Daily GK Updates - 11th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Lok Sabha Election 2019: Phase 1 voting kicks off today : The phase 1 of the Lok Sabha Election 2019 begins from today The Lok Sabha Elections 2019 will be conducted across the country in seven phases, the first of which took place today on April 11. The voting time for Phase 1 elections was from 7 AM to 6 PM. A total of 18 states and two union territories voted in the first phase of Lok Sabha election, which begins the process of electing a new government. In the first phase, citizens of 20 states voted for 91 out of the 543 seats.

2. Vikram Nath appointed as first chief justice of new Andhra Pradesh HC :  Senior judge of Allahabad high court, Justice Vikram Nath has been appointed as the first Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court. A collegium of Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and judges S A Bobde and N V Ramana recommended the name of Justice Nath as the chief justice of the AP High Court. The new high court for Andhra Pradesh was created on January 1 this year, following the bifurcation of a combined high court for AP and Telangana, which had been operating from Hyderabad since June 2, 2014, when the two Telugu states got separated.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.India’s education technology startup bags global tech prize :  India’s education technology startup ‘Dost Education’ has bagged a $25,000 tech prize along with two other winners from Tanzania and Egypt. Dost was awarded for its ability to empower parents to take charge of their child’s early education by creating short, friendly audio content that is sent to them via their mobile phones. The software, audio content, and tool kits of Dost Education makes it easy fun and addictive for parents to boost their child’s early development, so low-income families need no longer send their children to primary school behind and without a chance to catch up.

2. Israeli PM Netanyahu wins record fifth term: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won the Israeli national election, securing a record fifth term in office. With 97 percent of the votes counted, neither of the candidates' parties had captured a ruling majority, but Netanyahu was clearly in a strong position to form a coalition government with other right-wing factions that have backed him.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. India’s population grew at a 1.2 % average annual rate between 2010 and 2019: UN report :  According to a report by the United Nations Population Fund, India’s population grew at an average annual rate of 1.2 per cent between 2010 and 2019 to 1.36 billion, more than double the annual growth rate of China. India’s population in 2019 stood at 1.36 billion, growing from 942.2 million in 1994 and 541.5 million in 1969.India’s population grew at an average annual rate of 1.2 per cent between 2010 and 2019, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency said in the State of World Population 2019 report.

2. RBI imposes Rs 1 lakh penalty on Lucknow-based co-op bank :  The Reserve Bank Wednesday said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh on UP Postal Primary Co-operative Bank, Lucknow for violation of norms regarding shifting of its branch. The Rs 1 lakh penalty has been imposed on the co-operative bank "for violation of RBI Instructions/Guidelines for shifting of its branch without obtaining prior approval from RBI", the central bank said.

3. Emirates Islamic becomes the world's first Islamic bank to launch banking via WhatsApp  : Emirates Islamic has announced the launch of Chat Banking services for customers via WhatsApp, marking a global first in the Islamic banking sector. The bank’s customers will now able to conduct daily banking activities via WhatsApp in a seamless and hassle-free manner. The Chat Banking solution, supported by Infobip, further enhances Emirates Islamic’s suite of digital banking channels and allows customers to use features such as checking account balances and temporarily blocking or unblocking of an existing card.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. India's steel demand to grow by over 7% in FY19, FY20 :  As per the Indian Steel Association, India's steel demand is likely to grow by over 7 percent in 2019 and 2020, driven by sectors like construction, capital goods and railways. "The Indian Steel Association has forecast India's steel demand to grow by 7.1 percent in the calendar year 2019 and by 7.2 percent in the calendar year 2020. The World Steel Association had recently estimated steel demand in India to touch 103 million tonnes in 2019, against 96 million tonnes logged in 2018 and 110 million tonnes in 2020.

2. Govt. retains interest rate for General Provident Fund at 8% :  The government has retained the interest rate for General Provident Fund (GPF), Contributory Provident Fund and other related schemes at 8 per cent for the first quarter of current financial year. The interest rate on these funds was at 8 per cent in the January-March quarter of 2018-19 and government kept it unchanged for April to June for 2019-20.

SPORTS:

1. Virat Kohli named Wisden's 'Leading Cricketer' for a third straight year :  India captain Virat Kohli was on Wednesday named the Leading Cricketer in the World and featured in Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year, by the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.Kohli was also among Jos Buttler and Sam Curran to be listed in Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year, a rare accolade which has been eluding him in his career until now.The India skipper had a fantastic 2018 in which he racked up 2,735 international runs at 68.37 across all formats, more than 700 more than his nearest challenger, England's Joe Root.

2. Smriti Mandhana named Wisden’s leading Women’s Cricketer of The Year : Team India opener Smriti Mandhana has been named as the Wisden Almanack’s ‘Leading Women’s Cricketer of the Year’. The 22-year-old is currently the top-ranked player in women’s ODIs and third in T20Is. In 2018, Mandhana scored 669 runs at an average of 66.90 in 12 ODIs and 622 runs at a strike-rate of 130.67 in 25 T20Is

Daily GK Updates - 10th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Guwahati Railway Station first to get ISO Certification in India :  The Guwahati Railway Station (in Assam) has become the first ever railway station in the Indian Railways to get an ISO certification (ISO-14001) from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for “providing passenger amenities in a clean and green environment.” Guwahati Railway Station is ISO-14001, which is for Environment Management System as per international norms which were upgraded in 2015.In April 2017, Guwahati railway station became the first railway station to run entirely on solar power.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 10th April: World Homoeopathy Day :  The World Homoeopathy Day 2019 is being observed across the world on 10th April to commemorate the birth anniversary (264th) of the founder of Homoeopathy (Dr Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann). On this occasion, The Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy(CCRH) has organised a two-day convention at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi. Homoeopathy is a system of medicine (the second most widely used system) was developed by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann in Germany in 1796.

2.  17th MENA World Economic Forum held in Jordan :  The World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) 2019 took place in Jordan.The 17th WEF meeting in the region called for united efforts to address the most pressing challenges of the area. The forum assembled more than 1,000 government, business and civil society leaders from more than 50 countries.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. IMF Cuts India GDP Growth Forecast To 7.3% For 2019 :  According to The International Monetary Fund (IMF) report, India’s economy projected to grow at 7.3% in 2019 and 7.5% in 2020. In 2018, India's growth rate was 7.1% as against China's 6.6 per cent. All the estimates are 0.2 percentage points less than its previous assessment in January.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. SBI cuts interest rates on home loans :  The State Bank of India (SBI) has re-priced home loans up to Rs 30 lakh by 10 basis points. Accordingly, the interest rate on housing loans of such size will now be in the range of 8.6 to 8.9 per cent. The bank has also lowered its lending rates by a nominal five basis points across all tenors.In a statement, the SBI said the new one-year marginal cost of funds-based lending rate is down to 8.50 per cent now from 8.55 per cent. This is the first reduction by SBI in over 17 months.

2. Karnam Sekar to take over as MD, CEO of Indian Overseas Bank from July 1 :  According to Union Government, Karnam Sekar (MD and CEO of the erstwhile Dena Bank) will take over as MD and CEO of Indian Overseas Bank from 1st July 2019.He will work as officer on special duty and whole-time director with IOB till the end of June this year. R A Sankara Narayanan (former MD and CEO of Vijaya Bank) will move to Canara Bank in the same position.

SPORTS:

1. Graham Reid appointed new Indian men's hockey team chief coach :  Former Australian field hockey player Graham Reid (54-years) has been appointed as the men's national team chief coach till the end of 2020. Graham Reid was a member of the team that won the silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He was ratified after Hockey India received necessary clearance from the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

2. Vikramjit Sahney elected as President of ICC India :  Vikramjit Singh Sahney has been elected as the new president of International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) India. He is the Chairman of SUN Group. ICC India is one of the most active chapters of the ICC, the world's apex business organisation.

3. Shot putter Manpreet banned for dope flunk :  Asian champion shot putter Manpreet Kaur (29-years) has been banned for four years by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) for flunking four dope tests in 2017. According to an order of the anti-doping disciplinary panel (ADDP) of the NADA, the period of suspension would begin from 20th July 2017. She has the option of filing an appeal before the Anti-Doping Appeal Panel. She had set the national record of 18.86m at Jinhua.

Daily GK Updates - 9th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. IIT Madras bags top spot in NIRF Rankings 2019 :  President Ramnath Kovind declared the 4th edition of National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF India Rankings 2019) at Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. He also announced the Atal Ranking of Institutions for Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) 2019. The NIRF rankings were released for a total of 9 categories Overall, Universities,  Engineering,  Colleges, Management, Pharmacy, Medical, Architecture, and Law. The NIRF India Rankings 2019 for each category will also be released on the official website ‘nirfindia.org’.

2.  CRPF celebrating its 54th Valour Day :  President Ram Nath Kovind paid homage to the martyrs of police at National Police Memorial in New Delhi on 54th Valour Day of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Mr. Kovind also presented Gallantry medals to six Jawans posthumously. As a tribute to the brave personnel of the Force, 9th April is celebrated as Valour Day in the Force. The President also launched the App - Veer Parivar for assistance to next of kin of Martyrs of CRPF personnel.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Guillermo del Toro to co-write new Pan’s Labyrinth novel :  Guillermo del Toro will expand the folklore around his Oscar-nominated film Pan's Labyrinth with a new novel titled Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun. The novel is co-written by the filmmaker and Cornelia Funke. The book will include stories that expand the folklore on which the original film was based on.

2. World Homoeopathy Day convention organised in New Delhi :  According to Ministry of Ayush, India is hosting a two-day convention to mark the ‘World Homeopathy Day’(10th- April) at Dr Ambedkar International Centre in New Delhi (9-10th April 2019). The day is observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy, Dr. Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann. AYUSH awards relating to Homoeopathy for Life Time Achievement, Best Teacher, Young Scientist and Best Research paper will be conferred on this occasion.

3.  Dhanush Artillery Gun inducted into Indian Army :  The first indigenous long-range artillery gun ‘Dhanush’ has been inducted into the Indian Army. The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) handed over the first batch of six Dhanush artillery guns to the Army. The 155 mm calibre artillery gun was manufactured by the Jabalpur-based Gun Carriage Factory.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. RBI issues norms for banks to set up currency chests :  Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has come out with guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests, which include a minimum area of 1,500 square feet for the strong room. The new chests should have a processing capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes per day. It added that for those situated in the hilly/ inaccessible places, capacity should be 2.1 lakh pieces of banknotes per day. Earlier, RBI appointed committee had recommended that the apex bank should encourage banks to open large currency chests with modern facilities and Chest Balance Limit (CBL) of at least Rs 1,000 crore.

SPORTS:

1. Virat Kohli becomes all-time leading IPL scorer :  Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper ‘Virat Kohli’ overtook Suresh Raina to become the leading run-scorer in the Indian Premier League. Kohli also became the 2nd fastest after Chris Gayle to reach 8000 T20 runs. Till date, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are the only two players to score 5000 runs in the IPL. Both men got to the landmark this year. Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) is 3rd in the list of most runs in the IPL with 4600 runs

OBITUARIES:

1. Film actor Navtej Hundal passes away : Bollywood actor Shri Navtej Hundal passed away in Mumbai. Mr. Hundal had been a part of films like Khalnayak (1993), Tere Mere Sapne (1996) and The Whisperers (2009). The actor was last seen in Vicky Kaushal starrer ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ which released in January this year.He played the role of the Home Minister in the movie.

Daily GK Updates - 8th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Indian Navy Signs MoU With CSIR : The Indian Navy and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) inked an MoU to undertake joint research and development of advanced technologies for the Indian Navy. This will be a collaborative arrangement between labs of CSIR, the Indian Navy and Indian industry. The MoU provides a formal framework for interaction between the Indian Navy and CSIR.

2.  Phayeng Village becomes India’s first carbon-positive settlement :  Phayeng Village of Manipur has been tagged as India's first carbon-positive settlement.A village is given the carbon-positive tag if it sequesters more carbon than it emits, slowing the accumulation of greenhouse gases and mitigating the effects of climate change. Phayeng is a scheduled caste village of the Chakpa community in Imphal West district.As part of the carbon-positive village project, Phayeng will receive a grant of Rs10 crore in phases to facilitate afforestation in the catchment of river Maklang that flows along the village.

3.  National Handloom Week observed from 7th April to 14th April It is a celebration :  of the country’s 5,000-year old tradition of hand weaving cloths. On this occasion, a book named ‘The Indian textile Sourcebook’ authored by Avalon Fotheringham and published by Thames and Hudson will be launched on 9th April. In 2018, the National Handloom Week was observed during December month. The National Handloom Day is observed on 7th August every year across India. It was on this day that the Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905. The First National handloom day was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on August 7, 2015 in Chennai.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Morocco-US Joint Military Exercise 'African Lion 2019' Starts In Morocco : The joint military exercise between Morocco and the US, “African Lion 2019,” kicked off in southern Morocco. The exercise marks the participation of thousands of military officers.  The exercise will include various types of training including command post, manoeuvring, peacekeeping, operations, and aerial refuelling.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1.  Sathiyan books World Cup berth :  G. Sathiyan (10th-seeded) stunned fifth seed Wong Chun Ting of Taipei 12-10, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 in the playoff for 5-8 positions at the Asian Cup table tennis championship. The win helped Sathiyan qualify for the World Cup. Sathiyan lost to a former World Cup, Olympic and World champion in Ma Long.

2. ITBP organises first National Sky Running Championship :  The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) along with Sky Running Association of India organised the National Sky Running Championship (junior and senior categories) at Mountaineering and Skiing Institute of ITBP at Auli in Uttarakhand. This is the first time such championship was organised at a high altitude of up to 4000 metres. Various athletes from ITBP, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Uttarakhand participated in the championship.

Daily GK Updates - 7th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Justice Pradeep Nandrajog sworn in as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court : Justice Pradeep Nandrajog was sworn in as the new chief justice of Bombay High Court. He was administered the oath by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Justice Nandrajog was serving as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court since March 2017, following his transfer from the Delhi High Court.

2. Biannual Army Commanders’ Conference begins in New Delhi :  the biannual Army Commanders’ Conference has begun in New Delhi. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has delivered her opening address at the conference. During the conference, important issues that are likely to be discussed are the management of the extant security dynamics, mitigation of future security threats and enhancement of combat edge over potential adversaries. It is an important event for the planning and execution process of the Indian Army.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Praful Patel becomes 1st Indian to be elected as  the member of FIFA Executive Council :  All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel (62-years) has become the first Indian to be elected as a member of the FIFA Executive Council for four years (2019 to 2023). He got 38 out of 46 votes. Mr Patel was one of the eight candidates vying for the spot in the election which was held during the 29th Asian Football Confederations Congress in Kuala Lumpur.

2. 7th April: World Health Day :  The 'World Health Day’ is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7th April to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO). The day provides with a unique opportunity to mobilize action around a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world.The tagline for this year's World Health Day is "Universal Health Coverage: everyone, everywhere".

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING/FINANCE:

1.  Lakshmi Vilas Bank to merge with India Bulls Housing :  Chennai-based Lakshmi Vilas Bank is set to merge with India Bulls Housing Finance in a share-swap deal. It reflects the trend of consolidation in the financial services sector.The boards of both entities approved the merger proposal. The shareholders of Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) will get 14 shares of India Bulls Housing Finance (IBHF) for every 100 equity shares held in the bank.

SPORTS:

1. Lin Dan wins 2019 Malaysian Open Badminton singles title :  Chinese veteran Lin Dan (36-years) has won the Malaysian Open Badminton singles title in the men's final at Axiata Arena Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He defeated countryman Chen Long 9-21, 21-7, 21-11. Lin Dan is a two-time Olympic champion, five-time World champion, as well as a six-time All England champion. In the women's singles final top seed Tai Tzu Ying (Taiwan) saw off Japanese Akane Yamaguchi 21-16,21-19.

2. World’s oldest soccer player Isaak Hayik sets Guinness record :  Israel’s soccer player Isaak Hayik (73-years) broke the record after playing as a goalkeeper in an afternoon game with Israel’s Ironi Or Yehuda soccer club. The Iraqi-born keeper was officially recognised in an award ceremony attended by representatives from the Guinness World Record organisation. The previous record was held by Robert Carmona of Uruguay, who in 2015 played a professional match with Uruguay’s Pan de Azucar at the age of 53-years.

OBITUARIES:

1. 2002 Medicine Nobel Prize Winner Brenner passes away :  Biologist Sydney Brenner (92-years) passed away in Singapore. Brenner discovered fundamental steps in how cells use DNA to make the proteins that enable life. Brenner helped decipher the genetic code and jointly won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Brenner born in South Africa Brenner was an alumnus of Oxford University.

Daily GK Updates - 6th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Dr Gyanaditya Shakya honoured with Presidential Award :  Vice-President M Vainkaiya Naidu gave the ‘Presidential Award of Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman’ to Dr. Gyanaditya Shakya in New Delhi. He has conferred the award for his outstanding contribution in the field of Pali language and literature. Currently, Dr Shakya is working as an Assistant Professor in Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida. Dr Shakya was honoured with Rs 1,00,000 Award and a certificate.

                          

2.  3rd Goa Anti-Tobacco Film Festival on 31st May :  The Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) in association with the Goa Department of Public Health-Dentistry, and the Goa Dental College and Hospital is set to hold the 3rd Goa Anti-Tobacco Film Festival on 31st May. The festival will select ad films to spread the message of the harmful effects of tobacco use and decrease the occurrence of oral cancer and heart disease and to promote film art through non-profit screening of these films.This festival, whose ultimate objective is to make Goa smoke-free, will have two separate categories — one for Goa and another for national films.

3. Bureau of Indian Standards inks an MoU with IIT Delhi :  The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi to collaborate in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment. The MoU was signed by IIT Delhi Director Professor V Ramgopal Rao and Director General of BIS Surina Rajan. BIS and IIT Delhi have also agreed to set up a Centre of Excellence in the field of standardization, testing and conformity assessment.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Shah Rukh Khan felicitated with an Honorary Doctorate by London’s University of Law :  Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has received an honorary doctorate in Philanthropy by The University of Law, London. The actor received the merit during a graduation ceremony for more than 350 students. Over the years, he has established himself as a successful actor, film producer, television host, philanthropist and an entrepreneur. He has lent support to the Indian government's campaigns, including Pulse Polio and National Aids Control Organization.

2. 6th April: United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Sport for Development and Peace :  The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) is observed across the world on 6th April every year to recognize the power of sport in promoting peace and erasing cultural barriers worldwide.The day has been celebrated each year since 2014. The date commemorates the inauguration of the first Olympic games of the modern era, in Athens (Greece) in 1896.

3. Senior US Treasury official David Malpass selected as President of World Bank : Senior US Treasury official David Malpass (63-year) has been selected as President (13th) of the World Bank for a five-year term. He replaced Jim Yong Kim. Malpass has served on the boards of the Council of the Americas, Economic Club of New York, and the National Committee on US-China Relations.

4. CS Rajan appointed MD of IL&FS :  CS Rajan has been appointed as the Managing Director (MD) while Vineet Nayyar named as Executive Vice-Chairman of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS). Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) is an Indian infrastructure development and finance company. It operates through more than 250 subsidiaries including IL & FS Investment managers, IL & FS financial services and IL & FS Transportation networks India Limited (ITNL). IL&FS’s projects include some of the largest infrastructure projects in India including India's longest tunnel, Chennai-Nashri Tunnel, which was opened for traffic in April 2017.

OTHER UPDATES: 

DEFENCE:

1. Sri Lanka to hold largest ever military exercise “Exercise — Western Shield” in July :  The Army of Sri Lanka will conduct “Exercise – Western Shield” starting from 1st July 2019 with the participation of over 5,000 soldiers. ‘Exercise-Western Shield’ is the biggest ever infantry training module. The exercise will provide an opportunity for army trainees to march through those areas that are inaccessible to others, except forest conservation authorities. Exercise Western Shield will extend from Mannar to Puttalam, including Kalpitiya, Wilpattu National Park, Mavillu and Thabbowa Forest Reserves and the Western coastal belt.

SPORTS:

1. Indian football team rises two places to 101 in FIFA rankings :  The Indian football team gained two places to rise to 101 in the new FIFA rankings. With 1219 total ranking points, the Indian team lies 18th among the Asian countries. Iran continued to top the Asian rankings at 21, followed by Japan (26), South Korea (37), Australia (41) and Qatar (55).

Daily GK Updates - 5th April, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. 5th April: National Maritime Day of India :  This day, the country renews its abiding faith in the importance of maritime zone as well as sea route for all-round development of the nation. The theme of the National Maritime Day 2019 (56th edition) is “Indian Ocean-An Ocean of opportunity”. The National Maritime Day was first celebrated on 5th April 1964. On this day in 1919, navigation history was created when the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd. "SS Loyalty" journeyed to the United Kingdom.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. South Korea launched the world’s first Nationwide 5G Mobile Network :  South Korea has launched the world’s first nationwide 5G mobile networks services two hours ahead of the US. Three top telecom providers SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus launched the 5G services.5G will provide smartphones with near-instantaneous connectivity, 20 times faster than 4G. This allows users to download entire movies in less than a second.

2. 7th Foreign Office consultations between India and Italy held in Delhi :  The 7th Foreign Office consultations between India and Italy were held in New Delhi. These consultations provided an opportunity to review the follow-up actions taken after the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in October last year as well as the entire range of bilateral relations, including political, defence, scientific, economic and commercial ties. Both sides took note of the growing economic and commercial relations and discussed steps to further facilitate their growth, including through strengthening the existing institutional mechanisms. In the light of the robust exchange of people between the two countries, both sides agreed to establish a regular Consular Dialogue.

3. NuGen Mobility Summit 2019 : The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) will organise a NuGen Mobility Summit, 2019, at Manesar, NCR (from 27th to 29th November 2019). NuGen Mobility Summit is a biennial event being organised by the International Centre for Automotive Technology in collaboration with SAE-NIS. The objective of the Summit is to share new ideas, global experiences, innovations and future technology trends for faster adoption, and development of advanced automotive technologies for a smarter and greener future.

4. Vikram Patel awarded the John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award :  The Gairdner Foundation has announced the 2019 Canada Gairdner Award laureates, recognizing Goa and Boston-based Vikram Patel for his research career raising the global profile of mental health problems. Vikram Patel has been awarded for his research career raising the global profile of mental health problems. Each year seven Canada Gairdner Awards are presented to honour the world's most significant biomedical and global health researchers.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS/ECONOMY:

1. ADB cuts India’s growth rate to 7.2% in 2019-20 : According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), India's projected GDP growth of over 7.2% for the current fiscal. ADB has projected India to remain the fastest growing Asian nation with 7.3% growth in 2020 as policy rates are cut and farmers receive income support, bolstering domestic demand. For entire Asia, the multilateral agency forecasted that growth will soften to 5.7 per cent in 2019 and 5.6 per cent in 2020. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19th December 1966.

BANKING/FINANCE:

1. Vipin Anand takes charge as Managing Director of LIC :  Vipin Anand has taken charge as Managing Director (MD)of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC)of India. Earlier, he was In-charge of LIC’s Western Zone, headquartered at Mumbai He was also a member of the IRDAI committee for framing Regulations on Digital Marketing. Mr. Anand has handled several assignments in various capacities and departments across different locations in India during his 35 years’ service.

2. Karnataka Bank signs a pact with Bharti AXA for Insurance products :  Karnataka Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company to distribute the latter’s life insurance products. Now, the bank will be able to provide a wide choice of life insurance products to its customers across 836 branches, supported by the products of Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company.This is the third such tie-up by the bank after PNB MetLife Life Insurance Company and LIC of India.

SPORTS:

1. ICC to join hands with Interpol to fight corruption in sport :  The International Cricket Council (ICC) has sought closer working relations with the Interpol to widen the scope of its fight against corruption in the sport. The cooperation was discussed during ICC Anti-Corruption Unit General Manager, Alex Marshall's visit to the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France. Marshall said the idea is to ensure that players are better educated about the corruptors and Interpol's vast network would be helpful in this.