GK and Current Affairs Updates

Indigenously developed heavyweight torpedo Varunastra was inducted in the Indian Navy on 29 June 2016. It was handed to the Indian Navy by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.With this India joined a select group of eight countries having the capability to design and develop heavyweight torpedoes.
•    The torpedo was designed and developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory of the DRDO for the Indian Navy. It carries 95 percent of indigenous content.
•    It weighs around 1.25 tonnes and is capable of carrying about 250 kg of explosives at a speed of around 40 nautical miles an hour.
•    Varunastra, a versatile naval weapon can be fired from the Rajput class destroyers, Delhi class and all future Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) ships capable of firing heavy weight torpedoes.
•    It is capable of targeting quiet and stealthy submarines both in deep and littoral waters even in intense countermeasure atmosphere.
•    Torpedo is a self-propelled weapon with an explosive warhead.
•    It can be launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target.
•    It is designed to detonate either on contact with its target or in proximity to it.
•    The term torpedo was originally employed for a variety of devices, most of which would today be called mines.
•    From about 1900, torpedo has been used strictly to designate an underwater self-propelled weapon.
•    The original torpedo is a kind of fish: an electric ray.Earlier, Torpedo Varunastra was showcased for the first time on the 2016 Republic Day Parade at Rajpath.

Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, officially started functioning Wednesday.

•    The fifth block of the temporary state secretariat, constructed at Velagapudi near Vijayawada, was inaugurated and four departments of the state government were shifted there from Hyderabad.
•    The four departments that were shifted comprise Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Health and Medical, Housing, and Labour and Employment departments. 
•    Panchayati Raj Minister Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu and Agriculture Minister inaugurated the offices under their respective ministries. Construction workers were seen giving final touches to the single-storey building.
•    Contrary to expectations, at least 200 employees from the four departments turned up for the inauguration ceremony and got the first glimpse of their new offices and workstations.
•    They left Hyderabad on morning in five new luxury buses of the state government. 
•    On reaching the secretariat at Velagapudi, they were welcomed by members of Andhra Pradesh Employees’ Association with bouquets and garlands.

Naga militant leader Isak Chishi Swu, who led a bloody insurgency in the Northeast for over three decades, died on Tuesday following multi-organ failure.

•    The 87-year-old Chairman of Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM) was undergoing treatment for almost a year at a private hospital in South Delhi where he breathed his last around noon.
•    Swu, who belonged to the Sumi tribe, hailed from the Zunheboto district of Nagaland and his body will be taken to his native place tomorrow for last rites.
•    Swu along with NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah formed the group in 1980 opposing the Shillong Accord signed by the then Naga National Council (NNC) with the central government for bringing peace in Nagaland.
•    The signing of the pact came after over 80 rounds of negotiations that spanned 16 years with first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed.
•    Swu joined the Naga National Council (NNC) in the 1950s and served it in different capacities till its split in 1980.

Scientists have discovered specimens of complete wings of tiny, prehistoric birds that were trapped in amber 100 million years ago and preserved in exquisite detail.
•    Thousands of fossil birds from the time of the dinosaurs have been uncovered in China. However, most of these fossils are flattened in the rock, even though they commonly preserve fossils.
•    The new specimens, discovered by researchers including Xing Lida from the China University of Geosciences, and Mike Benton from the University of Bristol in the UK, come from a famous amber deposit in northeastern Myanmar, which has produced thousands of exquisite specimens of insects of all shapes and sizes, as well as spiders, scorpions, lizards, and isolated feathers.
•    This is the first time that whole portions of birds have been noted.
•    The fossil wings are tiny, only two or three centimetres long, and they contain the bones of the wing, including three long fingers armed with sharp claws, for clambering about in trees, as well as the feathers, all preserved in exquisite detail.
•    The Burmese amber deposits are producing a treasure trove of remarkable early fossils, and they document a particularly active time in the evolution of life on land, the Cretaceous terrestrial revolution.
•    Flowering plants were flourishing and diversifying, and insects that fed on the leaves and nectar of the flowers were also diversifying fasts, as too were their predators, such as spiders, lizards, mammals, and birds.
•    The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.

MIT Technology review editors pick the 50 companies that best combine innovative technology with an effective business model.

•    Each year it identifies 50 companies that are “smart” in the way they create new opportunities. 
•    Some of this year’s stars are large companies, like Amazon and Alphabet, that are using digital technologies to redefine industries. 
•    Others are wrestling with technological changes: companies like Microsoft, Bosch, Toyota, and Intel.
•    Jeff Bezos-led online retail giant Amazon has topped MIT's annual list of the world's smartest companies of 2016 for combining innovative technology with an effective business model. 
•    Chinese web services company Baidu and the world’s largest DNA-sequencing company Illumine have been ranked second and third respectively. 
•    The list also includes Tesla Motors, Alphabet, Facebook, SpaceX and Snapchat.
•    Last year it included Amazon on its list of the 50 Smartest Companies for incorporating robots into its fulfillment centers. 
•    This year the standout is the surprising success of its Alexa Voice Service and the growing family of devices it powers (the Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Tap). 

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Shashi Kant Sharmahas been conferred with the honorary professorship by the Nanjing Audit University (NAU), China.
•    The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Shashi Kant Sharmahas been conferred with the honorary professorship by the Nanjing Audit University (NAU), China. China’s Nanjing Audit University is the only university which is recognized by the Institute of Internal Auditors. 
•    Shashi Kant Sharmahas is a 1976 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Bihar cadre. 
•    He had succeeded Vinod Rai as the CAG, supreme federal auditor of the country in May 2013 Prior to appointment as CAG he had served as secretary in the Union Ministry of Defence. 
•    In July 2014 he had assumed office as Member of the United Nations Board of Auditor General (UNBAG) for a term of 6 years.
•    Mr. Sharma belongs to the 1976 batch of IAS (Bihar cadre).
•    He has B.Sc.from university of Allahabad ,and an M.Sc. in Administrative Science and Development Problems from University of York, and an M.A. in Political Science from Agra University.

Baku (Azerbaijan), June 28 (IANS) Rio-bound shooter Sanjeev Rajput settled for the silver medal in men’s 50-metre rifle 3 position event of the ISSF World Cup on 28th June 2016.

•    The two-time Olympian shot 456.9 to take the silver in the last World Cup before the Rio Games, which start on August 5.
•    Croatia’s Petar Gorsa clinched the gold medal with 457.5, while Hyeonjun Kim of Korea bagged the bronze after shooting 445.5.
•    The 35-year-old Indian finished seventh in the qualification with a score of 1167 in kneeling, prone and standing positions.
•    London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang was 23rd with 1161 while Chain Singh found himself on a disappointing 32nd with a total of 1159.
•    Earlier, Jitu Rai bagged the silver in 10m Air Pistol event as India summed up its campaign at the World Cup with two silvers.

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.