4-5th Nov 1. Indian mission to Mars blasts off i. Indias first mission to Mars blasted off successfully on Tuesday, completing the first stage of an 11-month journey that could see New Delhis low-cost space programme win Asias race to the Red Planet. ii. The Mars Orbiter Mission, known as Mangalyaan in India, was revealed only 15 months ago by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, shortly after Chinas attempt flopped. iii. A 350-tonne rocket carrying an unmanned probe soared into a slightly overcast sky on schedule at 2:38 pm (0908 GMT), monitored by dozens of scientists at the southern spaceport of Sriharikota. iv. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman K. Radhakrishnan allowed himself a smile, slapped a colleague on the back and announced he was extremely happy that the first objective had been reached. v. At the end of this month, once enough velocity has been built up to break free from Earths gravitational pull, the great, long, difficult voyage will start to Mars, he announced. vi. The satellite is scheduled to reach the Mars orbit in September 2014 and is designed to circle the Red Planet in an elliptical orbit of 366 km X 80000 km. Note: i. The country has never before attempted inter-planetary travel, and more than half of all missions to Mars have ended in failure, including Chinas in 2011 and Japans in 2003. ii. Only the United States, Russia and the European Space Agency have been successful. iii. The United States is the only nation that has successfully sent robotic explorers to land on Mars, the most recent being Curiosity which touched down in August 2012. The main objectives of the Mars mission are as following: i. Primary objectives of the Mars mission are to demonstrate India’s technological capability to send a satellite to orbit around Mars and conduct meaningful experiments such as looking for signs of life, take pictures of the red planet and study Martian environment. ii. The main aim of MOM to be to seek whether there is methane, considered a precursor chemical for life, on the red planet. Methane sensor, one of the five payloads (scientific instruments) on board the spacecraft, would look to detect the presence of methane. iii. The main objective of the mission is to develop the technologies required for design, planning, management and operations of an interplanetary mission. iv. The satellite carries instruments such as Lyman Alpha Photometer, a methane sensor, a composition analyser, a camera and an imaging spectrometer for studying the atmosphere, particle environment and surface imaging. 2. HAL chips in with structural help for Mars mission i. The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has contributed to the successful launch of Indias maiden mission to Mars Tuesday by making the heavy rockets structural assemblies and propellant (liquid fuel) tanks. ii. We delivered seven types of riveted structural assemblies and four types of welded propellant tanks for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25), HAL chairman R. K. Tyagi said in a statement here. iii. We delivered seven types of riveted structural assemblies and four types of welded propellant tanks for the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C25), HAL chairman R. K. Tyagi said in a statement here. iv. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) integrated the payload (five scientific instruments), propellant systems and solar panels into the 320-tonne rocket, which blasted off from the spaceport at Sriharikota, about 80 km from Chennai, Tuesday afternoon. 3. Women bank to be launched on Indiras birthday i. Plans are afoot to launch the countrys first all women bank Bharatiya Mahila Bank on November 19, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. ii. The government is seeking Election Commissions nod for launch of the bank, proposed in the Union Budget, as the process of assembly elections in five states, including Delhi, is on. iii. The public sector Bharatiya Mahila Bank proposes to have 25 branches by March 31, 2014. iv. The government has already approved Rs 1,000 crore seed capital for the women focused public sector bank, announced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his budget speech. v. The proposed bank, to be headquartered at Delhi, is likely to be operational by November this year. vi. Reserve Bank of India gave its in-principal approval for the Bharatiya Mahila Bank in June and the banking company is being set up, the official added. vii. One of the key objective of the Bank is focus on the banking needs of women and promote economic empowerment. 4. New Delhi to host 12th Edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2014 i. The 12th edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas will be held in New Delhi from 7th to 9th of January 2014. ii. This was announced by Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs on 5 Novemeber 2013 in New Delhi. iii. The theme of the convention is -Engaging Diaspora - Connecting across Generations- with a special focus on the younger generation. iv. The PBD Convention provides a unique platform for overseas Indians to interact among themselves and with the Government of India and the Governments of various Indian States. Note: The 11th edition of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) was held at Kochi, Kerala from 7th to 9th of January 2013. About Pravasi Bharatiya Divas i. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is celebrated on 9th January every yearto mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. ii. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever. iii. During the event, individuals of exceptional merit are honoured with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to appreciate their role in India’s growth. 5. IIMC Signed International Cooperation Agreement with Queensland University of Technology i. Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi and Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia signed the International Cooperation Agreement to collaborate in academic programmes and in frontier areas of research in Media and Communication on 4 November 2013. Highlights of the Agreement i. The agreement was signed by Bimal Julka, IIMC Chairman and Secretary I&B Ministry and Prof. Peter Coaldrake, Vice Chancellor, Queensland University of Technology. ii. The agreement envisages bringing ICT in academic programmes in a significant way. iii. Both the institutes agreed for the development of joint venture projects and also for opening avenues for developing a collaborative doctoral programme to benefit students and faculty. iv. The cooperation agreement shall be valid for five (5) years from the date of signing. It was decided that the agreement shall be reviewed six (6) months prior to expiry and may be renewed for a further term by mutual agreement. v. This is the first agreement signed by IIMC seeking international collaboration and partnership with a foreign university. vi. The objective is to ensure skill development of IIS officers in critical areas of the changing media landscape. 6. SBI hikes base rate, benchmark prime lending rate by 20 bps i. State Bank of India (SBI) has hiked its base rate by 20 basis points to 10 per cent from 9.8 per cent. ii. The countrys largest commercial bank has also increased its benchmark prime lending rate by 20 basis points from 14.55 per cent to 14.75 per cent. iii. These changes will come into effect from November 7 (Thursday), SBI said in a filing with the stock exchanges. 7. Bangladeshi Court sentenced to Death 152 Soldiers i. A Bangladeshi court on 5 November 2013 sentenced to death 152 soldiers for their role in a 2009 revolt. ii. The life includes massacre of 74 people, including top army officers. The trial is considered one of the world’s biggest ever mass criminal trials. iii. Besides, a total of 820 ex-paramilitary soldiers and 26 civilians were put on trial and Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman gave life imprisonment to 158 rebel soldiers and jail terms of three to 10 years to 251 others, while 271 were acquitted. Note: The mutiny had taken place two months after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina assumed office. Then BDR chief Major General Shakil Ahmed was killed during the mutiny and the mutineers hacked to death, tortured and burnt alive 74 people. 8. Bangladesh became the First South Asian Country to Approve Commercial Cultivation of Bt Brinjal i. Bangladesh approved the commercial cultivation of transgenic Bt brinjal. With this decision Bangladesh became the first country in South Asia to cultivate the genetically modified food crop. ii. National Committee on Biosafety (NCB), the highest regulatory body for GM crops in Bangladesh, officially approved the Bt brinjal varieties. iii. With this step, Bangladesh becomes the 29th country in the world to grow GM crop. In South Asia, India, Pakistan and Myanmar grow GM crop cotton. With the NCB nod, Bangladesh becomes the first in the region to grow a GM food crop. iv. Four Bt brinjal varieties (Bt brinjal-1, 2, 3 and 4) have been approved by the Bangladesh Government for limited scale cultivation with some conditions. About Bt brinjal i. In GM crops, the genetic material (DNA) is altered for improvements in its qualities. Bt Brinjal, for instance, has been inserted with a natural bacterial protein which makes it resist pests. ii. Bt brinjal contains a foreign Cry1Ac gene derived from a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt. This gene synthesises a protein toxic to the fruit and shoot borer (FSB), a destructive pest. iii. The gene gives the crop abuilt-in resistance to FSB, reducing reliance on spraying pesticides. 9. First India-China military drill in five years to begin today i. India and China will on Tuesday begin a 10-day joint military drill on counterterrorism – the first such exercise held between the neighbours in five years – in south-western China, as the two militaries look to boost trust and turn the page on recent tensions along the disputed border. ii. Chengdu is the headquarters of one of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) seven military area commands, whose responsibility includes the entire Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) as well as the middle and eastern sections of the border with India iii. Taking place only a week after both countries signed a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) to expand confidence-building measures, the drills will be formally inaugurated on Tuesday near Chengdu. iv. The 10-day exercise is the third round of the “hand-in-hand” drills that the two countries initiated in 2007 in Kunming, in south-western Yunnan province. The second round was held in Belgaum, Karnataka, the following year. v. Last month, both sides signed a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) during Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs visit to China. vi. The agreement is aimed at expanding confidence-building measures and preventing the recurrence of face-offs, by formalising rules such as no tailing of patrols and widening direct contact between military commands. 10. SiKkim named top region to visit in 2014 i. Scenic Sikkim has been named as the best region to visit in 2014 by a leading global travel guide, with Brazil emerging as the top destination in terms of countries. ii. Lonely Planets Best in Travel 2014 has come out with a list of top 10 destinations in different categories such as best countries to visit, best regions to visit, best cities to visit and many more such guiding lists for travel next year. iii. Sikkim was chosen as the best region to go to, with Paris the top city in a list that also included Cape Town, Shanghai and Chicago, while the Greek Islands were seen as the best-value destination. iv. Praising the food in the region, the guide notes that organic farming is the new mantra in Sikkim and is being promoted in a big way. v. In terms of countries, Brazil topped the list of best destinations to visit in 2014. Antarctica and Scotland were also named in the top three. vi. Published this week, Lonely Planets ninth annual roundup of best destinations around the world for the upcoming year was based on scores for topicality, excitement and that special x-factor, as determined by their in house experts and outside writers. 11. Bharti Airtel signed an Agreement with the Warid Group i. Bharti Airtel on 5 November 2013 entered into an agreement with the Warid Group to acquire its Congo operations with the objective of strengthening its stronghold in the African market. ii. The acquisition will make Airtel the largest mobile operator in the Republic of Congo with around 2.6 million customers. iii. At present, Airtel is the second largest operator in that country with over 1.6 million customers, while Warid is the third largest with around one million customers. iv. This is the second acquisition by Airtel in African continent. It had acquired Warid’s Uganda operations earlier in 2013. v. The agreement will bring together the strengths of Airtel and Warid in Congo Brazzaville. It will benefit customers in the form of affordable tariffs, superior 2G/ 3G network and affordable voice and data services. 12. Microsoft Developed New Sign Language Translator-KINECT i. US software company Microsoft recently developed a new cost-effective sign language translator that converts signs into spoken and written language - and vice versa. ii. In collaboration with researchers in China, Microsoft created the Kinect Sign Language Translator, a prototype system that understands the gestures of sign language and converts them to spoken and written language and vice versa. iii. The translator uses a computer and a Kinect camera that recognises signing gestures, then gives a spoken and written translation of languages for people who can hear. iv. The system captures a conversation both sides: the deaf person is shown signing, with a written and spoken translation being rendered in real-time, while the system takes the hearing persons spoken words and turns them into accurate, understandable signs. v. The project was collaboration between the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Union University, and Microsoft Research Asia. 13. Abraham appointed international referee i. Indian Weightlifting Federation Joint Secretary Abraham K Techi has been appointed as an international referee. ii. Abraham, President of the Arunachal Weightlifting Association (AWA), is the first international referee from Arunachal and fourth from the North East, the AWA said on Monday. iii. Besides being the Eastern Indian Body Building Association vice president, he was member of the organising committee, in charge of sports presentation and medal ceremony (weightlifting) during the 2010 Commonwealth Games and manager of the Indian weightlifting teams that went to Cyprus, Uzbekistan and Malaysia. 14. M.P. Assembly Speaker Ishwar Das Rohani passes away i. Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker Ishwar Das Rohani today passed away following a heart attack. ii. The 67-year-old BJP leader is survived by wife, two sons and four daughters. iii. Rohani complained of chest pain this morning following which he was rushed to a hospital here where the doctors declared him dead, official sources said. iv. Rohani was the sitting MLA from Jabalpur Cantonment and the BJP had again fielded him from the same seat for the November 25 state elections. 15. Yuki Bhambri won the Traralgon title i. Yuki Bhambri on 4 November 2013 won the ATP men’s singles title of Traralgon event in Australia. ii. He defeated Bradely Klahn of America in the summit clash that was hit by rain. This is the second win of his career. iii. Yuki, the 21 years old Indian defeated higher ranking Bradely by 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 in the finals in a match played on two days due to rain. iv. This is the third straight win of Yuki over a higher ranked opponent in this tournament. v. The 277 ranked Yuki earlier defeated, Tatsuma of Japan ranked 191 and the James Duckworth of Australia ranked 147 in the tournament to reach the finals.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 08:40:22 +0000
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