Daily GK : 15 Dec 2016

Sports News

1. Pankaj Advani grabs the World Billiard Championship Title 2016.

• He won the title by defeating Peter Gilchrist of Singapore in the summit clash.
• This is Advani's 16th overall world title and 11th world billiard's championship title (150 - Up format).

National Affairs

2. Helpline Number '14444' to be launched by Union Government for Digital Payments.

• The move aims to create awareness among people about digital transactions.
• The toll free helpline number is expected to be operational within a week.
• The number will be implemented on a large scale with the help of Nasscom.

3. Solar Battery Station and Community Development Centre unveiled  in Assam.

• The project has been inaugurated at Bindhakata Tengapukhuri village in Chabua, Dibrugarh.
• Sri Sri Rural Development Programme (SSRDP) Trust of Art of Living Foundation in collaboration with Cooper Foundation has helped in the implementation of the project.
• The project was inaugurated by Assam Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal.

4. Indian Railways ties up with SBI to install 10000 POS machines.

• The move comes in support of the demonetisation step of central government.
• This will help passengers book their tickets digitally (cashless transaction) with the help of their debit or credit cards at Public Reservation System counters .

5. Major Port Authorities Bill, 2016 approved by Cabinet.

• The bill will replace Major Port Trusts Act, 1963 as per proposal of Ministry of Shipping.
• The move aims to expand port infrastructure and also facilitate trade and commerce.
• This will also help major ports to perform with greater efficiency.

International Affairs

6. Indra Nooyi, Elon Musk and Travis Kalanick to join Donald Trump's Advisory Council.

• PepsiCo Chairperson, Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk, , and CEO and co - founder of Uber Technologies, Travis Kalanick will be a part of Donald Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum.
• The appointment aims to help president-elect Trump in implementing his economic agenda.

7. Grant Agreement signed between India and IBRD (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development).

• The agreement has been signed for  additional Financing of MSME Projects for energy efficiency.
• GEF grant of USD 5.19 Million was signed by Joint Secretary (MI), Department of Economic Affairs, Shri Raj Kumar, on behalf of the Government of India and Country Director, World Bank (India), Mr. Junaid Ali Ahmad, on behalf of IBRD.

8. PM Narendra Modi among 10 most powerful people of the world : Forbes

• Among the Forbes list of 74 of the World's Most Powerful People, PM Modi ranks 9th.
• Vladimir Putin, President of Russia has topped the list for the fourth consecutive year.
• Mukesh Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Industries has also grabbed 38th spot in the list.

9. Nano-ceramic Material developed by scientists for safer nuclear reactors.

• The developed material will have the capacity to operate at higher temperatures and radiation fields and will be able to produce energy in a more efficient and economical way.
• Indian - origin scientist Kumar Sridharan who is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,US was also a part of the research team.

10. Babur Cruise Missile successfully test - fired by Pakistan.

• The cruise missile has a range of 700 kilometers.
• It is a part of Babur Weapon System (Version- 2) and can carry all kinds of warheads.
• The missile is equipped with state of the art navigational technologies which enables it to hit targets with pinpoint accuracy even in the absence of GPS navigation.