Current Affairs updates from 05 November 2013

Current Affairs updates from 05 November 2013

1) ISRO successfully launched its historic mission to Mars from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 100 from Chennai. It was India’s first mission to the red planet. The mission follows India’s successful 2008-2009 Chandrayaan-1 moon probe, which discovered water molecules in the lunar soil. The total cost of the Mars mission is 73 million US dollars.

2) Bangladeshi court on 5 November 2013 sentenced to death 152 soldiers for their role in a 2009 mutiny. The life includes massacre of 74 people, including top army officers.  The trial is considered one of the world’s biggest ever mass criminal trials.

3) US software company Microsoft recently developed a new cost-effective sign language translator that converts signs into spoken and written language - and vice versa.

4) Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, recently received over 50 samples for detection of chemical weapons from the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The IICT was one of the 21 labs in 17 countries that were designated by OPCW for off-site analysis of chemical weapons.

5) Bharti Airtel on 5 November 2013 entered into an agreement with the Warid Group to acquire its Congo operations with the objective of strengthening its stronghold in the African market.

6) 12th edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas will be held in New Delhi from 7th to 9th of January 2014. This was announced by Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs on 5 Novemeber 2013 in New Delhi. The theme of the convention is -Engaging Diaspora - Connecting across Generations- with a special focus on the younger generation.

7) Indian Weightlifting Federation Joint Secretary Abraham K Techi appointed as an international Weightlifting referee.