23rd February 2015 Daily Current Affairs Updates

1) MoU signed between Indian Army and State Bank of India:

--> A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Indian Army and State Bank of India (SBI) on the Defence Salary Package on 23 Feb 2015.

--> The first MoU between SBI and the Indian Army was signed in 2011 and was valid for a period of three years.

--> The basic features of the MoU include a number of free / concessional services like free drafts, free cheque books, free funds transfers to any bank in India through RTGS / NEFT, free ATM cards etc.

-->  The revised MoU will benefit almost 19.5 lakh pensioners and 10 lakh serving personnel who hold Pay or Pension accounts with SBI.

2) TRAI removed interconnection usage charges (IUC):

--> Telecom regulator TRAI on 23 February 2015 removed charges that a landline service provider has to pay to the other service providers for transmitting its customers' phone calls -a move that is likely to lead to lower tariffs.

--> Now, calls made from landline-to-landline or landline-to- mobiles will not include the interconnection charge, which was 20 paise.

--> Trai has also reduced network interconnection usage charges (IUC) on calls made from mobile phones by about 30 per cent to 14 paise per call from 20 paise earlier.

3) Rana Bhagwandas, first Hindu chief justice of Pakistan, died:

--> Former acting chief justice of Pakistan Rana Bhagwandas passed away in Karachi on 23 February 2015..

--> He was the first Hindu and the second non-Muslim head of the supreme court of Pakistan. First non-Muslim CJP was Alvin Robert Cornelius (He was Christian).

--> Bhagwandas became the acting CJP during the 2007 judicial crisis in Pakistan and also briefly became the acting chief justice of Pakistan when the incumbent CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry went on foreign tours in 2005 and 2006.

4) Tamil director RC Sakthi passed away:

--> Popular Tamil director R.C Sakthi, who launched Kamal Haasan in a lead role, breathed his last at a private hospital in Chennai on 23 Feb 2015.

--> Sakthi started his career as a theatre artist. He floated a theatre troupe with his friends and went on to act in a few plays before moving to cinema.

--> His last directorial venture was in 1993 - the Tamil film “Pathini Penna" - which fetched him two State awards for best film and best dialogue writer.

5) Ram Niwas Goel elected Speaker of Delhi Assembly:

--> AAP MLA Ram Niwas Goel was on 23 February 2015 unanimously elected Speaker of the Delhi Assembly on the first day of the two-day session of the House.

--> Another ruling party legislator, Bandana Kumari, was elected Deputy Speaker of the House where the main and only opposition, BJP, has a negligible presence with just three legislators.

--> 67-year-old Goel was elected from Shahdara constituency in north Delhi.

6) National sports awards scheme revamped:

--> Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has amended National Sports Awards Schemes.

--> The amended schemes include Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, Arjuna Award, Dhyan Chand Award and Dronacharya Awards.

--> According to the new provisions, the selection committee for the Arjuna Award will be headed by a retired Supreme Court or High Court judge, and not more than one sportsperson/coach from a particular discipline shall be a member of the panel to avoid any bias towards any particular discipline.

--> A sportsperson of eminence/sports administrator/sports expert belonging to para sports will now be a member of the Arjuna Award selection panel.

--> These amendments were based upon several suggestions made by selection committee for Arjuna Awards headed by Kapil Dev.

7) 87th Academy Awards/ Oscars 2015 presented:

--> The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

--> The Academy Awards (commonly referred as Oscars) were presented in twenty four categories.

--> ‘Birdman’, a dark comedy about a former superstar struggling to revive his Broadway career, shone at the 2015 Oscars.

--> Click Here for complete list of winners.

8) Himachal Pradesh to present India's first paperless budget:

--> Himachal Pradesh is set to become the country's first state to present a 'paperless' budget on March 11.

--> Since the state already has the country's first green assembly, all documents related to budget estimates would be made available online and only around 10 budget copies would be printed for record.

--> Running the proceedings on e-Vidhan would save the state exchequer Rs 15 crore annually.

--> Chief minister Virbhadra Singh had inaugurated e-Vidhan on August 4, 2014.

9) India, Nepal joint military exercise commenced in Nepal:

--> The 8th Indo-Nepal Battalion level combined military training - 'Exercise Surya Kiran-VIII', commenced on 23 February 2015 at the Integrated Army Training Centre, Saljhandi, Nepal.

--> The focus of the drill is to practice Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorist Operations in mountainous and jungle terrain. 

10) Budget Session of Parliament began:

--> Budget Session began on 23 February 2015 with President Pranab Mukherjee's address to members of both houses of Parliament.

--> In his address, President Mukherjee said 'Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas' is the government's fundamental view.

--> He appealed to all the Members of the Parliament to spend 50 percent of MPLAD fund on the 'Swachh Bharat' mission.

--> The first part of the Budget Session will continue till March 20 while the second part will commence after a month-long break from April 20 and conclude on May 8.

--> The Rail Budget will be presented on February 26, Economic Survey on February 27 and General Budget on February 28.

11) State-run banks to be closed on alternate Saturdays:

--> Public sector banks, including the country's biggest lender State Bank of India, will remain shut on alternate Saturdays, according to a deal reached between employee unions and the Indian Banks' Association, which represents lenders.

--> Employee unions were demanding a five-day week, but an agreement was reached on keeping alternate Saturdays off.

--> An agreement was also reached to hike wages of over 7 lakh public sector bank employees by 15 per cent. The wage hike will be applicable from November 2012 and will be valid for five years.

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Oscars 2015: Complete List of Winners PDF Download

Friends.. Honoring the best cinematic talent from Hollywood, the 87th Academy Awards or the Oscars have finally wrapped up. Presented in 24 different categories, the winners for the most coveted film awards have been announced, putting an end to the suspense. While The Grand Budapest Hotel and Birdman faced a tie bagging four awards each, Whiplash managed to pick three trophies. Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything and Julianne Moore for Still Alice have been named Best Actor and Actress in a Leading Role. Here are the complete list of winners. You can download this as PDF from below link. 

Download as PDF: Click Here

Best Picture: Birdman

Actress in a Leading Role: Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Actor in a Leading Role: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Directing: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman

Actress in a Supporting Role: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Actor in a Supporting Role: JK Simmons, Whiplash

Foreign Language Film: Ida

Writing - Adapted Screenplay: Graham Moore, The Imitation Game

Writing - Original Screenplay: Alejandro G Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr & Armando Bo, Birdman

Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman

Music - Original Score: Alexandre Desplat, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Makeup and Hairstyling: Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Costume Design: Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Music - Original Song: John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn for 'Glory' from Selma

Visual Effects: Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher, Interstellar

Documentary Short Subject: Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Documentary Feature: Citizen Four

Film Editing: Tom Cross, Whiplash

Sound Editing: Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, American Sniper

Sound Mixing: Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley, Whiplash

Production Design: Adam Stockhausen (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration), The Grand Budapest Hotel

Short Film - Live Action: The Phone Call

Short Film - Animated: Feast

Animated Feature Film: Big Hero 6l. 

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Daily Current Affairs Updates: 22 February 2015

1) Ranchi Rays won Hockey India League 2015:

--> Debutants Ranchi Rays won the third edition of the Hockey India League (HIL) defeating Punjab Warriors 3-2 in a penalty shootout in the final at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium on  February

--> The regulation time score read 2-2 which resulted in the shootout.

--> Though the Rays are a new team, the squad is more or less the same as that of the now non-existent Ranchi Rhinos which won the inaugural HIL in 2013.

2) Nitish Kumar sworn in as Bihar CM:

--> Nitish Kumar took oath as Bihar's CM for the fourth time on 22 February 2015.

-->  This follows the dramatic resignation of rebel JD(U) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi last week before the show of strength in the 243-member Bihar assembly.

--> He was administered the oath of office and secrecy at the Raj Bhawan in Patna by governor Keshari Nath Tripathi.

3) Dilip Shanghvi overtook Mukesh Ambani as the richest Indian:

--> Dilip Shanghvi overtakes Mukesh Ambani as the richest Indian in terms of market value.

--> The Sun Pharma's founder and MD, is worth about Rs 1.46 lakh crore thanks to his 63 per cent stake in three group companies - Sun Pharma, Sun Pharma Advanced Research and Ranbaxy Laboratories. 

4) India defeated South Africa by 137 runs in World Cup group match:

--> India announced themselves as genuine contenders to defend their World Cup title on 22 February 2015 by humbling South Africa's vaunted pace attack before bowling out the Proteas for an emphatic 130-run victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

--> In front of a heaving crowd of 86,000, opener Shikhar Dhawan struck a sparkling 137 and Ajinkya Rahane an explosive 79 to fire India to a mammoth 307-7 and ensure their opponents would need a record chase at the stadium to win.

--> Shikhar Dhawan was adjudged Man of the Match.

5) India, Indonesian troops conduct joint training exercises named GARUDA SHAKTI-III:

--> Sharing experiences in conduct of counter-terrorism and insurgency operations, troops of India and Indonesia participated in joint army exercises in Mizoram.

--> The exercise was aimed at building and promoting positive military-to-military relations between the armies of the two nations, defence officials said.

--> Exercise 'GARUDA SHAKTI-III' is the third one in the ongoing series of joint exercises between armies of India and Indonesia.

6) Somdev Devvarman retained Delhi Open title:

--> Somdev Devvarman retained the Delhi Open title with a comeback win over Yuki Bhambri, whose game crumbled despite early promise in the summit clash.

--> With this victory, Somdev ended a long title-less run which began after winning this title last year.

7) In a first, women joined Sarang team:

--> For the first time, two women are part of the Sarang team of the Indian Air Force, a show-stopping helicopter-formation team that performed at the Aero India show.

--> Squadron Leader Deepika Misra and Flight Lieutenant Sandeep Singh, an engineering officer, hope that one day, there will be an all-woman quartet in the squad, whose name means peacock.

8) Maldives ex-leader Nasheed arrested on terror charges:

--> Police in the Maldives have arrested opposition leader and ex-President Mohamed Nasheed on terror charges.

--> The case against him was dropped last week, but the allegations have been reintroduced under anti-terror laws that punish acts against the state.

--> Mr Nasheed - a former human rights campaigner was president of Maldives from from 2008 to 2012.

9) World Thinking Day observed:

--> World Thinking Day was celebrated annually on 22 February by all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

--> It is also celebrated by Scout and Guide organizations and some boy-oriented associations around the world.

10) Indian-American, Purnendu Dasgupta, won prestigious chemistry award:

--> An Indian-American, who developed an environment friendly field analyser for checking toxic arsenic levels in water, has been awarded a prestigious award for his special contribution in the field of chemistry.

--> Purnendu Dasgupta, a Jenkins Garrett professor of chemistry at The University of Texas at Arlington, has been awarded the 2015 American Chemical Society Division of Analytical Chemistry J. Calvin Giddings Award.

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IB ACIO Exam 2015 Solved Question Paper- Part 2

16) Where was Bhaskara, also known as Bhaskaracharya or Bhaskara II, an Indian mathematician & astronomer, was born?

Ans. (3) Bijapur

 

17)  The BrahMos, a short range supersonic cruise missile, is a joint venture between which foreign country and Indian agency?

Ans. (4) Russia & DRDO

18) If the sum of 60% of a fractional number and the number’s square root is 5 greater than one fifth of the number, then the number is?

Ans. (1) 6.25

19) If ‘Head’ appears consecutively in the first three tosses of a fair/unbiased coin, what is the probability of ‘Head’ appearing in the fourth toss also?

Ans. (4) 1/2

20) Archers ‘A’ and ‘B’ take aim at a target. If the probability of ‘A’ hitting the target is 90% and of ‘B’ missing the target is 90%, what is the probability that both ‘A’ and ‘B’ miss the target?

Ans. (2) 09%

21) If 12 persons working 12 hours a day dig 12 meters of a tunnel in 12 days, how many men are required to dig additional 04 meters of the tunnel (of the same dimension) given that they work 04 hours a day for 04 days?

Ans. (4) 36

22) A man sells an article at a certain price incurring 20% loss. If he had sold the same article for Rs.20 more, he would have earned 20% profit. What was the cost price of the said article?

Ans. (3) Rs. 50

23) Numerator of a fraction is increased by 60%, and at the same time its denominator is decreased by 60%. The new fraction is?

Ans. (3) 4 times-the older fraction

24) In a triangle ABC, one of the angles is average of the remaining two angles. Which of the following is always true about the triangle ABC?

Ans. (3) One of its angles measures 60°

25) If the area of a circle ‘C’ is equal to the area of a square ‘S’, then the ratio of the square of the perimeter of ‘C’ to the square of the perimeter of ‘S’ is nearly equal to?

Ans. (2) 11:14

26) The last digit of the number 3^2015 is?

Ans. (4) 7

27) What is the squareroot of 49%?

Ans. (3) 70%

28) Log (40^2-20^2) is equal to?

Ans. (2) log 60 + log 20

29) Twelve persons meet in a conference and each shakes hands with all the others. How many handshakes take place?

Ans. (1) 66

30) A man travels uphill to city C from city B in a car at the speed of 40 Km/hr, and returns to city B at a faster speed of 60 Km/hr. What is his average speed for the round trip?

Ans. (2) 48 Km/hr

Part-3 will Published Soon...

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SBI Associate Clerk Exam Questions: 22 February 2015 (Morning Shift)

Friends.. Here are the GK questions asked 22 February 2015 morning shift SBI Associate Clerk exam.

Questions were shared by: Madhukaran Reddy TEKULA, Hyderabad 

1. Which is used by banks in their daily routine working and transactions? - Negotiable instruments Act.

2.Banking Ombudsman scheme launched by which board? - RBI

3. Arun Jaitley from which state as a Rajyasabha Member? - Gujarat

4.Corporate Social Responsibility committee headed by? - Anil Baijal

5.NABARD full form? - National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

6. Which is fastest channel for sending money? - RTGS

7. Largest iron ore mine in world? - Carajas,Brazil

8. Which is most profit making PSU company in India? - ONGC

9. Naira currency of which country? - Nigeria

10. WTO, IAEA locations? - Geneva & Vienna.

11. Which among the following is the non-institutional credit? - Trade Credit

12. IFRS fullform? - International Financial Reporting Standards.

13. Nehru Trophy for which game? - Boat Race

14. NDB full form? - National Development Bank.

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21st February 2015 Important Current Affairs Updates

1) International Mother Language Day observed:

--> International Mother Language Day 2015 was celebrated across the world on 21 February 2015.

--> The theme for the year 2015 is Inclusive Education through and with Language - Language Matters.

--> The year 2015 is the 15th anniversary of International Mother Language Day.

--> The day is observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

2) Government launched Portal 'Madad' to redress Consular Grievances:

--> Indian citizens living abroad will now be able to file consular grievances online as the government on 21 February 2015 launched an e-portal to address such complaints promptly with a high degree of "accountability".

--> The portal 'Madad'(Help) was launched at the Ministry of External Affairs or MEA headquarters in Delhi by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who said the grievance monitoring facility would enhance "accessibility" for people and fix greater "accountability and responsibility" on officials.

3) Chrishantha de Silva appointed Sri Lanka Army chief:

--> Major General Chrishantha de Silva was on 20 Feb 2015 appointed as the new Sri Lankan Army Chief by President Maithripala Sirisena, who also reinstated several loyalists of former Army chief Sarath Fonseka.

--> Major General Silva will succeed Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake with effect from February 22, Mr. Sirisena’s office said in a statement. 

4) Kotak-ING Vysya merger deal gets CCI green signal:

--> The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 20 February 2015 said it has approved the proposed merger deal between Kotak Mahindra Bank and ING Vysya Bank.

--> The proposed Rs 15,000-crore deal is not likely to have any appreciable adverse effect on competition in India, as per the competition "The share of both entities in various relevant markets is insignificant," the CCI said in its order.

--> The merger would create the country's fourth largest private sector lender.

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Daily Current Affairs Updates: 20 February 2015

1) Jitan Ram Manjhi resigned as CM of Bihar:

--> Jitan Ram Manjhi submitted his resignation as chief minister of Bihar without taking the trust vote on 20 February 2015.

--> Nitish Kumar will return as chief minister of Bihar for a fourth time on 22 Feb 2015.

--> Hours ahead of the trust vote, Manjhi submitted his resignation to Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi.

2) Rs. 1.11 crore for Modi's Bandhgala suit:

--> A whopping Rs 1.11 crore bid was made by a Gujrati NRI in an auction for the controversial pinstripe monogrammed bandhgala suit which Prime Minister Narendra Modi wore during United States President Barack Obama’s visit to India last month.

--> Viral Chowksi, the NRI made the offer at the three-day auction.

3) Scientist Tapan Misra to head ISRO's Space Application Centre:

--> Eminent scientist Tapan Misra has been appointed the Chief of ISRO's Space Applications Centre (SAC), Ahmedabad, the space agency on 20 February 2015.

--> Misra, Deputy Director, Microwave Remote Sensing Area in SAC, succeeds A S Kiran Kumar, who was appointed as the Chairman of the ISRO last month.

--> He is also heading the Office of Innovations Management of ISRO at ISRO Headquarters, Bengaluru. 

4) Brendon McCullum hits fastest World Cup half century:

--> New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum recorded the fastest-ever World Cup fifty when he reached the landmark off just 18 balls against England at Wellington on 20 Feb 2015.

--> The opener's whirlwind half-century featured seven fours and four sixes as New Zealand rapidly closed in on victory after skittling England out for just 123.

--> McCullum beat his own World Cup record when he carved fast bowler Steven Finn for four, having made a fifty off 20 balls against Canada in 2007.

5) PM Modi flagged off Arunachal-Delhi train:

--> Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 20 Feb 2015 flagged off the first express train from Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh to New Delhi by pressing a button at a function held in Indira Gandhi Park in Itanagar.

--> He had arrived in Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar to participate in the state's 29th foundation day.

6) Prasar Bharti can share feed with private cable operators: SC

--> Public broadcaster Doordarshan (DD) can continue to share live feed of cricket World Cup matches with private cable operators as the Supreme Court on 20 Feb 2015 granted a stay on the Delhi High Court order in this regard.

--> The High Court had allowed the plea of Star India Ltd, which holds the exclusive telecast rights of the Cricket world cup, and had asked Prasar Bharati not to share the live feed of the matches with private cable operators.

7) EC presented 'India Votes' to President Pranab Mukhjerjee:

--> The Election Commission has come out with its latest publication on Indian polls, 'India Votes', encapsulating a comprehensive and fact-filled review of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

--> Chief election commissioner H S Brahma and election commissioner S Nasim Zaidi on 19 Feb 2015 presented the first copy of the book to President Pranab Mukhjerjee.

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Intelligence Bureau ACIO Exam Solved Question Paper 2015 - Part 1

1) Curcuma longa is the scientific name of which spice?

Ans. (3) Turmeric

2) Bones found in the hands and feet as the percentage of total number of bones in the body of an adult human being is nearly equal to?

Ans. (4) 50%

3) Europeans are believed to have brought potatoes to India in the 18th century. Which region of the world is believed to be the origin of potato cultivation?

Ans. (2) Southern Peru

4) Oymyakon is generally considered the coldest inhabited area on earth. Which country Oymyakon is located in?

Ans. (2) Russia

5) Which gland in the human body is also known as the "third eye"?

Ans. (1) Pineal

6) Leukaemia is a group of cancers that usually begins in the bone marrow and results high numbers of which abnormal cells?

Ans. (1) White blood cells

7) During an earthquake,two places A and B record its intensity on richter scale as 4.0 and 6.0, respectively. In absolute terms, the ratio of intensity of the earthquake at A to that of B is?

Ans. (4) 1:100

8) On a cold day in January, the temperature at a place fell below the freezing point and was recorded as -40degree centigrade. On Fahrenheit scale, the same temperature would?

Ans. (3) -40 degree F

9) Universal gas constant,R, is a property of?

Ans. (1) Ideal Gas

10) In which place was the 1st science congress held in January,1914?

Ans. (1) Kolkata

11) The class of elementary particles, bosons, was named after Satyendra Nath Bose, an Indian Physicist. Which of the following Indian Scientists graduated from Presidency College Calcutta as a classmate of Satyendra Nath Bose?

Ans. (4) Meghnad Saha

12) To which places Aryabhata, the great  mathematician, went for advanced studies?

Ans. (2) Patliputra

13) The development of the world's first practical design for an Inter – Continental Ballistic Missile, A9/10, was undertaken in Nazi germany during the world war 11. It was intended for use in boming?

Ans. (1) London and other coastal cities of Britain

14) Homi Jahangir Bhabha, the father of Indian nuclear programme, was also the fiunding director of which of the following institutes?

Ans. (1) Tata Institute of Fundamental Reasearch

15) Who headed the satellite launch vehicle (SLV) project launched by isro in 1970?

Ans. (3) Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam

More Question will Published Soon...

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Full Answer Key of IB ACIO Exam held on 22 February 2015

Friends.. Here is the much awaited answer key of today's (22.02.2015) INTELLIGENCE BUREAU Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade II/ Executive Examination 2014. This answer key was prepared by a private teaching Institute for the help of students who attempted today's exam. Hence answers to some questions may vary and the official answer key published by IB will be the final. If there is any error in respect of any questions, please bring it to our notice, we will correct it. You can download the key also as PDF from the below link. Please cross check with your answers & share your score below. All the Best! 

Assistant Central Intelligence Officer Grade II/ Executive Examination 2014-Paper 1 Key

(Please click on the image to enlarge)

Download Answer Key as PDF: Click Here

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Question Paper of IB ACIO Grade-II/Executive Examination held on 22 February 2015

Friends.. In this post we are sharing with you the Question Paper of the IB ACIO Grade-II/Executive Examination 2014 held on 22.02.2015.  This will be a useful reference for upcoming ACIO Exams. Answer Key will be published soon. Keep Visiting. You can download the question paper as PDF from the below link.

Question Paper of IB ACIO 2015: Click Here or Link 2

Check Answer Key: Click Here

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