Daily GK Updates - 24th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.National Panchayati Raj Diwas: In India, April 24th is celebrated as National Panchayati Raj Diwas every year.This day marks the passing of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993.The first National Panchayati Raj Day was celebrated in 2010.

2.First digital village in Arunachal:Nirjuli village-1 in Papum Pare district was declared as the first digital village of Arunachal Pradesh.Digital village aims at cashless transactions even in sabji mandis to make payment through mobile.The state government also promised to  promote V-set linked customer service point (CSP) for digitalisation.

3.India’s first hospital for eye tumours: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is India’s first public hospital to start plaque brachytherapy facility for the treatment of eye tumours.The facility is a form of local radiation delivered to the eye through a radioactive device which is attached to the eye for a temporary period of time.AIIMS was established in 1956.

4.Newton wins best film honour: Actor Rajkummar Rao-starrer “Newton” has won the best film honour at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.Amit Masurkar-directed “Newton”, which also stars Anjali Patil, is a political satire.It had its world premiere at the 67th Berlin Film Festival where it won the International Federation of Art Cinemas (CICAE) award in its Forum segmen

5. Quality Mark Award Scheme: The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries has supported the National Dairy Development Board developed initiative of “Quality Mark” Award Scheme for dairy Cooperatives.The NDDB is in the process of registering the quality mark logo under Trademarks Act, 1998.Since its formation on 6th January, 2016, NDDB has received 53 applications for award of the Quality Mark.

6. Utkrisht Double-Decker AC Yatri Express:The Indian Railways will launch in July the Utkrisht Double-Decker AC Yatri (Uday) Express+ , a special class service for overnight journey that will ply on high-demand routes.The main USP of this train is that it will have fares lower than that of 3AC class.It runs at a speed of 110 km/hr.

 INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New types of blood cells discovered: Scientists, including those of Indian origin, have identified new types of blood cells in the human immune system.The cells are new classes of types of white blood cells called dendritic cells and monocytes.Researchers used a technique called single-cell genomics to analyse gene expression patterns in individual human blood cells.

2. Freight train connects Russia with China: A freight train connecting Russia with China arrived in Ganzhou an inland city in Jiangxi province, carrying goods from Moscow on April 24.The freight train travelled more than 7000 km.This freight train connecting Russia and China is expected to bring resources from Europe and boost local development.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. GNFC wins Golden Peacock Award: The Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd (GNFC) won the prestigious Golden Peacock Award in the category of InnovativeProduct/Service for pioneering a cashless township transformation model.The Awards were established by the Institute of Directors in 1991.The GNFC won from among 313 applicants.

SPORTS:

1. Cricket removed from 2018 Asian Games:  One of the sports to miss out from the programme list of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang is cricket.Apart from cricket, skateboarding, sambo and surfing have also been removed.This measure was taken as a part of the series of changes aimed at reducing the total number of events from 493 to 431.Also omitted from the list are kurash and belt wrestling events.

2.Nadal wins 10th Monte-Carlo title:  Rafael Nadal won the Monte Carlo Masters for a record-breaking 10th time by defeating  Albert Ramos-Vinolas.He, who now has 50 clay court titles and 70 in all, will be aiming for a 10th French Open title as well next month. He became the first man in the Open era to win the same event 10 times.

Daily GK Updates - 23rd April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Books On Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran Movement: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar has released 3 books based on Mahatma Gandhi’s Champaran movement of 1917. He released the books titled – ‘Mister M K Gandhi Ki Champaran Diary’, ‘Champaran Andolan 1917’ and ‘Pir Muhammad Munis: Kalam Ka Satyagrahi’.Champaran movement is acknowledged as the first Satyagraha movement inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.

2.India topped the remittances chart for 2017: According to World Bank, India has retained its position as the top remittances receiving country with its diaspora sending about USD 69 billion back home in 2017.Remittances to India picked up sharply by 9.9% to USD 69 billion in 2017, reversing the previous year’s dip. Remittance inflows improved in all regions and top remittance recipients were India with followed by China & Philippines

3. Indeed inked pact with TASK: Global job site Indeed has announced its collaboration with Telangana Academy for Skill & Knowledge to support skill development of youth in Telangana.TASK was established by govt of Telangana to enable a platform b/w govt, academia & industry to enhance employability of youth.

Through this MoU, Indeed will offer TASK students the chance to attend lectures & career development workshops.

4. Road safety week 2018: With the objective to sensitise people about road safety, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways is organizing the 29th edition of Road Safety Week from 23rd to 30th April.During the week, creating awareness about various causes of road accidents & measures to prevent them will be highlighted through various activities.1.5 lakh persons in India are killed in road crashes every year.

5. India’s best Gram Panchayat: West Bengal’s Digambarpur Gram Panchayat has bagged the Centre’s award for the best Gram Panchayat in the country.

Of the 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country, the central government had selected1000 and watched their function.The state of West Bengal is also in the top in generating rural employment across states.

6. India’s first cashless island: Manipur’s Karang has become the first cashless island of the country.Karang, a remote region was cut-off from the (Bishnupur) district due to insurgency for a long time.Incentives were provided for training towards digital payments and five POS machines were installed on the island.An online channel was launched to create awareness about the digital payments.

7. ISRO to launch slew of military satellites: Indian Space Research Organisation is gearing up to launch a slew of important satellites in the coming months. Some of these satellites are significant as they will help military keep an eye on our neighbours & safeguard our land & sea borders.ISRO will launch a dedicated satellite, Gsat-7A, for Indian Air Force & an advanced remote sensing satellite, Risat-2A, for surveillance purpose.

   INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World’s first female foreign ministers meeting: Canada and the European Union will host the world’s first female foreign ministers’ meeting in September. Female foreign ministers from about 30 countries will be invited to the gathering, which is aimed at deepening global discussion on women’s empowerment. The meeting will be held for 2 days starting on September 21st in Canada.

2. Mario Benitez elected as Paraguay’s president: Conservative former senator Mario Abdo Benítez has been elected as the president of Paraguay. Benitez garnered 46.44% of the vote, compared with 42.74% for his main rival Efrain Alegre. He is the son of the late private secretary of dictator Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled Paraguay for 35 years.

3. World Book And Copyright Day 2018: World Book and Copyright Day is a yearly event on April 23rd, organized by UNESCO, to promote reading, publishing and copyright. The World Book Capital for World Book and Copyright Day 2018 will be the city of Athens, Greece.The 2018 edition is entitled “READING, it’s my right!”, and it will be an opportunity to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.Ex-foreign secretary Jaishankar to join Tata: Tata Sons has announced appointment of S Jaishankar as the Tata Group’s President, Global Corporate Affairs.Jaishankar joined the IFS in 1977 holding key roles during his career including stints as High Commissioner to Singapore, Ambassador to China and US.Jaishankar will work with Tata Companies to help them strengthen their business presence in their respective geographies globally.

2. Axis Bank picks Egon Zehnder to find new CEO: Axis Bank has appointed global recruitment firm Egon Zehnder to find a successor for MD and CEO Shikha Sharma.In December 2017, the bank’s board had approved the reappointment of Ms. Sharma for three years, but early this month she said that she would step down in December 2018.Axis Bank is the third largest private-sector banks in India.

SPORTS:

1. Rafael Nadal won the Monte Carlo Masters Title: World Number 1 Rafael Nadal defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori by 6-3, 6-2 in the Monte Carlo Masters final to win his 31st Masters title.Nadal also became the first man in the Open era to win the same title 11 times.It gave him a 76th title overall and ensured the Spaniard keeps his top ranking ahead of Roger Federer.World No. 36 Nishikori was chasing his first ever Masters title.

Daily GK Updates - 22nd April, 2018

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Punjab govt to set up ‘book banks’ : The Punjab government has decided to set up ‘book banks’ in different schools so that needy students do not have to buy books at the start of every academic year and also to prevent “wastage of paper”.The students would be asked to submit their old books which would be provided to needy children free of charge.It is a voluntary initiative and is not binding on any student.

2. Aamir Khan, Kapil Dev to get Award : Aamir Khan and Kapil Dev will receive the 75th Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Awards, at a ceremony on April 24.Khan will be honoured with the Vishesh Puraskar for Best Film ‘Dangal’, while Dev for his outstanding contribution to Indian Cricket.The event will be organised by Master Dinanath Smruti Pratishthan and Hridayesh Arts.

3. First-ever Indian Filmmaker in Madame Tussauds Collection : Karan Johar has become the first-ever Bollywood filmmaker to get a place at the famous Madame Tussauds. The process has begun in London and it will take about six months for the wax figurine to be ready. 

                                               INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Earth Day 2017: Earth Day is an annual :event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection.First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week focussing on environmental issues. The 2018 campaign theme ‘End Plastic Pollution’ will provide the information and inspiration needed to fundamentally change human attitude and behavior about plastics.

2. Brahmos supersonic missile test fired: The Indian Navy successfully tested the supersonic BrahMos land-attack cruise missile from stealth frigate, Teg in the Bay of Bengal.The missile, which last month was tested with an extended range of 450-km from the earlier 290-km.The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia.

3. ISRO to launch South Asia Satellite: India plans to launch on May 5 the ‘South Asia Satellite’ that will benefit all the countries in the region, except Pakistan which is not a part of the project.It will be launched from Sriharikota.Sources said the satellite is designed for a mission life of more than 12 years.Each country would be responsible for content generation and its use.

4. NSCI Safety Awards – 2016: Minister of State (IC) for Labour & Employment Bandaru Dattatreya awarded NSCI Safety Awards 2016 to 70 Organisations at a function held in New Delhi.The Government framed the National Policy on Occupational Safety, Health and Environment in 2009.National Safety Council is a self-supporting non- profit autonomous society coming under the purview of Ministry of Labour and Employment

5. First India-Indonesia Energy Forum held:  The 1st India Indonesia Energy Forum was held in Jakarta, Indonesia.The Energy Forum was preceded by 2nd Joint Working Group (JWG) on Oil and Gas, 4th Joint Working Group on Coal and 1st Joint Working Group on New and Renewable Energy.India is third largest importer of coal from Indonesia. India’s imports of coal from Indonesia amounted to $3.5 billion in 2016.

                                      OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Fino Paytech to digitalise rural banks : Fino Paytech will help NABARD to help the rural bank digitization drive in the states of Haryana, MP, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra.It will provide over 5000 Aadhaar enabled micro ATMs financial inclusion gateway services to district central cooperative banks and Primary Agricultural Credit Societies across these states.NABARD deals with services related to agriculture.

2. Loan for India’s 1st waterway project: The World Bank has approved a loan of $375 million for the ambitious inland waterways project between Haldia in West Bengal and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.The 1390 km waterway project of the shipping ministry would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2000 deadweight tonnage (DWT).It was declared as a waterway in October 1986.

SPORTS:

1. The 2018 Indian Super Cup Football tournament : Bengaluru FC has won the first edition of Indian Super Cup Football tournament on April 20, 2018. In the final at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, they defeated Kolkata football giants East Bengal by a convincing margin of 4-1. The competition is sponsored by Hero MotoCorp and is officially known as the Hero Super Cup.

2. The 2018 Formula One Chinese Grand Prix tournament : Daniel Ricciardo, an Australian racing driver who is currently competing in Formula One for Red Bull Racing, has won the 2018 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix tournament at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai, China. The race was the third round of the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship and marked the fifteenth time that the Chinese Grand Prix has been run as a round of the Formula One World Championship.

OBITUARIES  :

1. The noted dance music star  Tim Bergling passed away : Tim Bergling, who is one of the world’s biggest dance music stars, has passed away in Muscat, Oman on April 21, 2018. He is popularly known as DJ Avicii. He was a Swedish musician, DJ, remixer and record producer. His club anthems include Wake Me Up, Levels, and recently, Lonely Together with Rita Ora.

Daily GK Updates - 21st April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Schemes to facilitate access to justice: Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad inaugurated 3 welfare initiatives that would facilitate access to justice for the poor.Prasad launched the schemes, namely, ‘Pro-bono (in public interest) legal services’, ‘Tele-law service’ and ‘Nyaya Mitra’, which aim to connect those in need of legal aid with lawyers through use of technology.

2. India’s first industrial Robot:TAL Manufacturing Solutions Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Motors Ltd. has created India’s first industrial robot called BRABO.BRABO—short for “Bravo Robot”—has been priced between Rs 5-7 lakh and can even be bought on equated monthly instalments, or EMIs. It was manufactured at the TAL’s Pune factory.

3.LIC appoints new MD and CEO: Life insurance Corp of India has appointed Vinay Shah as the new managing director and chief executive director of its mortgage loan arm and listed entity LIC Housing Finance.He succeeded Sunita Sharma.Shah has been with LIC since 1983. Prior to this assignment, he was executive director marketing.

4.Country’s first village of books: India’s first village of books will open on May 4 in Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra.The Maharashtra government has got 75-odd artists to paint the walls of the 25 premises at Pustakanche Gaon (village of books).The village includes nearly 25 premises, which include 3 temples, 2 schools, 7 houses and several lodges and homestays spread on a stretch of 2 km in Bhilar village.

5.National nutrition scheme in Assam: Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has assured to bring the national nutrition scheme on track in Assam in a meeting with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.They also discussed the modalities to strengthen the scheme.The Union Minister also hailed the state government’s role in conservation of rhino and other endangered species in national parks and sanctuaries.

  INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Italian mayor wins Unesco Peace Prize: The UNESCO has awarded its Peace Prize to Giuseppina (Giusi) Nicolini, the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa, for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees.Lying closer to Tunisia than it does to Sicily, Lampedusa is the first European landfall for people fleeing war and economic hardship in Africa and the Middle East.

2. RBI opens banking ombudsman in Jammu: The Reserve Bank has opened a new ombudsman office in Jammu as part of its efforts to expand banking grievances complaint cells across the country.Earlier all complaints were under the jurisdiction of New Delhi.There are two banking ombudsman offices in New Delhi.The office in Jammu will have the jurisdiction over entire Jammu and Kashmir

3.China to host BRICS Film Festival: The 2017 BRICS Film Festival will be held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province from June 23 to 27.Chinese director Xie Fei will be the president of the festival jury.The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India, last September

4. Former Iranian President disqualified: Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been disqualified from running in next month’s presidential election.The decision was taken by the Guardian Council, a clerical body charged with vetting candidates for the May 19 election.Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had previously urged him not to run.

5. Mongolia launches its first satellite: Mongolia launched its first satellite as part of its efforts to make use of new technology to diversify its resource-dependent economy.The 1,227-megahertz satellite, called Mongol Sat-1, will help landlocked Mongolia expand its television, telecoms and broadband services.The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS)

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India 8th on FDI confidence index: India has climbed one spot to the eighth rank in the 2017 A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index.The index shows that investor confidence in India has been growing steadily over the last two years, making it one of the top two emerging market performers on the FDI Index, along with China.

SPORTS:

1. Video gaming at 2022 Asian Games: Video gaming will be featured as a full sport at the 2022 Asian Games, with competitors in electronic sports set to receive medals for their digital prowess. The Olympic Council of Asia says it will introduce esports to the official program of the Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. It will also be a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.

Daily GK Updates - 20th April, 2018

                 NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. The impeachment motion against CJI: Opposition parties led by Congress MP Ghulam Nabi Azad have submitted an impeachment motion against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu.Around 60 opposition leaders signed the motion, while TMC and DMK MPs refrained from it.The move comes after CJI-led Supreme Court bench dismissed petitions seeking a probe into Judge BH Loya’s death.

2.Chhattisgarh to Distribute Free Smartphones: Chhattisgarh govt. will start distributing smartphones to over 50 lakh people for free from May under the Sanchar Kranti Yojana.Under the scheme, 40 lakh phones will be given to women heads of households in villages having population of more than 1,000. Smartphones will help to apprise people with the government’s welfare schemes and about the processes to avail benefits.

3. Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting begins: The two-day 25th Commonwealth heads of Govt meeting began in London.The Summit focuses on peace, prosperity, security, trade and investment. Discussions on strengthening cooperation in the fight against global terrorism & cyber crime are expected.It is after 20 years that the UK is hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Govt Meeting.PM Narendra Modi is attending the summit for the first time.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.New partnership announced between India-UK: The British government announced a new trade partnership between India-UK.India would be investing more than 1 billion pounds in UK which will aid in creating 5,750 British jobs.The new partnership was announced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had talks with the British Prime Minister Theresa May.

2.Scientists in Spain create a new record: Researchers based out in Spain cramp down light to lesser than a nanometer,that is, a space of 1 atom.The team did so by squeezing plasmons into a gap between graphene and metal.This is the smallest confinement done till date.This work was performed in collaboration with MIT (USA) and University of Minho (Portugal).

3.Jim Bridenstine to be the new NASA chief: US Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump-nominated Representative Jim Bridenstine to serve as NASA’s 13th administrator.His confirmation following a vote in the Senate ends the longest span of time that NASA has operated without a permanent leader.Bridenstine, a pilot in US Navy Reserve currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee & Science, Space & Technology Committee

4. Cuba gets its first non-Castro President: Cuba has selected First Vice President Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez as the sole candidate to succeed Raul Castro as president of Cuba.Miguel is the first leader outside the Castro dynasty to lead the country since the 1959 revolution.Raul Castro will remain head of the Communist party, designated by the constitution as “the superior guiding force of society and the state”.

5. Spielberg becomes 1st director to gross $10b: Three-time Oscar winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg has become the first director to gross more than $10 billion at the box office.Spielberg’s latest film ‘Ready Player One’ has helped him achieve this milestone.Spielberg is unlikely to lose the top spot any time soon as his closest rivals – Peter Jackson, Michael Bay and James Cameron all are currently around the $6 billion figure.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India, Eritrea to sign MoU: To facilitate a structured dialogue for strengthening bilateral cooperation among themselves, India & Eritrea will sign a MoU on Foreign Office Consultations.India & Eritrea enjoy cordial relations in political, commercial, education and other areas.Over the years, India has provided Eritrea with capacity building assistance in legislative drafting, technical scholarships & food aid.

2.Yes Bank got RBI’s nod to open offices: Yes Bank has received the Reserve Bank of India’s approval to open two representative offices in London and Singapore.The opening of these new offices will help in further diversification andexpansion of financial services to the NRI diaspora.Yes Bank opened its first representative office in Abu Dhabi in April 2015.

3. Standard Chartered ties up with Zoho: Standard Chartered Bank has announced an alliance with Zoho to offer solutions to enhance corporate banking experience.Bank’s business account holders can now pay their suppliers & automate reconciliation right from Zoho Books. The collaboration with Zoho offers clients a revolutionary experience, enabling them to interact seamlessly, resulting in simpler reconciliation & faster payments.

4. Tata Sons appoints new Group Chief HR Officer: Tata Sons has appointed long-time group employee Nupur Mallick as its new Group Chief Human Resource Officer.Currently, Mallick is director, Human Resources for Tata Consultancy Services in the UK and Ireland.She will take over from S. Padmanabhan who will continue to be executive chairman of Tata Business Excellence Group and head, Sustainability Group.

SPORTS:

1. India to bid for 2026 Youth Olympics: Indian Olympic Association has decided to bid for 2026 Youth Olympics as well as the 2032 Summer Olympics.The bidding process for 2026 Youth Olympics is likely to start in early part of 2020.Besides India, Thailand has also expressed interest to host the 2026 Youth Olympics.IOC chief Thomas Bach, who is on a 2 day visit to India, said India has the capability to host big Olympic events.

Daily GK Updates - 19th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Petrol pumps to be closed on Sundays: Beginning 14 May, petrol pumps in eight states will be closed on Sundays.Nearly 20,000 outlets in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Haryana would be shut for 24 hours on Sundays, starting 14 May.The decision was made in view of the Prime Minister’s call during his recent “mann ki baat” programme to conserve oil to save the environment

2. Sri Lanka to offer India port development: Sri Lanka is now set to allow India to jointly develop the Trincomalee port in northeastern part of the country.Sri Lanka has readied an MoU for joint development of the project and that it’s likely to be signed during PM Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Colombo.Sri Lanka, however, has backed China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative about which India has serious reservations.

3. WB Govt brings Social Security Yojana:West Bengal Government has introduced the Social Security Yojana by converging five separate beneficiary schemes for workers in the unorganised sectors and for self-employed people.Around 5 crore people will benefit from the Yojana, with around 1 crore getting direct benefits.The State Government has started another scheme – State Nutrition Mission.

4.New Film Institute in Itanagar: Information and Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu announced that a Film Institute will be set up in Itanagar.Mr Naidu said that the institute will start functioning from a temporary campus with an introduction of 10 week short term course from 15th of May this year.An investment of 200 crore rupees will be made for the institute for the students of North East region.

5. UP airport to be named after Gorakhnath: UP state cabinet has decided to name an upcoming airport terminal at Gorakhpur Air Force station after Mahayogi Gorakhnath.Mahayogi Gorakhnath is known as the founder of the Nath monastic movement.Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the head priest of the Gorakhnath Math.He is also a five-time MP from Gorakhpur.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.China Names places in Arunachal Pradesh: China has announced its own names for six places in Arunachal Pradesh.China claims the state as ‘South Tibet’, while India says Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and is inseparable from the country.The names announced by China are Wo’gyainling, Mila Ri, Qoid ngarbo Ri, Mainquka, B mo La and Namkapub Ri.

2. UK parliament votes on snap election: Britain’s parliament is to vote on holding a snap election in June.Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking to make strong gains against the opposition ahead of gruelling Brexit negotiations.An early election would therefore be the fourth big vote in four years after the general election of 2015.

3.UN to issue stamps for Yoga Day: United Nations will issue special stamps commemorating the International Yoga Day on June 21 this year.UN Postal Administration will issue the new special event sheet to commemorate Yoga Day that has been marked annually since 2015.The special sheet consists of stamps with images of the sacred Indian sound “Om” and various yogic postures.

4. India, Russia to hold combat exercise: In the first such tri-Service wargames, India will hold a major combat exercise with Russia this year.The Indra exercise, to be held in Russia, will include assets and manpower from the Army, Navy and IAF.

This is the first time India will deploy the three services together for an exercise with a country.Moscow Conference on International Security will be held on April 25-26.

5.World Liver Day being observed today:The World Liver day is observed on the 19th April every year to spread awareness about the second largest organ ‘liver’ in the body.This year, the theme of World Liver Day 2018 is 'Riding New Waves in Liver Diagnosis, Staging & Treatment'.Liver diseases can be caused by hepatitis A, B, C, alcohol, and drugs.According to WHO (World Health Organization), liver diseases are the 10th most common cause of death in India.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Goldman Sachs for Flipkart merger talks: Bengaluru-based ecommerce marketplace Flipkart has appointed Goldman Sachs as an advisor for the “proposed acquisition” of rival Snapdeal.Last week, Flipkart had announced its acquisition of eBay.in as part of a $1.4 billion fundraising round.Snapdeal has raised about $1.65 billion from about two dozen investors, including SoftBank and SoftBank-backed Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba.

Daily GK Updates - 18th April, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES

1. District plan to acelerate growth by 3%: Govt has decided to set up a district plan to accelerate growth of districts by 3%.An addition of 3% growth at the district level will ensure that 5 trillion dollars target for the Indian economy becomes achievable.The initiative will begin with 6 districts, including Sindhudurg & Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, VaLt Gen PP Malhotra takes over as DG NCC

2. Lieutenant General PP Malhotra has assumed the charge as Director General of National Cadet Corps (NCC):, the largest uniformed youth organization in the world.Prior to assuming his present appointment, he was the Chief Engineer of the Army’s premier Northern Command.Lt Gen Malhotra’s distinguished professional career includes various regimental, staff and command appointments.ranasi in UP, Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh & Solan in HP.

3. Digital platform for MSME exporters launched:Commerce Minister Suresh Prabhu launched FIEO GlobalLinker- A digital platform for MSME exporters to digitise their businesses & join a global community of growing businesses.It will help in expanding India’s multi-focused export strategy & also aid in connecting art & artisans to market.

4. HRD Ministry to launch Study In India portal:HRD Ministry will launch ‘Study in India’ portal that aims to target foreign students to be admitted in Indian institutes

It will enable students from 30 countries to apply for different courses from 150 Indian institutions.study in India programme’s objective is to target foreign students by branding India as an attractive education destination.

5. DARPAN-PLI App launched by Manoj Sinha: MoS for Communication, Manoj Sinha launched DARPAN-Postal Life Insurance App in New Delhi.The App will help in collection of premium for Postal & Rural postal life insurance policies at Branch Post offices anywhere in India, with online updation of policies.It will help Department of Posts in providing better after-sales service to customers, particularly those living in rural areas.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES

1. World Heritage Day celebrated: World Heritage Day is an annual event celebrated on 18 April of each year.The day aims to spread awareness of the importance of protecting & preserving various sites around that have achieved world heritage status.This year’s theme is Heritage for Generations emphasizing on inter-generational transfer of knowledge.There are 36 sites in India that have been declared as World Heritage.

2. India, Sweden to cooperate in Smart Cities: India & Sweden have agreed to deepen their cooperation in Smart Cities initiative, transport & energy sectors.The 2 countries will exchange knowledge & explore cooperation on smart cities, including transit-oriented urban development, air pollution control & waste management.Both sides will also exchange know-how & explore cooperation in areas of electro-mobility as well as renewable fuels

3. US to restrict movement of Pakistani diplomats:US has notified Pak that the diplomats at their embassy in Washington & consulates in other cities would not be able to travel beyond 40 kms of their offices without permission from May 1.Diplomats would need to apply for permission at least 5 days ahead of an intended travel outside the imposed 40 kms radii.

4. India ranked 10th in Innovation Index: India was ranked 10^th on a new Commonwealth Innovation Index which was topped by UK, Singapore & Canada.The index has been created in partnership with United Nations World Intellectual Property Organisation & its annual Global Innovation Index. It is aimed at providing a tool that allows member states, organisations & citizens to benchmark themselves against 53 countries of Commonwealth.

OTHER UPDATES

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Facebook introduces new privacy choices:Facebook would begin rolling out changes to how it handles private data this week to comply with forthcoming EU rules.Under the new policy, FB users will be asked to review & make choices about ads they receive, including whether they want Facebook to use data from third parties.FB has recently been rocked by disclosures about hijacking of personal data on tens of millions of its users.

2. India to grow at 7.4% in 2018:IMF in the latest World Economic Outlook has projected India to grow at 7.4% in 2018 & 7.8% in 2019.India in 2018 & 2019 would re-emerge as one of the fastest growing major economies.IMF said the implementation of GST will help reduce internal barriers to trade, increase efficiency & improve tax compliance.

SPORTS:

1. Bihar, NE states recommended for Ranji Trophy: Sourav Ganguly-led technical committee of BCCI has unanimously recommended reinstatement of Bihar & inclusion of northeastern states in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy.The northeastern states played BCCI U-19 tournaments last season as the Board wanted to gradually integrate them into the system.Ranji Trophy 2018-19 season is proposed to have 4 Groups with the introduction of pre-quarterfinals.