.R.Rajendran as the Managing Director & CEO of Catholic Syrian Bank for a period of three years from the date of his taking charge. Rajendran is currently holding the position of Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Mutual Funds of India.

2. PV Sindhu wins maiden Super Series Premier Title: Olympic silver medallist P.V. Sindhu clinched her maiden Super Series Premier title after edging out Sun Yu of China in the finals of the USD 700,000 China Open badminton tournament in Fuzhou, China. She continued her rampaging run as she lifted the prestigious title after beating Sun 21-11 17-21 21-11 in the summit clash that lasted an hour and nine minutes.

3. R Ashwin 1^st bowler ever to take 50 wickets in consecutive years: Ravichandran Ashwin, with his 5-wicket haul against England in the Visakhapatnam Test, became the first bowler ever to complete 50 wickets in two consecutive calendar years. The off-spinner took 62 wickets in 9 Tests in 2015 and has so far claimed 52 wickets in 9 Tests in 2016. Notably, Ashwin was the top wicket-taker in Tests last year.

OBITUARIES:

4. World’s first Heart Transplant doctor passes away: Renowned heart surgeon Denton Cooley, who performed the world`s first artificial heart transplant in the United States, has passed away at the age of 96 in Houston, Texas.

Daily GK Updates 19th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. TCS and Vedanta wins ACES Awards: Two leading Indian companies, Tata Consultancy Services and Vedanta have been awarded for their leadership in sustainability, corporate social responsibility, eco-consciousness and community care at the third annual Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards (ACES). TATA Consultancy Services (TCS) was named Industry Champions in the Leadership category. India’s Vedanta Limited was named “Top Companies to Work for in Asia.”

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Toilet Day: 19^th November: World Toilet Day is observed on 19 November every year with an aim to motivate millions across the world on issues of sanitation. The theme for 2016 World Toilet Day is ‘toilets and jobs’.

2. Donald Trump picks Michael Flynn as NSA: United States president-elect Donald Trump has named Michael Flynn, an ex-army general as his National security adviser. Flynn served as Mr Trump's top military advisor during the Presidential campaign.

3. Ami Bera re-elected to US Congress for third consecutive term: Ami Bera has been re-elected to the US House of Representatives for a 3rd consecutive term in a close election. This is the first time that the House would have 4 Indian-American members. Another Indian-American Kamala Harris has been elected to the US Senate.

4. 3^rd World Internet Conference 2016 concludes in Wuzhen, China: The theme of the 3rd World Internet Conference, which commenced on 16 November 2016, was Innovation-driven Internet Development for the Benefit of All – Building a Community of Common Future in Cyberspace.

OTHER UPDATES:

AWARDS:

1. Latin Grammy Awards 2016: The 17th annual Latin Grammys has been announced at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, US.Latin Grammy Award is given by The Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. List of Winners: Record of the Year-Carlos Vives& Shakira, "La Bicicleta 2. Best Rock Album-Los FabulososCadillacs, La Salvación De Solo Y Juan 3. Best Pop/Rock Album-Julieta Venegas, AlgoSucede 4. Best Singer-Songwriter Album-Manuel Medrano, Manuel Medrano 5. Best Regional Song-"Ataúd," Erika Ender, Manu Moreno &MónicaVélez, songwriters (Los Tigres Del Norte).

2. Pt. Hari Prasad Chourasia gets Lifetime Achievement Award for classical music: Noted flutist Pt. Hari Prasad Chourasia has been conferred this year’s Sumitra Charat Ram Award for lifetime achievement in the field of Indian classical music.

Daily GK Updates - 18th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Make in India in Defence: Navy inducts 4 indigenous sonars: The Indian Navy on 18th November formally inducted four types of indigenously developed sonars that will boost its underwater surveillance capability. The systems included Abhay, which is a compact hull mounted sonar for shallow water crafts; Humsa UG, which is an upgrade for the Humsa sonar system; NACS, or the Near-field Acoustic Characterisation System; and AIDSS, or the Advanced Indigenous Distress sonar system for submarines.

2. Sachin Tendulkar to adopt another village in Andhra Pradesh: Indian Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar inaugurated projects worth Rs 6 crore at his adopted village of PuttamrajuvariKandriga in Andhra Pradesh (AP).

3. India-China Joint Military Exercise ‘Hand-in-Hand’ begins in Pune: The 6th Indo-China joint training exercise Hand- in- Hand 2016 commenced at the parade ground in Aundh Military Camp, Pune. The exercise will finish on 27 November 2016. The joint exercise intends to acquaint both the Armies with each other’s operating procedures in the backdrop of counter-terrorism environment.

4. Patel most common Indian surname in UK: Dictionary: Patel has emerged as the most common Indian surname in the UK, according to a new Oxford dictionary. The ‘Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland’ has put together the origins of nearly 50,000.

5. Rishi Jaitly named CEO of Times Global Partners: Times Internet, the digital arm of The Times of India group appointed former Twitter India head Rishi Jaitly as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Times Global Partners, a group initiative that supports the launch and expansion of emerging global digital companies in India.

6. Airtel announces merger with Axiata in Bangladesh: Telecom operator Bharti Airtel has announced the completion of the merger of its subsidiary unit in Bangladesh with Robi Axiata. This entity will now be the second-largest mobile operator in Bangladesh.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. BBC World Service announces biggest expansion ‘since the 1940s’: BBC World Service will launch 11 new language services as part of its biggest expansion “since the 1940s”, due to the funding boost. The new languages will be Afaan Oromo, Amharic, Gujarati, Igbo, Korean, Marathi, Pidgin, Punjabi, Telugu, Tigrinya, and Yoruba.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. HDFC Bank’s Aditya Puri ranked 36^th in Fortune’s top businessmen list: HDFC Bank's Aditya Puri has been ranked 36th in the US magazine Fortune's top 50 business persons list for 2016. He is the only Indian among three persons of Indian origin in the global rankings. Facebook's Mark Zuckerburg topped the list by the US magazine.

2. Oxygen Partners Federal Bank for Cash Management Services:Federal Bank has tied up with Oxigen to expand the bank’s e-collection facility to the about 3 lakh- retail outlets of Oxigen.

SPORTS:

3. Sprinter Dharambir handed eight-year ban: Haryana sprinter Dharambir Singh, who was barred from representing the country in the Rio Olympics at the last minute for failing a dope test, has been slapped an eight-year ban by the National Anti-Doping Agency.

AWARDS:

4. TCS awarded Digital Innovator of the Year: India's IT majorTata Consultancy Services has been awarded 'Digital Innovator of the Year' in the Ecosystem Excellence category at GE's Minds + Machines event.

Daily GK Updates - 17th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Chhattisgarh first state to adopt resolution on Demonetisation: Chhattisgarh has become the first state to adopt a resolution welcoming the demonetization of high-value currency notes.The state Assembly adopted a resolution moved by Chief Minister Raman Singh on 16th November welcoming the Centre’s decision.

2. Reliance Group launches IoT services under venture Unlimit: Reliance Group has partnered with Cisco Jasper for the launch of a venture called Unlimit, which will provide Internet of Things (IoT) services to its enterprise customers in India. IoT is a network of “things” that include identifiable devices, appliances, equipment, the machinery of all forms and sizes with the intelligence to seamlessly connect, communicate and control or manage each other to perform a set of tasks with minimum intervention.

3. Women Commando Team inducted in CRPF: A team of women commandos has been inducted for the first time in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to counter Naxal insurgency in Jharkhand. A Naxal or Naxalite is a member of any of the Communist guerrilla groups in India, mostly associated with the Communist or Leftist ideology.

4. 20 Nations sign framework agreement of International Solar Alliance as process begins: More than 20 countries, including Brazil, France and India, on 15 November 2016 signed the framework agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) at Marrakech, Morocco. The Framework Agreement of ISA was opened for signature on the sidelines of the CoP22 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Philosophy Day: 17^th November: The World Philosophy Day is observed globally on the third Thursday of November every year. This year, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) organised the special events.

2. Russia withdraws from International Criminal Court: President Vladimir Putin has signed an executive order removing Russia’s signature from the International Criminal Court’s founding treaty on 16th November.

3. ‘Post-Truth’ named Oxford Dictionaries’ Word of the Year amid 2016 political climate:Oxford Dictionaries has declared "post-truth" to be its international word of the year citing a 2,000% spike in its usage. The word beat competition from "adulting," "alt-right," "Brexiteer," "glass cliff" and "woke". Last year's choice was the "face with tears of joy" emoji.

4. Nawaz Sharif inaugurates Gwadar port in Pakistan:Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated a trade route linking the south-western Gwadar port to Kashgar city in China as part of $46 billion project to jumpstart economic growth in the South Asian country. With the operationalization of the revamped Gwadar port, the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), linking western China to the Arabian Sea, became a reality.

OTHER UPDATES:

OBITUARIES:

1. Former J&K Governor Lt General S K Sinha passes away: Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Lt Gen S K Sinha passed away at a hospital this morning after brief illness. He was 92.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

2. Book titled ‘The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad’ authored by Twinkle Khanna was launched: Actor-turned-author Twinkle Khanna launched her second book titled 'The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad'. Twinkle's first book was 'Mrs Funnybones: She's Just Like You and a Lot Like Me', which was published in 2015.

Daily GK Updates - 16th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union Budget to be presented on February 1: The government has announced that it will present the Union Budget for 2017-18 on February 1 and the budget session may begin in January. The government had issued the customary budget circular in September. Notably, the Centre earlier approved the scrapping of the 92-year old practice of presenting a separate Railway Budget and merged it with the Union Budget.

2. India, ADB sign $500 million loan pact to build 9.8 km Ganga Bridge in Bihar: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India on 15 November 2016 signed a 500 million US dollar loan to build a 9.8 km long road bridge across the Ganges River. This will be India’s longest river bridge.

3. Nitish Kumar launches free power connection programme: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has launched a key programme to provide free electricity connection to about 50 lakh households above the poverty line.The chief minister launched “HarGharBijliLagataar” programme, which was key development thrust for the Assembly polls.

4. DRDO’s combat drone Rustom-2 flies for the first time: The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully tested its unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Rustom-2. The medium-altitude long endurance (MALE) category vehicle met all the expectations during the first flight.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day for Tolerance 2016 observed across the world: The International Day for Tolerance is observed globally on 16 November every year. The Day aims at educating masses about the need for tolerance in society and helping them understand the negative effects of intolerance.

2. Doctors perform brain implant for the first time in history: Netherlands-based doctors have performed the first-ever brain implant on a 58-year-old woman paralysed by Lou Gehrig's disease, enabling her to communicate in day-to-day life via a speech computer. The disease-caused nerve degeneration had left her with control only over her eyes. The implant enabled her to control the computer using brain signals, spelling out messages at two letters per minute.

  

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Hockley - 1^st woman to head a Test nation’s cricket board: Debbie Hockley has been elected as president of New Zealand Cricket, becoming the first woman to hold that role in the 122-year history of the sport's national governing body.

  

2. Padmini Rout wins National Women Premier Championship for the third time: Rout played out a draw with her Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB ) teammate EeshaKaravade that made her achieve the hat-trick of title wins.

Daily GK Updates - 15th November, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Moon came close to earth after 1948: The moon arrived at its closest point to the Earth since 1948. The 'supermoon' reached its brightest in Asia on 14 November 2016. The Moon was closest, only 2 lakh 21 thousand 524 miles (356509 km) away at 11:21 GMT.

2. Demonetisation: RBI sets panel to oversee ATM recalibrations: o oversee recalibration of ATM machines after the country introduced new banknotes to replace old 500 rupee and 1,000 rupee notes, RBI will set up a task force under Deputy Governor SS Mundra. Panel will provide "direction and guidance" for recalibrating ATM machines to dispense the new notes.

3. President inaugurates the India International Trade Fair in Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on 14th November has inaugurated the India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi which will see participation of over 150 companies from 27 countries. This year's edition of the mega trade fair with 'Digital India' theme is being held from November 14-27.

4. India, US launch $95 million clean energy projects: As part of its efforts to continue the global transition to zero-and-low carbon energy sources, the United States (US) has announced two financial projects worth 95 million US dollars for India. The projects announced on 14 November 2016 aims at bringing more energy-efficient appliances to rural sector of the country.

5. Thiruvananthapuram becomes country’s ‘breast cancer capital’: Thiruvananthapuram has been termed as the country's breast cancer capital, with cases at a record high of 40 per lakh of population.

6. India’s 1^st Cherry Blossom Festival starts in Meghalaya: Meghalaya on Monday became the first state to start India's first Cherry Blossom Festival, which is widely celebrated in Japan. The four-day festival will also provide opportunities to showcase the unique beauty of pink and white cherry blossoms as well as Meghalaya's traditional arts, culture and cuisine to the naturalists and tourists.

  

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Australia to introduce Hindi language in Pre-schools from 2018: Australia announced an online program for its pre-schools to learn foreign languages, including Hindi from 2017. In order to teach foreign languages in Australia a program named Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA), was launched in the 2015-16, with five languages namely Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Indonesian, French and Arabic. These were taught to the children using seven apps.

2. Bulgarian PM resigns after losing presidential election: The Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov gave resignation of his cabinet after his party’s candidate Tsetska Tsacheva , failed to win the country’s presidential election on November 14, 2016.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Golfer Chawrasia wins first Asian Tour title outside India: Indian golfer SSP Chawrasia clinched the $1 million (Rs. 6.8 crore) Resorts World Manila Masters in the Philippines, his first ever Asian Tour title outside India. Chawrasia beat Malaysian Nicolas Fung and American Sam Chen on the final day of the tournament.

OBITUARIES:

2. UK’s first Indian-origin Sikh judge dies: Mota Singh, an Indian-origin Sikh, who became UK’s first-ever ethnic minority judge to sit on the English Bench wearing a turban instead of a horse-hair wig, died.He was 86. Mota Singh, a Ramgarhia Sikh, was born in 1930 in Nairobi, Kenya.