25-26 APRIL 2016
INS Karmuk Corvette participated in Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol(CORPAT)
25-APR-2016
Indian Missile Corvette, INS Karmuk along with a Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft participated in the 22nd Indo-Thai Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) on 25 April 2016 in the Andaman Sea.
India’s indigenously built Missile Corvette is based at the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
The 22nd edition of the CORPAT
India and Thailand have traditionally enjoyed a close and friendly relationship covering a wide spectrum of activities and interactions, which have strengthened over the years.
The 22nd edition of CORPAT would bolster the already strong bilateral relationship between the two nations and contribute significantly to enhancing maritime security in the region.
It would include participation of one warship and one Maritime Patrol Aircraft of India and Thailand with the closing ceremony being held at Port Blair, Headquarters Andaman and Nicobar Command (HQANC) from 25 April -27 April 2016.
Background
• Maritime interaction between India and Thailand has been growing steadily with frequent port visits, participation in multilateral exercises and training exchanges.
• Under the broad ambit of this strong maritime relationship, the two navies have been carrying out CORPATs along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) twice a year since 2005.
• It was with an aim of keep the vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping and international trade.
• The CORPAT has also strengthened understanding and interoperability between the navies and facilitated institution of measures to prevent unlawful activities at sea as well as conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) operations.
Full Pink Moon seen across the skies of
North America
25-APR-2016
The Full Pink Moon was seen on 22 April 2016 in the skies of North America. However, the moon appeared normally white and smaller than usual. The April’s full moon is usually referred as Pink Moon in North America.
The moon appeared to be smaller than usual because it was at its furthest point from the Earth, or apogee. This full moon comes less than one day after reaching lunar apogee, the moon’s farthest point in its monthly orbit. It lies around 50 thousand km farther from Earth than 2016’s closest full moon.
The Pink Moon is also called as mini-moon and micro-moon. The terms mini-moon and micro-moon originate from popular culture. TheNASA Astronomy Photo of the Day calls the year’s smallest full moon as a micro-moon. In many respects, the micro-moon is the antithesis of a Supermoon.
In November 2016, the moon will be full when it is at its closest to the Earth and will be known as a Supermoon.
What is Pink Moon?
The pink moon is the name for April’s full moon, which earns its nickname from a pink flower called wild ground flox (also known as herb moss pink), which is one of the earliest plants to flower in spring.
It was created by the Algonquin tribes native to the New England and Lake Superior regions.
Some coastal American Indian tribes have also referred to it as the Full Fish moon, since it marks a time when shad swim upstream to spawn.
Full Moon names date back to Native Americans. The tribes kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full moon. It was their way of keeping a calendar as they did not follow the Julian or Gregorian system of tracking time. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each full moon occurred.
When colonial Americans came into contact with these tribes, they would frequently adopt the full moon names that were already in use.
Operation Sulaimani to eradicate
Poverty in Kozhikode District
25-APR-2016
Operation Sulaimani: An initiative to eradicate poverty by feeding needy in Kozhikode hotels.
The initiative Operation Sulaimani was in news in the third week of April 2016 as Kozhikode district is set to implement this project to ensure food for the needy in its jurisdiction.
It was initiated by the Kozhikode district collector N Prasanth with an objective to avoid food wastage in the district.
The project is named after Sulaimani as the Kozhikode is famous for food and ‘Sulaimani’ is one of such iconic items of the district.
Features of Operation Sulaimani
• It is being implemented in association with the state Hotel and Restaurants Association.
• The needy will get food from selected restaurants in the district in each locality. Instead of payment, the customers have to give coupons distributed by the district administration.
• The coupons will be distributed through the counters to be opened in the collectorate, village office and Taluk offices.
• The district administration would maintain a register book to enter the details of people who approach them for the food coupons.
• They make note of the name and address of the people who buys the coupon.
• Necessary steps will be taken to avoid the people who regularly use this coupon despite having proper income.
• The boozers will also be kept away from this project.
• As per the initial plan, through the Operation Sulaimani, around 1000 people will get food per day.
• The price of the food will be covered through sponsorship.
Union Government notified new rules
to revamp SC and ST (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act, 2016
25-APR-2016
The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment on 14 April 2016 notified the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Rules, 2016.
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was amended by Parliament in 2016. The rules have now been framed to give effect to the amended provisions. These rules will speed up the process of dispensation of justice to victims of atrocities.
Provisions of the SC and ST
(Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2016
• Completion of investigation and filing of charge sheet in the court within sixty days.
• Provision of relief for offences of rape and gang rape.
• Delinking requirement of medical examination for getting relief amount for non-invasive kind of offences against women like sexual harassment, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of women.
• Provision of admissible relief amount to SC/ST women for offences of grievous nature, on conclusion of trial, even though not ending in conviction.
• Increase in the existing quantum of relief amount to between 85000 rupees to 825000 rupees depending upon the nature of the offence, while linking it with the Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers for the month of January 2016.
• Provision of admissible relief in cash or in kind or both within seven days to the victims of atrocity, their family members and dependents.
• Rationalization of the phasing of payment of relief amount to victims for various offences of atrocities.
• Regular Reviews of the scheme for the rights and entitlements of victims and witnesses in accessing justice at the State, District and Sub-Division Level Committees in their respective meetings.
World Immunization Week 2016
organised with campaign Close the
immunization gap
25-APR-2016
World Immunization Week 2016 is being organised across the globe between 24 April and 30 April 2016. The week’s campaign is ‘Close the Immunization Gap’ and it seeks to achieve global vaccination targets by 2020.
This will be the second year of the Close the Immunization Gap campaign. The 2016 campaign additionally stresses the need for immunization among adolescents and adults - throughout life.
It also seeks to draw the world’s attention to the critical importance of reaching vulnerable people living in conflict situations or in the wake of emergencies.
During World Immunization Week 2016, WHO will highlight the recent gains in immunization coverage, and outlines further steps needed to meet global vaccination targets by 2020 set in WHO’s Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP).
The week is organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the last week of April with an aim to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. Immunization saves millions of lives and is widely recognized as one of the worlds’ most successful and cost-effective health interventions.
WHO Global Vaccine Action Plan
(GVAP)
The WHO Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) - endorsed by the 194 Member States of the World Health Assembly in May 2012 - has the ambitious goal of reaching universal coverage with vaccines worldwide by 2020. The GVAP aims to:
• Accelerate control of vaccine-preventable diseases with polio eradication as the first milestone and step up efforts to eliminate measles, rubella and maternal and neonatal tetanus and other diseases
• Strengthen national routine immunization programmes to meet vaccination coverage targets
• Introduce new and improved vaccines
• Spur research and development for the next generation of vaccines and technologies
Effect and recent progress of
Immunization
• In the recent past, the process of the Immunization has helped the world in dealing with seceral problems like Polio, Ebola and many more.
• It helped in developing vaccines in record time and control disease like Ebola
• Africa has not had a case of wild poliovirus since August 2014 – an enormous achievement that brings the region closer than ever to being certified polio-free
• India has been declared free of maternal and neonatal tetanus, demonstrating disease elimination is possible even in challenging circumstances
• The Americas became the first region to eliminate rubella and congenital rubella syndrome
Wrestler Sandeep Tomar qualified for
Rio Olympics in 57-kg freestyle
category
25-APR-2016
Wrestler Sandeep Tomar on 24 April 2016 secured an Olympic quota place for India in the men's 57kg freestyle category with a bronze medal finish on the final day of the 1st World Olympic qualifying tournament at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
He secured his berth for Rio Olympics by winning the playoff bout after having clinched the bronze medal. Only the top three finishers in each weight category are eligible for an Olympic berth in this tournament.
With this, the 25-year-old Sandeep became the fourth Indian wrestler after Yogeshwar Dutt (men's 65kg freestyle), Narsingh Yadav (men's 74kg freestyle), and Hardeep Singh (Greco-Roman 98kg) to book a berth for the Rio Games.
Mairaj Ahmed Khan won first silver
medal for Inida at shooting World Cup
25-APR-2016
Mairaj Ahmed Khan on 25 April 2016 won silver medal for India in the men's skeet event at ISSF World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
This will be the first skeet medal for India at a World Cup.
Mairaj lost gold medal to Marcus Svensson of Sweden. Tamarro Casandro of Italy won the bronze.
About Mairaj Ahmed Khan
• He won a team gold medal in the Commonwealth Shooting Championship in 2010 which was his best international performance earlier.
• Earlier in 2016, he became India's first ever skeet shooter to win an Olympic quota place.
• He was qualified for his maiden Olympics in September 2015 at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup that was held in Lonato in Italy, finishing in sixth place and thereby becoming the first Indian to qualify in the skeet event at the Olympics.
India Pride Project (IPP): An Initiative
to bring back India's lost artefacts
25-APR-2016
The term India Pride Project (IPP) was in news in the fourth week of April 2016. It is an initiative by two NRIs who seek to bring back the lost artefacts to India.
Through the initiative, they seek to answer that India was looted of more artefacts in the post-colonial era than under the British or Mughals.
The India Pride Project is a small, but brave attempt to bring this loot back into the places where they belong in India. In simple terms India Pride Project’s mission is to restore the Nation’s pride through restoring its culture.
Co-founders of IPP
Vijay Kumar: Co-founder of IPP, is an art enthusiast himself and is the general manager of a shipping company.
Anurag Saxena: He is another co-founder, a chartered accountant and Asia-Pacific CEO for the World Education Foundation, UK.
How is the IPP managed?
The IPP is managed by an army of volunteers around the world, which identifies stolen art, traces its route and attempts to restore it back to its rightful place. IPP uses Twitter to spread the message. Recently, its handle #BringOurGodsHome was among the top five trending hash tags.
Success Stories
• Till Date, IPP have successfully identified popular loots such as Shiva Nataraja, Bronze (originally from Bragadeeshwara Temple, Tamil Nadu) on display in National Gallery of Australia.
• They also managed to locate the Shiva Ardhanari statue of Vriddhagireeswarar Temple, Vriddhachalam, Tamil Nadu, at the Art Gallery of South Wales.
• Cases of Bronze Ganesha from Bragadeeshwara Temple, Sripuranthan village, Tamil Nadu and Yakshi, Sand Stone of Satna, Nagod, MP have been handed over to ICE USA for further consideration.
Background
Ancient Indian sculptures, manuscripts, maps and artefacts are stolen and find their way into the international art-markets and are sold off for millions of dollars. The history of India is being illegally smuggled out to private-collectors and museums across the world.
According to certain estimates, around 50000 heritage objects have gone missing from India since independence.
So far, the artefacts that have returned to India have been mostly presented as gifts by other nations. Among these, is the Sripuranthan Nataraja, returned to India by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Former Finance Minister Clement
Mouamba appointed as Prime Minister
of Congo
25-APR-2016
Mouamba Clement, the former Congolese Finance Minister, was on 24 April 2016 appointed as the Prime Minister of Congo. He was appointed to the post by Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso.
Clement will be responsible for forming a government in consultation with the president in accordance with the 25 October 2015 constitution.
Also, his major task after being appointed as Prime Minister would be to help in creating jobs for the youth, a majority of whom are struggling with under unemployment.
This task will be linked with diversifying the country’s economy to achieve the President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s ambition of making Congo an emerging country by 2025, the program on the basis of which he was elected known as Path towards development.
Further, the appointment comes a month after Sassou Nguesso was elected to a five-year term that extends his long rule over the oil producing country. Sassou Nguesso led Congo between 1979 and 1992 and returned to power after a civil war in 1997.
The central African country has been gripped by political violence since the election.
Mouamba Clement
• Earlier between 1992 and 1993, Clement has served as finance minister under the country's first elected president Pascal Lissouba, who was ousted from power by Sassou Nguesso in 1997.
• He has also served the country as one-time opposition leader into the government.
• The economist and former officer of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) led several financial institutions in the country in the 1980s.
• He was a senior member of the opposition Pan-African Union for Social Democracy before being expelled in 2015 for taking part in the talks that paved the way for a constitutional referendum allowing Sassou Nguesso to extend his rule.
• The referendum scrapped a two-term limit on presidential mandates, allowing Sassou Nguesso to bid to stay in office in March elections, which he won with more than 60 percent of the vote.
International Solar Alliance Cell and
UNDP declared Cooperation for
Promoting Solar Energy
25-APR-2016
The Interim Administrative Cell of International Solar Alliance (ISA Cell) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on 22 April 2016 declared their intention to promote solar energy globally.
The declaration was made on the occasion of the side event on International Solar Alliance at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Major areas identified for working
jointly are:
• Development of synergies with ongoing UNDP programmes and projects on solar energy in and across ISA member countries.
• Creation of complementary linkages with ongoing global and regional efforts in the field of solar energy.
• Strategic cooperation in programmatic and technical expertise, and facilitating the participation of the wider UN system towards the creation of innovation hubs in and technology transfers between ISA member countries.
• Support for the establishment of knowledge management systems as well as electronic networks and/or e-portals for the sharing, creation and management of knowledge on solar energy.
• Strengthening the development of ISA’s institutional structure, and enhance its capacity development efforts through the support of training programmes.
Upendra Tripathy, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Chairperson, ISA cell exchanged the declaration with UN representative.
Earlier on 25 January 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with the President of France François Hollande had laid the foundation stone of the International Solar Alliance headquarters in National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) in Gwalpahari, Gurgaon.
About International Solar Alliance
• It was jointly launched in Paris by India and France on 30 November 2015 during the United Nations climate change conference (COP21).
• It is the India’s first international and inter-governmental organization of 121 Countries to have headquarters in India with United Nations as Strategic Partner.
• It creates a collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies to enhance energy security and sustainable development.
• It improves access to energy and opportunities for better livelihoods in rural and remote areas and to increase the standard of living.
Garcia-Mladenovic defeated Sania-
Hingis to win Stuttgart Grand Prix
tournament in Germany
25-APR-2016
French pair of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic on 24 April 2016 won women’s doubles final of the Stuttgart Grand Prix tournament.
In the final held at Stuttgart in Germany, the French duo defeated the Indo-Swiss pair of top seeded pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis 6-2, 1-6, 6-10.
On the other hand, the women’s singles title was won by Angelique Kerber of Germany. In the final clash, the reigning Australian Open champion Kerber defeated her countrywoman Laura Siegemund 6-4, 6-0.
Stuttgart Grand Prix tournament
Stuttgart Grand Prix tournament is a women's tennis tournament played on indoor clay courts. First played in 1978, it is Europe's oldest indoor women's event and is the lone indoor clay tournament on the calendar.
The winner of the event at the Porsche Arena receives a Porsche 911 Carrera sports car in addition to a prize sum. Martina Navratilova is the tournament record holder with six singles titles and eight doubles titles. Other Stuttgart titlists include former World No.1s Tracy Austin, Kim Clijsters, Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Martina Hingis, Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova, who won the title for the third straight time in 2014 - the first time in her career she became an event's three-time champion.
Previous Winners
|
Year |
Singles |
Doubles |
|
2016 |
Angelique Kerber |
Caroline Garcia / Kristina Mladenovic |
|
2015 |
Angelique Kerber |
Roberta Vinci / Sara Errani |
|
2014 |
Maria Sharapova |
Roberta Vinci / Sara Errani |
|
2013 |
Maria Sharapova |
Sabine Lisicki / Mona Barthel |
|
2012 |
Maria Sharapova |
Iveta Melzer / Barbora Strycova |
|
2011 |
Julia Goerges |
Samantha Stosur / Sabine Lisicki |
Russia defeated China to win gold at
World Mixed Doubles Curling
Championship
25-APR-2016
Russian pair Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitskiy on 23 April 2016 claimed the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship title with a 7-5 victory over China at
Karlstad, Sweden.
China's Wang Rui and Ba Dexin took the silver. The United States, with a 9-7 win over Scotland, secured the bronze medal.
The combined results of the 2016 and 2017 world mixed doubles events will decide the seven teams who will join host South Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
About World Mixed Doubles Curling
Championships
• The World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship began in 2008.
• Switzerland's mixed doubles team of Irene Schori and Toni Müller dominated the 2008 and 2009 championships and appeared in the first three worlds.
• At the 2010 Worlds, Russia won its first ever world curling title by defeating New Zealand, also first-time curling medallists.
• In 2013, Hungary won their first world curling title after defeating Sweden in the final.
• Hungary was the winner of the 2015 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.
What is curling?
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice towards a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules and shuffleboard.
Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called rocks, across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a circular target marked on the ice. Each team has eight stones.
The purpose is to accumulate the highest score for a game. Points are scored for the stones resting closest to the centre of the house at the conclusion of each end, which is completed when both teams have thrown all of their stones.
World Book and Copyright Day
observed across the world
25-APR-2016
The World Book and Copyright Day was celebrated on 23 April 2016 across the world. The events on this day are organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to promote reading, publishing and copyright.
The day was first celebrated on 23 April 1995.
World Book Capital 2016: Wroclaw,
Poland
Every year, UNESCO and the international organizations representing the three major sectors of the book industry - publishers, booksellers and libraries, select the World Book Capital for a one-year period, effective 23 April each year.
This year the city of Wroclaw was chosen as the World Book Capital 2016 for its commitment to spread the message of the power of books to nurture creativity.
Background
23 April is considered as a symbolic date for world literature. In 1616, on this date Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega died. It is also the date of birth or death of other prominent authors such as Maurice Druon, Haldor K Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov and Manuel Mejia Vallejo.
In 1995, UNESCO in its General Conference in Paris, paid a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date by encouraging everyone to discover the pleasure of reading. In this regard, UNESCO created the World Book and Copyright Day.
Bryan Brothers won Barcelona Open
Men's Doubles title
25-APR-2016
Bob and Mike Bryan on 24 April 2016 won the Barcelona Open doubles tennis title. The brothers claimed the title after defeating Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas and the Spaniard Marcel Granollers 7-5, 7-5 in one hour and 25 minutes.
The title is the Bryan brothers' second title in 2016, after they won the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas earlier in 2016. The victory is their third in Barcelona, as they won the tournament before in 2003 and 2008.
About Bob and Mike Bryan
• Bob and Mike Bryan are American male professional tennis players.
• Bob has won twenty-three Grand Slam titles: 16 in men's doubles and 7 in mixed doubles. He turned professional in 1998.
• Bob and Mike are World No. 1 doubles players. They first achieved the top ranking in September 2003.
• The brothers were named ATP Team of the Decade for 2000–2009.
• The brothers became the second men's doubles team to complete the career golden slam at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
About Barcelona Open
• The Barcelona Open is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players.
• The event has been held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain every year since 1953, and is played on clay courts at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona.
• It was an event of the Grand Prix tennis circuit between 1970 and 1989, except in 1971 when it was part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit, although it was also open to non-WCT players.
• The tournament is part of the 500 series on the ATP World Tour.
• Rafael Nadal has won the singles title a record nine times.
• It is Spain's second most important tournament on the ATP tour after the Madrid Open.
Rafael Nadal won Barcelona Open Men's singles title
25-APR-2016
Rafel Nadal on 24 April 2016 defeated two-time defending champion Kei Nishikori of Japan to win the Barcelona Open of tennis 6-4, 7-5.
This was Nadal's 9th Barcelona Open title, and he has now won his opening 10 matches of the European clay-court season.
With this win, world number five and top seed Spaniard also equaled Guillermo Vilas' decades old record of 49 clay-court titles. Argentine Guillermo Vilas had bagged 49 clay-court titles in 1970s and early 1980s.
Nadal may break that record as he will play in Madrid and Rome in May 2016 before the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the season, which ends the clay-court season. Nine of Nadal's 14 Grand Slams have been at Roland Garros.