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!!!
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Australia’s highest civilian award conferred on 3 Indian-origin persons
Three Indian-origin persons have been awarded Australia’s highest civilian honour for their contribution in the fields of physics, engineering and medicine. Chennupati Jagadish, an eminent professor at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Jay Chandra, an eye doctor in New South Wales, and Sajeev Koshy, a dentist in Melbourne, received Order of Australia medal for the year 2016 announced on the Australia Day. Jagadish was conferred with the award for his eminent service to physics and engineering, particularly in the field of nanotechnology, to education as a leading academic, researcher, author and mentor, and through executive roles with national and international scientific advisory institutions.
Quick Link – Civilian Award
Henri Tiphagne selected for Amnesty human rights award
Indian activist and lawyer Henri Tiphagne has won the Amnesty International Human Rights Award 2016. Amnesty International Germany will confer the 8th award on him in April. The award and 10,000 euros will be given to him on 25 April at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin for his “exceptional commitment to human rights”. The cash award will be provided by Amnesty Germany’s foundation, Stiftung Menschenrechte, Förderstiftung Amnesty.
Quick Link – Human rights Award
APPOINTMENTS
Tendulkar named brand envoy of pleasure cruise
Cricket legend and Rajya Sabha MP Sachin Tendulkar has been named as the brand ambassador of a newly-launched pleasure cruise along with his former Australian opponents, Shane Warne and Brett Lee. The pleasure trip provides the guests an opportunity to mix with top ex-cricketers and show business personalities. The cruise journey, starting in March, will include trips to destinations in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, apart from India. It is a new initiative undertaken by CEO Somesh Jagga and Vice-Chairman Josh Hill of Monarch Cruise.
Quick Link – Sachin as envoy of cruise
BANKING AND FINANCE
RBI to issue Rs 10 coins on B R Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary
Reserve Bank is going to issue Rs 10 coins to commemorate the occasion of 125th birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar. On the design details, the obverse of the coin will bear the Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar in the centre with the legend ‘Satyamev Jayate’ inscribed below, flanked on the left periphery with the word ‘Bharat’ in Devnagri script. And on the right periphery with the word ‘India’ in English and it shall also bear the Rupee symbol and denominational value ’10’ in the international numerals below the Lion Capitol.
Quick Link – Rs 10 coins on B R Ambedkar’s 125th anniversary
India and ADB Sign $80 Million Loan Agreement
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of India signed $80 million loan agreement to continue improving infrastructure in two North Eastern State Capital cities. The loan is the third tranche of a $200 million financing facility under the North Eastern Region Capital cities Development Investment Program and will be used for investments in water supply, solid waste management and sanitation in Agartala and Aizwal. It will also support urban reforms, benefiting nearly a million people in the two cities. Previous program tranches have provided assistance to five other cities in the Northeast—Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram), Kohima (Nagaland), Gangtok (Sikkim) and Agartala (Tripura).
Quick Link – India & ADB in Loan Agreement
IMF implements long due quota reforms
The IMF has announced implementation of its long due quota reforms which was approved by the US Congress last year that will give more voting rights to emerging economies like India and China in the functioning of the organisation. The reforms by IMF represent a major step towards better reflecting in the institution’s governance structure, the increasing role of dynamic emerging market and developing countries. For the first time four emerging market countries (Brazil, China, India, and Russia) will be among the 10 largest members of the IMF.
Quick Link – IMF implements quota
INDIAN AFFAIRS
150th birth anniversary of Lala Lajpat Rai
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tribute to great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai on his 150th birth anniversary (January 28, 2016). Born in 1865 in a village in Punjab province, Rai, was one of the tallest figures in the Indian Independence movement. Popularly known as the ‘Punjab Kesari’, he was part of the ‘Lal Bal Pal’ trio. He died in Lahore, a few weeks after sustaining serious injuries during a non-violent protest against the Simon Commission in 1928.
Quick Link – Lala Lajpat’s anniversary
Fresh passports to be issued without police verification
In a major decision aimed towards liberalising the passport issuance process, the government has decided to do away with police verification for first-time normal category applicants. As per the new norms, the passport office will issue normal passports on a priority basis and leave the police verification for a later date. If a person submits application with copies of Aadhaar, Voter ID and PAN Card, with an affidavit swearing that no criminal case pending against him, then the passport office will issue a passport. The affidavit will be processed post-police verification basis, subject to successful online validation of Aadhaar number.
Quick Link – Passports issued without police verification
Permanent memorial of INS Vikrant unveiled
A permanent memorial of India’s first aircraft carrier INS Vikrant has been unveiled in Mumbai by Vice Admiral S.P.S. Cheema, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, and Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta. The memorial stands at a traffic island opposite the Lion Gate near the Naval Dockyard in south Mumbai. The sculpture of INS Vikrant was designed by great metal sculptor Arzan Khambatta. The sculpture was made by using the pieces of metal recovered from the breaking up of INS Vikrant.
Quick Link – INS Vikrant
Union government releases list of 20 smart cities
The Union government has announced the names of the first 20 urban areas that will be developed as smart cities. The investment of Rs 50,802 crores has been proposed in selected smart cities and towns during the five-year period. There are five capital cities among the 20 smart cities chosen. The urban development ministry received proposals for 97 cities from state governments. The selected cities will be equipped with basic infrastructure, efficient urban mobility and public transport, IT connectivity and e-governance mechanisms. In the future, the government plans to announce 40 cities each to be developed as a Smart City.
Quick Link – 20 Smart cities
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
French Lawmakers Approve Terminal Sedation, Not Euthanasia
France’s Parliament has approved a bill that will let doctors keep terminally ill patients sedated until death comes but stops short of legalizing euthanasia or assisted suicide. After years of tense debate over the issue and a long journey through Parliament, the bill was passed by the country’s lower house and Senate. The new law will allow patients to request deep, continuous sedation altering consciousness until death” but only when their condition is likely to lead to a quick death. Doctors will be allowed to stop life-sustaining treatments, including artificial hydration and nutrition. Sedation and painkillers will be allowed. The bill will also apply to patients who are unable to express their will, following a process that includes consultation with family members.
Quick Link – Terminal Sedation
Marry Two Wives or Risk Jail : New law passed in Eritrea
In Eritrea, an African country southeast of Sudan, the government has passed legislation that orders men to take two wives or face life imprisonment. The legislation further states that women who attempt to prevent their husbands from taking a second wife will also face life imprisonment. The law comes in the wake of Eritrea’s civil war with Ethiopia in which vast casualties were encountered resulting in a shortage of Eritrean men. The legislation was added to part of the ‘Grand Mufti’ which is the highest religious and legislative law of Eritrea.
Quick Link – New law in Eritrea
Astronomers discover largest solar system
Astronomers have discovered the largest known solar system, consisting of a large planet that takes nearly a million years to orbit its star. The gas giant is one trillion kilometres away, making its orbit 140 times wider than Pluto’s path around our Sun. Only a handful of extremely wide pairs of this kind have been found in recent years. The planet, known as 2MASS J2126-8140, is between 12 and 15 times the mass of Jupiter. This system is nearly three times the size of the previous widest star-planet pair. The star and its planet were found by a survey of young stars and brown dwarfs in Earth’s neighbourhood. Once team members discovered they were a similar distance from the Earth – about 100 light-years – they compared the motion of the two through space and realised they were moving together.
Quick Link – Largest Solar system
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Stockholm to get World’s first 5G Network
Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden may soon become world’s first city to get the ultra high speed 5G mobile network by 2018. Swedish-Finnish telecom operator TeliaSonera, and Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson will jointly roll out 5G network at Stockholm and Tallinn, which is in Estonia. Stockholm and Tallinn are two of the most connected cities in the world and now we’ll take them to the next level. 5G will create completely new innovations, ecosystems and great services to our customers. 5G will also take the Internet of Things (IoT) to a new level.
Quick Link – First 5G in Sweden
OBITUARY
TOI’s Arindam Sen Gupta is no more
Arindam Sen Gupta, the managing editor of The Times of India, lost his battle against cancer and passed away. Sen Gupta had a long and distinguished association with the TOI group, which he rejoined in 1991 after a previous stint from 1988 to 1990. He joined The Economic Times as coordinating editor and later became editor of its Delhi edition before moving to TOI in March 2004, reported Times of India. As soon as news of his sad demise came, tributes poured in from across the board. Many journalists and politicians have offered their condolences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on his Twitter account, “An accomplished editor who was widely admired, Arindam Sengupta impacted many lives through journalism. Pained by his demise. RIP.”
Quick Link – Arindam Sen Gupta Passes away
Thank you 🙂 🙂 🙂
