Daily GK Updates - 18th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union govt. asks states to lift stock limits on pulses: The Union govt. directed states to lift stock limits on all pulses with immediate effect to protect farmers who are not getting support price for their fresh produce. States have been asked to remove stock limits on pulses keeping in view the sharp fall in prices and sufficient supply of dals.

2. Karnataka to adopt a state butterfly: Karnataka became the second state in the country to adopt a state butterfly. Earlier Maharashtra had chosen the Blue Moron in 2015. The Southern Bird Wing has been designated as the ‘State butterfly’ of Karnataka. It is the largest butterfly in India and is endemic to south India, particularly Karnataka.

3. Indian Army gets 2 M777 Howitzers: India received two of the 145 M777 ultra light artillery guns ordered from the US arrived ahead of schedule. The guns will be tested at the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan.

4. CCEA approves pharma mission to develop bio-pharmaceuticals: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for Industry-Academia Collaborative Mission for accelerating discovery and research to early development for bio-pharmaceuticals. The Mission will be implemented by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council.

5. Purnima Devi Barman & Sanjay Gubbi win Green Oscars: Two Indian activists ‘Dr. Purnima Devi Barman’ and Sanjay Gubbi have won the annual Whitley Awards (popularly known as the 'Green Oscars) for their works in the field of animal and bird conservation in India. Sanjay Gubbi, won the award for his work to protect Karnataka's tiger corridors. Purnima has been selected for her relentless efforts and campaigns for the conservation of the Greater Adjutant Stork (Haargila) in Assam.

6. Shrinivas Kulkarni wins Dan David prize: Indian scientist Shrinivas Kulkarni has won the prestigious Dan David prize for his contribution in the field of astronomy.

3 Dan David prizes of 1 million dollar each are given every year in the categories of “Past”, “Present” and “Future” to people around the world who have made outstanding contributions to humanity in the sciences, humanities, or through their work in civil society.

7. India’s first ornamental fish park: India’s first Aquatic Rainbow Technology Park (ARTP) will be set up in Chennai. The park will include an ultra modern facility for ornamental fish equipped with multi-species hatchery and live feed culture units. It is being developed by Fisheries College and Research Institute, Ponneri in Tamil Nadu.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Museum day celebrated: Every year since 1977 International Museum Day is organised worldwide around May 18. This day is an occasion to raise awareness on how important museums are in the development of society. The theme chosen for 2017 is “Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums”.

2. Austria bans full face veil in public: The Austrian government has passed a legislation outlawing the use of garments that fully cover the face of women such as the burqa, as well as the distribution of the Quran in public. The law also requires all migrants in Austria to participate in an “integration” year, during which they would take classes to learn German and ethics.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Tata Group most valuable Brand in India: According to Brand Finance, a global brand valuation and strategy consultancy firm, Tata Group is the most valuable brand in India at an estimated brand value of $13.1 billion. Tata topped the list of India’s 100 most valuable brands once again despite its value declining 4% from $13.7 billion in 2016. Tata Group is followed by Airtel at the second place and LIC at the third.

OBITUARIES:

2. Veteran actress Reema Lagoo passes away: Veteran film and theatre actor Reema Lagoo passed away after cardiac arrest in Mumbai. She started her career as a Marathi stage artist in 1970s and has played the role of mother to most famous starts like Shah Rukh and Salman Khan.

Daily GK Updates - 17th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt launches ‘Clean Money’ portal: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched the ‘Operation Clean Money’ portal that aims to create a tax-compliant society. This portal will create awareness about black money and also to help those who want to come clean on demonetisation cash deposits.

2. IIT-Hyderabad professor bags INSA Young Scientist award: Professor Aravind Kumar Rengan (at Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad) has been awarded the prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA) medal in the Young Scientist category for 2017. He has been awarded for devising a novel way of nano delivery using liposomes and gold nano-particles which is useful for both imaging and therapeutics.

3. India ranked second in Renewable Energy Attractiveness index: India has overtaken the US to become the second most attractive country after China for renewable energy investment, according to a report by EY.

4. India’s first smart grid project to generate power from renewable energy: The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology has successfully created the country’s first smart grid project, which will generate power from renewable sources of energy. The smart grid will be synchronised to generate power from solar, wind and vegetable waste resources, depending on the weather conditions and availability of waste products.

5. Chamling gets the first BS Shekhawat Award: Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling was conferred with the first Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Lifetime Achievement Honour in Public Service by President Pranab Mukherjee. Known as the ‘Land of Flowers, Sikkim is gaining popularity as a fully organic state in India.

6. Venkaiah Naidu announces separate channel of Doordarshan 'DD Jharkhand': The Union Information & Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has announced a separate 24 *7 channel of Doordarshan ‘DD Jharkhand ‘for Jharkhand state. Sufficient deployment of funds has been done for the purpose.

7. NASA and ISRO to go for joint inspection of the Oldest civilisation: Teams of the NASA and ISRO will inspect the excavation being carried out at an archaeological site in Haryana’s Fatehabad district to verify claims of it being the oldest civilisation in the world. Archaeologists have recovered artefacts pre-dating the Harappan Civilisation from the site.

8. Shipping Ministry signs MoU on ‘Sagarmala project’ in collaboration with DDU- GKY: The Ministries of Shipping and Rural Development has signed an MoU on ‘Sagarmala project’ in collaboration with Deen Dayal Upadhyay- Gramin Kaushalya Yojna (DDU- GKY) in New Delhi. DDU-GKY is under implementation in 28 states and has over 654 training centres in 522 projects in partnership with training partners.

So far, 54 lakh persons have been given skill training and of them 2.31 lakh got employed.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. David Letterman wins Mark Twain Prize: David Letterman has been named the next recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American humour, the award granted annually by the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is the longest running host of late night TV. The Mark Twain prize is given annually to a humorist whose impact on American society is reminiscent of Samuel Clemens.

2. Ovais Sarmad to join UNFCCC: U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Ovais Sarmad to join the UNFCCC as the Deputy Executive Secretary. His appointment comes at a crucial time when most of the countries have ratified the Paris Climate Agreement and the US President, Donald Trump, has threatened to scrap the pact.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Mohd. Anas smashes national record: Muhammed Anas smashed the national record in men’s 400m race to win a gold medal at the third leg of the Indian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in New Delhi. Anas clocked 45.32 sec. He also qualified for the World Championships to be held in London in August.

2. Japanese tennis player Mitsuhashi gets life ban for match-fixing: According to The Tennis Integrity Unit, Japanese Junn Mitsuhashi has been banned for life following an investigation into match-fixing. He has also been fined USD 50,000 after being found to have made corrupt approaches to other players and to have placed bets on matches.

3. ICC hikes prize money for Champions Trophy 2017: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has hiked the prize money of upcoming Champions Trophy 2017 and it now carries a total prize money of USD 4.5 million.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

4. Ambani leads Global Game Changers List: Indian business tycoon and chairman of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani leads Forbes second annual Global Game Changers list. The list features the most influential business leaders from around the world based on corporate growth, innovation and international presence.

Daily GK Updates - 16th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISKCON's Govardhan Eco Village wins Smart Village Award: ISKCON’s (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Govardhan eco-village (Thane district) has been conferred Smart Village Award for being a sustainable project in rural Maharashtra. The ‘Smart Village Award’ has been instituted by the India Trade Promotion Organisation.

2. Uttar Pradesh Assembly passes GST bill: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has unanimously passed the UP Goods and Service Tax Bill, 2017. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed it as revolutionary move which is in the interest of both consumers and traders.

3. Plastic park to come up in Panipat: Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister, Mr Ananth Kumar announced to open 2 new CIPET centres in Haryana, a plastic park at Panipat on an area of 75 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore and a pharmaceutical park at Karnal. Ananth Kumar said 9 CIPET centres were in the pipeline in Medak, Jaipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Haridwar, Baghalpur, Varanasi, Agartala, Mumbai and Ranchi.

4. Bengali mandatory in West Bengal schools: West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee has announced that from now, students of all schools irrespective of boards or mother tongue would have to learn three languages from Class I to X, one of which would have to be Bengali.

5. Indian Boy makes history - World’s smallest satellite for NASA: Rifath Sharook, an 18-year-old student from Tamil Nadu, has developed the world’s smallest and lightest satellite. He is all set to break a global space record by launching the lightest satellite in the world, weighing a mere 64 grams. The satellite is made using reinforced carbon fibre polymer, is named ‘KalamSat’, after former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Impeachment against Duterte rejected: Philippine parliamentary panel has rejected a proposal for an impeachment motion against President Rodrigo Duterte for his alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings and other crimes.

2. Syria peace talks restart in Geneva: A new round of Syria peace talks aiming to resolve a six year conflict, opens in Geneva. The UN’s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said, the negotiations are focused on four separate baskets: governance, a new constitution, elections and combating terrorism in the war-ravaged country.

3. Yemen declares state of emergency over cholera outbreak: A state of emergency has been declared in the Yemen’s capital ‘Sanaa’ due to a deadly outbreak of cholera. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the disease killed at least 115 people and left more than 8,000 others infected across the country.

4. International Day of Families celebrated: The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993. Theme of International Day of Families 2017 : “Families, education and well-being”.

5. Edouard Philippe appointed as Prime Minister of France: French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Edouard Philippe as the new Prime Minister of France.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut create record: Indian women’s cricket team openers Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut have become the first pair in women’s ODIs to share a 300-plus stand for any wicket. They achieved this feat against Ireland.

BANKING & FINANCE:

2. HDFC Life inks distribution tie-up with Catholic Syrian Bank: HDFC Life has entered into a banc assurance tie-up with ‘Catholic Syrian Bank’ to distribute its individual life insurance products to the private lender’s customers. Now, HDFC Life will offer its leading range of individual life insurance, health, and pension products to the Catholic Syrian Bank’s customer over a period of time.

Daily GK Updates - 15th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Rajnath Singh to inaugurate meeting of NPDRR: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the second meeting of National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in New Delhi. It is a National Platform which promotes participatory decision making in disaster management and strengthens federal policy of the country. The theme of the meeting is Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development: Making India resilient by 2030.

2. Kerala tops in public affairs index: Kerala has secured first rank and Bihar has ranked last on this year’s Public Affairs Index (PAI), compiled on basis of a survey by Public Affairs Centre.

3. India ranks 26 in World Bank power list: India has climbed up to twenty sixth position in World Bank’s electricity accessibility ranking in the current year from 99th spot in 2014.

4. Palestine President Arrives in India: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived India on a four-day visit during which he will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Modi on key bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Middle East peace process. Ahead of President Abbas’ visit, India reiterated its “political support” to the Palestinian cause and had said it continued to assist developmental projects there.

5. India’s longest river bridge: PM Narendra Modi will inaugurate India’s longest river bridge, the 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadiya bridge near the China border. The bridge is built over the Brahmaputra river. The design is such that the bridge can withstand the movement of military tanks.

6. Amitabh Bachchan appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Hepatitis: Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan has been appointed as WHO (World Health Organisation) Goodwill Ambassador for the Hepatitis awareness programme in southeast Asia region.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Jack Ma becomes China’s richest person: Alibaba’s Founder Jack Ma has surpassed real estate and entertainment tycoon, Wang Jianlin, to become China’s richest person with a $30.9 billion fortune. Ma’s fortune has gained from a more than one-third rise in Alibaba’s share price so far this year amid growing profits. Its IPO in New York in 2014 set a record as the world’s biggest public stock offering.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. India bags 10 medals in Asian Championship: India has finished their Asian Wrestling Championship campaign on high. The Indian wrestlers overall bagged 10 medals comprising a gold, five silver and four bronze.

2. Ramit Tandon wins maiden PSA title: US based Indian squash player Ramit Tandon has won his maiden professional title in the SYS Open. Ramit defeated Kush Kumar 11-3, 11 -2, 11-3 in the final.

3. Rafael Nadal wins 5th Madrid Open title: Rafael Nadal beat Dominic Thiem 7-6 (10-8) 6-4 to win his fifth Madrid Open title and move into the world’s top four. He has been titled “The King of Clay”

4. Lewis Hamilton wins Spanish Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton won the Spanish Grand Prix from pole position to cut Sebastian Vettel’s overall lead in the Formula One championship to six points.

Daily GK Updates - 14th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New IIP, WPI series introduced:  The new-look index of industrial production (IIP) and the wholesale price index (WPI), which were declared and have been built on the new series of data, paint a healthier picture of the Indian economy in 2016-17 than the old series did.

The new series of the IIP shows higher growth rates in most months in the period April 2012 to March 2017 than was the case when the computation was done in accordance with the old series. This is attributable to the base shift, increase in the number of factories in the panel for the reporting data and excluding closed ones, and including new items and keeping out old ones.

2. Laser walls to bolster security at Indo-Pak border: The Border Security Force (BSF) is all set to get more teeth to man the 198 km India-Pakistan international border using a newly developed technology that can detect intrusions and relay information immediately to the nearest post for action. Developed by Delhi-based defence IoT firm, CRON Systems, the made-in-India technology is called Kavach (KVx) series laser walls and is a notch higher than the existing laser walls. CRON Systems have come up with this intrusion detection system based on infrared array, which is invisible. It is more advanced than laser walls, Kavach walls can also work in transparent water and glass.

3. Errors in Aadhaar, PAN can now be corrected online: The Income Tax Department has launched a facility allowing people to correct errors in their PAN and Aadhaar details. The links for corrections are available on incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in, the department's e-filing website. However, people wanting to update Aadhaar details are redirected to 'Aadhaar Self Service Update Portal'. Scanned documents supporting the changes have to be uploaded.

4. A plane takes off or lands every 65 secs at Mumbai airport, the busiest single-runway airport: The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai overtook London's Gatwick to become the world's busiest single-runway airport, with a plane taking off or landing every 65 seconds. According to a report, Mumbai currently handles an average of 837 flights per day, about 80 more than Gatwick. The airport also saw about 45.2 million flyers, overtaking Gatwick's 44 million in 2016-17.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Mother’s Day celebrated: Mother's Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May every year. This year Mother's Day date is May 14. Anna Marie Jarvis, seen as founder of Mother's Day, was the daughter of Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, a social activist who organized events called Mothers' Day Work Clubs to reduce infant mortality.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Racer Arjun Maini first Indian to win a GP3 race: Arjun Maini has become the first Indian to win a GP3 series race, an F1 support race, after registering a win in Barcelona on Sunday on the sidelines of the F1 Spanish Grand Prix. With the victory, Arjun is third in the championship after the first round of the eight-round GP3 series. The 19-year-old Indian drives for Switzerland-based Jenzer Motorsport.

2. Force India claim 4th and 5th place in Spanish Grand Prix: Force India Formula One team drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon finished in the fourth and fifth spot respectively in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on Sunday. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton won the race by beating Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, who finished second and third respectively.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

3. Food delivery startup Delivery Hero raises $420 million: Germany-based on-demand food delivery startup Delivery Hero has raised over $420 million in funding from global technology and media investment conglomerate, Naspers. The investment was made at the company’s current valuation of over $3.1 billion. Founded in 2011, Delivery Hero operates in more than 40 countries.

Daily GK Updates - 13th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Tejas Test Fires Air-to-Air Missile: Tejas has successfully test fired Derby Air-to-Air Beyond Visual Range missile in RADAR guided mode. The objective was to assess the Derby integration with aircraft systems on-board Tejas including the aircraft avionics, fire-control radar, launchers and Missile Weapon Delivery System and evaluate its performance. The test was carried out in Chandipur, Odisha.

2. Pakistani boat seized near Sir Creek: A day after six Pakistanis were caught in the Sir Creek region near Gujarat coast, the Border Security Force on May 12 caught another Pakistani fishing boat from the same region. Sir Creek About is a 96 km (60 mi) tidal estuary on the border of India and Pakistan. The creek, which opens up into the Arabian Sea, divides the Gujarat State of India from the Sindh province of Pakistan.

3. India, Singapore Naval Exercise: The Indian Navy will join the Singapore Navy next week in carrying out a mega maritime exercise in the Indian Ocean. The exercise is called SIMBEX. Held since 1994, this year would be the 24th edition of the annual maritime exercise between the two countries.

4. V K Saraswat appointed new JNU Chancellor: Eminent scientist and former Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) V K Saraswat has been appointed as the Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for a term of five years. He succeeds former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan.

5. Election Commission of India Launches National Contact Centre: The Election Commission of India has launched National Contact Centre with a toll-free number (1800111950). Now, any citizen from any part of the country can call on the toll-free number and get their query or complaint addressed at any time of the day in Hindi or English. The Centre is operated on a National Grievance Redressal System Software. It is a single window platform to manage complaints and feedback received through calls, SMS, emails, and website access in an integrated and time-bound manner.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ‘Ransomware’ attack hits 99 countries: A large-scale cyberattack has spread across  99 countries, including the UK, US, China, Russia, Spain, Italy and India. It has been dubbed ‘WannaCry’. Unknown hackers apparently launched ‘ransomware’ attacks, which basically encrypt files and demands a Bitcoin payment to regain access.

2. Nepal joins OBOR: Nepal formally signed the One Belt One Road framework agreement, leaving India the only country in South Asia not involved in China’s ambitious economic strategy. Nepal’s formal entry into the OBOR network will allow collaboration in construction of cross-border railways and highways etc. Funds will be provided by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as well as the Silk Road Fund.

3. Mark Lowcock, new UN humanitarian chief: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed British humanitarian expert Mark Lowcock as the UN Humanitarian Chief. He will replace Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien in September. Lowcock is currently the top civil servant in the British Government’s Department for International Development.

4. WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo: World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in Congo. WHO Congo representative Allarangar Yokouide said in a statement that at least one person has died after contracting the virus in the country’s north-east. More than 11000 people died in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2015, mainly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat & Divya Kakran win silver in Asian Wrestling Championship: Indian women wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Divya Kakran bagged silver medals in their respective categories in the Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi. Sakshi Malik lost her final against Risako Kawai (Japan) in 60kg category. Sakshi wrestled for the first time in this category after jumping up the weight division from 58kg. Vinesh Phogat lost the final in women's 55kg category and Divya Kakran in 69 Kg to settle with silver medals.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Chanda Kochhar receives Woodrow Wilson Award: ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar (55-year) has become the first Indian woman to be conferred with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate Citizenship Woodrow Wilson Award was instituted in 1998 by the prestigious Wilson Center to felicitate individuals whose actions and accomplishments either in their careers or through service.

3. IRCTC launches cash-on-delivery for train tickets: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced pay-on-delivery (PoD) service to allow passengers to book train tickets online and pay at the time of delivery. IRCTC is now offering home delivery of rail tickets and will allow passengers to make payment through any payment mode, including cash.

Daily GK Updates - 12th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India added 9.1 million new taxpayers during financial year 2016-2017: An 80% increase over the typical yearly rise, highlighting the impact of India’s November demonetisation of high-value currencies. This is expected to significantly boost the government’s tax revenue. India had only 55.9 million individual taxpayers at the end of 2015-16.

2. Bengaluru tops list of most affordable tech cities worldwide: According to the Savills Tech Cities Index Bengaluru is the most affordable tech cities in the world followed by Cape Town and Santiago. Overall rank of Bengaluru was 20th on the list of 22 cities that were evaluated. Bengaluru is at the 17th position in terms of talent pool, the list is topped by Boston.

3. Vinay Mohan Kwatra named India’s new ambassador to France: He is currently serving as joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He will replace Mohan Kumar.

4. Telangana becomes first state to introduce logo for hearing impaired drivers: Telangana has become the first state to introduce a logo for vehicles driven by persons with hearing impairment. Hyderabad based graphic designer Manikanta Annapragada has designed the logo. The logo should be six inches tall and five inches wide at the rear side and four inches tall and three inches wide in the front for four-wheelers.

5. Indian Army to re-introduce CASO: Indian Army has planned to re-introduce cordon and search operations (CASO) as a part of its counter terrorism operations after a gap of 15 years. The major objective behind the reintroduction of combing operations is to bring the situation in the Kashmir Valley under control. The decision to re-introduce CASO comes against the backdrop of the recent killing of  Army officer Ummer Fayaz.

6. GM mustard gets approval: A genetically-modified variety of mustard, developed by a Delhi-based institute, has been cleared for commercial cultivation by the GEAC, or Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee. The mustard is called DMH-11. GM mustard is the only other food crop which has made it to this last stage, after prolonged debate and several rounds of regulatory checks.

7. Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary Festival: The annual hunting festival of the tribal community was observed in a ‘bloodless and symbolic’ manner in and around Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary for the third consecutive year. The 2017 hunting festival ‘Bishu Parv’ of the tribal community was observed in Jharkhand.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Nurses Day: May 12: Every year May 12 is celebrated as International Nurses Day(the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth) to mark the contributions nurses make to society. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965. Theme of 2017 International Nurses Day – Nurses: A voice to lead – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

2. Bahamas elects Hubert Minnis as new Prime Minister: Hubert Minnis emerged as the Bahamas’ next prime minister in general elections that saw incumbent Perry Christie concede defeat.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sachin Tendulkar has bought a stake in the new Tamil Nadu franchise of the Pro Kabaddi League: Sachin will jointly own the yet-to-be named Tamil Nadu franchise along with serial entrepreneur N. Prasad. This is Sachin’s second investment in a sports team, he also owns the Kerala franchise in the Indian Super League.

2. Younis Khan to be the new coach of Afghanistan’s cricket team: The ACB head Atif Mashal announced that Younis Khan has agreed to coach the Afghanistan team. Younis Khan is set to join the Afghanistan national team as coach after he retires from international cricket.

3. Justice MukulMudgal elected as the head of FIFA Governance Committee: Mukul Mudgal headed the panel probing the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. He was elected as the Head of FIFA’s governance committee at the 67th FIFA Congress in Bahrain.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

4. Snapdeal to merge with Flipkart: SnapDeal is finally ready to merge with Flipkart. The deal valuing Snapdeal at around $1 billion, a steep fall from its peak of $6.5 billion last year, signals the biggest consolidation in the sector and fierce competition between Amazon and Flipkart. The transaction is through, sources in the know confirmed, and an announcement could come anytime within the next 72 hours.