DAILY GK UPDATE - 15th March !

1.    Sachin Tendulkar voted Cricketer of the Generation !

i. Iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been voted the Cricketer of the Generation by a 50-member jury of current and former cricketers and journalists, beating the likes of spin legend Shane Warne and all-rounder par excellence Jacques Kallis.

ii. One of the greatest batsmen of all time, Tendulkar was on Friday presented the award to mark the first generation of the existence of ESPNcricinfo, which has been online since 1993.

iii. The award is meant to honour the most outstanding cricketer between the years 1993 and 2013, and the occasion also marked the 20th anniversary celebrations for the cricket website.

iv. "I am speechless, honestly," said Tendulkar after receiving the award.

2.    Sachin Tendulkar silver coins released

i. A new lot of silver coins bearing retired cricket great Sachin Tendulkar's face embossed on them along with the number of Tests (200) he had played was launched by Valuemart Gold & Jewels, in association with Diamond India in Mumbai.

ii. 15,921 coins, each minted in 200 gm silver corresponding to the number of runs that the batting maestro scored in Tests during his glittering 24-year international career between 1989 and 2013, were released in the presence of Tendulkar.
iii. Asked if he collected coins, Tendulkar said apart from the ones that his coach Ramakant Achrekar used to put on top of stumps, he initially collected coins and stamps.

3.    Arrest warrant issued against Khobragade in US visa fraud case

i. An arrest warrant was today issued against Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade on visa fraud charges after her fresh indictment by US prosecutors who accused her of �illegally� underpaying and �exploiting� her domestic maid.

ii. 39-year-old Khobragade, who was arrested in New York on December 12 and has since been transferred to the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, faces arrest if she visits the US where her husband and two children are staying.

iii. Following the fresh 21-page indictment, US Attorney in Manhattan India-born Preet Bharara said in a letter to US District Judge William Pauley that an �arrest warrant was also issued today� against the diplomat and that the government �will alert the court immediately upon the defendant�s arrest so that an appearance� before the judge may be scheduled.

iv. The indictment states that the diplomat �knowingly made� multiple false representations and presented false information to US authorities in order to obtain a visa for a personal domestic worker.

v. According to prosecutors, Khobragade claimed she paid the woman $4,500 a month, but actually paid her around $3 per hour and made her to work for more hours.

vi. In this case, the defendant is unavailable because her �whereabouts are known but (her) presence for trial cannot be obtained by due diligence or (she) resists appearing at or being returned for trial.�

4.    RBI hiked trade related remittance from 2 to 5 lakh rupees per transaction

i. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 13 March 2014 hiked the trade related remittance limit from 2 lakh rupees to 5 lakh rupees per transaction with immediate effect. It also increased the number of transaction handled by exchange houses.

ii. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 13 March 2014 hiked the trade related remittance limit from 2 lakh rupees to 5 lakh rupees per transaction with immediate effect. It also increased the number of transaction handled by exchange houses.

iii. RBI decided to increase the limit of trade transactions on a review of the permitted transactions under the Rupee Drawing Arrangements (RDAs).  These changes have been included in Memorandum of Instructions for Opening and Maintenance of Rupee/Foreign Currency Vostro Accounts of Non-resident Exchange Houses.

iv. Earlier, in 2009 RBI rationalised norms on maintenance of rupee/foreign currency Vostro accounts of non-resident Exchange Houses. It was in view of the increased number of transactions being handled by the Exchange Houses and the rapid developments in the communication facilities.

5.    Nokia likely to pick Rajeev Suri as next CEO: Report

i. Rajeev Suri, the head of Nokia's telecoms network equipment division, is likely to become the Finnish group's next chief executive following the sale of its handset business to Microsoft, a newspaper report said on Friday.

ii. Suri was the strongest candidate to succeed Stephen Elop who is due to move to Microsoft once the 5.4 billion euro ($7.5 billion) handset deal is closed.

iii. The companies have been expecting to finalize the deal by the end of March and the board of Nokia would nominate a new chief executive shortly after that, according to the report.

iv. Indian-born Suri has been widely considered the leading candidate for the post as in recent years he has helped the network equipment division, Nokia Solutions and Networks (NSN), turn profitable with a drastic restructuring plan and by ditching unprofitable businesses.

6.    Former Sierra Leone President, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah died

i. Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the former President and leader of Sierra Leone died on 13 March 2014 in Freetown. He was 82.

ii. He played a pivotal role in gaining peace to the country after 11-year long brutal civil war. The war was infamous for the use of child soldiers, which was also criticized for the use of Blood diamonds in funding the violence.

iii. In 1996, he was elected as President after a decade of military rule. In less than a year, due to a military coup by Revolutionary United Front (RUF), he fled to Guinea and formed government-in-exile. 

7.    Former Arunachal Pradesh Minister T C Teli passes away

i. Former Arunachal Pradesh Minister T C Teli passed away at his residence in Itanagar following prolonged illness. He was 50. Teli, who was suffering from liver cancer and undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon, was brought back to Itanagar on Thursday and died Friday night. 

ii. Chief Minister Nabam Tuki expressed shock and grief over the untimely death of Teli.

8.    Djokovic to face Isner in Indian Wells semis

i. Second seed Novak Djokovic won his sixth match in succession over Julien Benneteau on Friday and will next face American John Isner in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters.

ii. Serbia�s Djokovic defeated his French opponent 6-1, 6-3 while Isner recovered trailing 4-2 in the second set, beating Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3).

iii. Djokovic owns the Isner series 4-2, but lost to the two-metre-plus player in a 2012 Indian Wells semi-final before Isner went onto exit the final at the hands of Roger Federer.

iv. Djokovic, playing in only his third event of 2014, has yet to win a title this season. Federer and Alexsandr Dolgopoov will play the other Saturday semi after advancing on Thursday.