Daily GK Updates - 14th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. AIM & UNICEF announced Young Champions Awards: The NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and UNICEF have announced ‘UNICEF – Atal Tinkering Labs Young Champions Awards’ on 14 November 2018. The awards were presented to the top six most innovative solutions from across the country, which was shortlisted through the Atal Tinkering Marathon. AIM and UNICEF have also launched a 72-hour ‘Tinkering Hackathon’ from 14 to 17 November 2018.

2. India voted against UNGA draft resolution: India has voted against a United Nations General Assembly draft resolution on the use of death penalty. India said that it goes against the statutory law of the country where an execution is carried out in the ‘rarest of rare’ cases. The draft resolution, taken up in the 3rd Committee (Social, Humanitarian, Cultural) of the General Assembly, was approved on 13 November 2018.

3. India International Trade Fair inaugurated: Culture Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the 38th India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on 14 November 2018. The theme of the fair for 2018 is ‘Rural Enterprises in India’. For the year 2018, Afghanistan is the Partner Country, while Nepal is the Focus Country. Jharkhand is participating as a Partner State in the event.

4. Dr. Martha received lifetime achievement award: Late Dr Martha Farrell has been honoured with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the 6th Indian Social Work Congress in New Delhi on 13 November 2018. Dr Martha is being recognised for her lifelong work towards gender equality, women’s empowerment and prevention of sexual harassment at workplace. In 1991, she co-founded the NGO named Creative Learning for Change.

5. S K Seth sworned in as Chief Justice of MP HC: Justice S K Seth took oath as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on 14 November 2018. Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel administered the oath of office to Justice Seth. Justice Seth is the senior-most judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He will be the 24th Chief Justice of the MP High Court.

6. Northeast Youth Festival to begin from 15 Nov: Tripura will host the 6th ‘Northeast Youth Festival’ from 15 November 2018.Various sports events and cultural programmes such as folk music, folk dance, rock music, martial arts, adventure sports, handicrafts shows, yoga, and boat race will be held at the three-day festival. The 5th edition of the festival was hosted by Sikkim in 2017.

7. UASG conferred award upon Vasundhrara Raje: Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG) conferred ‘Universal Acceptance Thought Leader Award’ to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on 13 November 2018. She was awarded for ‘Rajmail project’ that enables access to the email address to people in the state in local script. The technology for the project was developed by Rajasthan based firm ‘Data XGen Technologies’.

8. Children’s Day celebrated on 14 November: Children’s Day is celebrated on 14 November every year. It is celebrated on the birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The day is celebrated across the country to increase awareness of the rights, care and education of children.

9. Rs 75 commemorative coin to be released: The government of India will release a Rs 75 commemorative coin on the occasion of 75th anniversary of the hoisting of Tricolour for the first time by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at Port Blair. The coin will bear the portrait of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose saluting the flag on the background of cellular jail. The coin will be composed of 50% silver, 40% copper, and 5% each of nickel & zinc.

10. Additional charges given to ministers on account of Ananth Kumar’s demise: Union Ministers, DV Sadananda Gowda and Narendra Singh Tomar were assigned additional portfolios of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers and the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, respectively on 13 November 2018. The move was necessitated following the demise of Ananth Kumar. He was holding the charge of both the ministries of Parliamentary Affairs and Chemicals and Fertilisers.

11. LEAP & ARPIT initiative launched by MHRD: Ministry of Human Resource Development has launched two new initiatives viz. Leadership for Academicians Programme (LEAP) and Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT). ARPIT is an initiative of online professional development of 15 lakh higher education faculty. LEAP is a 3 weeks flagship leadership development training programme for 2nd level academic functionaries.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Diabetes Day observed on 14 November: World Diabetes Day is observed on 14 November every year. The theme of World Diabetes Day 2018 is ‘The Family and Diabetes’. The aim of World Diabetes Day theme is to raise awareness about the impact of diabetes on the family. Diabetes is a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, and lower limb amputation.

2. Neomi Rao to replace Kavanaugh on DC Circuit: U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Neomi Rao to replace Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. The powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit is considered next to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ms. Rao is currently the administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

3. 7th RCEP Ministerial Meeting concluded: The two-day 7th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Inter-Sessional Ministerial Meeting concluded in Singapore on 13 November 2018. Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu led the Indian delegation to the meeting. The Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore Mr Chan Chun Sing was the Chair of the meeting.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. WPI inflation in October jumps to 5.28%: Wholesale inflation based on the wholesale price index (WPI) stood at 5.28% in October 2018. Wholesale inflation in primary articles, which include food articles, cereals, paddy, onions, food, and milk, among others, rose by 1.79% in October 2018. WPI is computed by the Office of the Economic Advisor, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

2. Second Startup India Investment Seminar organized: ‘2nd Startup India Investment Seminar’ was organised in Beijing on 12 November 2018. It was organised by the Embassy of India in China in partnership with Startup India Association (SIA) and Venture Gurukool. The event was planned to expose Chinese investors to the promising Indian startups. The 1st Startup Indian Investment event was organised in November 2017.

3. Flipkart CEO Binny Bansal quits: Flipkart co-founder, Binny Bansal resigned as the company’s Group CEO on 13 November 2018 following an independent investigation into allegations of serious personal misconduct. Kalyan Krishnamurthy will continue to be the CEO of Flipkart. Ananth Narayanan will continue as CEO of Flipkart’s fashion arms Myntra and Jabong.

4. ‘Global Digital Content Market’ hosted by DIPP: A conference on ‘Global Digital Content Market’ (GDCM) 2018 is being hosted by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) on 14 and 15 November 2018 in New Delhi. The focus of GDCM 2018 is on the Asia Pacific region.  The aim of GDCM 2018 is to give industry stakeholders a platform to come together and discuss new avenues in the films, music, gaming and creative industry.

BANKING & FINANCE:

5. Prime Minister Modi launched APIX technology: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the APIX (Application Programming Interface Exchange) in Singapore on 14 November 2018. APIX is a banking technology platform designed to reach nearly two billion people worldwide who are still without bank accounts. APIX will support banks to reach out to those without bank accounts in 23 countries including the 10 ASEAN members countries.

Daily GK Updates - 13th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Faizabad and Allahabad renaming approved: The Uttar Pradesh government approved the renaming of Faizabad and Allahabad divisions as Ayodhya and Prayagraj respectively on 13 November 2018. Prayagraj division will comprise Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Fatehpur and Pratapgarh districts. Ayodhya division will include Ayodhya, Ambedkarnagar, Sultanpur, Amethi and Barabanki districts.

2. ‘Water handloom hut’ inaugurated in Manipur: The first ever ‘water handloom hut’ in Manipur was inaugurated at Loktak Lake. Five ‘water handloom huts’ have been built on phumdis (floating biomass) at Loktak Lake in Bishnupur district. The objective of ‘water handloom hut’ is to improve the socio-economic conditions of the weavers residing in the phumdis at Loktak Lake.

3. Dr Debabhuson won the ‘Munin Barkotoki Award’: Dr Debabhuson Borah won the prestigious ‘Munin Barkotoki Literary Award 2018’. He won the award for his book on literary criticism titled ‘Nirbochon’. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000 along with a citation and a plaque. The award was named after the renowned writer, critic, and journalist Munin Barkotoki.

4. ISRO to launch communication satellite GSAT-29: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will launch ‘GSLV MkIII-D2’ mission on 14 November 2018. The mission will carry India’s high throughput communication satellite ‘GSAT-29’. ‘GSAT-29’ is a multibeam, multi-band communication satellite weighing 3,423 kgs. The satellite will be carried by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark III.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Award given to Aung San Suu Kyi revoked: Amnesty International revoked the ‘Ambassador of Conscience Award’ given to Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 13 November 2018. She received the award in 2009 when she was living under house arrest. The award was revoked because of her failure to speak out for the Rohingya minority. She was also stripped of her honorary Canadian citizenship in October 2018.

2. Sunscreens banned in Palau: Palau is set to become the first country to impose a widespread ban on sunscreen in an effort to protect its vulnerable coral reefs. The government has signed a law that restricts the sale and use of sunscreen and skincare products that contain a list of ten different chemicals. The ban comes into force in 2020.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Retail inflation softens to 3.31% in October: According to the Central Statistics Office data, India’s retail inflation eased to 3.31% in October 2018 driven by cheaper food items. The retail inflation number is the lowest since September 2017. Vegetable prices declined by 8.06% in October 2018. Retail inflation, measured by Consumer Price Index (CPI), stood at 3.7% in September 2018 and 3.58% in October 2017.

2. MoU signed between ADNOC and ISPRL: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd. (ISPRL). Under the MoU, ADNOC is expected to store crude oil in the underground oil storage facility at Padur, Karnataka. ISPRL is an Indian government-owned company mandated to store crude oil for emergency needs.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

3. Largest brain-like supercomputer switched on: The world’s largest supercomputer designed to work in the same way as the human brain has been switched on for the first time. The ‘Spiking Neural Network Architecture’ (SpiNNaker) machine is capable of completing more than 200 million actions per second. The SpiNNaker machine has been designed and built in the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom.

DEFENCE:

4. ‘EXERCISE INDRA’ to be conducted from 18 November: The joint military exercise between India and Russia named ‘EXERCISE INDRA 2018’ on combating insurgency will be conducted from 18 November 2018. The exercise is being held under the aegis of United Nations (UN) at Babina Field Firing Ranges in Madhya Pradesh. The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and conduct to enhance the interoperability of the two Armies.

5. ‘Samudra Shakti’ exercise inaugurated: Indian and Indonesian Navy’s Bilateral Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’ is being held from 12 to 18 November 2018.

The aim of the exercise is to strengthen bilateral relations, expand maritime co-operation, enhance interoperability and exchange best practices. INS Rana of the Eastern Fleet based at Visakhapatnam under the Eastern Naval Command is participating in the exercise.

SPORTS:

6. Mountaineer Satyarup climbed Mt Giluwe: Indian mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta became the first Indian to climb Mt Giluwe. The summit of the mountain is at an elevation of 4,367 metres. He had successfully climbed the Mt Everest in June 2016. Mt Giluwe is the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea. Mt Wilhelm is the highest mountain of Papua New Guinea.

7. Kento Momota won China Badminton Open: Kento Momota won badminton’s Fuzhou China Open. He defeated Chou Tien-chen of Taiwan in the final match. The Fuzhou China Open is a part of the HSBC world tour events, and is designated as a super 750 level tournament.

8. Lewis Hamilton wins Brazil Grand Prix: Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton won the Brazilian Grand Prix. The win was Hamilton’s 10th of the season and 72nd of his career. Hamilton’s win helped Mercedes secure the constructors’ championship. Verstappen finished second while Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen took third.

OBITUARIES:

1. Eminent Odia singer Chitta Jena passed away: Eminent Odia singer Chitta Jena passed away on 13 November 2018 in Cuttack, Odisha. He had made his debut as a playback singer in the movie Mana Akasha in 1974. He was honoured with the prestigious ‘Prafulla Kar Samman’ for his outstanding achievement in the field of music.

2. Comic writer Stan Lee passed away: The comic writer Stan Lee passed away on 12 November 2018. He is the co-creator of iconic characters including Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Daredevil and the X-Men. He teamed up with artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko to revitalise the comics industry.

Daily GK Updates - 12th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Anant Kumar passes away: Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar has passed away at 59 in Bengaluru.Ananth Kumar was an Indian politician of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Since 1996 he had represented the Bengaluru South constituency in the Lok Sabha.

2. Indian Armed Forces Memorial: VP M Venkaiah Naidu has inaugurated the Indian Armed Forces Memorial in France to pay tribute to thousands of Indian soldiers who fought selflessly and made supreme sacrifices during the World War I .The memorial is the first-of-its-kind built by India in France after the country’s Independence. The announcement to construct the memorial was made by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during her last visit to Paris in June 2018.

3. Kolkata International Film Festival: 24th Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF) has begun at Netaji Indoor Stadium, Kolkata. It was inaugurated by Actor Amitabh Bachchan with West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee.

4. Global education award 2018: Super 30 founder Anand Kumar was honoured with Global education award 2018 in Dubai. Super 30 is a prestigious Indian educational program started in Patna, India under the banner of Ramanujan School of Mathematics. It was co-founded by Abhayanand, a 1977 batch IPS officer and, Anand Kumar, a maths teacher in the year 2002.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 2018 London Press Freedom award: Swati Chaturvedi has won the 2018 London Press Freedom Award.She has taken courage by exposing the ‘IT cell’ within the Bharatiya Janata Party for keeping an army of angry trolls. 

2. 2nd RCEP Leaders Summit: Suresh Prabhu led the delegation for the meeting for trade Ministers of RCEP member countries in Singapore which will be followed by the 2nd RCEP Leaders Summit on 14th November, 2018, in Singapore.Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is a proposed free trade agreement between the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the six Asia-Pacific states with which ASEAN has existing free trade agreements.

3. A report from International Society of Women Airline Pilots: According to International Society of Women Airline Pilots, India has the highest percentage of Female Airline Pilots in the world.India employs 12.4% of total are women while globally, women pilots account for 5.4%

4. China and Myanmar to build a port: Both have signed an MOU to build a port in Kyaukpyu town, Myanmar along the Bay of Bengal.The Bay of Bengal is the north-eastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of. Its southern limit is a line between Sri Lanka and the north westernmost point of Sumatra.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. New CEO Virgin Hyperloop One: Jay Walder has been appointed as the CEO of Virgin Hyperloop One.Virgin Hyperloop One formerly known as Hyperloop One, is an American transportation technology company that was formed in 2014, and reorganized and renamed in 2017, working to commercialize the high-speed technology concept called Hyperloop.

2. American Express in China: American Express company has become 1st foreign payments company allowed to build a network in China.It won approval to clear card payments in China.

SPORTS:

1. Captain of United States national cricket team: Saurabh Netravalkar has been named captain of United States national cricket team.He was a former Mumbai medium pacer and India U-19 cricketer.

2. 66th Nehru Trophy Boat Race: 66th Nehru Trophy Boat Race was held on the Punnamada Lake, near Alappuzha, Kerala.Nehru Trophy Boat Race is also known as Vallam

Kali.Payippadan Chundan of Pallathuruthi Boat Club has won the race.

3. TATA Steel India 2018 Rapid Tournament Chess: Tata Steel India 2018 rapid tournament was concluded in Kolkata.Viswanathan Anand drew his sixth straight game of the tournament.

Daily GK Updates - 11th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. National Education Day observed: ​The Birth Anniversaries of Abul Kalam Azad (National Education Day) and J. B. Kripalani were observed today. Abul Kalam Azad was an Indian scholar and the senior Muslim leader of the Indian National Congress during the Indian independence movement. Following India’s independence, he became the first Minister of Education in the Indian government. J. B. Kripalani was an Indian politician, noted particularly for holding the presidency of the Indian National Congress during the transfer of power in 1947 and the husband of Sucheta Kriplani.

2. INSPIRE 2018: Power Minister R K Singh inaugurated the International Symposium to Promote Innovation & Research in Energy Efficiency (INSPIRE 2018). This is the second edition of INSPIRE and is being organised by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and World Bank.

3. Rosogolla Day to be observed: West Bengal will observe ‘Rosogolla Day’ on November 14.The aim is to commemorate the first anniversary of Geographical Indication GI tag as ‘Bengal’s Rosogolla’.

4. ‘Bhubaneswar Me WiFi’: Odisha Govt. has launched ‘Bhubaneswar Me WiFi’ project to make Bhubaneswar with fully Wifi enabled city before Hockey World Cup. It was implemented by the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Jeff Sessions, US Attorney General, steps down: ​Jeff Sessions has stepped down from the post of US Attorney General. He is an American politician and lawyer, earlier served as the 84th and current Attorney General of the United States since 2017. A Republican, Sessions served as United States Senator from Alabama from 1997 to 2017, resigning the position in order to serve in the Trump administration.

2. Maldives’ President-elect: ​ PM Modi will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the Maldives’ New President. It is noteworthy that India and Maldives want to improve their bilateral ties and the move of Mr. Modi to attend the swearing-in ceremony is considered to be a strategic one. The capital of Maldives is Male.

3. Cyril Ramaphosa as the Chief Guest for Republic Day celebrations 2019: ​India is planning to invite South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as the Chief Guest for Republic Day celebrations 2019. This came after US President Donald Trump rejected the invitation citing scheduling conflicts.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:
1. Global Macro Outlook 2019-20: ​According to Moody’s Investors Service report, Indian Economy to grow at 7.4% in 2018 but will slow down to 7.3% in the next fiscal. Moody’s Investors Service or Moody’s, is the bond credit rating business of Moody’s Corporation, representing the company’s traditional line of business and its historical name. Moody’s Investors Service provides international financial research on bonds issued by commercial and government entities.

2. Ombudsman For Digital Payments: ​Reserve Bank of India is planning to establish an ombudsman for digital payments by March 2019. This is thought keeping in mind the increase in the number of digital payments and the government’s focus on furthering the same.

SPORTS:
1. Bajrang Punia at Number 1 in World in 65kg Wrestling: ​Wrestler Bajrang Punia has achieved number one rank in the 65kg category with 96 points. He is Gold Medallist at both Asian Games 2018 and Gold Coast 2018.

2. Munaf Patel retires from all forms of cricket: ​Cricketer Munaf Patel has announced his retirement from all form of Cricket. He was a part of India’s 2011 World Cup winning squad.

3. 1st Indian woman to score a hundred in T20I: ​Harmanpreet Kaur has become the  1st Indian woman to score a hundred in T20I cricket against New Zealand in the Women’s World T20 2018. She scored 103 runs off 51 balls.

Daily GK Updates - 10th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Ashok Kumar Gupta appointed as the chairman of Competition Commission of India : Former IAS officer Ashok Kumar Gupta has been appointed as the chairperson of the Competition Commission of India, according to an official communication. The appointment would be till October 25, 2022 -- the date when he attains the age of 65 years -- or until further orders, whichever is the earliest, it addedGupta would replace acting chairperson Sudhir Mital

2.  Digital payment transactions jump to 244 cr in Aug 2018 : The number of digital payment transactions in India touched 244.81 crore in August 2018, more than three-fold rise from October 2016, underlining the massive adoption of digital payment modes over the last two years.The statement by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said in New Delhi that New payment modes, BHIM-UPI, AePS and NETC have transformed digital payment ecosystem by increasing Person to Person (P2P) as well as Person to Merchant (P2M) payments.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Science Day for Peace & Development being observed today : World Science Day for Peace & Development celebrated every year on 10^thThe day is observed to highlights the important role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues.It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives.The theme for 2018 is “Science, a Human Right”, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of the Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers.

2. Vice President Inaugurates Indian War Memorial in France : Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu is on a three-day visit to France. He inaugurated Indian War Memorial at Villers Guislain.Earlier the Vice President attended the Indian community reception in Paris.The main ceremony at Arc de Triomphe monument in Paris was presided over by the French President Emmanuel Macron.The Vice President also met the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay.

3. Sri Lanka President Sirisena dissolves parliament to pave way for an election : Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday dissolved parliament, paving the way for an early general election in the country which is grappling with unprecedented political crisis after the surprise sacking of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and replacing him with Mahinda Rajapaksa.Sirisena signed an official notification dismissing the 225-member assembly well ahead of its August 2020 term expiry, state television reported.

OTHER UPDATES:

DEFENCE:

1. SIMBEX 18 marks Silver Jubilee this Year : The 25th edition of SIMBEX, an acronym for “Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise” is scheduled from 10th to 21st November 2018 off Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.Bilateral cooperation between Singapore and India was first formalised when RSN ships began training with the Indian Navy in 1994.Both countries have a full calendar of more than 20 bilateral mechanisms, dialogues and exercises, many of which take place annually.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Reserve Bank of India plans payments ombudsman : The Reserve Bank of India is likely to establish an ombudsman for digital payments by March to take the load off the increasing number of complaints currently being handled by the banking ombudsman.Given the rapid adoption of digital payments across the country, RBI in its Annual Report for 2017-18 had said it was considering a plan to establish a separate ombudsman to handle consumer complaints related to digital transactions.

2. RBI relaxes ECB norms for infrastructure companies : The Reserve Bank has liberalized the norms governing foreign borrowings for infrastructure creation "in consultation with the Government".The minimum average maturity requirement for ECBs (external commercial borrowings) in the infrastructure space raised by eligible borrowers has been reduced to three years from earlier five years, a notification said.

Daily GK Updates - 9th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Cabinet decides to open a central tribal university in Andhra Pradesh : The Union Cabinet has approved an amendment to the Central Universities Act- 2009 for setting up of a Central Tribal University in Andhra Pradesh.A fund of 420 crore rupees has been granted as the first phase expenditure towards the establishment of the University.The Cabinet has also given in-principle approval for leasing out six airports through Public Private Partnership.

2.  Lok Sabha Secy Gen gets a one-year extension : The Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has extended the tenure of Snehlata Shrivastava (first female Lok Sabha Secretary General) for one year.She is a 1982 batch IAS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre.Her extension will be effective from the 1st of December to the 30th of November next year.

3. Uttarakhand celebrates its 18th formation day :  Uttarakhand state is celebrating its 18th formation day with much fanfare and gaiety (after separation from Uttar Pradesh).Uttarakhand’s Governor Baby Rani Maurya reviewed the ceremonial parade at Police line in Dehradun and honoured police personals for rendering excellent service.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Vice President Naidu embarks on the three-day visit to France : The Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will attend the Paris Peace Forum being held to commemorate the centenary of the end to the First World War.The Heads of State, Heads of Government of over 50 countries and their representatives are participating in the centenary activities.Mr Naidu will attend the ceremony to commemorate the armistice of World War I at Arc de Triomphe.He will also address the Indian community and will inaugurate the Indian War Memorial at Villers Guislain.

2. Parliamentary elections to be held on 23^rd December in Bangladesh : According to Bangladesh Chief Election Commissioner of KM Nurul Huda, Parliamentary elections of Bangladesh will be held on 23rd December 2018.All preparations for an election were already completed, the last date for filing of nominations is 19^th November 2018.The ruling Awami League has urged the poll body to stick to its poll plan.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. World Bank inks USD 172 million project agreement with AP : The Central Govt. & Andhra Pradesh (AP) state governments and the World Bank have signed the loan agreement of USD 172.20 million projects to enhance agricultural productivity, profitability, and climate resilience of poor and marginalized farmers in Andhra Pradesh.This project will help to enhance agricultural productivity, profitability, and climate resilience of poor and marginalised farmers in Andhra Pradesh.

SPORTS:

1. Bajwa shoots historic skeet gold at Asian Shotgun Championship : Angad Vir Singh Bajwa has won a gold with a world record score in the men's skeet final at 8th Asian Shotgun Championship in Kuwait.He became the first Indian skeet shooter to win a continental or world level event.Angad shot a perfect 60 out of 60 in the final round to claim top spot ahead of Di Jin  (China), shot 58.

Daily GK Updates - 8th November, 2018

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. LS Secretary General got one-year extension : The tenure of Snehlata Shrivastava has been extended by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan for one year.She was scheduled to retire on 30 November 2018 but after the extension, she will retire in  30 November 2019.She is the first woman Secretary General of the Lok Sabha.She has served as Secretary in the Ministry of Law and Justice and as Special/Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance.

2. Proposed Ganga bill bans ports, jetties : According to a proposed ‘Ganga Act’, the government has banned the construction of jetties, ports or ‘permanent hydraulic structures’ in the Ganga river.The Bill lays down a host of restrictions to ensure the ‘uninterrupted, ecological flow’ of the river. The proposed act is formally called the National River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Conservation and Management) Bill, 2018.

3. New record created in Ayodhya : A new world record was set in Ayodhya on 7 November 2018 with over three lakh ‘diya’ lit up simultaneously.A total of 3,01,152 diyas were lit up simultaneously for five minutes.The record was created at the Deepotsav event on the banks of the Sarayu river.The target was to illuminate a total of 3.35 lakh diya on both sides of the ghats at Ram Ki Paidi.

4. JNPT planning to host edible oil refinery : Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) is planning to host an edible oil refinery to maximise revenue and ensure captive cargo.The raw material for the refinery will be imported from abroad and a considerable part of the finished products will be sent out through the sea.The port already has a liquid cargo terminal in addition to the 4 container terminals.The port is situated in Maharashtra

5. ‘Bhubaneswar Me Wi-Fi’ launched  : Odisha Government launched the ‘Bhubaneswar Me Wi-Fi’ project in Bhubaneswar on 5 November 2018.The project is implemented by Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL).It will initially have 100 hotspots enabled locations with 275 access points.One wi-fi hotspot would be able to handle 150 users at a given point of timeBSCL is a Special Purpose Vehicle incorporated by Odisha Government.

6. Mo bus’ service launched in Odisha : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the ‘Mo bus’ service in Bhubaneswar on 6 November 2018.The newly-launched buses feature free Wi-Fi, CCTV surveillance, public information display system and on board announcements.The bus service will come up with ‘Mo Bus’ mobile app through which citizens can book their tickets and also get to know the locations of the vehicle.

7. West Bengal to observe ‘Rosogolla Day’ : The West Bengal government will observe ‘Rosogolla Day’ on November 14.The day will be observed to commemorate the first anniversary of the State’s famous sweet getting Geographical Indication (GI) tag as ‘Bengal’s Rosogolla’.On 14 November 2017, West Bengal got the GI tag for ‘Bengal’s Rosogolla’.The GI tag is a sign that identifies a product as originating from a particular place.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. European defence coalition launched in Paris : Defence ministers from European countries met in Paris on 7 November 2018 and launched a jointmilitary force known as the ‘European Intervention Initiative’ or EI2.The military force could rapidly be deployed in response to a conflict or natural disaster.Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Portugal, Britain and Finland are part of this initiative.

2. India loses row over safeguard duty at WTO : India lost a major trade dispute at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on 6 November 2018.A dispute settlement panel upheld Japan’s complaint that India’s imposition of safeguard duty on imports of hot-rolled steel flat products during September 2015 and March 2018 violated core global trade rules.Japan launched the dispute settlement proceedings against India in 2017.

3. ASEAN member countries offer concession : Several Asian member countries of the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) have offered India a concession on the extent to which it needs to open up its markets.India can now open up 83% of its market against the earlier 92%.The RCEP is a proposed trade agreement between the ASEAN countries and the six free trade agreement partners.

4. Tesla names new chair to replace Elon Musk : Electric carmaker Tesla has appointed Robyn Denholm as the Chairman of the company’s board of directors, replacing Elon Musk.She will also be leaving her role as CFO and Head of Strategy at Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications company.She has been on the Tesla board as an independent director since 2014.Elon Musk will remain the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tesla.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. ECB norms for infra firms eased : The Reserve Bank of India has liberalised the norms governing external commercial borrowings (ECBs) for infrastructure creation.

The minimum average maturity requirement for ECB in the infrastructure sector has been reduced to three years from earlier five years.Additionally, the average maturity requirement for mandatory hedging has been reduced to five years from earlier ten years.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

1. Study finds that 3 moons orbit the Earth : A team of astronomers and physicists has confirmed that the dust clouds orbit the Earth.These dust clouds move with the Earth and Moon at a stable 4,00,000 kilometres from the Earth.The dust clouds is also known as ‘Kordylewski’ clouds. The first glimpse of the clouds was seen only in 1961 by Polish astronomer Kazimierz Kordylewski.