Daily GK update - 6th December 2014

1.    PSU bank ATMs will be able to print in Hindi soon

i. ATMs installed by state-owned banks will soon have the facility for issuing the transaction receipt in Hindi, finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday in response to a question in the Lok Sabha.

ii. "The government has instructed public sector banks (PSBs) to install those ATM machines which can produce receipts in both Hindi and English languages.
iii. PSBs have been advised to ensure that all ATM machines have facility of doing transactions/printing in Hindi as well as in English.
iv. Most ATMs have a bilingual option on their home screens. Some machines, like those installed by ICICI Bank offer a regional language option as well in non-Hindi speaking states.

2.    Ashton Carter new US defense secretary

i. US President Barack Obama yesterday named Ashton Carter, a technocrat and academic with deep experience working in the Pentagon, to replace Chuck Hagel as US Defence Secretary.

ii. Obama praised the 60 year old former Deputy Defence Secretary, saying that he would bring to the job a unique blend of strategic perspective and technical know how. 

iii. Carter, who is expected to be confirmed by the Senate, takes over as the US military finds itself in an air war against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, a sharp reversal of course for an administration that had sought to bring home troops after 13 years of fighting. 

iv. Ashton carter was born in 1954 and he is a physicist and former Harvard professor.
v. He was professor and chair of the International Relations, Science, and Security faculty in Kennedy school of Harvard.
vi. He served as assistant secretary of defense for international security policy under President Clinton (1993-94).

3.    Arun Duggal appointed as non-executive Chairman of Credit rating agency ICRA

i. Credit Rating Agency ICRA Limited on 5 December 2014 appointed Arun Duggal as non-executive Chairman after he was elected unilaterally by the ICRA Board. Currently, Arun Duggal is serving as an independent director on the Board of ICRA Ltd.

ii. He will replace Pranab Kumar Choudhury who will resign from ICRA Limited and all other affiliated entities on 29 January 2015. He has been associated with the rating agency for 24 years.

iii. Duggal is the former Chairman of the non-banking financial company Shriram Capital Ltd.

4.    ICICI Bank ties up with price comparison app Zopper

i. ICICI Bank, the country’s largest private sector lender, has tied up with Zopper, an e-commerce app for offline and online price comparison.

ii. “This will allow ICICI debit and credit card holders to avail themselves of exclusive discounts at retail stores in their city, which are powered by the Zopper app iii. To be eligible for this offer, ICICI Bank customers need to download the Zopper app on their smartphone,” the company said in a statement.

iv. This deal helps Zopper to increase its user base, as ICICI Bank promotes the scheme to its customers via SMS, email, ATMs, etc. An ICICI customer can then download Zopper app to see and avail of offers in their city.

v. This unique partnership between Zopper & ICICI has invigorated the retail ecosystem in areas under ambit. Merchants are getting more footfalls and ICICI customers are getting exclusive discounts. 

5.    ICICI Bank sells Russian subsidiary to Sovcombank

i. The board of country’s largest private sector lender ICICI Bank on Friday approved sale of the bank’s shareholding in its Russian subsidiary ICICI Bank Eurasia, to a third party Sovcombank.

ii. “ICICI Bank Ltd has informed BSE that the Board of Directors of the Bank at its meeting held on December 05, 2014, approved a proposal for the sale of ICICI Bank’s shareholding in ICICI Bank Eurasia Limited Liability Company (IBEL), a non-material wholly-owned banking subsidiary in Russia, to Sovcombank, an unrelated third party Russian bank,” ICICI Bank said in a release to the Bombay Stock Exchange.

iii. ICICI Bank Eurasia accounted for less than 0.1 per cent of ICICI Bank’s consolidated total assets at that date and consolidated profit after tax for the period, the BSE release said.

6.    Govt appoints Dinesh Kumar as CEO of Polavaram Project

i. Senior IAS officer Dinesh Kumar was today appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Polavaram Project Authority.

ii. Kumar, a 1983 batch IAS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, is currently working as Development Commissioner in the Ministry of Textiles.

iii. He has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Polavaram Project Authority under the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary, for a tenure of three years, an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training said.

7.    Orion spacecraft marks dawn of new chapter in space exploration: US

i. The successful test flight of the Orion spacecraft is the dawn of a new chapter in space exploration, the White House today said after NASA’s unmanned spacecraft completed its first test flight.

ii. Orion is expected to take up its first crew in 2021.

iii. After a successful launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket at 7:05 a.m. local time this morning, Orion orbited the Earth twice, reaching speeds of 20,000 miles per hour and travelling through belts of intense radiation before enduring a fiery, 4,000 degree F re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

8.    American, South African hostages killed in Yemen

i. An American photojournalist and a South African aid worker held by al-Qaeda militants in Yemen have been killed in a failed U.S. rescue attempt, authorities said on Saturday.

ii. Speaking in Afghanistan, U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said Luke Somers “and a second non-U.S. citizen hostage were murdered” by al-Qaeda militants during the raid.

iii. Lucy Somers, the photojournalist’s sister, told The Associated Press that she and her father learned of her 33-year-old brother’s death from FBI agents at 5 a.m. GMT (10.30 a.m. IST) on Saturday.

9.    Fifth World Cup Kabaddi begins today

i. The Fifth World Cup Kabaddi begins today at Jalandhar in Punjab. 19 teams from 15 nations are participating in the tournament. These include 11 Men's and 8 women's teams. 
ii. Though the tournament will be inaugurated today evening, matches will start tomorrow. Prize worth 5.27 crore rupees are up for grabs in team and individual events which will continue till 20th of this month.