Mumbai has been declared the noisiest city in the country

 The latest report by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has placed India's financial capital at the first place. Meanwhile, Delhi —long admonished for its dirty air—has something to be (relatively) happy about, as it is ranked fourth, behind Lucknow and Hyderabad.

• Mumbai breached the safe noise levels - 55 decibels during the morning and 45 dcibels during the night - consistently between 2011 and 2014.

According to the CPCB, the most common source of noise pollution is motor vehicles, while other sources like generator sets, office machines, aircraft, industrial and construction activities also contribute to increasing the noise level in the cities.

Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) can lead to forgetfulness, depression and even panic attacks.

• The CPCB report was compiled after collecting data from 35 locations in seven cities. The final results were inferred by averaging the location-wise day time and night time noise level.

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) :

• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India is a statutory organisation under the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). 

All new mobiles to have panic button from 2017

Starting next year, all mobile phones sold in India will come with a dedicated ‘panic button’ that can be used to send out a signal in case of distress.

The Panic button and Global Positioning System facility in all mobile phone handsets Rules, 2016, notified by the Department of Telecommunications on April 22, are aimed at improving the safety of women and ensuring a quick response from security agencies.

The notification says that no handset shall be sold in India from January 1, 2017, without a panic button and all handsets must also have GPS from January 1, 2018.

Once the panic button is pressed, a signal/call will be made to the nearest security agency. 

panic button :

A panic alarm is an electronic device designed to assist in alerting somebody in emergency situations where a threat to persons or property exists.

26 April: World Intellectual Property Day

  World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on 26 April. 

• The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000 to "raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life" and "to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe". 
• 26 April was chosen as the date for World Intellectual Property Day because it coincides with the date on which the Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force in 1970.

2016 – Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined

Intellectual property (IP) :

Intellectual property (IP) is a term referring to creations of the intellect for which a monopoly is assigned to designated owners by law.

India to host 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championship

India will be hosting the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships in Jaipur, besides organising the Asian Cadet and Asian Junior Judo Championships in September in Kerala this year. 

The Commonwealth Judo Championships was allotted to India, by the Commonwealth Judo Congress held on April 23rd at Port Elizabeth, South Africa. 

"The Commonwealth Judo Championships is the official event of the Commonwealth Judo Associations and being organised in every 2 years for Cadets, Junior, Seniors, Masters and visually impaired Judo Players. 

• This will be the first time that Commonwealth Judo Championships will be held in India.

Commonwealth Judo Championships :

The Commonwealth Judo Championship is an international judo competition, open to countries of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Kapil Dev to be inducted into CCI's Legends Club

India's 1983 World Cup-winning captain and one of the greatest all-rounders the game has seen, Kapil Dev, will be the sixth member to be inducted into the Cricket Club of India's Legends Club. This was announced by Legends Club president and former India batsman Madhav Apte.

Cricket Club of India's Legends Club :

• It was established in 2003.
• Legends Club is the brainchild of former Board of Control for Cricket in India president, Dungarpur.
•  It was formed along the lines of England's Master's Club started by famous cricket commentator John Arlott in memory of Jack Hobbs when cricketers and cricket lovers got together and spoke on different topics of the game.
•  The Legends Club honours famous Indian cricketers like Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.

New emblem of Tokyo 2020 Olympics unveiled

     The new emblem of Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympic Games was unveiled on 25 April 2016, featuring an indigo-coloured check in the design.

•  The logo features a circular Japanese traditional checkered pattern. Below the design are the words “Tokyo 2020” and under them the five interlocking Olympic rings. 
• The logo was chosen from a shortlist of four announced on April 8 after more than 14,599 entries were publicly accepted. 
• Tokyo 2020 organisers had to scrap a logo by Japanese designer Kenjiro Sano over its close resemblance of a theatre in the Belgian city of Liege created by designer Olivier Debie.

Olympics :

• The modern Olympic Games or Olympics  are the leading international sporting event featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a variety of competitions. 

World Immunization Week 2016

   World Immunization Week 2016  is being organised across the globe between 24 April and 30 April 2016.

• World Immunization Week is a global public health campaign to raise awareness and increase rates of immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases around the world.
•  It takes place each year during last week of April.

Immunization :

Immunization, or immunisation, is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes fortified against an agent (known as the immunogen).

• When this system is exposed to molecules that are foreign to the body, called non-self, it will orchestrate an immune response, and it will also develop the ability to quickly respond to a subsequent encounter because of immunological memory. This is a function of the adaptive immune system. Therefore, by exposing an animal to an immunogen in a controlled way, its body can learn to protect itself: this is called active immunization.