GK Updates - 15 April | Banking Quiz

Vote as an Indian, not as Muslim: Ajmer Dargah

1.Religious head of Ajmer dargah Saiyad Zainul Abedin Ali Khan today called upon the people to vote fearlessly and without communal fanaticism to strengthen the democracy.

2.Without naming anyone, he asked the people to beware of such political and religious leaders who have made speeches to give the elections a communal colour.

3.“Political parties are frightening Muslims in the name of a particular person and creating an environment in the country for the polarisation of Muslim voters in their favour, but vote for such a political party with your own wisdom whose policies and performance are in the interest of the nation,” he appealed to voters.

4.“Support a party in which the Muslim sees secure future,” Khan said in a statement. He said that “voting on the ground of religion makes feeling of revenge and hate stronger, so vote as an Indian not as a Muslim“.

5.“Citizens should understand that opportunist political and religious leaders appealing to vote for them on the basis of community, not on the ground of the performance and policies of their parties, are the real enemies of the country,” he said.

6.“Every citizen should exercise their right to vote in the interest of a strong democracy. It is the moral duty of everyone,” he said.

Global trade growth forecast raised to 4.7% for 2014: WTO

1.Geneva (AFP) - Global commerce is set to grow by 4.7 percent this year, the World Trade Organization said on Monday, as a recovery in rich economies is expected to help balance out risks in developing nations.

2.The WTO previously had forecast that trade would expand by 4.5 percent in 2014, up from an estimated rate of 2.1 percent the previous year.

Supreme Court recognises transgenders as third gender

1.The Supreme Court today recognised transgenders as third category of gender and directed the Centre and States to grant them all facilities including Voters ID, passport and driving licence.

2.The Centre and States were also directed to take steps for bringing the community into the mainstream by providing adequate healthcare, education and employment.

3.A Bench of Justices KS Radhakrishnan and AK Sikri directed the Government to take steps for granting recognition to transgenders as a separate third category of gender after male and female.

4.The Bench also said they are the citizens of the country and have equal rights to education, healthcare and employment opportunities like other people belonging to male and female gender.

5.The apex court expressed concern over transgenders being harasssed and discriminated in the society and passed a slew of directions for their social welfare.

6.The apex court said that trangenders were respected earlier in the society but situation has changed and they now face discrimination and harassment.

.7It said that Section 377 of IPC is being misused by police and other authorities against them and their social and economic condition is far from satisfactory.

Pulitzer prize for fiction goes to The Goldfinch

1.Donna Tartt has won the Pulitzer award for fiction for her third novel The Goldfinch, which judges described as a book which "stimulates the mind and touches the heart".

2.Relating the life of a 13-year-old boy who survives an accident that kills his mother, The Goldfinch was chosen as the winner of America's most prestigious literary award ahead of Philipp Meyer's The Son, and Bob Shacochis's The Woman Who Lost Her Soul. It is, said judges Art Winslow, Ron Charles and Sabina Murray, "a beautifully written coming-of-age novel with exquisitely drawn characters".

3.Tartt's win of the $100,000 (£60,000) award puts The Goldfinch alongside former winners including The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – 75 years old this week – Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton and, last year, The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. It is the American author's third novel, after her bestselling debut The Secret History, and 2002's The Little Friend.

India-born poet Vijay Seshadri wins 2014 Pulitzer Prize

1.India-born poet Vijay Seshadri has won the prestigious 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his collection of poems "3 Sections."

2.The 98th annual Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Letters, Drama and Music were announced on Monday by Columbia University here.

3.Seshadri's '3 Sections' is a "compelling collection of poems that examine human consciousness, from birth to dementia, in a voice that is by turns witty and grave, compassionate and remorseless," the announcement said.

4.The prize for the poetry category was given for a "distinguished volume of original verse" by an American author.

Arvind Mayaram designated as Finance Secretary

1.Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram has been designated as Finance Secretary.

2.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had approved a proposal to designate Mayaram as the Finance Secretary.

3.The post of Finance Secretary was lying vacant since March 31 when Sumit Bose demitted office.

4.A 1978 batch Rajasthan cadre Indian Administrative Service officer, Mayaram will continue to look after the Department of Economic Affairs. He has been holding charge as Economic Affairs Secretary since 2012.

5.The Finance Ministry currently has five secretaries including Mayaram.

Ogilvy bags YoungGun awards

Ogilvy Mumbai has won two YoungGun awards in the YGA 2013 Awards. The agency is the only office in India to have won YoungGuns awards. YGA is now in its 12th year of recognising young talent globally. The agency’s CleftToSmile logo won the award in the general graphic design category. For their second award, the agency had rolled out a unique campaign for Akanksha, a non-government organisation, which needed teachers, but did not have funds for advertising.

IPL-7 to begin in UAE tomorrow

15 Apr 2014Seventh season of Indian Premier League, IPL-7 gets underway in UAE tomorrow. Eight participating teams, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils , Kings Eleven Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad will be in action over the next fortnight in the tournament.

Bharatiya Mahila Bank to give loans for opening beauty salons

1.Bharatiya Mahila Bank on Tuesday partnered with unisex hair and beauty salon Naturals, to support banking needs of women who aspire to become entrepreneurs.

2.This is a part of the initiative to promote economic empowerment in order to leverage women's growth and developments, India’s only women’s bank said in a statement.

3.As part of this partnership, women with entrepreneurial skills and potential can look forward to setting up a Naturals spa, salon or lounge for which they can avail financial assistance in terms of loans from Bharatiya Mahila Bank, it said.

4.CK Kumaravel, CEO & Co Founder, Naturals said, “Our objective is to empower women with, resources. Majority of the women who own salons in various parts of the country are from middle class and it is not very easy to get a bank loan to set up various facilities in every outlet. So, this MoU has been signed with the hope that women are given the exposure to explore their entrepreneurial skills”

SBI launches Tablet Banking service

1.State Bank of India on Tuesday launched Tablet (Tab) Banking service for opening Savings Bank accounts and giving in-principle housing loan approval at the customer’s doorstep.

2.India’s largest bank also launched e-KYC (Know your Customer) service. The three digital banking services will be rolled out across the SBI network in a phased manner.

3.Under Tab Banking, the bank’s sales staff will visit the customers at their home and using the tablets get complete formalities for account opening like details of KYC and photographs of applicant.

4.The account opening details will be loaded on the CBS (core banking solution) platform and the account number will be sent to the customer through SMS/e-mail. This will provide convenience and time saving to the customer for opening accounts with SBI.

5.When it comes to home loans, the Home Loan Sales Team will visit the applicant and capture on the tablet KYC details, information on the income and deductions and details of the proposed property purchase (House/Flat), the bank said in a statement.

6.Based on the income data furnished and cost of the project, the applicant will be advised on the approximate housing loan amount eligible and the EMI amount.

Google buys solar-powered drones maker Titan Aerospace

1.Google yesterday announced that it is acquiring Titan Aerospace, a maker of solar-powered drones that could be used to boost Internet access to remote areas.

2.“It’s still early days, but atmospheric satellites could help bring Internet access to millions of people, and help solve other problems, including disaster relief and environmental damage like deforestation,” said a Google spokesman in an email to AFP.

3.“It’s why we’re so excited to welcome Titan Aerospace to the Google family.”

4.Google did not release the financial terms of the transaction.

5.Titan’s drones are able to run for five years at an altitude of some 65,000 feet (19,812 meters). They can perform similar functions to geostationary satellites, but are less costly.

6.Google, meanwhile, is developing Project Loon, which uses large balloons for transmitting Internet signals to regions that are not now connected.

India-born poet Vijay Seshadri wins 2014 Pulitzer Prize

1.India-born poet Vijay Seshadri has won the prestigious 2014 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for his collection of poems “3 Sections”.

2.The 98th annual Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Letters, Drama and Music were announced yesterday by Columbia University here.

3.Seshadri’s ‘3 Sections’ is a “compelling collection of poems that examine human consciousness, from birth to dementia, in a voice that is by turns witty and grave, compassionate and remorseless,” the announcement said.

4.The prize for the poetry category was given for a “distinguished volume of original verse” by an American author.

5.A Columbia University alum, Seshadri would receive $10,000 reward.