Dear Aspirants,
The General Awareness Section plays an important role in scoring well above cut off marks in any competitive exam. The Banking Awareness and Static Awareness questions asked in the General Awareness Section are based on Current Affairs mainly. So you need to prepare well this section to score good marks. Here is the Daily GK Update to get you acquainted with the top events that made the headlines today!
National News
1. Kerala Becomes First Indian State To Tap Into Masala Bond Market
i. Kerala became the first state to tap into masala bond market by listing the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB)’s masala bond worth of USD 312 million (Rs 2,150 crore) in London Stock Exchange (LSE)’s International Securities Market (ISM).
ii. It has a fixed interest rate of 9.723% per annum. The bond issue builds on the Kerala government’s focus to get multinational corporations to invest in the state.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for LIC AAO Exam:
- Kerala CM: Pinarayi Vijayan, Governor: P. Sathasivam.
2. Meghalaya Government Approves Setting Up Of Farmers’ Commission
i. The Meghalaya government has approved setting up of a commission to look into the problem faced by farmers. The proposal was made by the Agriculture Department to set up the Farmers’ Commission in line with the resolution passed at the ‘farmers’ parliament’.
ii. The ‘farmers’ parliament’, first of its kind in the country, was organised in December 2018 and was attended by scientists, bureaucrats, apart from farmers, to discuss issues related to the agri situation in the state.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for LIC AAO Exam:
- Meghalaya CM: Conrad K Sangma, Governor: Tathagata Roy.
3. India, Singapore Conduct SIMBEX-19 Naval Exercise In The South China Sea
i. The 26th Edition of Singapore India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX)-19 has commenced in the South China Sea. In addition to IN Ships Kolkata and Shakti, Long Range Maritime Patrol Aircraft P8I will also participate in the exercise.
ii. The naval exercise will include various maritime combat drills such as advanced aerial tracking, coordinated targeting tactical exercises and weapon firing on aerial and surface targets.
International News
4. EAM Sushma Swaraj To Attend SCO Foreign Ministers Meet In Bishkek
i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend the foreign ministers’ meet of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Swaraj’s Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi will also attend the meeting.
ii. This will be the second Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting that India will be attending as a full member of SCO.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for LIC AAO Exam:
- SCO Headquarters in Beijing, China.
5. Historic Move: World Gets Redefined Units Of Measurement
i. After decades of ground-breaking laboratory works, the world’s scientific and technical community, in a landmark and historic decision has unanimously adopted the resolution to redefine four of the seven base units, the kilogram (SI unit of weight), Kelvin (SI unit of temperature), mole (SI unit of amount of substance), and ampere (SI unit of current).
ii. This decision has now enabled scientists and researchers to base the SI units entirely on fundamental properties of nature, which will ensure their ongoing refinement and improvement for years to come. The fundamental constants are invariants of time and space and successfully replaced the artifact based units, and aptly opened up the new era for quantum world by linking all seven base units to fundamental constants/quantum standards.
Banking And Business News
6. BSNL Partners Google To Expand WiFi Footprint In India
i. State-run telco BSNL has announced that it has joined hands with internet major Google to expand its WiFi footprint across the country.
ii. Google has previously completed the rollout of RailWAccording to an Analysys Mason study, public Wi-Fi will connect 40 million new users to the internet by 2019.
7. HDFC Capital Launches ‘HeART’ To Mentor Real Estate Technology Companies
i. HDFC Capital Advisors, a wholly-owned subsidiary of HDFC Ltd, launched a new initiative called ‘HDFC Affordable Real Estate and Technology Program (HeART).
ii. It aims to mentor, partner and invest in real estate technology companies that drive innovation and efficiencies within the affordable housing ecosystem.
Static/Current Takeaways Important for LIC AAO Exam:
- Chairman HDFC Ltd: Deepak Parekh.
8. Debit Card Swipes On PoS Terminals Rise 27% in March 2019: RBI data
i. According to the RBI data, in Mar 2019, the total number of financial transactions done by people using their debit cards increased by 15%.
ii. Also, the financial transactions done by the debit cards at POS terminals increased by 27% compared to March 2018.
iii. In actual terms, the total number of financial transactions done by people using their debit cards at ATMs stood at 891 million for the month of March, increased by 15%, against 775 million in March 2018.
Awards
9. Anil Kapoor Felicitated By European Chambers of Commerce In India
i. Anil Kapoor was felicitated by Council of European Chambers of Commerce in India and a European Union delegation in Mumbai. He was awarded because of his continuous support in promoting the cause of children’s rights.
ii. The event also marked the celebration of EU Day 2019 on 17th May. Anil Kapoor, who has been working in collaboration with Plan India, a child rights organisation, was the guest of honour at the event.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For LIC AAO Mains 2019:
- The EU, which consists of 28 countries, has the world’s largest economy and its third largest population, after China and India.
- In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.
- The European Union Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
10. Indian Short Film Wins Nespresso Talents Award In Cannes
i. Indian filmmaker, Achyutanand Dwivedi’s film, “Seed Mother”, won the third prize in the international section of Nespresso Talents 2019 in Cannes.
ii. The three-minute film celebrates the exceptional spirit of Rahibai Soma Popere, a woman who champions the use of local seeds and traditional methods of farming in villages of Maharashtra.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For LIC AAO Mains 2019:
- The Nespresso 2019 first prize in the international section was won by New Zealand’s Josh Morrice for “Subak”, about rice cultivation in Bali.
Sports News
11. Italian Open 2019: Complete List of Winners
i. The 2019 Italian Open was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Rome, Italy.
ii. It was the 76th edition of the Italian Open. Rafael Nadal was the winner in Men’s singles category while Karolina Pliskova won the Women’s singles title.
12. 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament Starts In Guwahati
i. 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament has started in Guwahati. India will field a strong contingent of 38 men and 37 women in the tournament including Mary Kom in 51-kilogram category.
ii. In this 5-day event, 200 players from 16 countries will take part. The competition will be held in a total of 18 categories, 10 in men and 8 in women. The gold medalist will get 2500 US dollar and Silver medalist will earn 1000 US dollar.
Static/Current Takeaways Important For SSC CGL Exam 2019:
- Ajay Singh is the President of Boxing Federation of India (BFI).
13. BFA Launches 2 New Formats Of Game, AirBadminton & Triples
i. The world body governing Badminton, BFA, has launched two new formats of the game AirBadminton and Triples with new dimensions of the court and an innovative shuttlecock called Airshuttle.
ii. AirBadmintion will be outdoor sports. In Triples format, the match will be played between a team of three players each with the presence of at least one female.
14. Double Olympic Biathlon Champion Dahlmeier Retires Aged 25
i. Germany’s double Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier announced her retirement at the age of just 25 after struggling with health issues.
ii. She has won seven world championship gold medals, and in 2018 in Pyeongchang, she became the first female biathlete to win both the sprint and the pursuit at the same Olympics.
Important Days
15. World Bee Day: 20th May
i. To raise awareness of the importance of pollinators (such as bees, butterflies, bats and hummingbirds), the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development, the UN designated 20 May as World Bee Day.
ii. 20 May coincides with the birthday of Anton Janša, who in the 18th century pioneered modern beekeeping techniques in his native Slovenia and praised the bees for their ability to work so hard, while needing so little attention.
16. World Metrology Day: 20 May
i. World Metrology Day is observed every year on 20 May.
ii. The theme for World Metrology Day 2019 is The International System of Units – Fundamentally better.
Obituaries
17. I M Pei, The Master Architect Passes Away
i. I M Pei, a dominant figure in American architecture for more than three decades who designed the Louvre’s crystal pyramid, has passed away. He was 102.
ii. Pei’s more than 50 projects included the Musee d’Art Moderne in Luxembourg (2006) and the 72-story Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong (1989).
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