Daily GK Updates - 22nd April, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Bank approves Rs 2,421 cr loan for inland waterways project: The World Bank has approved a loan of around Rs. 2,421 crores for the ambitious inland waterways project between Haldia (West Bengal) and Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh). The approved loan amount is about 45% of the estimated project cost of Rs. 5,369 crore for capacity augmentation of National Waterway-1. The 11,390-kilometrewaterway project of the shipping ministry will enable commercial navigation of vessels with the capacity of 1,500-2,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT). NW-1 will have three multi-modal terminals, one each at Varanasi, Sahibganj (Jharkhand), and Haldia.

2. UP govt to set up 40 Yoga wellness centers in 40 districts: The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to set up 40 Yoga wellness centers in 40 districts during current financial year. Twenty-three Ayurvedic hospitals 12 homeopathic and 7 Unani hospitals and colleges will be set up. The first herbal garden of the state will be developed at Lucknow to encourage the farmers for cultivation of herbal plants across the state.

3. Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh inaugurated 'India Steel 2017' in Mumbai: The Union Steel Minister ‘Chaudhary Birender Singh’ has inaugurated the three-day International Conference and Exhibition on Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017' (3rd edition) at Mumbai Exhibition center in Mumbai. The exhibition-cum-conference was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with Union Ministry of Steel.

4. Government approves Guidelines on service charge: Ministry of Food and Consumer Affairs has approved the ‘Guidelines on Fair Trade Practices Related to Charging of Service Charge from Consumers by Hotels and Restaurants’. As a part of the guidelines which has been issued in public interest to protect the rights of consumers, the government has said that Service charge on hotel and restaurant bills is “totally voluntary”, adding that mandatory levy of service charge amounts to unfair trade practice.

5. One crore assets geotagged under GeoMGNREGA initiative: MGNREGA has reached a major milestone by geotagging one crore assets created under it. The geotagged assets have been put in public domain. The scale of assets created under MGNREGA is massive and is estimated to be about 2.82 crore assets since the financial year 2006-07. On an average, it works out to a creation of 30 lakh assets annually.

6. Indian Navy test-fires land attack version of Brahmos supersonic cruise missile: Indian Navy has successfully tested the land attack version of supersonic cruise missile “Brahmos” from Indian Navy's ship Teg on a target on land. BrahMos Missile has been jointly developed by India and Russia and its anti-ship variant has already been inducted into the Navy.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  China to host BRICS Film Festival in June 2017: The BRICS Film Festival 2017 will be held in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province from 23 to 27 June,2017. Around 30 films from BRICS countries will be screened during the festival, including an anthology by five directors from the mentioned countries. The first BRICS Film Festival was held in New Delhi, India, in September 2016.

2. Sri Lanka to host the 14th Edition of United Nations International Day of Vesak 2017: The United Nations International Day of Vesak -2017 will be hosted by Sri Lanka from 12th to 14th May 2017. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate UN Vesak Day in Colombo on 12th May,2017.

3. Mongolia launches first satellite Mongol Sat-I: Mongolia has launched its first satellite Mongol Sat-I part of its efforts to make use of new technology to diversify its resource-dependent economy. The satellite was launched in partnership with Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS).

4. Cuba and Morocco re-establish diplomatic ties after 37 years: Guided by the mutual will to develop friendly relations, Cuba and Morocco has signed an agreement to re-establish diplomatic ties after a time period of 37 years. The agreement to this effect was signed at the headquarters of the Permanent Mission of Cuba to the United Nations.

5. 'International Mother Earth Day' observed across the world: The International Mother Earth Day has been celebrated every year around the world on ‘22nd April’ to remind each of us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance. The theme for 2017 is "Environmental & Climate Literacy".

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. 13-year-old breaks Maradona football trick world record: Tommy Boyd, a 13-year-old British schoolboy, broke the Guinness world record for the least time taken to complete 'Maradona seven' football trick 10 times. Tommy completed the juggling trick in 29.78 seconds, five seconds lesser than the previous record by a freestyle footballer. The Maradona seven trick involves juggling the ball between the feet, knees, shoulders and head.

2. Golfers Aditi Ashok, SSP Chawrasia and Ali Sher win Golf Industry Association Awards 2017: Golfers Aditi Ashok, SSP Chawrasia and Ali Sher has won the second edition of the Golf Industry Association (GIA) Awards 2017. Recently, Aditi finished second in the Ladies European Tour (LET) order of merit in 2016. SSP Chawrasia has won the Men's Player of the Year (2016). Indian professional Golfer Ali Sher has won an Arjuna Award in 1991 and then went on to win the Indian Open again in 1993.

Daily GK Updates - 21st April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. April 21: Civil Services Day: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated 11th Civil Services Day programme. The Civil Services Day function is organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

2. Lawyers’ plan nationwide agitations against Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2017: Bar Council of India (BCI) has called for a nationwide stir against what they allege as the undemocratic provisions of the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2017. BCI has planned to submit a memorandum to the Union Law Minister to reject the Law Commissions suggestions to amend the Act. The Law Commission of India has proposed various amendments to the Advocates Act, 1961 so as to usher in forward-looking reforms in the legal profession. It has placed before the government, the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

3. Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh inaugurated 'India Steel 2017' in Mumbai: The Union Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh has inaugurated the three-day International Conference and Exhibition on Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017' (3rd edition) at Mumbai Exhibition center in Mumbai. The exhibition-cum-conference was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) along with Union Ministry of Steel.

4. TRAI invites comments on ease of doing business in broadcasting sector: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has invited comments from stakeholders on ease of doing business in the broadcasting sector. The comments can be sent till 8th May. It will help in identifying issues related to ease of doing business before going for an elaborate consultation later.

5. SC sets 25% of net salary of husband for maintenance to an estranged wife: The Supreme Court (SC) has set a benchmark for maintenance to be paid by a husband to his estranged wife. According to Supreme Court, (a bench of Justices ‘R Banumathi’ and ‘M M Santanagoudar’) directed a resident of West Bengal to set aside 25% as maintenance for his former wife and their son.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. CII signs MoUs with 3 Singapore Universities: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed agreements with three Singapore universities (Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, and Singapore Management University) to provide training opportunities to students at the ASEAN-India Business Forum in Singapore. The Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) will allow the universities and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore to tap into CII's network of over 8,000 members to create overseas attachment opportunities for enrolled students.

2. China & Iran to sign contract on heavy water reactor: The China and Iran will sign the first commercial contract to redesign Iran's Arak heavy water reactor in Vienna. Redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor is a core aspect of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program. The signing will create a favorable condition for the progress of the redesign.

3. Pakistan Leases Gwadar port to a State-run Chinese firm for 40 years: Pakistan has leased the operations of its strategic Gwadar port to a State-run Chinese firm, the China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) for a period of 40 years. COPHC is slated to carry out all the developmental work on the port situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING & FINANCE:

1. HDFC Bank cuts 6,100 jobs in March quarter over digitisation: India's second-largest private sector lender HDFC Bank cut as many as 6,096 jobs in the January-March quarter owing to increased digitisation. This is the second straight quarter of job cuts by HDFC, which had cut over 4,500 jobs in the last quarter. There is room for more job cuts in the future, HDFC's Deputy Managing Director Paresh Sukthankar said.

HONOURS & AWARDS:

2. Italian mayor ‘Giuseppina Nicolini’ wins UNESCO Peace Prize: The UNESCO has awarded the ‘Peace Prize’ to the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa ‘Giuseppina Nicolini’ (56-year) for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees. Nicolini was bestowed with the honor for her effort that saved thousands who fled across the Mediterranean often on unseaworthy boats to find a better and peaceful life.

3. ‘TIME’ releases list of 100 Most Influential People of 2017: Time Magazine has released the annual list of 100 most influential people of 2017. This year, only two Indians to feature on the list PM 'Narendra Modi' and Paytm founder 'Vijay Shekhar Sharma'. Donald Trump (US President), Vladimir Putin (Russian President) and Theresa May (British Prime Minister) featured on the new list of 100 most influential people by the magazine.

4. 'One Part Woman' wins Sahitya Akademi Award for translation of Mathorubhagan: Writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubhagan (One Part Woman) has won the Sahitya Akademi award -2016 for translation in English. The translation was done by ‘Aniruddhan Vasudevan’ and the book was published by ‘Penguin’. 

Daily GK Updates - 20th April, 2017

­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1.  Govt further extends deadline for deposits under PMGKY to 30th April: The Union Government has extended the last date to make deposits under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna’ (PMGKY) to 30th of April 2017 (started in Dec 2016) for those availing the scheme and have already paid tax, surcharge, and penalties. The scheme provided last chance to holders of undisclosed income to come clean by paying tax and penalty.

2. Govt. relaxes curb on export of organic farm produce: The union government has relaxed restrictions on exports of certain organic agricultural and processed products like wheat, non-basmati rice to boost their overseas shipments. It has also increased the annual quantitative ceiling on the export of organic pulses and lentils from existing 10,000 tons to 50,000 tons per annum.

3. UP Govt decides to change sugarcane price fixation policy from next crushing season: The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to change its ‘sugarcane price fixation policy’ from next crushing season. The Chief Minister, Adityanath, has asked the millers to ensure the payments to the sugarcane farmers within 14 days.

4. NDMA to conduct first mock exercise on forest fire: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has conducted its first mock drill exercise on forest fire in Uttarakhand, The fire officials from all the districts and other departments of the state will participate in the exercise.

5. Union Home Minister inaugurates 2-day Civil Services Day function: The union Home minister Mr. Rajnath Singh has inaugurated a two-day 11th civil services day function in New Delhi. Singh has asked civil servants to interpret and implement rules and regulations with an open and progressive mindset. Three Breakaway Sessions on subjects related to Agriculture, Energy and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has also organised.

6. India develops National Action Plan to combat Antimicrobial Resistance: Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare announced the finalization of India’s comprehensive and multi-sectoral National Action Plan at the ‘Inter-Ministerial Consultation on AMR containment’ held at New Delhi. The Ministers signed a ‘Delhi Declaration’ to contain Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

7. Centre extends Ceasefire with Naga rebel groups till April 27, 2018: The union government has extended the ceasefire with the two Naga armed factions, namely, National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Reformation (NSCN-R) and National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Neakpao-Kithovi (GPRN/NSCN) till April 27, 2018.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Australia announces sweeping changes to Citizenship laws: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made sweeping changes to Citizenship laws unveiling tighter requirements for new applicants. This announcement follows the recent scrapping of the 457 visa program for foreign workers, which was used majorly by the Indians.

2. India contributes USD 2,50,000 to Election Assistance Division of UN: India has contributed USD 2,50,000 to the UN Election Assistance Division to help other countries to hold elections and develop their electoral systems.

3. 20th April: UN Chinese Language Day: The ‘UN Chinese Language Day’ is observed every year on 20th April to promote the use of Chinese language in United Nations (UN). The day was chosen as the date for the Chinese language to pay tribute to Cang Jie, a mythical figure who is presumed to have invented Chinese characters about 5,000 years ago.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Video gaming to be featured as a full sport at the 2022 Asian Games: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) will feature Video gaming as a full sport at the 2022 Asian Games. According to OCA, the decision to include e-sports was taken to reflect “the rapid development and popularity of this new form of sports participation among the youth.” Hence, e-sports would be introduced as a medal sport to the official program of the Asian Games at Hangzhou, China.

BANKING, FINANCE & ECONOMY:

2. Finance Ministry approves 8.65% interest rate on EPF for 2016-17: According to the Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, the Finance Ministry has approved 8.65% interest rate on EPF for 2016-17. Earlier, the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation trustees had approved 8.65% rate on EPF in December last year.

BUSINESS:

3. Amazon launches Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote in India: The global e-commerce major ‘Amazon’ has launched the 'Amazon Fire TV Stick' with Voice Remote in India. Fire TV Stick is the powerful streaming media device that plugs into an HD Television and lets customers access thousands of movies, TV shows, apps, and games. It will compete with devices like Google Chromecast, Amkette's EvoTV and Apple TV.

3. Myntra acquires Bengaluru-based ‘InLogg’: Flipkart-owned online fashion retailer 'Myntra' has announced that it has acquired ‘InLogg’. 'InLogg' is a Bangalore-based technology platform that provides end-to-end logistics solutions for the e-commerce sector.

HONOURS & AWARDS:

4. Saira Banu, Jackie Shroff get Raj Kapoor awards: Veteran actress ‘Saira Banu’(72-year) has been selected for the prestigious Raj Kapoor ‘Lifetime achievement award’ of the Maharashtra. Actor Jackie Shroff (60- year) is selected for the Raj Kapoor ‘Special contribution award’. Noted Marathi actors Vikram Gokhale and Arun Nalawade have been selected for the coveted V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement and ‘V. Shantaram’ Special Contribution annual awards.

Daily GK Updates - 19th April, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Haryana govt to provide accidental insurance cover: The Haryana Government has decided to provide accidental insurance cover to all residents of the State having Aadhaar seeded saving bank accounts, in the age group of 18 to 70 years under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana’ (PMSBY). The premium would be reimbursed by the state government. The sum insured would be two lakh rupees each in the case of accidental death, and, in the case of total and irrecoverable loss.

2. West Bengal Govt. introduces Social Security Yojana, converges 5 beneficiary schemes: The West Bengal Government has introduced the ‘Social Security Yojana’ by converging five separate beneficiary schemes for workers in the unorganized sectors and for self-employed people. Around 5 crore people will benefit from the Yojana, with around 1 crore getting direct benefits.

3. Uttar Pradesh Govt. renames ‘Gorakhpur’ and ‘Agra’ Airports: The UP government has changed the name of Gorakhpur and Agra Airports as well as the name of the department of welfare of the differently abled. The Gorakhpur Airforce Station has been renamed as ‘Mahayogi Goraknath Airport’ and the Agra Airport will be ‘Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay’

4. BRABO: First ‘Made in India’ Industrial Robot: TAL Manufacturing Solutions has unveiled India’s first conceptualized, designed and manufactured articulated industrial robot called ‘BRABO’ (Bravo Robot). It has been developed indigenously for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in India.

5. IIT Kharagpur to introduce Vastu Shastra: The country’s oldest IIT will be offering a course on Vastu Shastra to its students of architecture. This has been done keeping in mind the increasing importance of Vastu in design.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UK to have snap general election on June 8: The British Parliament on Wednesday voted 552-13 in favour of a motion presented by PM Theresa May calling for a snap general election on June 8. May had said that a fresh mandate would strengthen her hand in Brexit talks and provide certainty for the future. The Opposition had earlier argued that the decision aims to suppress dissent against Brexit.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Muralitharan 1st Sri Lankan to be inducted into Hall of Fame: Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan will become Sri Lanka's first cricketer to be inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, with his formal induction set to be held during June's ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Muralitharan, whose career spanned around 19 years, is the highest wicket-taker in international cricket with 1,347 scalps in 495 matches.

BANKING, FINANCE & ECONOMY:

2. RBI opened the Office of the Banking Ombudsman at J&K and Chhattisgarh: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up two new Offices of the Banking Ombudsman in Jammu (Jammu and Kashmir) and in Raipur (Chhattisgarh). 

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Daily GK Updates - 18th April, 2017

­­­­NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Disabled persons granted exemption from standing during National Anthem in movie halls: The Supreme Court has granted an exemption to six categories of disabled people from standing when the national anthem is played before the screening of a film in theatres. The six categories include people suffering from cerebral palsy, Parkinson disease, muscular dystrophy and other categories of disability. 

2. President inaugurates Global Exhibition on Services (GES-2017): The President inaugurated Global Exhibition on Services (GES-2017) that is set to highlight India’s potential to boost its services exports across sectors at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida. The event has been organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry together with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Services Export Promotion Council.

3. PM inaugurates phase-I of the Link-2 pipeline canal of SAUNI project: Prime Minister has inaugurated phase-I (Link-2) pipeline canal of the ambitious Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Yojana in Botad district of Gujarat. He laid foundation stone for the Phase-II (Link-2) of the SAUNI Yojana in Saurashtra. The design of Link-2 is to pump Narmada water in 17 dams spread across Botad, avnagar and Amreli districts of Gujarat.

4. INS Chennai dedicated to Chennai: Naval Ship ‘INS Chennai’, a ‘P15A Guided Missile Destroyer’, was dedicated to Chennai in the presence of the chief minister of Tamil Nadu and the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command

5. Rajasthan govt to sign reworked MoU with HPCL for Barmer refinery: The Rajasthan government has signed a reworked MoU with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) for the Rs 43,129 crore Barmer refinery. The Barmer refinery will be the first in the country to produce BS-6 standard fuel. The state government will have 26% stake in the project while rest will be held by HPCL.

6. Centre initiates steps to bring TV, digital media under Working Journalists Act: The Union Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has initiated steps to bring the electronic and digital media journalists too under the ambit of the ‘Working Journalists Act’. The Labour Ministry will ensure stringent enforcement of the labour laws and implementation of Wage board recommendations in the newspaper industry.

7. Manipur CM launched ‘DARPAN’ web applications to check corruption: The Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh has launched the two web applications to check corruption and keep track of government activities.

The two web applications were Anti-Corruption Cell and Digital Application for Review by Public and Nation (DARPAN). 'DARPAN' would upload details of projects right from the initial stage till sanction of the fund, progress of work and photos the work sites.

8. Bhopal to have India's first privately run railway station: First time in Indian Railway history ‘Habibganj’ Railway station in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) has been handed over to the private firm to be operated by it. The station building will be developed in line with airport terminals. The trains at the station will still be run by the Railways.

9. Google launches Aero for hyper-local services in India: Internet giant Google has launched an app "Aero" that will aggregate all hyperlocal services and food delivery apps in the country. This is the first time that Google is entering the business of food delivery and home services in India. Google- Aero is an accreditor that provides services through other startups in the domain.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Australia abolishes 457 Visa Programme largely used by Indians: Australia has abolished the 457 Visa Programme used by thousands of temporary foreign workers, a majority of them Indians to address growing unemployment in that country. Instead, Australia wants to adopt ‘Australians first’ approach to skilled migration.

2. Turkey cabinet agrees to extend emergency after referendum: Turkey cabinet has agreed to extend for another three months the state of emergency imposed after last July's failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sagar Baheti: India’s first visually impaired athlete to complete Boston Marathon: Sagar Baheti has become the first visually impaired Indian runner to complete the historic Boston Marathon. The 2017 Boston Marathon has been recorded as the second hottest marathon in a decade.

2. India win 11 medals at US Open Karate Championship: India won a total of 11 medals, including three gold, two silver, and six bronze, at the recently-concluded US Open Karate Championship in Las Vegas. Sensei Yashpal Singh Kalsi, Abhishek Sengupta, Rantej Singh, Harcharan Singh Chowhan and Shaifali Agarwal were part of the five-member Indian team.

BANKING, FINANCE & ECONOMY:

3. SBI surpasses ONGC to become India’s most valuable PSU firm: State-run lender State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday surpassed energy firm ONGC to become the country’s most valuable public sector unit (PSU), in terms of market valuation. The market cap of SBI stood at ₹2.35 lakh crore, against ONGC’s ₹2.32 lakh crore. Among the top 10 most valued Indian companies, SBI is at the fifth position.

HONOURS & AWARDS:

4. Indian engineer Trupti Jain wins ‘Cartier Women’s Initiative award’: An Indian environmental engineer  (46-year) has won 2017 'Cartier Women's Initiative Awards' here for providing women working on farms with water management solutions and protecting small farmers against droughts and flash floods.

She receives a USD 100,000 prize money as well as a year of mentoring.

5. Haryana PRIs selected for Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar-2017:  Five Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRI) of Haryana have been selected for the 'Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar-2017'. 'Bhalkhi Gram Panchayat' of Rewari district has been selected for 'Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar-2017.'

6. Hanchinal receives M.S. Swaminathan Award: Rayappa Ramappa Hanchinal has been chosen for the sixth ‘Dr. M.S. Swaminathan Award’ for his contributions and sustained support to the areas of crop improvement for hot and very hot dry environments, seed production technology and intellectual protection rights in plant varieties. He is the Chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority, New Delhi.

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Daily GK Updates - 17th April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flags-off first-ever train with glass roof coaches on Visakhapatnam-Araku route through video conferencing from Bhubaneswar: The aim is to provide a delightful travelling experience of the picturesque Araku valley.  It is a 40-seat coach with a cost of Rs. 3.38 crore.

2. The Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) will launch its own portal and mobile app in New Delhi: The portal will act as a one-stop for States’ Higher Education Plans, decision of the States’ Higher Education Councils and details of the resources under this scheme.  The gallery of the portal will provide a rich repository of the projects initiated under RUSA.

3. Supreme Court raps Sahara group over failure to deposit money, orders auction of Aamby Valley: The supreme Court Compelled to take strict action following the Sahara group’s non-submission of over Rs 5,000 crore, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the sale of the group’s luxurious AambyValley at Lonavala and appointed Bombay High Court’s official liquidator for selling the property. 

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Nepal President to arrive in Delhi on five-day visit: Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari has arrived in New Delhi on a five-day visit to India. This will be Bhandari's first foreign trip after assuming the office in October 2015.

2. China to launch first cargo spacecraft for space lab: China’s first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 is to be launched into space between April 20 and 24 to dock with the orbiting experimental space station. The cargo spacecraft was transferred with a Long March-7 Y2 carrier rocket from the testing centre to the launch zone in Wenchang, southern China’s Hainan Province.

3. Philippine President wins Time Magazine's Most Influential Person poll: Philippine President ‘Rodrigo Duterte’ has won Time magazine's readers' poll of the 100 most influential people in the world. US Sen. Bernie Sanders and Russian President Vladimir Putin won the reader poll in 2016 and 2015, respectively.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. B Sai Praneeth clinches 2017 Singapore Open Super Series: Indian badminton player ‘B Sai Praneeth’(24-year) has won men’s single title, beating ‘Kidambi Srikanth’ (the world No 29) 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 in the 2017 Singapore Open Badminton tournament.

2. Gayatri Pullela wins twin crowns in Jakarta: National Badminton coach Pullela Gopichand's daughter Gayatri Pullela has bagged both the singles and doubles crown at the Pembangunan Jaya Raya Junior Grand Prix in Jakarta.

3. Sebastian Vettel wins 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has won the 2017 Bahrain Grand Prix, beating his Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton.

OBITUARIES:

4. Internet Pioneer 'Robert Taylor' Passes Away: Pioneer of Modern Computing and the Internet'Robert Taylor' (85-year) has passed away at his home in Woodside, California, USA. Rob Taylor was instrumental in creating the internet and the modern personal computer.  Taylor's team also developed the networking technology Ethernet and a what-you-see-is-what-you-get word processing program called Bravo that would become the basis for Microsoft Word.

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Daily GK Updates - 16th April, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Sale of whiteners, thinners to minors banned in Delhi: Juvenile Justice Board on Saturday ordered the Delhi government to issue a notification to ban the sale of whiteners, thinners and vulcanised solutions to children below the age of 18 years to check drug abuse. The board further asked the government to assign one de-addiction centre per district, observing that the existing centres in the national capital region are overcrowded.

2. Union Government launches Aadhaar Seeding Application: Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment launched Aadhaar Seeding Application. The Application aims efficient service delivery and widening the reach of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) benefits. The Application was launched at the 217th special meeting of the Central Board of Employees Provident Fund (CBEPF/EPFO) in New Delhi.

3. Cab safety measures for women included in new Taxi Policy Guidelines: The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development has recommended the safety measures concerning safety of women commuters availing of cab services. These measures have been recommended by the Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, WCD Minister, to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Shipping (MoRTH). The Union WCD Minister has launched a hashtag, #HelpMeWCD, where any woman or child facing harassment/ violence can directly report their cases by tweeting.

4. MoU between NSFDC & Development Commissioner (Handlooms) signed: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC) and the Development Commissioner (Handlooms) in New Delhi. The MoU was signed between the NSFDC under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and Development and Commissioner (Handlooms) under the Union Ministry of Textiles.The objective of this MoU is to help Scheduled Caste weavers and their families by promoting the production and marketing of high value, quality handlooms products at Block level Cluster in various States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Odisha.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. US successfully tests new nuclear gravity bomb: The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has announced that it along with the US Air Force successfully field-tested a modernised gravity nuclear bomb B61-12 on March 14 at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada. The test was intended to evaluate the weapon's "non-nuclear functions" and the aircraft's capability to deliver the weapon, NNSA said.

OTHER UPDATES:

BANKING, FINANCE & ECONOMY:

1. Mukulita Vijayawargiya takes charge as Whole Time Member of IBBI: Mukulita Vijayawargiya  took charge as Whole Time Member of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) in New Delhi. Vijayawargiya will look after Administrative Law Wing of IBBI. She will also look after Information Technology, Limited Insolvency Examination, National Insolvency Examination, Finance and Accounts and Communication.

2. RBI issues new framework for bad loans: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a new set of enabling provisions titled ‘Revised Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework’ to resolve the problem of banks mounting non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans. Under the revised framework, if a bank crosses the third level of risk threshold (where a bank’s common equity tier I capital falls below the threshold of 3.625 per cent by 3.125 per cent, or more) it will either be amalgamated or merged, or taken over by another entity.

3. Department of Post and SBI tie-up: They have tied up to promote SBI buddy e-wallet and POS machines through Post Office counters.

OBITUARIES:

4. Pioneering HIV/AIDS researcher Mark Wainberg passes away: Mark A. Wainberg was a Canadian HIV/AIDS researcher and HIV/AIDS activist. He was the Director of the McGill University AIDS Centre at the Montreal Jewish General Hospital and Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology at McGill University. 

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