Daily GK Update: 12th September 2023

 Sports

1. Basketball Germany beat Serbia to win World Cup for first time

• Germany won their first-ever FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 title by beating Serbia in Manila.
• The 19th edition of FIBA’s flagship event, co-hosted by the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan, on a high note.
• Serbia absorbed another heartbreak after losing to the United States 129-92 in the 2014 final, but finished better than their quarter-final exit in 2019.
• Earlier, Canada bagged their first World Cup 2022 podium finish at the expense of short-handed United States.

 Banking & Finance

2. Thomas Cook India partners with National Payments Corporation of India

• Thomas Cook (India) Limited partnered with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to introduce a RuPay prepaid forex card tailored for Indian travelers going to the UAE.
• Aim: To ensure accessibility for customers, being India’s forex network with over 4000 touchpoints, including retail outlets, airport counters, online platforms, and mobile applications. 
• The “Ghar pe Forex” commitment reportedly provides doorstep delivery within 2 hours.

 National & International Appointments

3. AIBI appointed Mr. Mahavir Lunawat of Pantomath Capital as Chairman

• The Association of Investment Bankers of India (AIBI) appointed Mahavir Lunawat, Managing Director of Pantomath Capital Advisors Pvt Ltd. as its Chairman.
• The Chairperson of AIBI represents Investment Bankers on the Primary Market Advisory Committee (PMAC) of SEBI and has been active in representing the members’ views, and comments.
• He has led some of the key M&As, and corporate restructuring projects and has lead managed more than 100 IPOs. 

 Agreement

4. India and Saudi Arabia sign Agreement on Cooperation in Energy Sector

• India and Saudi Arabia signed a historic comprehensive cooperation agreement in the field of energy.
• Aim: To enhance ties between India and Saudi Arabia in renewable energy, energy efficiency, hydrogen, electricity and grid interconnections, petroleum, natural gas, strategic petroleum reserves, and energy security.
• It also seeks to encourage bilateral investment in the fields of renewable energy, electricity, hydrogen and storage, and oil & gas.

 Agreement

5. NTPC Green Energy Limited to collaborate with Nayara Energy

• NTPC Green Energy Ltd (NGEL) will partner with Nayara Energy, an oil refining and marketing company, to produce green hydrogen for Nayara Energy’s captive usage. 
• Aim:  To collaborate and produce green hydrogen for Nayara Energy’s captive usage, accelerate decarbonization and catalyse reduction in carbon footprint.  
• Objective: To explore and implement cutting-edge technologies to produce green hydrogen, contributing to a cleaner and more resilient energy landscape.

 Defense

6. 3 member team to explore depths of the ocean in first manned ocean mission

• Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju announced the Samudrayaan Mission( MATSYA 6000 ) India’s first manned mission to explore the deep ocean, where three people will be sent into the depth of 6,000 metre in a submersible. 
• Aim: To sustainably use marine resources for the country’s economic growth and livelihood along with creating job and maintaining the health of the marine ecosystem
• It is designed to study the deep ocean resources and conduct biodiversity assessment

 Agreement

7. India, Bangladesh sign 3 MoUs after bilateral meet ahead of G20 summit

• India and Bangladesh signed three MoUs including one on cooperation in Digital Payment mechanisms.

1. First MoU was signed between National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Bangladesh Bank on cooperation in Digital Payment mechanism 
2. Second MoU focused on the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Program for 2023-2025. 
3. The third MoU was signed between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council.

 Banking & Finance

8. AU Small Finance Bank partners Star Health and Bajaj Allianz

• AU Small Finance Bank has entered into bancassurance tie-ups with Star Health and Allied Insurance Company and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company 
• Aim: To enable the Bank's customers to access a wide range of insurance products from Star Health and Bajaj Allianz. 
• AU Small Finance Bank has recently transitioned from a prominent, retail focused nonbanking finance company which primarily served low and middle-income individuals and businesses.

 National & International Organizations

9. NVIDIA partners with Reliance to advance AI in India

• The famous US chip company NVIDIA declared AI partnerships with  Reliance Industries to build cloud infrastructure, language models, and generative applications.
• Aim: To help NVIDIA deepen its inroads into the emerging AI ecosystem of the South Asian nation as it faces specific barriers in a few chip exports to China and other countries with US restrictions.
• Reliance will create AI applications and services for their 450 million Jio customers

 Obituaries

10. Dennis Austin, Co-Creator Of PowerPoint, Dies At 76

• Dennis Austin, who co-created PowerPoint, passed away at the age of 76.
• He studied engineering at several universities, including MIT and UC Santa Barbara.
• He eventually joined the software company Forethought and co-developing PowerPoint. 
• The company released the software in 1987, and Microsoft bought the company just a few months later. 
• He served as PowerPoint’s primary developer from 1985 to 1996 when he retired.

 Agreement

11. Indian startup delegation in Dubai to strengthen collaboration with UAE

• The Consulate General of India in Dubai welcomed a delegation of 15 Indian startups in a bid to foster collaboration and innovation between Indian and UAE entrepreneurial ventures. 
• Aim: To explore the vibrant startup ecosystems of Sharjah, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi, further strengthening the bonds between India and the UAE. 
• These sessions will provide valuable insights into marketing opportunities, expansion strategies within the UAE, and networking opportunities.

 Agreement

12. Dhaka, Paris sign bilateral instruments on infrastructure, satellite system

• Dhaka and Paris signed two bilateral instruments to enhance cooperation in different fields including infrastructure and satellite.  

1. Agreement between economic relations division of Bangladesh and the France development agency,  France on ‘improving urban governance and infrastructure programme
2. LOI on cooperation between Bangladesh satellite company limited  and airbus defence and space SAS, France related to Bangabandhu-2 earth observation satellite system

 Sports

13. Virat Kohli becomes fastest ODI player to reach 13,000 runs

• Virat Kohli stunned fans after he broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record of the fastest batter to score 13000 runs in ODI. 
• The 34-year-old record of fellow Indian veteran Sachin Tendulkar (321 innings), achieving in just 267 innings.
• With this century, Kohli has now scored four consecutive 100s at this stadium, the joint-most highest centuries at a single venue alongside South African
• He became the quickest batter to reach this mileston, Ponting and Sangakkara