General Knowledge TimesUPDATE

Issue 16 : July 2016 www.goyalsgktimes.com info@goyal-books.com/goyalbrothers@gmail.com

CURRENT AFFAIRS : INDIA AND THE WORLD

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World Hepatitis Day 2016 observed with theme Elimination28 July 2016

World Hepatitis Day 2016 was observed

across the world on 28 July 2016 with the theme Elimination.The day acts as a significant global platform for raising awareness about hepatitis and influence real change in disease prevention, testing and treatment. The theme for the 2016 focuses on elimination of hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030. The theme can be easily adapted for local use to achieve elimination, greater awareness, increased diagnosis and key interventions including universal vaccination, blood and injection safety, etc.

WORLD HEPATITIS DAY

MADRAS CROCODILE BANK TRUST

Madras Crocodile Bank Trust opens for public29 July 2016

Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology came in news in fourth

week of July 2016. It came in news because it is celebrating its 40 years of opening its gate for the public.Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology (or Croc Bank) is a non-government environmental organization and was founded in 1976 by Romulus Whitaker.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FRIENDSHIP

International Day of Friendship 2016 observed globally30 July 2016

The International Day of Friendship

was observed across the world.The Day is aimed at supporting the goals and objectives of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).

INDIA’S FIRST HUMBOLDT PENGUINS

India’s first Humboldt Penguins reach Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo26 July 2016

Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo, known as Veermata

Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, brought in eight Humboldt penguins from Seoul, South Korea.The step has, however, not gone down well with wildlife experts who termed it as wasteful and unnecessary.The eight Humboldt penguins, three males and five females, will be open for public view in the next three to four months.

MAHASWETA DEVI PASSED AWAY

Eminent writer, social activist Mahasweta Devi passed away28 July 2016

Mahasweta Devi, a great figure in Bengali

literature and a respected social activist, passed away on 28 July 2016 at Kolkata. She was 90.In a literary career, spanning over half-a-century, she wrote over 120 books. Most of her work centred on the lives of the poor and downtrodden.

PANDIT LACCHU MAHARAJ DIED

Veteran tabla maestro Pandit Lacchu Maharaj died28 July 2016

Tabla maestro Pandit Lacchu Maharaj passed

away on 28 July 2016 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. He was 72.Lacchu Maharaj has been described as one of the frontline tabla players in the world. Pandit Lacchu Maharaj belonged to Banaras Gharana. His real name was Lakshmi Narayan Singh.

Pashudhan Bima Yojana launched in Haryana29 July 2016

Haryana Government launched Pashudhan Bima Yojana in Jhajjar district. The Yojna was started in accordance

to the recommendations made in Swaminathan Report. Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department has set a target to cover one lakh cattle under Pashudhan Bima Yojana. • Insurance cover will be provided at a premium of 100

rupees for cows, buffaloes, bulls, camels. • Insurance cover will be provided at a premium of 25

rupees for sheep, goat and pig for a period of three years.

PASHUDHAN BIMA YOJANA

UNITED NATIONS WORLD DAY AGAINST TRAFFICKING

United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons 2016 observed30 July 2016

The United Nations World Day against Trafficking in Persons

2016 was observed across the world on 30 July 2016.On this day, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched the campaign #igivehope to show victims of human trafficking.

SAVING TIGERSInternational Tiger Day observed29 July 2016

International Tiger Day was observed on 29 July 2016. The day is held annually on 29th July

to give worldwide attention to the reservation of tigers.The goal of the day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.

World Health Organisation declares Brazil free of measles26 July 2016

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Brazil free

of measles. The step was taken after no case of the disease was registered in 2015.From 1985 to 2000, Brazil saw no domestic cases of measles, although it broke out in 2013 in the northeastern states of Pernambuco and Ceara.The WHO it had worked alongside the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) to eradicate the disease, with a joint investment of 335,000 US dollar going towards measles control. The health agency also hired 165 dedicated nursing staff in Brazil.

BRAZIL FREE OF MEASLES

BHARAT GAURAV AWARD

East Bengal to honour Milkha Singh with Bharat Gaurav Award 26 July 2016

Kolkata’s football club East Bengal announced that the

2016 Bharat Gaurav Award, also known as Pride of India Award, will be conferred on legendary athlete Milkha Singh.Singh will be honoured with the prestigious award on the East Bengal Foundation Day (1 August 2016). Along with the award, a cheque of 2 lakh rupees will also be presented to him.Besides, special awards along with a cash prize of 1 lakh rupees each will be given to East Bengal players Shyam Thapa and Shyamal Ghosh.

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India’s CSIR ranked World’s 12th Best Government Institute 27 July 2016

The 2016 report of the prestigious Scimago Institutions Rankings ranked the Council of Scientific and Industrial

Research (CSIR) as the 12th Best Government Institutions in the world.

In 2016, the ranking of the premier institute jumped to 12th spot after being at 14th spot for three consecutive years. The overall global ranking of CSIR also improved from 110 to 99th position.

BEST GOVERNMENT INSTITUTESolar Impulse 2 completes first round-the-world journey20 July 2016

The first round-the-world solar powered flight by Solar Impulse 2 was completed after the aircraft

landed successfully in Abu Dhabi.The plane has travelled 26,744 miles since setting off from Abu Dhabi. The aircraft has racked up 558 hours of flight time.

FIRST ROUND THE WORLD JOURNEYRAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD 2016

Bezwada Wilson, Thodur Madabusi Krishna win Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016 26 July 2016

Two Indians including social activist Bezwada Wilson and musician Thodur Madabusi (TM) Krishna won

the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award 2016.Bezwada Wilson was recognized for asserting the inalienable right to a life of human dignity. He is the National Convener of the Safai Karmachari Andolan (SKA). While, TM Krishna was recognized for ensuring social inclusiveness in culture. He is a Carnatic music vocalist.

CHILD LABOUR (PROHIBITION AND REGULATION)Lok Sabha passes Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016 26 July 2016

Lok Sabha passed the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016 to amend the

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) (CLPR) Act, 1986. The amendment bill allows children below the age of 14 years to work in select non-hazardous family enterprises. With this, both the houses of parliament passed the bill. Rajya Sabha passed the bill on 19 July 2016. Now, the bill will be sent to the President for his assent.

INDIA’S FIRST WATER METRO

India’s first Water Metro launched in Kochi23 July 2016

Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, launched Kochi Water Metro project in Kochi, Kerala. It is

the first ever Water Metro project in the country.German Development Bank, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) is funding 85 million euro for the project. The German bank has inked an agreement with the Kochi Metro Rail Limited for the project worth 747 crore rupees.

INDIA’S FIRST GREEN RAIL CORRIDOR

India’s first green rail corridor launched between Rameswaram and Manamadurai stretch24 July 2016

The 114-km long Rameswaram-Manamadurai stretch of Southern Railways in Tamil Nadu became India’s first

Green Rail Corridor.This green corridor was inaugurated by Southern Railways via video-conferencing from Chennai Central Station.

FIRST INDIAN TO WIN GOLD IN WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Neeraj Chopra becomes first Indian to win gold in World Athletics championships23 July 2016

Neeraj Chopra, the javelin thrower from India, won gold in the IAAF World Under-20 Championships

in Bydgoszcz, Poland. With this, Neeraj, 18, managed to set a new world record (U-20) of 86.48m.His 86.48m effort also helped India in bringing its first world record as well as the country’s first-ever gold in any World athletics championships.South African Johan Grobler with 80.59m took the silver and Anderson Peters with 79.65m of Granada the bronze.

ZIKA-TRANSMITTING MOSQUITO

Brazilian scientists discover another type of Zika-transmitting mosquito21 July 2016

Brazilian researchers announced that they have found another

species of mosquito, which is able to transmit the Zika virus to humans.The scientists found the presence of the Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito infected by the Zika virus in three out of 80 groups of mosquitoes analysed up until now. The 80 groups were from the metropolitan area of Recife, Brazil. July 2016

Virat Kohli becomes first Indian captain to score double century outside India22 July 2016

India test team captain Virat Kohli became the first Indian captain to score a double century outside India.

Kohli scored 200 runs against West Indies on day two of the first Test at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium in North Sound.With his double century, Kohli entered the list of visiting captains with highest scores in West Indies. The list includes name like Sir Leonard Hutton, Steve Waugh, Andrew Strauss and Ricky Ponting.

DOUBLE CENTURY OUTSIDE INDIA Page 3

Rohit Khandelwal becomes first Indian to win Mr. World title19 July 2016

India’s contestant Rohit Khandelwal won the

coveted Mr. World 2016 title on 19 July 2016. The grand finale of Mr. World 2016 was held at the Southport Theatre and Convention Centre in Southport, U.K.With this, Khandelwal has become the first Indian and Asian to win the Mr. World title at the competition.

FIRST INDIAN TO WIN MR. WORLD TITLE

Canada to conduct world’s first Zika vaccine test on humans20 July 2016

A Canadian university said that it will conduct the

world’s first Zika vaccine test on humans. The vaccine that is under development will be tested on humans in the near future. Until now, vaccines have been tested on mice.Professor Gary Kobinger of the Universite Laval, based in Quebec City, said that they are very proud to be part of the first international team in the world to complete all of the steps in the regulatory process for the test.He said that development of the Zika vaccine has been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada.

WORLD’S FIRST ZIKA VACCINE TEST

‘Ramayana month’ begins in Kerala16 July 2016

Kerala started observing Ramayana month in the temples. In Malayalam it is termed as the Ramayana Masam.

The Ramayana Month starts with the commencement of Malayalam month ‘Karkidakam’.During this month the temples and homes of the state recites Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu written by medieval devotional poet Thunjath Ezhuthachan for the 30 days. Ezhuthachan is regarded as the ‘Father of Malayalam Literature’.

RAMAYANA

HAPPINESS DEPARTMENT

Madhya Pradesh becomes first state to approve setting up of Happiness Department15 July 2016

Madhya Pradesh Cabinet gave its

nod to set up Happiness Department in the state. The department will work as knowledge resource centre on the subject of happiness.With this approval, Madhya Pradesh became the first state of the country to set up such a Department.Apart from the department, the cabinet also decided to establish a state Happiness Institute under the Happiness Department.

WORLD’S HOTTEST YEAR

2016 set to be world’s hottest year on record: WMO21 July 2016

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)

announced that global temperatures for the first six months of 2016 broke many records. It means that 2016 is on the track to be the world’s hottest year on record.The WMO stated that Arctic Sea ice melted early and fast, which is another indicator of climate change. In addition, Carbon dioxide levels have also reached new highs.

INDIAN OCEAN

India, US discover major Natural Gas Reserve in Indian Ocean19 July 2016

As per the report published by US Geological Survey, Joint expedition titled Indian National Gas Hydrate

Program Expedition 02 by India and the United States (US) have resulted in the discovery of large, highly enriched accumulations of natural gas hydrate (an icy form of the fuel) in Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean.

1817 PAIKA REVOLT

Odisha government to celebrate bicentenary of 1817 Paika revolt19 July 2016

Odisha Government decided to celebrate the bicentenary (200

years) of the 1817 Paika revolt against the British Empire in 2016. For the purpose, the state will organise a series of events in Odisha and at national level.The decision was taken at a high level meeting held under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Ashok Chandra Panda.

UNESCO’S WORLD HERITAGE SITES

Three Indian sites listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites17 July 2016

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed Franco-Swiss architect

Le Corbusier’s works among its World Heritage Sites.The listed works include Chandigarh’s Complexe du Capitole, Khangchendzonga National Park and Nalanda Mahavihara.It is the first time that any country got three sites inscribed in the World Heritage List at a single session of the committee meeting.

GOOGLE COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD

Chennai’s Advay Ramesh wins Google Community Impact Award from Asia19 July 2016

Advay Ramesh, a Class 10 student from

Chennai, on 19 July 2016 won the prestigious Google Community Impact Award from Asia, a theme based award part of Google Science Fair 2016.Ramesh bagged the award for creating a device that enhances fishermen’s safety and productivity.

NELSON MANDELA INTERNATIONAL DAY

Nelson Mandela International Day 2016 observed18 July 2016

Nelson Mandela International Day was observed across the

world on 18 July 2016 to honour the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela (1918-2013).The day is aimed at inspiring individuals to take action to help change the world for the better. The Day was celebrated for the first time on 18 July 2010 as per a UN General Assembly resolution of November 2009. July 2016

ART & CRAFT CORNER

Kerala Government proposed 14.5% fat tax on junk food8 July 2016

Kerala Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac proposed 14.5% tax on pizzas,

burgers, sandwiches and tacos sold through branded outlets.The so-called ‘fat tax’ was proposed in the maiden State Budget of the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Government that came into power in May 2016.The tax is aimed at dissuading children from eating a lot of energy dense foods. Its imposition has become necessary as Kerala is the second most obese State in the country.As per an estimate, over 10 per cent of adolescent girls in Kerala experiencing various effects of obesity like Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

WORLD YOUTH SKILLS DAY

World Youth Skills Day 2016 observed globally15 July 2016

The World Youth Skills Day (WYSD) was observed globally with the theme Skills

Development to Improve Youth Employment.On the occasion, United Nations organised the event facilitated by the UN Envoy on Youth Ahmad Alhendawi. The event was co-organized with the Permanent Missions of Portugal and Sri Lanka to the United Nations, UNESCO and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

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Rare Marbled Map butterfly sighted in Eastern Ghats15 July 2016

Rare Marbled Map butterfly was sighted in Eastern Ghats near

PM Kota village of Maredumilli mandal in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. This is the first time that the Marbled Map butterfly species, usually found in the northeast, was sighted in South India.The butterfly was found by a group of green enthusiasts including N. Chandramohan Reddy, an Indian Forest Service officer, while they were exploring the thick forest of the Eastern Ghats of the region.

MARBLED MAP BUTTERFLY

FAT TAX ON JUNK FOOD

Dipa Karmakar named World Class Gymnast by International Gymnastics Federation6 July 2016

Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar was named a ‘Gymnaste de Classe Mondaile’ (World class gymnast) by the International Gymnastics

Federation (FIG).In this regard, she received the official letter confirming the distinction from the federation on 6 July 2016.With this, she also became the first-ever Indian gymnast to receive the honour.

WORLD CLASS GYMNAST - DIPA KARMAKAR

NAMAMI GANGA JUNO SPACECRAFT

231 Projects under Namami Gange Programme launched all over country7 July 2016

Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti

inaugurated 231 projects under the Namami Gange Programme.The projects were inaugurated from Haridwar, Uttarakhand in various locations in different states namely Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Haryana and Delhi.

NASA’s Juno Spacecraft successfully enters Jupiter’s orbit4 July 2016

Juno spacecraft of the National Aeronautics

and Space Administration (NASA) successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit.Confirmation of a successful orbit insertion was received from Juno tracking data monitored at the navigation facility at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).Juno’s main aim is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. The spacecraft will also investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, map Jupiter’s intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere and observe the planet’s auroras.

RATH YATRA

Jagannath Rath Yatra begins in Puri, Odisha6 July 2016

The 139th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath commenced in Puri, Odisha. The nine-day-

long Rath Yatra will see congregation of more than 10 lakh devotees from India and abroad.The annual festival is celebrated on Ashadha Shukla Paksha Dwitiya (second day in bright fortnight of Ashadha month).During the Rath Yatra, Lord Jagannath his brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra will be brought out of the temple to be taken to Gundicha temple, the place of their aunt’s house.

IWAS WORLD GAMES

Para swimmer Niranjan Mukundan wins eight medals in IWAS World Games3 July 2016

JPara swimmer Niranjan Mukundan won eight medals,

including three gold medals, at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) U-23 World Games. The games concluded on 3 July 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic. Mukundan bagged gold medals in 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 50m breaststroke, silver in 100m fly and 50m freestyle, and bronze in 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 100m backstroke events.

July 2016