GK Updates - 12 May | Banking Quiz

EC nod to govt to appoint new Army Chief

i.The Election Commission on Monday gave a go-ahead to the Defence Ministry to initiate the process of appointing the next Army chief, an issue that has got caught in a controversy because of Bharatiya Janata Party's opposition.

ii.In a communication sent to the Defence Ministry this morning, the EC cited its March 27 order which makes it clear that appointments, promotions, tenders and procurements of defence forces are not covered under the Model Code of Conduct in the ongoing elections as well as any other election in the future, sources said.

iii.The incumbent Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh will retire on July 31 and as per the tradition, the successor is to be appointed two months ahead of that.

iv.The EC, responding to a reference made by the Defence Ministry, said if the government wants, it can proceed with the process to appoint the next Chief of Army Staff, the sources added.

Wimbledon 2014 will be my last Grand Slam: Mahesh Bhupathi

i.Just a couple of months and Mahesh Bhupathi will be playing his last Grand Slam tournament. Confirming that Wimbledon 2014 will be his last Slam, the man behind the IPTL speaks to Boria Majumdar about moving the first phase of the league from Bangkok to Manila, retirement and also Leander Paes. Edited excerpts:

ii.I am being told Wimbledon 2014 will be your last Grand Slam. Is that the case and will you also tell me who you will be pairing up with at All England? How will it be like to call it a day after winning over 50 titles and 12 Grand Slams?

iii.Yes it is. Wimbledon 2014 will be my last slam. To be honest I am already starting to miss professional tennis having played at the highest level for two decades. It is what has given me my identity and I will miss every bit of the acti .
National food security scheme to be implemented in Uttarakhand from June 30

i.Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has issued orders for completion of all formalities related to effective implementation of National Food Security scheme in the state from June 30.

ii.All the bottlenecks in distribution of ration cards under the scheme should be removed within a week and nodal officers for the purpose be appointed so that the drive could be expedited, Rawat told officials at a review meeting of the Food and Civil Supplies department .

India cheapest major economy; Australia most expensive: Survey

i.Notwithstanding high inflation rate, India is the cheapest major economy in the world, according to a survey of global prices of products that are comparable across countries.

ii.According to a report by German banking giant Deutsche Bank, a weaker Indian rupee has allowed India to remain the cheapest major economy in the world despite persistently suffering the highest inflation rate.

iii."The fact that India still runs a large current account deficit illustrates that being competitive is more than just being cheap," the report titled The Random Walk, Mapping the World's Prices 2014 added.

iv.Australia is overall the most expensive major economy, while the United States is the cheapest developed country.

v.Brazil remains very expensive for a developing country, the survey said adding that China remains very cheap in some categories like car rentals, while for a number of branded goods, it is more expensive than the US.

Man City strolls to second EPL title in three years

i.Manchester City won the Premier League for the second time in three seasons on Sunday. Unlike the final day of the 2012 season, City didn’t need any stoppage time goals to clinch the title this time; just a comfortable 2—0 victory over West Ham courtesy of goals either side of halftime by Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany.

ii.Liverpool came from behind to beat nine-man Newcastle United 2—1 but the win was not enough for the Reds to claim a first league title since 1990.

Nadal wins in Madrid as Nishikori pulls out

Rafael Nadal won his fourth title at the Madrid Mutual Open on Sunday as he defeated Japan’s Kei Nishikori 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 in a match his opponent was forced to abandon due to an injury in the final set.

Ahmed appointed Pakistan’s spin bowling coach

i.Former test leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed has signed a two-year contract to be the team’s spin bowling coach.

ii.The coach selection committee which also included chief selector and manager Moin Khan had also short-listed former test off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq for the post, but ultimately chose Ahmed.

iii.Ahmed has also served as England’s spin bowling coach.

iv.Ahmed took 185 wickets in test matches and 161 wickets in one-day internationals and was also part of Pakistan’s winning World Cup team in 1992.

NASA scientists recreate space dust in the lab

i.NASA scientists have recreated, right here on Earth, dust grains similar to those that form in the outer layers of dying stars.

ii.A team of researchers at NASA’s Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, California, has successfully reproduced the processes that occur in the atmosphere of a red giant star and lead to the formation of planet-forming interstellar dust.

iii.Using a specialised facility, called the Cosmic Simulation Chamber (COSmIC) designed and built at Ames, scientists now are able to recreate and study in the laboratory, dust grains similar to the grains that form in the outer layers of dying stars.

iv.Scientists plan to use the dust to gather clues to better understand the composition and the evolution of the universe.

v.Dust grains that form around dying stars and are ejected into the interstellar medium lead, after a life cycle spanning millions of years, to the formation of planets and are a key component of the universe’s evolution.

BEML observes Golden Jubilee Day

i.BEML Ltd celebrated its Golden Jubilee Foundation Day at all its divisions and headquarters.

ii.P Dwarakanath, Chairman and Managing Director, BEML, speaking on the occasion, recalled the services rendered by his predecessors and also conveyed to the employees that by virtue of its longstanding experience in the manufacture of various engineering products for the core sectors in the country, the company has attained self-reliance.

iii.CN Durgesh, Director (Mining and Construction), Kavitha Kestur (CVO), senior executives and employees were present to mark the on the occasion.

Kerala to launch its first ‘digital panchayat’ soon

i.Pampakuda in Ernakulam district is going to be the first ‘digital panchayat’ in Kerala next month by building a database of all residents.

ii.The digital database includes the personal details of all residents, such as occupation, educational level, bank account number, Aadhaar number, blood group, phone number, the availability of drinking water among other things.

iii.The database was created with the help a large number of student volunteers and software created locally. Volunteers visited every home in the panchayat area to record the personal details of family members.

Ashley Cole quits England after World Cup axe

i.Chelsea left-back Ashley Cole announced Sunday he was retiring from international football after being told he'd been left out of England manager Roy Hodgson's squad for the World Cup.

ii."I got the call from Roy and agree England team should be about the young players," the 33-year-old Cole told his Twitter followers.

iii."We have a great manager and team and I wish them only success. I will be supporting them like a true fan. Thanks to everyone for everything," the 107-times capped Cole added ahead of Hodgson's official squad announcement on Monday.

iv.Cole's words indicated his failure to hold down a regular first-team spot at Chelsea this season, where he has been displaced by Spain's Cesar Azpilicueta, had cost him his England career.

Govt set to announce Lt Gen Suhag as next Army chief despite BJP objections

i.Govt set to announce Lt Gen Suhag as next Army chief despite BJP objectionsAfter getting the Election Commission's nod despite BJP's charges of impropriety, the government is now all set to name Lt General Dalbir Singh Suhag as the next Army chief after General Bikram Singh, who retires on July 31.

ii.Though a new government is likely to come into office after the Lok Sabha results on May 16, the UPA government's stand is that it went by the long-standing convention of announcing a new service chief "at least two months in advance" while adhering to the seniority principle in the armed forces.

iii.The Election Commission gave the green signal for announcement of the next Army chief's name to the defence ministry on Monday, following which the file was sent to the appointments committee of the cabinet for the final nod.

iv.The BJP had earlier complained to the Election Commission that the UPA regime was showing undue haste in declaring the new Army chief before it demitted office in mid-May.

v.BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Ghaziabad and former Army chief Gen V K Singh, in particular, kept up his sharp attack against the Bikram-Suhag line of succession in the Army.

Premier League club Aston Villa up for sale at $250-335 million

i.American owner Randy Lerner has put English Premier League soccer club Aston Villa up for sale after another disappointing season for the former European champions.

ii.Lerner, former owner of the Cleveland Browns NFL team, took over Villa in 2006 but said he had grown tired of the side's struggles with injuries and recent rumours that he planned to sell up.

iii."Now is the time for me to look for new ownership and thus new leadership," said Lerner, adding that Bank of America Merrill Lynch had been hired to advise on the sale.

iv."I owe it to Villa to move on, and look for fresh, invigorated leadership, if in my heart I feel I can no longer do the job," he added.

v.The asking price is likely to be somewhere in the region of 150-200 million pounds ($250-335 million) and the sale process will test how much appetite there is among investors for mid-ranking teams in the Premier League.