GK Updates - 5 April | Banking Quiz

Dhoni gets 2014 Asian award

1.On a roll in the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 where his team has entered the finals, Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has another reason to smile as he has won the 2014 Asian award for outstanding achievement in sports here.

2.Dhoni, currently in Bangladesh leading India in the ICC World T20, was honoured last night.

3.Former England cricketer Ramprakash, who was to present the award at the glittering ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, read out a message from Dhoni “dedicating the award” to his fans in Asia and all over the world.

4.The citation said, “Dhoni is widely regarded as one of the greatest finishers in limited overs cricket. Under his captaincy, India has won numerous awards, including the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, the CB Series of 2007-08, the 2010 Asia Cup, the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

5.“In 2013, Dhoni became the first captain to win all the three ICC trophies. Dhoni was ranked 16th on the Forbes list of highest paid athletes.”

6.Cyrus Poonawalla, Chairman of Poonawalla Group which includes Serium Institute of India, won the Asian Business Leader of the Year award for his outstanding contribution to the field of medicine.

7.P Hinduja, co-Chairman of the Hinduja Group, presented the award to Poonawalla and hailed his achievements.

8.Indian film and TV actor Irrfan Khan, the first Bollywood actor to star in two films that won the Academy Award for Best Director — Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and Life of Pi (2012) — was chosen for the Asian outstanding achievement in Cinema award.

Marie-Lousie Coleiro Preca sworn-in as President of Malta

1.Marie-Lousie Coleiro Preca was sworn-in as the President of Malta on 4 April 2014 in Valletta, Malta. She was named as President after being suggested by the Prime Minister,Joseph Muscat and approved by Parliament. Coleiro replaced George Abela from Labour Party whose term completed on 4 April 2014.

2.She is the ninth President of the Malta and second female President in the European Union (EU) Country.
Coleiro, 55, is the youngest-ever President of Malta and will hold office for five years. Coleiro belongs to Labour Party and has served as minister for social policy.

3.With her appointment, the total number of female heads of a country in the world now stands at 21.

ISRO successfully launched IRNSS 1B from Sriharikota

1.Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 4 April 2014 launched India’s 2nd regional navigational satellite, IRNSS 1B from Sriharikota Space Station of Andhra Pradesh. The launch of IRNSS series would enable India to have its own reliable and independent navigational resources for itself.

2.The satellite was lifted off by the Polar Satellite Vehicle (PSLV) C 24 at 5.14 pm. IRNSS (Indian Regional navigational satellite) was injected by the launch vehicle after four stages of 19 minutes of its take off from Sriharikota.

3.This launch of IRNSS 1B is the 25th successful launch of the PSLV series by ISRO. This launch of the satellite had brought India close to join the group of selected nations namely US, Russia, China, Japan and European countries.

4.IRNSS series launch will benefit India from its applications including terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle tracking and fleet management. It will also provide visual and voice navigation for hikers and travelers.

Former President of Guinea Kumba Yala died at 61

1.Former President of Guinea Kumba Yala died at the age of 61 due to cardiac arrest on 4 April 2014. Kumba was elected civilian President of Guinea in 2001 and ruled the country till 2003.

2.He was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2003. He founded the Social Renewal Party (PRS) in 1992 and he was the president of the Party.

3.Yala belonged to the Balanta ethnic group and was a professor of Philosophy. He did masters in Portuguese, Spanish, French and English.

About Guinea
Guinea or Republic of Guinea is a West African country. It is also known as French Guinea. It declared its independence from France in 1958.

MCA notified rules on providing insurance cover for public deposits

1.Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) notified rules on providing insurance cover for public deposits. The rules called Regulations for Acceptance of Deposits by Companies was notified under section 73(2) (d) of the Companies Act 2013.

2.Section 73(2) (d) of the Act provides a mandatory insurance cover for public deposits garnered by companies and a penalty of up to 18% annual interest for defaulters.

3.The rules were notified on 26 March 2014 and become operational from 1 April 2014.

4.Every company under sub-section (2) of section 73 and every other eligible company inviting public deposits shall enter into a contract providing for deposit insurance at least thirty days before the issue of circular or advertisement.

India ranked 102 out of 132 countries on Social Progress Index

1.India was ranked 102 out of 132 countries on the Social Progress Index (SPI) published by the US-based non-profit organisation Social Progress Imperative on 3 April 2014. This is the second publication of the SPI. The first SPI was published in 2013 taking into account the social progress in 50 countries.

2.The 2014 SPI has shed light on the current debates about inclusive growth and shared prosperity. The SPI rates 132 countries on more than 50 indicators, including health, sanitation, shelter, personal safety, access to information, sustainability, tolerance and inclusion and access to education.

Kohli takes India to World T20 final

1.India tonight stormed into the final of the ICC World T20 with a resounding six-wicket victory over South Africa, with Virat Kohli once again rising to the occasion with a scintillating unbeaten 76 here.

2.Chasing a competitive target of 173, India completed the task with five balls to spare to reach their second World T20 final. The reigning ODI world champion will lock horns with Sri Lanka in the title clash on Sunday.

3.Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni deliberately played a dot ball to ensure that the day’s hero get a chance to score the winning stroke off Dale Steyn.

4.Kohli produced his best T20 international knock when it mattered the most, scoring his runs in just 44 balls and with the help of five fours and two sixes. It was a fantastic knock on a difficult track that was not conducive for stroke-making.

5.Suresh Raina’s 21 off nine balls was equally important in the final context of the match as India reached the final for the first time since the inaugural edition in South Africa.

6.Needing 51 off the last five overs, Kohli upped the ante as he smacked Imran Tahir over deep mid-wicket for a huge six to complete his 50 off 35 balls. But Tahir got a break when Yuvraj Singh (18) didn’t get the elevation and A B de Villiers took one of the best catches of the tourney, running from his long-on position.

Ruchi Soya launches 'Sunrich'' brand in Kerala

1.Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd has launched its premium refined sunflower oil brand – Sunrich – in Kerala market.

2.The company plans to take its share of Sunrich to 10 per cent in the next one year and to 15 per cent by 2015 in the sunflower oil category in Kerala, Ajay Malik, Vice President South said. The oil is available in 500 ml, 1 litre, two litre pouches and five litre jars across all stores.

3.Ruchi Soya is currently the market leader in the cooking oil category with the largest retail penetration of about seven lakh retail outlets, he added.

SBI to recruit 1,837 probationary officers

1.State Bank of India (SBI) will be recruiting 1,837 probationary officers to work in its branches across the country.

2.According to the notification hosted on SBI’s portal, graduates in the age group of 21-30 years are eligible to apply. For candidates belonging to reserved categories, age relaxation would be given as per norms. Those who are in the final year of graduation can also apply for the exam.

3.Interested candidates should apply by paying fee online between April 7 and April 25, 2014 and they would have to appear for an objective online examination followed by a group discussion and personal interview. Tentatively, examination would be conducted in June this year.

4.The compensation per annum would depend on the location posting. For example, if posted in Mumbai, it would be Rs 8.40 lakh per annum in the junior management grade – scale I.

SBI launches twitter handle

1.After launching accounts on Facebook and Youtube, the country’s largest lender SBI yesterday took one more step on the social media front by launching a twitter handle.

2.Mid-sized private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank had last month launched twitter-linked current accounts.

3.The Twitter handle for SBI is “https://twitter.com/TheOfficialSBI”.

4.“Targeting huge customer base as well as potential customers, there will be round-the-clock tweets on the banks’ products and services, as also continuous education of the customers,” the bank said in a statement.

.5The bank expects this Twitter handle to connect better with the tech-savvy young generation.

AirAsia CEO to quit Twitter

1.AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes ‎wants to quit Twitter, as he thinks he is spending too much time in this social media.

2.‎"Reaching 50 years old. I think time for me to quit Twiter. Think I spend too much time on it. It's been awesome but time to move on,"‎ he tweeted this morning.

3.‎With nearly 9.36 lakh followers, Fernandes is one of the most prolific professionals in the airline industry to use Twitter to communicate his thoughts.

4.Fernandes had started tweeting since December 7, 2008. He has so far posted 10,993 messages.

5.In fact, he broke most of the company's announcements in Twitter. This includes the appointment of Air Asia India CEO Mittu Chandilya.

6.In a press meet in Chennai once he had said:, "I tweet so much as I get very good response from you [the media] guys on Twitter."

7.He broke the news of joint venture with the Tatas‎ on the Twitter. "Tatas went mad when I announced the joint venture on Twitter. Later they called me, hey, put this on Twitter. The first time, they thought we were crazy," Fernandes said.