GK and Current Affairs Updates

Vice President Hamid Ansari today held talks with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on a host of issues of mutual interest after arriving here to attend the 17th NAM Summit.
•    Ansari called on Maduro in his first official engagement in Venezuela after arriving here as the leader of the Indian delegation at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
•    In his call on with Maduro, Ansari was accompanied by Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar and Secretary West Sujata Mehta.
•    The meeting between Ansari and Maduro came less than a month after Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez visited India to personally hand over an invitation for India’s participation in the 17th NAM Summit.
•    The two countries had also agreed to finalise a number of key pacts including double tax avoidance agreement.
•    The two sides had agreed to move ahead for an early finalization of a number of agreements in different areas, including Extradition Treaty, Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) on Criminal Matters and Air Services Agreement.

The Delhi High Court on Friday held that the photocopying of course packs prepared by Delhi University comprising portions from books published by Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press and Taylor & Francis did not amount to infringement of copyright.
•    The court dismissed the suit initiated by the publishing majors, which had sued Delhi University and Rameshwari Photocopying Services, a kiosk inside Delhi School of Economics, claiming infringement of copyright by engaging in preparing copies of course packs with portions culled out of its books in keeping with the syllabus prescribed by the varsity.
•    Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also lifted the stay on the kiosk from photocopying the course packs. 
•    The case had seen protest by students who backed the kiosk.
•    Copyright is intended to increase and not to impede the harvest of knowledge. It is intended to motivate the creative activity of authors and inventors in order to benefit the public.

Sports Minister Vijay Goel conferred Arjuna Awards on cricketers Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane at a function in New Delhi. 
•    Sharma was given the award for 2015 and Rahane for 2016.
•    Earlier, the two cricketers could not receive the awards from the President Pranab Mukherjee as they were participating in international tournaments.
•    The Arjuna Awards, instituted in 1961, are given to sportspersons for consistently outstanding performance for four years preceding the year of award and who have also shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline. 
•    The awardees are given a statuette, a certificate, ceremonial dress and award money of 5 lakh rupees.
•    while there’s no doubt that cricket is among the most popular games in India, the current government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to promote indigenous and other sports as well.
 

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), India’s No.1 Container Port, has commenced the holding yard operations in a six-hectare land at JNPCT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal) approach roads to further ease out congestion and streamline the traffic to the terminal. This holding yard, which has been developed within the centralized parking plaza, will be utilized for parking Tractor Trailers (TT) awaiting the final documentation.
•    Commencement of holding yard at JNPCT is already showing results and has reduced the congestion by 90% at the port gate roads. 600 TTs can be accommodated in this holding area at one time. 
•    EXIM traders are largely benefitting in saving fuel, logistics cost and improved truck turnaround time as well as number of trips made by a tractor trailer in a day has also increased. 
•    The yard operation ensures free movement at the JNPCT approach roads which will help in better planning of TT movements. This area is developed as pay & park facility for trucks. 
•    Concessional parking rates have been offered at the yard is Rs. 60 & Rs. 70 for every 8 hours stay for 20’ and 40’ containers respectively.
•    TTs will be allowed to move to Terminal Gate only after receiving required clearance of all the documents or proper ticket clearing. 
•    TTs coming directly from CFSs with all clear documents will be allowed directly to Terminal Gate and TTs, which do not have clear documents including PIN number, will be diverted to Holding Yard.
•    The undocumented factory stuffed containers which generally park on roads approaching to port area causing traffic congestion, will now be confined to holding yard and better traffic ensures that risk of shut out of export containers are eliminated.
 

Abraham Verghese, Indian-American physician-author, on 14 September 2016 was selected for the prestigious 2015 National Humanities Medal.
•    Abraham Verghese is a physician-author, Professor for the Theory and Practice of Medicine at Stanford University Medical School.
•    He is also the author of three best-selling books, two memoirs and a novel.
•    In 2011, he was elected to be a member of the Institute of Medicine.
•    He was born in Ethiopia to parents from Kerala.
National Medal of Arts
•    Mel Brooks, Actor, Comedian and Writer 
•    Sandra Cisneros, Author 
•    Eugene O’Neill Theater Center 
•    Morgan Freeman, Actor 
•    Philip Glass, Composer 
•    Berry Gordy, Record Producer & Songwriter 
•    Santiago Jiménez, Jr., Musician 
•    Moises Kaufman, Director & Playwright 
•    Ralph Lemon, Dancer, Choreographer, Writer, & Visual Artist 
•    Audra McDonald, Actress & Singer 
•    Luis Valdez, Playwright, Actor, Writer & Director 
•    Jack Whitten, Painter
National Humanities Medal
•    Rudolfo Anaya, Author 
•    José Andrés, Chef & Entrepreneur 
•    Ron Chernow, Author 
•    Louise Glück, Poet 
•    Terry Gross, Radio Host & Producer 
•    James McBride, Author 
•    Louis Menand, Author 
•    Elaine Pagels, Historian & Author 
•    Prison University Project, Higher Education Program 
•    Abraham Verghese, Physician, Professor & Author 
•    Isabel Wilkerson, Journalist & Author
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984.

Ramesh Raskar, 46, an Indian-origin scientist has bagged the Lemelson-MIT Prize worth $500,000 for his groundbreaking inventions. 
•    Raskar told MIT News that he has plans to use a portion of the prize money to launch a new effort using peer-to-peer invention.
•    Nasik-born Ramesh Raskar, 46, an Indian-origin scientist has bagged the Lemelson-MIT Prize worth $500,000 for his groundbreaking inventions to create solutions to improve lives globally. 
•    He is the founder of the Camera Culture research group at the MIT Media Lab and an Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences.
•    He has more than 75 patents to his name
•    He has written more than 120 reviewed publications
•    He is the co-inventor of radical imaging solutions including femto-photography, an ultra-fast imaging system that can see around corners
•    He has developed low-cost eye-care solutions for the developing world
•    He has also invented a camera that allows users to read pages of a book without opening the cover

Infected with ‘superbugs’ in birth facilities within 72 hours of being born, thousands of Indian babies are dying due to an ‘alarming degree’ of drug resistance, a major study has found. 
•    The researchers found that nearly 26 per cent of babies with sepsis died, as multi drug resistance made the ailment untreatable.
•    The lead author of the study, Dr. Vinod Paul, chief of pediatrics at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), said this was a manifestation of drug resistant bacteria in the Indian population.
•    Dr. Paul’s team is working on models to prevent hospital-acquired infections soon after birth, and rapid diagnostics.
•    Out of over 88,000 children, 13,530 were ‘enrolled’ in the study – that is, admitted to the ICU.
•    Multi drug resistance was the highest with Acinetobacter in 181 cases, a staggering 82 per cent. 
•    Resistance to Klebsiella was found in 54 per cent and E. coli in 38 per cent.

In an initiative to improve the railway travel experience of elderly, differently-abled and ailing passengers, the Ministry of Railways has announced the launch of ‘Yatri Mitra Seva’ to simplify access to wheelchairs, battery operated cars and porter services. The scheme will be operational at all major railway stations.
•    ‘Yatri Mitra’ or ‘Passenger Friend’ can be an assistant or any other person nominated for the purpose. 
•    In a communication sent to all Zonal Railways, the Railway Board said the IRCTC may provide the service ‘free of cost’ through some NGO, charitable trust, PSUs, etc.
•    Once the service is booked, the IRCTC will ensure that the ‘Yatri Mitra’ is made available at the coach when the passenger arrives at the designated railway station.
•    The ‘Yatri Mitra’ would contact the passenger on the mobile number given at the time of booking and confirm the expected time of arrival.
•    In Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations, there are about 30 wheelchairs and five battery operated cars.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that the US is lifting economic sanctions and restoring trade benefits to former pariah state Myanmar as he met with Aung San Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner who is now the nation's de facto leader.
•    The US has eased broad economic sanctions since political reforms began five years ago but has retained more targeted restrictions on military-owned companies and dozens of officials and associates of the former ruling junta. 
•    US companies and banks have remained leery of involvement in one of Asia's last untapped markets.
•    Suu Kyi concurred it was time to remove all the sanctions that she said had hurt the country economically as it was now in a position to open up to investment. 
•    She said she wants Americans to come to the country and "to make profits."
•    The change in policy will not remove all economic sanctions. 
•    Penalties intended to block the drug trade and to bar military trade with North Korea would still apply, as would a visa ban barring some former and current members of the military from traveling to the US.

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that the US is lifting economic sanctions and restoring trade benefits to former pariah state Myanmar as he met with Aung San Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner who is now the nation's de facto leader.
•    The US has eased broad economic sanctions since political reforms began five years ago but has retained more targeted restrictions on military-owned companies and dozens of officials and associates of the former ruling junta. 
•    The official and aides spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
•    The change in policy will not remove all economic sanctions. Penalties intended to block the drug trade and to bar military trade with North Korea would still apply, as would a visa ban barring some former and current members of the military from traveling to the US.