Daily GK Updates: 31 Aug- 1st Sept 2014
1. PM proposes online Japanese language courses in India
i. India needs to learn from Japan in order to modernise its primary education system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a visit to the Taimei elementary school on Monday morning.
ii. Also, India needed to learn “moral education” and “discipline” from the Japanese system of education, especially the methods used towards these ends.
iii. Calling on teachers here to come to India and teach Japanese, Mr. Modi said there was a dire shortage of Japanese language teachers in India.
iv. Already, the Prime Minister pointed out, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools had started teaching Japanese in India.
2. SBI, Japan Bank partner for export credit of $152 mn
i. State Bank of India (SBI) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) today signed a dual-currency loan agreement to set up an export credit line.
ii. “The loan is co-financed with the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd (BTMU) amounting to 13.5 billion Japanese Yen ($135 million) and $21 million approximately. The total co-financing amount came to $152 million (about Rs. 927 crore),” SBI official said.
iii. This credit line will be utilised by Meja Urja Nigam Pvt Ltd (MUNPL) to finance the procurement of steam turbine generator equipment from Japanese company Toshiba Corporation and its subsidiary in India Toshiba JSW Turbines & Generator Ltd to construct a supercritical pressure coal-fired power plant (660MWx2 units) in Meja, Uttar Pradesh.
iv. MUNPL is a joint venture equally invested by NTPC Ltd and UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd, SBI said in a statement.
v. Hiroshi Watanabe, Governor of JBIC, and Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman of SBI, signed the loan agreement in Tokyo, Japan.
3. Asia's first Ballistic Research Centre to open in Gujarat
i. India will have Asia's first Ballistic Research Centre which will help it in achieving self-reliance in testing of armored vehicles.
ii. The research centre will soon be functioning at Gujarat Forensic Science University, GFSU, in Gandhinagar. This was disclosed by GFSU's Director General J M Vyas.
iii. Till now, the armored vehicles from India are sent to countries like the UK, USA and France for testing.
iv. Ballistic Research Centre will conduct tests for armored vehicles of the Indian Army and also provide services to private players who supply vehicles to the VIPs.
4. Former CJI P Sathasivam to be the next Kerala Governor
i. Former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam is all set to become the Governor of Kerala after former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit vacated the post earlier this week.
ii. Justice Sathasivam served as the CJI from 2007-14.
iii. Dikshit was the seventh UPA-appointed governor to quit after the change of power at Centre.
5. Reliance Group, Nippon Life launch India funds for Japan investors
i. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought greater investments from Japan, financial sector giant Nippon Life today said it will partner Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group for a proposed Reliance Bank and launched two India-focussed funds for Japanese investors.
ii. The two funds will direct investments by Japanese retail investors into Indian equity and bond markets. This was stated by Nippon and Reliance Life in a joint statement.
iii. The announcements coincided with Mr Modi's first official visit to Japan as Prime Minister, during which he invited Japanese investments into India and said that businessmen from the two countries can give a direction to world economy.
6. 'Blue Economy' workshop on sustainable growth begins in Bangladesh
i. A two-day international seminar on 'Blue Economy' begins in Dhaka today to discuss better ways to explore the resources of the Bay of Bengal.
ii. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the workshop at a city hotel.
iii. Representatives from 20 countries including Myanmar, Srilanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and Japan besides experts on marine resources are expected to participate and share experiences.
iv. The aim is to establish links with countries and organisations working in ocean research and resources to ensure the protection and sustainable utilization of the resources of the Bay of Bengal.
7. Bapu, the artist, filmmaker, humourist passes away
i. The 80-year-old Sattiraju Lakshminarayana, popularly known as Bapu, passed away in Chennai, the city that was home for him and his long-time friend Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, for over half a century.
ii. The duo made some of the memorable works in Telugu literary world and film industry. He directed films such as Mutyala Muggu, Pelli Pustakam and Sampoorna Ramayanam. Ramana passed away three years ago, leaving his friend for 50 years alone. A loss Babu could not cope well. People close to him said half of him was gone with Ramana.
iii. Bapu directed mythological and social genre movies in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, with his friend Ramana taking care of the writing part. Known for depth and detail, his scripts reflected male chauvinism and untold sufferings of women.
8. A Nageswara Rao became first Indian actor to be honoured by US post sevice
i. Indian Telugu Actor, Akkineni Nageswara Rao became the first Indian actor to be honoured with a postage stamp by the US Post Service (USPS). It was announced by the Akkineni Foundation of America (AFA) on 30 August 2014.
ii. The stamp will be issued on the birth anniversary of Nageshwara Rao that is on 20 September 2014 in Dallas Texas. The AFA is planning to release the stamp in India on 17 December 2014 at the first International Akkineni Awards Ceremony being planned at ANR College, Andhra Pradesh.
9. Revived Nalanda University started its first session on 1 September 2014
i. The revived Nalanda University on 1 September 2014 started its first session with 15 students in its makeshift campus at the Buddhist pilgrim town of Rajgir, about 100 km from Patna.
ii. The University started its first session 2014-15 with the classes for the School of Ecology and Environmental Studies and the School of Historical Studies. At present, the University has 10 faculty members. The University started its first session after completing the three-day orientation programme for students.
iii. The formal inauguration of the University work will commence in mid-September, while the fully-residential university will be completed by 2020. Then it will have seven schools for post-graduate and doctoral students and will offer courses in science, philosophy and spirituality and social sciences.
iv. In the process of enrolling, the University received applications from the US, Russia, England, Spain, Germany, Japan, Myanmar, Austria and Sri Lanka, among others, as also from West Asian and Southeast Asian countries.
Note: Nalanda University Vice-Chancellor - Gopa Sabharwal
Chairman of the Governing Body of the university - Economist Amartya Sen
10. Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland set world record in womens hammer throw
i. Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland on 31 August 2014 set world record in the womens hammer throw at the Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) Berlin Athletics meet at Berlin's Olympic stadium in Germany.
ii. With a throw of 79.58 meters she improved the world record by 16 centimetres.
iii. She broke the three year old world record of 79.42 meters set by Betty Heidler of Germany in May 2011 in Halle, Germany.
11. Jaipur Pink Panthers won the inaugural title of Pro Kabaddi League
i. Jaipur Pink Panther (JPP) owned by Abhisek Bachchan on 31 August 2014 won the inaugural title of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. To win its first title of the tournament, Jaipur Pink Panther defeated U Mumba 35-24 at the NSCI Stadium in Mumbai.
ii. U Mumba that emerged as the runner up of the tournament is owned by Unilazer Sports.
12. Zimbabwe beat Australia for first time in 31 years
i. In Cricket, hosts Zimbabwe defeated Australia by 3 wickets in the fourth match of the tri-nation series, also featuring South Africa. This is was Zimbabwe's first victory over Australia in 31 years.
ii. Opting to bat first at the Harare Sports Club, Australia posted 209 for 9 in the stipulated 50 overs. Skipper Michael Clarke top scored with an unbeaten 68.
iii. In reply, Zimbabwe overhauled the target with 2 overs to spare, courtesy captain Elton Chigumbura's battling 52 not out. He was adjudged man of the match.
1. PM proposes online Japanese language courses in India
i. India needs to learn from Japan in order to modernise its primary education system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a visit to the Taimei elementary school on Monday morning.
ii. Also, India needed to learn “moral education” and “discipline” from the Japanese system of education, especially the methods used towards these ends.
iii. Calling on teachers here to come to India and teach Japanese, Mr. Modi said there was a dire shortage of Japanese language teachers in India.
iv. Already, the Prime Minister pointed out, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) schools had started teaching Japanese in India.
2. SBI, Japan Bank partner for export credit of $152 mn
i. State Bank of India (SBI) and Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) today signed a dual-currency loan agreement to set up an export credit line.
ii. “The loan is co-financed with the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd (BTMU) amounting to 13.5 billion Japanese Yen ($135 million) and $21 million approximately. The total co-financing amount came to $152 million (about Rs. 927 crore),” SBI official said.
iii. This credit line will be utilised by Meja Urja Nigam Pvt Ltd (MUNPL) to finance the procurement of steam turbine generator equipment from Japanese company Toshiba Corporation and its subsidiary in India Toshiba JSW Turbines & Generator Ltd to construct a supercritical pressure coal-fired power plant (660MWx2 units) in Meja, Uttar Pradesh.
iv. MUNPL is a joint venture equally invested by NTPC Ltd and UP Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd, SBI said in a statement.
v. Hiroshi Watanabe, Governor of JBIC, and Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman of SBI, signed the loan agreement in Tokyo, Japan.
3. Asia's first Ballistic Research Centre to open in Gujarat
i. India will have Asia's first Ballistic Research Centre which will help it in achieving self-reliance in testing of armored vehicles.
ii. The research centre will soon be functioning at Gujarat Forensic Science University, GFSU, in Gandhinagar. This was disclosed by GFSU's Director General J M Vyas.
iii. Till now, the armored vehicles from India are sent to countries like the UK, USA and France for testing.
iv. Ballistic Research Centre will conduct tests for armored vehicles of the Indian Army and also provide services to private players who supply vehicles to the VIPs.
4. Former CJI P Sathasivam to be the next Kerala Governor
i. Former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam is all set to become the Governor of Kerala after former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit vacated the post earlier this week.ii. Justice Sathasivam served as the CJI from 2007-14.
iii. Dikshit was the seventh UPA-appointed governor to quit after the change of power at Centre.
5. Reliance Group, Nippon Life launch India funds for Japan investors
i. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought greater investments from Japan, financial sector giant Nippon Life today said it will partner Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group for a proposed Reliance Bank and launched two India-focussed funds for Japanese investors.
ii. The two funds will direct investments by Japanese retail investors into Indian equity and bond markets. This was stated by Nippon and Reliance Life in a joint statement.
iii. The announcements coincided with Mr Modi's first official visit to Japan as Prime Minister, during which he invited Japanese investments into India and said that businessmen from the two countries can give a direction to world economy.
6. 'Blue Economy' workshop on sustainable growth begins in Bangladesh
i. A two-day international seminar on 'Blue Economy' begins in Dhaka today to discuss better ways to explore the resources of the Bay of Bengal.
ii. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the workshop at a city hotel.
iii. Representatives from 20 countries including Myanmar, Srilanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia and Japan besides experts on marine resources are expected to participate and share experiences.
iv. The aim is to establish links with countries and organisations working in ocean research and resources to ensure the protection and sustainable utilization of the resources of the Bay of Bengal.
7. Bapu, the artist, filmmaker, humourist passes away
i. The 80-year-old Sattiraju Lakshminarayana, popularly known as Bapu, passed away in Chennai, the city that was home for him and his long-time friend Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, for over half a century.
ii. The duo made some of the memorable works in Telugu literary world and film industry. He directed films such as Mutyala Muggu, Pelli Pustakam and Sampoorna Ramayanam. Ramana passed away three years ago, leaving his friend for 50 years alone. A loss Babu could not cope well. People close to him said half of him was gone with Ramana.
iii. Bapu directed mythological and social genre movies in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi, with his friend Ramana taking care of the writing part. Known for depth and detail, his scripts reflected male chauvinism and untold sufferings of women.
8. A Nageswara Rao became first Indian actor to be honoured by US post sevice
i. Indian Telugu Actor, Akkineni Nageswara Rao became the first Indian actor to be honoured with a postage stamp by the US Post Service (USPS). It was announced by the Akkineni Foundation of America (AFA) on 30 August 2014.
ii. The stamp will be issued on the birth anniversary of Nageshwara Rao that is on 20 September 2014 in Dallas Texas. The AFA is planning to release the stamp in India on 17 December 2014 at the first International Akkineni Awards Ceremony being planned at ANR College, Andhra Pradesh.
9. Revived Nalanda University started its first session on 1 September 2014
i. The revived Nalanda University on 1 September 2014 started its first session with 15 students in its makeshift campus at the Buddhist pilgrim town of Rajgir, about 100 km from Patna.
ii. The University started its first session 2014-15 with the classes for the School of Ecology and Environmental Studies and the School of Historical Studies. At present, the University has 10 faculty members. The University started its first session after completing the three-day orientation programme for students.
iii. The formal inauguration of the University work will commence in mid-September, while the fully-residential university will be completed by 2020. Then it will have seven schools for post-graduate and doctoral students and will offer courses in science, philosophy and spirituality and social sciences.
iv. In the process of enrolling, the University received applications from the US, Russia, England, Spain, Germany, Japan, Myanmar, Austria and Sri Lanka, among others, as also from West Asian and Southeast Asian countries.
Note: Nalanda University Vice-Chancellor - Gopa Sabharwal
Chairman of the Governing Body of the university - Economist Amartya Sen
10. Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland set world record in womens hammer throw
i. Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland on 31 August 2014 set world record in the womens hammer throw at the Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) Berlin Athletics meet at Berlin's Olympic stadium in Germany.
ii. With a throw of 79.58 meters she improved the world record by 16 centimetres.
iii. She broke the three year old world record of 79.42 meters set by Betty Heidler of Germany in May 2011 in Halle, Germany.
11. Jaipur Pink Panthers won the inaugural title of Pro Kabaddi League
i. Jaipur Pink Panther (JPP) owned by Abhisek Bachchan on 31 August 2014 won the inaugural title of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League. To win its first title of the tournament, Jaipur Pink Panther defeated U Mumba 35-24 at the NSCI Stadium in Mumbai.
ii. U Mumba that emerged as the runner up of the tournament is owned by Unilazer Sports.
12. Zimbabwe beat Australia for first time in 31 years
i. In Cricket, hosts Zimbabwe defeated Australia by 3 wickets in the fourth match of the tri-nation series, also featuring South Africa. This is was Zimbabwe's first victory over Australia in 31 years.
ii. Opting to bat first at the Harare Sports Club, Australia posted 209 for 9 in the stipulated 50 overs. Skipper Michael Clarke top scored with an unbeaten 68.
iii. In reply, Zimbabwe overhauled the target with 2 overs to spare, courtesy captain Elton Chigumbura's battling 52 not out. He was adjudged man of the match.
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