Daily GK Updates - 31st October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.PM Modi dedicates Sardar Patel’s ‘Statue of Unity’ to the nation : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the ‘Statue of Unity’ (world's tallest Statue) on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Surat, Gujarat.

The Statue of Unity (bronze statue) is the tallest statue (182-metre) in the world, taller than China's Spring Temple Buddha statue (153-metre) and almost double the height of the Statue of Liberty (93 metres) in the US.The statue of unity located on the Sadhu Bet island (near Rajpipla) on the Narmada river, located between the Satpura and the Vindhya mountain ranges.

2. 31st October: National Unity Day : The ‘National Unity day’ (Rashtriya Ekta Diwas) is being celebrated every year on 31st October in India.The objective of this event is to pay tribute to the Iron man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, on his birth anniversary by remembering his extraordinary works for the country.The Union Home Minister Raj Nath Singh has flagged off the Run for Unity from Major Dhyanchand Stadium, New Delhi.It is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who really unified the country.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Malala Yousafzai to be honoured by Harvard University : According to the Harvard’s Kennedy School, Nobel Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai (20-year) will be honoured by Harvard University for her work promoting girls' education.Yousafzai will be conferred with the Gleitsman Award 2018 at a ceremony on 6th December this year.The Gleitsman Award provides 125,000 US dollars for activism that has improved quality of life around the world.Now, Yousafzai is a student at Oxford University in England.

2. VP Naidu embarks on the seven-day visit to three South African countries :

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu embarked on a seven-day visit to three South African countries (Botswana, Zimbabwe and Malawi).In the first leg of his visit, Mr Naidu will meet his Botswana counterpart Slumber Tsogwane and hold delegation-level talks.He will also inaugurate the 13th Annual Global Expo Botswana 2018.During his visit to Zimbabwe, the Vice President will call on President Emerson Mnangagwa.On his final leg of the visit to Malawi, Mr Naidu will call on its President Peter Arthur Mutharika.

3. World's largest Airport 'under one roof' opened in Istanbul : The world's largest airport terminal "under one roof" has been officially opened in Istanbul, with a capacity to serve 90 million passengers.Overall the first phase has cost 7.5 billion Euro.The airport has been envisioned to have a total capacity of up to 200 million passengers (once all four phases are completed) in the next 10 years.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1.  IBM acquired Red Hat for USD 34 Billion in its biggest purchase : America's IBM has acquired software company Red Hat in a USD 34 billion cash and debt deal, marking its biggest ever acquisition till date.The open source, enterprise software maker ‘Red Hat’ founded 25 years ago, valued at about USD 20.5 billion at the end of trading.

2. Seychelles launches world’s first Sovereign Blue bond : The Republic of Seychelles has launched the world’s first Sovereign Blue Bond.Sovereign Blue Bond is a financial instrument designed to support sustainable marine and fisheries rojects.The bond demonstrates the potential for countries to harness capital markets for financing the sustainable use of marine resources.The bond raised USD 15 million from international investors

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. New SBI ATM withdrawal limits to come into effect from today : The Country’s largest bank SBI has reduced the daily cash withdrawal limit for Classic and Maestro debit cards to Rs. 20,000 per day (earlier, Rs. 40,000).New ATM cash withdrawal rules for SBI account holders will come into effect from today (31^st October).Now, SBI account holders having higher daily cash withdrawal requirements can apply for other debit card variants that have a higher daily withdrawal limit.

2. SBI & Hitachi payments form a joint venture : State Bank of India (SBI) and Hitachi Payment Services India (payments solution provider) has entered into an agreement to form a joint venture for establishing a card acceptance and digital payment platform.SBI will have a majority stake in the proposed joint venture.Hitachi Payment Services India is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Group, Japan.

Daily GK Updates - 30th October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Justice Naresh Harishchandra Patil sworn-in as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court : Justice Naresh Harishchandra ‘Patil’ sworn-in as the Chief Justiceof the Bombay High Court. He was administered the oath of office by Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao in a ceremony held at Raj Bhawan, Mumbai. Bombay High Court is one of the oldest High Court of India located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

2. Nitin Gadkari lays the foundation for India’s largest Dry Dock : The Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has laid the foundation for India’s largest Dry Dock at Cochin Shipyard in Kerala.The Dry Dock will give an impetus to Make in India initiative under Sagarmala and raise India’s share in global shipbuilding to two per cent.Currently, Cochin Shipyard has two dry docks, one predominantly used for shipbuilding of size 255m x 43 x 9m and capacity 1,10,000 DWT and the other one for ship repair of size 270 x 45 x 12m and capacity 1,25,000 DWT. Currently, India occupies 0.66 % share in the global shipbuilding market.

3. 5^th National Summit on Public health care begins in Assam : Sarbanand Sonowal (Assam Chief Minister) and J P Nadda(Union Health Minister) jointly inaugurated the three-day 5^th National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in Public Health Care Systems at Kaziranga in Assam. The main objective of the Summit is to share and learn the good practices and innovations being implemented by several states and organizations for the betterment of the health sector.

4. SC bans 15-year-old petrol & 10-year-old diesel vehicles in NCR : The Supreme Court (SC) has banned petrol (15-year-old) & diesel(10-year-old) vehicles in Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region) to curb pollution.The Supreme Court made it clear that such vehicles would be impounded if found on roads in Delhi-NCR.The apex court directed that a list of 15-year-old petrol and 10-year-old diesel vehicles be published on the website of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and transport departments of the NCR area.

5. Gujarat’s first mega food park inaugurated in Surat : The Union Minister for Food Processing Industries Smt Harsimrat Kaur Badal has inaugurated the first Mega Food Park at Village Shah and Vasravi at Surat District, Gujarat.This Mega Food Park has been set up in 70.15 acres of land at a cost of Rs. 117.87 crore.The modern infrastructure for food processing created at Park will benefit the farmers, growers, processors and consumers of Gujarat.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Paraguayan Clara Sosa wins Miss Grand International 2018 in Myanmar : Clara Sosa (Miss Paraguay) has won the Miss Grand International 2018 title (6^th edition) of the beauty pageant in Yangon, Myanmar.Clara Sosa succeeds Miss Grand International 2017 Maria Jose Loraof Peru.FBB Colors Femina Miss Grand India 2018 Meenakshi Chaudharywas named 1st runner-up.

2.  Italian PM Giuseppe Conte arrives in New Delhi today : Prime Minister of Italy Giuseppe Conte arrived in New Delhi on a day-long official visit to India. During the visit, he will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Both leaders will also attend the India-Italy Technology Summitwhich (organised by the Department of Science and Technology) in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry.

3. India, Qatar decide to establish a joint commission to strengthen relations : India and Qatar decided to establish a joint commission to strengthen their relations in various fields with a view to furthering the common interest of the people of the two countries.The joint declaration signed by Sushma Swaraj (External Affairs inister of India) and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani(Foreign Minister of Qatar) in Doha, highlights the decision to set up the joint commission.

4. 100,000 people around the world are missing which created global crisis: ICRC : According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), over 100,000 people around the world are missing, which has created a global crisis.ICRC told the UN General Assembly's human rights committee that this is the highest number they have ever had.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. RBI to inject Rs 40,000 Crore in November Via OMO : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has announced to inject Rs 40,000 crore into the system in November through the purchase of government securities as it looks to meet festive season demand for funds.The central bank had already injected Rs 36,000 crore into the system in October through open market operation (OMO).Open market  operations (OMO) refer to the buying and selling of government securities in the open market in order to expand or contract the amount of money in the banking system.

OBITUARIES:

1. Senior composer & lyricist Yashwant Dev passes away in Mumbai : Senior composer and lyricist Yashwant Dev passed away in Mumbai.He had composed and written many popular Marathi songs.He was honoured with many awards including Gan-samradni Lata Mangeshkar Award and Gadima puraska

Daily GK Updates - 29th October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Vigilance Awareness Week being observed to achieve corruption free society : The Vigilance Awareness Week is being observed across the country from today to promote probity in public life and achieve a corruption-free society. The theme of the week this year is, 'Eradicate Corruption - Build A New India'. The observance of the week will commence with pledge taking by public servants in the Ministries, Departments, PSUs, Banks and all other Organisations.

2. First regional review meeting for “Sustainable Sanitation” held in Nagpur : The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India, in coordination with the Water Supply and Sanitation Department, Government of Maharashtra was held in Nagpur, Maharashtra.The review meeting was chaired by Mr. ParameswaranIyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.It was the first in a series of regional review meetings on Sustainable Sanitation.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Jair Bolsonaro wins Brazil’s Presidential elections : Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro (68-year-old) has won the presidency of Latin America’s largest nation Brazil.Mr. Bolsonaro bagged around 55% votes against 45% for Fernando Haddad from the left-wing Workers Party.His campaign slogan was "Brazil above everything, God above everyone".Mr. Bolsonaro is scheduled to take office on 1st January 2019

2.  India and UK collaborate on research on Ganga delta region and the Bay of Bengal : India and the United Kingdom (UK) will collaborate on research on different aspects of the Ganga delta region and the Bay of Bengal.The Bay of Bengal is also critical to India in terms of resources and also has an impact on the Southwest Monsoon, the lifeline of the country.According to the British High Commissioner to India Dominic Asquith, the partnership through the UKRI has generated innovative scientific and technological solutions that will “transform both our societies and economies”.

3. Indonesian passenger plane crashes into the sea with 188 people on board : An Indonesian plane carrying 188 passengers and crew crashed into the java sea.The jet vanished from radar just 13 minutes after taking off from the capital Jakarta, plunging into the Ocean.The plane lost contact with air traffic control around 6.30 am, en route to Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka.

OTHER UPDATES:

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1. Scientists develop a web-based tool to monitor fake news on Facebook, Twitter : Scientists have developed a web-based tool to help monitor the prevalence of fake news on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.They Developed by researchers at the University of Michigan in the US.The tool uses a Platform Health Metric called the Iffy Quotient, which draws data from two external entities (NewsWhip and Media Bias/Fact Checker).NewsWhip, a social media engagement tracking firm, collects URLs on hundreds of thousands of sites every day and then gathers information on which of those sites have engagements on Facebook and Twitter.

SPORTS:

1. Indian Golfer Khalin Joshi Clinches Panasonic Open India Title : Indian golfer Khalin Joshi has won the Panasonic Open India title at the Delhi Golf Club.Now, Joshi became the seventh Indian to win the Panasonic Open India title in the last eight editions of the tournament. Siddikur Rahman (Bangladesh) finished second best after finishing with a par on the 18th.

2. Roger Federer wins Swiss Indoors in Basel : Swiss tennis star Roger Federer has won his ninth Swiss Indoors crown after beating Romanian qualifier Marius Copil (7-6(5) 6-4) in the final at Basel.Now, Federer is just 10 titles short of the all-time record holder Jimmy Connors (leads with 19).

Daily GK Updates - 28th October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Arunachal, British Council sign MoU for cultural cooperation : The Arunachal Pradesh government signed a MoU with The British Council in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation.The MoU was signed by Tayek Talom, Director of Higher and Technical Education of Arunachal Pradesh, and Alan Gemmell, Director, British Council India, on the sidelines of the Tawang Festival. As per the MOU, as many as 50 faculty members from government higher education institutions will be trained by the British Council every year, starting from December. Further, 50 students of higher and technical education institutes will be trained in English language skills annually.

2. Meghalaya launches Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries The Meghalaya government is all set to launch a new scheme Blue Revolution: Integrated Development and Management of Fisheries on October 26 next to meet the requirements of the state. The Central Government has sanctioned Rs 51 crore for scheme and the State Government has already received the first installment of Rs 25 crore.The Union Government under the scheme is targeting to enhance the fish production from 107.95 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 to about 150 lakh tonnes by the end of the financial year 2019-20.

3. Kerala the best State for teenage girls in India – Report : Kerala tops the TAG index which compares the performance of each State based on the status of their teenage girls, as a part of the survey findings of The Teen Age Girls (TAG) Report, conducted by Project Nanhi Kali.Compiled and published by the Naandi Foundation, with grant support from Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, this report is touted as the nation’s first report on what it means to be a teenage girl in India.Kerala is followed by Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur and Himachal Pradesh as the top States, while the top three cities were found to be Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.

4. Portal to promote Odia language, literature inaugurated in Odisha : Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched a new web portal of ‘Odia Virtual Academy’ (www.ova.gov.in) to promote the Odia language and literature at the Secretariat in Bhubaneshwar. The new website will be helpful in the promotion of Odia language at the international level, especially for the Non Resident Odias (NROs) Three memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed by the Odisha Government with the University of Chicago library, CDAC and Centre for Internet and Society, Bengaluru to expedite digitisation of Odia literature and development of Odia software

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indo-Canadians pledge $7mn to build hostels for poor children in India : Indo-Canadian expatriates have donated more than $7 million dollars to a Toronto-based non-profit organisation which builds and runs education hostels in rural India. The non-profit AIM for SEWA (Canada) builds hostels in far-flung, rural areas of India to educate children from poor families.At this year’s annual gala dinner in Toronto attended by former Miss India Pooja Batra, many Indo-Canadians pledged donations to AIM for SEWA to take its collections to over $7 million dollars to promote education of poor rural kids in India.

2. Higgins re-elected Irish President again : Michael D Higgins has been re-elected Irish president after winning a landslide victory with 822,566 votes. The 77-year-old professor and campaigner will serve his second term after first being elected in 2011. Mr Higgins is Ireland’s ninth president.

3. International Animation Day 2018 : International Animation Day is celebrated on October 28, commemorating the day in 1892 when Charles-Emile Reynaud’s Theatre Optique made its first public appearance in Paris. The day recognises and celebrates the artists, technicians and scientists behind the art of animation in all its forms and avatars.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Former SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya appointed as independent director of Wipro : Wipro said it had appointed former State Bank of India chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya as an independent director beginning January 1, 2019. Bhattacharya’s appointment is for a period of five years.

2. UN names Human Rights Prize winners for 2018 : The United Nations has hailed the “inspiring” work of four individuals and organisations as it announced the winners of its Prize in the Field of Human Rights for 2018.The honour was given to Asma Jahangir, the late Pakistani lawyer and leading human rights defender, along withTanzanian activist Rebeca Gyumi, Brazil’s first indigenous lawyer Joenia Wapichana and Irish human rights groupsFront Line Defenders.

SPORTS:

1. Vinales Wins Australian MotoGP : Maverick Vinales ended his and Yamaha’s lengthy droughts when he won the Australian MotoGP as newly-crowned world champion Marc Marquez failed to finish after starting from pole for the fifth straight year. Yamaha had gone without a win in 25 races since Valentino Rossi won the Dutch GP last June, the longest winless streak in its history. 

Daily GK Updates - 27th October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.IRS officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra appointed as ED chief : The government has appointed Indian Revenue Service officer Sanjay Kumar Mishra as Enforcement Directorate chief.He will replace current ED director Karnal Singh’s whose term ended on 25th Oct 2018.Singh, a 1984-batch IPS officer of Union Territories cadre, will complete an over three-year tenure as the ED Director.The ED enforces two major laws in the country to check black money — the criminal Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Foreign Exchange Management Act.

2. Malayalam author Benyamin’s 'Jasmine Days' wins first JCB Prize for literature :

Malayalam author Benyamin has bagged the inaugural JCB Prize for literature for his book 'Jasmine Days', which explores the lives of South Asians in the Middle East.'Jasmine Days', his second book, tells the story of a young woman in a city where the promise of revolution turns into destruction and division.It revolves around the Jasmine Revolution that sprang up in December 2010 and was quelled by January 2011.Benyamin was awarded a cash prize of ₹25 lakh, along with a magnificent trophy.

3. Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurates 10th Nuclear Energy Conclave in New Delhi  : The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) inaugurated 10th Nuclear Energy Conclave in New Delhi.He said that the Cabinet has given its approval for construction of 10 units of India’s indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR).He also informed the audience about the “Hall of Nuclear Power”- India’s first permanent exhibition on nuclear power has been built in the national capital.

4. Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launched a web portal of ‘IMPRESS’ scheme : With an aim to build a research ecosystem in educational institutions, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar launched the web portal of ‘IMPRESS’ scheme.IMPRESS stands for - Impactful Policy Research in Social Sciences. The aim of the scheme is to identify and fund research proposals in social sciences with maximum impact on the governance and society.The scheme will be implemented at a total cost of Rs. 414 crore by March 2021.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Sahle-Work Zewde becomes Ethiopia's first female president : Ethiopian members of parliament have elected Sahle-Work Zewde as the country's first female president.She will replace Mulatu Teshome who resigned in unclear circumstances.After being sworn in, President Sahle-Work promised to work hard to make gender equality a reality in Ethiopia.Prior to her appointment, Sahle-Work served as both the special representative of the United Nations' secretary-general and the head of the UN office to the African Union.

2. Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes new Prime Minister of Sri Lanka : In Sri Lanka, the political turmoil continues after President Maithripala Sirisena appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as new Prime minister.President Maithripala Sirisena sacked premier Ranil Wickremesinghe who termed the move as “unconstitutional” and vowed to prove his majority in Parliament.After Rajapaksa took an oath, Sirisena wrote to Wickremesinghe, saying he had been removed.

3. Pak lawyer Asma Jahangir wins UN Human Rights Prize posthumously : Pakistan's human rights activist and lawyer Asma Jahangir has been posthumously awarded the UN Prize along with three other winners.Rebeca Gyumi of Tanzania, Brazil's first indigenous lawyer Joenia Wapichana and Ireland's human rights  rganization Front Line Defenders are the other winners of the prize.The United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights is an honorary award given for outstanding achievement in human rights.The award ceremony will take place on December 10 on World Human Rights Day in New York.

4.  Young Indian scientist wins World Health Summit Startup award in Berlin : Roopam Sharma, a 23-year old Indian scientist, won the World Health Summit  tartup award, 2018 for his invention, Manovue – the world’s first intelligent personal assisting system for the visually impaired. He was awarded at an annual event of the health summit in Berlin. Manovue eliminates the need for Braille language to decipher a printed text and instead combines vision intelligence to help the visually impaired people read. He is known for his socially viable innovations that combine artificial intelligence.

5. PM Modi embarks on a 3-day visit to Japan to attend Annual Bilateral Summit : Prime Minister Narendra Modi today embarked on a three-day visit to Japan.PM Modi will attend the 13th India-Japan Annual summit with his counterpart Mr. Shinzo Abe.This will be the fifth Annual Summit meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Abe and their 12th meeting overall.Apart from attending the summit, Mr. Modi will visit the Robotics and Automation firm FANUC in Yamanashi and meet business leaders.

6. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage Observed today : The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, observed by the United Nations on October 27, recognizes the need to preserve audio-visual links to the past.The General Conference of UNESCO approved the commemoration of a World Day for Audiovisual Heritage in 2005 as a mechanism to raise general awareness of the need to preserve and safeguard important audiovisual material for future generations.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Hyundai tops in after-sales customer satisfaction survey : Hyundai Motor India has topped the after-sales customer satisfaction survey among mass market brands, according to global market research firm JD Power.Hyundai, the country's second-largest car seller, scored the highest 912 points in after-sales customer satisfaction survey, the JD Power 2018 India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) Study said.Tata Motors was ranked second with a score of 874 points followed by Mahindra & Mahindra at the third position with a score of 865.Ford with a score of 829 points was placed fourth followed by Toyota at fifth with 827 points. Car market leader Maruti Suzuki India stood at the eight positions with a score of 804.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Corp Bank bags MSME award : Corporation Bank has bagged the ‘Best MSME Bank - Winner 2018’ award instituted by the Assocham.The ‘6th Assocham SMEs Excellence Award – 2018’ was held in New Delhi.Shivanand Hebbar, DGM, received the award from Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad K Sangma.The award was conferred based on the bank’s performance in SME (small and medium enterprise) segment.

SPORTS:

1.  Sourav Kothari wins World Billiards C’ship : India's Sourav Kothari defeated Peter Gilchrist of Singapore by 1134-944 to clinch the 2018 World Billiards Championship title at Leeds in UK.The former national and Asian Billiards champion Kothari was pipped at the post for the coveted World Billiards crown on two occasions in the last two years, including a loss to Gilchrist in 2016 final in Bengaluru.

Daily GK Updates - 26th October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.PM Modi inaugurates farmers' conclave Krishi Kumbha in Lucknow : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated three-day farmers' conclave 'Krishi Kumbh 2018' in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh (via video conferencing).The 'Krishi Kumbh' is being organized to promote modern technique and diversification in agriculture that could help in doubling farmers income.The Kumbh will witness Israel & Japan (as official partners) while Haryana & Jharkhand (as partner states).The summit would introduce farmers to the evolving dynamics of farming so that they could increase their earnings by tapping the vast potential in agriculture and post-harvest management of crops.

2. HRD Minister launches web portal of SPARC in New Delhi : The Minister of Human Resource Development (HRD) Prakash Javadekar has launched the web portal “sparc.iitkgp.ac.in.” in New Delhi.SPARC (Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration) scheme aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world.SPARC will improve research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world from 28 selected nations. 

3.Shri Rajnath Singh attends 57th Raising Day Parade of Indo-Tibetan Border Police : The Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh attended the 57th Raising Day Parade of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) at Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.The ITBP jawans are deployed in North East and Left Wing Extremism affected areas.On this occasion, 1 Uttam Jeevan Raksha Padak, 05 President’s Police Medals for istinguished Service, 23 Police medals for meritorious service and 1 Jeevan Raksha Padak were awarded.

4.Maneka Gandhi inaugurates the fifth edition of Women of India National Organic Festival : The Union Women and child development minister Maneka Sanjay ‘Gandhi’ has inaugurated the Women of India National Organic Festival (5^th edition) at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi. (26th Oct to 4th November 2018). The objective of the ten days long ‘Organic Festival’ is to boost organic culture and promote women, organic farmers and entrepreneurs

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NATO's biggest military maneuvers begin in Norway : The NATO's (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) biggest military maneuvers (since the Cold War) has begun in Norway.The wargames bring together around 50,000 personnel from all 29 NATO allies, plus partners Finland and Sweden.Around 65 vessels, 150 aircraft and 10,000 vehicles will also participate in the drill, which takes place in central and eastern Norway, the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea. It will go on till November 7.

2.India, Bangladesh sign several agreements for enhancing inland and coastal waterways connectivity : India and Bangladesh have signed several agreements for enhancing inland and coastal waterways connectivity for trade and cruise movements.The two countries have signed an agreement to use Chattogram and Mongla Ports in Bangladesh for movement of goods to and from India.A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been signed for movement of passenger and cruise services.

3.China successfully tests world’s largest Cargo Drone : China has successfully tested the world’s largest cargo drone Feihong-98(FH-98), carry a payload of 1.5 tonnes (1,500 Kg). This commercial drone ‘Feihong-98’ has been developed and modified by the China Academy of Aerospace Electronics Technology.The FH-98 has a maximum take-off weight of 5.25 tonnes (flight height of 4,500 metres) a cruising speed of 180 kmph, and a maximum range of 1,200 kms.

4.India wins 2018 CAPAM International Innovations Awards : India has won the prestigious 2018 Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management Award.This award celebrates the spirit of innovation in the public service by recognising organisations that have made significant contributions to improve governance and services in the public sector.The Union Government had sent entries for 2018 CAPAM International Innovations Awards, under various categories.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. Wipro appoints ex-SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya as the Independent director : Former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya has been appointed as an independent director of Wipro (IT company) for a term of 5 years (from 1^st Jan 2019), subject to the approval of shareholders.Bhattacharya graduated from Kolkata's Lady Brabourne College in 1977 and picked up banking as a career option for supporting the family following her father's retirement from Bokaro Steel plant as an engineer.On 7^th October 2013, Bhattacharya became the first woman to be appointed as chairman of SBI.

SPORTS:

1.Pooja Dhanda wins Bronze Medal in World Wrestling Championships in Budapest : Pooja Dhanda has won a bronze medal in the women's freestyle (57kg weight class) in Wrestling World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.Dhanda defeated Grace Bullen of Norway 10-7.Earlier, Bajrang Punia's had settled for a silver in the 65kg category.

Daily GK Updates - 25th October, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. GoM set up to strengthen safety laws for women at workplaces : The union government has constituted a group of ministers (GoM) to strengthen the legal and institutional frameworks to prevent and deal with sexual harassment of women in workplaces.The four-member GoM headed by Rajnath Singh (union home minister) will examine the existing provisions for dealing with sexual harassment of women in offices. The other members of the GoM are Nitin Gadkari, Nirmala Sitharaman and  Maneka Sanjay Gandhi .

2. Six-member panel set up to resolve stressed assets : The overseeing committee (OC) that is being set up under the inter-creditor agreement (ICA) for resolution of stressed assets will have six members.These members include Janki Ballabh (former Chairman, State Bank of India), MBN Rao (former Chairman & Managing Director, Canara Bank), M Damodaran (former Chairman, SEBI) and HR Khan (former Deputy Governor, RBI).

3. India Mobile Congress 2018 begins in New Delhi : The Indian Mobile Congress 2018 (second edition) has opened in New Delhi's Aerocity.The digital forum is organized by the COAI and brings together industry partners, OEMs, service providers, policymakers and experts to discuss and deliberate on emerging technology, issues, policy guidelines.The theme for this year is "New Digital Horizons Connect, Create, Innovate."

4. Global Agriculture Leadership Summit 2018 opens in New Delhi : Sanjay Agrawal (Secretary Agriculture and Co-operation) has inaugurated the two-day Global Agriculture Leadership Summit 2018 in New Delhi.The theme of the summit is, 'Connecting Farmers to Market'.In the meeting, several issues to double farmers’ income by 2022 were discussed.Pioneer of India's green revolution Professor MS Swaminathan was also present on the occasion.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. M.S. Swaminathan to be awarded World Agriculture Prize : Agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan (Pioneer of India’s Green Revolution) will receive the first World Agriculture Prize instituted by the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) in New Delhi.The prize will be presented by Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu at Vigyan Bhawan at a special session.The prize has been instituted by the ICFA with an aim to recognize individuals who have served humanity through agriculture.

2. Second Guwahati International Film Festival begins today : Assam Chief Minister ‘Sarbananda Sonowal’ has inaugurated the second Guwahati International Film Festival in Assam.The festival is being organized by Jyoti Chitraban in association with Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute.Total of 108 movies from 50 countries will be screened during the week-long festival, with a special focus on ASEAN countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Satish Kumar Gupta appointed CEO of Paytm Payments Bank : Veteran banker Satish Kumar Gupta has been appointed as managing director (MD) and CEO of Paytm Payments Bank.Gupta comes in after Renu Satti stepped down as CEO in July.Previously, Mr. Gupta had stints as the chief product officer at National Payments Corporation of India and deputy general manager at State Bank of India.

2. PNB Metlife launches AI-powered customer service app 'Khushi' : PNB Metlife has unveiled an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered customer service app ‘Khushi’.The app is designed to be a one-stop shop providing insurance-related information, anytime, anywhere, such as policy features, premium due details besides providing fund value and portfolio details.Khushi app has the ability to understand customer intent and provide tailored responses.

SPORTS:

1. First edition of North East Olympic Games begins in Imphal : Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has declared open the first edition of North East Olympic Games (NEOG) 2018 at main Stadium Khuman Lampark Sports Complex, Imphal.Around 2000 thousand athletes will compete in 12 disciplines including Athletics, Archery, Badminton, Boxing, Football, Judo, Karate-Do, Shooting, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Weightlifting, and Wushu. The NEOG games is being organized by the MOA under the aegis of the North East Olympic Association.

2. West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo retires from international cricket : West Indies all-rounder ‘Dwayne Bravo’  announced his retirement from international cricket.He will continue to play franchise T20 cricket around the world.Dwayne Bravo last represented West Indies in a T20I game vs Pakistan in 2016.Bravo played 40 Tests, 164 ODIs & 66 T20Is for the Windies, made 2986 runs in ODIs and took 199 wickets.

3. Kohli becomes fastest to reach 10,000 runs in the history of ODI Cricket :

India captain Virat Kohli (29-year) has become the fastest batsman to score 10,000 runs in the history of ODI cricket (in just 205 innings).He overtook Sachin Tendulkar, who had reached 10,000 ODI runs (259th innings) in 2001.