Daily GK Updates - 22nd August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Supreme Court Bans Triple Talaq: According to the Supreme Court, triple talaq will not be in operation for six months and asked political parties to keep their differences aside and help Centre in bringing out law on triple talaq. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar also asked the union govt. to come out with legislation on ‘triple talaq’. The Supreme Court set aside the practice of instant triple talaq saying it was violative of Article 14 and 21 of the Indian Constitution. Triple Talaq is a form of divorce practiced in India, whereby a Muslim man can legally divorce his wife by pronouncing talaq (the Arabic word for divorce) three times. The pronouncement can be oral or written, or, in recent times, delivered by electronic means such as telephone, SMS, email or social media.

2. US-based Indian doctor ‘Dr. Pinaki Panigrahi has discovered an inexpensive prevention technique against sepsis:  His team found that feeding babies with probiotic bacteria dramatically reduces the risk of sepsis in new borns. This is a breakthrough study and going to be an inexpensive treatment that could possibly save hundreds of thousands of newborns from a top killer ‘Sepsis’. Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by your body’s response to an infection. In early infancy, it results in one million annual deaths worldwide, most of them in developing countries.

3. ‘Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jayanti’: The 413th ‘jayanti’ of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (11th guru of Sikhs) is being celebrated with religious fervour on 22nd August, 2017. The Guru Granth Sahib (also called the Adi Granth or Adi Guru Darbar) is more than just a scripture of the Sikhs for the Sikhs treat this Granth as their living perpetual Guru. Sri Guru Arjan Dev ji completed the Aad Granth in 1604 and first Parkash was done at Sri Harmandir Sahib.

4. Digital police portal of India: The union Home minister ‘Rajnath Singh’ has launched a digital police portal to create a national database of crimes and criminals (under the CCTNS project). The police portal will provide 11 searches and 46 reports from the national database for state police and central investigation agencies. The Central investigating and research agencies have also been provided logins to the digital police database to access crime statistics. The Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems Project (CCTNS) has enabled 13,775 out of 15,398 police stations to enter 100 % data into the software. He said as of now the CCTNS national database has around 7 crore data records pertaining to past and current criminal cases.

5. Urad and Moong dal - under restricted category: According to Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a notification, Govt. has put imports of ‘Urad’ and ‘Moong dal’ under the restricted category and fixed an annual cap of three lakh tonnes for their import.

6. IFFI to be held in Goa in November2017: The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has constituted a 40-member 'preview committee' with filmmaker ‘Vivek Agnihotri’ as its convenor to select movies for the international film festival at Goa. The International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will be held in Goa from 20 to 28 November this year. Earlier, Information and Broadcasting Ministry had constituted the steering committee and the technical committee for the IFFI.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  ICMR – India signs pact with IVI – S.Korea:  The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Union Ministry of Health inked a pact with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), South Korea to collaborate on vaccine research and development. The ICMR is the apex body in the country for the formulation, coordination, and promotion of biomedical research. India officially became a signatory to the treaty of the Seoul-based organisation International Vaccine Institute(IVI) in 2012. Now, India is committing an annual contribution of USD 5,00,000 to IVI and joins as financially contributing signatories to IVI.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. ONGC approves to acquire 51.11% stake in HPCL: The board of Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) has given 'in-principle' approval to acquire government's 51.11 % stake in Hindustan Petroleum Corp Ltd. in New Delhi. The ONGC board also constituted a committee of directors to examine various aspects of the acquisition and to provide its recommendations to the board of directors. Earlier, the union govt. had also approved the sale of its 51.11% stake in oil refiner HPCL to India's largest oil producer ONGC.

SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY:

1. World's smallest surgical robot – Versius: British scientists have developed the world’s smallest surgical robot ‘Versius’, which could transform daily operations for tens of thousands of patients. The robot ‘Versius’ mimics the human arm and can be used to carry out a wide range of laparoscopic procedures like hernia repairs, colorectal operations, and prostate and ear, nose, and throat surgery. The robot is controlled by a surgeon at a console guided by a 3D screen in the operating theatre.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Android ‘Oreo’ is launched by Google: Google has launched the latest version of its mobile operating system ‘Android Oreo’. The Oreo boasts of a two times faster boot speed, autofill option, and a longer battery life. The new update comes with a Picture-in-Picture feature that allows the user to see two apps simultaneously. There is also a Notification Dots option, which when pressed pops out the notification at a glance without having to open the app. Android Instant Apps is another new feature, which teleports directly into new apps from the browser, with no installation needed. Android Oreo is more secure with Google Play Protect built in, security status front and centre in settings.

2. FDI growth 37% to 10.4 billion USD: Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the country grew by 37% to USD 10.4 billion during the first quarter of the current fiscal and bulk FDI came from Singapore, Mauritius, the Netherlands, and Japan. According to the figures of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) India had received around USD 8 billion during the same period last year. The main sectors which attracted the highest foreign inflows include services, telecom, trading, computer hardware and software and automobile. Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an investment made by a company or individual in one country in business interests in another country, in the form of either establishing business operations or acquiring business assets in the other country.

Daily GK Updates - 21st August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt all set to hike GST cess on luxury cars, via ordinance: The government is set to promulgate an ordinance within weeks, allowing an increase in goods and services tax (GST) cess on luxury cars and SUVs, as it seeks to restore tax revenue from the automobile industry that unintentionally got affected in the transition to the new indirect tax regime.

2. Number of PSU banks to fall to 10-15 after consolidation - Sanjeev Sanyal: The government is looking to reduce the number of public sector banks to 10-15, more than what was envisaged earlier, through a series of mergers and acquisitions so that none of the banks become too big to fail, said Sanjeev Sanyal, principal economic adviser at the finance ministry. Earlier it was speculated that the number of PSBs might be reduced to 4-5.

3. AIADMK factions finally unite, Panneerselvam is deputy CM: The AIADMK factions finally merged following a power sharing arrangement. Palaniswami will remain the chief minister and O Panneerselvam will be his deputy. Panneerselvam will also be the AIADMK coordinator while Palaniswami will be the co-coordinator.

4. K Chandrasekhar Rao gets global agriculture leadership award: Chief Minister of Telangana ‘K Chandrashekhar Rao’ has been selected for the prestigious Agriculture Leadership Award-2017 for his innovative services rendered to the welfare of farmers and the farm sector. The Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) Committee headed by agriculture scientist MS Swaminathan has recommended the CM’s name.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. China launches first cyber court in e-commerce hub of Hangzhou: China launched its first cyber (internet) court specialising in handling internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou, amid a spike in the number of online disputes. The cyber court will handle cases such as online trade disputes and copyright lawsuits. These cases handled by the court will be tried online.

2. China's army conducts military exercises 'to strike awe in India':  Global Times made sure to mention that the drills were conducted "amid tensions in Doklam" to "lay the ground for plateau warfare". More than 10 PLA units from the 'western theater command' participated in the drills. The units included aviation and armoured forces, said a China Central Television report.

3. World’s smallest surgical robot: British scientists have developed world’s smallest surgical robot which could transform daily operations for tens of thousands of patients. The robot, called Versius, mimics human arm & can be used to carry out a wide range of laparoscopic procedures including hernia repairs, colorectal operations.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. SBI waives processing fees on personal loans: State Bank of India has waived processing fees on most of its retail loans. It will waive upto 100 per cent processing fee on car loans, personal gold loans and other personal loans. The retail push comes three weeks after the bank announced a cut in the savings bank rate.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Rosneft closes $13-billion Essar Oil acquisition deal: The nearly $13-billion acquisition of Essar Oil Ltd by a consortium led by Russia’s Rosneft PJSC is believed to have been completed, sources close to the matter said. This paves the way for the Essar group to reduce its debt. The deal, which Essar termed the largest foreign direct investment in India, includes the sale of a 20 million-tonnes-per-year Vadinar refinery and Vadinar port in Gujarat to Rosneft, United Capital Partners and Trafigura Group Pte. Essar’s promoters, the Ruias, will retain a 2% stake in these assets.

3. McDonald’s terminates franchise agreement with CPRL for 169 restaurants: McDonald’s India Pvt. Ltd (MIPL), the Indian subsidiary of the American fast food chain on Monday terminated its franchise agreement with Connaught Plaza Restaurants Pvt. Ltd (CPRL), the north and east India licensee of McDonald’s, the company said in a statement.

4. NTPC seeks shareholder nod to raise Rs15,000 crore via bonds: State-owned power giant NTPC Ltd has sought shareholders’ approval to raise Rs15,000 crore via non-convertible bonds on private placement basis domestically for capex, working capital and other corporate purposes. The special resolution is listed on the agenda of the annual general meeting scheduled for 20 September.

5. Chaayos plans to expand tea range, open more stores in India: Tea cafe chain Chaayos is planning to expand its range of tea-based packaged consumer goods and open more stores. Chaayos CEO Nitin Saluja says launching Chai Pattis to help customers enjoy top selling Chaayos Chai at the comfort of their homes.

6. Government imposes anti-dumping duty on tempered glass from China: The Union Finance Ministry (Revenue Department) has imposed anti-dumping duty on certain “textured toughened (tempered) glass” imported from China. This will help the local industry against the heavily dumped Chinese products.

SPORTS:

7. Indian hockey is on par with the best: Rupinder Pal Singh: Rupinder was named TOISA Hockey Player of the Year (Jury’s Choice) for an excellent 2016. He was part of a fruitful 2016 campaign during which India won the Asian Champions Trophy.

8. Shapath Bharadwaj wins bronze at Junior Shotgun World Cup: Shapath Bharadwaj (15-year) has won a bronze medal in the double trap event at the ISSF Junior Shotgun World Cup in Porpetto, Italy. Lakshay Sheoran and Manisha Keer combined to win a bronze in the mixed team trap competition.

Daily GK Updates - 20th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Utkal Express derailment - Railways to probe if maintenance work caused accident: The Indian Railways on Sunday indicated negligence could be the reason behind the derailment of the Utkal Express, with a senior official saying a probe would ascertain if any maintenance work was being done on the tracks without permission. The probe, which will begin on Monday, will be conducted by the commissioner (railway safety), Shailesh Kumar Pathak, who will look into “every angle, be it sabotage, technical lapse or manual fault”.

2. Bank unions call for all-India strike on 22 August against privatisation: Nearly 10 lakh bank employees are likely to participate in the strike to protest plans to privatise PBUs, merger, consolidation of banks and not to write-off NPAs, say unions. Services at public sector banks (PSBs) may take a hit on Tuesday as all unions under the aegis of United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) have threatened to go on strike against the government’s proposed consolidation move besides raising a host of other demands.

3. IIT JEE (Advanced) to go completely online from next year: The entrance examination for the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will go completely online from 2018, the joint admission board decided on Sunday. The joint admission board, which is the policymaking body on IIT admissions, took the decision at a meeting in New Delhi.

4. Govt plans monthly fellowship of Rs70,000 for IIT, IISc researchers: The Centre will provide Rs70,000 as monthly fellowship to those researchers doing their PhDs in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) or Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Union higher education secretary Kewal Kumar Sharma has said. However, the scholarship recipients can’t do any other job.

5. BRO gets more powers for road construction along China border: Concerned over inordinate delays in the construction of strategic roads along the India-China border, the defence ministry has delegated more administrative and financial powers to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for the speedy completion of the projects. The decision to give additional powers to BRO came months after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) also took strong objection to the long delays by the BRO in constructing 61 strategically important roads, with a total length of 3,409km, under the India-China Border Roads (ICBRs) project.

6. BSF begins drive to curb suicides: In a first-of-its-kind step, the Border Security Force (BSF) has launched two ambitious projects to curb suicides and depression amongst its jawans and has introduced a ‘wellness quotient assessment’ test in their annual medical check-up.

7. Rajiv Gandhi remembered on his birth anniversary: Rajiv Gandhi was born on 20th August, 1944 and was assassinated on May 21, 1991.“On his birth anniversary, we remember former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi & recall his contribution to the nation,” Modi tweeted.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indian-origin TV star crowned ‘Child Genius’: A 12-year-old Indian-origin boy has been crowned as the U.K.’s ‘Child Genius’ in a popular television quiz competition, days after he became an overnight sensation after answering all questions correctly. Rahul Doshi won the Channel 4 show ‘Child Genius’ by beating his nine-year-old opponent, Ronan, 10-4 in the programme’s finale.

2. Iraq starts offensive to take back Tal Afar from Islamic State: Iraqi security forces launched an offensive to take back the city of Tal Afar on Sunday, their next objective in the U.S.-backed campaign to defeat Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was quoted saying.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. England thrashes West Indies: Stuart Broad starred as England thrashed the West Indies by an innings and 209 runs to ensure the inaugural day/night Test in Britain ended inside three days at Edgbaston.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Three insurance companies file IPO papers in 3 weeks, may fetch Rs20,000 crores: HDFC Standard Life Insurance’s IPO is expected to fetch Rs7,500 crore, while IPOs of New India Assurance and GIC of India may raise over Rs6,500 crore each. A positive outlook of the market is the reason behind increase in the number of IPOs.

3. Infosys approves Rs13,000 crore share buyback at 24.57% premium: The buyback offer size is 20.51% of the total paid-up equity capital and free reserves of the company as per the latest audited balance sheet as on 30 June, 2017,” said a company statement to BSE. However, the buyback price at Rs. 1,150 per share is at a steep 24.57% premium to the closing price of Rs. 923.10 on 19th August.

Daily GK Updates - 19th August, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nikolay Kudashev as Russia's new ambassador to India: Russian President Vladimir Putin today appointed career diplomat Nikolay Kudashev as Russia's new ambassador to India, the country's embassy said. Mr Kudashev, a specialist in South East Asia, is currently the Deputy Director General Secretariat of the Ministry of foreign Affairs of Russia. Kudashev’s appointment comes nearly seven months after the death of Russia's previous ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin.

2. Smriti Irani to inaugurate ‘Momentum Jharkhand’ today, security beefed up: The Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani has inaugurated "Second Groundbreaking” ceremony at Jamshedpur in Jharkhand for laying foundation stones of 70 new companies. The foundation stones for 70 companies were laid whose permissions have been granted after receiving the proposals few months ago. This is part of Jharkhand government emphasis to boost manufacturing in the state. Earlier, Smriti Irani also inaugurated a modern handloom manufacturing unit at Irba near Ranchi.  Union textile and information and broadcasting minister Smriti Irani will be the chief guest of the event. The event is going to pave way for new investment as two projects will be inaugurated while foundation stone will be laid for 70 projects during the function. According to an estimate about 3,000 people, including senior corporate officials, MLAs and state MPs will attend the function. Mumbai-based Wizcraft Entertainment is arranging the event. According to information there will be two-tier security arrangements in place for tomorrow’s second groundbreaking ceremony of projects whose MoUs were signed during the Global Investors’ Summit in February.

3. Launch of digital wallet by BSNL: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) on Thursday went digital by launching a bespoke mobile wallet (mobile payment App) that would enable its existing 100 million customers to make Bill payments and transact on e-commerce platforms.  This digital wallet was launched at an event by Manoj Sinha, Minister for Telecommunications in the capital.  The wallet has been developed and issued by MobiKwik on behalf of BSNL.  Speaking on the occasion, Anupam Srivastava, CMD, BSNL expressed hope that this BSNL mobile wallet will not only promote cashless economy but also enhance business for BSNL.  Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) unveiled its mobile wallet in partnership with MobiKwik to enable one-tap bill payment for its over 100 million subscribers. This digital mobile wallet was launched at an event by Telecommunications Minister Manoj Sinha. The app will allow users to pay for online recharges, make bill payments, shop, and book bus & train tickets. The wallet will work on both smartphone and feature phones.

4. India sees over 15% growth in foreign tourist arrivals: A total of 1.19 lakh tourists came on e-visa last month as compared to 0.68 lakh in July 2016. The highest number of tourists arrived from Bangladesh (20.12 per cent), followed by the US (16.26 per cent) Foreign Tourist Arrivals from January to July, 2017, were 56.74 lakh, recording a growth of 15.7 per cent from last year. India has registered a growth of over 15% in foreign tourist arrivals from January to July this year. The highest number of tourists arrived from Bangladesh (20.12%), followed by the US (16.26%), the UK (10.88%) and France (3.01%).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Launch of the  first cyber court in e-commerce Hub by China: China has launched its first cyber court (first of its kind in China) specializing in handling Internet-related cases in the e-commerce hub of Hangzhou. The Hangzhou Internet Court in Hangzhou will handle cases such as online trade disputes and copyright lawsuits. The cases handled by the court will be tried online. Hangzhou is home to many Internet companies, including e-commerce giant Alibaba.

2. World Humanitarian Day – 19th August: World Humanitarian Day (WHD) is held every year on 19 August to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the world.  The day provides an opportunity to celebrate the spirit that inspires humanitarian work around the globe. The World Humanitarian Day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) by passing a resolution A/63/L.49. The theme of this year 2017 is #NotATarget. About #NotATarget: Around the world, conflict is exacting a massive toll on people’s lives. Trapped in wars that are not of their making, millions of civilians are forced to hide or run for their lives. Children are taken out of school, families are displaced from their homes, and communities are torn apart, while the world is not doing enough to stop their suffering. At the same time, health and aid workers – who risk their lives to care for people affected by violence – are increasingly being targeted.

3. World Photography Day – 19th August, 2017: World Photography Day' observed today to inspire photographers across the planet to share a single photo with the world. On this day, camera persons take stock of the different kind of photography that has come to the fore. On August 19 in 2010, World Photo Day hosted its first global online gallery. The photograph originally was made by Nicéphore Niépce, using silver chloride coating a piece of paper. However, the photo would eventually turn fully dark as he knew no way to remove the silver chloride from the paper to preserve the photo. Photographs got better and better over the years, first with the ‘still camera’, and the ability to take a picture that way. Think the old west in America, and that camera’s differences to the ones of World War 2, then compare them to modern cameras. The major jumps in technology affected photography as much as any other facet of life around the world. With Kodak, Canon and so many other brands out there, it was of no surprise when the market of photography got such a jump, even more so with the military and surveillance capabilities offered as cameras got better, lighter and more easily used. Yet for all the innovation and creativity, science and even the large amount of art that occurs in the photography realm, not much can beat the simple pleasure of snapping photos and developing your frames to enjoy the integrity of the photos.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Virat Kohli continues to top ICC ODI rankings for batsmen: Having 873 points in his kitty, Kohli will have a chance to increase the 12-point lead over second-placed Australian David Warner at the upcoming five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, starting in Dambulla on Sunday. Other Indian batsmen in the top-15 are Dhoni (12th), Dhawan (13th) and Rohit (14th). Kohli will have a chance to increase the 12-point lead over second-placed Australian David Warner. Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (13th) is the lone Indian in top 15.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. RBI to release new Rs 50 notes soon: The new Rs 50 denomination currency notes will be shortly issued under the Mahatma Gandhi series. The base colour of the new notes will be fluorescent blue and its dimension will be 66 mm x 135 mm. It will have a motif of Hampi with Chariot on the reverse, depicting the country’s cultural heritage along with the Swachh Bharat logo, year of printing, numeral 50 in Devnagiri and the language panel. The banknote will bear the signature of RBI Governor Dr. Urjit R. Patel on the front side along with the guarantee and promise clause and the RBI emblem. It will have Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait at the Centre and a see through register with enominational numeral 50. Micro letters ‘RBI’, ‘भारत’, ‘INDIA’ and ‘50’ and Ashoka Pillar emblem on the right will also feature on the front side. The security thread will have inscriptions ‘भारत’ and RBI. The number panel will have numerals growing from small to big on the top left side and bottom right side.