Daily Gk Update 29 June 2013

Daily Gk Update 29 June 2013

Italy Became 5th Country To Ratify Istanbul Convention

Italy has ratified Istanbul Convention which aims to combat violence against women. 

The Italian Senate unanimously approved the 2011 Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women . 

The Istanbul Convention describes violence against women as a form of discrimination and as a violation of human rights. 

Thus approval makes Italy the fifth country to actually ratify the Council of Europe convention.

Six Sites In Syria On UN List Of World Heritage In Danger

UNESCO World Heritage Committee placed six world heritage sites of Syria on endangered list in light of ongoing conflicts in the country. 

These conflicts are posing threat to the cultural heritage of Syria.The sites concerned are:- the Ancient City of Damascus , Site of Palmyra ,Ancient City of Bosra,Ancient City of Aleppo,Crac des Chevaliers,Qal’at Salah El-Din.

The decision was taken as part of the World Heritage Committee’s review of the state of conservation of World Heritage sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List.

India Slips To 70th Position In Swiss Money

On 22 June According to the Switzerland’s central bank data report India has slipped to 70th position in terms of foreign money lying with the Swiss banks and accounts for a meagre 0.10 percent of total global wealth held in the Switzerland banking system.India was ranked 55th for such funds a year ago with a total amount of 2.18 billion Swiss francs belonging to the Indian individuals.

Among the top-ten jurisdictions in terms of source of money with Swiss banks, the UK is now followed by the US, West Indies, Jersey, Guernsey, Germany, France, Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Hong Kong.Besides, China was ranked 26th, Canada 28th, Brazil at 39th and South Africa at 50th. 

India’s neighbouring country Pakistan was also ranked one place higher at 69th, although countries like Mauritius, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Libya, Brunei and Sri Lanka are positioned below India.

Wright Brothers may not have been the first to fly a plane

Connecticut lawmakers have legally discredited the Wright brothers as the US’ first-in-flight aviators. 

Instead, Governor Dannel P Malloy named a German immigrant Gustave Whitehead, who is said to have flown in Connecticut in 1901, two years, four months and three days before the Wright

Brothers’ historical liftoff over Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in December of 1903, the New York Daily News reported

The Wright brothers, Orville (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were two American brothers, inventors, and aviation pioneers who were credited with inventing and building the world’s first successful airplane and taking the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903.

The lawmakers got convinced of Whitehead’s achievement early this month after finding images as well as eyewitness reports that first swayed the Bible of Aviation, journal “Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft”.

India has to repay $172 billion debt by March 2014

India’s short-term debt maturing within a year stood at $172 billion end-March 2013. This means the country will have to pay back $172 billion by March 31, 2014. 

The corresponding figure in March 2008 — before the global financial meltdown that year — was just $54.7 billion. India has accumulated a huge short-term debt with residual maturity of one year after 2008. 

The figure has gone up over three times largely because this period also coincided with the unprecedented widening of the current account deficit from roughly 2.5 percent in 2008-09 to nearly 5 per cent in 2012-13. Much of this expanded CAD has been funded by debt flows.

chairman of the PMEAC, C. Rangarajan, told The Hindu that an otherwise manageable CAD may create a perception of vulnerability in the backdrop of the Fed’s latest stance.

The $172 billion that has to be paid back by March 31, 2014, will no doubt add to this growing sense of unease.

Tour de France gets underway today

Just as the Tour de France is entering into new territory, visiting Corsica for the first time in its history, so sprint king Mark Cavendish is aiming to do something he has never done before in Saturday’s opening stage.

The 28-year-old from the Isle of Man has his sights set on winning the 213-kilometre ride up Corsica's east coast from Porto-Vecchio to Bastia as he looks to pull on the legendary overall race leader’s yellow jersey for the first time.

“The yellow jersey is the only major jersey I am missing now,” Cavendish said at an Omega Pharma-Quick Step team press conference aboard the huge boat that is serving as race headquarters during its visit to Corsica.