DAILY GK UPDATE: 20TH JANUARY

1. Mahakumbh attracts academics from Harvard:

i. Besides the millions of pilgrims, tourists that usually flock to the Mahakumbh Mela in Allahabad, there is a new class of visitors the religious gathering has attracted this year: academics and students from Harvard University.

ii. Intrigued by the sheer scale and complex dynamics of the mela, a group of top Harvard dons have been quietly working on a big multi-disciplinary project to study its various aspects.

 iii. The effort, dubbed 'Mapping India's Kumbh Mela', is underpinned by the desire to figure out just how tens of millions of Indians gather peacefully in one spot to celebrate this ancient rite of religious passage.

iv. A key faculty member associated with the project Diana Eck says: "There's no doubt that the mela is an incredible, even astonishing, human undertaking. Just the organizational logistics involved in managing so many people over a few months in one spot is tremendous. Our project seeks to understand this unique phenomenon better”.
NOTE: i. Project members examined the pop-up city being erected just as they will continue to study it when the township is deconstructed in March.

ii. They will also study a whole host of logistical activities during the festival. Public health researchers will spread out in Allahabad to examine how the sanitation infrastructure holds up, and how the hundreds of medical clinics across the township will function.

 2. Congress appoints Rahul Gandhi as Party VP:

i. Rahul Gandhi has been appointed as vice President, of The Congress party. The decision was taken by the Congress Working Committee at its meeting in Jaipur yesterday.

ii. His name was proposed by Senior Congress leader and Defence Minister A.K.Antony and the Working committee accepted it.

iii. Accepting the post of Vice President in the Congress party, Rahul Gandhi told the Working Committee meeting that he was confident that the party can transform the country.
NOTE: Rahul becomes the third Vice President of the Congress after Arjun Singh under Rajiv Gandhi and Jitendra Prasada under Sitaram Kesri.

3. US President Barack Obama to take oath for his second term today:

i. President Barack Obama takes the oath of office for his second four-year term in a private White House ceremony today.

ii. Obama will be sworn in for his second term by Chief Justice John Roberts at the White House.

The present term of the US President ends at noon (local time).

iii. Vice President Joe Biden will also take the oath in a sperate ceremony.

4. IAEA, Iran talks end without deal: Diplomat

i. Two days of talks between the UN atomic agency and Iran have ended in Tehran, apparently without agreement, a diplomatic source said on Thursday, the last round ended in stalemate in June in Moscow.

ii. The head of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, had last week also poured cold water on prospects for a deal, saying in Tokyo that he was "not necessarily optimistic".

iii. Iran vehemently denies seeking or ever having wanted an atomic bomb and says that the IAEA's conclusions are based on forged documents -- material that it has not even been allowed to see.

NOTE: Some observers suggested that Iran was waiting until after the IAEA talks to arrange a parallel meeting with six world powers -- the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.

These talks are focused more on Iran's current activities, and in particular uranium enrichment.

5. Personal appearance for FEMA related cases optional: RBI

i. The Reserve Bank on Friday said “Appearing for a personal hearing in FEMA cases is not mandatory, before the compounding authority is optional and the applicant can choose not to appear for it and has no bearing on the penalty imposed.

ii. It also clarified if the applicant opts for appearing for the personal hearing, RBI would encourage the applicant to appear directly for it rather than being accompanied by legal experts or consultants.

iii. "...appearing for or opting out of personal hearing does not have any bearing whatsoever on the amount of penalty involved in the compounding order.

NOTE: The clarification came as many applicants interpret a related rule to mean that personal hearing is compulsory and that consultants or advocates must represent them in the personal hearing before the compounding authority.

6. IBM signed Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with UPES Dehradun:

i. IBM, the American technology corporation in the month of January2013 signed a MoU with University of Petroleum & Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun  in order to create a unique opportunity for students and faculty to learn new skill sets on IBM soft ware products.

ii. As per the MoU the partnership will focus on training UPES faculty and students on cutting edge technologies and aim to bridge the academia-industry gap by training the faculty and students on different software tools and technologies.

iii. Students will be benefited with the understanding of latest developments in the field of software engineering and they can also apply their learning experience to solve real-world problems. The certifications and a hands-on experience in problem solving will make them more employable.

7. Myanmar calls for international development assistance:

i. Myanmar has urged international donor nations to help in the development of the country's battered economy and in improving the living standards of its impoverished population.

ii. Speaking at the first Development and Cooperation Forum in the administrative capital of Naypyitaw today, PresidentThein Sein told delegates that Myanmar will fulfill those goals more successfully if it received assistance from the international community.

8. Japanese poet Toyo Shibata dies at 101:

Japanese poet Toyo Shibata, who started writing at the age of 92 and whose first anthology sold almost 1.6 million copies, died on Sunday.

NOTE: She kept writing poems until she was about 100. Her first anthology "Kujikenaide" (Don't Lose Heart) was originally self-published in 2009 and won praise for its sense of humour and forward-looking attitude.

9. Saurashtra make Ranji final in 75 years:

i. Saurashtra on Sunday thrashed Punjab by 229 runs to enter the Ranji Trophy final for the first time in 75 years.

ii. Saurashtra scored 477 in the first innings and took a vital 178-run lead over Punjab by dismissing them for 299.

iii. However, the Punjab out for 119. Saurashtra took just 21 overs to clean up the eight remaining wickets on the fifth and final day this morning.

NOTE: In 2006, Saurashtra had won the Ranji title by beating the Ajay Jadeja-led Rajasthan here.

10. Saina out of Malaysia open Badminton super series:

India's ace shuttler Saina Nehwal today crashed out of the Malaysia Open Badminton Super Series. World number 12 Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei notched up a 22-20, 21-14 win against Saina Nehwal in a 35 minute match.