Daily GK Updates - 1st October, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Somesh Sharma is INS President: Somesh Sharma of RashtradootSaptahik has been elected President of The Indian Newspaper Society for the year 2016-17.

2. Aditya Birla Retail appoints MohitKampani as CEO.

3. Government decides to raise EPFO investment in ETF: The Government has decided to raise the Employees Provident Fund ( EPF) investment in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) from present 5% to 10%.

4. Tirupati Airport awarded as ‘Best Tourist Friendly Airport’: Airport Authority of India's Tirupati Airport has been awarded as "Best Tourist Friendly Airport" under the category for "State Annual Excellence Awards (2015-16)" by Andhra Pradesh Tourism.

5. HCL and IBM enter 15-year partnership: HCL and IBM have entered into a 15-year partnership for automation, development and operations. This partnership will enable the both companies to focus their technical teams on native cloud and cognitive solutions, as well as industry-specific opportunities.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International day of Older Persons: 1^st October: The significance of Day is to raise awareness about issues affecting the elderly and to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society. This year, the theme is "Take a Stand against Ageism".

2. SAARC Summit ‘postponed indefinitely’: Pakistan has officially postponed the 8-nation SAARC summit 2016, after 5 countries – India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka dropped out of it. The SAARC Summit was scheduled on November 9 and 10 in Islamabad, Pakistan.

2. EU Ministers approve ratification of Paris climate Agreement: The European Union (EU) ministers have approved the ratification of Paris Agreement (on Climate Change).This decision brings the Paris Agreement closer to entering into force.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Arundhati Bhattacharya gets year-long extension as SBI Chief.

2. IOB gets new executive director: The Centre has appointed R Subramania Kumar as Executive Director (ED) of Indian Overseas Bank (IOB).

OBITUARIES:

1. Spiritual leader Indirabetiji passed away at the age of 78: Vaishnavacharya Goswami Indira betiji, a proponent of Sanatan Dharma known for her devotion to social causes, passed away. She was 78.

Daily GK Updates - 30th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Riyadh Mathew is new PTI Chairman: Riyadh Mathew, Director of Malayala Manorama, Chairman and Managing Director of Indian Express has been unanimously elected Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI).

2. Shakti Sinha to head Nehru Memorial Museum and Library: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of retired IAS officer Shakti Sinha to the post of director, Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML).

3. Telugu author Kolakaluri Enoch bags Moortidevi Award: Telugu author and eminent scholar Prof Kolakaluri Enoch was honoured with the 29th Moortidevi Award 2015 for his novel Ananta Jeevanam.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Translation Day celebrated on 30^th September: The International Translation Day is being observed today on 30 September across the world with the theme "Translation and Interpreting: Connecting Worlds".

2. US and Vietnam navies begin 7^th annual NEA in Da Nang: The US and Vietnamese navies have begun the 7th annual Naval Engagement Activity NEA, Vietnam 2016 at TienSa Port in Da Nang. The exercise will also include Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea and search-and-rescue scenarios.

3. Facebook, Amazon, Google, IBM and Microsoft on one Artificial Intelligence Platform: Facebook, Amazon, Google, IBM and Microsoft, have joined hands to announce a historic partnership on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

4. World’s first three parent baby born: The world’s first child with genes from three people was born to a Jordanian couple in Mexico. The five-month-old boy carries not only the DNA from both his parents but also a tiny piece of genetic code from a donor in order to avoid inheriting a genetic condition that could kill him.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Rani becomes 1^st Indian woman to cross 60m in javelin: Javelin thrower Annu Rani broke her own national record and in the process became the first Indian woman to cross the 60m mark on the third and penultimate day of the 56th Open National Athletics Championships in Lucknow.

OBITUARIES:

2. Syed Haq no more: Bangladeshi author Syed Shamsul Haq passed away in Dhaka. He was 81. He was an accomplished short-story writer, novelist, playwright and a very popular poet.

Daily GK Updates - 29th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. PMUY launched at Srinagar: Pradhan MantriUjjwalaYojana (PMUY) was launched in the state of Jammu & Kashmir at Srinagar by Hon’ble Chief Minister of J&K Mehbooba Mufti.

2. IWAI inks three MoUs with DCI and MPT for inland water transport: The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has signed three separate MoUs with Dredging Corporation of India (DCI) and Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) to accelerate the development of inland water transport sector as an alternative mode of transport in Panaji.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Heart Day celebrated on 29^th September: World Heart Day is being observed annually on 29 September across the world. The objective of this day is to inform people around the world about the danger of heart disease and stroke.The World Heart Day 2016 theme is 'Light Your Heart, Empower Your Life'.

2. World Maritime Day celebrated on 29^th September: The World Maritime Day theme for 2016 is "Shipping: indispensable to the world".

3. WHO declares Region of the Americas as Measles free: With this, the Americas became the first in the world to have eliminated measles, a viral disease that can cause severe health problems, including pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and even death.

4. Cuba and Russia sign agreement on Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation: Rosatom, Russian state nuclear agency, and Cuba's Ministry of Science on 27 September 2016 signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of peaceful atomic energy use. The deal was signed by Rosatom Deputy CEO for International Relations Nikolai Spassky and Cuban Deputy Science Minister Jose Fidel Santana.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:

1. Karnataka Bank inks distribution pact with Birla Sun Life AMC: Karnataka Bank Ltd has inked a memorandum of understanding with Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company for distribution of mutual fund products.

SPORTS:

2. Indian Women’s Kabaddi team wins gold in Asian Beach Games: Indian women’s Kabbadi team on 28 September 2016 bagged the gold medal at the 5th Asian Beach Games. In the final clash India defeated Thailand.

OBITUARIES:

3. Former Australian Cricketer Max Walker passes away: Former Australian cricketer Max Walker, whose awkward and unorthodox bowling action earned him the nickname ‘Tangles’, passed away.

Daily GK Updates - 28th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India jumps 16 places in global competitiveness ranking: India has climbed 16 places to the 39th rank on the Global Competitiveness Index released by the World Economic Forum. Switzerland has topped the list for the 8th straight time.

2. Cabinet approves MoU with Singapore for industrial property cooperation: The Union Cabinet has given its formal nod for cooperation between India and Singapore on industrial property rights intended to boost innovation, creativity and technological advancement in both countries.

3. Project Saksham: 5 things to know about new tax network of CBEC: Project Saksham, a new indirect tax network of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister NarendraModi. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 2256 crore, which will be incurred over a period of 7 years.

4. Special trees in Delhi to get ‘natural heritage’ tag: The 16 trees located in Aravali and NCR to be notified as “protected” natural heritage, on the lines of recognising special monuments in Delhi, announced by Delhi Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra. Some of the trees in the list are banyan, ailanthus, mango, arjuna, and ashok.

5. IPS Officer O P Singh takes over as the new DG of CISF.

6. Telangana ties up with ISRO for bandwidth to telecast coaching programmes:The Telangana Government has signed an agreement with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to get bandwidth to telecast Mana TV programmes.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Rabies Day observed on 28^th September: The theme for the World Rabies Day is Educate. Vaccinate. Eliminate. The day is annually celebrated to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating the disease.

2. Typhoon Megi hits Taiwan: The powerful typhoon Megi has recently hit island-nation Taiwan with winds up to 230 km/hr that causing heavy rains and triggering damaging winds. It is equivalent to Category 4 tropical cyclone.

3. British woman at 26 becomes one of the world’s youngest airline captains: A British woman has become one of the world’s youngest commercial airline captains at the age of 26. She flies Airbus A319 and A320 planes to around 100 destinations, such as Reykjavik, Tel Aviv and Marrakesh.

4. Microsoft signed Adobe for Azure Cloud Computing Services: Tech giants Microsoft and Adobe have announced a major partnership to promote the use of each other's cloud-computing tools among their mutual customers.

5. Obama nominates ambassador to Cuba: The United States President Barack Obama has appointed its first Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis to Cuba in 55 years.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Jim Yong Kim re-appointed as World Bank President.

AWARDS:

2. Uttam Singh to be honoured with ‘LataMangeshkar Award’: Famous music director and violinist Uttam Singh on 27 September 2016 was named for the 2016 LataMangeshkar Award for Lifetime Achievement of the Maharashtra Government.

OBITUARIES:

3. Shimon Peres, former Israeli President dies aged 93: The former Israel's defining political figures and a Nobel peace prize laureate, Shimon Peres has died at the age of 93.

Daily GK Updates - 27th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. CSIR celebrates Platinum Jubilee: India's largest civilian research and development agency Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR is celebrating its platinum jubilee.

2. Government removes Sushil Muhnot as CMD of Bank of Maharashtra: The Centre has removed Sushil Muhnot from the post of Chairman and Managing Director of Bank of Maharashtra. The head office of Bank of Maharashtra is in Pune.

3. Vijay Kelkar elected as the President of Indian Statistical Institute: Former petroleum Secretary Vijay Kelkar has been elected as a president of the prestigious Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). Vijay Kelkar has succeeded former RBI governor C Rangarajan.

4. Sachin, Amitabh in new Swachh Bharat Campaign: The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has launched an ad campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar, for the Swachh Bharat Mission. Under this campaign, three ad films featuring.

5. Veerappa Moily led parliamentary panel to examine merger of budgets: The parliamentary committee headed by the Congress MP M Veerappa Moily, has been constituted to review the all budgetary reforms. Besides the budget, the committee will also review the disinvestment policy, the banking sector in India, RBI’s emerging role and its framework.

6. Tripura Legislative Assembly ratifies GST Bill: Tripura becomes 22nd state to ratifies the Constitutional Amendment Bill on Goods and Services Tax (GST).

7. Agriculture Minister inaugurates KrishiUnnatiMela in Mathura: The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Shri Radha Mohan Singh has inaugurated the 4 days Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Krishi Unnati Mela – 2016, in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Tourism Day observed on 27^th September: The World Tourism Day (WTD) is being observed annually on 27th September to raise awareness about the importance of tourism. Theme for the World Tourism Day is - "Tourism for all promoting universal accessibility’.

2. Pakistan assembly passes marriage bill protecting Hindu women’s rights: Pakistan’s lower house of parliament has passed a landmark bill giving its small Hindu minority the right to register marriages.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran wins Belgium Open: Sathiyan Gnanasekaran has become only the second Indian table tennis player to win an ITTF event as he clinched the men's singles title of the Belgium Open.

Daily GK Updates - 26th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISRO launches 37^th Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Sriharikota: The Indian Space Research Organisation has launched its 37th Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, carrying 8 satellites from its Sriharikota base.Out Of the 8 satellites, 3 each are from India and Algeria and the remaining are from Canada and the United States.

2. Anurag Srivastava appointed Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti:Shri Anurag Srivastava who is presently the Ambassador of India to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of Djibouti, with residence in Addis Ababa.

3. Ajay Singh elected as BFI President: Uttarakhand’s Ajay Singh has been elected president of the Boxing Federation of India. Also the Mumbai-based Jay Kowli won the post of Secretary-General as the election process for the office-bearers of the new National federation was completed.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Japan to host 2026 Asian Games: Olympic Council of Asia: Japan’s Aichi prefecture and its capital city Nagoya were confirmed as co-hosts of the 2026 Asian Games. South Korea is already hosting the Winter Olympics at Pyeongchang in 2018, while Tokyo hosts the 2020 Summer Olympics before the winter games go to Beijing in 2022.

2. Alexender Zverev stuns Stan Wawrinka to claim St.Petersburg Open Title: Alexander Zverev clinched his first ATP Tour title with a three-set victory over world number three Stan Wawrinka in the final of the St Petersburg Open. Dominic Inglot and Henri Kontinen have won the 2016 St.Petersburg Open Men’s Doubles title.

3. Velavan wins Asian Junior Squash Title: India’s Squash player VelavanSenthilkumar defeat Jordan’s Mohammad Al-Sarraj to won the U-19 Asian Junior Individual squash championship title in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

4. Indian Shuttler Rituparna wins Polish Open: Indian shuttler Rituparna Das won the Polish Open after defeating compatriot Rasika Raje, in the women's singles final of the International challenge badminton event. The women's doubles pair of Sanjana Santosh and Arathi Sara Sunil also clinched the doubles title after defeating top seeds Natalya Voytsekh and Yelyzaveta Zharka.

OBITUARIES:

5. FCAT Chairman Mahajan passes away: The chairman of Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT), Justice (retd.) S K Mahajan has passed away. He was the Former Delhi High Court judge. The Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) is a statutory body, under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.

6. Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest golfers of all times, passes away at 87, in Pittsburgh due to heart complications.

Daily GK Updates - 25th September, 2016

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Madhya Pradesh passes GST Amendment Bill: The Madhya Pradesh Assembly has passed the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Constitution Amendment Bill. MP became the seventh state in the country to ratify the historic tax amendment bill. Before Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have already passed the bill in their respective assemblies. 

2. Five Indian cities in the top 100 MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index: Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Pune are the Indian cities that have made it to the list of top 100 cities in the 6^th Annual MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index. Kolkata ranks 62nd in the index. The study is based on data from IATA, National Tourism Boards, IMF and other organisations.

3. Race Course Road renamed as LokKalyanMarg: The Prime Minister's residential address will now be called 7 LokKalyanMarg and not the famous Race Course Road. The authorities have approved the renaming of the iconic British-era road in posh Lutyens' Delhi.A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) presided by Chief Minister of Delhi ArvindKejriwal.

4. Rajasthan replaces 5 lakh streetlights with LED bulbs: Rajasthan becomes the first state to adopt Centre's Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) in all its urban local bodies (ULB). Almost 5 lakh conventional streetlights have been replaced with LED streetlights across the state. The project has been funded by Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), a public energy services company under the administration of Union ministry of power at no cost to the state.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. French Development Agency and Chandigarh Administration, sign MoUs: Chandigarh Administration and French Development Agency (AFD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoUs) on Chandigarh Smart City Project and 'Technical Cooperation' in the field of Sustainable Urban Mobility.

OTHER UPDATES:

FINANCE/BANKING:                                 

1. Govt. appoints ICICI Prudential AMC to manage new CPSE ETF: The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, Ministry of Finance has appointed ICICI Prudential Asset Management Company Ltd as the asset management company for the creation and launch of a new Exchange Traded Fund (ETF).

2. ICICI Bank team up to launch UPI for micro-merchants, ftCash:Mobile payments and loans start-up ftcash, backed by IvyCap Ventures, is the first fintech start-up to launch Unified Payment Interface (UPI) for merchants in association with ICICI Bank. ftcash is a virtual POS for micro-merchants to accept payments through credit cards, debit cards, and wallets such as Freecharge, Mobikwik, and PayPal, among others.

SPORTS:

3. Sania Mirza - Barbora Strycova crowned women’s doubles champions at Pan Pacific Open: India’s Sania Mirza along with her partner Barbora Strycova from Czech Republic produced a straight sets win over China’s Chen Liang and Zhaoxuan Yang in the final to win the women’s doubles titles at Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo on 24 September 2016.The current tournament in Tokyo is Sania’s 40th doubles title win and third in Tokyo.

AWARDS:

4. Lopamudra Raut, the 2^nd runner-up at Miss United Continents 2016:  Lopamudra Raut makes India proud as she stands tall as the 2^nd runner-up at Miss United Continents 2016, which was held on 25th Sept, 2016 in Ecuador. 32 participants from the four continents of America, Asia, Europe and Africa were a part of this grand event. Whereas Jeslyn Santos from Philippines won the Miss United Continents 2016 title.