GK Updates - 17 Feb | Banking Quiz

World Bridge Championship to be hosted by India in 2015

1.World Bridge Championship for Bermuda Bowl (men) and Venice Cup (women) will be hosted by India for the first time in October 2015. This was announced by the World Bridge Federation (WBF) on 17 February 2014.

2.Chennai in Tamil Nadu and Panaji in Goa have been shortlisted to host the World Bridge Championship. About 550 players from 66 countries are expected to be seen in action in this world meet.

About World Bridge Championship
The World Bridge Federation (WBF) conducts the World Bridge Team Championships every two years. This is the premier tournament in international bridge and sees the top teams from each geographic region competing against one another for the Bermuda Bowl trophy. Additionally, there are separate trophies for the top women`s team as well as the top senior team (D`Orsi Trophy) globally.

WBF President: Gianrrigo Rona of Italy
Bridge Federation of India (BFI) President: N R Kirubakara Moorthy

VV Dongre and Guocheng Zhang won International Gandhi Award 2013

Pranab Mukherjee, the President of India on 15 February 2014 presented the International Gandhi Award for the year 2013 to Dr. Vijaykumar Vinayak Dongre (VV Dongre) and Prof. Guocheng Zhang at Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. They were awarded for making outstanding contributions in the field of leprosy to eradicate the disease through treatment, training and research.

International Gandhi Award
The International Gandhi Award was instituted by the Gandhi Memorial Leprosy Foundation that was established in 1950 to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s service and scientific approach towards leprosy. It recognizes the commendable contributions of individuals and institutions in ameliorating the quality of life of people afflicted with leprosy. Every alternate year, two awards are given to individuals/institutions for making outstanding contribution in the field of leprosy.

First Braille-signage coach in India to be attached with Purushottam Express

1.Purushottam Express will become the first train in India to be attached with a Braille-embedded AC coach for visually-challenged passengers by the end of February 2014. Purushottam Express is a superfast train running between Delhi and Puri.

2.In a first of its kind, the Railways manufactured an AC three-tier coach with Braille signages as part of its social commitment to make trains and stations more-friendly towards specially-abled passengers.

3.The first coach with Braille signages has been manufactured at Integrated Coach Factory in Chennai with the inputs received from Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Lucknow and in consultation with blind associations.

4.The coach costs about 40000 Rupees as Braille printing are superimposed on the stickers which can be used by both a person with normal vision as well as a visually impaired person.

Researchers at IIT Kharagpur developed ready-to-eat food paste for malnourished children

1.Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur developed ready-to-eat food paste for malnourished children on 16 February 2014.

2.A four-member team led by Professor Dr H N Mishra of IIT Kharagpur prepared the formulation in their food chemistry and technology lab. This formulation could be used as part of medical nutrition therapy for management of severe acute malnutrition children.

3.The researchers prepared five food formulations based on peanut, potato and Bengal gram (chana) to suit different tastes and nutrient needs of malnourished children. It is also easily digestible. It has all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients and protein which a malnourished child needs.

Indian Flag unfurled at Sochi Winter Olympics after IOC revoked ban on Indian body

1.The Indian flag was unfurled on 16 February 2014 at the Winter Olympics Village at Sochi, Russia at a special ceremony at International Plaza of the Mountain Village. This was done after International Olympic Committee (IOC) revoked a 14-month long suspension of the country from participation in its games.

2.This event of unfurling the national flag was attended by the three Indian athletes, who are talking part in the games namely Luger Shiva Keshavan, alpine skier Himanshu Thakur and cross country skier Nadeem Iqbal. The event was also attended by their coaches, officials of Indian Olympic Committee and President of Indian Olympic Association, N Ramachandran.

3.Earlier, the tri-colour of India was not unfurled at the opening ceremony of Winter Olympics at Sochi Games village as India was facing the suspension from the games. The games started on 7 February 2014 and the suspension was revoked on 11 February 2014. Earlier, the Indian participants of the Winter Olympics took part under the IOC flag.

Erlan Abdyldaev, the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz Republic visited India

1.Erlan Abdyldaev, the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyz Republic was on an official visit to India from 13 to 15 February 2014. During this India visit of Abdyldaev, the two sides also exchanged documents to make functional a bilateral treaty on mutual legal assistance and an agreement on visa free travel for diplomatic, official and service passport holders.

2.He visited India on the invitation of Salman Khurshid, External Affairs Minister of India. Apart from Salman Khurshid, during the visit he also met with

• EM Sudarsana Natchiappan, Minister of State for Commerce and Industries
• He also interacted with the think tank, India Central Asia Foundation and with the India-Kyrgyz Friendship Society
• The two sides also reviewed the significant process made in bilateral relations and noted common positions on current international and regional issues

3.In recent years the Kyrgyz Republic has chosen a political path of parliamentary democracy that is similar to India's. In this context the two sides agreed to intensify parliamentary exchanges and the Indian side welcomed the proposed visit of a Kyrgyz Parliamentary delegation to India later in 2014.

President Rule imposed in Delhi after resignation of Kejriwal

1.President of India on 17 February 2014 imposed President’s Rule in Delhi after accepting the resignation of Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi. This information was published in a press release by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung’s office.

2.With this imposition of the President Rule, the Delhi Assembly will be kept under suspended animation. Najeeb Jung on 15 February 2014 recommended for President’s rule in the national capital after resignation of Arvind Kejriwal and his Council of Ministers. Jung rejected the recommendation of the outgoing AAP government that the Assembly should be dissolved. This move of Jung has kept the option open for formation of government in Delhi by any political party of a combination of parties in the future.

Matteo Renzi nominated to become Italy's youngest PM

1.Rome: Italy's Matteo Renzi was on Monday nominated to be the European Union's youngest prime minister and immediately outlined an ambitious reform plan, promising "energy, enthusiasm and commitment" to revitalise the eurozone's third largest economy.

2.The 39-year-old mayor of Florence said his first priority would be to tackle relentless unemployment levels and pitiful economic growth, promising Italians he would do everything possible to alleviate "despair".

3.The head of the leftist Democratic Party has raised hopes in a country thirsting for change after ousting ex-premier Enrico Letta -- a member of his own party whom he accused of failing to live up to reform pledges.

4.Renzi said he would begin formal coalition talks tomorrow and predicted they would take "a few days" as he negotiates to form a stable government that can survive until the next scheduled elections in 2018.

5."We will take the time we need, with the knowledge that there is a sense of urgency out there and this is an extremely delicate and important time," he said after being given the mandate by President Giorgio Napolitano.

Tendulkar, Sehwag nominated for 'Cricketer of the Generation' award

1.Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag will be amongst the nominees for the 'ESPNcricinfo@20 Cricketer of the Generation' award, with the cricket news website on Monday announcing two more categories to its seventh annual awards.

2.The two new special awards - Cricketer of the Generation and Contribution to Cricket will add to the six categories announced earlier.

3.Besides Tendulkar and Sehwag, West Indian Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, Australia's Shane Warne and South African Jacques Kallis will also be in fray.

4.As the closing element of ESPNcricinfo's 20th anniversary celebrations, a 50-member jury of current and former cricketers and leading sportswriters will pick the finest player of the last 20 years to honour with this award.

5.The winner will also be presented with a Renault automobile.

6.The website last month announced nominees for the annual ESPNcricinfo Awards, sponsored by Renault, which recognise the best cricket performances in 2013.

'12 Years A Slave' nabs best film prize at BAFTA 2014 awards

1.LONDON: British director Steve McQueen's '12 Years A Slave' took home two of the biggest awards of the night but it was Alfonso Cuaron's 'Gravity' that dominated the BAFTA, winning six of the 11 honours it was nominated for.

2.'12 Years A Slave' won BAFTA for best film and McQueen in his speech said that there were "21 million people living in slavery as we sit here now." Chiwetel Ejiofor won the best actor for the film.

3.Ejiofor paid tribute to McQueen, and said that the award really belonged to the helmer. "It's yours. I;m going to keep it, but it is yours," he said.

4.Cuaron took the director prize for 'Gravity'. He said that he considered himself to be part of the British film industry as he had lived in the UK for 13 years, and had made half of his films in the country.