Current Affairs 14th and 15th January 2018: Daily GK Update

National
1. 15th January 2018: 70th Army Day

  

i. The 70th Army Day is being celebrated today (15th January 2018). The day is celebrated to pay homage and salute to the courageous and brave Indian soldiers who have been sacrificing their lives for protecting the country. 

ii. Every year on this day, the ‘Army Day’ is celebrated to commemorate the day when General (later Field Marshal) K.M Carriappa took over the command of Army from General Sir F.R.R Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief in 1949 and became the first Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army post Independence.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Canara Bank PO Exam 2018-

• Chief of the Army Staff- General Bipin Rawat. 
• The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces.
• The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army.

2. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in India

i. India and Israel have agreed to enhance co-operation in the areas of agriculture, science and technology and security.

ii. Benjamin Netanyahu, who is the second Israeli PM to visit India after Ariel Sharon, was accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The first one took place when PM Narendra Modi visited Israel in July 2017, becoming the first Indian leader to visit the Jewish state.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO Exam 2018-

• Capital of Israel- Jerusalem
• Currency of Israel- Israeli new shekel

Banking/Economy/Business

3. India contributes USD 50,000 to UN Youth Envoy's Office

i. India has contributed USD 50,000 to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's Office of Envoy on Youth to help with its mission of involving young people in the world body's goals.

ii. The contribution is voluntary with no strings attached and is in addition to the regular payments India makes to the UN's general and peacekeeping budgets.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Canara Bank PO Exam 2018-

• Headquarters of UN- New York 
• The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945.
• It is currently made up of 193 Member States. 

4. WEF Ranks India 30th on Global Manufacturing Index

i. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked India at 30th position on a global manufacturing index - below China’s 5th place but above other BRICS peers, Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

ii. Japan has been found to have the best structure of production in the Geneva-based WEF’s first ‘Readiness for the future of production report’ and is followed by South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, China, Czech Republic, the US, Sweden, Austria and Ireland in the top 10. Among BRICS nations, Russia is ranked 35th, Brazil 41st and South Africa at 45th place.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for IBPS Clerk Mains Exam 2018-

• WEF was established in 1971.
• The WEF is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.
• President of the World Economic Forum- Borge Brende.

5. Federal Bank ties up with Hedge Equities

i. Federal Bank has entered into a strategic partnership with Hedge Equities Ltd for providing Portfolio Investment Scheme (PIS) services to NRIs. A formal agreement was executed in which Jose K Mathew (EVP & Head Retail Business, Federal Bank) and Alex Babu (MD, Hedge Equities Ltd) exchanged the MoU announcing the tie-up.

ii. Federal Bank is authorised by the RBI to issue permission letter to NRIs on behalf of the RBI to transact in secondary market. 

6. IDFC Bank, Capital First to merge in Share Swap Deal

i. IDFC Bank and Capital First has approved a merger of Capital First with IDFC Bank. Pursuant to the merger which is subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals, IDFC Bank will issue 139 shares for every 10 shares of Capital First. 

ii. The deal values Capital First - owned more than a third by private equity firm Warburg Pincus - at Rs. 938.25 a share based on the two companies' price and giving the company a market value of Rs. 9,278 crore ($1.46 billion), Reuters calculations showed.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO Exam 2018-

• Chairman and MD of Capital First- V Vaidyanathan
• Headquarters of IDFC Bank- Mumbai
• Founder, MD & CEO of IDFC Bank- Rajiv Lall 

7. BSE's India International Exchange Lists IRFC's First Green Bond

i. The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)'s India International Exchange listed the first bond on its Global Securities Market. 

ii. The bonds issued by Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC) are one of the highest credit rated bonds issued by an Indian corporate and has been IRFC's first foray into the Green Bond market. 

What is Indian Railways Finance Corporation?

IRFC is a finance arm of the Indian Railway. 

S K Pattanayak is Managing Director of IRFC.

IRFC was set up on 12th December 1986.

Agreements

8. Johnson & Johnson Partners with Maharashtra Govt. on Health Interventions

i. Maharashtra’s mine workers who face an increased risk of tuberculosis will be part of awareness programmes on the illness, as part of a partnership that the Maharashtra Government recently formalized with Johnson & Johnson. Other interventions under the ambit of the agreement include hospital acquired infections and maternal and infant mortality.

ii. The collaboration would also look at infection prevention, diabetes, obesity and menstrual hygiene and support healthcare professionals and nurses in the State to develop skills in these areas.

Static/Current Takeaways Important for Syndicate Bank PO Exam 2018-

• Governor of Maharashtra- Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao.
• Chief Minister of Maharashtra- Devendra Fadnavis.
• Johnson & Johnson is US based company.

Obituaries

9. Veteran Actress Charu Rohatgi Passes Away

i. TV actress Charu Rohatgi, known for her roles in serials like 'Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?' and 'Uttaran', passed away. 

ii. She reportedly passed away after a cardiac arrest. While Charu had played Parineeti Chopra's mother in the film 'Ishaqzaade', she had also starred in films like '1920: London'.