Daily Current Affairs: 19 July 2014

1) Shakira is now Facebook’s most popular celebrity with 100 million likes: International pop star Shakira is officially the most popular person on Facebook with over a 100 million ‘likes’, the most for any public figure. Shakira’s global appeal, her posts, interactions with fans and her overall personality, have managed to win her the 100 million-plus fans. To celebrate this milestone, she posted a video on her page thanking them. “I am honoured and humbled about reaching this milestone, because it’s one that’s purely about connecting with my fans from all parts of the globe,” Shakira said in a statement. 

2) India to open first Yoga centre in China: The Indian government is planning to open up a first ever Yoga resource centre in China as part of a new move to capitalise on the fast-growing popularity of the practice in a country where there are an estimated several hundred thousand practitioners. On Saturday, Beijing hosted a first ever Yoga festival, with an expected 5,000 Chinese set to take part in four days of workshops, covering everything from breathing exercises and specific asanas to meditation lessons.

3) Jaipur Foot to open centre in Mauritius: The world famous Jaipur Foot will launch a centre in Mauritius. The centre will be located at Port Louise in collaboration with Global Rainbow Foundation, an organisation that works for the disadvantaged and the physically-challenged, and provides them with medical aid. D.R. Mehta, founder and chief patron of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata (BMVSS), an organisation for the physically-challenged, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on Sunday to start the centre in Mauritius.

4) India slips 10 spots in innovation to 76th position:  The land of Aryabhatt and Raman seems to have stopped innovating. According to a new global report, India has slipped in innovation by ten places to 76th position in the world this year even as its peers improved their positions. India is the only country, which has fallen among the BRICS economies, the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2014 report says. Brazil has risen by three places to 61st rank, Russia by 13 places to 49th, China by six places to 29th, while South Africa by five places to 53rd rank.