Daily GK Update : 1st May 2017

InternationalAppointment

1. Yusra Mardini appointed UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador

• The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) has appointed Syrian refugee and Olympic athlete 'Yusra Mardini' (19-years) as a Goodwill Ambassador to help raise awareness about the plight of refugees.
• Mardini has participated in the first ever Olympic refugee team at the Rio de Janeiro games 2016.
• Mardini studying in Berlin will go soon on a UNHCR mission to Tokyo, venue of the 2020 Summer Games.

Note:

• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights, and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people.
• The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR has announced the appointment of Syrian refugee and Olympic athlete Yusra Mardini as a Goodwill Ambassador.

Important Dates

2. International Labour Day observed on 1st May

• The 'International Labour Day' is a celebration of laborers and the working classes, promoted by the international labour movement, anarchists, socialists, and communists.
• It takes place every year on 1st May which also matches with the Celtic spring festival.
• The day marks the victory of workers' movement for eight hours of work. It also aims to pay tribute to workers sacrifices in achieving economic and social rights all over the world.
• The date was chosen for International Workers' Day by the Second International to commemorate the Haymarket affair, which occurred in Chicago on 4^th May 1886.

Note:

• 1st May is also celebrated as "Maharashtra Day" and "Gujarat Day" when the two western states attained statehood after the erstwhile Bombay State was divided into linguistic lines.
• Labour Day is known as Kamgar Din (Hindi), Karmikara Dinacharane (Kannada), Kamgar Divas (Marathi), Uzhaipalar dhinam (Tamil), and Thozhilaali Dinam (Malayalam).

National Affairs

3. Real Estate Act, aims at protecting interests of buyers, comes into effect

• Today, the ‘Real Estate Act’ which aims to protect the interests of homebuyers by ensuring transparency has come into effect.
• This act will ensure the much-desired transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the crucial real estate sector.
• 13 states and Union Territories including Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Delhi, Daman, and Diu have already notified the Real Estate Rules as required under the Act.

Note

• The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2016 was passed by Parliament in March last year.
• Both buyers and developers of real estate property can approach Real Estate Regulatory Authorities seeking relief against the other for violation of the contractual obligations and other provisions of the Act.
• Regulatory Authorities will have to dispose of complaints in 60 days and Appellate Tribunals will be required to adjudicate cases in 60 days.

4. Railways to use RFID tags to track wagons, coaches

• The Indian Railways will use radio-frequency identification tags (RFID) for tracking of wagons, coaches, and locomotives to ensure effective and transparent functioning.
• Using RFID devices, it will be easier for the railways to know the exact position of wagons, locomotives, and coaches.
• Railways had implemented the RFID system on the Vishakhapatnam-Talcher-Paradeep section as a pilot project.

5. Haryana govt to set up 15 solid waste management clusters

• The Haryana state Govt. has decided to set up 15 integrated solid waste management clusters to deal with solid waste in urban areas.
• Electricity would be generated from solid waste in three clusters and manure from the remaining 12 clusters.
• A solid waste management plant is being set up at Faridabad at a cost of Rs. 330 crore.

International Affairs

6. Deputy PM & Home Minister of Nepal Bimalendra Nidhi resigns

• The Deputy Prime Minister & Home Minister of Nepal Bimalendra Nidhi has resigned from his post in protest of impeachment motion registered against Nepal's first female chief justice Sushila Karki.
• At least 249 MPs signed the motion which is over the required number to open an impeachment investigation.
• It comes after the Supreme Court overturned the government's choice of chief of police.

Banking & Finance

7. SBI reduces term deposit rates by up to 50 bps

• The State Bank of India (SBI) has cut its term deposit rates by up to 50 basis points for various maturities.
• The rates have been revised for medium and long term deposits and for the amount below Rs. one crore.
• Now, SBI will offer a rate of 6.25% as compared to 6.75% earlier for two to less than three year deposits,
• For the similar maturity, the deposit rates for senior citizen have been cut to 6.75% from 7.25%.
• The rates have been lowered by 25 basis points to 6.50% for deposits maturing between three years and 10 years.
• The bank is offering highest rates of 6.90% for one year to 455 days term deposits.

Sports

8. Valtteri Bottas wins first ever F1 race at Russian GP 2017

• Finnish racing driver Valtteri Bottas (with Mercedes) has won his first Formula One victory at the 2017 Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom Russia.
• Bottas won the race by 0.617 seconds over Sebastian Vettel, the smallest winning margin since the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
• Sebastian Vettel finished in second and Mercedes's Lewis Hamilton stood fourth.

 9. Paes-Lipsky win Tallahassee Challenger title of men's doubles

• Indo-American tennis player Leander Paes and Scott Lipsky has won the Tallahassee Challenger title of the men's doubles.
• They defeated Argentine third seeds Leonardo Mayer and Maximo Gonzalez 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-7 in the summit clash.
• Earlier, Paes had won the Leon Challenger in Mexico with Adil Shamasdin.

10. Aizawl FC become first Northeastern club to win I-league

• Aizawl FC has won its maiden I-League title against Shillong Lajong in their final game of the league season.
• Aizawl ended the league on 37 points and became the first club from the Northeast to bag the title.
• Mohun Bagan defeated Chennai City FC 2-1 and finished second in the League with 36 points.

Note:

• The Hero I-League is an Indian professional league for men’s association football clubs.
• The I-League was formed in 2007 as the ONGC I-League with an aim to professionalize the game of football in India.

 "Thought of the Day"

"A man is great by deeds, not by birth.”

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