Daily GK Updates - 14th December, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indo-Russian Bilateral Naval Exercise Indra Navy-2016: The 9th edition of Indra Navy exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy began on 14 December 2016 in the Bay of Bengal. This annual bilateral maritime exercise will continue till 21 December 2016. The main aim of this exercise is to enhance the interoperability between the two navies and develop the common understanding of maritime security operations.

2. Cyrus Mistry removed as Director from Tata Consultancy Services.

3. Kerala CM PinarayiVijayan inaugurated 3^rd edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale: Kerala’s Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan has inaugurated the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) at an inaugural event in Parade Ground, Fort Kochi on 13 December 2016. Titled ‘Forming in the pupil of an eye’, the three-month long festival will witness participation from 97 artists from thirty-one countries across the world.

4. SushmaSwaraj and VineetNayar in FP’s Global Thinker 2016 list: External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj and philanthropist couple Anupama and VineetNayar are among the Indians who have been named in the Global Thinkers of 2016 List compiled by the Foreign Policy magazine. Swaraj was named in the 'Decision-makers' category along with the Democratic nominee for US President Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch among others.

5. Gujarat to have Wagah-like border viewing point: The ever-popular ‘border viewing point’ of the Wagah border will soon be recreated in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district. The announcement was made by the state’s Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at the inaugural event of the annual ‘Rann-Utsav’ at Dhordo in the Rann of Kutch on 13 December 2016.

6. Google’s PulkitTrivedi joins Facebook India as new Industry Director.

7. India signs Grant Agreement with IBRD for additional financing of MSME’s Project: India has signed a Grant Agreement of USD 5.19 million with International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for Additional Financing for Financing Energy Efficiency at MSMEs Project- Programmatic Framework for Energy Efficiency on 13 December 2016.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Malaysia enthrones new King Sultan Muhammad V: Malaysia has installed its 15th king, Sultan Muhammad V, in a ceremony marked by honour guards and Islamic prayers in the national palace in Kuala Lumpur.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber named ITF Players of the year: Briton Andy Murray and Germany's Angelique Kerber were named ITF World Champions on 13th December 2016. Murray won Wimbledon in July and retained his crown in Rio de Janeiro in August. Kerber won the Australian and U.S. Open titles as well as an Olympic silver medal in Rio.

2. PV Sindhu wins Most Improved Player Award: Rio Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has won the Badminton World Federation (BWF) 2016 Most Improved Player of the Year award at the Players’ in Dubai. Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is an Indian professional badminton player. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal.

AWARDS:

3. Madonna’s biopic voted as best unproduced spirit of 2016: A biopic of Madonna titled Blond Ambition has been named the most admired unproduced film script currently in the Hollywood system. ii. Written by Elyse Hollander, Blond Ambition has topped the newly published Black List, which invites film executives to vote on their favourite scripts that will not have started shooting before the end of 2016.

OBITUARIES:

4. Walter Swinburn: Legendary jockey and Shergar Derby winner dead at 55: Walter Swinburn, one of the most renowned jockeys of his generation and rider of the Shergar, passed away on 12 December 2016 following a prolonged illness.ii. He was 55. He was famously known for winning the Epsom Derby horse race three times in his career as a jockey.

BOOKS AND AUTHORS:

5. Ravindra Kumar, first IAS Officer to scale Mt Everest pens motivational book: The book titled "Many Everest" An Inspiring Journey of Transforming Dream into Reality’ is penned by Ravindra Kumar.

Daily GK Updates - 13th December, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India and Indonesia sign three agreements: India and Indonesia have signed three agreements following delegation-level talks headed by Prime Minister NarendraModi and visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo on 12th December. President Widodo was on a two-day visit to India from 12 December to 13 December 2016. Agreements are: MoU on Youth and Sports Cooperation, MoU on Standardization Cooperation between the Bureau of Indian Standards and the National Standardization Agency of Indonesia, Joint Communiqué on the Voluntary International Cooperation to Combat Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) Fishing and to promote Sustainable Fisheries Governance between the Union Government and the Government of Indonesia.

2. Nitin Gadkari lays foundation stones for Rs 1152 crore projects in Manipur: Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping laid the foundation stones for 17 road projects on 11 December 2016 during two functions held at Jiribam and Imphal.

3. Punjab Government launches country’s 1^st amphibious bus project: The Punjab government has launched country's first amphibious bus project at the Harike wetland near Amritsar. The project has cost the state government over Rs 11 crore.

4. Indian-origin VivekRamaswamy and Apoorva Mehta included in Forbes’s under 40 rich list: Two Indian-origin men have figured in Forbes magazine's second annual list of wealthiest entrepreneurs under the age of 40 which is topped by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. VivekRamaswamy, a successful biotech entrepreneur has been ranked 24th on 'America's Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 2016' list with a net worth of 600 million dollars and Apoorva Mehta stands at 31st spot with a 360 million dollars net worth.

5. Cyrus Mistry removed as director of Tata Industries: Cyrus Mistry has been removed as director of Tata industries. Mistry, who was earlier removed from the post of chairman of Tata Industries, was removed as director after an Extraordinary General Meeting.

6. Rajeev Gandhi International Airport achieves carbon neutral status.

7. ISRO signs deal for first privately built satellite: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has signed an agreement with a consortium of six companies to deliver India's first industry-built satellite by late 2017. The agreement was signed between M Annadurai, Director of ISRO Satellite Centre (ISAC) and the consortium lead Alpha Design Technologies P Ltd. ISAC assembles India's satellites for communication, remote sensing and navigation. It is for the first time that ISRO outsourced the construction of entire satellite.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Antonio Guterres sworn in as UN Secretary-General: Antonio Guterres, a former Portuguese Prime Minister, was sworn in as the ninth UN Secretary-General on 12th December 2016, succeeding Ban Ki-moon as the chief of the 71-year old world body.

2. EU, Cuba sign first agreement on political cooperation: The EU has signed a deal with Cuba on political dialogue and cooperation, with Cuba being the only Latin American country to lack such an agreement earlier. This comes after EU repealed its 1996 policy which stated that Cuba must improve its human rights conditions before normalisation talks with EU. The deal covers issues like trade, human rights and immigration.

3. Lt General Naveed Mukhtar appointed new ISI Chief.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. ADB cuts India’s growth forecast to 7% post demonetization: The Asian Development Bank on Tuesday lowered India's growth forecast for this year from 7.4 % to 7 % due to a slight slowdown in the economy following the central government's demonetisation move. The Manila-headquartered ADB's review said the shortage of cash after the demonetization of Rs 1,000 and 500 notes were one of the reasons for the decline in India's economic growth in 2016.

SPORTS:

2. Pankaj Advani beats Peter Gilchrist in final to win his 11^th World Billiards Championships.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo voted best footballer in the world for 4^th time.

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.