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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 03 October 2014

National

ISRO will launch IRNSS 1C on Oct 10

• ISRO will launch the third of seven series of satellites to put in place India’s own navigation system on par with US’ Global Positioning System (GPS) from the spaceport of Sriharikota on October 10.
• The Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) 1C satellite would be launched on the 28th flight of India’s PSLV-C26 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, some 100 km from Chennai.
• As part of its aspirations to build a regional navigational system equivalent to GPS of the US, ISRO plans to send seven satellites to put in place the IRNSS.
• The first two satellites in the series, IRNSS 1A and IRNSS 1B were launched from Sriharikota on July 1 2013 and April 4 this year respectively.
• Being developed by India, IRNSS is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in the country as well as the region extending upto 1,500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched in Davangere (Register and Login to read Full News..)

International

Turkish Parliament votes for military action against IS

• The fight for the Kurdish city of Kobane in Syria intensified as the Islamic State militia was located just outside the city, a monitoring group said. Kurdish fighters from the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a local militia, were forced to withdraw from western areas to the outskirts of the city, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
• Meanwhile, Turkey’s parliament voted to authorize the government to take military action in Iraq and Syria, but it remains unclear what actions the NATO member might take to support the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group.
• The “situation in the western side of Kobane is very dangerous as the Islamic fighters have made major advancements overnight and are as close as 2 kilometres or less from Kobane,” said the head of the observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman.
• The watchdog group, which compiles information from a network of local activists across Syria, said the ill—equipped YPG and other Kurdish fighters were preparing for street battles amid fears that the better armed Islamic State militants might commit massacres if they take the city on the Turkish border.

Australia to launch airstrikes in Iraq (Register and Login to read Full News..)

Sports

Boxer Sarita has offered ‘unconditional apology’ for her ’emotional outburst’ : AIBA

• Facing the prospect of a ban, Indian boxer L. Sarita Devi offered an “unconditional apology” for refusing to accept her bronze medal during the Asian Games presentation ceremony, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) has said.
• “The Head of the Indian Mission at the Incheon Asian Games 2014 Mr Adille J Sumariwalla has forwarded to the President of the International Boxing Association Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, a letter of apology of Woman boxer Sarita Laishram Devi (57-60kg) who had refused to receive the bronze medal at the Award Ceremony for the 17th Asian Games,” the AIBA said in a statement.
• “Mrs Devi expressed ‘an unconditional apology’ for her ’emotional outburst’ at the ceremony, writing that ’I regret and apologise. Such an incident will never reoccur in the future’,” it added.
• A disconsolate Sarita had refused to accept her bronze medal during the medal ceremony to protest her controversial semifinal loss to South Korean Jina Park. Sarita (60kg) had lost the bout despite dominating the proceedings.

Men's hockey team regain gold, India jump to ninth place

• The Indian men's hockey team regained the gold medal after a gap of 16 years while the women's 4x400m relay team also picked up gold as India added four medals to jump to the ninth position in the overall standings in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon.
• The men's hockey players hogged the spotlight with the thrilling victory over arch-rivals Pakistan to ensure a berth in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
• It turned out to be a mixed day for Indian volleyball teams as the men's team defeated Thailand 3-1 in the 5th-8th place classification match after the women suffered a 0-3 reverse to Hong Kong to finish 8th in the competition.

Relay girls make it four in a row, Inderjeet Singh wins bronze

• Just a couple of months ago, they had a disastrous Commonwealth Games where they dropped the baton but, only positive thoughts were running in their minds. The Indian women’s 4x400m relay team won the gold at the 17th Asian Games. their fourth straight triumph at the Continental Games, and it came with a Games record too.
• India got a bronze too, through the Haryana-based shotputter Inderjeet Singh, who a silver at the World University Games in Russia.
• With two girls, Tintu Luka and M.R. Poovamma, who had won medals in individual events here over the last couple of days, the mile relay team was high on confidence. In fact it was Tintu, running a brilliant second leg, who gave the squad the lead after Priyanka Pawar came in fourth after the opening leg.

Indian men, women retain kabaddi gold medals at Asiad (Register and Login to read Full News..)

Science & technology

‘Virtual breast’ will improve cancer detection

• A Computer-generated 3D ‘virtual breast’ software, that mimics the intricacy of the real organ, could improve cancer detection, scientists say.
• Many medical professionals encourage women to get mammograms, even though the tests are imperfect at best: only a minority of suspicious mammograms actually lead to a cancer diagnosis, researchers said.
• Researchers have used a different type of test, ultrasound elastography, to pinpoint possible tumors throughout the body, including in the breast.
• “It uses imaging to measure the stiffness of tissue, and cancer tissues are stiff,” said Jingfeng Jiang, a biomedical engineer at Michigan Technological University.
• Those images can be breathtakingly clear: In one elastograme the tumour is as different from normal breast tissue as a yolk is from the white in a fried egg. However, not all images are that precise.
• Ultrasound elastography could be an excellent screening tool for women who have suspicious mammograms, but only if the results are properly interpreted, researchers said.