25-26 August
Sakshi Malik named brand ambassador for Beti Bachao, Beti Padao campaign in Haryana
Sakshi Malik, the woman wrestler who won the bronze medal at 2016 Rio Olympics in the 58 kg category, was named as Haryana’s brand ambassador for Beti Bachao, Beti Padao campaign.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal made this announcement on 24 August 2016 at Bahadurgarh where he awarded Malik with 2.5 crore rupees and Commendation Certificate. He also offered her a class two level job in the state government.
ALSO READ:National Sports Awards 2016 announced
Her coaches Mandeep and Kuldeep were also presented cheque of 10 lakh rupees each by the Chief Minister.
Besides, the Chief Minister also announced that a sports nursery and a stadium would be set up at Mohra, native village of Sakshi in Rohtak district.
Union Government launches 'Sugamya Pustakalaya' an e-Library for Persons with print Disabilities
Union Government on 24 August 2016 launched Accessible E-Library 'Sugamya Pustakalaya'for Divyang under Prime Minister’s Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan). The e-library was jointly launched by Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad, Prakash Javadekar and Thawar Chand Gehlot.
Sugamya Pustakalaya is an online platform that makes accessible content available to print-disabled people. It houses more than 2 lakh books in diverse subjects and languages and multiple accessible formats.
The e-library was created by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in collaboration with member organizations of Daisy Forum of India and powered by TCS Access.
The Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan)was launched by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) as a nation-wide Campaign for achieving universal accessibility for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). The initiative is in line with the Article 9 of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) to which India is a signatory from 2007.
BRICS Disaster Risk Reduction meet adopts Udaipur Declaration
The BRICS Countries on 23 August 2016 adopted the Udaipur Declaration during the second meeting of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China & South Africa) Ministers for Disaster Management in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
The aim behind the adoption of the Udaipur Declaration is to set up a Joint Task Force for disaster risk management for regular dialogue, exchange, mutual support and collaboration among BRICS Countries.
Highlights of the Joint Task Force for disaster risk management
• The Joint Task Force shall consist of one representative from each BRICS country and will be chaired by rotation by the representative of the country holding chairmanship of BRICS during that year.
• It shall meet on the sidelines of the meeting of the BRICS Ministers for disaster management and may also hold additional meetings as necessary, including through video conferencing.
Joint Action Plan (JAP) for BRICS emergency services (2016-18)
• During the meeting, the countries also finalised the roadmap for implementation of the three-year Joint Action Plan (JAP) for BRICS emergency services (2016-18).
• The JAP was agreed upon at the first meeting of BRICS Ministers for Disaster Management at St. Petersburg in Russia in 2016 itself.
• Through JAP, the countries will work together on exchange of Information on disaster management, research & technology exchange on forecasting and early warning for floods.
Moreover, a technical session on Disaster risk in a changing climate was also held. The session focused on emerging disaster risks as a result of climate change and evolving practices in the area of Disaster Risk Management.
The8th BRICS Summit will be hosted by India, the current BRICS chair, in Goa in October 2016.
Colombian government & rebel group FARC sign historic peace accord
Colombian government and the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on 24 August 2016 signed a historic peace accord to end more than five decades of conflict.
As per the terms of agreement, FARC will give up its armed struggle and join the legal political process.
The agreement was signed by the head of the Colombian delegation, Humberto de la Calle, and the chief FARC negotiator, Ivan Marquez in the Cuban capital Havana, Cuba. Now, the deal will need approval of Colombians via a referendum that will be held on 2 October 2016.
A joint statement released after signing of the accord said both sides have agreed to work together to address social exclusion, to deliver justice to the victims of the conflict and build a stable and enduring peace.
The left-wing rebels have been fighting Colombian government since 1964. The conflict has killed an estimated 220000 people and displaced millions.
Background
The peace accord was reached after the two sides earlier in June 2016 signed the bilateral ceasefire agreement. Over the past four years, peace negotiators have managed to reach agreement on six areas and they are land reform, political participation for ex-rebels, justice for victims of the conflict, fighting drug trafficking, disarmament and the implementation and monitoring of the accord.
Union Cabinet approves introduction of Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016
The Union Cabinet on 24 August 2016 approved the introduction of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016.
The Bill will ensure effective regulation of surrogacy, prohibit commercial surrogacy and allow ethical surrogacy to the needy infertile couples.
Provisions of the Bill
• It will regulate surrogacy in India by establishing National Surrogacy Board at the central level.
• It will also establish State Surrogacy Boards and Appropriate Authorities in the State and Union Territories.
• All infertile Indian married couple who want to avail ethical surrogacy will be benefited.
• The rights of surrogate mother and children born out of surrogacy will be protected.
• It shall apply to whole of India, except the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• The commercial surrogacy will be prohibited including sale and purchase of human embryo and gametes.
• It will control the unethical practices in surrogacy.
Background
India has emerged as a surrogacy hub for couples from different countries. However, there have been reported incidents concerning unethical practices, exploitation of surrogate mothers, abandonment of children born out of surrogacy and rackets of intermediaries importing human embryos and gametes.
The 228th report of the Law Commission of India recommended for prohibiting commercial surrogacy and allowing ethical altruistic surrogacy to the needy Indian citizens by enacting a suitable legislation.
Union Government, US sign MoU for cooperation in the field of traditional medicines
The Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) and the United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) on 24 August 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for co-operation in traditional medicine.
The MoU was signed by Rajiv Kumar Sharma, Director of PCIM & H and Dr KV Surendra Nath, Senior Vice President, Global Sites, USP.
Highlights of the MoU
• It aims at collaborating, identifying, and development and dissemination of science-based standards in medicines field.
• It will promote the safety, quality and integrity of traditional medicines and botanical dietary supplements.
• It will improve public health in India, US and worldwide by working together to increase awareness and understanding of traditional and herbal medicines, botanical dietary supplements and their products.
• It will help to harmonize the Pharmacopeia in terms of international conventions.
About Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy (PCIM&H)
• The PCIM&H comes under the AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddhant and Homeopathy) Ministry.
• It is an autonomous organisation with a primary mandate to develop pharmacopoeial standards for drugs and formulations used under AYUSH.
On the other hand, United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a global health organisation and its public standards provide scientifically validated test methods and cover over 250 botanical ingredients and dosage forms including ashwagandha, turmeric, turmeric extract and others.
Forbes releases list of The World's Highest-Paid Actresses 2016
Forbes on 23 August 2016 released the list of The World's Highest-Paid Actresses 2016. Jennifer Lawrence topped the Forbes magazine list for the second straight year with earnings of 46 million US dollars.
Indian actress Deepika Padukone is the only newcomer to the World’s Highest-Paid Actresses list and the only Indian star to make the cut.
Highlights of the list
• The list is topped by Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence with 46 million US dollars in her pocket.
• The second position is grabbed by Ghostbusters star Melissa McCarthy (33 million US dollars) followed by Scarlett Johansson (25 million US dollars) and Jennifer Aniston (21 million US dollars) at third and fourth position respectively.
• Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (17 million US dollars) took the fifth spot in the list.
• This year, Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon and Kristen Stewart are drop-offs from the 2015 list.
• 30 percent of the list hail from outside the US; while Charlize Theron, a dual citizen of South African and the US returns to the list for the first time since 2013.
• India’s Deepika Padukone is the only newcomer to the ranking and the only Indian in the list. She joined the list with Bollywood hits such as Bajirao Mastani.
• Together, the world’s 10 highest-paid actresses tallied a combined 205 million US dollars between June 2015 and June 2016, before fees and taxes.
• Half of the list is filled by women with the age over 40 and Jennifer Lawrence is the youngest list member and the only one under 30 years.
• There were also some noteworthy near misses: Kristen Wiig, Renée Zellweger and Cate Blanchett all narrowly missed the 10 million US dollars cut off for this year’s ranking.
Former Governor Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai passes away
Akhlaqur Rahman (AR) Kidwai, who served as Governor of States including Bihar, West Bengal and Haryana, passed away on 24 August 2016 following a brief illness. He was 96. Kidwai is survived by two sons and four daughters.
He was a Rajya Sabha member from 2000 to 2004.
About Akhlaqur Rahman Kidwai
• He was born in 1920 in Baragaon village of Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh.
• He served as Governor of several States for a record period of 17 years- in Bihar (twice from 1979 to 1985 and 1993 to 1998), West Bengal (1998 to 1999) and Haryana (2004 to 2009).
• He also held the temporary charge of Governor of Punjab and of Rajasthan and Administrator of Delhi and of Chandigarh.
• He also served as the Chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) from 1974-78.
• He had also served as the chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University.
• In January 2011, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the country's second highest civilian award for his outstanding contribution towards public affairs.
US Postal Service honors Diwali Festival with a Forever Stamp
The United States Postal Service (USPS) on 23 August 2016 announced to commemorate the joyous Hindu festival of Diwali with the launch of Forever stamp.
The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony of the Forever Stamp will take place at the Consulate General of India, New York on 5 October 2016. The launch of this stamp is an important recognition for the more than 3 million Indian-Americans who celebrate Diwali every year in US.
The Diwali stamp will be issued as a Forever stamp. This Forever stamp will also be equal in value to the current First Class Mail 1-ounce price.
The stamp design is a photograph featuring a traditional diya oil lamp beautifully lit, sitting on a sparkling gold background
26 August
Cristiano Ronaldo wins UEFA Best Player in Europe award
Cristiano Ronaldo on 25 August 2016 won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award for 2015-16. He won the award for the second time in three years.
Ronaldo defeated Antoine Griezmann and Gareth Bale to bag the honours.
Ronaldo scored 35 goals for Real Madrid in La Liga and 16 goals in Champions League competition in 2015. He scored three goals for Portugal at Euro 2016.
Ada Hegerbergwas voted the winner of the UEFA Best Women's Player in EuropeAward for 2015-16 ahead of Amandine Henry and Dzsenifer Marozsan.
In 2014-15, Barcelona's Lionel Messi was the winner of the award. Ronaldo joins Messi as the only player to win the award twice.
On the other hand, Messi won the UEFA Goal of the Season awardfor 2015-16.
Messi won the award for his strike against Roma. During the match, he dinked the ball over goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in a 6-1 win over Roma in the Champions League in November 2015.
The famous goal received 73331 votes, giving Messi a 34 percent share.
About UEFA
•The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) is the administrative body for association football in Europe.
•It is one of six continental confederations of world football's governing body FIFA.
•UEFA consists of 55 national association members.
•It represents the national football associations of Europe, runs nation and club competitions including the UEFA European Championship, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup.
•Until 1959, its main headquarters were located in Paris, France and later in Bern, Switzerland.
•In 1995, UEFA headquarters transferred to Nyon, Switzerland.
•Henri Delaunay was the first general secretary and Ebbe Schwartz the first president.
•The last elected president was former French footballer Michel Platini.
Abhinav Bindra to Head NRAI Review Committee on Rio Debacle
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on 25 August 2016 constituted a five-member review committee to probe the shooters' Rio Games debacle.
The committee will be headed by India's first and only individual Olympic gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra. The committee has been asked to submit the report within a maximum period of four weeks.
Mandate of the committee
• To examine and identify the causes behind shooting not securing any medals at the Rio Olympics.
• To recommend concrete steps that NRAI must immediately undertake to ensure that this is not repeated in future Olympics.
Other members of the committee include former tennis player Manisha Malhotra, who has also been appointed Convenor of the committee, NRAI Secretary Rajiv Bhatia and two journalists.
Bindra, who finished at the fourth position in the men’s 10meter air rifle event in Rio, retired from the sport in third week of August 2016.
Thongchai Jaidee becomes Asian Tour Golfer for July 2016
Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee on 25 August 2016 was voted as theHilton Asian Tour Golfer of the Monthfor July 2016.
Thongchai won the award ahead of Chinese Taipei's Chan Shih-chang and Carlos Pigem of Spain. They were nominated by a selection panel before going into a voting process.
About Thongchai Jaidee
•Thongchai Jaidee is a Thai professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour and the European Tour.
•On the Asian Tour, he holds the record for the most career earnings and is second in victories having won 13 times.
•He has won the Order of Merit on the Asian Tour three timesduring his career.
•In February 2004, he became the first Thai to win a tournament on the European Tourby winning the Carlsberg Malaysian Open, an event which was co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour.
•In 2006, he received a special invitation to play in the Masters Tournament. He was thesecond Thai to play in the Mastersafter Sukree Onsham. By doing so, Thongchai became thefirst Thai to play in all four major championships.
•He topped the Asian Tour order of merit for a third time in 2009.
•He won for the fifth time on the European Tour in June 2012 at the ISPS Handa Wales Open.
•He qualified for the 2015 Presidents Cup squad for the first time. With this, he became the first player from Thailand to earn the honour.
•In September 2015, he won his seventh European Tour title at the Porsche European Open in Germany.
•He claimed his eighth European Tour victory in July 2016, with a four stroke victory at the Open de France.
Forbes releases Sixth Annual List of The World's Most Innovative Companies 2016
Forbes on 24 August 2016 released the sixth annual list of The World's Most Innovative Companies 2016. The list ranked companies using an algorithm to measure investor enthusiasm.
The list is topped by Tesla Motors for the second consecutive year. Moreover, five major Indian companies including Asian Paints, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Consultancy Services, Sun Pharma and Larsen & Toubro have been ranked among other companies in the list.
Highlights of the list
• Tesla Motors tops the list for the second consecutive year, followed by Salesforce at the second position in the list.
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals grabbed the third spot in the list, followed by Incyte at fourth place and Alexion Pharmaceuticals at fifth place.
• Innovation upstarts like Under Armour Inc. at sixth position and Monster Beverage Corp. at seventh position have dethroned former innovation leaders in their field like Nike and Coca Cola.
• Amazon.com fetched the eleventh spot in the list by outdistancing Walmart.
• Life science and biotechnology companies occupy half of the top ten spots on the list.
• Nine of the top ten companies on the list are US based.
Indian Companies on the List
• The list encompasses five Indian companies including Asian Paints, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Consultancy Services, Sun Pharma and Larsen & Toubro.
• At number 18, Asian Paints is the highest-ranked Indian company on the list, featuring on the list for the fourth time in a row.
• Hindustan Unilever fetched the 31st spot, Tata Consultancy Services got the 66th spot, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries ranked at 73rd position and Larsen & Toubro stood at 89th spot.
About The World’s Most Innovative Companies list
• The World’s Most Innovative Companies list demonstrates creative disruption and how new players come in, innovate and garner the attention of investors.
• It consists of firms that investors feel are most likely to come up with the next big innovation.
• The 100 companies ranked on the list are based on their creative disruption, potential for innovation and investor interest.
• To be included on the list, firms need seven years of financial data and 10 billion US dollars in market cap.
Nine breeds of livestock and poultry registered with NBAGR
Indian Council of Agricultural Research-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBAGR) in the third week of August 2016 announced that it has registered 9 new breeds of indigenous farm animals.
The Breed registration Committee had approved the registration of nine new breeds of livestock and poultry on 21 June 2016.
The newly registered breeds include:
|
Serial No. |
Breed |
Home Tract |
Species |
|
1 |
Badri |
Uttarakhand |
Cattle |
|
2 |
Teressa |
Andaman & Nicobar |
Goat |
|
3 |
Kodi Adu |
Tamil Nadu |
Goat |
|
4 |
Chevaadu |
Tamil Nadu |
Sheep |
|
5 |
Kendrapada |
Odisha |
Sheep |
|
6 |
Tenyi Vo |
Nagaland |
Pig |
|
7 |
Nicobari |
Andaman & Nicobar |
Pig |
|
8 |
Doom |
Assam |
Pig |
|
9 |
Kaunayen |
Manipur |
Chicken |
With this, the total number of indigenous breeds of livestock in the country reached to 160, which include 40 for cattle, 13 for buffalo, 26 for goat, 42 for sheep, 6 for horses and ponies, 9 for camel, 6 for pig, 1 for donkey, and 17 for chicken.
The cataloguing of India's animal genetic resources by the ICAR and registration of breeds is aimed at creating a sense of ownership among local communities responsible for development of breeds.
About National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources
• National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources and National Institute of Animal Genetics were established on 21 September 1984 at Bangalore.
• In 1985, the institutes were shifted to Karnal.
• The two institutes were merged to function as a single entity in the form of National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) in 1995.
• This premier institute is dedicated to work with its mandate of identification, evaluation, characterization, conservation and utilization of livestock and poultry genetic resources of the country.
World’s first self-driving taxis launched in Singapore
World's first self-driving taxi service was on 25 August 2016 launched in Singapore. With this, Singapore became the first country in the world to launch such service, beating Uber Technologies Inc by mere days to public road tests of a technology that could revolutionize the transport industry.
The trial, although small, illustrates how intense the global race to develop autonomous driving vehicles has become.
Highlights of the Self-Driving Taxi Service
• Singapore based nuTonomy began testing a free taxi-hailing service in a small business district in Singapore called one-north, a campus-like space dominated by tech firms and biotechnology companies.
• The trial was given the approval of the Singapore government, which has long sought to turn the city-state into a hub for disruptive technology through firms like nuTonomy.
• NuTonomy’s test vehicles, a Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car, will have a computer engineer and backup human driver during the trial phase in case anything goes wrong.
• These vehicles can be hailed by select members of the public using a smartphone app.
• The company will also test its vehicles on a 6 kilometer (3.7 mile) route.
Background
Other firms, most notably Alphabet’s Google, have already clocked millions of miles on public roads with their autonomous vehicles. Launch of this service beats the taxi giant Uber Technologies Inc which was about to begin trials of its own self-driving vehicles in Pittsburgh by the end of August 2016.
Other tech companies including Chinese internet giant Baidu Inc. have been testing self-driving cars on the roads for years, but this is the first time the vehicles have been open to public use.
G Satheesh Reddy conferred first IEI-IEEE Award
G. Satheesh Reddy, Indian aerospace scientist, on 25 August 2016 was conferred the first IEI-IEEE Award for engineering excellence 2015.
The award is in recognition of Reddy’s significant national contributions towards missiles and aerospace technologies.
The award was presented by the the Institution of Engineers (India) – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Award for Engineering Excellence-2016. It was presented during the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ 50th anniversary.
Who is G. Satheesh Reddy?
•G. Satheesh Reddy is a renowned aerospace and navigation scientist.
•At present, he is working as the Scientific Adviser to Raksha Mantri and Director General, Missiles and Strategic Systems.
•He is also credited with development of the Medium Range Surface-to-Air Weapon System and the country’s first guided bomb.
•He is a fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation in London, the first from India.
•He is a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a foreign member of the Academy of Navigation and Motion Control, Russia.
•He is a fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and an honorary fellow of the Computer Society of India.
South India's first Children's Court inaugurated in Hyderabad
First Children's Court was on 25 August 2016 inaugurated in Hyderabad. Moreover, it was also the first Children Court in South India. However, two other states Goa and Delhi have already got their child friendly court.
The court was jointly inaugurated by acting High Court Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and TS director general of police (DGP) Anurag Sharma. It was presided by T Rajani, Metropolitan Sessions judge, and Dr Soumya Misra, inspector general of police (IG), Crime Investigation Department.
Highlights of the Children's Court
• Features like separate waiting rooms for children and a video camera trial for the accused will be available.
• The child (witness/victim) will be allowed direct interaction with the judge.
• The accused, who will be at a different location, will be able to view and hear the proceedings via two-way video conferencing in the courtroom
• A two-way video communication system will allow the child witness to identify the accused on camera.
• The judge will not sit on a dais to be more approachable and the police accompanying a child will also not be in uniform