Daily GK Updates - 8th July, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Meghalaya fined Rs 100 cr for illegal coal mining:  The Supreme Court of India has directed the Meghalaya government to deposit the Rs 100 crore fine. The fine was imposed by the NGT for failing to curb illegal coal mining with the Central Pollution Control Board.

Note: Meghalaya Capital: Shillong; Chief Minister: Conrad Sangma; Governor: Tathagata Roy.

2. Bonalu festival kicks off in Telangana: The annual Bonalu festival kicked off at the Jagadamba temple in historic Golconda Fort, Telangana. Bonalu is celebrated every year in the state during the first month of the monsoon season.  Bonalu is the "state festival" of Telangana. Bonalu is celebrated to ward off diseases and usher in good health, peace and prosperity. Women, attired in colourful robes, carry the 'Bonalu' (decorated pots containing food) on their heads to the temples for offering them to the Goddess.

Note: CM of Telangana: K Chandrashekhar Rao; Capital of Telangana: Hyderabad; Governor of Telangana: ESL Narasimhan.

3. J&K govt approves Aadhaar-linked payment for pension disbursal:  The Jammu and Kashmir government approves Aadhaar-linked payment mode for pension disbursal. The aim is to distribute pension to the beneficiaries under various central and state sponsored schemes in order to ensure transparency and to avoid delay.

Governor of Jammu & Kashmir: Satya Pal Malik.

4. Govt to invest 50 lakh crore rupees in railways by 2030: According to Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, the union government is eyeing investment of 50 lakh crore in railways by the year 2030 to make it the best in the world. The Minister said that the rail infrastructure in the country increased by mere 30% in the last 65 years due to the lack of adequate investment, while freight and passenger traffic increased by 1500%t. Mr Goyal announced that the entire Konkan Railway route from Mumbai to Mangaluru via Goa would be electrified at the cost of 11,000 crore rupees. The electrification of railways will improve speed and reduce pollution on the scenic Konakan railway route.

5. Assam Govt to develop over three hundred tourist spots: Assam government has taken a step to develop 316 tourists spot in the state. According to Bhaskar Phukan (M D of Assam Tourism Development Corporation), 150 crore rupees will be spent to develop these locations under Axom Darshan. Mr Phukan added that river tourism is one of the sought-after sectors in Assam and the state government will utilise the mighty Brahmaputra to develop the sector.

6. "Vivekadeepini" book released by the Vice President of India:  The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has released the book ‘Vivekadeepini’ in ten languages. It is a concise book of aphorisms that contains glimpses of India’s wisdom. The book will be published by Vedanta Bharati.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Italy's Prosecco hills added to UNESCO World Heritage list: Italy's north-eastern Conegliano and Valdobbiadene hills (home to the world-famous sparkling wine prosecco) have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The region became Italy's 55th World Heritage site. The landscape is characterised by hogback hills, ciglioni -- small plots of vines on narrow grassy terraces -- forests, small villages and farmland. The prosecco sparkling white, which has the highest classification available to Italian wine, is produced in a territory spread over nine provinces in Italy's northeast. Prosecco has become the most popular Italian wine abroad, with its exports seen rising by a record 21% in 2019 in foreign markets.

Note: A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or another form of significance and is legally protected by international treaties. The sites are judged important to the collective interests of humanity.

2. Tata Steel Kalinganagar joins WEF's Global Lighthouse Network: Tata Steel Kalinganagar has been included in World Economic Forum's Global Lighthouse Network. TSK in Odisha's Jajpur district is the first and the only Indian manufacturing plant to be included in the WEF's Lighthouse Network. Global Lighthouse Network is a community of manufacturers showing leadership in applying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to drive financial and operational impact.

3. UAE Foreign minister arrives in India: United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in India. He will hold talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar to boost cooperation in key sectors such as trade and energy. The UAE is India’s third-largest trade partner and fourth-largest energy supplier.

Note: President of the UAE: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Capital: Abu Dhabi, Currency: Dirham.

4. ISRO ties up with Russian agency to select, train Indian astronauts: Indian Space Research Organisation has signed a contract with Russia’s Glavkosmosfor selection support, medical examination and space training of Indian astronauts. ISRO has planned to send two unmanned missions before the mission 'Gaganyaan-1'.

Note: ISRO Director: K Sivan, Headquarters: Bengaluru, Established: 1969.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Vinesh Phoga & Divya Kakran wins the Gold medal at Grand Prix of Spain: India’s wrestler Vinesh Phogat (in 53 Kg category) and Divya Kakran (in 68 kg category) have won Gold Medal at the Grand Prix of Spain. Vinesh comfortably beat Peru's Justina Benites and Russia's Nina Minkenova before getting the better of Dutch rival Jessica Blaszka in the final. Among others, World Championship bronze medallist Pooja Dhanda (57kg), Seema (50kg), Manju Kumari (59kg) and Kiran (76kg) won silver medal. India finished second with 130 points in team championship behind Russia (165-points).

2. Rohit Sharma records maximum hundreds in the single World Cup: Rohit Sharma has set a world record of maximum hundreds in the single World Cup. He has become the first batsman in the world to score five hundreds in a single World Cup and break the record of Former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakarra. He has also equalled Sachin Tendulkar's record of the total number of World Cup hundreds.

Note: Venue of ICC World Cup 2019 : England and Wales.

3. 4 Gold medals for India in Kutno Athletics Meet: Indian athletes have won 4 gold medals in the Kutno Athletics Meet held in Poland. Following is the list of winners in the different categories: Hima Das won the gold while V.K. Vismaya bagged the silver in the women’s 200m race. Muhammed Anas won the gold in men’s 200 m race. M P Jabir won the gold while Jithin Paul bagged the bronze medal in the men’s 400m hurdles. P Saritaben (gold), Sonia Baishya (silver) and R Vithya (bronze) won the women’s 400 m race.

4. Canada Open Badminton: Li Shi Feng won the men's singles title: India's Parupalli Kashyap (32-years) lost to Li Shi Feng (China) in the men's singles title clash of the Canada Open. Kashyap entered the final, defeating Taiwan's Wang Tzu-wei in a semi-final encounter at Calgary. Feng had defeated Koki Watanabe of Japan in the other semi-final.

Note: The 2019 Canada Open (or, YONEX Canada Open 2019) is a badminton tournament took place at Markin-MacPhail Centre in Canada (2-7th July 2019). This tournament is organized by the Badminton Alberta and sanctioned by the BWF and Badminton Canada.

5. Copa America 2019: Brazil wins Title on home soil: Brazil defeated Peru 3-1 to win its first Copa America title since 2007. Jesus scored the decisive goal after a penalty from Peru captain Paolo Guerrero cancelled out Everton’s opener for hosts Brazil at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium. A last-minute penalty from substitute Richarlison sealed a win for Brazil which handed the South American giants their ninth Copa triumph and first since 2007. Argentina took third place by beating Chile 2–1 in the third-place match. Brazil's veteran right-back Dani Alves was player of the tournament.

Note: The 2019 Copa América (46th edition) was the international men's association football championship organized by South America's football ruling body CONMEBOL. It was held in Brazil (between 14 June to 7 July 2019) at 6 venues across the country.

6. World Youth Cup: Arinjeeta Dey wins silver medal: Arinjeeta Dey, a 10-year-old girl, has won a silver medal in the World Youth Cup held in Umag, Croatia. The tournament was organised by World Karate Federation affiliated to the International Olympic Association.

Note:  Capital of Croatia: Zagreb; Currency of Croatia: Croatian kuna.

7. Hima Das clinches gold in Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland: Indian sprinter Hima Das (19-years) won her second international gold in women's 200m with a top finish at the Kutno Athletics Meet in Poland. Hima clocked 23.97 seconds to clinch the gold while VK Vismaya bagged the silver in 24.06 seconds. This was Hima's second competitive 200m race of the year. She has a personal best of 23.10 seconds, which she clocked in 2018. Hima is the reigning world junior champion and national record holder in 400m. National record holder Muhammed Anas also won the gold in men's 200m race with a time of 21.18 seconds. MP Jabir won the gold in men's 400m hurdles in 50.21 seconds while Jithin Paul was third in 52.26 seconds.

DEFENCE

1. DRDO successfully tested Nag missiles in Pokhran: DRDO successfully tested Nag missiles in Pokhran ranges. The system includes a third generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile, the NAG, along with the Missile Carrier Vehicle (NAMICA). The Nag Missile has top attack capabilities that can effectively engage and destroy all known enemy tanks.

Note: DRDO Chairman: G Satheesh Reddy, Established: 1958, Headquarters: New Delhi.

2. Operation 'Sudarshan' launched along the Pakistan border: BSF has launched the operation 'Sudarshan' to fortify the 'anti-infiltration grid' along the Pakistan border in Punjab and Jammu. It was launched on July 1 and will cover the entire 1,000-kms length of the India-Pakistan International Border. The Border Security Force is the primary force guarding this frontier as the 'first line of defence'.