Daily GK Update - 9th July 2015

1. UNESCO names 24 new world heritage sites

(i) 39th session World Heritage Committee (WHC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) has inscribed 24 new sites into the World Heritage List. 

(ii) Decision in this regard was taken at WHC’s annual meeting held in Bonn, Germany. In this meeting total 36 sites were examined and 24 sites were granted world heritage status. With this the total number of world heritage sites has increased to 1,031. 

(iii) 24 new sites are 

Blue and John Crow Mountains (Jamaica). 

Tusi sites (China), 

Christiansfeld, a Moravian Church Settlement (Denmark). 

Par Force Hunting Landscape in North Zealand (Denmark). 

Climats, terroirs of Burgundy (France). 

Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars (France). 

Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus (Germany). 

Susa (Iran). 

Cultural Landscape of Maymand (Iran). 

Necropolis of Beth She’arim—a Landmark of Jewish Revival (Israel). 

Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale (Italy) 

Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining (Japan). 

Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) (Jordan). 

Baekje Historic Areas (South Korea) 

Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System (Mexico) 

Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape (Mongolia) 

Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site (Norway) 

Rock Art in the Hail Region (Saudi Arabia). 

Singapore Botanical Gardens (Singapore). 

Ephesus (Turkey). 

Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape (Turkey). 

Fray Bentos Cultural-Industrial Landscape (Uruguay). 

The Forth Bridge (United Kingdom). 

San Antonio Missions (United States).

2. eMudhra launches eSign Services

(i) eMudhra Limited, a leading certifying firm in the country for digital signatures launched first of its kind eSign services in the country as part of the Digital India Vision. 

(ii) eSign is an online electronic signature service legally valid and secure under the Information Technology Act, 2000. 

(iii) It will facilitate an Aadhaar holder to digitally sign a document within seconds.

(iv) eMudhra Limited  also launched eMlocker which facilitates a person to store important documents such as Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, electricity bills or any other documents electronically.

3. China nominates Jin Liqun for President of AIIB

(i) China has nominated its former finance Minister Jin Liqun as the Presidential candidate for $100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). 

(ii) Presently, Jin is Secretary General of AIIB’s interim secretariat. 

(iii) Prior to this he was chairman of China International Capital Corporation (CICC), one of the mainland’s largest investment banks.

(iv) Jin headed programmes for South, Central and West Asia and private sector operations during his 5-year-long tenure at ADB.

5. Vadodara, China’s Xinjinag province ink MoU to develop twin cities

(i) Vadodara district of Gujarat and China’s Xinjinag province has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the development of twin cities. 

(ii) It was signed between Vadodara Municipal Corporation and Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjinag Uygur Autonomous Region in Mumbai. 

(iii) The MoU aims to enhance Infrastructure growth and development between the two regions. 

(iv) Mutual cooperation in economic, technological, scientific and cultural strengths between both cities. 

(v) People-to-people exchanges fostering greater mutual understanding. The MoU was signed in the presence of Mayor of Vadodara and the Governor of Changji state Ma Xiongcheng along with five ministers.

4. Union Government appoints Sriram Kalyanaraman as MD and CEO of NHB

(i) Union government has appointed Sriram Kalyanaraman as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Housing Bank (NHB) for a period of five years. 

(ii) With this he became the first person from private sector to be appointed as head of a public sector financial institution. Presently, Kalyanaraman is director-business development Equifax Credit Information Services.  

(iv) Prior to joining Equifax, he was Director, Business Clients and Asset Products at Deutsche Bank India.

6. Union Government declares whole of Nagaland as ‘disturbed area’

(i) Union home ministry has declared entire Nagaland state as a ‘disturbed area’ for one year period with an immediate effect from June 30, 2015. 

(ii) The state was declared as “disturbed” area under Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958. 

(iii) With this declaration the armed forces get powers to search, raid and arrest anyone without a warrant. 

(iv) This decision was taken after Naga rebel outfit, Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland- Khaplang (NSCN-K) had ambushed on Indian Army convoy killing 18 Army personnel in in Chandel district of Manipur in June 2015.

(v) Union government also has initiated the process to reimpose ban on NSCN(K) under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967.

7. Lord Kamlesh Patel becomes first British-Asian appointee to ECB Director

(i) Professor Lord Kamlesh Patel has become the first British Asian to be appointed as Director of England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). He succeeds Lord Morris of Handsworth, who had stepped down after 11 years as an ECB Director.

(ii) Presently, he is Labour Peer in the House of Lords and professor at the University of East London. 

(iii) He is also Chair of the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundations Trust and is a former Chairman of the Mental Health Act Commission.

8. Inderjeet Singh became first Indian to win a Gold Medal at World University Games in Gwangju

(i) Indian shot-putter Inderjit Singh on 8 July 2015 came up with a best throw of 20.27 meter in the final attempt to win the Gold medal of men's shot put event at the World University Games in Gwangju, South Korea.

(ii) With this, he created history to become the first Indian to win a gold medal at the World University Games.

(iii) Inderjeet Singh is currently coached by Pritam Singh, younger brother of another Indian shot putter Shakti Singh and is being supported by Anglian Medal Hunt Company.

9. SN Sahai appointed as Home Secretary of Delhi

(i) Senior IAS officer Sanjeev Nandan (SN)Sahai was on 8 July 2015 appointed as the Home Secretary of Delhi. Sahai is a 1986 batch Union Territory cadre officer. 

(ii) Sahai succeeded senior IAS officer Dharam Pal, who was removed as Home Secretary in June 2015 by the AAP government.

(iii) SahaI is the Finance Secretary of Delhi and had played crucial role in preparing budget for Delhi government.

10.Union Railway Ministry launched Mobile ticketing app for suburban commuters

(i) Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 8 July 2015 launched a mobile ticketing app for unreserved tickets that will cover 35 stations between the 123 km long Churchgate-Dhauroad suburban section in Western Railway. 

(ii) The ministry also launched two other IT-based initiaves including a SMS destination alert service for premier trains and an e-ticketing portal in Hindi. 

11.WHO released Global Tobacco Epidemic 2015 Report

(i) World Health organisation (WHO) on 7 July 2015 released the Global Tobacco Epidemic Report 2015. 

(ii) The focus of the report is on R of MPOWER measure which stands for Raise taxes on tobacco.

(iii) According to the report, there has been notable progress in global tobacco control since the publication of Global Tobacco Epidemic Report 2013.