Dear Friends,
Welcome to the Quick Gyan (QG) Section of D2G. QG is just a glimpse of what happened today all over the world.
Only For Serious Candidates : We strongly recommend you to read the Current Affairs in detail. For your convenience, we have provided quick links under the updates. Make use of it.
Always Keep Yourself Updated!!!
1. Glenmark gets USFDA approval for anti-bacterial drug
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has received the final nod from the US health regulator for a generic version of anti-bacterial drug Zyvox (Linezolid tablets, 600 mg). The product is the therapeutic equivalent of Zyvox tablets, 600 mg of Pharmacia and Upjohn Company, a subsidiary of Pfizer. According to IMS Health sales data for the 12 months to October 2015, Zyvox tablets, 600 mg, achieved annual sales of around USD 447.6 million.
Zyvox is an anti-bacterial drug marked for adults and children for treatment of infections such as pneumonia, complicated skin and skin structure infections, including diabetic foot infections.
Quick Link – Glenmark
2. SpaceX Successfully Lands Rocket After Launch of Satellites Into Orbit
US company SpaceX has successfully landed an unmanned rocket upright, after sending 11 satellites into orbit. The Falcon-9 craft touched down late on Monday night, about 10km from its launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. SpaceX aims to slash the cost of private space operations with such reusable components – but the company has not launched a rocket since one exploded in June. On that occasion an unmanned Falcon-9 broke apart in flames minutes after lifting off from Cape Canaveral, with debris tumbling out of the sky into the Atlantic Ocean.
The rocket, which had 18 straight successes prior to the fateful flight, was in the process of sending a cargo ship to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has a $1.6bn (£1.08bn; €1.47bn) contract with NASA to send supplies to the ISS.
Quick Link – SpaceX
3. Yes Bank announces 3 senior level appointments
Private sector lender Yes Bank has made three appointments to its senior management team.
- The bank has appointed Padhmanabhan Kumar as the Chief Operating Officer & Senior Group President.
- Neeraj Dhawan joins the bank as Group President and Chief Risk Officer – Retail & Business Banking. Neeraj will be responsible for driving the Credit Underwriting, Collections and Risk Control Functions for the bank.
- The bank has also appointed Rajan Pental as Group Head – Retail Lending and he will be reporting to Pralay Mondal who heads the banks retail banking division.
Quick Link – Yes Bank
4. Emami ropes in Sania Mirza as brand ambassador of Kesh King
Home-grown FMCG firm Emami Ltd has announced tennis star Sania Mirza as the brand ambassador of hair oil and shampoo variants of its newly-acquired Kesh King brand. Kesh King is also endorsed by celebrities like Juhi Chawla nationally except the southern markets for which Shruti Haasan has been roped in very recently. Kesh King was acquired by Emami in June 2015 for Rs 1,651 crore, marking the company’s foray into the ayurvedic hair and scalp care segment. The brand portfolio includes ayurvedic medicinal oil, herbal shampoo and conditioner and ayurvedic capsules.
Quick Link – Sania Mirza
5. Brendon McCullum announces retirement from international cricket
New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum has announced that he will retire from international cricket in February, ending one of the sport’s most colorful careers. The 34-year-old McCullum will become the first cricketer to play 100 consecutive Test matches when he takes the field in New Zealand’s first Test against Australia in Wellington from Feb. 12. McCullum is expected to make the second Test of that series – starting in Christchurch on Feb. 20 – his last match for New Zealand.
It is likely that McCullum, one of the world’s hardest-hitting and most innovative batsmen, will also play a limited role in New Zealand’s forthcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and will miss next year’s Twenty20 World Cup.
Quick Link – Brendon McCullum
6. Lok Sabha passes The National Waterways Bill, 2015
A bill to develop 101 waterways has been passed by Lok Sabha today with government saying it was aiming to garner Rs 1 lakh crore to fund projects to provide low-cost river transportation as ‘Make-in-India’ dream will not be realised if logistics cost are not reduced. The House passed the bill by voice vote after approval of the official amendments, mostly of technical nature, and rejecting an amendment proposed by N K Premachandran.
Gadkari said his ministry is working to develop three more major ports, besides the existing 12 as the aim is to reduce the logistic cost with a view to promote exports, generate employment, boost tourism and growth.
Quick Link – National Waterways Bill
7. Spain’s ruling conservative People’s Party wins 2015 general election
The conservative People’s Party (PP) of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy topped Spain’s general election but fell well short of an absolute majority amid a surge in support for anti-establishment parties. Despite garnering the most votes, the center-right People’s Party (PP) had its worst result ever in a general election as Spaniards angered by high-level corruption cases and soaring unemployment turned away from the party in droves.
With 99% of votes counted, Rajoy’s party was seen winning 122 seats in the 350-strong parliament, well below the 186 it now holds – and 54 short of the 176 seats needed for an absolute majority. The opposition Socialists came second with 91 seats, trailed by newcomer parties Podemos and Ciudadanos, which took third and fourth places respectively. Anti-austerity Podemos was credited with 69 seats, while the more business-friendly Ciudadanos took 40, bringing Spain’s traditional two-party system to an emphatic end.
Quick Link – Spain Election
8. PM Narendra Modi flags off first prototype electric bus for MPs
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off first prototype electric bus for Members of Parliament. Modi handed over the key of lithium-ion-powered battery bus to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan at a function in Parliament House. Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister said battery powered bus is another initiative of government’s Make in India campaign. He said the negative impact of environment is felt across the globe.
Quick Link – Electric Bus
9. India joins select club nations to build LNG ships
India has joined select club nations to build Liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships after state owned Cochin Shipyard has received certification in this regard. Cochin Shipyard also became first shipyard in India to get the nod to build LNG-transporting ships for any client world-wide. Cochin Shipyard has signed a license agreement with French technology company Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT), which holds patented technology for LNG ships and provides the certification in design engineering and membrane-type containment systems for the transportation and storage of LNG
Quick Link – LNG Ships
10. Union Defence Ministry launches website for interface with industry and transparency
Seeking to make defence acquisition process simpler and transparent, the GOI has launched a new ‘Make in India’ website that will provide an interface with industry and promised to finalise the new revised defence procurement procedure by January. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has rued that “process” had become more important than the goal itself and asserted that the government is in the process of creating a level playing field with more transparency.
Mr Parrikar said that the Defence ministry he had inherited was “full of mistrust” but the situation has changed to a large extent. He hoped that the website (www.makeinindiadefence.com) would act as an enabler for the industry to get the latest news and notification regarding various aspects of the defence production.
Quick Link – Defence Website
11. World Bank to give USD35m to Pak for Indus River Basin
The World Bank has approved an additional financial assistance of $35 million to support improved management, planning and development of water resources in the Indus river basin in Pakistan. This $35 million is in addition to the $38 million given earlier towards improvement of water resources management in the Indus river system.
According to Bank, the project aims to strengthen the Indus system’s institutional and regulatory framework and bolster the technical capacity of the Ministry of Water and Power, the Indus River System Authority, the Water and Power Development Authority and the Water Section of the Planning Development and Reform Division.
Quick Link – Indus River Basin
12. India projected to be fastest growing economy over next 10 yrs
According to Harvard researchers at Centre for International Development (CID), India with a projected annual growth rate of 7 per cent, has the potential to be the world’s fastest growing economy over the coming decade, surging ahead of its South Asian economic rival China that will continue to see a slowdown.
The CID data predicted that growth in emerging markets will continue to outpace that of advanced economies, though the gap is closing. CID is also bullish on East Africa, with Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya ranking in the top 10, with all predicted to grow at least 5.5 per cent annually. The growth forecast also looks favourably on Southeast Asia, where the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam look to drive growth well above global averages.
Quick Link – Fastest Growing Economy
13. Prez confers award on Agra’s marble craftsman
President Pranab Mukherjee has presented the prestigious Shilp Guru award to a local craftsman for his exquisite marble inlay work. Rafiquddin, a resident of Gokulpura Basti in Agra district, was praised by the President for creating excellent floral designs on marble plates, table tops and decorative pieces for more than 25 years.
Mukherjee conferred the award on him at a function in Uttar Pradesh’s Vigyan Bhavan. Rafiquddin was earlier given an award in 1987 by the development commissioner of handicrafts, it said. Born in a family of artisans specialising in Jardozi (sewing with gold string), Rafiquddin was more inclined towards marble inlay work.
Quick Link – Craftsman received Award
14. Manu and Sumeeth clinch maiden GP title at Mexico Open
India’s men’s doubles pair of Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy ended the season on a high by claiming their maiden Grand Prix title with a straight-game win over Thailand’s Bodin Issara and Nipitphon Puangpuapech in the finals of Mexico Open. The third seeded Indian pair, who had reached the finals of US Open and Dutch Open, finally lay their hands on a grand prix title when they defeated Bodin and Nipitphon 22-20 21-18 in a 35-minute battle.
Manu, the 22-year-old from Meerut, this season was more special as he had started the year with a final finish in the mixed doubles event with K Maneesha at the Syed Modi Grand Prix Gold and ended it with a title with Sumeeth.
Quick Link – Mexico Open
15. EU extends sanctions against defiant Russia
The EU has extended economic sanctions against Russia amid sharp differences over relations with Moscow which struck back with a furious tirade and its own import ban against Ukraine. Russia said the decision showed the EU did not really want improved relations so as battle common threats such as terrorism.
The European Council of all 28 EU member states rolled over the economic sanctions because peace accords — agreed by France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia at talks in the Belarusian capital Minsk — would not be fully executed by year’s end as required. EU officials say there can be no let up in sanctions until Russia ensures pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine stick to the Minsk deal.
Quick Link – Economic Sanctions on Russia
16. In a first, Indian and Chinese troops to hold joint exercise along disputed border
Troops from India and China will for the first time meet in a joint military exercise on the heavily manned, disputed border that has been the reason for several armed face-offs and a major war between the two neighbours. In a move aimed at building confidence among soldiers from both sides that patrol the Line of Actual Control (LAC), local garrisons will take part in a tactical exercise that would be focused on cooperation in disaster management.
The joint exercise is expected to begin within a few weeks and the first of the series will take place on the Chinese-controlled side of LAC. Such tactical exercises are expected to become a regular feature with the next one taking place on the Indian side of LAC.
Quick Link – Military Exercise
17. India’s first indigenously designed & built frigate INS Godavari to be decommissioned
India’s first indigenously designed and built warship Indian Naval Ship Godavari is scheduled to be decommissioned on December 23, 2015. Godavari’s keel was laid on 03 November 1978 by Adm J Cursetji, CNS, and it was launched on 15 May 1980. It was commissioned in December 1983. Being the first indigenously designed and constructed ship, it was showcased around the world as a symbol of India’s growing military might and self-reliance. The ship is the first of three Godavari Class frigates, others being Ganga and Gomati. At the time of decommissioning, it would have served the country for little over 32 years.
Quick Link – INS Godavari
18. Manohar Parrikar to inaugurate first cable stay bridge of Jammu and Kashmir on December 24
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar will dedicate the first cable stay bridge of North India to the nation on December 24, providing close connectivity between three northern states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. The cable-stayed bridge at Basholi is situated on Dunera- Basohli-Bhadharwah road. The Basohli bridge will be fourth of its kind in India and first in North India and Jammu and Kashmir.
Quick Link – Cable Stay Bridge
19. President of India dedicates NIMHANS, Bangalore to the nation as an institute of national importance
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee dedicated the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences(NIMHANS), Bangalore to the nation as an Institute of national importance. He also inaugurated the Magneto Encephalography Research Center and NIMHANS Heritage Museum on the occasion.
The President said that India’s first comprehensive mental health policy was notified in last October on the occasion of World Mental Health Day which covers several aspects of mental health – including the rights of the mentally ill, the need to provide support to care givers, decriminalization of suicide – and other progressive policy initiatives. The policy, supported by the “Mental Health Action Plan 365”, spells out the specific roles of the Central Government, the State Governments, local bodies and civil society.
Quick Link – NIMHANS
Thank You 🙂 🙂 🙂
