Daily GK Updates: 5-6th Oct 2014

1.    Eid-ul-Azha is being celebrated

i. Eid-ul-Azha is being celebrated in the national capital and across the nation with Muslims offering special prayers in Eidgahs and mosques and sacrificing animals, even as security arrangement was stepped up ahead of the festival.

ii. President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari on Sunday greeted citizens on the eve of Eid-ul-Zuha, saying people should imbibe the spirit of universal love and brotherhood for prosperity of the nation and the world. 

iii. I convey greetings and best wishes to all fellow citizens, especially my Muslim brothers and sisters," Mukherjee said, noting that the festival symbolizes sacrifice, faith and devotion. 

2.    Nobel prize in medicine awarded to trio for discovering brain's 'GPS'

i. The Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine has been awarded to three scientists who discovered the brain's GPS system. British-American researcher John O'Keefe and a Norwegian couple, Edvard Moser and May-Britt Moser share the award. 
ii. They discovered how the brain knows where we are and is able to navigate from one place to another. Their findings may help explain why in Alzheimer's disease patients cannot recognise their surroundings.

3.    New York Times issued Apology for Racist Cartoon on India's Mars Mission

i. A reputed newspaper of United States, The New York Times issued an apology to its readers for its racist cartoon on India’s Mars Mission.

ii. In its apology, it clarified that it in no way was trying to impugn India.

iii. The apology was published on the New York Times Facebook page in response to criticism from many quarters.

iv. The clarification issued by Andrew Rosenthal, Editorial Page Editor reads that readers have complained about a recent editorial cartoon in the International New York Times about India’s foray into space exploration. It said that the cartoonist Heng Kim Song’s intent after the cartoon was to highlight that how exploration of space is no longer the exclusive domain of rich, Western countries.

Problem with the cartoon
i. The cartoon showed a farmer accompanied by a cow knocking on the door of the Elite Space Club where two men sit reading a newspaper which has India's space mission on the front page.

ii. It means that still India and Indians are considered as cattle-rearing folks. 

iii. It became an ironic after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared to the world at Madison Square Garden that we were no longer a country of snake-charmers.

4.    India among five nations to build world's largest telescope

i. India along with Japan, the US, China and Canada will start work on the world’s biggest telescope on Hawaii Island that will enable to identify an object as small as coin from a distance of 500 kms.

ii. The 30-meter telescope will be established near the summit of the Mauna Kea volcano with a cost of $1.4 billion.

iii. The construction is expected to be completed by March 2022. Japan is expected to cover about a quarter of the construction costs.

iv. To mark the start of construction, 100 astronomers and officials from the five countries are scheduled to attend a ceremony on October 7 at a location 4,012 meters high on Mount Mauna Kea.

v. The telescope will be larger than Japan’s Subaru Telescope, one of the world’s biggest, which was also built on the summit of Mauna Kea and started observation in 1999.

5.    West Bengal government constituted task force to probe into Burdwan blast

i. The State Government of West Bengal constituted a high-level composite Task Force to investigate into the blasts at Khagragarh in Burdwan District. The blasts occurred on 2 October 2014 in which two persons were killed. 

ii. This high-level task force will be headed the Director General of Police GM P Reddy and will also co-ordinate with various investigating agencies like CID, Kolkata police and others probing the blast.

iii. Apart from this, the state government is also keeping close touch with the National Investigating Agency (NIA) on the matter. 

6.    Dhoni is ISL team Chennaiyin FC co-owner

i. After the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the latest cricketer to own a football team in the high-profile Indian Super League, investing in the Chennaiyin FC ahead of the event starting October 12.

ii. Dhoni, the current Indian cricket captain, has pencilled a deal to be a co-owner of Chennaiyin FC along with Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan.

iii. “Dhoni has signed a deal to become a co-owner of Chennaiyin FC,” a source from IMG-Reliance, the organisers of the much-anticipated league told PTI.

iv. The ISL kicks off on October 12 in Kolkata while the final will be held on December 20.

7.    Novak Djokovic beats Tomas Berdych to win fifth China Open

i. World number one Novak Djokovic claimed his fifth China Open title with a straight set demolition of Czech Tomas Berdych.

ii. Djokovic beat Berdych in a straight set by 6-0, 6-2. Djokovic said that it was probably his best performance in all the finals in his career, adding that it was extremely incredible.

8.    Sharapova beat Kvitova to claim China Open titles

i. Russian Maria Sharapova overcame Czech Petra Kvitova 6-4 2-6 6-3 in the final of the China Open to claim the title and move up to number two in the world rankings on Sunday.

ii. Wimbledon Open champion Kvitova broke her opponent in the very first game but Sharapova showed greater intensity towards the end to prevail in a contest that lasted two hours and 28 minutes.

9.    Oliver Wilson win first European golf title

i. World number 792 Oliver Wilson held on to win his first European golf title at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, beating world number one Rory McIlroy by one stroke on 17 under par.

ii. The Englishman, making his 228th start, finished ahead of a chasing pack to win by one stroke on 17 under par. He played in the 2008 Ryder Cup but lost his European Tour card in 2012 and needed an invite to play at St Andrews.

10.  World Junior Chess Championship begins in Pune

i. The World Junior Chess Championship began in Pune today with a glittering ceremony attended by eminent dignitaries from the sporting world, entertainment and corporate world. 

ii. The tournament will be played till 19th October and will be conducted in the Swiss League format, comprising of 13 rounds with one round scheduled each day.

iii. Gujrathi will lead the Indian challenge in the Open and Padmini Rout in the girls' championship. They pose serious threats for the more fancied players in both championships to be held simultaneously.