1. Isro's PSLV rocket powers five British satellites
into orbit
i. India ferried
five British satellites into orbit on its space warhorse PSLV-C28 that blasted
off from Isro’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Srikarihota in Andhra Pradesh on
Friday night.
ii. The rocket
blasted off sharp at 9:58pm from the first launch pad with five satellites
together weighing around 1,440kg, marking the space agency's heaviest
commercial mission so far.
iii. The five
international satellites were launched as part of the arrangement entered into
between DMC International Imaging (DMCii), a wholly owned subsidiary of SSTL,
UK and Antrix Corporation Limited.
iv. These
satellites can image any target on the Earth's surface every day. Major application
areas include surveying the resources on earth and its environment, managing
urban infrastructure and monitoring disasters.
v. The last such
major launch by Isro was on June 30, 2014 when France's SPOT 7 satellite
weighing 714kg was carried by a PSLV rocket.
2. On World Population Day, Indians number
1,274,234,538
i. On World
Population Day, Indians numbered 1,274,234,538 at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday,
constituting an estimated 17.23 percent of the overall global inhabitation of
humans, as per data available with an independent socio-economic statistical
organisation.
ii. According to
Indiastat.com, which compiled secondary level socio-economic statistical
information on India based on official figures, the numbers were based on data
from the National Commission on Population and the US Census Bureau.
iii. India has been
forecast to overtake China as the most populous country by 2028, as per
official estimates. But the government also says that population growth rate of
the country has declined significantly from 21.54 percent for the decade of
1991-2000 to 17.64 percent during 2001-11.
iv. Out of 36
states and Union territories, 24 have reached population stabilisation.
3. Nationwide model science labs programme launched
by Dr A P J Abdul Kalam
i. To inculcate
scientific temperament among students, government has proposed to set up ‘model
science labs’ across the country, beginning with the North East region. The
labs aim to ignite passion and nurture spirit of enquiry and creativity for
mathematics and science in students between 6-18 years of age.
ii. The initiative
would be launched through the Department of Science and Technology, HRD
Minister Smriti Irani said while addressing a gathering of students through
video- conferencing during the launch the Rashtriya Avishkar Abhiyan programme
in New Delhi. “Let us begin with North East by setting up one model lab for
school children.
iii. Former
President APJ Abdul Kalam launched the programme in the presence of Minister of
State of HRD Ram Shankar Katharia, Minister of State for Development of North
Eastern Region and Department of Space Jitendra Singh, Science and Technology
Minister Harsh Vardhan.
4. MPEDA launched mobile-based applications to help
farmers capture data through mobile
i. The Marine
Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) on 9 July 2015 launched two
mobile based applications to help farmers get prices on shrimp and capture data
on aquaculture through mobile. Moreover, MPEDA also revamped its website and
launched an online registration portal for exporters.
ii. MPEDA is a
nodal agency for promotion of marine exports from India under Union Ministry of
Commerce and Industry.
iii. With this
application, MPEDA will provide price related market information of Vannamei
shrimp and BT shrimp to farmers over SMS on a missed call to a predetermined
number. On receipt of the missed call, information on price of Vannamei shrimp
and BT shrimp for different grades in major markets like Japan, USA and EU will
be provided by SMS.
iv. The authority
also launched a mobile applications named mKRISHI that will provide an easy
tool for book keeping, advisory services and weather informations. It is
an Android mobile application which has been developed by MPEDA and TCS
Innovation Lab, Mumbai (as part of its CSR initiative).
5. Prince Saud al-Faisal, World’s longest serving
Foreign Minister passes away
i. Prince Saud
al-Faisal, former foreign minister of Saudi Arabia passed away in United
States. He was 75. He was the Saudi kingdom’s foreign minister for 4 decades
(from 1975 to 2015). He had retired in April 2015 and was succeeded by Adel
al-Jubeir.
ii. He had served
under four Saudi kings and had advanced the kingdom’s foreign policy,
especially after the 9/11 attacks in US. It should be noted that he was world’s
longest-serving foreign minister.
iii. Saud al-Faisal
was son of King Faisal and was born on 2 January 1940 in Taif near Mecca.
In the 1960s, he started his career as consultant for Petroleum Ministry
of Saudi Kingdom.
6. Famous Hollywood actor Umer Sharif passed away
i. Actor Omar
Sharif, famous for his title role as Doctor Zhivago in the Oscar-winning film,
has died at the age of 83. Egyptian state television reported.
ii. Sharif’s agent
also confirmed his death revealing that the actor, who played a wide range of
dashing and dignified characters, had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
iii. Sharif was one
of the few Arab actors who succeed to make it to Hollywood. He won
international fame and an Oscar-nomination for best supporting actor for his
role in the 1962 film “Lawrence of Arabia” with Peter O’Toole.
7. Record-breaking Rabada helps Proteas crush
Bangladesh
i. Kagiso Rabada
became only the second man in history to claim a hat trick on debut as South
Africa thrashed Bangladesh by eight wickets in a rain-hit first one-day
international in Dhaka on Friday.
ii. Rabada finished
with 6-16, the best ever one-day haul by a debutante, as Bangladesh were folded
160 in 36.3 overs after the hosts opted to bat first on a rain-soaked pitch at
the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
iii. Rabada,
selected ahead of experienced Morne Morkel, struck in the third ball of his
second over when he sent the off-stump of opener Tamim Iqbal cartwheeling.