Daily GK Updates - 11th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Venkaiah Naidu elected 13th Vice-President of India defeating Gopalkrishna Gandhi: NDA nominee and former Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu was elected as the 13th Vice President of India after comfortably defeating Opposition candidate Gopalkrishna Gandhi in the Vice-Presidential election Naidu secured 516 votes in his favour, Gandhi managed to get only 244 votes.

2. Plastic bag ban - Rs 5,000 fine for possessing plastic bags in Delhi: NGT(National Green Tribunal) banned on plastic bags in New Delhi. In an interim order, a bench headed by the Tribunal’s chairperson, Justice Swatanter Kumar on anyone found in possession of non-biodegradable plastic bags less than 50 microns.

3. Vinay Dube-New CEO of jet Airways : Jet Airways India Ltd on Wednesday named Vinay Dube, an aviation veteran with close to three decades of experience, as its chief executive officer (CEO). Dube is an accomplished aviation leader with over 27 years of US and international business experience 

4. Parliament has passed the Banking Regulation Bill: Parliament has passed the Banking Regulation Bill with the Rajya sabha approved it.The Lok sabha has already passed it.the Banking Regulation Bill will replace the banking Regulation Ordinance , 2017 promulgated by president in May 2017.

5.The US-India will co-host the Global Enterpreneurship summit(GES): The US-India co-host the GES Nov 28-30 in Hyderabad,India. Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump will lead the United States’ delegation to the Summit, which will focus on supporting women entrepreneurs and fostering economic growth globally.

6. NABARAD Launches E-shakti project: NABARD launched a project for digitisation of all Self Help Group (SHG) in the country. The project is being implemented in 100 districts across the country. aim of the EShakti programme is to support the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY) by way of integrating SHG members with the financial inclusion agenda, improving the quality of interface between SHG members and banks for efficient and hassle-free delivery of banking services, and to facilitate convergence of delivery system with SHGs using Aadhaar-linked identity.

 

7. India brands all 40,000 Rohingya Muslims: India brands all 40,000 Rohingya Muslims illegal immigrants and plans to deport them.All of an estimated 40,000 Rohingya Muslims living India are illegal immigrants, even those registered with the UN refugee agency, and the government aims to deport them.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India ranks 43^rd in 2017 Global Retirement Index: India was Ranked last at 43^rd position in 2017 Global Retirement Index published by French asset management company Natixis Global.Top three countries in 2017 GRI are Norway, Switzerland and Iceland.

2. Turkey begins building border wall with Iran: Turkey has begun construction of a wall along the country's frontier with Iran, mimicking the Turkish barrier along the Syrian border. The Turkish authorities are constructing the 3-meter-high barrier with portable blocks.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. The NSDC and GOOGLE india will come together to train a app developer: The National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC) and Google come together for mobile platform on the Android and web platforms, a moved in improving the country’s mobile application development ecosystem.

2. United Breweries board asks Vijay Mallya to quit as chairman: Heineken-controlled United Breweries has sent a notice to Vijay Mallya, asking him to step down as its chairman after the Securities and Exchange Board of India barred the beleaguered billionaire from securities market. 

OBITUARIES:

1. Poet and writer Vijay Nambisan passed away: Poet and writer Vijay Nambisan, who became the first All India Poetry Champion in 1988, passed away on Thursday. He co-authored Gemini, a poetry book, with Jeet Thayil and Dom Moraes. He championed the ethical use of language and made an appeal to readers, writers and enthusiasts of literature in his book ‘Language as an Ethic’. He was 54 years old.

2. Sister Ruth Pfau “The Mother Teresa of Pakistan” passed away: Sister Ruth Pfau, who has died aged 87, was a Roman Catholic nun who, after a childhood spent in Nazi Germany, became known as “the Mother Teresa of Pakistan” for her work in combating the spread of leprosy.

Daily GK Updates - 10th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra: The new clean Ganga campaign launched by UP government: The Uttar Pradesh Government led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath  has launched a new awareness drive called Namami Gange Jagriti Yatra. The drive will be focusing on cleanliness along the banks of Ganga river and maintain hygiene. The campaign was flagged off in the state capital Lucknow by CM Adityanath in hopes of making the river and the banks much more cleaner in the future. Around one lakh Home guard volunteers will organize the public gathering and other awareness programs in the district under this project till the 6th Sep 2017.

2. The launch of a Web Portal for supply of NCERT Textbooks: The portal will ensure better distribution of textbooks across the country and will also address the apprehensions, on the part of schools and parents, regarding unavailability of National Council of Educational Research And Training (NCERT) textbooks. Mr. Upendra Kushwaha (Minister of State for HRD) has launched the NCERT’s Web portal “ncertbooks.ncert.gov.in” for the supply of textbooks to schools and individuals at a function in New Delhi. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is an autonomous organization of the Government of India that was established on 1st September 1961 as a literary, scientific and charitable Society under the Societies' Registration Act.

3. Government targets of installing 60GW wind power capacity in the country by 2022:  According to the Power Minister 'Piyush Goyal', govt has fixed an ambitious target of installing 60 Giga watt (GW) wind power capacity in the country by 2022. The annual wind power capacity addition of around 5500 megawatts is required to meet wind capacity target of 60 GW. The current wind power installed capacity in the country is over 32.5 GW.

4. Government aims to give skill training to 30 crore Indians by 2020: According to the Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the union govt. has set a target of providing skill training to one crore people in next three years under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana(PMKVY). The target is to set up five hundred such Kendras in various parts of the country out of which two hundred are functional. A separate national skill certification board will be set up in the Ministry to enable the ITIs to provide equivalence to class 10th and 12th at par with CBSE and ICSE.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India becomes 80th country to ratify  ‘Kyoto Protocol’ for the second time: The Kyoto Protocol was adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997 and entered into force in February 2005. India has ratified the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol that commits countries to contain the emission of greenhouse gases, reaffirming its stand on climate action. India deposited its Instrument of Acceptance of the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol under the UN Convention on Climate Change.

2.Qatar Waives Entry Visa Requirements for Citizens of 80 Countries: DOHA, Qatar - Qatar’s Ministry of Interior (MoI), Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Qatar Airways today announced that Qatar will allow visa-free entry for citizens of 80 countries, effective immediately. Citizens of 33 mostly European countries can enter without a visa for 90 days in single or multiple trips during a 180-day period. Americans, Britons, Canadians, and citizens of 44 other countries can enter visa-free for an initial 30 days on single or multiple trips, and can extend that for a further 30 days. The economy of Qatar has taken a hit since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain moved to isolate it over allegations it supports extremists.

3.  The External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will participate in the two days 15th BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting in Nepal: During the meeting of foreign ministers of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), countries will review the progress in identified fourteen areas of cooperation and discuss ways to accelerate cooperation. The BIMSTEC stands for Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal. BIMSTEC states are among the countries which are dependent on the Bay of Bengal.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Asian Shotgun Championship: India wins bronze:  The Indian pair ‘Kynan Chenai’ & ‘Shreyasi Singh’ have won bronze in mixed team trap event in Asian Shotgun Shooting Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan. They defeated Lebanon shooters 40-38.

2. 3,000m steeplechase world title won by Kirputo from Kenya: Olympic gold medallist ‘Conseslus Kipruto’ has won the men's 3,000 meters steeplechase at the IAAF World Athletics Championships in London. The Kenyan clocked eight minutes and 14.12 seconds to continue his in-form performance in the event after the Rio Olympic Games last year.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. IDFC Bank ties up with Zeta: IDFC Bank has partnered with digital payments company Zeta to launch ‘IDFC Bank Benefits’, an innovative solution for corporate that digitizes employee spends and claims, making the process simple, real-time and paperless. The Zeta app offers employees a real-time view of spends, reimbursement limits and claims. Employees can access the Benefits Card via the Zeta app on mobile or web.

OBITUARIES:

1. Paan Singh Tomar Actor Sitaram Panchal Passes Away at 54 after battling kidney and lung cancer: The actor made his Bollywood debut with Bandit Queen (in 1994) and went on to feature in critically-acclaimed films such as, Peepli Live, Slumdog Millionaire, Paan Singh Tomar and Jolly LLB 2.

Daily GK Updates - 9th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Amit Shah, Smriti Irani win, Ahmed Patel of Congress retains RS seat: Congress leader Ahmed Patel has retained his Rajya Sabha seat in Gujarat. While Amit Shah become a Member of Parliament for first time and third vacant seat from Gujarat has been won by Smt. Smriti Irani.

2. Yudh Abhyas, Inod-US military exercise to be conducted: The 13th Yudh Abhyas exercise will be held from September 14-27 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the US. Over 200 Indian soldiers from the Gorkha Rifles will take part in the military exercise. Yudh Abhyas started in 2004 under US Army Pacific partnership programme.

3. 75 years of “Quit India Movement”: Nation is celebrating 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement with “Sankalp se Siddhi – The attainment through resolve” being the theme for 2017. Quit India Movement was launched by Mahatma Gandhi on 9th August (midnight), 1942, demanding an end to British Rule in India. It was in this movement that Gandhiji came up with the slogan “Do or Die”

4. 62.45% households in India have access to toilets: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation released the findings of the survey of 1.4 lakh rural households, undertaken by the Quality Council of India (QCI) between May and June this year.

The survey, covering 4626 villages across all States and Union territories, claimed that 62.45% of the households had access to a toilet. The survey also pointed that 91.29% of the people who had access to a toilet also used it, indicating a change in sanitation behaviour. Northeastern States of Sikkim, Manipur and Nagaland were top performers with 95% rural households covered by toilets. In Bihar, only 30% of the rural household had access to toilets and was the worst performing state.

5. NITI Aayog partners with 6 states for Education and Healthcare reforms: NITI Aayog has announced partnership with 3 States each to radically transform their Health & Education sectors. NITI Aayog has shortlisted UP, Assam & Karnataka under its Sustainable Action for Transforming Human Capital initiative to transform their health sector. MP, Jharkhand & Odisha have also been selected by NITI Aayog under its SATH initiative to transform their education sector.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. South African Zuma survives no-confidence vote: South African president, Jacob Zuma has narrowly survived a motion of no confidence against him in the parliament. Out of 384 parliamentarians who cast ballots in a no-confidence motion, 177 voted in favor of motion to remove Zuma from office while 198 voted against it.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Flipkart launches Budding Star Programme to assist employees: Flipkart has launched Budding Star Programme to help employees achieve their dreams by providing financial assistance & paid leave. Employees who have completed 6 months will be eligible for this programme & can receive up to Rs. 3 lakh in assistance.

2. Bajaj Auto ties up with Triumph Motorcycles: Bajaj Auto has announced a partnership with UK’s Triumph Motorcycles to jointly make mid-capacity motorcycles for Indian and global markets. With Bajaj’s low-cost expertise the partnership will address the budget segment buyers looking for bikes having engine capacity of 400cc-800cc.

SPORTS:

3. Van Niekerk wins men’s 400m title at World Atheletics, London: Olympic Champion Wayde Van Niekerk won men’s 400 m event and retained his title in World Athletics Championships in London. He clocked 43.98 seconds to finish.

4. Real Madrid wins UEFA Super Cup: Real Madrid won the UEFA Super Cup for a second straight year, defeating Manchester United in finals to win 2-1 in Macedonia.

Daily GK Updates - 8th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sankalp Parva to be observed on August 15: Centre has decided to observe this Independence Day as ‘Sankalp Parva’ and asked the people to dedicate themselves to social causes. The centre wants to drive the people of India from ‘Sankalp’ to ‘Siddhi’ in a period of 5 years.

2. Deployment of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Solution: The government is planning to install a 24X7 seamless virtual fence with sensors along the India-Pakistan border to curb infiltration bid. A pilot project for deployment of Comprehensive Integrated Border Management Solution which includes different types of sensors, day and night vision cameras has been taken up. The pilot project has been undertaken in 2 stretches of 5 to 6 kms each in Jammu sector.

3. Shia board proposes to build mosque at distance from the disputed Babri site: The Babri Masjid was a Shia property and only Shia Central Waqf Board is entitled to arrive at a peaceful settlement of the issue, the Shia board said.  The Board told the SC that a mosque could be built in a Musilm-dominated area at a distance from the disputed Babri site at Ayodhya.

4. Congress accuses the government and RBI of printing two types of notes: Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that government was printing two kinds of Rs.500 and Rs.2000 notes and called it as the biggest scam of the country.

5. Justice Dipak Misra to be next the Chief Justice of India: Justice Dipak Misra has been appointed as the 45th Chief Justice of India. He is known for some landmark judgements including the death sentence of Yakub Memon.

6. Assam declared a disturbed area for one more month: Centre has declared entire Assam as a “disturbed” area under controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act for 1 more month. Assam is under AFSPA since 1990.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Framework for crafting code of conduct in South China Sea being mulled: Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia & China have adopted a negotiating framework for a code of conduct in South China Sea. It seeks to advance a 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in South China Sea, which has mostly been ignored by claimant states, particularly China.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. Axis Bank joins the bandwagon, cuts savings account interest rate: Axis Bank has cut savings account interest rate by 50 bps to 3.5% on balances of up to Rs. 50 lakh.

Axis Bank will continue to offer an interest rate of 4% per annum on savings account balances of Rs. 50 lakh and above. SBI was the first one to do so.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. 331 “shell companies” under SEBI’s radar: Market regulator Securities & Exchange Board of India has directed stock exchanges to initiate action against 331 firms that it suspects are shell companies & are listed on bourses. Exchanges have also been asked to appoint an independent auditor to conduct audit of these companies.

3. Amazon signs an agreement with Dept. of Handlooms, Telangana: Amazon India has said it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Telangana Department of Handloom and Textiles. It aims to educate, train and enable weavers and artisans to directly sell their products to Amazon customers across the country.

4. Health & wellness startup CureFit signs actor Hrithik Roshan as ambassador: Hrithik has been signed up for 5 years at Rs100 crore. It is said to be one of the largest endorsement deals signed by an Indian startup. Company plans to introduce HRX workout plan across all CureFit-run Cult fitness centres and on the mobile app, which is expected to rake in Rs250cr annual business in the next couple of years.

SPORTS:

5. McLeod wins IAAF World Championships in London: Omar McLeod of Jamaica won the 110m Hurdles final at the London 2017 IAAF World Championships in London.

6. India wins 8 medals at Junior Boxing Championships: India finished the Asian Junior Boxing Championships in Puerto Princesa, Philippines with two silver and six bronze medals. Satender Rawat (80+kg) and Mohit Khatana (80kg) settled for silver medals after losing their final bouts in the Asian Junior Boxing Championships.

Daily GK Updates - 7th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. CO sensors developed by IISc: Researchers at Indian Institute of Science have developed a highly sensitive nanometre-scale carbon monoxide sensor by employing an innovative fabrication technique. Nanostructure-based gas sensors are very effective due their high surface-to-volume ratio.

2. National Handloom Day celebrated: National Handloom Day is being observed to give an impetus to sector & encourage use of hand-made loom in the country. 7th August has been chosen due to its special significance as it was on this day that Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905.  1st National Handloom Day was observed on 7th August, 2015 in Chennai.

3. Chabahar Port to start by 2018 – Nitin Gadkari: According to Nitin Gadkari the strategic Chabahar Port will be operational by 2018. As per an MoU signed, India is to equip & operate 2 berths in Chabahar Port Phase-I with capital investment of $85.21 million & annual revenue expenditure of $22.95 million on a 10-year lease.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UK agrees to pay $47billion to leave EU: Britain is prepared to pay up to €40 billion (USD47 billion dollars) as part of a deal to leave the European Union.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Britannia’s largest plant set to come up in Maharashtra: India’s leading FMCG Britannia Industries would set up its largest plant in Maharashtra in a food park at Ranjangaon. The park would have the largest biscuits manufacturing plant with six lines, along with cake and rusk.

2. TCS to start GST Shiksha hub for small and medium enterprises: TCS iON has announced its partnership with Laghu Udyog Bharati to launch GST-related content to help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. It aims to provide relevant information on GST to all MSMEs on a real-time basis, helping them to be updated on any GST-linked development.

3. FB has the maximum profit per employee: Facebook which employed 20,658 persons in past quarter made roughly Rs 1.2 cr per employee. Microsoft made Rs 33 lakhs & Alphabet Rs 29 lakhs per employee, 4 times less profit per employee than FB.

4. Luxury cars to cost more as GST council recommends car cess hike from 10% to 25%: Sport Utility Vechicles, mid-sized, large, and luxury cars will cost more as the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Council has approved a proposal to hike cess on them to 25%.

SPORTS:

5. Kerala HC lifts life ban imposed on cricketer Sreesanth: He was banned in 2013 for his alleged spot fixing in IPL & was charged alongside 2 of his Rajasthan Royals teammates, Ajit Chandila & Ankeet Chavan. This comes as a relief for Sreesanth.

6. Alexander Zverev wins Citi Open title at Washington: German Alexander Zverev won over South African Kevin Anderson at the Citi Open in Washington.

7. India wins bronze in wheelchair basketball world meet: The Indian men and women’s wheelchair basketball teams won Bronze at the 4th Bali Cup International Tournament for Wheelchair Basketball.

Daily GK Updates - 6th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Venkaiah Naidu elected as Vice President of India: M Venkaiah Naidu was elected as the 13th Vice-President of India. He defeated Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi by 272 votes.

2. India will have 100% literacy rate in next 5 years: Union HR Development Minister Prakash Javedkar said class 6 to 12 students are being trained to educate illiterate members of their families. The literacy rate of 18% in the post-independence era has gone up to 80% now in India.

3. Rajiv Kumar - new Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog: Noted economist Rajiv Kumar has been named as the next Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, think-tank that replaced Planning Commission. He will succeed Arvind Panagariya, who had recently quit as Vice Chairman of Niti Aayog.

4. Pindra district launches SwachhtaBandhan and Bhai No. 1 campaigns, “toilets” gifted: To promote cleanliness and sanitation amongst the villagers, the local govt. has come up with unique ideas. Under the campaign brothers gifted “toilets” to their sisters on the day of Rakshabandhan. This will ensure that the practice of “open defecation” is curbed to some extent.

5. Government merges NCRB with BPRD: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has been merged with another central police organisation the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) by the government. BPRD Director General will head the merged new entity, NCRB Director, an Additional DG rank post will report to the former.

6. S. Aparna appointed as ED to World Bank to represent India: S. Aparna, an IAS officer from Gujarat cadre has been appointed as Executive Director, World Bank to represent constituency of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan & Sri Lanka for 3 years. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared her name for the position.

7. Akshay Kumar appointed as the brand ambassador of the UP Cleanliness Mission: He promised to proactively work towards making UP the open defecation free state, a cause in line with the theme of his upcoming movie Toilet Ek Prem Katha. The state government aims to make Uttar Pradesh open defecation free by October 2, 2018.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Japan marks 72 years since world’s first atomic bomb attack: US dropped an atom bomb on the city of Hiroshima in 1945 at the end of World War II. The bomb claimed the lives of 1.4 lakh people followed by another bombing in Nagasaki three days later.

2. Sri Lankan Navy commissions AOPV, an India built vessel: Sri Lankan Navy has commissioned an India-built state-of-the-art Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel. Built at Goa Shipyard, SLNS Sayurala is 1st ever platform purchased from a foreign ship builder to boost search & rescue capabilities.

3. Paul Kagame elected as the President of Rwanda: This will be his third consecutive term as the president. He won international praise for stability and economic development he brought in Rwanda since the 1994 genocide

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. SEBI asks banks to disclose default in payment to banks within a day: SEBI has made it mandatory for companies to disclose any instance of default on payment of interest or repayment of principal to banks within a day of default. It is expected the banks have Rs. 10 trillion of stressed assets.

SPORTS:

2. India beat Sri Lanka in Test Series: India defeated Sri Lanka by 53 runs in the second Test to clinch 8th successive Test series win. Virat Kohli is now only behind Ricky Ponting who won 9 test series consecutively.

3. Mo Farah wins 6th world championship gold: British runner Mo Farah won gold in Men’s 10,000 meter race in London. He now has 10 consecutive global track distance titles.

4. Justin Gatlin stuns Usain Bolt: In his farewell 100m, Bolt clocked a time of 9.95 seconds but was left behind by Justin Gatlin who clocked 9.92 seconds to claim Gold.

5. Vijender wins WBO boxing title: Indian professional boxer Vijender Singh outslugged his Chinese opponent Zulpikar Maimaitiali to win his 2nd WBO boxing title. He retained his WBO Asia Pacific super middleweight title & claimed opponent’s WBO Oriental Super Middleweight belt.

Daily GK Updates - 5th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Mughalsarai to be renamed after Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay: The place where Pt. Deen Dayal died, the Mughalsarai junction, is to be renamed after him. The station, located in UP, is on is located on the main Howrah-Delhi Grand Chord line.

2. Delhi Police ties up with Uber for quick access to “Himmat”: Uber is collaborating with Delhi Police to allow quick access to Himmat, a women safety mobile app, through the rider app. This is Delhi Police’s first partnership with a technology company to intensify its focus on safety of women in the city.

3. Actor Sharada selected for the prestigious Prem Nazir award: National award winner Uravasi Sharada has been selected for this year’s Prem Nazir Award. Apart from the National Awards, she has been bestowed with several prestigious awards such as the Kerala State Film Awards, Filmfare Awards South, and Nandi Award.

4. $329 million loan pact with AIIB: India has signed a loan agreement with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for financing of $329 million for Gujarat Rural Roads Project. This will connecting the rural areas of Gujarat with better road connectivity.

5. Assam to distribute 13 lakh Soil Health Cards among farmers: Atul Bora, the Agriculture Minister of the State said that already more than 1 lakh 41 thousand cards have been distributed and the remaining are being distributed aggressively. The soil cards are given after testing the type of soil and nutrient quality. Through the soil cards instructions are given as to which part of the farm or field need which micro-nutrient because of deficiencies.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US Army orders to stop the use of Chinese-made drones: US Army has ordered its members to stop using drones made by Chinese manufacturer SZ DJI Technology because of “cyber vulnerabilities” in the products.

2. JK Rowling is the World’s highest earning author: Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has been named the world’s most highly-paid author by Forbes with earnings of $95m this year.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Indian Oil Corp (IOC) to buy 50% in GSPL: Board of Indian Oil Corporation has given its in-principle approval for acquiring up to 50% equity in GSPL LNG terminal in Gujarat for an estimated Rs 750 cr. GSPL is a joint venture between GSPC and Adani.

2. Canara Bank hits overseas bond market: Canara Bank has hit the international bond market with a USD 400-million issue as part of its USD 2-billion medium term note programme. The lender is likely to raise USD 400 million through bond sale issue, which will be drawn through its London branch and will be listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

3. Indusind crosses 1 trillion market capitalization, 6th Indian bank to do so: IndusInd Bank has become the 6th listed Indian bank to join club of lenders that have seen their market capitalisation soar past Rs1 trillion mark. HDFC, ICICI, SBI, Kotak and Axis are other bank that have market capitalisation over 1 trillion mark.

  

SPORTS:

4. Jadeja becomes the second fastest Indian to reach the 150 wicket mark: Ravindra Jadeja has become the 2nd fastest Indian to reach 150 Test wickets, behind teammate Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin had reached the milestone in 29 Tests while Jadeja managed it in 32 games.