Daily GK Updates: 5-6th Oct 2014

1. Saiyid Hamid conferred with Sir Ross Masood Lifetime Achievement Award 2014

Who: Saiyid Hamid
What: was conferred with Sir Ross Masood Lifetime Achievement Award 2014
When: 30 September 2014
 
Saiyid Hamid was conferred with Sir Ross Masood Lifetime Achievement Award 2014 on 30 September 2014. She was conferred the award by Vice-President Hamid Ansari for Excellence in Leadership, Education, community & Public Service. She was presented with a citation and a cheque in the form of award.

She is the Chancellor of Jamia Hamdard University and former Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AM).

The award was established by Aligarh Muslim University Association Inc. New York (AAANY). It was established with the objective to make a very modest contribution by recognizing truly outstanding individuals during their lifetimes who are selflessly dedicated their lives as leaders and educators, and in the service of the community and public at large.


About Sayyid Sir Ross Masood

Sayyid Sir Ross Masood was the Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University in 1929.
Masood was the son of Syed Mahmood. His grandfather was Sir Syed Ahmed Khan. Masood was educated at Aligarh Muslim University and Oxford University.

From 1916 to 1928, he was Director of Public Instruction in Hyderabad. He was knighted by the British Government in the 1933.

Anjuman Taraqqi-i-Urdu was a biography of Masud. It was published in 2011. A residential hall constructed in the year 1969 in Aligarh Muslim University is named after him.


2.    Nobel prize in medicine awarded to trio for discovering brain's 'GPS'
i. The Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine has been awarded to three scientists who discovered the brain's GPS system. British-American researcher John O'Keefe and a Norwegian couple, Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser share the award. 
ii.
They discovered how the brain knows where we are and is able to navigate from one place to another. Their findings may help explain why in Alzheimer's disease patients cannot recognise their surroundings.

3.    TS GENCO and BHEL signed MoU for power generation in Telangana

Who: TS GENCO and BHEL
What: Signed MoU to generate 6000 MW of electricity in Telangana
When: 5 October 2014
 
Telangana State Power Generation Corporation  (TS GENCO) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) signed MoU to establish thermal power plants to generate 6000 MW of electricity in Telangana in the next three years. The MoU was signed in Hyderabad on 5 October 2014.

According to the MoU, 4000 MW will be set up at Manuguru of Khammam district and the other 2000 MW at Ramagundam in Karimnagar district. The land for the projects will be allocated by the Telangana Government and power will be generated by importing coal.

About Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
• BHEl is a Central Public Sector Unit, which was established in 1964 for rise in Heavy Electrical Equipment industry in India.
• BHEL is an integrated power plant equipment manufacturer and one of the largest engineering and manufacturing company in India engaged in the design, engineering, manufacture, construction, testing, commissioning and servicing of a wide range of products and services for the core sectors of the economy, viz. Power, Transmission, Industry, Transportation (Railway), Renewable Energy, Oil & Gas and Defence.
• BHEL attained the Maharatna status in 2013.

About TS GENCO
• Telangana Power Generation Corporation Limited commenced its operations on 02 June 2014.
• It was formed with an aim to Self sufficiency in power in next three years, 12000 MW overall capacity addition and providing reliable and uninterrupted power supply to Agriculture, Industrial, Commercial and Domestic sectors.


4.    India among five nations to build world's largest telescope
i. India along with Japan, the US, China and Canada will start work on the world’s biggest telescope on Hawaii Island that will enable to identify an object as small as coin from a distance of 500 kms.
ii. The 30-meter telescope will be established near the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano with a cost of $1.4 billion.
iii. The construction is expected to be completed by March 2022. Japan is expected to cover about a quarter of the construction costs.
iv. To mark the start of construction, 100 astronomers and officials from the five countries are scheduled to attend a ceremony on October 7 at a location 4,012 meters high on Mount Mauna Kea.
v. The telescope will be larger than Japan’s Subaru Telescope, one of the world’s biggest, which was also built on the summit of Mauna Kea and started observation in 1999.
5.    West Bengal government constituted task force to probe into Burdwan blast
i. The State Government of West Bengal constituted a high-level composite Task Force to investigate into the blasts at Khagragarh in Burdwan District. The blasts occurred on 2 October 2014 in which two persons were killed. 
ii. This high-level task force will be headed the Director General of Police GM P Reddy and will also co-ordinate with various investigating agencies like CID, Kolkata police and others probing the blast.
iii. Apart from this, the state government is also keeping close touch with the National Investigating Agency (NIA) on the matter. 
6.    Dhoni is ISL team Chennaiyin FC co-owner

i. After the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the latest cricketer to own a football team in the high-profile Indian Super League, investing in the Chennaiyin FC ahead of the event starting October 12.
7.    Novak Djokovic beats Tomas Berdych to win fifth China Open
i. World number one Novak Djokovic claimed his fifth China Open title with a straight set demolition of Czech Tomas Berdych.
ii. Djokovic beat Berdych in a straight set by 6-0, 6-2. Djokovic said that it was probably his best performance in all the finals in his career, adding that it was extremely incredible.
8.    Sharapova beat Kvitova to claim China Open titles
i. Russian Maria Sharapova overcame Czech Petra Kvitova 6-4 2-6 6-3 in the final of the China Open to claim the title and move up to number two in the world rankings on Sunday.
ii. Wimbledon Open champion Kvitova broke her opponent in the very first game but Sharapova showed greater intensity towards the end to prevail in a contest that lasted two hours and 28 minutes.
9.    Oliver Wilson win first European golf title
i. World number 792 Oliver Wilson held on to win his first European golf title at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, beating world number one Rory McIlroy by one stroke on 17 under par.
ii. The Englishman, making his 228th start, finished ahead of a chasing pack to win by one stroke on 17 under par. He played in the 2008 Ryder Cup but lost his European Tour card in 2012 and needed an invite to play at St Andrews.
10.  World Junior Chess Championship begins in Pune
i. The World Junior Chess Championship began in Pune today with a glittering ceremony attended by eminent dignitaries from the sporting world, entertainment and corporate world. 
ii. The tournament will be played till 19th October and will be conducted in the Swiss League format, comprising of 13 rounds with one round scheduled each day.
iii. Gujrathi will lead the Indian challenge in the Open and Padmini Rout in the girls' championship. They pose serious threats for the more fancied players in both championships to be held simultaneously. 

11.World’s first womb-transplant baby born to a Swedish woman

Who: World's first womb-transplant baby
Where: Swedish
What: was born to a 36-year-old Swedish woman
When: 6 October 2014
 
World’s first womb-transplant baby was born to a 36-year-old Swedish woman. The identity of the woman was not disclosed.

The healthy baby boy was born in August 2014 at the University of Gothenburg's hospital in Sweden. The baby boy weighing 1.775kgs was born by Caesarean section at 31 weeks after the mother developed pre-eclampsia, a pregnancy condition.

How it happened?
The woman had to undergo womb transplant as she was suffering from a genetic condition called Rokitansky syndrome wherein the woman is born without a womb, although the ovaries are intact.
The replacement womb came from a 61-year-old woman, who was a friend of the woman. The organ was transplanted in a 10-hour operation in 2013.

The recipient underwent in-vitro fertilisation, in which eggs were harvested from her ovaries and fertilised using sperm from her partner, and then cryogenically preserved.
A year after the transplant, a single early-stage embryo was inserted into the transplanted womb. A pregnancy test three weeks later was positive.

The significance of the development

This feat is a boon to women with no uterine. The absence of uterine has been one of the major causes of infertility. The uterine is absent in women either due to heredity or due to surgical removal for medical reasons. The development in fact smashes through the last major barrier of female infertility.

Absolute uterine factor infertility was the only major type of female infertility that was viewed as untreatable.

12. Madhava Menon panel submitted its report with guidelines on government ads

Who: Professor NR Madhava Menon committee
What: submitted its report to Supreme Court
When: on 6 October 2014
 
The Supreme Court appointed high-powered committee headed by Professor NR Madhava Menon submitted its report to the court on 6 October 2014. The committee in its report has framed guidelines to regulate expenditure and contents of advertisements paid out of tax payers' money.

The three-member committee that also comprised TK Viswanathan, former Secretary General of Lok Sabha and Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar has recommended that names and pictures of political parties and their office bearers like presidents should not be mentioned in government advertisements. It supported its recommendation by stating that there had been misuse and abuse of public money on such advertisements.

However to keep politics away from such ads, it emphasized that only the pictures and names of the President, the Prime Minister, Governor and Chief Ministers should be published. The committee also endorsed the suggestions of the Election Commission that there must be severe restrictions on such advertisements six months prior to election.

Apart from this, the committee also recommended that a deadline should be fixed to prohibit their publication and the poll panel should be authorised for the purpose.

The committee also recommended that there should only be a single advertisement, preferably by Information and Broadcasting Ministry, in respect of commemorative advertisements, which are given on birth and death anniversary of an important personality.

13. World Habitat Day observed globally on 6 October

Who: United Nations
Where: Globally
What: celebrated World Habitat Day
When: 6 October 2014
 
First Monday of October: World Habitat Day
United Nations celebrated World Habitat Day on 6 October 2014. The United Nations has designated the first Monday of October of every year as World Habitat Day.

The theme of 2014 World Habitat Day is Voices from Slums.

Each year, World Habitat Day takes on a new theme chosen by the United Nations. Theme was based on current issues relevant to the Habitat Agenda. The themes are selected to bring attention to UN-Habitat’s mandate to promote sustainable development policies that ensure adequate shelter for all.
The World Habitat Day 2014 campaign aims to recognize life in slums and give a voice to slum dwellers for improving quality of living conditions in existing slums.

About World Habitat Day

World Habitat Day was established in 1985 by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 40/202. It was first celebrated in 1986.
The purpose of World Habitat Day is to reflect on the state of our towns and cities, and on the basic right of all to adequate shelter.

It is also intended to remind the world that we all have the power and the responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns.

14. World Bank released South Asia Economic Focus report 

Who: South Asia Economic Focus report
What: Released by World Bank
When: 6 October 2014
 
World Bank on 6 October 2014 released South Asia Economic Focus report. According to the report, the region’s economy will expand by 6 percent in 2015 and by 6.4 percent in 2016 as compared to 5.4 percent in 2014, potentially making it the second fastest growing region in the world after East Asia and the Pacific.

Highlights of the report
• South Asia’s economy will expand by a real 6 percent in 2015 and by 6.4 percent in 2016 compared to 5.4 percent in 2014. The increase of economy is potentially making it the second fastest growing region in the world after East Asia and the Pacific.
• The outlook for South Asia over the next years indicates broad economic stability and a pick-up in growth with potential risks concentrated on the fiscal and structural reform side.
• But the Future growth will increasingly depend on strong investment and export performance.
• Global recovery remains below expectations and has proven uneven in the across major economies like US and Euro Zone.
• Monetary tightening in an increasingly dynamic US and potential deflation in a weak Euro zone constitute sources of risk for developing and emerging market economies alike. However, bigger effects on the fortunes of the region could come from domestic developments.
• Political turmoil and non-sustainable fiscal policies could undermine stability and investor confidence in South Asia whereas sound macroeconomic policies and economic reforms could spur faster growth.
• Exports in the South Asia region have recently shown a strong export performance which is growing in the double digits in most of the countries.
• Sales abroad were boosted by favorable tailwinds, such as the depreciation of the Indian rupee in 2013; there are also deeper trends at play.
• Export diversification by type of product increased, as did the share of emerging markets in total exports. These are manifestations of an increasingly stronger position of the region in global markets.
• South Asia has an opportunity to become the manufacturing hub of the world since East Asian labour costs increased but achieving this will require boosting competitiveness.
• Other countries in South Asia are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
• Pakistan’s economic growth is forecast at 4.4 percent in FY2015 after 4.1 percent in 2014. Recent political turmoil of Pakistan had damaged investor confidence and thereby weakened growth prospects.
• Bangladesh is forecast to grow by 6.2 percent in 2015 and an estimated 6.1 percent in 2014.
• Sri Lanka is expected to continue its strong growth at 8.2 percent in 2015 rising from 7.8 percent in 2014.
• Afghanistan is on a more fragile path, dominated by security and political concerns, after having grown by a modest 1.5 percent in 2013.

About India
• The report claims that the Indian economy will comprise 80 percent of the region’s output, which is set to grow by 6.4 percent in fiscal year (FY) 2015-16 after 5.6 percent in FY 2014-15.
• According to report, India is benefiting from a Modi dividend as the economic activity kept floating by expectations from the newly elected government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Recovery of US economy will provide a market for Indian merchandise and service exports. Private investment is expected to pick up, and declining oil prices should boost private sector competitiveness.
• But economic reforms will be needed for India to achieve its full long-term growth potential.

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