Daily GK Update [10th March 2015]

1. US dollar hits 12-year peak, emerging markets spooked

i. The US dollar climbed to multi-year peaks against the euro and yen in Asia amid starkly diverging outlooks for interest rates globally.

ii. Currencies from emerging markets came under mounting pressure from risk aversion.

iii. The skittish mood spread to Asian stocks as MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped 0.6 per cent.

iv. Federal Reserve would start lifting interest rates from mid-year, while central banks in the European Union and Japan were busy easing policy by buying billions in government bonds.

v. Oil managed minor gains, with Brent crude oil up 13 cents to $58.66 a barrel, while U.S crude added 26 cents to $50.26.

2. India slips to second place in hiring outlook for April-June quarter

i. India has slipped to the second place, after Taiwan, in terms of the companies' employment outlook for the next quarter.

ii. As per the latest quarterly Employment Outlook Survey of global giant ManpowerGroup released on Tuesday, Taiwan has topped the charts in terms of hiring plans for the April-June 2015 quarter, followed by India and Japan.

iii. The net employment outlook for India stood at 38 per cent, indicating that job seekers may benefit from a robust hiring pace in the months ahead.

3. Infosys opens new 250-seater BPO in Puerto Rico 

i. Country's second largest software services firm Infosys has set up a 250-seater BPO arm centre at Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, aimed at serving the aviation sector. 

ii. The 12,000-square feet centre, developed in collaboration with the Commonwealth administration and state-owned PRIDCO, will initially deliver order-to-cash business processes for clients in the aviation sector.

4. Jharkhand CM announces Rs 1 lakh for alcohol-free villages 

i. The Jharkhand government will grant Rs one lakh to villages which will become alcohol-free.

ii. Chief Minister Raghubar Das said those villages becoming alcohol-free would be given the grant and women groups would take the initiative. 

iii. Chief Minister proposed to open 57 more Kasturba Gandhi Girl Schools in the state 

5. Pakistan conducts successful test launch of Shaheen-III missile

i. Pakistan conducted a successful test launch of the Shaheen-III Surface to Surface Ballistic Missile .

ii. The Missile is capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 2,750 km.

ii. The test launch was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system at a maximum range.

iii. The launch came within a week of the visit of Indian foriegn Secretary S Jaishankar to Islamabad.

6. DLF Ties Up With Snapdeal to Sell Flats Online

i. Realty major DLF has tied-up with online market place Snapdeal to sell its apartments and would offer 1 per cent discount to potential home buyers.

ii. DLF will offer on Snapdeal about 50 flats in eight housing projects across the country in a price range of Rs. 34 lakh to Rs. 3 crore.

iii. The offer is likely to start this week. These flats are in projects located at New Chandigarh, Panchkula, Lucknow, Bangalore, Chennai, Kochi and Kolkata.

6. India thrash Ireland to register record 9th successive World Cup victory

i. Shikhar Dhawan cracked a scintillating century as a rampaging India on Tuesday created a record winning their ninth consecutive ICC Cricket World Cup match by demolishing Ireland by eight wickets to seal the top spot in the Group B table. 

ii. It turned out to be an extended batting practice session for the 'Men In Blue' as they toppled the previous eight-match winning streak record of Sourav Ganguly-led team in 2003. India's nine-match record started from their group league game against West Indies at Chennai back in 2011.