GK & Current Affairs June 2016

The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s biggest single structure of living organisms, has been named the world’s best place to visit in 2016 in a newly released ranking published by US News & World Report.
•    The UNESCO World Heritage Site, which stretches for more than 2,000 km along the coastline of Queensland and is visible from space, was ranked the world’s best place to visit in 2016.
•    Rounding out the top three spots are Paris and Bora Bora in French Polynesia.
•    The Great Barrier Reef is home to the world’s most extensive coral reef ecosystem, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusk, covering an area of 348,000 square kilometers.
•    Every year, it’s estimated that 1.9 million people visit the area. But with the devastating effects of climate change and rising water temperatures continuing to place increased pressure on one of earth’s most extraordinary ecosystems, scientists warn that our time with the natural wonder is running out.
•    In April, the Australian Research Council warned that 500 coral reefs from Cairns to Papua New Guinea experienced the worst mass bleaching on record.
•    Meanwhile, despite the spate of terror attacks and labour strikes to beset the City of Light, Paris managed to slip into second place for the best vacation destination of 2016.
•    Currently, the French capital is hosting the UEFA Euro soccer games.
•    The ranking weighs editors’ and voters’ choices equally.
•    Here are the results of the US News & World Report’s World’s Best Places to Visit 2016:
Best places to visit in the world
•    Great Barrier Reef, Australia
•    Paris
•    Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Best places to visit in the USA
•    Grand Canyon National Park
•    Maui, Hawaii
•    Yellowstone National Park
Best places to visit in the Caribbean
•    British Virgin Islands
•    St. Lucia
•    US Virgin Islands
Best places to visit in Canada
•    Vancouver, British Columbia
•    Toronto
•    Banff, Alberta

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on 27th June launched BGR-34 - an anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug designed for type 2 Diabetes mellitus.
•    BGR-34 is developed jointly by National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), the research units of CSIR at Lucknow.
•    BGR-34 has been economically priced at Rs. 5 per tablet as compared to latest DPP4 inhibitors globally, a joint release by NBRI and CIMAP and the manufacturer AIMIL Pharmaceuticals (India) Ltd, said.
•    A K S Rawat, Sr Principal Scientist of CSIR-NBRI said six crore of the adult Indian population had been found to be diabetic and there is no effective solution for diabetes as yet.
•    He said CSIR's premier research institutions have developed and established the efficacy of BGR-34.
•    The modern diabetes drugs are known for side-effects and toxicity while BGR-34 works by controlling blood sugar and limiting the harmful effects of other drugs, he added.
•    The scientists of NBRI and CIMAP joined hands in developing the drug and they had in-depth study of over 500 renowned ancient herbs and finally identified the six best herbs listed in Ayurvedic ancient texts to develop an anti-diabetic formulation.

Newly renovated and expanded Panama Canal reopened for bigger business on 26 June 2016.
The first ship to cross the canal using the third set of locks was a modern New Panamax vessel, the Chinese-owned container ship Cosco Shipping Panama.
The 5.25 billion US dollar project was unveiled nearly two years late after construction delays, labour strife and apparent cost overruns.
The project is expected to create demand for ports to handle New Panamax ships.
•    The Panama Canal expansion project is also called as the Third Set of Locks Project.
•    The project was formally proposed by the then-Panamanian President Martín Torrijos on 24 April 2006.
•    A national referendum approved the proposal by a 76.8 percent majority on 22 October 2006.
•    The project formally began in 2007.
•    The project has built two new sets of locks, one each on the Atlantic and Pacific sides, and excavated new channels to the new locks.
•    It also widened and deepened existing channels.
•    It also raised the maximum operating water level of Gatun Lake.
•    The expansion doubled the Canal’s capacity, and has a direct impact on economies of scale and international maritime trade.
•    The project doubled the capacity of the Panama Canal by:
•    Adding a new lane of traffic allowing for a larger number of ships
(b) Increasing the width and depth of the lanes and locks allowing larger ships to pass. The new larger size of ships is called New Panamax. They are about one and a half times the previous Panamax size and can carry over twice as much cargo.
•    The Panama Canal is a man-made 48-mile waterway in Panama.
•    It connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.
•    The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama.
•    It is a key conduit for international maritime trade.
•    France began work on the canal in 1881, but stopped due to engineering problems and a high worker mortality rate.
•    The United States took over the project in 1904, and opened the canal on 15 August 1914.
•    The Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
•    Colombia, France and later the United States controlled the territory surrounding the canal during construction.
•    The US continued to control the canal and surrounding Panama Canal Zone until the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties provided for handover to Panama.
•    In 1999, the canal was taken over by the Panamanian government. It is now managed and operated by the government-owned Panama Canal Authority.
•    The American Society of Civil Engineers has called the Panama Canal one of the seven wonders of the modern world.

History professor and political newcomer Gudni Johannesson (48) has won the 2016 Presidential election in Iceland. 
•    He will succeed Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who served as President of Iceland for 20 years i.e. four five year terms as the head of state. 
•    In the 2016 Presidential election, as an independent Gudni Johannesson was able to secure 39.1% votes. 
•    He defeated Halla Tomasdottir, a businesswoman without party affiliation, who was able to secure 27.9% votes. 
•    While David the former conservative party Prime Minister and Central Bank Governor David Oddsson was placed third and he won just 13% votes.
•    Gudni Johannesson is historian and lecturer at the University of Iceland, Bifrost University and University of London. 
•    He is the son of teacher and journalist Margrét Thorlacius and sports instructor Jóhannes Sæmundsson.
•    His brother Patrekur Jóhannesson is a former Icelandic handball national team player.
•    He has also studied German and Russian at a university level.
•    In 1999, he completed an MSt degree in history from the University of Oxford.
•    In 2003 he received a PhD in history from Queen Mary, University of London.

Nagaland Governor PB Acharya launched a women helpline – 181 in the premises of the District Hospital, Dimapur and also inaugurated Sakhi- One stop Centre, an institute indented to support women affected by violence.
•    “Sakhi-One Stop Centre” is a centrally sponsored scheme by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) to be funded through Nirbhaya Fund. 
•    The objectives of the One Stop Centers are to provide integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence, both in private and public spaces under one roof and to facilitate immediate, emergency and non-emergency access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological and counseling support to fight against any form of violence against women. 
•    In the first phase, one centre is being established in every state on a pilot basis and the OSC will be integrated with 181 (Women Helpline) and other existing help lines. 
•    The women helpline will also provide 24 hour emergency response to all women affected by violence and information about women related government schemes and programmes across the country through a single uniform number -181.
•    He also highlighted on the multi roles played by women as home makers, guardians of children and the hard work put in by them in every field. 
•    Terming women as the living force behind the human species, Acharya reminded that domestic violence against women continued unabated and that people needed to come together to uplift women-kind as a whole. 
•    He was optimistic that problems of distressed women would be addressed through this project and also appealed to all stake holders for extending cooperation, so that violence against women would decline.

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi released a book titled “The Birds of Banni Grassland” in New Delhi, on 28th June. 
•    The book was presented to the Prime Minister by the Scientists of Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology (GUIDE). 
•    The Book is a compilation of the research work, relating to more than 250 species of birds found in the Banni area of Kutch, Gujarat. 
•    The Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, located at Bhuj, has been studying the plant, bird and marine life in the Rann of Kutch for over 15 years.
•    The GUIDE is located at Bhuj. 
•    For over 15 years it has been studying the plant, bird and marine life in the Rann of Kutch. GUIDE’s research activities are linked in the study of understanding and addressing environmental, ecological and social problems. 
•    It also seeks promoting sustainable development in arid and semi-arid regions of the state.

Two Indians have won the Queen's Young Leaders award in the UK for their exceptional work in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities.

•    Kartik Sawhney, 21, and Neha Swain, 28 from India are among 60 others who won the Queen's Young Leaders award 2016 which will be presented by the British monarch at a gala ceremony in Buckingham Palace in June next year.
•    Kartik, who was born blind, has been acknowledged for his exceptional work highlighting universal access to education for all.
•    Project STEMAccess, offers hands-on science workshops in India, as well as virtual training sessions,"
•    Neha, a youth facilitator and co-founder of NGO Rubaroo provides an inclusive space for young people, irrespective of their socio-economic background, to develop their leadership skills through interactive workshops.
•    Her team provides workshops to schools in India free of charge and has so far worked with nearly 2,000 young people in the city of Hyderabad.
•    Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust present the award to recognise young people from across the 53 countries of the Commonwealth who are "taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities".
•    The Queen's Young Leaders Programme was established in 2014 by the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief and the Royal Commonwealth Society in recognition of the Queen's lifetime of service to the Commonwealth.
•    The award does not come with any cash incentive.

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez was named player of the tournament as Copa America Centenario champions Chile also swept the individual awards.

•    Chile beat Argentina on penalties for the second year in a row in the final on Sunday, and Sanchez was then awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player after scoring three goals and setting up two in six games.
•    His teammate Eduardo Vargas won the Golden Boot after finishing as the top scorer with six goals, while Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was awarded the Golden Glove.
•    Lionel Messi, who missed his penalty in the shootout and then said he will retire from internationals.
•    Sanchez, was substituted in extra time of Sunday's final but had been crucial in getting his team that far.
•    He scored twice in a must-win game against Panama that sent Chile through to the knockout stages, then had one goal and two assists in a 7-0 thrashing of Mexico in the quarterfinals.
•    Bravo did not concede a goal in the knockout stages of the tournament, and denied Argentina's Lucas Biglia with a crucial save in the penalty shootout.

Beyonce and Drake were the big winners at the 2016 BET Awards.
•    Beyonce, who opened the show Sunday alongside Kendrick Lamar for a fiery performance of "Freedom," led all other artists taking home four awards out of five nominations including Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, Video of the Year for "Formation" and the Coca-Cola Viewers Choice Award.
•    Beyonce's mother, Tina Knowles, accepted the awards on the singer's behalf as she left the awards show following her performance to start her upcoming international tour.
•    The night's other big winner was Drake, who won three awards out a of dominating nine nominations. The rapper was honored with trophies for Best Male Hip-Hop artist, Best Group with Future and Best Collaboration for this featured verse on Rihana’s hit single "Work."
•    Behind Beyonce and Drake was newcomer Bryson Tiller making a name for himself winning two awards that included Best Male R&B/Pop Artist and Best New Artist. Tiller also performed his hit "Don't" onstage.

Veteran Malayalam theatre artist and poet Kavalam Narayana Panicker passed away on 26 June 2016 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was 88.

•    Born on 28 April 1928, Panicker attended CMS College in Kottayam.
•    He obtained a degree in Economics from S D College, Alappuzha and later a Bachelor of Law degree from Madras Law College.
•    He started his career as a lawyer in 1955.
•    In 1961, he was nominated as Secretary of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
•    He has written over 26 Malayalam plays, many adapted from classical Sanskrit drama and Shakespeare.
•    In 1993, Erin B. Mee directed his play Ottayan in New York City.
•    His notable works are Madhyamavyayogam, Kalidasa's Vikramorvasiyam, Shakuntalam, Karnabharam, Bhasa's Uru Bhangam, Swapnavasavadattam and Dootavakyam.
•    He also directed two movies, Mani Madhava Chakyar: The Master at Work, and Parvati Viraham in Kuttiyattam form. Kuttiyattam is a form of Sanskrit theatre.
•    In 1983, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Direction.
•    In 2002, he was honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.
•    He was awarded with the Padma Bhushan in 2007.