Daily GK Updates - 2nd November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Jharsuguda Airport renamed as “Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda” : The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved renaming of Jharsuguda Airport (in Odisha) as “Veer Surendra Sai Airport, Jharsuguda”.Veer Surendra Sai was an Indian freedom fighter and tribal leader who sacrificed his life fighting against the British East India Company.It will fulfil the long-pending demand of the Odisha Government, which reflects the sentiments of the local public of the respective area.

2.PM Modi launches Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Support and Outreach Programme : Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Support and Outreach Programme in New Delhi.The MSME Outreach Programme will run for 100 days covering 100 Districts throughout the country. The Union Ministers are likely to visit these districts to appraise the entrepreneurs about various facilities being extended to MSME sector by the Government and financial institutions.

3.  The fourth NITI Aayog- DRC Dialogue held in Mumbai : The Fourth Dialogue of the NITI Aayog - Development Research Centre (DRC) of the State Council, Peoples' Republic of China was held in Mumbai.The Chinese delegation was led by Mr. Li Wei (President of DRC) and the Indian delegation was led by Dr Rajiv Kumar (Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Malayalam film Olu to be the opening film at 49th IFFI : According to Jury for the Indian Panorama, Malayalam film Olu will be the opening film at the 49th ternational Film Festival of India (IFFI) -2018 in Goa.The Feature Film Jury of thirteen members was headed by acclaimed film director and screenwriter, Rahul Rawail.July also selected the Marathi film Kharvas directed by Aditya Suhas Jambhale as the Opening non-feature film.

2. Pather Panchali' is only Indian movie to feature in BBC's 100-best foreign language films : Satyajit Ray's epic masterpiece 'Pather Panchali' has been included by BBC's 100 best foreign language films (only film from India) to feature in the  list.Pather Panchali released in 1955, was placed at number 15 in the list, which has been topped by Akira Kurosawa's 'Seven Samurai'.27 of the highest-rated films were in French, followed by 12 in Mandarin, and 11 each in Italian and Japanese

3. Netherland to be partner country for 25th DST-CII technology Summit 2019 : According to Union Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Netherlands will be the Partner Country of 25th DST – CII Technology Summit to be organized in 2019.There is a great scope to explore a closer partnership between the two countries to leverage emerging digital technologies.India and the Netherlands are addressing unmet needs and opening new collaborative avenues together in areas such as water, health, agriculture, high tech systems and IT.

OTHER UPDATES:

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1.China launches the new high-orbit satellite : China successfully launched a high orbit satellite to boost its home-grown BeiDou global satellite navigation system being built to rival United States Global Position System (GPS).The satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern Sichuan Province.It is the first BeiDou-3 satellite in high orbit (36,000 km) above the Earth, meant to serve countries in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

DEFENCE:

1. India-Japan military exercise Dharma Guardian-2018 begins in Mizoram : First-ever two-week-long India-Japan military exercise ‘Dharma Guardian-2018’ has begun at a jungle warfare school in Mizoram’s Vairengte. The Japanese contingent is represented by 32nd Infantry Battalion, while the Indian side by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles.It will be to enhance tactical skills against global terrorism and increase interoperability between the two forces.

3. Decommissioned carrier INS Viraat to become a floating museum : The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved the conversion of decommissioned carrier INS Viraat into a floating museum.It will make the new generation familiar with the glorious history of INS Viraat.The carrier will be housed on a concrete foundation near Nivati Rocks in Sindhudurg in Konkan region of the state.The project worth 852 crore rupees will be implemented through public-private-partnership (PPP).

SPORTS:

1. Mary Kom named as brand ambassador of women’s world C’ship : Olympic medallists Mary Kom has been named as the brand ambassador of the upcoming 10th edition of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Women World  hampionship. The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) also unveiled the logo and anthem at the launch of the 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, to be held at the IG Stadium in New Delhi (from November 15-24)

Daily GK Updates - 1st November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.Senior IPS officer S S Deswal appointed ITBP chief : Senior IPS officer S S  Deswal (IPS officer -1984 batch -Haryana cadre) has been appointed the chief of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) till 31st August, 2021.He has been appointed in place of R K Pachnanda.Shri Deswal will hold the additional charge of the post of DG, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) till further orders.

2.Anupam Kher resigns as FTII Chairman : Actor Anupam Kher has resigned as the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) citing commitments to an international TV show in the U.S.Due to those commitments, Mr. Kher has informed the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting that he will not be present in the country for nearly nine months between 2018-19.Anupam Kher was appointed as the FTII chairman on 11^th October 2017 (replaced Gajendra Chauhan).

3. J&K State Administrative Council approves the J&K Municipal Laws (Amendment) bill, 2018 : The State Administrative Council (SAC) of Jammu and Kashmir under the chairmanship of Governor, Satya Pal Malik has approved "The Jammu and Kashmir Municipal Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2018”.SAC has also approved honorarium for Sarpanchs and Panchs to be elected in the ensuing Panchayat elections.The SAC hoped that the provision would infuse enthusiasm among the elected Panchayat members- the election for which is being held in nine phases.

4.  Madhya Pradesh celebrates its 63rd Foundation Day today : Madhya Pradesh is celebrating its 63rd Foundation Day in all the districts of the state with traditional pride and grandeur.Madhya Pradesh was founded on November 1, 1956, and now is the second largest Indian state in size with an area of 3 Lakh 8 thousand sq. km.Madhya Governor Smt. Anandiben Patel congratulated the people of the state on the foundation day. the theme for the celebrations is the heritage of MP and all performances will revolve around folk and classical performances.

5.  J&K: Governor Satya Pal Malik flags off SAUBHAGYA RATH from Raj Bhawan Jammu : Governor Mr Satya Pal Malik flagged off ‘SAUBHAGYA RATH’ comprising 20 vehicles each for one District of Kashmir and Jammu divisions from Raj Bhawan, Jammu.The SAUBHAGYA RATH under ‘Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana’ - SAUBHAGYA shall move in each district for one month, to rule out the possibility of any household remaining un-electrified.A total of 2,26,367 households (Out of 3,57,405) were already proposed under the ongoing Deen Dayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Yojana -(DDUGJY)' and other allied schemes.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  Japan joins International Solar Alliance : Japan has announced to join the group International Solar Alliance (ISA).Japan will be the 71st country to sign and 48th country to ratify the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework.The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

2. Qatar sets up a support fund for migrant workers Qatar has set up a support fund for foreign workers who run into difficulties for not being paid.The fund would support and care for workers, secure their rights and provide a healthy and safe work environment for them.The changes are part of a three-year agreement signed by Qatar last November with the UN's International Labour Organization to oversee reform.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India jumps 23 places to 77th in ease of doing the business ranking : India has jumped 23 places (now 77^th rank) in ease of doing business ranking (last year-100th place).Now, India is recognised as among top ten improvers for the 2nd consecutive year.The biggest gain was in construction permit where India climbed 129 ranks to 52nd place on the back of targeted government effort to remove hurdles

SPORTS:

1. Pankaj Advani wins the second leg of Asian Snooker Tour in Jinan, China  : World champion (19^th times) Pankaj Advani has won the second leg of the Asian Snooker Tour in Jinan, China.He has become the first Indian to win an Asian Snooker Tour event. Advani delivered a power-packed performance to outclass China's Ju Reti 6-1 in the final.

2. Sri Lanka's bowling coach Nuwan Zoysa suspended by ICC : According to an ICC release, Sri Lanka's bowling coach Nuwan Zoysa has been suspended with immediate effect by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and charged with match-fixing. Mr Zoysa has 14 days from tomorrow to respond to the charges. Zoysa has been charged with articles which relate to match-fixing and encouraging players to influence results.

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.