GK and Current Affairs Updates

Mumbai, Jan 13 (PTI) Country’s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) today said it has opened its first branch in South Korea.The Seoul branch is expected to play an important role in strengthening economic  partnership between the two nations, the banks Managing Director B Sriram said in a statement. With over 135 branches across many geographies, SBI has the largest presence in foreign markets among domestic banks. The branch will offer a range of services to corporates in trade finance, bilateral and  syndicated loans and corporate deposits etc, apart from retail banking. SBIs decision to open a branch in Seoul follows from the continuous and significant  increase in trade following the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which was signed between New Delhi and Seoul in 2009.

The Arsenal midfielder had won the award, which is voted for by German fans, three times in a row before losing out to Toni Kroos in 2014.However, more than 51,000 fans voted for Ozil this year, giving him 45.9 per cent of the vote, and placing him well ahead of Bayern Munich's Thomas Muller (15.9 per cent) in second place.
Ozil has been in outstanding form for Arsenal in 2015 and play a key role in Germany reaching the European Championships in France next summer, being involved in eight out of nine international matches throughout the year. Jonas Hector of FC Köln, received 13.6  per cent of the vote in third place, with 13 players nominated in total. Manchester  United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger won the award in 2010. 

Indian Army Day marks a day to salute the valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect our country and the people living in it. The day is celebrated on January 15th \every year. On this day in 1948, Lieutenant General K. M. Cariappa became the first  Indian Commander-in-Chief. Army played equally important role as the other freedom  fighters in instilling democratization in India. General Kodandera Madappa Cariappa  shared a good bonding with both natives and Britishers and then succeeded General Roy  Butcher of British Army to become the first Indian Commander in Chief of the democratic  India.The Indian Army fights adversities on borders as well as with natural calamities.  The Army works with true dedication and spirit of the motto 'fight to win.' 

Celebrations
The Army Day celebrated on 15th January, 2016 will be the 68^th Anniversary of Indian Army. The Army re-dedicates itself to become a part of the 'War Winning Team' on this  day. The day begins with paying homage to the martyred soldiers at the Amar Jawan Jyoti  at the India Gate,New Delhi. Parades and many military shows which features the technology and achievements in Army are held at the Delhi Cantonment. Unit credentials  and Sena Medals were also presented for gallantry on the occasion every year. 

Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis lifted their second trophy of the season as they won the WTA Sydney International defeating Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic 1-6, 7-5, 10-5 on Friday. This was their 30th win in-a-row but it was not without initial hiccups as the top seeds lost the first set meekly, before eking out the win in one hour and 13 minutes.The world number one team trailed 1-6, 1-4 at one stage but came out unscathed, levelling the second set 5-5 and then sealed it to stretch it to a Super tie-breaker.The US open and Wimbledon champions raced to a 8-3 lead in the decider and clinched the issue comfortably to stretch their unbeaten run to an incredible 30 matches.It was the 11th title together for the Indo-Swiss pair. In 2015, they won nine titles including the year-end WTA Finals. The year 2016 also started on a fabulous note for the duo as they won the Brisbane International title.

Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari on 13 January 2016 inaugurated Mumbai Port Trust’s second liquid chemical berth at Pir Pau, Mumbai. With commissioning of this berth, the  cargo handling capacity of the Port will increase by 2.5 MMT (Million Metric Tonnes) per  annum. 

About Second Liquid Chemical Berth
• The project is built at an expense of 127 crore rupees.
• It is designed to handle 55000 DWT (deadweight tonnes) vessels carrying liquid bulk chemicals and POL products, which can be upgraded to 65000 DWT in future. 
• The safety standards provided at this facility are conforming to the Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD) norms. The berth that will result in substantial reduction of cost for importers with faster  turnaround of ships carrying big parcel size was developed under the Sagarmala initiative. Earlier in the day Gadkari opened the new bridge across River  Thirumalairajanari  Karaikal. The bridge replaced the 160 year old bridge built during French regime. He also inaugurated the construction of approach road for the road over bridge at Arumparthapuram in Puducherry.

Bengaluru-based activist Subhashini Vasanth on 13 January 2016 was honoured with Neerja Bhanot Award. She was presented the award for her endeavour to help people in distress  and for empowering widows of martyrs and their families across the country. Bollywood  actor Sonam Kapoor presented the award to Vasanth at a ceremony held in Chandigarh. 

ABOUT NEERJA BHANOT AWARD: 

The Neerja Bhanot Award is an award of recognition conferred once a year by the The  Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust in India.
• It is awarded to an Indian woman, subjected to social injustice, who faces the  situation with grit and determination and extends help to other women in similar  distress.
• The annual Neerja Bhanot Award was instituted in 1990 and named in honour of Senior  Flight Purser, Neerja Bhanot, who saved hundreds of lives while sacrificing her own, during a Pan Am Flight 73 hijack at Karachi Airport in September 1986.
• The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1.5 lakh, a citation and a trophy.

Sikkim has become India’s first fully organic state by implementing organic practices on around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land. round 75,000 hectares of agricultural land  was gradually converted to certified organic land by implementing organic practices and principles as per guidelines laid down in National Programme for Organic Production. It was 12 years ago in 2003 when the Pawan Chamling-led government decided to make Sikkim  an organic farming state through a declaration in the legislative assembly. Later the entry of chemical inputs for farmland was restricted and their sale banned. Farmers therefore had no option but to go organic. Organic cultivation is free of chemical pesticides and chemical fertilisers as it tries  to strike a harmonious balance with a complex series of ecosystems. In the long term, organic farming leads in subsistence of agriculture, biodiversity  conservation and environmental protection.

Alan Rickman, the British actor with the unforgettable voice who played the brooding  Professor Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" films as well as "Die Hard" villain Hans  Gruber, died after a short battle with cancer. The actor had been a big-screen staple  since first shooting to global acclaim in 1988, when he starred as Hans Gruber, Bruce  Willis’s sardonic, dastardly adversary in Die Hard – a part he was offered two days after arriving in Los Angeles, aged 41. in 1991, he starred a cellist opposite Juliet Stevenson in Anthony Minghella’s affecting supernatural romance Truly, Madly, Deeply;  four years later he was the honorable and modest Col Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, starring and scripted by Emma Thompson.

Jharkhand is set to get the world’s largest Tricolour flying atop the country’s tallest  flagpole at the Pahari temple in Ranchi, beating a record held by a flag in Haryana’s  Faridabad by several feet. Standing tall at 293 feet, and measuring 99 by 66 feet, the  Ranchi Tricolour will be the tallest tricolor in the world.

About Indian  National  Flag
The National Flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour of deep saffron, white and India green; with the Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22  July 1947, when it became the official flag of the Republic of India. The flag is based  on the Swaraj flag, a flag of the Indian National Congress designed by Pingali Venkayya.

Television actor Rajesh Vivek Upadhyay, who played the popular character of Guran in  blockbuster Lagaan, passed away on January 14, 2016. The actor, who has been part of some iconic TV shows like Bharat Ki Khoj, Mahabharat and Ighori to name a few. Upadhayay was 66 and passed away after suffering from cardiac arrest.