DAILY GK UPDATE 28-29TH JULY

 1.    World Tiger day observed today

i. World Tiger Day observed today in the country as elsewhere in the world underlining the need for protecting the endangered tiger species against total extinction.  

ii. Some 41 tigers were killed and 11 died normally in last 17 years in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, said forest officials.

iii. The Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans, the largest habitat of the big cat around the world, hosts 440 tigers, according to the 2004 Tiger Census conducted by the government.

iv. However, the Forest Department (FD) officials are unable to give any idea about the size of tiger population at present.

v. From 2001 to 2012, the FD officials recorded 32 incidents of tiger killing by local people when the regal beast strayed to the human habitation.

vi.  On the other hand, 260 people - fishermen, honey collectors, villagers - were killed by tigers in encounters inside the forest, according to FD records.

vii. Experts also held that climatic factors like sea-level rise and saline water intrusion may also affect the coexistence of the big carnivores and the humans in the Sundarbans. The hypotheses are yet to be validated by studies.

2.    Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher PINAKA successfully test-fired

i. India's Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher System , the PINAKA , has undergone successful firing trials at Chandhan area in Pokhran field firing ranges.

ii. This state-of-art weapon for destroying and neutralizing enemy troops, communication centres and air terminal complexes by firing rockets with several warheads from launch vehicles has been developed by DRDO.

Pinaka can fire a salvo of 12 rockets in 44 seconds from a launcher with a strike range of 40 km.

3.    Obama nominates Kennedy's daughter as Ambassador to Japan

i. US President Barack Obama has nominated Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former president John F Kennedy, as his next envoy to Japan.

ii. If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would replace US Ambassador to Japan John Roos, who has been serving in this position since 2009.

iii. Obama made the announcement along with nomination of some other key administration post, including Marcel Lettre as the Principal Deputy under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, Department of Defense.

iv. In September 2012, she was appointed as a General Trustee of the Board of Trustees of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

v. From 2002 to 2012, she served as Vice Chair of the Fund for Public Schools in New York City.

vi. From 1998 to 2009, she served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

vii. From 1994 to 2011, she served on the Board of Directors of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

4.    World Hepatitis Day 2013 observed

i. World Hepatitis Day was observed across the world on 28 July 2013.

ii. The theme for the year 2013 is This is Hepatitis, Know it, Confront it.

iii. The theme has been set with an aim of creating a global awareness about the Hepatitis virus and to encourage its prevention, treatment and diagnosis. 

iv.  Of the five types of viruses, B and C are considered to be dangerous.

v. Food and Water Borne infections causes Hepatitis A and E Virus because of which millions of cases of acute illness is reported every year.

vi. India is a home of about 11 percent of people from the world population that suffers from the chronic disease Hepatitis B and about 1 to 2 lakh people die every year due to hepatocellular carcinoma or cirrhosis.

5.    Four Indian Americans won Simons Investigators Awards 2013

i. Four Indian-American Professors Kannan Soundararajan, Rajeev Alur, Salil P Vadhan and Senthil Todadri in fourth week of July 2013 won Simons Investigators Awards 2013.

ii. Apart from these, 9 other mathematicians, theoretical physicists and theoretical computer scientists were also selected for the Simons Investigators Awards for their cutting edge research.

iii. The 2013 awards were announced by the New York-based Simons Foundation, which is a non-profit organisation. Its mission is to advance the lines of research in mathematics and basic sciences.

iv. The Simons Investigators program provides a stable base of support for outstanding scientists, enabling them to undertake long-term study of fundamental questions. 

v. The foundation was incorporated in 1994 by Jim and Marilyn Simons.

6.    India, Senegal sign 3-year pact to expand cultural exchanges

i. India and Senegal have signed a three-year pact to further expand cultural exchanges.

ii. The Executive Programme for Cultural Cooperation seeks exchange of experts in the field of theatre and publications on cultural heritage.

iii. New Delhi and Dakar will exchange programmes depiciting various facets of life and culture through their radio and Television organisations. 

iv. The pact was inked by Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch and her Senegal counterpart Adboul Aziz Mbaye in New Delhi today.

7.    RPower commissions 45-MW wind project in Maharashtra

i. Reliance Power on Monday said its 45-MW wind power project at Vashpet in Maharashtra has commenced operations.

ii. The Anil Ambani-led company is already operating a 40 MW solar PV project in Rajasthan and with the commissioning of the 45 MW wind power capacity, its operating renewable capacity has doubled to 85 MW

iii. The 45 MW wind project, set up with an investment of Rs 300 crore, consists of 18 wind turbine generators having 2.5 MW of rated capacity each, a company statement said.

iv. The power from Vashpet project would be sold to Reliance Infrastructure for distribution to Mumbai in line with regulated tariff structure of the state, it said.

v. The project is already registered as a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project with UNFCCC and is expected to earn 1.6 million carbon credits during its operations phase, the release said.        

vi. The Reliance Group already has another 100 MW of wind power capacity, he said, adding: “RPower is also executing country’s largest 100 MW solar CSP power project at Rajasthan, which is set to be completed in the current year

8.    India women finish 7th in World Junior Squash Championships

i. India capped off their impressive run in the Women’s World Junior Team Squash Championship with a seventh-place finish, defeating New Zealand 2-1 in the classification match at the Hasta La Vista Club in Wroclaw, Poland.

ii. Lakshya Ragavendran clinched the issue for the sixth seed India after twice coming from behind to overcome Kiwi Rebecca Barnett in the decider on the final day of the biennial World Squash Federation event which featured more than 160 players from a record 37 nations.

iii. India’s top junior, Harshit Kaur once again demonstrated her growing maturity in using short kills and drops to make the lanky Eleanor bend for her shots and stretched the Kiwi to all corners of the court.

9.    Punjab emerges champion

i. Punjab edged out Uttar Pradesh via a penalty shootout to claim the title in the Alchemist Federation Cup hockey tournament at the Shivaji Stadium here on Sunday.

ii. In a keenly fought final match, the two teams were tied 1-1 after the regulation period.

iii. In the shootout, Punjab beat Uttar Pradesh 4-3 to bag the winner’s cheque of Rs 1.5 lakh.

10.  Hamilton wins Hungarian Grand Prix

i. Lewis Hamilton won the Hungarian Grand Prix from pole position on Sunday to clinch his first victory of a frustrating season.

ii. Kimi Raikkonen was second after holding off a strong late challenge from Sebastian Vettel, who was third ahead of Red Bull teammate Mark Webber.

iii. “This is probably one of the most important Grand Prix wins of my career,” Hamilton said. “The guys have done an exceptional job, I really couldn’t be happier. I hope there are many more to come.”   

iv. The next race is the Belgian GP on Aug. 25.

11.  Jasvir Singh clinches crown in Standard section

i. Jasvir Singh’s palms were bruised and blistered but he didn’t make a show of it. Typical of the man, he kept a low profile and let his deeds do the talking.

ii. The wiry six-footer allowed himself the indulgence of more than the odd smile though and he had reason enough to be happy.

iii. For the third time, the Army Yachting Node (AYN) ace clinched the crown in the Standard section of the Laser Nationals that concluded at the Hussain Sagar on Sunday

iv. Such a win-at-all-costs approach seemed quite unbecoming of the sport’s super power, whose sole occupation is year-round sailing in Mumbai, in contrast to its Secunderabad rival that gets to practise at this historic lake, only when the winds permit for about two months in a year.

12.  John Isner winsAtlanta Open

i. Top-seeded John Isner won the Atlanta Open on Sunday, beating second-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa 6-7 (3), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2) in the tallest final in ATP history.

ii. The 6-foot-10 Isner, who lost in the Atlanta final in 2010 and ‘11 to fellow American Mardy Fish, won his seventh career title. Anderson is 6-foot-8.

iii. Isner rallied to win two tiebreakers, pushing his ATP-best tiebreaker record to 27-6.

iv. Isner will move up from his world rank of 22 and likely pass Sam Querry (20) as the top American. Isner is 6-3 against Anderson, who began the tournament ranked No. 21.