SIPVS Knowledge is Power
- 24th World Congress of Philosophy held in Beijing, China
The World Congress of Philosophy is organized every five years by the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP) in collaboration with one of its member societies.
- The XXIV World Congress will be held in Beijing, China, from August 13 to August 20, 2018, under the auspices of the Chinese Organizing Committee.
- The complementary aims of the 2018 Congress include an emphasis on exploring dimensions of the human and inquiring into the challenges facing humanity:
- Its theme is “Learning To Be Human”
- FSSAI launches RUCO initiative to collect, convert used cooking oil into biofuel
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday launched RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil), an initiative that will enable collection and conversion of used cooking oil to bio-diesel.
- FSSAI may also look at introducing regulations to ensure that companies that use large quantities of cooking oil hand it over to registered collecting agencies to convert it into biofuel.
- Under this initiative, 64 companies at 101 locations have been identified to enable collection of used cooking oil.
- CEO OF FSSAI : Pawan Agarwal
- Scarlett Johansson is the highest paid actress with USD 40.5 million: Forbes
Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson has become the best-paid actress in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
- BSNL launches VOIP based phone service – WINGS
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has launched BSNL WINGS a VOIP based service.
- In WINGS, there is no SIM or cable wiring as is a VOIP service through an app.
- The WINGS service offers unlimited free audio/video calling for one year. Calls can be made using any data connection such as wired broadband, Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G network of any operator.
- WINGS can also be used over Internet Leased Lines. WINGS also supports video calls, but is restricted between WINGS.
- 2018 Albany Medical Center Prize awarded to James Allison, Carl June and Steven Rosenberg
Three scientists whose work in the fledgling field of immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment are the recipients of this year’s Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research.
- The 2018 awardees hail from around the nation: James P. Allison, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; Carl June, of the University at Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia; and Steven A. Rosenberg, of the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute in Maryland.
- The $500,000 award has been given annually since 2001 to those who have altered the course of medical research, and is one of the largest prizes in medicine and science in the U.S. It was founded by the late philanthropist Morris “Marty” Silverman.
- Nihal Sarin becomes India’s 53rd Grandmaster
Nihal Sarin became India’s 53rd Grandmaster after attaining his third and final GM-norm in the Abu Dhabi Masters.
- Having already reached the stipulated rating of 2500, Sarin has now met the requirements to be a Grandmaster.
- Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee passes away at 93
A man of masses, veteran leader and Former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee passed away in New Delhi. The 93-year-old veteran leader breathed his last at 5.05 PM at AIIMS where he was admitted for treatment.
- Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s legacy as Prime Minister is a rich one that will be remembered and cherished even a decades later. It included the Pokhran-2 nuclear tests, astute and forward-looking economic policies, massive infrastructure projects like the development of national highways are some of them.
- He became the prime minister for the first time in 1996.
- He took over as the Prime Minister of India for the second time in March 1998 but lost a trust vote in October 1999.
- Under his leadership, the BJP-led NDA won the elections in 1999 and he was sworn in as the prime minister for the third term.
- Aretha Franklin, ‘Queen of Soul’, dies aged 76
Aretha Franklin, the “queen of soul” known for hits like Respect and Think, has died in Detroit at the age of 76.
Franklin won 18 Grammys, and had 17 Top Ten US chart hits over a music career spanning seven decades
