Daily GK Update - 14th and 15th December 2014

1.Central Sydney under Siege

i. Terrified hostages cowered inside a cafe in central Sydney Monday with an Islamic flag displayed against a window, sparking a security lockdown in an area home to government and corporate headquarters.

ii. Martin Place was evacuated as scores of armed police surrounded the Lindt chocolate cafe, with TV pictures showing a flag - black with white Arabic writing - held to a window by customers.

iii. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep concerns over the Sydney cafe siege incident.

iv. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he has convened the National Security Committee for emergency briefings after hostages were reportedly taken in a Sydney cafe today.

2. Rahman and Jal for oscars

i. India’s music maestro A.R. Rahman may end up getting his third Oscar nomination in the best original score category after making it to the list of 114 probables.

ii. while Hindi film Jal also features in the long list of best picture Oscar hopefuls.

iii. Rahman, who has previously been nominated for 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire, for which he won two Oscars, has made it to the list for three of his films including Hollywood movies The Hundred-Foot Journey and Million Dollar Arm and Rajinikanth-starrer Tamil film Kochadaiiyaan.

iv. Jal features in the best picture list as an independent submission, while India will officially be represented at the Academy awards in the best foreign feature category by Liar’s Dice.

3. PM Narendra Modi launched Born Again on the Mountain by Arunima Sinha

i. Prime Minister Narendra  Modi launched a book tittled Born Again on the Mountain by Arunima Sinha.  

ii. She is the first Indian amputee and first female amputee to climb Mount Everest.

iii. The book is about her unforgettable story of hope, courage and resilience.

iv. She was a national level volleyball player who was pushed out of a running train by thieves in 2011 as she attempted to fight them off.

4. Miss South Africa Rolene Strauss crowned Miss World 2014

i. Miss South Africa, Rolene Strauss was crowned Miss World 2014 at the final of the beauty pageant held in London, UK. 

ii. Strauss, 22-year-old fourth-year medical student at University of the Free State, was presented with the sash by the outgoing Miss World, Megan Young of the Philippines.

iii. Rolene Strauss will now travel to the violence-hit Central American nation to build a school named in their honour. 

iv. Miss Hungary, Edina Kulcsar, was the runner-up and Miss United States, Elizabeth Safrit, came third in the 64th annual competition, contested by women from 121 countries.

v. India's 21-year-old Jaipur-born Koyal Rana made it to the top 10 but failed to make it to the top five. However, she bagged the sub-title of Best Designer of the world. 

vi. She also shared the Beauty With A Purpose title with Kenya, Guyana, Brazil and Indonesia. 

vii. Priyanka Chopra was the last Indian winner of the coveted title in 2000.

5. Miss World 2014: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan felicitated.

i. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was on Sunday (December 14) felicitated by the Miss World Organisation at the 64th edition of the international beauty pageant for her commitment to “beauty with a purpose” since winning the crown two decades ago.

ii. Described as embodiment of beauty with purpose, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is also seen as the most successful Miss World so far, a title that she won in 1994.

6. Wholesale inflation hits zero, lowest in over 5 years.

i. Wholesale price inflation hit a zero level in November, the lowest in about five and half years, on account of decline in prices of food, fuel and manufactured items.

ii. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation was at 1.77 per cent in October and 7.52 per cent in November 2013.

iii. Onion price contracted 56.28 per cent as compared to a contraction of 59.77 per cent in October. In case of vegetables, the contraction was 28.57 per cent.

iv. Prices in fuel and power segment contracted by 4.91 per cent, as against 0.43 per cent inflation in October.

v. The decline in both retail and WPI inflation for November coupled with contraction of industrial production to 4.2 per cent in October, will put pressure on RBI to lower interest rates to boost growth.

7. Anil Ambani's BIG Cinemas sold to Carnival

i. Anil Ambani led Reliance Group has sold its multiplex business to South India-based Carnival Group in the largest ever deal in this space.

ii.The transaction will reduce Reliance Capital’s overall debt by Rs 700 crore and is part of Reliance Capital’s strategy to exit minority investments.

iii.The deal will make Carnival the third largest multiplex operator with nationwide presence and over 300 screens, a statement said on Monday.

iv.The deal struck between Carnival Cinemas and Reliance MediaWorks, will exclude IMAX Wadala (Mumbai) and some other properties worth Rs 200 crore, the statement added.

v. Reliance Capital is the parent firm of Reliance MediaWorks, which operates one of the largest cinema chains, under the brand ‘BIG Cinemas’ with over 250 screens pan-India.

8. World Hockey Body Suspends Two Pakistani Players Following Obscene Gestures.

i. Two Pakistani field hockey players were suspended and one was reprimanded for making obscene gestures after their team's semi-final win over hosts India in the Champions Trophy semi-final, the sport's governing body said on Sunday. 

ii. Muhammad Tousiq and reserve goalkeeper Ali Amjad were handed a one-match ban that sidelined them from the final of the eight-nation tournament against Germany later on Sunday in Bhubaneswar. 

iii. As the final hooter sounded in Saturday night's 4-3 thriller, excited Pakistani players took off their shirts and made rude gestures towards Indian fans at the packed 7,000-capacity Kalinga stadium.

9. Germany beat Pakistan 2-0 to win Champions Trophy.

i. Olympic champions Germany clinched the Champions Trophy title with a convincing 2-0 win over Pakistan in the summit clash.

ii. Overall, it was Germany's 10th Champions Trophy title. Pakistan, on the other hand, had bettered their bronze medal finish in the 2012 edition of the tournament in Melbourne by bagging the silver.

iii. Christopher Wesley (18th minute) and Florian Fuchs (57th) scored for Germany. The Germans were by far the better side on the ground as they dominated the Pakistanis for most part of the match. 

10. Anerood Jugnauth appointed as Mauritius Prime Minister.

i. Anerood Jugnauth appointed as Mauritius Prime MinisterAnerood Jugnauth was appointed as Mauritius Prime Minister by the President Purryag on 14 December 2014. 

ii. He became the Prime Minister of Mauritius for the sixth time following victory of his alliance in Mauritius elections 2014.

iii. Jugnauth replaced Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam of Labour Party, who resigned as the Prime Minister on 13 December 2014