Current affair 2013 aug

International Children’s Peace Prize 2013 goes to Malala Yousafzai

August 28th, 2013

Famous Pakistani brave girl and activist Malala Yusafzai who was shot in head by Taliban for campaigning for girls’ right to education, has won the prestigious International Children’s Peace Prize 2013. She is currently living in Britain where she was given life-saving treatment.

Who was the first child to get International Children’s Peace Prize?

In 2005, the first International Children’s Peace Prize was awarded to Nkosi Johnson posthumously. He was a South African boy who brought international attention to children with HIV/AIDS and founded the Nkosi’s Haven home for HIV-positive mothers and children.

 
 The first Children’s Peace Prize in 2005 was dedicated posthumously to Nkosi Johnson for his work and dedication to offer a more dignified existence to South African children and their mothers with hiv and aids. The prize was presented  by Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mikhail Gorbachev to Nkosi’s foster mother Gail Johnson and his little foster brother Thabo.
During his lifetime Nkosi rose awareness for children with hiv and aids. In his famous speech during the 13^th International Aids conference in Durban in 2001 he asked the world to accept and love children and adults with hiv/aids just like any other human being, because as he said: “We can walk, we can talk, we have needs just like everyone else - don't be afraid of us - we are all the same!”. Nkosi wanted to open several Nkosi’s Havens together with his foster “mommy” Gail Johnson within the year. The thought behind Nkosi’s haven is that mothers with hiv/aids and their children should not be separated from each other.

Current affair aug 2013

Former IEC chair Brigalia Bam awarded Gandhi Peace Award

 Dr Brigalia Bam has received the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation for her steely leadership in organising elections.

Dr Brigalia Bam recieved the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation at the Durban City Hall (SABC)

 

About Mahatma Gandhi Peace Prize:

The Prize was established in 2003 to mark the centenary of Indian Opinion, a newspaper started by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa. He began his socio-political life in the country and fought for justice, peace and reconciliation.

 

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech turns 50

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech turns 50

 

Aug. 28 marks 50 years since the historic March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream” speech

 

 "I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by American activist Martin Luther King, Jr. on August 28, 1963, in which he called for an end to racism in the United States

 

Kerala high court Chief Justice, Manjula Chellur during the inauguration of a saree exhibition and sale organized by Karnataka silk industries in Kochi.

Montek Singh Ahluwalia visits the tropical botanical garden at Palod in Thiruvananthapuram

Planning board deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia laying foundation stone for the proposed museum plant at the tropical botanical garden at Palod in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. State planning board vice chairman KM Chandrasekhar is also seen.
 Montek Singh Ahluwalia visits the tropical botanical garden at Palod in Thiruvananthapuram

Lok Sabha passes Food Bill

 

 The much-awaited National Food Security Bill, which the ruling Congress calls a “game changer”, was passed by voice vote in the Lok Sabha on Monday. It will ensure legal food entitlement to 50 per cent of the urban and 75 per cent of the rural population across the country at reasonably cheaper prices.

The BJP ultimately supported the Bill, with Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj saying: “We support it despite it being half-baked and weak.”
When the Bill was put to vote clause by clause, over 300 amendments moved by Opposition members were negated by margins of more than 100 votes each time.
Prominent among the amendments included making it obligatory for the government to give food even at times of natural calamities, increasing fines on public authorities from the existing Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000 in case of failure to provide food and eliminating provisions of financial liability on state governments in implementing the law.
Ironically, Congress president Sonia Gandhi could not participate in the voting as she fell ill during the voting on amendments and had to leave the House at around 8.15 pm when she was taken to AIIMS. Her son Rahul too could not participate as he accompanied his mother to AIIMS.

Day in Picture

President Pranab Mukherjee with school children during Raksha Bhandhan celebrations at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi

curretn affair 2013

IAAF World Championships: Bolt wins 200 meters, Kiprotich bags marathon gold

 

August 20th, 2013

 

Bolt won the 100 meters six days ago and now has captured seven gold medals at the world championships.

 

 

Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt won his second gold medal of the World Athletic Championships being held in Moscow, Russia,cruising through the finish line to win the men’s 200 meters. The 100-meter champion won the race in 19.66 seconds for his third straight world title in the 200. Warren Weir of Jamaica was second in 19.79 and Curtis Mitchell of the United States took bronze in 20.04.
In Marathon, Olympic champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda beat two Ethiopian rivals in the final two kilometres to win the world championship marathon.

current affair

Ibrahim Keita wins Mali presidential election

August 20th, 2013

Mali’s former Prime Minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has won the presidential election runoff. He now faces a tough task of rebuilding a country reeling under more than a year of turmoil including a military coup and war. Mali’s first election since 2007 was seen as vital for unlocking more than $4 billion in aid promised by international donors who halted contributions in the wake of last year’s coup that ignited an Islamist insurgency and a French military offensive

Kerala’s prestigious regatta

The victorious oarsmen of Sree Ganesan, which won the 61st Nehru Trophy boat race in chundan category. 
 
Telugu actor and Tourism Minister Chiranjeevi gave a touch of colour to the boat race by gracing the occasion. Here, he greets Kerala Governor Nikhil Kumar. 


Hundreds of tourists watch a boat race from the banks of the Punnamada Lake.

Images from news events of the day

Iranian President Hasan Rouhani speaks during the debate on the proposed Cabinet at the parliament, in Tehran, Iran

Images from news events of the day

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (right) meets with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Images from news events of the day

Ancient Gupt-Ganga Temple submerged in flooded river Neeru after 72 hours of continuous rainfall at Bhaderwah in Doda.

India @ 67

 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh addressing the nation from rampart of the historic Red Fort during the country's 67th Independence Day function, in New Delhi 


Students performing on the occasion of Independence Day at Police Parade Grounds in Khammam



Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi takes salute after unfurling the Tricolour during the 67th Independence day celebrations in Bhuj.
 
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy unfurls the tricolour at Secunderabad Parade Grounds in Hyderabad
 
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa during the 67th Independence Day function at Fort St George in Chennai on Thursday.
 
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee hoists the Tricolour at Indira Gandhi Sarani in Kolkata. 
 
 
Clockwise from top left: Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot during the Independence Day celebration at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, Karnataka CM Siddharamaiah addresses at Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade grounds in Bangalore, Bihar CM waves to the gathering at Gandhi Maidan in Patna and Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna honouring freedom fighters in Dehradun.
 
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi inspecting the Independence Day parade in Guwahati




 Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah salutes during celebrations marking Independence Day at The Bakshi Stadium in Srinagar 


Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy inspecting the Independance Day parade at the Central Stadium, in Thiruvananthapuram

 
School children make a human chain in the shape of the Indian map on the eve of Independence Day in Mirzapur 
 Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik's sand sculpture with a message "Jai Jawan" on the occasion of Independence day at Puri beach in Odisha

Circumnavigator Abhilash Tomy gets Kirti Chakra

Tomy became the first Indian and the second Asian to have achieved the rare feat

 

• Lt Commander Abhilash Tomy of the Indian Navy, the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe solo nonstop, has been selected for the Kirti Chakra, the nation’s second highest peacetime gallantry medal. 

•  The award has been bestowed in connection with the Independence Day, by the President of India.

• Tomy of Tripunithura achieved the rare feat in his mission Sagar Parikrama II. 

•  “This has been the best news for the day! I am overwhelmed with the announcement. It’s a very big thing for me, and for all those who started the project so many years ago. I am sure people will be drawn into such activities soon,” Tomy said.

• It was during the mission Sagar Parikrama-II, flagged off from Mumbai that Tomy sailed around 23,100 nautical miles in a span of over 150 days from November 2012 to March 31, 2013.

•  His global voyage on board INSV Mhadei, had thousands of followers in the social networking sites.

• On completion of the voyage, Tomy became the first Indian and the second Asian to have achieved the rare feat.

• Only 79 people have circumnavigated the world solo so far.
•  Commander Dilip Donde of the Indian Navy, was the first Indian to circumnavigate the globe solo.However, Commander Donde had four stopovers in his trip.

Robert Mugabe re-elected as Zimbabwe’s President

Robert Mugabe re-elected as Zimbabwe’s President

August 12th, 2013

Robert Mugabe has been re-elected as Zimbabwe’s President for next five-year term amid Zimbabwe’s Movement of Democratic Change (MDC)allegations of fraud in the elections. MDC has decided to challenge an election victory by President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF party in the court. Western observers were kept out by Harare and independent domestic monitors have described the vote as deeply flawed by registration problems that may have disenfranchised up to a million people.

Hassan Rouhani is the new President of Iran

Hassan Rouhani is the new President of Iran

August 12th, 2013

 
Hassan Rouhani sworn as the new President of Iran in the ceremony held at the Iranian Parliament in Tehran. Rouhani, who will have 4-year tenure as President, is the 7^th (different) President of Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. He secured a little over 50% votes to win the election and succeeded Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

India wins historic bronze at Junior Women Hockey World Cup

Chakde India: India wins historic bronze at Junior Women Hockey World Cup

August 12th, 2013

 

India’s junior women hockey team created a history by clinching country’s first ever bronze medal in the junior women hockey World Cup as they defeated England.  The Indian girls beat England 3-2 in the bronze medal play-off to finish on the podium – their best-ever showing in the marquee event. Captain Ms Sushila Chanu held that the entire team was delighted to have made the country proud.

INS Vikrant, first indigenous aircraft carrier, launched 

 A slew of big-ticket projects, such as the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, the launch of which was announced with much fanfare on Monday, will not see the light of day anytime soon. Not in the lifetime of this government and not even after the next government demits office.

 Take the case of the INS Vikrant, launched by Defence Minister A.K. Antony's wife, Elizabeth, on Monday. While the official spin is that the launch brackets India with a handful of nations capable of building a modern aircraft carrier, it will be at least another seven years before the INS Vikrant can be actively deployed by the Navy. The launch is, however, indicative of progress and the carrier remains the Indian Navy's great hope.

Experts who have worked on the project said that though 75 per cent of the ship's structure has been completed, a fair amount of work remains before it can be handed over to the Navy some time in 2018. The Navy will then take at least two years to make the aviation facility on the carrier fully active after a series of sea trials, said an officer involved with the project, claiming it would be safe to estimate a 2020 date for the full deployment of the aircraft carrier.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ins-vikrant-indigenous-aircraft-carrier-launched-seven-years-navy/1/299256.html

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ins-vikrant-indigenous-aircraft-carrier-launched-seven-years-navy/1/299256.html

Ranthambhore National Park

The Indian tiger populace estimate currently stands at 1706. Project Tiger, which started off with nine reserves covering an area of 16,339 sq. km and 268 tigers, now has 39 reserves and over one percent of the country’s geographical area dedicated to the Panthera Tigris. In this March 23, 2000 file photo, an Indian tiger looks out from a cover of straw grass at the Ranthambhore National Park,
 ,
 Ranthambore National Park  or Ranthambhore is one of the largest national parks in northern India. It is situated in Sawai Madhopur district of southeastern Rajasthan, about 110 km north east of Kota and 130 km south east of Jaipur, which is also the nearest airport. The nearest town and railway station is at Sawai Madhopur, about 11 km away; Kota is another convenient station as many trains stop there.

  Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.


The National Tiger Conservation Authority has been strengthened and decentralised with three Regional Offices at Nagpur, Bengaluru and Guwahati now. Approval has also been given to five more reserves in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Karnataka. In photo: B2, one of the most photographed tigers, at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

 Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve


The report also recognised Ramnagar in Uttar Pradesh (which sits close to the entrance of Corbett National Park), the towns of Balgahat and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh (where the Kanha and Pench National Park is located), Kolkata and areas spanning south to the edge of the Sunderbans in Bengal, and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghats as other hotspots of illegal tiger trade

Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram

Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram at Parliament House in New Delhi during the ongoing monsoon session

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav pressing the button to launch several schemes at a programme at his official residence in Lucknow.

current affair

Sindhu settles for bronze medal in World Championship

August 10, 2013

P.V. Sindhu during a match at the World Championships in Guangzhou. 

India’s rising shuttler P V Sindhu on Saturday settled for a bronze medal at the World Championships after suffering a straight-game defeat against world number three Ratchanok Inthanon in the semifinals of the prestigious event.

World number 12 Sindhu, playing in her maiden World Championships, had notched up stunning victories against two Chinese players in the run-up to the semifinals but she failed to out it cross Ratchanok, going down 10-21 13-21 in a 36-minute women’s singles match.

Ratchanok mixed her strokes well and moved smoothly across the court. Sindhu, on the other hand, committed too many unforced errors allowing her opponent to move into the interval at 11-4 in the opening game.

Ratchanok used her deceptive shots to flummox Sindhu, who struggled in anticipation. The Indian failed to gauge the Thai girl’s game and also ended up hitting the shuttle wide and out to allow Ratchanok to move to 19-10.

Ratchanok then moved to a 10-point lead with a straight baseline smash and with Sindhu hitting out again, the Thai had the upper-hand after the opening game.

Sindhu struggled with her strokes in the second game too as her returns were buried into the net and she also made some judgemental errors as Ratchanok opened up a 8-1 lead early on.

A few points at the net saw Sindhu make it 5-10 but another unforced error by the Indian took Ratchanok to 11-5 at the break.

Ratchanok was accurate and played some sensational strokes to leave Sindhu without any answer. Sindhu tried to match Ratchanok in the rallies but the Thai girl was always a step ahead with her wide array of strokes.

Leading 19-12, Ratchanok earned eight match points when Sindhu’s shuttle went out again. Sindhu saved one match point with a smash but Ratchanok soon grabbed the last point with a jump smash which caught Sindhu off-guard.

Ratchanok, 18, is the first shuttler from her country to be assured of a silver at the World Championship.

The Thailand girl won the India Open in New Delhi and also the Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold this year. She is also a three-time world junior championship gold-medallist. She is also a silver-medallist from the 2010 Asian Games here.

Japan unveiled its Biggest Warship called Izumo

Japan’s biggest warship since WWII

On Aug. 6, Japan launched its largest warship since World War II in a fresh demonstration of Tokyo’s steadily expanding naval capabilities

Japan has unveiled its biggest warship since World War II called Izumo.
 

About Izumo:

Flat top destroyer resembling a conventional aircraft carrier. Nearly 250 metres (820 feet) long flight deck which can carry up to 14 helicopters. Used particularly in anti-submarine warfare and border-area surveillance missions. It will boost Japan’s ability to transport personnel and supplies in response to large-scale natural disasters, like the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

Alappuzha gets ready for Nehru Trophy

It’s a race against rain for this year’s Nehru trophy

Elaborate arrangements have been made by the district administration for the smooth conduct of the 61st edition of the Nehru Trophy Boat Race to be held on Punnamada Backwaters at 2pm on Saturday.
Speaking at a press conference here on Tuesday, district collector N Padmakumar said that as many as 63 boats including 22 snake boats would participate in the event.

Agni V missile expected to be operational by 2015

Agni V missile expected to be operational by 2015

August 6th, 2013

According to Tessy Thomas, director, Agni Missile Project, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), two or three more successful test firings, the Agni V missile is likely to be operational by 2015.

Salient features of Agni V

• Intercontinental ballistic missile developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India.
• Part of the Agni series of missiles, one of the missile systems under the original Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme.
• Range of 5,500–5,800 km.
• It will allow India to strike targets across Asia and into Europe.
• A 3 stage solid fuelled missile with composite motor casing in the second and third stage.
• Carry MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles) payloads. A single MIRV equipped missile can deliver multiple warheads at different targets.
• Incorporate advanced technologies involving ring laser gyroscope and accelerometer for navigation and guidance.
• First successfully test-fired by DRDO from Wheeler Island off the coast of Orissa on April 19, 2012. With this, India joined an “elite nuclear club” that also included China, Russia, France, the US, the UK and possibly Israel.

INSAT-3D Successfully Launched

India's Advanced Weather Satellite INSAT-3D Successfully Launched
 
 
India's Weather Satellite INSAT-3D, carrying advanced weather monitoring payloads, was launched successfully in the early hours of today (July 26, 2013) by Ariane-5 (VA214) launch vehicle from Kourou, French Guiana. After a smooth countdown lasting 11 hours and 30 minutes, the Ariane-5 launch vehicle lifted off right on schedule at the opening of the launch window at 01:24 hours IST today. After a flight of 32 minutes and 48 seconds, INSAT-3D was placed in an elliptical Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO), very close to the intended one.
Soon after the separation of INSAT-3D from the Ariane-5's upper cryogenic stage, the satellite's solar panel automatically got deployed. ISRO's Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took over the control of INSAT-3D immediately. Preliminary health checks of all the subsystems of INSAT-3D bus were performed and the satellite's health is satisfactory.

In the coming days, orbit raising manoeuvres will be performed on INSAT-3D using the satellite's own propulsion system to place it in the 36,000 km high Geostationary Orbit. After placing the satellite at 82 deg East orbital slot, it is planned to turn on the meteorological payloads of INSAT-3D in the second week of August 2013 and to extensively test them. With a lift-off mass of 2060 kg, INSAT-3D carries four payloads - Imager, Sounder, Data Relay Transponder and Satellite Aided Search & Rescue payload. Among them, the six channel imager can take weather pictures of the Earth and has improved features compared to the payloads in KALPANA-1 and INSAT-3A, the two Indian Geostationary Satellites providing weather services for the past one decade.

The 19 channel sounder payload of INSAT-3D adds a new dimension to weather monitoring through its atmospheric sounding system, and provides vertical profiles of temperature, humidity and integrated ozone. Data relay transponder, the third payload carried by INSAT-3D, receives the meteorological, hydrological, oceanographic parameters sent by Automatic Data Collection platforms located at remote uninhabited locations and relays them to a processing centre for generating accurate weather forecasts. INSAT-3D is also equipped with a search and rescue payload that picks up and relays alert signals originating from the distress beacons of maritime, aviation and land based users and relays them to the mission control centre to facilitate speedy search and rescue operations.

ISRO has taken up the responsibility of end-to-end reception and processing of INSAT-3D data and the derivation of meteorological parameters with India Meteorological Department (IMD), New Delhi. An indigenously designed and developed INSAT-3D Meteorological Data Processing System (IMDPS) is installed and commissioned at IMD, New Delhi with a mirror site at Space Applications Centre, Bopal, Ahmedabad.

India's new foreign secretary

Sujatha Singh takes charge as India's new foreign secretary

India's new foreign secretary Sujatha Singh after assuming charge. Singh, an officer of the 1976 batch of the Indian Foreign Service, succeeded Rajan Mathai.

 

Metro Man' Sreedharan gets Lokmanya Tilak award

Metro Man' Sreedharan gets Lokmanya Tilak award
 

"Metro Man" E Sreedharan has emphasised integrity, punctuality and professional competence are vital factors for undertaking any major infrastructure project to avoid cost overruns.

Sreedharan, who was conferred the 'Lokmanya Tilak Award' for 2013 at a function in Pune on Thursday night for outstanding contribution to society, said, "In infrastructure projects, time is money."
Professional competence marked the development of the Delhi Metro project, which was a technical marvel and also a sustainable model, said Sreedharan, considered as the architect of the ambitious Delhi Metro project.

India-born Mamnoon Hussain elected Pakistan President

Mamnoon Hussain elected 12th President of Pakistan

Mamnoon Hussain will be sworn in on Sept 9 at the presidency due to be vacated by incumbent Asif Ali Zardari.

India-born Mamnoon Hussain, a close aide of Prime Minister Nawqaz Sharif, was today elected as the 12 th President of Pakistan and will replace the incumbent, Asif Ali Zardari, in September.