Daily GK Updates - 12th December, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Pranab Mukherjee launches KailashSatyarthi’s ‘100 Million for 100 Million’ campaign: President Pranab Mukherjee has launched a campaign, to end child labour, child slavery and violence against children.ii. He launched the '100 Million for 100 Million Campaign' organised by The Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation. 

2. CM Mehbooba Mufti flags off first children special train in valley: Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti has flagged off the first-of-its-kind train on 11th December at Banihal that en routes from Quazigund, Anantnag, Awantipur, Srinagar, Budgam, Sopore and Baramula.

3. Rajasthan govt launches mobile app for tourists: Rajasthan government has recently launched a mobile App that provides the latest information about tourist attractions in Ajmer and Pushkar. The app LeZgo provides inputs in 12 prominent languages. 

4. Uttar Pradesh and Tata Trust Ties to Strengthen Public Distribution System: The Uttar Pradesh Government has tied up with Tata Trusts to acquire digital platforms to strengthen the public distribution system (PDS) in the state. 

5. Cyrus Mistry removed as Director of Tata Industries: Cyrus Mistry was today removed as director of Tata Industries at the Tata Industries Extraordinary General Meeting. 

6. Dipa Karmakar's biography to be co-authored by her coach:Bishweshwar Nandi, coach of Dipa Karmakar who made India proud at the Rio Olympics with her performance in the field of gymnastics will co-author her memoir titled: “DipaKarmakar: The Small Wonder”.

7. IAMAI sets up committee to work on fighting online piracy:Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) has constituted a committee to fight against the problem of online piracy and develop suitable business standards and best practices for the digital entertainment industry. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Paolo Gentiloni named as Italy's new Prime Minister: Paolo Gentiloni has been named as Italy's new Prime Minister following reformist leader Matteo Renzi's resignation in the wake of a crushing referendum defeat. 

2. OPEC, non-OPEC Agree to Cut Oil Output to Boost Oil Prices:The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC Russia, on December 10, 2016, reached a mutual agreement on their first deal since 2001, to jointly restrict oil production to control the excess global availability of the oil and thus boost oil prices.

3.World's longest tunnel opens regular service in Switzerland:The world’s longest tunnel, Gotthard Base Tunnel (GBT) in Switzerland was opened for regular rail services on 11 December 2016.

4. China launches advanced weather satellite Fengyun-4:The New technology on the satellite will improve the accuracy of weather forecasts -just in time for the winter season.iii. It was China’s First second-generation weather satellites launched as well as the country’s first quantitative remote-sensing satellite in the geostationary orbit.

Daily GK Updates - 11th December, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India-UK Conference on Ease of Doing Business concluded: The India-UK Conference on Ease of Doing Business concluded in New Delhi on 10 December 2016.This conference on Ease of Doing Business would act as an opportunity to enhance the strategic bilateral partnership between the two nations to the next level.

2. 28th Edition of SIMCON 2016, chaired by I&B Minister, M. Venkaiah Naidu: The 28th State Information Ministers Conference (SIMCON), 2016, was organised by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting from December 9 to December 10, 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

3.Rajendar Kumar Appointed New CBDT Member: Senior Indian Revenue Service officer Rajendra Kumar has been appointed as the new Member of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the policy making body for the Income Tax Department.The orders for appointment of Kumar, a 1980-batch Indian Revenue Service officer, was issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

4. Committee headed by Ratan P. Watal submitted its report to Finance Minster to boost Digital Payment: The committee formed by Finance Ministry to boost Digital Payment system in India that was headed by Shri. Ratan P. Watal submitted its report to Finance Minister ArunJaitley on 09 December 2016.

5.Rajasthan High Court Struck SBCs 5% quota: The Rajasthan High Court on December 9, 2016, cancelled the Rajasthan Special Backward Classes (SBC) reservation Act 2015 that allowed for 5% quota to Gujjars and five other communities of the state.A division bench of justices M N Bhandari and J K Ranka struck down the notification of October 2015 saying that it was in violation with the 50% limit set by the Supreme Court.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Viola Desmond first Canadian woman on banknote: A black civil rights leader who led a struggle against anti-black segregation and racism in Canada in the 1940s will be the first Canadian woman to figure on a banknote. 

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Civil Engineer Iqbal Sayed becomes first Indian to medal at Mr Olympia: Mumbai's Iqbal Sayed, who works as a civil engineer with Reliance Infrastructure and Mumbai Metro, became the first Indian to win a medal at the Mr Olympia event, after securing a silver medal in the event. 

2. Virat Kohli Becomes First Indian Captain To Score Three Double Centuries: Virat Kohli became the first Indian to score three double hundreds in a year, playing against England on 11th December 2016.

Daily GK Updates - 10th December, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Human Rights Day: 10 December: Human Rights Day was established in 1948, and ever since that auspicious day it has stood as the first major stride forward in ensuring that the rights of every human across the globe are protected. 

2. India, Vietnam ink nuclear cooperation pact, three other agreements: India and Vietnam have signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi is asserting that it will further strengthen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

3.Kerala launches mobile apps to fight corruption: The Kerala government has launched two mobile applications which can be used to upload information regarding graft.

4. Onir’s documentary on Down syndrome wins international award: Indian filmmaker Onir's documentary, 'Raising the Bar' has won the 'Award of Recognition' at the 'Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards'. 

5.21st International Film Festival of Kerala begins: The 21st International Film Festival of Kerala began in Thiruvananthapuram on 09 December 2016.It opened with Navid Mahmoudi's directorial debut 'Raftan,' which narrates the story of a couple attempting to migrate from Iran to Europe. 

6. Channel DigiShala Launched to Educate Rural India about Cashless Transaction:Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Ravi Shankar Prasad, launched a TV channel named ‘DigiShala’ on December 9, 2016 to promote cashless transaction in rural areas. 

7. L&T bags contract to convert Sardar Patel Stadium to world’s biggest cricket stadium: Larsen & Turbo (L&T) has bagged a contract from the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) to make Sardar Patel Cricket Stadium of Gujarat the world’s biggest cricket stadium in terms of seating capacity.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent to step down: Muhtar Kent has announced that he will step down as the CEO of Coca-Cola in May 2017 and will be succeeded by company President and COO James Quincey. 

2. Japan launches Kounotori 6 cargo spaceship to ISS:Japan has successfully launched a rocket carrying the unmanned cargo spaceship Kounotori 6 to deliver supplies for astronauts living in the International Space Station (ISS).

Daily GK Updates - 9th December, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Haritha Keralam Mission launched by Kerala CM PinarayiVijayan: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has launched Haritha Keralam Mission in Thiruvananthapuram on December 8. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu launched a website of National Rail Plan, 2030 (NRP-2030) on December 8, 2016 Rail Bhawan, New Delhi, to develop the Indian Railways in terms of service in travelling and freight across the country. 

2. India to set up center of excellence at Al-Azhar University, Egypt: In order to enhance cooperation in education sector between India and Egypt, Center has decided to set up a center of Excellence in Information Technology at the Al-Azhar University which is the oldest and most prestigious the University of Egypt.

3. Vistaar appoints ex-Sebi chief C B Bhave as non-executive Chairman: Vistaar Financial Services, an MSME-focused financing firm, today said it has appointed former Sebi chief C B Bhave as non-executive Chairman and Independent Director.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nana Akufo-Addo wins Ghana presidential election: Ghana's main opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo has won the country's presidential election with an absolute majority.

2. Harry Potter tops Amazon's best-selling books of 2016:Amazon, which started as an online book retailer, has announced Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as the best-selling book of 2016.

3. US designate India as Major Defence Partner:India and the United States vowed to expand the bilateral defence cooperation. Outgoing American defence secretary Ashton Carter met his counterpart ManoharParrikar in New Delhi for the record-breaking seventh time. 

4. Pakistan Lifts Undeclared Ban on Import of Ginned Cotton from India:Earlier from November 23, The Department of Plant Protection (DPP) of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research had banned the cotton imports from India through Wagah and Karachi port as the shipments did not fulfil phyto- sanitary conditions.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. IDFC Bank appoints Veena Mankar as Non-Executive Chairperson: The board of directors of IDFC Bank has approved the appointment of Veena Mankar as Non-Executive Chairperson, with effect from December 9, 2016, up to July 26, 2018. 

2. Two Banks of Abu Dhabi to merge as the Biggest Bank in Gulf Nation:Stockholders of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank on December 7, 2016, approved to merge into the biggest bank of all Gulf Countries with an asset of $ 178 billion.

SPORTS:

3. PR Sreejesh Appointed as Goalkeeping Mentor of Indian Junior Hockey Team: Captain of the senior National Men’s Hockey Team and one of the finest hockey goal-PR Sreejeshkeeper in the world, PR Sreejesh has been roped in as the Goalkeeping Mentor of the India Under-21 Hockey Team from December 8, 2016.

4. 18-year-old Mumbaikar Jehan Daruvala signs for Formula 3: Young Indian racer Jehan Daruvala has been signed by Formula 3's top team Carlin for the 2017 FIA F3 European Championship. 

OBITUARIES:

5. Former NASA astronaut and Democratic US Senator from Ohio, John Glenn, has passed away at the age of 95.

Daily GK Updates - 8th December, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union Cabinet approvals: Cabinet approves MoU with Afghanistan on cooperation in peaceful uses of outer space. Cabinet approves MoU with United Kingdom UK to support ease of doing business in India. India and United Kingdom (UK) MoU for cooperation in field of Intellectual Property approved. Cabinet approves Indo-Thai agreement on narcotics control.

2. Serendipity Arts Festival to be held in Goa: The Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) is scheduled to be held from 16 December to 23 December 2016 in Goa. The festival will see a stellar line-up of 33 global artists, who will display their work at the eight-day inspiration-packed festival.

3. Microsoft launches solutions for SMEs: Microsoft has introduced business solutions from its partner ecosystem to meet the business needs of small and medium businesses across Kerala. Built by Microsoft’s ISV partners Smarter SMB and IDOS, these solutions address key areas like Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Finance & Accounting and enhancing organisational efficiency. These solutions will run on Microsoft cloud and will be available at very low cost.

4. Karnataka Bank gets award: Karnataka Bank Ltd has bagged the ‘Best MSME Bank Award (private sector) 2016’ instituted by Assocham. Union Minister of State for MSME Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary handed over the award.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Donald Trump named TIME Person of the Year 2016: The TIME magazine has named US President-elect Donald Trump as Person of the Year 2016 and called him the President of the 'Divided States of America'. The magazine cited his role for the stunning victory in the US Presidential election.Prime Minister NarendraModi was among the 11 candidates shortlisted by Time for its annual honour.

2. Donal Trump selects lowa Governor Branstad as U.S Envoy to China: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected Iowa Governor Terry Branstad as his incoming government's ambassador to China. "Branstad has a tremendous understanding of China and the Chinese people and is someone who very much impressed the President-elect.

3. Justice Mian Saqib Nisar appointed as the next Chief Justice of Pakistan.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. NABARD to provide Rs 120 crore to banks for setting up PoS devices in villages: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) on 08 December said it will extend support aggregating about Rs. 120 crore to banks for deployment of two Point-of-Sale (PoS) devices per village in one lakh villages having a population of up to 10,000. The move is aimed at taking rural India closer towards cashless payment systems.

Daily GK Updates - 7th December, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISRO launches PSLV-C36 carrying remote sensing satellite: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched PSLV C36 Resource Sat-2A from the SatishDhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

2. Hindi language in the top 10 most powerful languages: The World Economic Forum (WEF) has named Hindi language ranked 10th in the top 10 most powerful languages on the planet. The list features English as the most powerful language followed by Mandarin. The index applied for the consensus took into account various factors including geography, economy and diplomacy. The WEF further forecasted the list for 2050, with Hindi climbing one spot to ninth.

3. RXIL gets RBI nod for 1^st trade receivable exchange platform: The Reserve Bank of India has authorised the Receivables Exchange of India (RXIL), promoted by Sidbi and NSE, to launch the country's first trade receivables exchange platform for MSMEs, buyers and financiers.

4. IOC, BPCL, HPCL join hands to set up India’s biggest oil refinery: The three firms signed the pact for the 60-million tonne a year refinery in Maharashtra with IOCBSE 2.78 % as leader of the consortium. IOC will hold a 50 % stake in the project while BPCL and HPCL will have 25 % each.

5. Mahila E-haat ties up with India Post, SBI: The Women and Child Development Ministry has tied up with India Post and SBI. This will offer more payment options to buyers and simplify shipping of products bought from "Mahila E-haat", an online marketing platform for women entrepreneurs.Now, SBI customers abroad can make use of "SBI Global".

6. The Lifeline Express to get two more coaches for cancer treatment: The world’s first hospital train, Lifeline Express is all set to get two additional coaches for cancer treatment. The decision was announced by the Ministry of Railways on 6th December 2016.  Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu along with Health Minister JP Nadda will be inaugurating the new additions. The coaches are purely equipped for detection and control of oral, cervical and breast cancer and prevention of stroke. They will be accompanied by three fully equipped operation theatres.

7. Ambedkar’s birth anniversary to be observed as ‘Water Day’ in the country: Dr BR Ambedkar's birth anniversary to be observed as 'Water Day' across the country on 14 April, will be observed as “Water Day” across India. The day will be observed to mark Ambedkar’s contribution in water resource management of the country.

8. India to train Vietnam’s Sukhoi fighter pilots: In order to further boost its growing defence ties with Vietnam, India has agreed to train the southeast nation’s Sukhoi-30 fighter pilots. ii. The agreement regarding the same was signed during bilateral discussions between Defence Minister ManoharParrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart, General Ngo Xuan Lich, in New Delhi.

9.  Russia and India to hold naval drills: The Russian-Indian- Indra NAVY-2016 naval exercise will be held from 14th to 21st December. The exercise will be held in the city of Visakhapatnam and in the Bay of Bengal. The first Russian-Indian naval exercises were held in May 2003.

10. Joint maritime exercise ‘Konkan 16’ between India and UK begins: The annual bilateral maritime exercise Konkan-16 between the Indian Navy and the Royal Navy (British Navy) started in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The 2016 edition of the exercise (from 05 to 16 December 2016) will play an important chapter in the maritime interactions.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Singapore tops Global Education Rankings: Singapore has the highest achieving students in international education rankings, with its teenagers coming top in tests in maths, reading and science. The influential Programme for International Student Assessment, Pisa rankings, run by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, are based on tests taken by 15-year olds in more than 70 countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. RBI leaves repo rate unchanged at 6.25%: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept its key policy rate, the Repo Rate (RR), at 6.25 %. This was the second meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) since its formation two months ago. It was the second monetary review of Urjit Patel, since his taking over as the Governor of RBI on 6th September this year. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has lowered the growth forecast by 0.5% to 7.1% for 2016-17.

2. RBI withdraws incremental CRR OF 100% amid note ban: The Reserve Bank of India has withdrawn the incremental cash reserve ratio (CRR) of 100%. The incremental ratio was effective from the fortnight beginning November 26 as a temporary measure to absorb excess liquidity in banking system following demonetisation.

AWARDS:

3. MSME Award for Corporation Bank: Corporation Bank has bagged the ‘Best MSME Bank Award 2016’ instituted by Assocham. Corporation Bank is a public sector banking company headquartered in Mangalore, India.

4. Vijaya Bank bags SME Award: Vijaya Bank has been adjudged ‘Best Bank for SME Lending award’ by Assocham. The award was received by Kishore Sansi, Managing Director & CEO of the bank under ‘Best SME Lending’ category for public sector banks at the fourth SMEs Excellence Award function in New Delhi.

5. BEML bags CII National Quality Award: Bharat Earth Movers Limited Ltd (BEML) has bagged the ‘CII National Quality 2016 Award’. The award has been jointly instituted by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Export Import Bank (EXIM).

6. Artist Helen Marten wins 2016 Turner Prize: Multimedia artist Helen Marten on 5 December 2016 won the Turner Prize, which is Britain’s top award for contemporary art. The prize comes with a cash award of about USD 31800.

OBITUARIES:

7. Noted Journalist Cho Ramaswamy passes away: Political satirist and founder editor of Thuglak magazine, SrinivasaIyerRamaswamy is popularly known as Cho Ramaswamy passed away due to cardiac arrest in a Chennai hospital on 07 December. He was 82 years old. He was an advisor to former Tamilnadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

Daily GK Updates - 6th December, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa passes away: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaraman passed away at a Chennai hospital last night (05th December 2016), the 68-year old AIADMK supremo breathed her last at 11:30 PM at the Apollo Hospital. She had suffered a massive cardiac arrest. Jayalalithaa was admitted to the hospital on September 22, 2016 following complaints of fever and dehydration, but she never fully recovered.

2. O Panneerselvam sworn in as new Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu: After the demise of AIADMK supremo & Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa at the Apollo Hospital, her loyalist O Panneerselvam has been sworn in as Chief Minister at a sombre ceremony at the Raj Bhawan along with all the ministers in the erstwhile Jayalalithaa Cabinet.

3. NITI Aayog to provide Rs 5 lakh per district: To encourage each district in the country to take the digitization route without fear, the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog will be immediately transferring Rs.5 lakh each district as seed money to kick start this drive.

4. Bengal forms anti-child trafficking panel: The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has announced that the state would be setting up a special panel to stop child trafficking. Chaired by Parliamentary Affairs minister Partha Chatterjee, the committees would constitute a Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, DGP and officers and members of the opposition parties, Congress and CPI (M).

5. Air Asia India appoints Amar Abrol as Managing Director.

6. President Pranav Mukherjee to inaugurate 1^st ever International Gita Mahotsav: President Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the first ever International Gita Mahotsav in Kurukshetra, Haryana today. The President will also lay the foundation stone of Krishna circuit on the occasion. In a five-day mega event, many spiritual leaders from different religions, scholars and artists from various countries will participate. The Mahotsav will set a world record with the recitation of Ashtadash Shaloki Gita by as many as 18 thousand students at one go.

7. B S Bhullar appointed as Chief of Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

8. MMTC to tie-up with SBI to sell government minted ‘Indian Gold Coin’: India’s largest public sector trading body MMTC (Metals and Minerals Trading gold Corporation) tie-up with the State Bank of India (SBI) to sell government-minted Indian Gold Coin(24 Karat)which will be available in denominations of 5gm, 10gm and 20 gm bar.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Bernard Cazeneuve named as new French Prime Minister.

2. Alexander Van der Bellen elected as Austrian President: Independent candidate and pro-European Alexander Van der Bellen has won the Austria's re-run presidential election with around 53.5% votes.  Bellen had won an earlier election in May by a narrow margin after which it was declared void by the Constitutional Court due to irregularities.

3. Shavkat Mirziyoyev elected as Uzbekistan President: Uzbekistan's Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev became the country's second president after winning 88.61% vote in the first presidential election since the death of the authoritarian leader and President Islam Karimov.