Daily GK Updates - 9th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. President gives Nari Shakti Puraskar: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, President Ram Nath Kovind conferred Nari Shakti Puraskars to 30 eminent women and  9 distinguished Institutions in recognition of their service towards society and women’s empowerment. Women and Organisations from fields of science, sport, art, etc have been awarded. The awardees were finalised by the Ministry of Woman and Child Development.

2. Prakriti to be 1st ITBP Woman Combat Officer: Prakriti has been inducted as the first direct-entry combat officer in the border guarding force, ITBP. She has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and is right now based in an ITBP unit in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh. The ITBP is the last of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to induct women officers in combat roles after the government first allowed it to enroll them in 2016.

3. Women Transforming India Awards 2018: The nominations for the Women Transforming India Awards were opened during the launch of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) at NITI Aayog. The theme of the Awards for the year 2018 is ‘Women and Entrepreneurship’. NITI’s flagship event, which it has organised in partnership with United Nations, will also have the collaboration of DICE Districts.

4. Diu becomes the first UT to run 100% on solar power: Diu has become the first and only Union Territory to be fully solar energy efficient. Diu has made expeditious progress in the field of solar power generation as it has become the first UT in the country where more than 100% of the energy requirement is met by solar power. Diu generates a total of 13 megawatts of electricity from solar power generating facilities daily.

5. Passive euthanasia gets legal sanction: The Supreme Court of India allowed passive euthanasia after citing that persons have right to die with dignity. The SC also allowed an individual to draft a living will specifying that they not be put on life support if they slip into an incurable coma in the future. In a ‘living will’, a person can make a statement in advance that their life should not be prolonged by putting ventilator.

6. Government launches ‘SUVIDHA’: The government announced the launch of ‘Suvidha’, the 100% Oxo-biodegradable Sanitary Napkin, under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). SUVIDHA napkins would be physically available at all Janaushadhi Kendras in the country by May 28, 2018 – World Menstrual Hygiene Day. It would ensure ‘Swachhta, Swasthya and Suvidha’ for the underprivileged Women of India.

7. ‘WINGS INDIA 2018’ Event: The four-day biennial event ‘WINGS INDIA 2018′, jointly organized by Ministry of Civil Aviation and Airport Authority of India and FICCI took off in Hyderabad. WINGS INDIA 2018 is a platform for interactions, forging alliances, investments and air connectivity between the States and the global aviation players & stakeholders. The theme of the event is ‘India-Global Aviation Hub’.

8. Mumbai gets 47th rank in wealth index and 16th amongst the costliest global cities: Mumbai ranks 47 on the “city wealth index” of 314 global cities in the Knight Frank Wealth Report 2018. The “city wealth index” is drawn from four major indicators — wealth, investments, lifestyle and future. Mumbai ranked 16th among the top 20 costliest global cities.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. EIB to invest in clean energy projects in India: European Investment Bank (EIB) will be signing a new loan for large and small clean energy projects all over India. The EIB is the world’s biggest financier of climate action and clean energy projects. In 2017 the EIB invested EUR 19.6bn in climate action projects. The EIB signed a partnership with the International Solar Alliance aimed at supporting the initiative.

2. Hinglish to be taught in UK: UK's Portsmouth College has offered to teach its students 'Hinglish', a mix of Hindi and English languages, becoming the country's first educational institution to do so. The course is being introduced partly due to India's growing economic importance and to prepare British students who may take up jobs in India or in Indian companies based in the UK.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. Planctopirus hydrilla, new antibiotic, discovered by scientists: A novel species of a bacterium that produces antibiotic has been discovered by a professor at the University of Hyderabad (UoH) and his researchers. The newly discovered bacterium, Planctopirus hydrilla, may provide a solution to the problem of diseases becoming resistant to a majority of known drugs. The new bacteria would also clean up ammonia waste, a growing environmental concern.

SPORTS:

1. Dharun breaks national record in hurdles: Ayyasamy Dharun broke the men’s 400m hurdles national record and in the process grabbed a Commonwealth Games ticket on the concluding day of the 22nd Federation Cup National Senior Championships. Dharun erased Joseph G Abraham’s over 10-year-old earlier national record of 49.94 made in August 2007 in Osaka.

2. Commonwealth Point of Light award: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II recognised Srishti Bakshi from India as the 26th  Commonwealth Point of Light in honour of her exceptional service to empowering women in India. Srishti is the founder of the CrossBow Miles movement. Srishti leads workshops for women in rural communities on digital and financial literacy, leadership and health.

3. Virat Kohli named first Brand Ambassador for Uber India: Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has been named cab-hailing startup Uber’s first Brand Ambassador in India. Kohli will also be involved in a series of marketing and customer experience initiatives.

4. ISSF World Cup 2018- Anjum Moudgil Wins Silver: Indian shooter Anjum Moudgil clinched a silver medal in the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions event at the ongoing ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was Anjum’s first World Cup medal. Former junior world champion China’s Ruijiao Pei won the Gold Medal in that event. India thus remained on top of the medals tally with eight medals, while China is in second with two gold, two silver, one bronze.

Daily GK Updates - 8th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Swachh Shakti 2018: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, in association with the Government of Uttar Pradesh, is organizing a Women’s Convention – called Swachh Shakti 2018 on International Women’s Day on 8th March at Lucknow. Uttar Pradesh will be hosting Swachh Shakti 2018 as the largest State in the country. Swachh Shakti 2018 will provide momentum to the sanitation coverage in Uttar Pradesh.

2. PM Launches National Nutrition Mission and Pan India Expansion Of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, PM Narendra Modi launched the National Nutrition Mission (NNM) and Pan India Expansion of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) covering all 640 districts of the Country at a mega event held at Jhunjhunu in Rajasthan. NNM has been set up with a three year budget of Rs.9046.17 crore commencing from 2017-18. The NNM is a comprehensive approach towards raising nutrition level in the country on a war footing. The Prime Minister also awarded ten districts for showing outstanding performance in the areas of effective community engagement, enforcement of PC&PNDT Act and enabling the education of the girl child.

3. Karnataka Government Unveils Official State Flag: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah accepted a nine-member committee’s design for the proposed official state flag. The committee was set up last year to examine the legal feasibility of an official state flag after demands by pro-Kannada activists. If the Centre approves the proposal, Karnataka will be the second state to have a separate flag, after Jammu and Kashmir.

4. Dearness Allowance for Central Govt employees hiked: The Cabinet approved a hike in Dearness Allowance to central government employees and Dearness Relief to pensioners from 5% to 7%, with effect from January 1, 2018. It represents an increase of 2%. The hike is expected to benefit 48.41 lakh central government employees and 61.17 lakh pensioners. The impact on the exchequer over the DA hike will be ₹6,077 crore per annum.

5. Udyam Sakhi Portal Launched For Women Entrepreneurs: On the occasion of International Women’s Day the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) launched a portal for women entrepreneurs of India: www.udyamsakhi.org. The portal was unveiled by the Minister of State (I/C) of MSME, Giriraj Singh, in a program in New Delhi. The portal is a network for nurturing entrepreneurship and creating business models for low cost products and services in order to empower women and make them self-reliant and self-sufficient.

6. Delhi Govt. to install Panic Alarm System in each state-run bus: On the International Women’s Day, the Delhi government has announced a project under which state-run buses would be installed with Panic Alarm Systems. Each bus will be equipped with 4 panic buttons that cover the entire length of the vehicle. A loud beeping alarm will be activated for 40 seconds on pressing the button.

7. ‘Vision For Future’ Event To Marks 70 Years Of Indo-Russia Ties Held In New Delhi: An event named ‘Vision for Future’ was held in New Delhi to commemorate 70 years of the Indo-Russia ties. The event sought to expose the youth to the dynamic opportunities of cooperation between the two countries. The program inaugurated at the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (Eurasia Division) and the International Federation of Indo-Russian Youth Clubs.

8. Sanitary Pads for women at Rs. 2.50: The Central government launched biodegradable sanitary napkins under the name ‘Suvidha’, priced at ₹2.50 per pad, which will be available at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) Kendras. The sanitary napkins will be available in a pack of four pads for Rs. 10 across over 3,200 PMBJP Kendras by May 28, 2018.  

9. enTTech 2018 inaugurated in Mumbai: India’s biggest Media & Entertainment Services Market – enTTech 2018 was inaugurated in Mumbai. The market, spread over two days (March 7 – 8, 2018) will see fast matchmaking between 100 international delegates and their Indian counterparts. The event was organized by SEPC in association with MEAI and TVAGA and supported by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

10. LED Gram Light Training Programme launched: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat launched a programme for women self-help groups at Thano. The 5-day programme named LED Gram Light Training programme will train 50 women from 10 SHGS in making LED bulbs, tubelights and chandeliers and help them stand on their own feet. It will boost the sale of local products and will also help in stoping sale of Chinese items of home decor.

11. Indian architect BV Doshi wins Pritzker: Balkrishna Doshi, the legendary Indian architect is being honoured with the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the Nobel equivalent for the field. He is the 45th Pritzker laureate and the first from India. The international prize, established by Chicago’s Pritzker family in 1979, bestows laureates with $100,000 along with a bronze medallion.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. International Women’s Day 2018 observed: International Women’s Day is dedicated to celebrating womanhood, their social, political, cultural, economic achievements and their significant contributions to society. The day also emphasises the importance of gender equality. Before the UN adopted it in 1977, the day was mostly celebrated in socialist and Communist countries. This year, the theme is #PressforProgress.

2. World ATM Congress 2018 Held in Spain: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is participating in World ATM Congress (WATMC) 2018 being held in Spain. Now entering its sixth year, World ATM Congress is the world’s largest international air traffic management (ATM) exhibition and conference attracting thousands of delegates each year. The AAI is showcasing its achievements and initiatives, through a stall at the conference which was inaugurated by A.K. Dutta, Member (ANS), AAI.

OTHER UPDATES

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. RBI imposes penalty on SBI: The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a monetary fine of Rs 40 lakh on the country’s biggest lender the State Bank of India over counterfeit notes. After Inspection RBI found a violation of its instructions issued on the detection and impounding of counterfeit notes.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Airtel acquires India leg of GBI cables: Telecom major Bharti Airtel acquired India leg of Gulf Bridge International submarine cable which will boost its data carrying capacity. Under the agreement, Airtel will acquire the ownership of the India leg of GBI’s India-Middle East-Europe submarine cable. This will also complement Airtel’s existing global network spanning 250,000 kms with presence in 50 countries.

2. Paytm now registered investment advisor: Financial services platform Paytm’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Paytm Money has received approval from market regulator SEBI to become a Registered Investment Advisor. The nod from the SEBI will allow the company to roll out investment and wealth management products to consumers across the country. The platform has planned to start with direct plan mutual funds investments with zero commission.

3. Indian startups raise funds via bitcoins: Initial coin offerings (ICOs) are emerging as a new way of raising funds for startups. An ICO is based on cryptocurrencies and is a mix of an initial public offer (IPO) and crowdfunding. Startups have managed to raise as much as $200 million in a single round of funding through ICOs. Instead of granting shares in the company, the issuer will create crypto-tokens to give out to investors.

Daily GK Updates - 7th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Neiphiu Rio to be the new CM of Nagaland: Senior NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio was selected as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland by Governor P B Acharya. The governor said he had received letters of support in Rio’s favour from 12 legislators of the BJP, one letter from the JD(U) and another from an Independent MLA, besides the 18 legislatures of the NDPP. The new ministry will be sworn in on March 8.

2. Sukhad Yatra App to be launched, toll free number 1033: Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari will launch a mobile App and Toll-free number. Sukhad Yatra mobile application has been prepared by NHAI, to empower the Highway user. A toll-free number, 1033, will enable users to report an emergency condition, or highway-related feedback, across the highway.

3. NITI Aayog to launch WEP on Women’s Day: NITI Aayog will launch its Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) on 8th March, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day. Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) would provide a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem where women do not face any gender-based barriers. The theme of this year’s campaign is ‘Women and Entrepreneurship’ which will be launched in partnership with United Nations.

4. Kollam to be first district to bring all food companies under FSSA: Kollam will become the first district in India to bring all food business operators under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA). Bakeries, auditoriums, hospitals, schools, charity organizations, public distribution chains, hostels have been included. Factories operating in the cashew sector and ice plants in the fishing sector have been put through the licencse process.

5. AWBI headquarters moves from TN to Haryana: The headquarters of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has been shifted from Chennai to Haryana’s Ballabhgarh for “better coordination” between the environment ministry and the board. AWBI consists of 22 members even though the total number should be 28 as per the PCA Act.

The new office will be at the eight-acre National Institute of Animal Welfare (NIAW) campus in the Delhi.

6. ONGC Videsh, Iran’s IDRO Oil sign agreement for co-operation: ONGC Videsh, the overseas arm of government-owned ONGC, has signed a cooperation agreement with Iran’s IDRO Oil. The agreement will enable joint bidding for a $900 million development plan of Susangerd oilfield in southwest Iran. The Susangerd field, discovered in 2009, is estimated to hold more than 5 billion barrels of in-place reserves.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. EBRD approves the membership of India: India is all set to become the 69th member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) after shareholders of the international financial institution gave their nod to the country’s candidature.  The formal membership process will now get underway, which includes the purchase of shares by India at an estimated cost of around 1 million euros. The EBRD’s Board of Governors, which represents all the existing shareholders of the UK-based bank, voted in favor of India’s membership application.

2. Jeff Bezos first in the World, Mukesh Ambani tops in India: With a fortune worth $110 billion, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the world's richest man and tops a 2018 Forbes Magazine list of billionaires. According to the Forbes, Bezos is the first person to top $100 billion as number one on the Forbes list of the World's Billionaires. Microsoft founder Bill Gates is second ($90 billion), investment guru Warren Buffet third ($84 billion), Bernard Arnault and family fourth ($72 billion), and Facebook founder-CEO Mark Zuckerberg fifth ($71 billion). Indian industry titan Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries Limited, is 19th on the list. He is valued at $40.1 billion.

3. Iraq becomes the largest oil supplier to India: Iraq has overtaken Saudi Arabia by a wide margin to become India’s top crude oil supplier. Iran was India’s second biggest supplier of crude oil after Saudi Arabia till 2010-11 but western sanctions relegated it to the 7th spot in the subsequent years. Venezuela is India’s fourth largest supplier with 15.5 MT during April-January, followed by Nigeria with 14.9 MT.

4. Saposhi threat looms over cyberspace: The cybersecurity agencies have detected a new malware called Saposhi, which is capable of taking over electronic devices and turning them into bots. Bots can be then used for any purpose, including a Distributed Denial Of Service attack which can cripple entire industries. Depending on the size of the botnet, malware can execute multiple DDOS attacks at the same time.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. Increase in shelf life of the food produce: Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) & Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in particular is engaged in extensive research on the use of radiation processing for extending shelf life of food products. Irradiation is very effective in treating agricultural produce to enhance its shelf life. Application of nuclear techniques has helped in increasing productivity and production in agriculture.

BUSINESS / ECONOMY:

1. Paytm’s CEO is the youngest billionaire: Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma (39) is the youngest Indian billionaire. Sharma founded fast-rising mobile wallet Paytm in 2011. He has also created Paytm Mall, an e-commerce business and Paytm Payments Bank. Sharma is ranked 1,394th on the list with a fortune of $1.7 billion, is the only Indian billionaire in the under-40 league.

2. Jeff Bezos is now the Richest Person: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has become the first person to amass a fortune surpassing $100 billion and richest man on earth. Mukesh Ambani, the energy and petrochemicals magnate, is the richest Indian. The world now holds more than 2,200 billionaires with a combined fortune of $9.1 trillion.

3. Microsoft finalizes its first renewable energy deal: Tech giant Microsoft has inked its first renewable energy deal in India for powering its new facility in Bengaluru. The agreement will see Microsoft purchase 3 megawatts of solar-powered electricity from Atria Power for its new office building in Bengaluru. The project will bring Microsoft’s total global direct procurement in renewable energy projects to nearly 900 megawatts.

Daily GK Updates - 6th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Indian Military ranked 4th strongest in the World: Out of 133 countries, India is ranked fourth on a global index for its military strength. Only the United States, Russia and China are ranked above India on the list, according to the latest report of the Global Firepower index 2017. India maintained its position above France in the top five military powers in the world.

2. Karnataka opens its ambitious project ‘Arogya Karnataka’: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah unveiled a healthcare scheme named ‘Arogya Karnataka’ aimed at benefitting about 1.43 crore households in the state. It will provide quality primary, secondary and tertiary treatment to both BPL and above-poverty-line (APL) families in the state. Through the scheme, all the BPL households will get free treatment at government hospitals

3. India’s first Helicopter Taxi Service Launched in Bengaluru: India’s first helicopter taxi service was launched in Bengaluru to fly passengers from Kempegowda International Airport to Electronic City. The service is expected to reduce the time taken to cover the distance from 2 hours to 15 minutes. The helicopter will seat up to six people apart from the pilot and the service will cost Rs3,500 plus GST.

4. Biplab Deb to be Tripura’s Chief Minister: The Bharatiya Janata Party has named the party’ State president Biplab Kumar Deb as the chief ministerial candidate for Tripura. Jishnu Devvarma, a member of the royal family there, has been named for Deputy Chief Minister. Governor of Tripura: Tathagata Roy

5. Assam government extends AFSPA by six months: The Assam government has extended the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), 1958 by six more months in the state. AFSPA gives special rights to security forces to carry out operations in “disturbed areas.” It is noteworthy people in many north-eastern states want the AFSPA to be removed, however, the act continues to be in force owing to security concerns.

6. India’s child marriage numbers drop sharply – UNICEF report: The proportion of girls getting married in India has nearly halved in a decade, the UN children’s agency UNICEF said. UNICEF said 25 million child marriages were prevented worldwide in the last decade, with the largest reduction seen in South Asia. Currently, 27% of girls, or nearly 1.5 million girls, get married before they turn 18 in India. This is a sharp decline from 47% a decade ago. UNICEF HQ: New York

7. Jhunjhunu has best sex ratio in Rajasthan: Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, which had the lowest sex ratio at birth (SRB) in the state in 2011, has become the district with the highest SRB in the state. The district has increased its ratio from 837 girls per 1,000 boys in 2011 to 955 girls in December 2017. The district administration said its crackdown on sex-determining centers caused the improvement.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Marshall Islands becomes the first country in the world to have its own Cryptocurrency: The Marshall Islands is creating its own digital currency in a bid to raise money. In doing so it has become the first country in the world to recognize a cryptocurrency as legal tender. The small Pacific Island nation passed the Sovereign Currency Act to create the ‘sovereign’, or SOV. The cryptocurrency will have equal status with the US dollar in the country. An Israeli group helped the government do so.

Capital of Marshall Island: Majuro | President: Hilda Heine

2. Sri Lanka declares state of emergency for 10 days: Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency for 10 days, to curb heightening violence targeting the island’s Muslim minority. The development follows days of anti-Muslim attacks in Kandy, located in Sri Lanka’s Central Province. Sri Lanka is the second country in the region to promulgate a state of emergency this year. In February, Maldivian President declared Emergency Rule for a fortnight.

3. UK world’s largest legal cannabis producer-UN: The UN has revealed that the UK is the world’s largest producer and exporter of medical cannabis. It produced 95 tons of legal cannabis in 2016, accounting for 44.9% of the world total, a report by the UN’s International Narcotics Control Board stated. Notably, the UK has refused to allow medical cannabis in the country.

OTHER UPDATES

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. RBI slaps penalty on Axis Bank and Indian Overseas Bank: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore on private sector Axis Bank for violation of non-performing asset (NPA) classification norms, and Rs 2 crore on state-run Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) for not complying with the Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations. A statutory inspection of Axis Bank, with reference to its financial position, revealed “violations of various regulations issued by RBI in the assessment of NPAs”, or bad loans.

OBITUARIES:

1. Shammi Aunty passes away: Veteran Bollywood actor, who was fondly called ‘Shammi aunty’ by many in the film fraternity passed away at the age of 89. Born as Nargis Rabadi she has appeared in over 100 films.She was well-known for her work in television series like Dekh Bhai Dekh, Zabaan Sambhal Ke, and Shriman Shrimati. She had made her debut in Bollywood at the age of 18 with Ustad Pedro.

Daily GK Updates - 5th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Silver Jubilee of Losar festival celebrated: Buddhist Community of Itanagar celebrated the silver jubilee of the Losar Festival. The festival was full of cultural presentations from across the state, including the colourful Bhutanese and the Gorkha Cultural programs. For the locals, Losar gives them a good harvesting year ahead. For the Buddhist community, the festival is termed as the ‘New Year’ according to their Buddhist calendar.

2. KHUSHI Scheme launched by Odisha: The Odisha government launched KHUSHI scheme to provide free sanitary napkins to school girls across the state.  The scheme will be implemented by the health and family welfare department of the state at a cost of 70 crores per year. Under the scheme, the state will provide free sanitary napkins to 17 lakh girls studying in Classes 6 to 12 in government and government-aided schools. The announcement was made by the CM of Odisha Naveen Patnaik.

3. Smiriti Irani inaugurates the FICCI Frame: Information and Broadcasting Minister Smiriti Irani inaugurated 2018 edition of FICCI Frame in Mumbai. This year a maiden edition of Content Market has been added with over 70 buyers for a curated slate of new Indian Films. The event will have more than 35 knowledge sessions by experts besides having over 200 high profile speakers from across the world.

4. Conrad Sangma to be the next CM of Meghalaya: National People’s Party (NPP) President Conrad Sangma will be the new chief minister of Meghalaya. NPP came out as the second largest party with 19 seats in the recently held elections which threw a hung verdict. He will replace congress leader Mukul Sangma.

5. “Arogya Karnataka” Scheme launched: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah unveiled a healthcare scheme named 'Arogya Karnataka' (Healthy Karnataka) aimed at benefitting about 1.43 crore households in the state. It will provide quality primary, secondary and tertiary treatment to both below-poverty-line (BPL) and above-poverty-line (APL) families in the state. Through the scheme, all households will get free treatment at government hospitals while for households, the state will bear about 30% of the treatment cost.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. The Shape of Water wins the Best Picture Award at Oscars: The Shape of Water has won the Oscar for best picture at the 90th Academy Awards. The Shape of Water is American fantasy drama film directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor. Set in Baltimore in 1962, the plot follows a mute custodian at a high-security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured humanoid-amphibian creature.

2. Merkel secures fourth term in power as the Chancellor of Germany: Angela Merkel has secured her 4th term in power after Social Democratic party agreed to form another “grand coalition” govt. with conservative Christian Democratic Union. The decision ends almost 6 months of political uncertainty in Germany, the longest time the country has been without a govt in its post-war history. The deal will form her third grand coalition during her time as the Chancellor.

3. India is the 12th largest holder of US securities: India’s exposure to US government securities rose sharply to a high of $144.7 billion at the end of 2017. In 2017, China was the largest holder of US government securities with holdings to the tune of $1.18 trillion, followed by Japan at $1.06 trillion.

4. Hindu woman elected to Pakistan’s senate: Krishna Kumari Kohli from Pakistan’s Sindh province has become the first ever Hindu Dalit woman Senator. She is a member of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan People’s Party. Her election represents a major milestone for women & minority rights in Pakistan. She has actively participated & worked for the rights of downtrodden people of marginalised communities living in Thar and other areas.

5. Oscar Complete List of Winners: The 90th Annual Academy Awards (also known as Oscar Awards) were held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the USA. The Shape Of Water won the top prize - Best Picture. Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony for the second year in a row. He has become the first host since Billy Crystal to do it again.

1.    Best Picture    The Shape Of Water 2.    Best Director    Guillermo del Toro, The Shape Of Water 3.    Best Actress    Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 4.    Best Actor    Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour 5.    Best Supporting Actress   -Allison Janney, I, Tonya 6.    Best Supporting Actor    Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri 7.    Best Original Screenplay    Get Out 8.    Best Adapted Screenplay    Call Me By Your Name 9.    Best Animated Feature Film    Coco 10.    Best Foreign Language Film    A Fantastic Woman, Chile 11.    Best Original Score    The Shape Of Water 12.    Best Original Song    Remember Me, Coco 13.    Best Documentary Feature    Icarus 14.    Best Documentary Short    Heaven Is A Traffic Jam On The 405 15.    Best Live Action Short    The Silent Child 16.    Best Animation Short    Dear Basketball 17.    Best Sound Editing    Dunkirk 18.    Best Sound Mixing    Dunkirk 19.    Best Production Design    The Shape Of Water 20.    Best Cinematography    Blade Runner 21.    Best Makeup And Hair    Darkest Hour 22.    Best Costume Design   Phantom Thread 23.    Best Film Editing    Dunkirk 24.    Best Visual Effects    Blade Runner

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. Bandicoot robot developed to eradicate manual scavenging: The Bandicoot Robot, developed by a start-up in Kerala, GenRobotics, is a semi-automatic robotic system for manhole and sewer line cleaning. Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM), a start-up incubator under the Kerala government, funded the project proposed by GenRobotics to find a solution for manual scavenging. Kerala will become the first state in India to be manual scavenging-free.

2. NASA to launch TESS for the discovery of planets: Launching in April on a two-year primary mission, the observatory could ultimately discover 20,000 planets. Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will operate as a kind of exoplanet surveillance camera, making its journey around Earth every 13.7 days. The target area for the TESS mission doesn’t exceed 300 light-years distant from Earth.

DEFENCE:

1. DefExpo to be organized: DefExpo 2018 will, for the first time, project India’s Defence manufacturing capabilities to the world. DefExpo 2018 will brand India as a defence exporter of several defence systems and components for all three Services – Army, Navy and Air Force. The DefExpo is being held on sea-shore, along the East Coast road enroute Chennai to Mahabalipuram.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. RBI tightens PSL norms for banks: RBI has tightened priority sector lending norms for foreign banks by directing them to create sub-targets so that they lend a portion of their loans to small & marginal farmers as well as MSMEs. Move is directed at foreign banks with over 20 branches & will come into force from next financial year. PSL norms mandate foreign banks to lend 40% of their total loan book to the priority sector.

SPORTS:

1. Viswanathan Anand won Rapid event: Viswanathan Anand won the rapid event at the 11th Tal Memorial chess in Moscow. Anand finished with six points out of a possible nine, scoring four wins and four draws. Anand defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alexander Grischuk and Daniil Dubov of Russia and Hikaru Nakamura of United States en route to his final score.

2. Dhoni becomes brand ambassador of Dream 11: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has become a brand ambassador of gaming platform Dream11. Dhoni will be the new face of the gaming platform’s multi-channel marketing campaigns and brand engagement activities.

Currently the gaming platform has an user base of 2 crore sports fans playing “fantasy cricket, football, kabaddi and NBA.

Daily GK Updates - 4th March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. Odisha Govt Launches ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas’ Programme: The Odisha government has launched a programme Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas (our village, our development) to reach out to the people in rural areas and involve themselves in the developmental activities. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off mobile video vans for ‘Ama Gaon Ama Vikas’ programme that will move across the State to highlight various welfare schemes at villages in the state.

2. BJP won Tripura for the first time: The BJP defeated the CPI(M) in Tripura to form the state government for the first-ever time after winning 35 seats. The CPI(M), which ruled the state for 25 years, reportedly won 16 seats in the 60-member Assembly with 43% vote share. BJP-ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) won 8 seats after fielding candidates in 9 constituencies.

3. BJP,NDPP claim stake to form govt. in Nagaland: The BJP and NDPP met Nagaland Governor PB Acharya to stake claim to form the state govt. The NDPP-BJP has secured a simple majority of 32 out of 60 seats.

4. Hung Assembly in Meghalaya, Congress the single largest party: Meghalaya faces a hung state Assembly after no party won the required 31 seats to form the government in the 60-member Assembly. The Congress, which has ruled the state for 10 years, won the maximum of 21 seats, followed by the National People’s Party which won 19 seats. The BJP secured two seats in the state Assembly.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha Wins Lifetime Achievement Award in UK: Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the fields of arts and politics at a ceremony in the UK’s Parliament complex. The annual ‘Political and Public Life Awards’ presented by Britain’s Asian Voice weekly newspaper recognises individuals who have made a significant impact on public life or made a difference in their local communities.

2. World Wildlife Day 2018 celebrated: On 20 December 2013, at its 68th session, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 3 March – the day of signature of the CITES as UN World Wildlife Day. This day was proclaimed to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants. The theme for World Wildlife Day 2018 is ‘Big Cats’.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. NASA finds water on Saturn-mass planet: Using NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, astronomers have found evidence of water in the atmosphere of a Saturn-mass exoplanet some 700 light-years away.The planet, WASP-39b, has three times as much water as Saturn does, which suggests it developed far away from its host star, where it was bombarded by a lot of icy material, said NASA.

DEFENCE:

1. ICG C-162: Bharati Defence delivers interceptor boat to Coast Guard: Bharati Defence and Infrastructure Ltd (BDIL) delivered high-speed interceptor boat ICG C-162 to Indian Coast Guard (ICG) at BDIL jetty in Mangaluru, Karnataka. It is fifth interceptor boat delivered by BDIL’s Mangaluru shipyard to ICG. The sixth boat will be delivered after three-and-a-half months of the delivery of the fifth boat. The vessel will be based at Kochi, Kerala and will be used for patrolling purposes.

SPORTS:

1. Rizvi sets world record in his first-ever World Cup: Indian shooter, Shahzar Rizvi clinched the gold medal with a world record score in a memorable maiden ISSF World Cup appearance, while Jitu Rai grabbed bronze in the same event. He shot a world record 242.3 in the 10m air pistol event’s final to beat reigning Olympic champion Christian Reitz of Germany, 239.7, to win the top prize. Mehuli Ghosh added another medal to India’s tally as she shot world junior record score to win bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle event.

2. India wins IBSF Snooker Team World Cup: The Indian Snooker team has lifted the first edition of IBSF Snooker Team World Cup title and won the prize money of $15,000. The Indian duo of Pankaj Advani and Manan Chandra defeated Pakistan (Muhammad Asif, Babar Masih) in the best-of-five final played in Doha.

Daily GK Updates - 3rd March, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. World’s largest solar park, Shakti Sthala, inaugurated: The Karnataka government inaugurated the first phase of a 2,000 megawatts (MW) solar park in the drought-prone district, Tumkur. The first phase of the Rs. 16,500 crore park called “Shakti Sthala” will generate 600MW, while the balance 1,400MW is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2018. The solar project is the largest in the world and is spread over 13,000 acres and five villages. It is part of the “Karnataka Solar Policy 2014-2021” which aims to decrease dependence on traditional power sources and move to environmentally friendly ones to meet the growing power needs of the state.

2. UDAY Scheme in Lakshwadeep: Lakshadweep has joined hands with the UDAY scheme which is meant for the revival of debt-stressed power distribution companies (discoms) in the country. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in this regard with the UT’s Electricity Department. The Union Territory will have an overall benefit of around Rs 8 crore that would provide ways of cheaper funds, reduction in AT&C losses, and intervention in energy efficiency. Initiating mandatory distribution transformer metering, consumer indexing, consumer indexing and GIS mapping of losses and various other requirements will help eliminate the gap between cost of supply of power and realization.

3. Indian companies to participate in the Rooppur Project: Indian companies can now participate in the construction and installation works in the “non-critical” category of the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, according to the Russian atomic energy agency ROSATOM.  The Rooppur project is the first initiative under an Indo-Russian deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third-world countries. This will also be the first time that the Indian companies will be able to participate in a nuclear power project abroad. India, Bangladesh, and Russia signed an agreement in this regard in Moscow, Russia.

4. International Yoga festival at Parmth Niketan: Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu arrived at Parmath Niketan in Rishikesh to attend the International Yoga Festival. The festival is being attended by National and International participants.  Naidu said India has become the spiritual leader in the world. The purpose of the festival is to make the people aware about Yoga and its benefits.

5. No transaction fees on rail tickets booked with debit card: The Indian Railways has announced that Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) charges won’t be levied on passengers for booking railway tickets through debit cards.

These transactions include those made at the railway ticketing counters as well as through IRCTC ticketing website.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. Armen Sarkisian-new President of Armenia: He will succeed Serzh Sarkisian. Armen Sarkisian was the ambassador to the United Kingdom. He will assume presidential duties after his predecessor steps down in April 2018. The political shift comes after President Sarkisian, in 2015 initiated, controversial constitutional amendments to turn the impoverished Moscow-allied country into a parliamentary republic with a powerful Prime Minister.

OTHER UPDATES

SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:

1. NASA launches advanced weather satellite GOES-S: NASA launched another of the world’s most advanced weather satellites, this time to safeguard the western US. The GOES-S satellite marched towards the orbit aboard an Atlas V rocket. GOES-S is the second satellite in an approx. $11 billion effort that’s already revolutionising forecasting with astonishingly fast, crisp images of hurricanes, wildfires, floods, mudslides and other natural calamities.

DEFENCE:

1. Paschim Lehar, a naval exercise, concludes: Paschim Lehar, a three-week tri-service maritime exercise off India’s western coast, in which several ships, submarines and fighter aircraft participated, has concluded. The objective of the exercise, which commenced on February 12, was to build interoperability. Over 40 naval assets including the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, participated in it.

2. INSV Tarini reaches Cape Town: An all-women crew leading the INSV Tarini docked at a port in Cape Town in South Africa, in the last phase of its maiden voyage to circumnavigate the globe. This is the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. The vessel is skippered by Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi.

BANKING / FINANCE:

1. RBI lifts per-borrower loan cap for MSMEs: RBI has decided to do away with the per borrower loan limits to Micro/ Small and Medium Enterprises for classification under priority sector lending (PSL). In view of the increasing importance of the services sector and to encourage banks to lend more to this sector, the step was taken. So far, loans to Micro/ Small and Medium Enterprises up to ₹5 crore and ₹10 crore, respectively, were classified as PSL.

2. ICICI and PNB hike rate: The Punjab National Bank (PNB) and the ICICI Bank have hiked the MCLR rates. ICICI Bank raised the one-year MCLR from 8.2% to 8.3%. The PNB, also increased one-year MCLR to 8.3% from 8.15%.

SPORTS:

1. Navjot Kaur wins Gold for India at Asian Wrestling Championship: Navjot Kaur clinched the first gold medal for India in the Asian Wrestling championship in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She defeated Imai Miyu of Japan in the final of women’s 65 kg freestyle. With 1 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal, India was at the second spot in the medals tally. Vinesh Phogat and Pinki of Indian Railways claimed silver medals while Sakshi Malik won a bronze in the 62-kilogram category. China is leading the table with 4 gold and 1 bronze medal while Japan was at the third place with 1 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

2. Venkatesh Prasad quits as BCCI Junior National Selection Committee Chairman: Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad submitted his resignation from the post of chairman of the junior national selection committee.

Prasad cited personal reasons for stepping down. He has worked as the head of the committee for 30 months.

3. Sultan Azlan Shah Cup begins: The 27th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey tournament began in the Malaysian city of Ipoh. Six nations – India, hosts Malaysia, defending champions England, Australia, Argentina and Ireland – are taking part in the tournament. India, currently the world number six, will take on world number two Argentina in their opening round-robin match.