Daily GK Updates - 13th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Tejas Test Fires Air-to-Air Missile: Tejas has successfully test fired Derby Air-to-Air Beyond Visual Range missile in RADAR guided mode. The objective was to assess the Derby integration with aircraft systems on-board Tejas including the aircraft avionics, fire-control radar, launchers and Missile Weapon Delivery System and evaluate its performance. The test was carried out in Chandipur, Odisha.

2. Pakistani boat seized near Sir Creek: A day after six Pakistanis were caught in the Sir Creek region near Gujarat coast, the Border Security Force on May 12 caught another Pakistani fishing boat from the same region. Sir Creek About is a 96 km (60 mi) tidal estuary on the border of India and Pakistan. The creek, which opens up into the Arabian Sea, divides the Gujarat State of India from the Sindh province of Pakistan.

3. India, Singapore Naval Exercise: The Indian Navy will join the Singapore Navy next week in carrying out a mega maritime exercise in the Indian Ocean. The exercise is called SIMBEX. Held since 1994, this year would be the 24th edition of the annual maritime exercise between the two countries.

4. V K Saraswat appointed new JNU Chancellor: Eminent scientist and former Director General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) V K Saraswat has been appointed as the Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for a term of five years. He succeeds former ISRO chairman K Kasturirangan.

5. Election Commission of India Launches National Contact Centre: The Election Commission of India has launched National Contact Centre with a toll-free number (1800111950). Now, any citizen from any part of the country can call on the toll-free number and get their query or complaint addressed at any time of the day in Hindi or English. The Centre is operated on a National Grievance Redressal System Software. It is a single window platform to manage complaints and feedback received through calls, SMS, emails, and website access in an integrated and time-bound manner.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ‘Ransomware’ attack hits 99 countries: A large-scale cyberattack has spread across  99 countries, including the UK, US, China, Russia, Spain, Italy and India. It has been dubbed ‘WannaCry’. Unknown hackers apparently launched ‘ransomware’ attacks, which basically encrypt files and demands a Bitcoin payment to regain access.

2. Nepal joins OBOR: Nepal formally signed the One Belt One Road framework agreement, leaving India the only country in South Asia not involved in China’s ambitious economic strategy. Nepal’s formal entry into the OBOR network will allow collaboration in construction of cross-border railways and highways etc. Funds will be provided by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank as well as the Silk Road Fund.

3. Mark Lowcock, new UN humanitarian chief: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed British humanitarian expert Mark Lowcock as the UN Humanitarian Chief. He will replace Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien in September. Lowcock is currently the top civil servant in the British Government’s Department for International Development.

4. WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo: World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in Congo. WHO Congo representative Allarangar Yokouide said in a statement that at least one person has died after contracting the virus in the country’s north-east. More than 11000 people died in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2015, mainly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat & Divya Kakran win silver in Asian Wrestling Championship: Indian women wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Divya Kakran bagged silver medals in their respective categories in the Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi. Sakshi Malik lost her final against Risako Kawai (Japan) in 60kg category. Sakshi wrestled for the first time in this category after jumping up the weight division from 58kg. Vinesh Phogat lost the final in women's 55kg category and Divya Kakran in 69 Kg to settle with silver medals.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. Chanda Kochhar receives Woodrow Wilson Award: ICICI Bank chief Chanda Kochhar (55-year) has become the first Indian woman to be conferred with the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate Citizenship Woodrow Wilson Award was instituted in 1998 by the prestigious Wilson Center to felicitate individuals whose actions and accomplishments either in their careers or through service.

3. IRCTC launches cash-on-delivery for train tickets: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has introduced pay-on-delivery (PoD) service to allow passengers to book train tickets online and pay at the time of delivery. IRCTC is now offering home delivery of rail tickets and will allow passengers to make payment through any payment mode, including cash.

Daily GK Updates - 12th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India added 9.1 million new taxpayers during financial year 2016-2017: An 80% increase over the typical yearly rise, highlighting the impact of India’s November demonetisation of high-value currencies. This is expected to significantly boost the government’s tax revenue. India had only 55.9 million individual taxpayers at the end of 2015-16.

2. Bengaluru tops list of most affordable tech cities worldwide: According to the Savills Tech Cities Index Bengaluru is the most affordable tech cities in the world followed by Cape Town and Santiago. Overall rank of Bengaluru was 20th on the list of 22 cities that were evaluated. Bengaluru is at the 17th position in terms of talent pool, the list is topped by Boston.

3. Vinay Mohan Kwatra named India’s new ambassador to France: He is currently serving as joint secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He will replace Mohan Kumar.

4. Telangana becomes first state to introduce logo for hearing impaired drivers: Telangana has become the first state to introduce a logo for vehicles driven by persons with hearing impairment. Hyderabad based graphic designer Manikanta Annapragada has designed the logo. The logo should be six inches tall and five inches wide at the rear side and four inches tall and three inches wide in the front for four-wheelers.

5. Indian Army to re-introduce CASO: Indian Army has planned to re-introduce cordon and search operations (CASO) as a part of its counter terrorism operations after a gap of 15 years. The major objective behind the reintroduction of combing operations is to bring the situation in the Kashmir Valley under control. The decision to re-introduce CASO comes against the backdrop of the recent killing of  Army officer Ummer Fayaz.

6. GM mustard gets approval: A genetically-modified variety of mustard, developed by a Delhi-based institute, has been cleared for commercial cultivation by the GEAC, or Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee. The mustard is called DMH-11. GM mustard is the only other food crop which has made it to this last stage, after prolonged debate and several rounds of regulatory checks.

7. Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary Festival: The annual hunting festival of the tribal community was observed in a ‘bloodless and symbolic’ manner in and around Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary for the third consecutive year. The 2017 hunting festival ‘Bishu Parv’ of the tribal community was observed in Jharkhand.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Nurses Day: May 12: Every year May 12 is celebrated as International Nurses Day(the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth) to mark the contributions nurses make to society. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has celebrated this day since 1965. Theme of 2017 International Nurses Day – Nurses: A voice to lead – Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

2. Bahamas elects Hubert Minnis as new Prime Minister: Hubert Minnis emerged as the Bahamas’ next prime minister in general elections that saw incumbent Perry Christie concede defeat.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Sachin Tendulkar has bought a stake in the new Tamil Nadu franchise of the Pro Kabaddi League: Sachin will jointly own the yet-to-be named Tamil Nadu franchise along with serial entrepreneur N. Prasad. This is Sachin’s second investment in a sports team, he also owns the Kerala franchise in the Indian Super League.

2. Younis Khan to be the new coach of Afghanistan’s cricket team: The ACB head Atif Mashal announced that Younis Khan has agreed to coach the Afghanistan team. Younis Khan is set to join the Afghanistan national team as coach after he retires from international cricket.

3. Justice MukulMudgal elected as the head of FIFA Governance Committee: Mukul Mudgal headed the panel probing the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. He was elected as the Head of FIFA’s governance committee at the 67th FIFA Congress in Bahrain.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

4. Snapdeal to merge with Flipkart: SnapDeal is finally ready to merge with Flipkart. The deal valuing Snapdeal at around $1 billion, a steep fall from its peak of $6.5 billion last year, signals the biggest consolidation in the sector and fierce competition between Amazon and Flipkart. The transaction is through, sources in the know confirmed, and an announcement could come anytime within the next 72 hours.

Daily GK Updates - 11th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. National Technology Day: Every year May 11 is celebrated as National Technology Day. It is the day to commemorate the first of the five nuclear tests that were carried out on 11 May 1998.On 11 May 1998, Operation Shakti (Pokhran-II) was initiated with the detonation of one fusion and two fission bombs. Following the Pokhran-II tests, India became the sixth country to join the nuclear club. Theme of National Technology Day – “Technology for inclusive and sustainable growth”

2. Bengaluru tops list of most affordable tech cities worldwide: According to the Savills Tech Cities Index Bengaluru is the most affordable tech cities in the world followed by Cape Town and Santiago. Overall rank of Bengaluru was 20th on the list of 22 cities that were evaluated. Bengaluru is at the 17th position in terms of talent pool, the list is topped by Boston.

3.  Sanjay Mitra appointed as new Defense Secretary: The appointments Committee of the cabinet has approved the appointment of senior IAS officer (1982-West Bengal cadre) Sanjay Mitra (58- year) as the new defence secretary for two years tenure.

He will take over as the secretary after G Mohan Kumar (incumbent) completes his tenure on 24th May.

4. Ahmedabad to host biggest ever International Yoga Day event: According to the Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev ‘Ahmedabad’ will host the biggest ever International Yoga Day event on the 21st June this year. About 5 lakh people will be participate in the event. This will be a non-political programme in partnership with Gujarat government which will also involve various social organizations.

5. Home min to inaugurate two mobile apps: Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated two important mobile applications MHA Grievances Redressal App and BSFMyApp in New Delhi. All the Paramilitary Force jawans and BSF personnel will be able to raise their problems on BSFMyApp. These problems will be settled at the level of the Force and Ministry. It is being tried that this app cannot be hacked.

6. First de-addiction centre for women: Punjab is all set to get its first government-run women drug de-addiction centre in the state. The 15-bedded centre, which is likely to become operational by next month, will come up in Kapurthala district. Currently, no government facility exists in the state which is meant exclusively for women drug addicts.

7. Liveability Index of cities: Ministry of Urban Development will launch measuring of Liveability Index of cities next month based on indigenously evolved Index. To start with, standards of 140 cities including 53 cities with population of 1 million and above and Smart Cities will be assessed. Cities will be assessed on 15 core parameters relating to Governance, security etc and will be ranked based on 79 aspects.

8. Railways to acquire EoTT system: The Indian Railways has planned to acquire the End of Train Telemetry equipments to run nearly 1000 trains without guards in the current fiscal. The EoTT system will help in establishing communication between the locomotive driver and the last wagon of the train and ensure that the train is running as a complete unit. Railways has floated global tenders of Rs. 100 crore.

9. DIPAM launches online investor facilitation platform: The Finance Ministry has set up an Investor Facilitation Platform to provide information about stocks of public sector units. The platform will be an interactive forum for all stakeholders, including investors, investment banks, law firms, public sector units and administrative ministries that are involved in stake sales. All users will have to register on the platform, which will then be authorized by Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM).

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. UN court to hold public hearing on Kulbhushan execution: The International Court of Justice has announced that it will conduct public hearings on Kulbhushan Jadhav’s death sentence in Pakistan. India claims that Pakistan had abducted Jadhav from Iran and falsely accused him of spying for India.

2. Russia’s 72nd Victory Day Parade: Over 10,000 Russian troops on Tuesday marched with ballistic missiles, armoured tanks, and new aircraft systems to mark Victory Day. Victory Day commemorates the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. Victory Day Parade was recently took place in Red Square in Moscow.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. NBA opens its first academy in India: The National Basketball Association has opened its first academy in India. An elite basketball training center at Jaypee Greens Integrated Sports Complex in Greater Noida was officially thrown open for the upcoming male and female talent of the country.

2. India's Harpreet Singh wins bronze in Greco-Roman weight category: India's Harpreet Singh has won a bronze medal in Greco-Roman weight divisions of Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi. He beat his rival Jun Ji Na(China) in 80 kg category. Gurpreet had earlier entered the bronze medal play-off round of Greco-Roman weight divisions in the 75 Kg category.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

3. Apple acquires sleep tracking company Beddit: Apple has acquired Beddit, a Finnish company that makes sleep-tracking devices. Apple will reportedly integrate Beddit’s sleep-tracking technology with the Apple Watch as it explores the health and wellness market.

4. Dangal becomes highest grossing Indian film in China: Dangal has become the highest grossing Indian film in China, after earning Rs. 148.67 crore within a week of its release. Dangal replaced PK that had made Rs123 crore to be highest grossing Indian film in China. Director of Dangal – Nitesh Tiwari.

Daily GK Updates - 10th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Vikram Vishal has won the Indian National Science Academy medal for Young Scientists, 2017: He is an assistant professor in the Earth Sciences department at IIT-B. He has been awarded a cash prize of Rs. 25,000 and a bronze medal.

2. PM Modi launches ICMIS: Integrated Case Management Information System (ICMIS) will help the Supreme Court go paperless. It will help bring transparency, reduce manipulation and help the litigant know about the progress of the case on a real time basis.

3. India to replace Maitri station in Antarctica: India has decided to replace the Maitri research station in Antarctica with a new one in the next three to four years. India is poised to expand its research activity and a new ship, with special ice-cutting facility, will be procured for the purpose. India does not have laws for Antarctica and is currently governed by international laws.

4. SC to begin hearing on triple talaq from May 11^th: The Supreme Court will commence hearing on a batch of pleas challenging the constitutional validity of ‘triple talaq’, ‘nikahhalala’ and polygamy practices among Muslims. Chief Justice of India JS Khehar will head the bench.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. IMF warns Asia of its rapidly ageing population: IMF called on Asian economies to learn from Japan’s experience and act early to cope with rapidly aging populations. The population growth rate is projected to fall to zero for Asia by 2050. The challenges are particularly huge for Japan, which faces both an aging and shrinking population. Its labour force shrank by more than 7 percent in the past two decades.

2. Moon Jae-in wins South Korea presidential election: Moon Jae in is the 12th President of South Korea. He is a former human rights attorney and student activist. He is preceded by Park Geunhye who was impeached due to corruption charges.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. FIBA revises earlier rule banning headgears: International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has revised its earlier rule banning players from wearing headgear. It will enable India's Sikh players to wear turbans and play in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers in China.

Daily GK Updates - 9th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Maharashtra government has imposed a ban over selling and serving foods high in fats, sugar and salt in school canteens: Schools have been asked to replace food items with healthy food such as whole grain, home-made rotis, parathas, rice, etc.
Although the Delhi high court and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had curbed junk food in schools in 2015 and 2016, no such regulations or guidelines were in place in Maharashtra until now.

2. 200 airports to be brought under regional air connectivity: Under the UDAN regional air connectivity scheme, 33 airports have been already included since its launch in addition to 75 taking the total to 108. There will be multiple rounds of bidding. All Greenfield airports would be built through the PPP route.

3. Konkona Sen Sharma wins Best Actress award for ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’: Konkona Sen Sharma has been named the Best Actress for the film ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ at the 17th edition of the New York Indian Film Festival. She also received the Best Director award for her directorial debut, ‘A Death in the Gunj’. Director of Lipstick under my burkha – Alankrita Shrivastava

4. Sachin Tendulkar welcomes INS Tarkash to London: INS Tarkash, under the command of Captain Rituraj Sahu, set sail from Mumbai last month
INS Tarkash, a state of the art stealth ship. It is in the UK for naval exercises and to mark UK India Year of Culture 2017. It is the first time an Indian stealth frigate has docked at Canary Wharf in London.

5. India top user of WhatsApp video calls: WhatsApp has revealed that India is the top user of its video calling feature in terms of time spent. Indians are making 5 crore minutes of video calls daily. WhatsApp users globally make34 crore minutes of video calls every day. CEO of Whatsapp – Jan Koum. WhatsApp was acquired by Facebook in February 2014 for US$19 billion.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India unanimously elected as President of UN-Habitat: India has been unanimously elected as the President of UN-Habitat. The UN-Habitat promotes socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements across the world. It is only the third time that India has been elected to lead this important organization after 2007 and 1988.

2. Sohail Mahmood to be Pakistan’s new envoy to India: Mahmood is a top diplomat of Pakistan and will replace Abdul Basit.
Mahmood is currently Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkey,

3. Venu Rajamony has been appointed as India’s Ambassador to the Netherlands: He is currently press secretary to President of India.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Jhulan Goswamibecomes the leading wicket taker in women’s ODIs: With 181 wickets Jhulan Goswami is the leading wicket taker. She over took former Australia pacer Cathryn Fitzpatrick’s (tally of 180). She has been awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

2. India to grow at 7.7 per cent in 2018-19: IMF: According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), India's growth is expected to rebound to 7.2% in the 2017-18 fiscal and 7.7% in 2018-19 after disruptions caused by demonetization.

Daily GK Updates - 8th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s 1st bio refinery plant inaugurated in Pune: The plant will produce ethanol from variety of biomass. The project is situated at Rahu in Pune district.

2. Justice CS Karnansentences Chief Justice of India to 5 yrs in jail: Calcutta High Court Judge C.S. Karnan has sentenced 8 Supreme Court judges to five years of “rigorous imprisonment” and imposed a fine of Rs. 1,00,000 each under SC/ST Act of 1989 and the amended Act of 2015. He said that the eight “shall undergo the sentence concurrently” and “fine amount shall be paid within a period of one week to the National Commission, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes Constitutional body.

3. Odisha to introduce boat ambulances: Odisha will introduce boat ambulance service in four districts where people face difficulties in getting health service. The service will be available in the districts of Koraput, Malkangiri, Kendrapara and Kalahandi. IIT, Chennai is providing technical support to this project

4. Every house to get smart ID in Haryana: The teams of Saksham and e-Numerator would visit houses to feed their GPS location in tablets and create smart house IDs online and link each house with biometric in Haryana. During the survey, the address of each house, photo, location, details of the owner of house, electricity connection, water connection, details of electronic devices, bank account numbers, IFSC code, Aadhaar and personal details would be gathered.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. World Red Cross Day: May 8:  Every year May 8 is celebrated as World Red Cross day. It is an annual celebration of the principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.This date is the anniversary of the birth of Henry Dunant, the founder of International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize. Theme of 2017 World Red Cross Day – “Less Known Red Cross Stories”

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Olive Ridley to be mascot of Asian Athletics: The Chief Minister of Odisha ‘Naveen Patnaik’ has released the logo and mascot of the ‘Asian Athletics Championships’ in presence of Olympians PT Usha and Anju Bobby George. More than 700 athletes from nearly 45 countries would participate in 42 sports events during the four-day sports extravaganza.

2. Great Britain wins Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Cup 2017: Great Britain has won the ‘Sultan Azlan Shah Cup’ after a gap of 23 years with a rousing 4 -3 victory in the final against Australia (defending champions) at Ipoh in Malaysia.

3. Devender Singh becomes 2nd Indian javelin thrower to qualify for world championship: Devender Singh has become the second Indian after Neeraj Chopra to qualify for the world championships to be held in London. Devender Singh is a javelin thrower.

4. Heena Sidhu wins bronze medal in the Womens 10m Air Pistol: Heena Sidhu settled for the bronze medal in the Womens 10m Air Pistol category of the 48th Grand Prix of Liberation Plzen Shooting championships. She is the first Indian Pistol shooter to be Ranked World No.1 by ISSF.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

5. ONGC Videsh Ltd. produces record 12.6 million tons of crude oil in 2016-17: The overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC Videsh Limited) has produced a record 12.6 million tons of crude oil and equivalent gas from its assets abroad in 2016-17. The output was up from 8.92 million tons of oil and oil equivalent gas in 2015-16.

Daily GK Updates - 7th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Security forces conduct biggest combing operation in Kashmir since 90s: In view of growing attacks on policemen and incidents of bank robberies, a massive ”cordon and combing” operation had been launched by the security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. The massive door-to-door joint search operation launched by the Army, paramilitary and J&K Police is probably the biggest such exercise in the past 15 years in the violence-hit South Kashmir.

2. India opens small arms manufacturing unit in MP in a joint venture with Israel: Strengthening defence ties, India has opened its first private small arms manufacturing plant at Malanpur, Madhya Pradesh in a joint venture with Israel. The JV company, Punj Lloyd Raksha Systems Pvt Ltd, will manufacture small arms in the plant for the Indian defence forces and also for exports. The plant will manufacture weapons like X95 assault rifle, Galil sniper, Tavor assault rifle, Negev light machine gun and the Ace assault rifle, which is similar to the Tavor but less advanced.

3. UN Technology innovation lab to be set up in Naya Raipur: The United Nations will set up a technology innovation laboratory in Naya Raipur, the new capital of Chhattisgarh, officials said. A meeting, presided over by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh concluded the same.

4. Sudarsan Pattnaik to create the world’s longest sand Buddha: Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik is all set to create the world’s longest sand Buddha in Sri Lanka. He will participate in the 14th International Vesak Day Celebrations organised by the Government of Sri Lanka.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Emmanuel Macron France’s next president: As no candidate won a majority in the first round a runoff was held between the top two candidates, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. Macron is France’s youngest ever president

2. Hinduja brothers top UK rich list: The Hinduja brothers have topped the 2017 list of the richest people in the UK. Their estimated fortune stands at 16.2 billion pounds, a massive 3.2 billion pound hike over the previous year. Besides them, there are over 40 Indian-origin super-rich in this year's list.

3. Russia blocks social media app WeChat: Russia has blocked access to Chinese social media app WeChat for failing to give its contact details to the Russian communications watchdog. Last year Russia blocked U.S. social networking site LinkedIn for violating a law that requires data on Russian citizens to be stored on Russian servers.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Lasith Malinga becomes first bowler to take 150 wickets in IPL: He reached this landmark during the match against Delhi Daredevils. Malinga has played for Mumbai Indian’s since the inception of IPL in 2008.

2. Mumbai beat Delhi by biggest margin in IPL history: Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Daredevils by 146 runs, the biggest margin of victory in terms of runs in the IPL history. Delhi was dismissed at 66 – Third lowest score in the IPL.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

3. Baahubali 2 becomes first Indian movie to earn Rs. 1,000 crore: ‘Baahubali 2 - The Conclusion’ has become the first ever Indian movie to achieve Rs. 1,000 crore earnings milestone. Baahubali collected 125 crore at the box office on Day One. It has proved to be the highest first day grosser in the history of domestic box office.