Daily GK Update: 20th April 2023

 National & International Appointments

1. Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel wins second term in polls

• President of Cuba, Miguel Diaz-Canel (62) has clinched a second five-year term in a parliamentary vote for which he was the sole candidate in the country.
• His bid was confirmed by 97.66% of votes cast in the Communist Party of Cuba-aligned National Assembly.
• He took over the reins in 2018 as the first civilian leader of Cuba.
• His first five years in office were marked by the worst economic crisis in three decades.
• Cuba Capital: Havana; Currency: Cuban Peso

 National & International Appointments

2. Randhir Thakur appointed as CEO & MD of Tata Electronics

• Tata Group has appointed Dr. Randhir Thakur as the CEO and managing director of Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd (TEPL).
• Before this, he was associated with the global electronic chip and circuits manufacturing giant Intel.
• He has also held leadership and technical positions at Applied Materials Inc., SanDisk Corp, and Micron Technology Inc.
• TEPL was founded in 2020 as a greenfield venture of the Tata Group with expertise in manufacturing precision components.

 State Affairs

3. Assam, Arunachal signs MoU on the border dispute

• Assam government has signed an MoU with the Arunachal Pradesh government to resolve the long pending border dispute between both states.
• The MoU was signed in presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on April 20.
• The Assam cabinet has approved the recommendations of 12 Regional Committees formed by the state government to resolve the decades-long border dispute issues with Arunachal Pradesh.
• Assam shares an 804 km long boundary with Arunachal Pradesh.

 National & International Appointments

4. HSBC India ropes in Virat Kohli as their brand influencer

• Former Indian men's cricket team captain, Virat Kohli has been appointed as the brand influencer of HSBC India.
• HSBC India is also set to launch a multimedia campaign featuring Kohli, aimed at re-establishing the value proposition of banking with the company.
• Virat Kohli will help to amplify HSBC’s purpose of opening up a world of opportunity as it strives to support the ambitions of an aspirational India going global.
• HSBC India CEO: Hitendra Dave 

 Banking & Finance

5. RBI allows AU SFB, Equitas Bank to deal with foreign exchange

• RBI has approved the AU Small Finance Bank and Equitas Bank to deal in foreign exchange.
• AU SFB informed that RBI has granted the Licence to act as Authorized Dealer Category-I (AD-I) under section 10 of FEMA, 1999 to deal in foreign exchange.
• The permission is subject to compliance with applicable regulations.
• Equitas Small Finance Bank has also received Authorized Dealer Category-I (AD-I) License from RBI.
  AU Small Finance Bank CEO: Sanjay Agarwal

 National Affairs

6. Agriculture Minister launched SATHI Portal & Mobile App

• Agriculture Minister, Narendra Singh Tomar launched the SATHI Portal and Mobile App to deal with the challenges of seed production, quality seed identification, and seed certification.
• SATHI refers to Seed Traceability, Authentication, and Holistic Inventory.
• It has been developed on the theme of Uttam Beej - Samriddh Kisan.
• The minister highlighted that the government is constantly trying to overcome the challenges and difficulties faced by farmers.

 National Affairs

7. NHAI to create around 10,000 km of Digital Highways by FY 2024 - 25

• NHAI is working towards the development of around 10,000 km of Optic Fibre Cables (OFC) infrastructure across the country by FY2024-25.
• The network of Digital Highways will be implemented by the National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML), a fully owned SPV of NHAI.
• Under the pilot routes for the Digital Highway development, around 1,367 km on Delhi - Mumbai Expressway and 512 km on Hyderabad - Bangalore Corridor have been identified.

 Books & Authors

8. Cricketer Faf du Plessis's autobiography is to be released in May 2023

• South African cricketer, Francois ‘Faf’ du Plessis's memoir 'Faf Through Fire' is all set to release in India in May 2023.
• The book is published by Penguin Random House India.
• Presently, he is the captain of the Indian Premier League’s Royal Challengers Bangalore team.
• He is also the former Captain of the South African National Cricket team.
• In his upcoming memoir, he has shared his journey as a cricketer, love for the game, and also reveals his struggles and triumphs.

 Honours & Awards

9. Angela Merkel receives Germany's highest Order of Merit

• Former Chancellor Angela Merkel received the highest Order of Merit of Germany from the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
• The award has only been given twice before, to former chancellors Konrad Adenauer and Helmut Kohl.
• All three former leaders belong to the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
• The Order of Merit entails no financial reward.
• Merkel led Germany from 2005 to 2021, totaling four terms in office.

 Science & Technology

10. IIT Roorkee signs pact with Taiwanese centre

• IIT Roorkee has signed an MoU with the National Science and Technology Centre for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), Taiwan.
• Aim: To develop scientific and academic cooperation and scientific research to promote relations and mutual understanding between NCDR and the Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management of IIT Roorkee
• The main objective is to develop a technological solution to natural hazards, including earthquakes, landslides, and compound disasters. 

 National & International Organizations

11. India surpasses China as world’s most populous nation: UN

• According to the UN data, India has surpassed China to become the world's most populous nation with 142.86 crore people.
• China has a population of 142.57 crore.
• In 2016, China ended its strict "one-child policy" and started letting couples have three children in 2021.
• According to the UN data, the global population will have hit 8.045 billion by mid-2023.
• Factors Influencing population growth: Fertility rate, Increasing longevity, International migration

 Banking & Finance

12. South Indian Bank debuts 2 flexible savings accounts for NRIs

• South Indian Bank has introduced SIB SEAFARER and SIB PULSE, two flexible saving accounts, for NRI customers.
• SEAFARER:
  • Flexibility to maintain a minimum balance of Rs.10,000/- in linked accounts
  • No minimum balance is required for the maintenance of the NRI Term Deposit of Rs.2 lakh and above
• PULSE:
  • Flexibility to maintain a minimum balance of Rs.10,000/- in linked accounts
  • NR Term Deposit above Rs.2 Lakh or RD with minimum monthly installment above Rs.20,000/-

 National & International Organizations

13. World's Wealthiest Cities Report 2023 released

• According to the World's Wealthiest Cities Report 2023, published by Henley & Partners and New World Wealth, New York City has emerged as the wealthiest city in the world, with 340,000 resident millionaires.
• Tokyo with 290,300 resident millionaires, ranked second, followed by The Bay Area, London, and Singapore.
• While the US has topped the list in the number of wealthy cities, with 10 out of the top 50 cities in the world, followed by China, and Australia.