DAILY GK BANKERS ADDA 14TH DECEMBER TO 18TH DECEMBER--IBPS CLERKS

14th December, 2016

Indo-Russian Bilateral Naval Exercise Indra Navy- 2016 begins

i. The 9th edition of Indra Navy exercise between Indian Navy and Russian Navy began on 14 December 2016 in the Bay of Bengal. 

ii. This annual bilateral maritime exercise will continue till 21 December 2016. 

iii. The main aim of this exercise is to enhance the interoperability between the two navies and develop the common understanding of maritime security operations. 

iv. The first edition of this maritime exercise between India and Russia was first held in 2003.

Cyrus Mistry Removed as Director From Tata Consultancy Services

i.Ousted Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry was on 13th December removed as the Director of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) after 93.11% shareholders voted in favour of Mistry's removal. 

ii. However, 43% of institutional investors and 78% of retail investors voted against Mistry's removal.

iii. As Tata Sons has a 73% stake in TCS, these minority investor votes could not impact Mistry's removal.

Andy Murray, Angelique Kerber named ITF players of the year

i. Briton Andy Murray and Germany's Angelique Kerber were named ITF World Champions on 13th December 2016.

ii. Murray won Wimbledon in July and retained his crown in Rio de Janeiro in August. Kerber won the Australian and U.S. Open titles as well as an Olympic silver medal in Rio.

Madonna’s biopic voted as best unproduced script of 2016

i. A biopic of Madonna titled Blond Ambition has been named the most admired unproduced film script currently in the Hollywood system. ii. Written by Elyse Hollander, Blond Ambition has topped the newly published Black List, which invites film executives to vote on their favourite scripts that will not have started shooting before the end of 2016.

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan Inaugurated 3rd edition of Kochi-Muziris Biennale

i. Kerala’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has inaugurated the third edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) at an inaugural event in Parade Ground, Fort Kochi on 13 December 2016.

ii. Titled ‘Forming in the pupil of an eye’, the three-month long festival will witness participation from 97 artists from thirty-one countries across the world.

Sushma Swaraj, Vineet Nayar in FP's Global Thinkers 2016 list

i. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and philanthropist couple Anupama and Vineet Nayar are among the Indians who have been named in the Global Thinkers of 2016 List compiled by the Foreign Policy magazine. 

ii. Swaraj was named in the 'Decision-makers' category along with the Democratic nominee for US President Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch among others. 

Gujarat to have Wagah-like border viewing point

i. The ever-popular ‘border viewing point’ of the Wagah border will soon be recreated in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district.

ii. The announcement was made by the state’s Chief Minister Vijay Rupani at the inaugural event of the annual ‘Rann-Utsav’ at Dhordo in the Rann of Kutch on 13 December 2016.

iii. The new viewing point will be opened at Nadabet near Suigam, a village near the India-Pakistan border. iv. The main purpose of the development is to promote tourism and all tourists visiting the centre will be provided with the same facilities that are made available at the Wagah Border.

PV Sindhu wins Most Improved Player award

i. Rio Olympic silver medallist PV Sindhu has won the Badminton World Federation (BWF) 2016 Most Improved Player of the Year award at the Players’ in Dubai.

ii. Pusarla Venkata Sindhu is an Indian professional badminton player. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she became the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal.

Ravindra Kumar, First IAS Officer To Scale Mt Everest Pens Motivational Book

i. The book titled "Many Everest" An Inspiring Journey of Transforming Dream into Reality’ is penned by Ravindra Kumar.

ii. Ravindra Kumar 2011 batch IAS officer as well as the first Seafarer of India, to climb the Mount Everest has written a motivational book for students, which was released by the Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha on December 12, 2016 in New Delhi. 

Google’s Pulkit Trivedi joins Facebook India as new Industry Director

i. Google’s former Head of Industry, e-commerce Pulkit Trivedi was appointed as Industry Director for e-commerce, retail, travel and financial services verticals of Facebook on December 12, 2016.

ii. Pulkit has 18 years of extensive industry experience covering sales, business development and partnerships. He has worked in Google, Intel, Microsoft, IBM and HCL. 

Malaysia enthrones new King Sultan Muhammad V

i. Malaysia has installed its 15th king, Sultan Muhammad V, in a ceremony marked by honour guards and Islamic prayers in the national palace in Kuala Lumpur.

India signs Grant Agreement with IBRD for additional financing of MSMEs Project

i. India has signed a Grant Agreement of USD 5.19 million with International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for Additional Financing for Financing Energy Efficiency at MSMEs Project- Programmatic Framework for Energy Efficiency on 13 December 2016 .

ii. The agreement was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary at Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of the Union Government and Junaid Ali Ahmad, Country Director of World Bank (India) on behalf of IBRD.

iii. IBRD acts as an Implementing Agency of the Global Environment Facility.

Walter Swinburn: Legendary jockey and Shergar Derby winner dead at 55
i. Walter Swinburn, one of the most renowned jockeys of his generation and rider of the Shergar, passed away on 12 December 2016 following a prolonged illness.ii. He was 55. He was famously known for winning the Epsom Derby horse race three times in his career as a jockey.

15th December, 2016

PM Modi 9th most powerful person: Forbes

i. Prime minister Narendra Modi has ranked 9th on the Forbes list of 74 of the World's Most Powerful People.

ii. The list has topped by Russian President Vladimir Putin for a fourth straight year and had US President-elect Donald Trump in the second place. 

iii. Barack Obama is at 48th spot.

'Brexit' and 'get your freak on' added to Oxford Dictionary

'Brexit' and 'Grexit' (hypothetical withdrawal of Greece from the EU) are among the 1,500 new words and phrases added to the Oxford English Dictionary this week. 'Get your freak on' (sexual activity, especially unconventional) and 'glam-ma' (glamorous grandmother) have also been added. 'Bomb', a surfing term for large wave, and 'Bama', popularised by Beyoncé in Formation, are among the additions.

Gujarat-born 1970s activist on BBC’s power women list

i. A Gujarat-born activist who led a campaign against low pay for women workers at a UK factory in the 1970s has made it the BBC’s most influential women of the past 70 years list released on 15th December.

ii. Jayaben Desai, known as the sari-clad leader of a two-year industrial action against the Grunwick Film Processing Laboratories in north London in 1976, was named among seven women chosen to mark the 70th anniversary of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Woman’s Hour’.

Paytm launches ‘Each one, teach one’ to increase digital inclusion

i. Paytm has announced a program to increase the digital inclusion in the country where in it is calling upon consumers and merchants across India to teach others on how to use Paytm to pay and accept money.

ii. The campaign is aimed at transforming user behaviour and further accelerating the country’s ongoing shift from cash to digital payments.

iii. As a part of the drive, Paytm has also announced an incentive including Rs. 1 cr. grand prize along with additional prizes like motorcycles, smartphones, laptops and other exciting gifts. 

iv. All users transacting between 1st December 2016 and 31st March 2017 are eligible to win these prizes.

Now you can listen 'Mahabharata' on AIR from Dec 19

i. 'Mahabharata', B R Chopra's famed teleserial, is set to be broadcast in its radio avatar on the All India Radio (AIR) from December 19.

ii. It'll be broadcast from Monday to Friday on 70 primary channels of 'Hindi Zone' and FM Gold Stations of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Rio Gets UNESCO World Heritage Status

i. The  Marvelous City or Rio de Janeiro officially has entered into the UN’s list of world heritage sites while UNESCO status was announced in 2012 in recognition of its soaring granite cliffs, urban rainforest and beaches.

ii. The UN cultural body, UNESCO given this status to Rio to highlighted the “extraordinary fusion” of man-made and natural beauty.

Govt announces Lucky Graahak Yojana from Christmas

The Government has announced to launch a 'Lucky Graahak Yojana' and 'Digi Dhan Yojana' to encourage digital payments.Schemes will begin from 25th Dec till April 14, 2017. 7,000 weekly awards and a maximum award of Rs 50,000 each for merchants will be awarded under Digi Dhan Vyapari Yojna.

Union Cabinet approves agreement between India and Tajikistan for avoidance of double taxation

i. Union Cabinet on 14 December 2016 approved the protocol for amending the agreement between India and Tajikistan for the avoidance of double taxation. Moreover, the agreement also aims at the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.

ii. Once the protocol enters into force, it will enable sharing of information, that is exchanged under Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), with other law enforcement agencies for non-tax purposes.

Sochi, Russia won’t host 2017 Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships

i. The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has announced that Russia will not host the 2017 Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Championships. 

ii. The reason cited by IBSF for this was that Russia is accused of state-sponsored doping and IBSF wants to focus on sport rather than accusations.

India to contribute $500,000 to UN emergency response fund

i. India will contribute $500,000 to the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for the year 2016-17 announced by Indian diplomat Anjani Kumar a counsellor at India’s  UN Mission at the pledging session held at UN.

ii. India giving its contribution since it was launched in 2006. 

Qatar abolishes controversial 'kafala' labour system

i. Labour Minister of Qatar, Issa bin Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi on December 13, 2016, formally announced the end of its controversial “kafala” system, which was the biggest ever labour reform in Qatar.

ii. Kafala System is a system used to monitor migrant laborers, working primarily in the construction and domestic sectors of Qatar and other gulf countries.

VG Kannan appointed CEO of Indian Banks’ Association

i. V G Kannan has taken charge as Chief Executive of the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) on 14th December 2016. He succeeds M V Tanksale who demitted office as Chief Executive on August 9, 2016 after being at the helm for three years. 

ii. Kannan had retired as Managing Director & Group Executive (Associates & Subsidiaries) of State Bank of India on July 31, 2016.

World Bank declares pause to protect Indus Waters Treaty

i. The World Bank Group has halted the two concurrent processes initiated by India and Pakistan under the Indus Water Treaty.

ii. The Bank initiated this move in order to protect the treaty.

iii. A communication in this regard was sent by the World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim to finance ministers of both the countries. 

Interim Nationwide Ban Imposed On Manja For Flying Kites By NGT

i. A ban was imposed by the National Green Tribunal on December 14, 2016 on the procurement, sale and use of glass powder coated ‘manja’ and other dangerous strings for flying kites.

ii. The order was passed by the NGT bench, headed by  Chairman Justice Swatanter Kumar who said that the sharp string poses a danger to humans, animals and birds as well as causes harm to environment. 

‘Courts of India – Past to Present’ by Supreme Court of India – Bar & Bench

i. The book titled  ‘Courts of India – Past to Present’ released by the Supreme Court of India.

ii. The book is a comprehensive history of courts and judicial system in India. 

iii. It was authored by the Editorial Board comprises members of both the Bench and the Bar.

e-Tourist visa extended to citizens of 161 countries

i. The Government of India informed that it has extended the e-Tourist Visa facility to citizens of 161 countries.

ii. Further, the number of foreign tourist arrivals on e-Tourist Visa from January to November this year has grown 168.5% over the same period last year.

iii. Under the scheme, the applicant receives their travel authorization through email once it is approved.

November WPI inflation at 3.15%i. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation for November 2016 came in at a five-month low of 3.15 %, lower than 3.39 % in the October month.

ii. The September WPI inflation has been revised from 3.57 % to 3.8 %.

iii. The Wholesale Price Index or WPI is "the price of a representative basket of wholesale goods". India uses this index to measure inflation in their economy.

iv. The Indian WPI figure was released weekly on every Thursday. But since 2009 it has been made monthly. It also influences stock and fixed price markets.

Bewitched, Titanic actor Bernard Fox dies at 89

Bernard Fox died of heart failure at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, California on 14th December. He is best known for his roles on the ABC series Bewitched and James Cameron's Oscar-winning picture Titanic. Fox also made appearances in several British films and TV shows.

16th December, 2016

Nation pays tribute to bravehearts of 1971 Indo-Pak war on Vijay Diwas 

i. The nation is paying tributes to the bravehearts on  16 December 2016, who laid down their lives during 1971 India-Pakistan war on the occasion of Vijay Diwas which is observed on 16 December of every year.

ii. On the occasion, Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar along with three Service chiefs paid tributes to the bravehearts at Amar Jawan Jyoti.

Pakistan successfully test-fires cruise missile

i. Pakistan has successfully test-fired an enhanced version of an indigenously-designed cruise missile that can hit targets at 700km with all kinds of warheads, bringing many Indian cities within its range.

ii. Called ‘Babur’ after Mughal invader and founder of the dynasty of same name, the missile is part of Babur Weapon System version- 2 because it is enhanced version of earlier missile.

Indian-American woman elected as Mayor of Californian city

i. For the first time, an Indian-American woman has been elected as the new Mayor of the key Californian city of Cupertino, globally known for its Apple headquarters. 

ii. Savita Vaidhyanathan, an MBA who worked as a high school Math teacher and an officer in a commercial bank as well as in non-profit management.

Mukesh Ambani featured among World's Most Powerful People

i. Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani has been ranked 38 on the World's Most Powerful People list for 2016 by Forbes. 

ii. Russian President Vladimir Putin has topped the list for the fourth consecutive year.

Seventh Edition of bilateral Exercise ‘EKUVERIN’ commences in Maldives

i. The Seventh edition of Exercise EKUVERIN will be held from 15 to 28 Dec 2016 at Kadhdhoo, Laamu Atoll, Maldives. 

ii. The Exercise is a 14-day platoon level joint military exercise between the Indian Army & the Maldives National Defence Force conducted on a yearly basis. 

iii. The aim of the exercise is to conduct military training with emphasis on amphibious & counter-insurgency/ counter-terrorism operations with a view to enhancing interoperability between the two armies.

Smriti Mandhana named in ICC Women’s Team of the Year

i. India batswoman Smriti Mandhana has been named in the ICC Women’s Team of the Year 2016, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced. 

ii. The women’s team of the year, which will be captained by West Indies’ Stafanie Taylor, has been added to the list of awards to acknowledge and appreciate outstanding performances of women’s cricketers over a 12-month period.

India tops Asia in innovation chart

i. India has Topped the Asia's innovation chart Index.

ii. The ‘Silicon Valley’ of the east, Bengaluru, which is 5th largest hub at the global level, saw most of the innovations in 2016 including the opening of 3 new centres between March and October 2016, apart from setting up of startup accelerator by Apple.

5th Edition of India-Arab partnership conference held in Muscat, Oman

i. The 5th India-Arab Partnership Conference was held on December 14-15 2016 in Muscat, Oman.ii. The Conference was organised in collaboration with the Oman Foreign Ministry, Arab League Secretariat, the Ministry of External Affairs in India, the General Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Arab Countries (GUCCIAC) and Federation of the Arab Business (FAB). iii. The theme of the conference: ‘Partnership towards innovation and cooperation in IT’.

ICFA presents 'Global Agriculture Leadership Award 2016' to Ratan Tata

i. Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) has presented 'Global Agriculture Leadership Award 2016' to Tata Sons interim Chairman Ratan Tata in Mumbai on 15th December 2016. 

ii. According to ICFA, the Leadership Awards jury conferred on Tata the 'Lifetime Achievements Award 2016' for his transformational role in scaling Tata Group as the globally admired group during his stint of two decades as Chairman.

Nigeria's Amina Mohammed confirmed as new UN deputy Secretary­General

i. New United Nations (UN) Secretary­General Antonio Guterres has announced Nigeria’s Environment minister, Amina Mohammed as his Deputy Secretary­General (DSG) on 15th December 2016. 

ii. Guterres also announced the appointment of two other women into high­profile positions at the UN. Ms.Maria Viotti of Brazil (Chef de Cabinet) and Ms Kyung­wha Kang of the Republic of Korea as Special advisor on policy, a new role he intends to create.

17th December, 2016

Rajasthan launches Amma canteen-type meal scheme

i. Rajasthan government has launched a subsidised meal scheme ‘Annapurna Rasoi'.  As per the scheme, the poor and the needy will get breakfast for Rs 5 and lunch or dinner for Rs 8.

ii. The scheme will be in 12 cities initially and introduced across the state later. Initially, the scheme has been launched in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Bikaner, Udaipur, Bharatpur, Baran, Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh and Jhalawar.

PIFF to be held from Jan 12

i. The 15th Pune International Film Festival will be held from January 12 to 19. Around 250 films in different categories will be screened at the festival, which is a collaboration between Maharashtra government and Pune Film Foundation. 

ii. The festival director Jabbar Patel said the theme for this year's festival is Environment. 

City corporation to receive Digital India Silver Award

i. The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation in Tamil Nadu has been selected for Digital India Award instituted by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. 

ii. The corporation will receive the Digital India Silver Award in the category of "Most Innovative Citizen Engagement" and also installing and implementing free WiFi Scheme in its various offices.

Nalco, NTPC ink MoU to set up power plant in Odisha

i. The National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) and NTPC Limited have signed a MoU to set up a 2400 MW power plant at Gajmara in Dhenkanal district of Odisha and supply captive power for expansion plans of Nalco at Angul and also Greenfield project at Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district.

India's foreign exchange reserves down by USD 887.2 mn to USD 362.987 bn

i. India's foreign exchange reserves declined by 887.2 million dollars to 362.987 billion dollars in the week ended 9th December. 

ii. A RBI press release has informed that foreign currency assets, a major part of the overall reserves fell by 873 million dollars to 339.258 billion dollars.

Award for regional rural bank

i. The Dharwad-headquartered Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank has bagged two awards for inclusive insurance from Skoch Group for 2016. ii. The bank bagged the awards in life insurance and micro insurance sectors under the order of merit category.

Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill passed in Lok Sabha

i. The Lok Sabha has passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill 2016 in Lok Sabha on 16 December 2016, which replaces the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995. 

ii. The number of categories of differently-abled has been increased from seven to twenty-one so that the Divyangs could get the benefits of various schemes at the Centre and State level.

BHEL bags Rs 200-cr railway order for traction converters

i. The state-owned BHEL has bagged a major order from Indian Railways for the supply of IGBT-based traction converters.

ii. Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has bagged a major order for supply of 118 sets of IGBT-based traction converters for 3 Phase 6,000 HP electric locomotives. 

iii. Valued at Rs 200 crore, the order has been placed on BHEL by Chittaranjan Locomotive Works (CLW).

BEML conferred CEPM Fellowship Award

i. BEML Ltd, a defence public sector undertaking, has been conferred with CEPM Fellowship Award-2016. 

ii. The company bagged the award for its recognition and commitment in transforming and driving organisational capabilities through human-centric approach.

iii. The award was given at the 24th global symposium organised by the Centre for Excellence in Project Management. Deepak Kumar Hota, Chairman and Managing Director, BEML received the award at the function held at New Delhi from Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog.

18th December, 2016

Lt Gen Bipin Rawat to be next Indian Army chief; B.S Dhanoa to be IAF chief

I. The Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Bipin Rawat will be the new Chief of Army Staff, while Air Marshal BS Dhanoa, the next Chief of Air Staff. They will take charge in the afternoon of 31st of this month.

II. Lt. Gen Rawat will replace General Dalbir Singh. Lt. Gen has tremendous hands on experience of serving in combat areas, and at various functional levels in the Indian Army over the last three decades. He has handled various operational responsibilities in many areas, including along the LoC with Pakistan, the LAC with China, and in the North-East. 

III. Air Marshal Dhanoa, who will replace Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Air Force in June 1978. He has served in various squadrons, and also in the Intelligence Directorate of Air Headquarters.

India, Tajikistan decide to strengthen cooperation to address issue of terrorism; Sign four agreements

I. India and Tajikistan have signed four agreements in areas including on double taxation avoidance, money laundering and counter-terrorism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon witnessed the exchange of MoUs in New Delhi following delegation level talks.

Rajiv Jain named next Director of IB, AK Dhasmana to head RAW

I. Jharkhand cadre IPS officer Rajiv Jain was appointed as the new chief of Intelligence Bureau (IB) while Anil Dhasmana will head external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Both the officers will have a tenure of two years. Jain, who is at present serving as the Special Director in the IB, will take over on January 1 after the incumbent Dineshwar Sharma completes his two-year tenure on December 31, 2016.

II. In another appointment, Anil Dhasmana will take over the reins of the Research and Analysis Wing, an organisation which looks after the external intelligence of the country. He succeeds Rajinder Khanna who completes his tenure this year end.

Himachal: First Cyber crime police station opens in Shimla

I. In Himachal Pradesh, the first Cyber Crime Police Station has been opened at state police headquarter in Shimla. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh inaugurated this Police Station through video conferencing from his office.

II. According to Deputy Inspector General CID and Cyber Crime Vinod Kumar Dhawan, the main objective of this police station is to deal with increasing crime based on misuse of information technology by the High tech criminals. 

Odisha: Govt sets target for construction of 1000 km concrete road

I. Odisha government has decided to construct more 2,000 kilometre of cement concrete roads under the Gopabandhu Gramin Yojana in rural areas by March 2017. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik issued this direction while chairing a review meeting on the progress of concrete road construction works in rural areas at the State Secretariat in Bhubaneswar. 

II. The State government has allocated 1,000 crore rupees for the Gopabandhu Gramin Yojana in the current year’s Budget. The sanctioned funds will be utilised in 30 districts of the State for for road construction and drinking water facilities in rural areas.

State Bank MobiCash Mobile Wallet launched

I. Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley and Minister of State for Communications (Independent charge) and Minster of State for Railways Manoj Sinha has jointly launched State Bank MobiCash Mobile Wallet, a product by SBI and BSNL. 

II. While introducing the service, Finance Minister appreciated the broader vision of SBI and BSNL to bring a Wallet both for smart and feature phones.

Himachal Pradesh becomes sixth in India to attain 100% Aadhaar saturation

I. The Himachal Pradesh has achieved 100 percent Aadhar saturation on the basis of population of year 2015. With this, Himachal Pradesh has become the sixth State/UT in the Country. 

II. Earlier, Delhi, Telangana, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh have achieved this milestone.

Vijender Singh retains WBO-Asia Pacific Super title

I. Indian boxing star Vijender Singh knocked out former world Francis Cheka to retain WBO-Asia Pacific Super Middleweight title. Vijender took less than 10 minutes to beat Tanzanian boxer to defend his title at the packed Thyagraj Stadium in New Delhi last night. 

II. Vijender landed the winning blow in the third round of what was to be a 10-round contest to leave Cheka dazed and delirious. 

RBI lowers charges on debit card payments to promote digital transactions

I. In order to incentivise greater adoption of digital payment methods, the Reserve Bank has announced special measures to be adopted between 1st January 2017 and 31st March 2017. 

II. In another notification, RBI has asked banks and prepaid payment instrument issuing entities not to levy any charges for transactions upto 1000 rupees that are settled using Immediate Payment Service, USSD based *99# and Unified Payment Interface systems. 

III. In a notification issued from Mumbai, RBI has advised banks to cap the Merchant Discount Rates for debit card transactions upto 1000 rupees at 0.25 percent of the transaction value. For transactions between 1000 and 2000 rupees, the merchant charges shall be capped at 0.5 percent of the transaction value.

Priyanka Chopra beats DiCaprio, JLaw on IMDb’s most popular celebs list

I. Here’s another achievement in Priyanka Chopra’s kitty. She has now made it up to the list of IMDb’s most popular celebrities’ list. Standing at number 55, Priyanka is ahead of Hollywood’s big names like Jennifer Aniston, Emma Watson, Leonardo Di Caprio, Johnny Depp, Scarlett Johansson and others.

II. Priyanka is also the only Indian who’s on the list. Number one on the list is Sofia Boutella, the badass assassin from Kingsman: The Secret Service and will now be seen in The Mummy with Tom Cruise.

Paris opens 'world's largest non-permanent indoor ice rink'

I. A 2,700-square-meter skating space, which is being considered the world's largest non-permanent indoor ice rink, recently opened at the Grand Palais in Paris. Over 100 workers constructed the ice rink, which will remain open until January 2. The rink was inaugurated by a show featuring skating stunts and acrobatics as part of the 'Grand Palais des Glaces' festival.