Daily GK Update : 16th May 2017

1. Lewis Hamilton wins 2017 Spanish Grand Prix

• British Formula One racing driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) has won the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
• It was Hamilton’s second win of the season.
• The race, which was held over sixty-six laps, was the fifth round of the 2017 season.

Spanish Grand Prix Result

• 1^st – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
• 2^nd- Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
• 3^rd – Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)

2. India’s Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut sets new Record

• The partnership of Deepti Sharma & Poonam Raut has become the world’s first cricket pair (men’s or woman’s) to forge a 300 runs opening-wicket partnership in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) cricket.
• They scored 320 runs in 45.3 overs.
• Earlier, the best partnership for the first wicket in men’s cricket was 286 runs scored by Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya in 2006 (against England).
• Deepti Sharma’s 188 runs is now the second highest score in women’s one-day international (ODI) only behind Belinda Clarks (Australia) unbeaten 229 in 1997 (against Denmark).

3. ISKCON's Govardhan Eco Village wins Smart Village Award

• ISKCON’s (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Govardhan eco village at nearby wada taluka (Thane district) has been conferred ‘Smart Village award’ for being a sustainable project in rural Maharashtra.
• The village at Wada taluka is located around 108 km north of Mumbai at the foothills of the Sahyadri mountains.
• The ‘Smart Village award’ has been instituted by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).

Note:

• Earlier, This Govardhan eco village has won United Nations award for taking innovative measures of ’sustainable tourism’ in country.

4. Kerala secures first position in Public Affairs Index 2017

• The Public Affairs Centre (PAC), India has released the Public Affairs Index (PAI)- 2017.
• In the Large States category, Kerala secured first and Tamil Nadu second rankings for the second consecutive year in the index.
• In the Small States category, Himachal Pradesh ranked first followed by Goa and Mizoram at second and third positions respectively.
• The PAI Rankings are based on the survey, carried out based on 10 themes, 26 focus subjects and 82 indicators.

Note:

• Public Affairs Centre (PAC), Bengaluru had come up with a Public Affairs Index (PAI) to rank governance inter-state by using data available in the public domain in key areas of governance.

5. Yemen declares state of emergency over cholera outbreak

• A state of emergency has been declared in the Yemen’s capital ‘Sanaa’ due to a deadly outbreak of cholera.
• According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the disease killed at least 115 people and left more than 8,000 others infected across the country.
• The influx of patients is too much for the less than a half of existing health facilities that are still functioning in the country.

Note:

• Now, the World Health Organization (WHO) classifies Yemen as one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in the world.

6. HDFC Life inks distribution tie-up with Catholic Syrian Bank

• HDFC Life has entered into a banc assurance tie-up with ‘Catholic Syrian Bank’ to distribute its individual life insurance products to the private lender’s customers.
• Now, HDFC Life will offer its leading range of individual life insurance, health, and pension products to the Catholic Syrian Bank’s customer over a period of time.

Note:

• HDFC Life (HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company) is a long-term life insurance provider with its headquarters in Mumbai, offering individual and group insurance.

7. Plastic park to come up in Panipat

• The Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister ‘Mr. Ananth Kumar’ has announced to establish two Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET) in Haryana and a Plastic Park (over 75 acres) in Panipat at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore.
• A Pharma Park (over 100 acres) will also be established in Karnal.
• These institutions would help meet industry requirements for plastic engineers and technicians.
• According to a survey, 10 lakh plastic engineers and technicians are required in the country, whereas less than two lakh are available.

8. West Bengal makes Bengali Mandatory in all Schools

• West Bengal govt. has made Bengali language mandatory in all schools (including private schools).
• Now, it would be compulsory for all schools affiliated to boards other than West Bengal Board of Secondary Education to teach Bengali as an optional subject from Class I so that students can study it either as a second or third language.
• At present, teaching of Bengali is not mandatory in the schools.

9. Edouard Philippe appointed as Prime Minister of France

• French President ‘Emmanuel Macron’ has appointed ‘Edouard Philippe’(46-year) as the new Prime Minister of France.
• He was the Mayor of the port city Le Havre since 2010 and is a member of the Les Républicains party.

Note:

• Philippe has served as a member of the National Assembly representing the 7th constituency of Seine-Maritime since 2012 and mayor of Le Havre and president of the agglomeration community of Le Havre since 2010.

"Thought of the Day"

“ If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win.”

  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

GK Quiz (for previous day’s news only) Take the quiz below to find out how well-versed you are with current affairs. You can also go through the Daily GK Update: 14th-15th May 2017 before attempting the quiz.