Daily GK Update : 2nd and 3rd August 2015

1. India to host 2nd Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC)

i. India will host second edition meeting of Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) on 21 August 2015 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. 

ii. The meeting will be attended by the heads of 14 island nations from Indo-Pacific oceanic region. It is seen as India’s first step towards greater engagement with the region, which is important from geostrategic and economic standpoint.

iii. It could also help counter the growing Chinese influence in this oceanic region. The FIPIC meeting will pave the way for agreements in various potential areas between India and these nations.

iv. It will include sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, food processing, solar energy, e-networks for coordination in tele-education and tele-medicine. It will also include space cooperation and climate change. Earlier in November 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Fiji had proposed to hold FIPIC summits regularly to increase ties among the participating nations.

2. Folger appointed MD, CEO of Mercedes-Benz India

i. Mercedes-Benz on Monday said it has appointed Roland S Folger as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of its India operations, replacing Eberhard Kern who will assume a new role for the European market.

ii. Under the leadership of Eberhard Kern during the past three years, the growth strategy of Mercedes-Benz India has been enhanced including the expansion of production capacity, as well as extension of network and product portfolio, the company said in a statement.

iii. After holding several positions in sales department for Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles with responsibility for the Southeast region, he was appointed Vice-President for Sales, Marketing and After Sales in Tuscaloosa (US)

3. HDFC Bank’s new initiative

i. HDFC Bank has launched ‘Dhanchayat’, an educational film to raise awareness on the dangers of borrowing money from unorganised sources.

ii. This film has been launched under the aegis of  Swachh Banking, the bank’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative.

iii. As part of Swachh Banking, HDFC Bank-branded Dhanchayat video vans will travel across the country covering thousands of villages.

iv. Through the film, the bank will showcase to the rural population the importance of transparency in dealings as also the dignity and self-respect of the individual in the borrowing process.

4. US country singer Lynn Anderson passes away

i. United States country singer Lynn Anderson passed away after she suffered a heart attack in Nashville, US. She was 67.

ii. She was best known for her 1971 worldwide hit I Never Promised You a from Rose Garden. Lynn Anderson was born in North Dakota and was raised in Sacramento, California.

iii. She was daughter of two country songwriters and started her career at the age of 6. Her other US hits are How Can I Unlove You?, You’re My Man and Top of the World.

iv. She had won a Grammy award for Rose Garden and in 1971, she was also the Country Music Association’s female vocalist of the year. Alongside her singing career, she had appeared in number of television series.

5. HDFC Bank ties up with Snapdeal for co-branded credit card

i. India's second largest private sector lender, HDFC Bank and online marketplace Snapdeal jointly launched co branded e-commerce credit card today.

ii. The card is aimed at getting Snapdeal's customers, 70 per cent of whom are from smaller cities and towns, to make online payments instead of availing the cash on delivery option.

iii. A customer can apply for the card from Snapdeal's website, mobile site or mobile application. The applicant's credit eligibility will be checked instantly.

iv. The move is aimed at tapping the rise in ecommerce transactions with payments companies like Paytm which gives discounts to attract customers.

6. India women’s team wins silver in World Archery Championship

i. Indian women’s recurve archery team has won silver medal in World Archery Championship held in Copenhagen, Denmark.

ii. Indian women’s team included trio of Laxmirani Majhi, Deepika Kumari, and Rimil Buriuly.

iii. In the final match of World Championship they lost to Russia by 4-5 score.

iv. The winning Russian women’s team included trio of Ksenia Perova, Inna Stepanova and Tuyana Dashidorzhieva.

v. Indian archer Rajat Chauhan has won silver medal in the World Archery Championships in the compound category. It was India’s first-ever individual medal in the World Archery Championships