DAILY GK UPDATE 25-26TH JUNE

1.    Army launches website on Uttarakhand relief: suryahopes.in 

i. The Indian Army on Wednesday launched a website — suryahopes.in — to provide updates on the whereabouts of people stranded in disaster-hit Uttarakhand.

ii. The site also provides information about the location of people, helpline numbers, lists of those rescued and their current location.

iii. A spokesman for the Central Command told IANS that the website was a one-stop helpline for people in distress following the natural calamity in Uttarakhand.

2.    PM, Sonia flag off first train connecting Jammu to Kashmir Valley

i. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday flagged off the first train connecting Banihal in Jammu region with Qazigund in Kashmir Valley.

ii. The newly constructed station in Banihal, 125 km from summer capital Srinagar, flagging off the first train which will pass through 11 km tunnel through Pir Panchal range.

iii. The Banihal-Qazigund section, which includes an 11-km long tunnel, the country's longest, reduces the 35 km distance to 18 km.

iv. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 1,691 crore.

v. The Udhampur-Banihal section is expected to be completed by 2017 connecting the Valley to the rest of the country round-the-year without any hindrance.

vi. The train will make regular operation from Banihal to Baramulla in north Kashmir from 27th June.

vii. The Banihal-Baramulla -Banihal train will make five trips daily beginning at 7.10 AM from Banihal and 7.35 AM from Baramulla.

viii. The tunnel has been constructed using New Austrian Tunnelling Method, which has been used for the first time on such a large scale in India.

ix. A three-metre wide road has been provided inside the tunnel for maintenance and emergency rescue and relief operations. The tunnel has been made water-proof by providing continuous PVC membrane between primary and secondary lining.

3.    Sheikh Abdullah to be Qatar's new PM: Sources

i. Qatar's state minister for internal affairs is tipped to succeed powerful Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani as prime minister in an expected cabinet reshuffle by the new emir, sources said on Wednesday.

ii. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, 33, succeeded his 61-year-old father who voluntarily abdicated as emir on Tuesday, making his son the youngest ruler in Gulf Arab states. 

iii. The cabinet reshuffle is expected to see Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani replacing Sheikh Hamad as prime minister, according to several sources as well as Doha-based Al-Jazeera television channel. 

iv. Sheikh Hamad, a driving force behind the tiny Gulf state's rise to global prominence, also held the post of minister for foreign affairs for 21 years. 

v. Sheikh Abdullah, a member of the ruling family, has been state minister for internal affairs since February 2005. 

vi. The new government is expected to be announced when Sheikh Tamim makes his first address to the nation later on Wednesday marking his official enthronement as new ruler of the gas-rich state.

4.    Nelson Mandela's condition deteriorates

i. Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela has been kept on a life-support system following deterioration of his health condition at a South African hospital where the 94-year-old leader was admitted three weeks ago with a recurring lung infection.

ii. Ailing former President Nelson Mandela is on life support in the Pretoria Heart Clinic where he has been fighting a recurrent lung infection since June 8," The Citizen' newspaper reported.

iii. According to the paper, five highly-placed sources close to the family, including two who had recently visited him in hospital, said that the iconic leader's health has deteriorated to the point where he is breathing with the assistance of a life support ventilator.

iv. Another source told the daily that Mandela is suffering from kidney failure and is undergoing renal dialysis for three hours every second day.

v. " He is critical, but has an entire team of doctors, from a cardiac specialist, pulmonary specialist, kidney specialist and a main consultant looking after him

vi. At Mandela's original home in Vilakazi Street in Soweto, barricades has to be put up to control the influx of visitors. Considered the founding father of South Africa's democracy, Mandela became an international figure while enduring 27 years in prison for fighting against apartheid. He was elected the nation's first black president in 1994, four years after he was freed from prison.

5.    Oprah tops Forbes most powerful celebrity list

i. After two years as a runner-up, Oprah Winfrey was named the most powerful celebrity on Wednesday by Forbes, heading the six women and four men who make up the top 10.

ii. Singer Lady Gaga came in second, followed by director/producer Steven Spielberg and singers Beyonce and Madonna. 

iii. It was the fifth time the former talk show host who runs her own TV network has headed the annual ranking of 100 celebrities.

iv. Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, who was No. 1 last year, dropped to 12th place.

NOTE:i. Forbes said :With earnings of $77 million from June 2012 to 2013, Winfrey was not the highest earning celebrity, an honor that went to Madonna who made $125 million.

ii. But Winfrey's position in Hollywood and her presence in the press, on television and in social media propelled her to the No. 1 spot.

iii. It is important here to note that Oprah Winfrey has topped the list on four previous occasions, and she is one of three celebrities who featured on the prestigious list every year since its inception in 1999, along with radio DJ Howard Stern and director Steven Spielberg. 

Top 10 Forbes most powerful celebrity

1. Oprah Winfrey       2.Lady Gaga       3. Steven Spielberg        4.Beyonce Knowles

5. Madonna              6.Taylor Swift      7.Bon Jovi                       8.Roger Federer

9.Justin Bieber         10.Ellen DeGeneres

6.    Reliance Capital partners with Japan's Sumitomo

i. Reliance Capital has roped in Japanese financial behemoths Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank and Nippon Life Insurance as minority partners to boost its quest for banking license.

ii. The Anil Ambani Group company will spin off its consumer lending business into a new entity in which the Japanese giants will buy just under 5% stake each at a substantial premium

iii. Reliance Capital and its two Japanese partners, who have signed an MoU, will apply for a licence by July 1, the deadline set by the RBI. "After roping in the two (Japanese) firms, the consortium will submit the business plan to the RBI - stating its loan book size, net worth and the ability to fund the business in line with the new norms.

iv. In case the central bank issues a letter of intent for the banking licence its structure would be finalised

v. Sumitomo has total assets of USD 400 billion, advances of USD 238 billion and net assets of USD 25 billion.

vi. Nippon Life, also known as Nissay, is Japan's largest private life insurer with revenues of USD 71 billion, profits of USD two billion and it is also present in a host of other Asian countries and in North America and Europe.

7.    India, Hungary join hands for ‘gas monitoring system’

i. Gujarat Info Petro Ltd, a subsidiary of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation, has signed an agreement with Cason Engineering Plc, Hungary, in pursuant to the MoU signed during the Vibrant Gujarat Summit-2013, for a gas monitoring system.

ii. This agreement was signed between VK Sharma, CEO, Gujarat Info, and Ferenc Szakács, Chairman and CEO of Cason.

iii. Gujarat Info provides IT services to government departments, boards, corporations and corporate houses as an apex consultant and total solutions provider.

USER-FRIENDLY

i. Cason is a Hungary-based technology company having experience in developing, manufacturing and implementing systems for gas distribution network monitoring.

ii. It has developed and installed new solutions with leading technologies for large oil pipeline operators in Europe and other countries worldwide.

iii. The agreement aims to provide automation services for gas and oil companies in India.

ADVANTAGES

i.The main advantages of the offered solutions are to provide tool to control the procurement and sales procedures of daily purchased gas volume and to provide access for stakeholders to the relevant daily business data with technology reports and alarms via Web-based applications.

ii. This will provide solutions for disaster management and security issues of cross-country pipelines.

8.    Silvio Berlusconi sentenced to 7 years Jail in Sex Trial

i. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was sentenced to seven years in prisons and a lifetime ban on holding public office by a lower court of Milan as he was found guilty of soliciting sex from a minor and abusing his powers to cover up his actions.

ii. Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was sentenced to seven years in prisons and a lifetime ban on holding public office by a lower court of Milan as he was found guilty of soliciting sex from a minor and abusing his powers to cover up his actions.

iii. The sentence will be suspended until all appeals process is going to be exhausted, which itself is likely to take several years.

iv. he three presiding judges, all women, handed 76 years old Berlusconi a seven-year sentence, tougher than the six years that prosecutors were demanding.

NOTE: i. The trial of Berlusconi relates to crimes committed in 2010 when Berlusconi was prime minister, and revolves around what prosecutors have described as erotic parties held at his luxury residence outside Milan.

ii. There is a lenient guideline in Italy for people over the age of 70 so it is quite evident that Berlusconi will get some leniency in his jail term. 

9.    Pipavav Port Regained Top Position in Seafood Exports

i. Pipavav port, the first private sector port of India located in Saurashtra, Gujarat, remained at the top most position for second year in a row in FY13 on the basis of quantity. 

ii. The Pipavav port registered a jump of 6 percent in comparison to 2012-13 financial year. The reason why Pipavav port remained a forerunner in terms of quantity was because it handled lot of pre-processed fish.

iii. The export figures by the Marine Products Export Development Authority revealed that Pipavav port handled 233738 tonnes of marine exports in 2013-14 in comparison to 219801 tonnes in 2012-13 fiscal year. 

iv. In terms of value, nevertheless, Kochi as well as Vizag ports shared almost equal share of earning, i.e., 3344.97 crore and Rs 3265.64 crore respectively in 2013-14 financial year. 

More about Pipavav port

i. Pipavav port is the first private sector port of India on West Coast. 

ii. Pipavav port is situated in Saurashtra, Gujarat, at a distance of 90 km South of Amreli. 

iii. The lead promoter of this port is APM Terminals, which is among the largest container terminal operators in the world.

iv. The Pipavav port is situated along the major trade routes and is also in proximity with major Indian Port of Nhava Sheva. 

v. The services offered by this port include logistics support, cargo handling as well as pilotage and towage. The port handles bulk, container as well as liquid cargo.

10.  Dhoni named captain of ICC Team of the CT

i. Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named captain of the ICC's Team of the Champions Trophy, which has four other Indians including stylish batsman Shikhar Dhawan.

ii. India won the last edition of the Champions Trophy after edging past England by five runs on Sunday.

iii. The ICC team has seven players from India and runners-up England.

iv. The team includes Dhoni, Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar two Englishmen, Jonathan Trott and James Anderson, as well as Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq, Kumar Sangakkara from Sri Lanka, South Africa's Ryan McLaren and New Zealand's Mitchell McClenaghan.

v. Dhoni was named as the captain after he led his side to victory in the final, thus becoming the first captain in the history of the game to lift all three major ICC trophies World Twenty20 2007, Cricket World Cup 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013.

11.  Hariharan appointed Secy of Indian chess federation 

i. Former international player V Hariharan has been appointed as secretary of the All India Chess Federation while Bharat Singh was named Chief Executive Officer at the AGM held in Chennai on Monday.

ii. According to an AICF press release issued Monday, Kishore Bandekar of Goa was nominated as the joint secretary in place of Hariharan while Singh has agreed to serve as the CEO, but has declined a salary.

iii. Hariharan replaced Singh who had to step down as per the government guidelines on tenure of office bearers in national federations, the release added.

iv. Hariharan is a former National A player and represented India in the Asian Team Chess Championship held at Singapore in 1987.

12.  CA sacks Arthur, names Lehmann as Australia coach

i. In a sudden move, Cricket Australia (CA) on Monday sacked Mickey Arthur and appointed Darren Lehmann as the new coach of the Australian team just weeks ahead of the Ashes series.

ii. The 45-year-old Arthur, who was appointed as coach in November 2011, came in for sharp criticism following Australia's poor performances and disciplinary issues within the camp.

iii. Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said it was a difficult decision but it was taken to make Australia a better side.

iv. Arthur, who had a contract till the end of the 2015 World Cup, said though it was disappointing he admitted that he could not do justice to his job.

v. Arthur said: "Naturally I'm very disappointed with how this has all ended. I certainly wanted to see the job through but I accept that the team hasn't been completely galvanised under my leadership and our performances have been inconsistent, under whom Australia has won 10 of 19 Tests, 18 of 39 ODIs and 7 of 16 T20s.

vi. The day also saw Michael Clarke resigning from his role as a selector of the team.

13.  Indian male lifters end runners-up at Asian Championships

i. The Indian men's weightlifting team finished runners-up in the Asian Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan for the first time in its competitive history even though none of them could bag a medal at the event which concluded Wednesday.

ii. The 25th Women's and 44th Men's Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships concluded with most of the Indian lifters finishing inside top eight in their respective categories.

iii. The 25th Women's and 44th Men's Asian Senior Weightlifting Championships concluded with most of the Indian lifters finishing inside top eight in their respective categories.

iv. S Sathish Kumar ended eighth in the 77kg category and Sukeh Dey ended seventh in the 56kg division.

14.  Assam kicks off religious tourism with Ambubachi Mela

i. The Assam government has decided to promote religious tourism in the state and the ongoing "Ambubachi Mela" at the famous Kamakhya Temple is the first step in this direction. 

ii. Ambubachi is the most important festival of Kamakhya temple, nestled atop the Nilachal Hills, and is associated with the concept of fertility cult with the earth symbolising female 'shakti' (power'). 

iii. During the four-day Ambubachi festival, Mother Earth is believed to menstruate and all religious and agricultural activities are not performed during the period. 

iv.Other festivals like Doul (Holi) Utsav at Barpeta and Bordowa, Shivaratri at Umananda and Shiva Doul at Sibsagar and Urs Festival at Poa Mecca at Hajo will similarly be focused, Tourism Director Anjan Chakraborty said. 

v. "Lakhs of pilgrims from different parts of the country and even abroad come to shrines during these four days to pray and seek blessings of the Goddess. The government, therefore, would ensure that they face no difficulties and the basic amenities are taken care of," he said. 

15.  Chicken intake may ward off colon cancer in teens

i. Teens who eat more chicken and fish may lower their risk of developing colon cancer, a new study has claimed.

ii. In a study of nearly 20,000 women, those who ate more chicken during their teen years had lower risks of developing colorectal adenomas, which are benign tumours that may progress into colon cancer.

iii. The researchers did not find a direct relationship between red meat intake and adenomas, but the results showed that replacing one serving per day of red meat with one serving of poultry or fish may reduce the risks of rectal and advanced adenomas by about 40 percent.

iv. Among different cancers, colorectal cancer is the most influenced by diet. Compared to something like smoking, diet is not a large cancer risk factor, but it does have an impact," said study researcher Dr Katharina Nimptsch. 

16.  New Bird species discovered in Cambodia

i. Scientists have discovered a new species of bird with distinct plumage and a loud call living not in some remote jungle, but hiding in plain sight in the large populous city of Phnom Penh.

ii. Scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), BirdLife International, and other groups found the previously undescribed species in Cambodia's urbanised capital Phnom Penh and several other locations just outside of the city including a construction site.

iii. Named the Cambodian tailorbird (Orthotomus chaktomuk), it is one of only two bird species found solely in Cambodia. The other, the Cambodian laughingthrush, is restricted to the remote Cardamom Mountains.

iv. The newly discovered wren-sized gray bird with a rufous cap and black throat lives in dense, humid lowland scrub in Phnom Penh and other sites in the floodplain.

v. Its scientific name 'chaktomuk' is an old Khmer word meaning four-faces, perfectly describing where the bird is found: the area centered in Phnom Penh where the Tonle Sap, Mekong and Bassac Rivers come together.

vi. "This discovery is one of several from Indochina in recent years, underscoring the region's global importance for bird conservation," said Colin Poole, Director of WCS Singapore and a co-author of the study.

17.  Bhupathi-Knowle advance at Wimbledon

i.  : Eighth seeded Indo-Austrian pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Julian Knowle advanced to the men's doubles second round at Wimbledon beating unseeded Argentine-Spanish duo Leonardo Mayer and Albert Ramos here Wednesday

ii. Bhupathi-Knowle won 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and 37 minutes in the first round clash.

iii. The eighth seeds broke their opponents for the first time in the sixth game of the first set to take a 4-2 advantage, converting their third break point and won the next game to take a step closer to bagging the set. 

iv. The eighth seeds were in their elements easily breaking Mayer and Ramos twice in the fourth set and bagging their service games to love to take the set and match.

v. In the second round Bhupathi-Knowle will take on American-German duo Nicholas Monroe and Simon Stadler, who ousted another Indian pair Purav Raja and Divij Sharan in the first round.

18.  Connaught Place:World’s Most Expensive Office Market

i.Connaught Place, the marketplace located in Delhi has been ranked fifth in the list of world’s most expensive office market due to its strong demand amid limited supply as per the CBRE report.

ii.The reason of Connaught place being one of the most expensive markets is the Strong demand coupled with Connaught Place’s central location, excellent access to key regional markets and limited availability of prime office space.

iii.Connaught Place – the Central Business District (CBD) is placed at the 5th position with an overall occupancy cost of 178.96 dollars per sq ft per annum. Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Nariman Point of Mumbai are placed at 11th and 26th positions, respectively. 

The top three Expensive markets are:

i.Hong Kong (Central) with annual occupancy costs of 235.23 dollars per sq ft topped the most expensive list for the third consecutive time.

ii. London’s West End, Beijing’s Finance Street 

iii. Beijing’s Jianguomen.