Gk Update 14 June 2016

1. 14 June: World Blood Donor day

i. The World Blood Donor Day is being observed across the world on 14 June to raise the public awareness about the need for safe blood donation. 
ii. The day seeks to spread awareness about the need for safe and secure blood supplies and also to provide an opportunity to draw public attention to the importance of blood donation for saving lives.
iii. The for the year 2016 is - “Blood connects us all”. The theme highlights the common bond that all people share in their blood. 2016 slogan: “Share life, give blood”. The host country for 2016 is Netherlands. 
iv. The World Blood Donor Day is being celebrated annually since 2004. 
v. It is one of the official global public health campaigns marked by the WHO.

2. India, and Ghana sign three agreements

i. India and Ghana have signed three bilateral agreements to strengthen co-operation in varied fields. 
ii. These agreements were signed after delegation-level talks between President Pranab Mukherjee and his Ghanaian counterpart John Dramani Mahama in Accra. 
iii. The signed agreements include one for visa waivers for holders of diplomatic and official passports and one for setting up a Joint Commission, the third agreement was for collaboration in diplomatic training between the Indian Foreign Service Institute and a Ghanaian institute of the same standing. 

3. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched Child Labour Tracking System

i. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has inaugurated 'Child Labour Tracking System (CLTS)' in order to keep a track of rescued child labour for their proper rehabilitation besides announcing financial help of Rs 25,000 for every rescued child labour to be given from Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
ii. The money will directly go to children's bank account. It will instill a sense of confidence in them and will be given to all those who are registered under the tracking system.
iii. As per The state CM, the significance of the tracking system is that there is no guarantee that they (rescued child labour) would not be forced to work. So there is need for tracking those children who have been rescued besides, monitoring such children as to what they are doing.

4. Indian Railways launches Janani Sewa, optional catering Scheme on pilot basis

i. The Union Ministry of Railways has launched three passenger service initiatives namely- a Janani Sewa for mothers, optional catering in Rajdhani, and Shatabdi trains on a pilot basis and a children’s menu on trains. 
ii. These services have been launched by Union Railways minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi.
iii. Under this scheme hot milk, hot water, and baby food will be available at railway stations. Initially on a pilot basis this scheme will be available at 25 railway stations including New Delhi, Howrah, Mumbai, Chennai, Surat, and Lucknow.

5. Microsoft to buy LinkedIn for $26bn

i. Software giant Microsoft has announced that it is going to acquire professional social platform LinkedIn for $196 per share. However, the acquisition is still subject to approval by other LinkedIn shareholders and regulators.
ii. The deal is in all cash transaction valued at $26.2 billion but initially, Microsoft will finance the transaction primarily through the issuance of new indebtedness. The transaction is expected to close this calendar year. 
iii. After the deal also Mr. Jeff Weiner will remain the CEO of LinkedIn and will report to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

6. Israel for the first time wins UN committee chair

i. Israel has been elected to chair a UN committee for the first time in the world body's 71-year history, triggering strong protests from Arab countries and the Palestinians.
ii. Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon won the chair of the legal affairs committee of the General Assembly by picking up 109 votes from the 193 member-states.
iii. Danon's candidacy was put to a vote by secret ballot at the request of Arab countries. All of the other committee chairs were chosen by consensus.

7. Gujarat island Shiyal Bet gets electricity for first time

i. Residents of Shiyal Bet, a nondescript island in Gujarat’s Amreli district gets electricity supply in their homes for the first time. 
ii. This small island with a population of around 6,000, surrounded by the Arabian Sea from all corners is located around 1.5 km away from Pipavav port in Amreli.
iii. The state-run company Pashchim Gujarat Vij Company Limited (PGVCL) is supplying power to the island through a 6-km undersea cable through Chanch island in neighboring Bhavnagar district. The project has been completed at a cost of Rs 18.5 crore within two years.

8. Maharashtra reports India’s 1st case of Harlequin Ichthyosis

i. With the birth of a baby girl in Nagpur, India has reportedly recorded its first ever case of a baby born with a rare genetic disorder called ‘Harlequin Ichthyosis‘. 
ii. The disease, which affects 1 in 3 lakh babies, causes thickening of the skin all over the body with cracks in between and makes babies prone to infection.
iii. The infant was born pre-term to a 23-year-old woman belonging to a farmer family at Lata Mangeshkar Hospital in Nagpur. 
iv. Harlequin Ichthyosis is a very rare severe genetic skin disease that causes thickening of the stratum corneum of the epidermis. In such cases, the child’s whole body is encased in an ‘armour’ of thick white plates of skin separated with deep cracks. In addition, the eyes, ears, private parts and the appendages may be abnormally contracted. 
v. There have been only a dozen Harlequin Ichthyosis cases reported worldwide since 1775. In 1984, a harlequin child, Nusrit Shaheen, was born in Pakistan and her other siblings were also reported to have suffered from the same condition. All of them died at an early age.

9. Ranu Langthasa appointed as first woman chairperson of NCHAC in Assam

i. Ranu Langthasa was unanimously appointed as the chairperson of the NC Hills Autonomous Council in Assam in a special session held in the NCHAC. 
ii. She is the first woman chairperson to be appointed to the post since the formation of N C Hills Autonomous Council.
iii. N C Hills Autonomous Council has been formed in 1951.

10. Justice Rakesh Ranjan Prasad takes charge as Chief Justice of Manipur HC

i. Justice Rakesh Ranjan Prasad, the senior-most Judge of the Manipur High Court has assumed charge as the Chief Justice of the High Court. 
ii. He has succeeded Laxmi Kanta Mohapatra as CJ of HC. 
iii. Earlier in February 2016, Justice Prasad was transferred from Jharkhand High Court to Manipur High Court. He was transferred by President of India in the exercise of the powers conferred by clause (1) of article 222 of the Constitution of India. 

11. Donald Carr, a former England Cricket captain, dies aged 89

i. Donald Carr, the former captain of England Cricket team has passed away. He was 89 years old.
ii. Beside prominent batsman Carr was also one of the most prominent administrators of the post-war era.
iii. His career spanned from 1945 to 1968 in which he scored nearly 20000 runs and claimed 328 wickets with his left-arm spin for Oxford University, Derbyshire, and England. He retired from cricket in 1986. From 1962 to 1974, he was assistant secretary of MCC. In from 1974 to 1986, he served as the secretary of the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) and the Cricket Council.

12. Indian men's 4x400m relay team breaks 18-year-old national record

i. The Indian men's 4x400m relay team has created a new national record, clocking 3:02.17 at the International Sprint and Relay Teams Cup at Erzurum, Turkey.
ii. The team improved the previous record of 3:02.62 set at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok. The 4×400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet.
iii. On the other hand, the Indian women's 4x400m relay team clocked 3:30.16 and jumped to world's No. 12 in the rankings. 

13. USA wins FINA Women Water Polo World League Super Final

i. The USA Women’s Senior National Team has won gold at the FINA Women Water Polo World League Super Final. 
ii. The team defeated Spain 13-9 in the championship match in Shanghai, China.
iii. The victory marks the United States’ third straight FINA World League Super Final title and 10th overall. On the other hand, Australia defeated China 11-3 for the bronze medal.

14. Usain Bolt wins the 100m in 9.88 seconds at Racers Grand Prix 2016

i. Olympic champion Usain Bolt has won 100 metres race in 9.88 seconds at the inaugural Jamaica National Racers Grand Prix.
ii. This is the second fastest win for this year in the event.
iii. Bolt, the world’s fastest man, won ahead of Nickel Ashmeade (9.94s) and his Racers Track Club teammate Yohan Blake (9.94s) in a positive 1.0 metres per second. Former World record holder Asafa Powell finished fourth in a time of 9.98s. 

15. Lewis Hamilton wins 2016 Canada Grand Prix of Formula 1

i. Mercedes racing driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain has won the Formula 1 Canada Grand Prix title.
ii. To win the title, he overcame Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel in the final race held in Montreal, Canada.
iii. For Hamilton, the present win in Montreal was the fifth in his career and the second in a row. His previous titles were secured in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2015. In the 2016 season, it was the second title for him as he already secured the Monaco Grand Prix on 29 May 2016.