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General Awareness

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Daily G.K. - Top Stories

09 Jul 2020

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Maldives and Sri Lanka First Two Countries in South-East Asia to Eliminate Rubella and Measles Ahead of 2023 Target

  • According to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) South East Asian Region (SEAR) office, Maldives and Sri Lanka were verified to eliminate both measles and rubella, making them the first two countries in the WHO South-East Asia region to achieve beyond their 2023 target.
  • This was announced after the 5th meeting of the South-East Asia Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination, which comprises of 11 independent international experts in the fields of epidemiology, virology and public health, held virtually.
  • Maldives had reported cases of measles in 2009 and rubella in October 2015, on the other hand, Sri Lanka had reported cases of measles in May 2016 and rubella in March 2017.
  • All the 11 member countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, East Timor, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, North Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand) of the South-East Asia region of WHO set year 2023 as a target to fight measles and rubella in September 2019.
  • Whereas since 2014, the focus was on eradicating measles and controlling rubella and work on it was started.
  • It is to be noted that, a country is considered to have eliminated measles and rubella when there is no evidence of endemic transmission of the viruses for more than three years and there is a well- performing surveillance system.

US Announces Visa Restrictions for Chinese Officials

  • US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced visa restrictions for a certain group of Chinese officials under the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act.
  • Beijing has continued systematically to obstruct travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan areas by US diplomats and other officials, journalists, and tourists, while Chinese officials and other citizens enjoy far greater access to the United States.
  • Access to Tibetan areas is increasingly vital to regional stability, given the Chinese human rights abuses there, as well as Beijing's failure to prevent environmental degradation near the headwaters of Asia's major rivers.
  • Pompeo said that the US will continue to work to advance the sustainable economic development, environmental conservation, and humanitarian conditions of Tibetan communities within China and abroad.

Australia Suspends Hong Kong Extradition Treaty

  • Australia has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to fears over a new national security law imposed by China.
  • Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the new law undermined "Hong Kong's own basic law" and the territory's current level of autonomy from Beijing.
  • Australia planned to extend visas for Hong Kong residents and encourage businesses there to relocate.
  • China has criticised the move as "gross interference" in its domestic affairs.
  • Since the law was enacted last week, Canada has also suspended its extradition treaty, while the UK has offered citizenship options to Hong Kong residents.
  • Critics say the law makes it easier to punish protesters and critics of the Chinese government.
  • Hong Kong's government says the law is required to bring order to a city that saw mass pro-democracy protests last year that often turned violent.
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ENVIRONMENT

Golden Birdwing Surpasses Southern Birdwing to Become India's Largest Butterfly after 88 Years

  • The Himalayan butterfly named "Golden Birdwing (Troides aeacus)" surpassed the "Southern Birdwing (Troides minos)" after 88 years and became the largest butterfly in India. The female species of the Golden Birdwing has a wingspan of 194 mm that is 4 mm larger than that of the Southern Birdwing with 190 mm wingspan while the largest wingspan in the male species of the Golden Birdwing is 106 mm. The largest female Golden Birdwing's forewing length is 90 mm.
  • The female Golden Birdwing was recorded from Didihat in Uttarakhand, the largest male was from the Wankhar Butterfly Museum in Meghalaya capital Shillong.
  • Golden Birdwing is followed by Common Windmill (Byasa polyeuctes) at 98 mm, Great Windmill (Byasa dasarada) at 96 mm, and Common Peacock (Papilio bianor) at 78 mm- all from Uttarakhand.

New Species of a Fan-Throated Lizard, 'Sitana Dharwarensis' Discovered

  • A team has discovered a new species of a fan-throated lizard, Sitana dharwarensis, from the barren lands of northern Karnataka's Bagalkot district.
  • The species belongs to the genus Sitana and derives its name from the Dharwar craton, a piece of the Earth's crust formed 3.6-2.5 billion years ago.
  • Though it is similar to a fan-throated lizard species, Sitana laticeps, it bears a much larger throat fan or dewlap. Its distinctness was confirmed after comparing the DNA sequences and micro-CT-scans of the two species.
  • Compared to other fan-throated lizards, it is larger in size.
  • It is restricted to the area surrounded by two major rivers namely Krishna and Dungapatra, which likely acts as biogeographic barriers for terrestrial lizards.
View Month Wise

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

AIIB Releases 1st Tranche to L&T Infrastructure Finance for Renewable Energy

  • Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) released USD 50 million in the first tranche of assistance to L&T Infrastructure Finance Ltd (LTIF), to fund renewable Energy Projects in the country. The released amount is part of a sanctioned USD 100 million External Commercial Borrowing(ECB) loan.
  • This is the 1st loan of AIIB to a non-banking financial company (NBFC) in India.
  • The objective of the project is to enhance the supply of renewable energy in India by mobilising private capital.
  • On completion, the project will increase private capital investment in renewable energy projects in India, which will increase the provision of affordable, clean energy and reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The loan proceeds will be used to finance large and mid-scale wind and solar power infrastructure projects in India.

NSDC Collaborates with Microsoft India to Provide Digital Skills

  • The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), a not-for-profit public limited company joined hands with tech giant company Microsoft India Private Limited, a subsidiary of American software company Microsoft Corporation, to enhance the digital skills of the country's youth. Under this, more than 1 lakh youth will be digitally enabled in the country in the next one year.
  • As part of the tie-up, Microsoft's learning resource center, Microsoft Learn, will be integrated with NSDC's eSkill India portal to provide access to personalised learning paths and critical technology from entry level to advanced level like AI (Artificial Intelligence), machine learning (ML) and cloud computing so that the youth can be exposed to the nuances of today's digital economy.
  • Through the portal, e-skilling events, webinars and virtual sessions will be conducted across the country to support students, training partners and higher-education trainees enrolled under NSDC's skill training programs.
  • The partnership with NSDC is an extension of Microsoft's Global Skilling Initiative. Under this, the company is teaching new digital skills to 25 million people all over the world, which is needed in the coronavirus (Covid-19) economy.

Govt. Approves Capital Infusion in 3 State-run General Insurers

  • The Union Cabinet approved capital infusion of Rs. 12,450 crore in three state-owned general insurance companies to strengthen their capital base and make them more stable.
  • The 3 general insurance companies are the National Insurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company and United Insurance Company.
  • The government had in the budget for FY19 announced its decision to merge three general insurance companies – Oriental Insurance Company Limited (OlCL), National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) and United India Insurance Company Limited (UIICL).
View Month Wise

SPORTS

BCCI President Announces Cancellation of Asia Cup in September

  • BCCI president Sourav Ganguly announced the cancellation of the Asia Cup, which was scheduled to be held in September.
  • With T20 World Cup in October-November also unlikely to go ahead in Australia due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Asia Cup's cancellation allows the BCCI to have a full-fledged IPL in the same window.
  • The Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed that they have agreed to host the event in 2022 and Sri Lanka is now expected to host the tournament next year following the cancellation of this year's edition.
View Month Wise

NATIONAL AFFAIRS

USAID and MNRE Announce Partnership to Develop Clean Energy

  • A new partnership was announced by the US Agency for Development (USAID)-supported South Asia Group for Energy (SAGE) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to increase US-India collaboration for clean energy development.
  • MNRE Secretary, Indu Shekhar Chaturvedi and USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for Asia, Javier Piedra, launched the partnership according to US-India Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) meetings.
  • South Asia Group for Energy (SAGE) provides advanced technical knowledge on clean energy development.
  • SAGE will act as a powerhouse of science, engineering and technology for India and the entire South Asia region.
  • The SAGE Consortium, with the MNRE and its technical institutions, the National Institute of Wind Energy and the National Institute of Biomass Energy, has identified several key topics for clean energy development.
  • The SAGE consists of USAID, the US Department of Energy, and three of the Department of Energy"s National Laboratories – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Uddhav Thackeray E-Inaugurates World's 2nd Largest and Asia's Largest Data Centre

  • Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddham Thakeray and Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications, Electronics and Informational Technology inaugurated the World's 2nd largest and Asia's largest data center, NM1, of Yotta Infrastructure of Hiranandani Group at Panvel data centre park, Mumbai over a virtual platform.
  • To utilise India's full potential to become a data driven economy, the government is working on bringing investments in building data centres across the nation.
  • The center can offer a high scale infrastructure which is capable of hosting global cloud, content and Over-the-top (OTT) operators besides the critical applications of the government and other organisations.
  • The NM1 data centre will occupy one of the five buildings of the 18 acres Panvel park of total capacity of 30000 racks and 210 Megawatt (MW) power.
  • The NM1 data centre offers 7200 racks and 50 MW of power with 48 hour backup support.
  • The NM1, Yotta's largest data centre, received the fault tolerant tier IV certification of the Design Documents Certification from the Uptime Institute, USA.

Indian Navy Completes Operation Samudra Setu

  • Operation Samudra Setu, which was launched on May 5 as part of the national effort to repatriate Indians from overseas amid the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic culminated after successfully bringing 3,992 Indian citizens back to their homeland by sea.
  • Indian Naval Ships Jalashwa (Landing Platform Dock), and Airavat, Shardul and Magar (Landing Ship Tanks) participated in this operation which lasted over 55 days and involved traversing more than 23,000 kilometres by sea.
  • Indian Navy had previously undertaken similar evacuation operations as part of Operation Sukoon in 2006 (Beirut) and Operation Rahat in 2015 (Yemen).
  • The greatest challenge for the Indian Navy was to avoid any incident of outbreak of infection onboard the ships during the evacuation operation. Rigorous measures were planned and medical/ safety protocols unique to the operating environment of ships were implemented. These were strictly followed onboard the ships undertaking Operation Samudra Setu resulting in the safe return of 3,992 of our citizens to their homeland.
View Month Wise

DEFENCE

Bharat Dynamics Signs LAToT of Akash Missile Weapon System with DRDO

  • Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) signed Licence Agreement and Transfer of Technology (LAToT) for Akash Missile Weapon System of Indian Army Variant with Defence Research and Development Organisation – Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDO – DRDL).
  • The agreement was signed by Dr. Dasharath Ram, Director of DRDL and P. Radha Krishna, Production Director of BDL.
  • The Akash missile was designed and developed by DRDO and manufactured by BDL.
  • Bharat Electronics produces the hitech – Rajendra Phased array radar of the Akash missile system.
  • Akash is the first medium range Surface to Air missile produced in India which can engage multiple targets from multiple directions.
  • The missile can be launched from mobile platforms like tanks and trucks.
View Month Wise

PERSONS IN NEWS

Luxury Ride Signs Singer Sukhbir Singh as its Brand Ambassador

  • Luxury Ride signed singer Sukhbir Singh as its brand ambassador. He will soon be seen in a full-fledged marketing campaign besides being leveraged across its upcoming brand and product communication initiatives.
  • Sukhbir Singh is nicknamed as Prince of Bhangra.
  • His 1st album is New Stylee, which won the 1996 Channel V Awards in three categories namely, Best Debut Album, Best Male Vocalist and Best Music Video (for "Punjabi Munde")
  • Other albums include, Gal Ban Gayi and Hai Energy among others. He has sung the song 'Dil laga' from Dhoom 2 and with Canadian band Josh.
  • Luxury Rides is a chain of pre-owned, multi-brand luxury car showrooms. Its pre-owned luxury car portfolio includes Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini Cooper, and others.

Veteran Actor Jagdeep Passes Away

  • Veteran actor-comedian Jagdeep, best known for his role as Soorma Bhopali in "Sholay" passed away. He was 81.
  • The actor, real name Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jafri, was not keeping well.
  • Jagdeep appeared in around 400 films but it is his role as Soorma Bhopali in 1975 film "Sholay" that is etched in audiences' minds even today.
  • He also played memorable roles in "Purana Mandir" and in "Andaz Apna Apna" as Salman Khan's father.
  • Better known by his stage name Jagdeep, the actor also directed the movie "Soorma Bhopali" with his character as the protagonist.

Ivory Coast PM, Presidential Candidate Amadou Coulibaly Dies

  • Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, the presidential candidate of Ivory Coast's ruling party, died just days after returning from two months of medical treatment in France, where he previously had undergone a heart transplant.
  • Mr. Coulibaly's death throws the upcoming presidential election into disarray, raising concerns about who now will represent the party of President Alassane Ouattara, who is required to step down after his second term.
  • Mr. Ouattara's party has been in power since post-election violence a decade ago left some 3,000 people dead after then-President Laurent Gbagbo refused to acknowledge his defeat in a runoff vote.
  • Initially, there was speculation that Mr. Ouattara would try to extend his rule, but he eventually said he would not run and threw his support behind Mr. Coulibaly.
View Month Wise

AWARDS AND HONOURS

Hittakkal Group Wins Titles at the Golden Leaf India Award

  • For the 16th successive year, the Hittakkal group has won bagful of titles at The Golden Leaf India Award: Southern Tea Competition (TGLIA), a joint initiative of Tea Board and the UPASI.
  • The group won five titles this year – three in CTC and two in Orthodox.

Rajagiri Media Announces Awards for Innovation in Education

  • Two national awards in the field of education have been launched by Rajagiri Media to promote outstanding contributions by start-ups in education sector and the schools who have come up with innovative practices during the lockdown.
  • The Pallikkutam National Award for Innovation in Education 2020 is meant to recognise the disruptive innovations in education. Among the activities of schools assessed include content creation, e-learning pedagogy, teaching-learning, online assessments and management. The award carries a total prize money of Rs. 1,75,000 with the winner getting Rs. 100,000 and second and third prize winners getting Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 25,000, respectively.
  • The entries will be evaluated by a team of experts at Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode.
  • The Pallikkutam National Award for start-ups in education 2020 is meant to for DPIIT-recognised start-ups who have implemented disruptive and frugal solutions in education technology sector. The award is being given in collaboration with Kerala Start-up Mission.
  • The awards carry a total prize money of Rs. 1,75,000 and the winner gets Rs. 1 lakh.
  • According to Varghese Panthalookaran, Director of Rajagiri Media, the lockdown has thrown up immense challenges caused by disruptions in traditional learning and the need to incorporate new methods of virtual learning for extended periods. The two awards are meant to motivate stakeholders in education to come up with new technologies and systems to convert the crisis into an opportunity for a paradigm shift in education.
View Month Wise

GENDER/ HEALTH/ EDUCATION

Harvard and MIT Sue US Govt. on Foreign Student Visa Plan

  • Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) filed a lawsuit against the US government agencies that proposed new visa rules for international students that could hit thousands from India.
  • The Trump administration sought to soften the impact of its controversial order, calling it only a temporary measure and that it was meant to force these institutions to reopen fully from the Covid-19 lockdowns. In the lawsuit filed in a Boston court, the two universities sought a temporary restraining order and a permanent injunction to bar the department of homeland security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from implementing the proposed order that will force foreign students of institutions offering online-only classes for the upcoming fall semester to leave the country.
  • Harvard would be directly impacted by the order as it had announced plans to hold online classes for the fall semester just hours before ICE issued the guidelines.
View Month Wise

TOURISM AND HOTEL INDUSTRY AWARENESS

Madhya Pradesh Launches 'Intezaar Aapka' Campaign to Attract Tourists

  • After lifting all travel restrictions, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board (MPTB) has introduced 'Intezaar Aapka' campaign to attract tourists who would like to visit the state. The campaign is running successfully on all social handles of the state tourism board.
  • The tagline 'Intezaar Aapka' states that the state tourism understands the current situation of travellers who were under lockdown for quite some time now.
  • Keeping such points in mind, the MPTB is promoting places of tourist interest such as Ujjain, Panchmari, Amarkantak, Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Mandu, among others. The campaign highlights the prime factors of all these historic destinations in MP. The campaign further highlights all the key attractions of all these destinations.
  • With the help of this campaign, the tourism board wishes to build the confidence of tourists. The board has also designed several interesting tour packages keeping safety of travellers in mind. From stay to excursion, everything will be planned according to the COVID-19 situation. Not only this, the tourism board has also introduced short two to three nights road trip itineraries to save people from boredom of a weekend.
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