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 HONORS
Indian-American scientist Arnab De wins Springer Theses Award
An Indian-American scientist has received the prestigious Springer Theses Award in recognition for his outstanding research in which he developed transgenic mice to study a critical tumor-suppressor called A20. Arnab De‘s thesis was nominated by New York’s Columbia University. Before this, De, who has also developed peptide-based prodrugs as therapeutics for diabetes, had received the Young Investigator Award at the American Peptide Symposium.
Quick Link – Springer Theses Award
Aditi Krishnakumar wins 2016 Scholastic Asian Book Award
Aditi Krishnakumar, a 31-year-old Indian woman author in Singapore has won the ‘Scholastic Asian Book Award‘ for her 32,000-word manuscript rooted in “love of Indian history”. Aditi Krishnakumar won the Singapore dollar 10,000 award for her manuscript “Codex: The Lost Treasure Of The Indus“. Aditi, who submitted her manuscript hours before deadline last September, said she juggles writing with her career in finance and ekes out time at night and on weekends to dream up stories.
Quick Link – Scholastic Asian Book Award
Arunachal tiger reserve bags biodiversity award
Pakke Tiger Reserve in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh has received the ‘India Biodiversity Award 2016‘ in one of its four categories. The Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme of the Pakke Tiger Reserve in East Kameng district was awarded the prize under the category, “conservation of threatened species“.
A joint initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, National Biodiversity Authority and United Nations Development programme, India Biodiversity Awards recognise the contribution of a range of stakeholders towards the conservation of biodiversity.
Quick Link – India Biodiversity Award
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Govt to sell off 14 ITDC hotels
Fourteen out of 16 perennially loss making hotels owned by state-run India Tourism Development Corp. (ITDC) will be sold off and the process to privatise them has already started. The finance ministry is taking forward the disinvestment plan to totally offload government’s stakes in all the ITDC-run hotels except the Ashoka and Samrat hotels in the national capital. The government decided to privatize the hotels to improve the financial health of ITDC, a public sector undertaking that currently runs 16 hotels in Delhi, Patna, Jammu, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Puri, Bhopal, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Guwahati, Mysore, Puducherry and Itanagar.
Quick Link – Sell off ITDC hotels
I&B Ministry frames Policy guidelines for Central Government advertisements on websites
In a major policy initiative concerning Central Government advertisements on online platform, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has framed guidelines and criteria for Empanelment of suitable agencies and Rate fixation for advertisements on websites. The aim of the guidelines is to devise principles and instruments to streamline the release of Government advertisements on websites.
The policy emphasizes that only websites which are owned and operated by companies that are incorporated in India will be considered for empanelment by Directorate of Advertising & Visual Publicity (DAVP). However, websites owned by foreign companies/origin can still be empanelled if such companies have branch offices which are registered and operating in India for at least one year.
Quick Link – Policy guidelines for CGA
Indian Coast Guard Ship ARUSH Commissioned
The Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Arush’, the 17th in the series of 20 fast patrol vessels designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd., was commissioned. The ship was commissioned by the Coast Guard Commander (western seaboard) Additional Director General SPS Basra in the presence of the Commander Coast Guard Region (West) Inspector General K. Natarajan and other senior dignitaries of the central and state governments.
Quick Link – ARUSH
India’s first integrated web portal to promote Net Zero Energy Buildings launched
Power Ministry and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched India’s first integrated web portal designed to promote and mainstream Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB). The NZEBs combine energy efficiency and renewable energy generation to consume only that much of energy as can be generated onsite through renewable resources over a specified time period.
The portal (www.nzeb.in) was launched by Power Secretary Pradeep Kumar Pujari and Ambassador Jonathan Addleton, who is USAID Mission Director to India, a power ministry press release said. A first of its kind, the portal provides complete information about Net Zero Energy Buildings those that generate as much energy as they use as well as how to achieve near-zero energy status through the use of efficient lighting and equipment, integration of renewable energy technologies, and best practice design strategies.
Quick Link – NZEB
Lakshadweep becomes first UT to sign 24×7 ‘Power for All’ document
Lakshadweep became first Union Territory (UT) to sign 24×7 Power for All document. Representative of Government of India and the Administration of Lakshadweep signed the document in presence of P.K. Pujari, Secretary, Ministry of Power.
The document chalks out a plan to increase solar capacity of the region from 2.15 MW to 8.45 MW. At present, 10 inhabited islands of Lakshadweep are being fed by diesel mostly. The plan also envisions reduction of AT & C losses from current level of 21% to 6.7% till 2019 by increasing the collection efficiency up to 99 %.
Quick Link – Power for All
Spanish train Talgo runs at speed of 110-115 kmph during trial
Spanish train Talgo ran at the speed of 110-115 kms per hour as its trial was conducted on the Bareilly-Moradabad line in Uttar Pradesh as part of the Railways’ strategy to induct faster trains. The lighter and faster train, with nine coaches and hauled by a 4,500 HP diesel engine, covered the 90-km distance in 70 minutes. The train left Bareilly at 9.05 AM and reached Moradabad at 10.15 AM.
Talgo’s lighter trains consume 30 per cent less energy. The nine-coach Talgo train consists of two Executive Class cars, four Chair Cars, a cafeteria, a power car and a tail-end coach for staff and equipment. After the trial run on the Bareilly-Moradabad line, it will be tried on Rajdhani route between Mathura and Palwal for 40 days with speed up to 180 km per hour. The trial run will be conducted in a series of phases to test the riding, safety and and stability of Talgo trains.
Quick Link – Spanish train runs speed of 110-115 kmph
Indian Air Force successfully test fires Brahmos missile at Pokaran
Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully test fired supersonic cruise missile BrahMos against a land-based target from a defence base in the western sector, paving the way for its maiden air launch from a fighter aircraft. With advanced guidance system and indigenously built software algorithm, this version of BrahMos land-attack system was launched from a mobile autonomous launcher from Pokhran range at about 12 pm establishing its supremacy in the world of supersonic cruise missiles.
Quick Link – BrahMos missile at Pokaran
Pinarayi Vijayan sworn-in as Kerala Chief Minister
Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, leader Pinarayi Vijayan took oath as chief minister of Kerala along with 18 ministers, after a massive victory in the state assembly election in which his coalition—Left Democratic Front (LDF)—promised to “set everything alright”.
Vijayan, 72, and 18 others from the LDF were sworn in by governor P. Sathasivam at a ceremony at Central Stadium in capital Thiruvananthapuram. About 25,000 people attended the function—among them were 96-year-old K.R. Gouri, who has spent most of her political career with CPM, and popular actor Mammootty.
Quick Link – Pinarayi Vijayan as C M
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Jordan’s King Abdullah dissolves parliament
Jordan’s King Abdullah appointed veteran politician Hani Mulqi as caretaker prime minister after dissolving parliament as its four-year term nears its end, and charged him with organising new elections by October. The king accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour before appointing Mulqi by royal decree. Mulki has held senior government posts in successive administrations. Under the constitutional rules the election must be held within four months.
Quick Link – Abdullah dissolves parliament
Turkey’s new prime minister wins vote of confidence in parliament
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s government has won a vote of confidence in parliament as well as approval for his legislative program. Yildirim is a close ally of President Tayyip Erdogan and a co-founder of the ruling AK Party. He was declared prime minister after he was elected as the new leader of the AK Party at a party congress. Yildirim’s appointment marks another step in Erdogan’s plan to create a full presidential system in Turkey. Yildirim replaces Ahmet Davutoglu, who said he was stepping down after weeks of tension with Erdogan.
Quick Link – PM-Vote of confidence
Baciro Dja named Prime Minister of Guinea Bissau
Guinea Bissau President Jose Mario Vaz named Baciro Dja as prime minister. It leads to sparking protests from political opponents who said the appointment was unconstitutional. Dja succeeds Carlos Correia, who was sacked earlier this month in a move that threatened to deepen political turmoil in the tiny West African nation.
The ruling party said it would not support Dja, who held the same post briefly last year but was forced to resign when the supreme court ruled that the appointment was made without consulting all political parties and was therefore unconstitutional. About 100 protesters descended on the presidential palace after the appointment, throwing stones at the palace and burning tyres. Police fired tear gas on the crowd and some protesters were injured.
Quick Link – Baciro Dja as PM
FOREIGN RELATIONS
PM to visit 5 nations; to discuss black money issue with Swiss
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a five-nation visit from June 4 which will cover Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the US and Mexico. Modi will begin his trip with Afghanistan to inaugurate India-funded Salma Dam which has been constructed at a cost of about Rs 1400 crore. From Afghanistan, he will proceed to energy-rich Qatar and then to Switzerland.
During the two-day visit to energy-rich Qatar, Modi will hold extensive talks with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on a range of bilateral issues including ways to further boost economic ties, particularly in the hydrocarbon sector.
Quick Link – PM to visit 5 nations
IAF Participation in Exercise Desert Eagle II at UAE
A bilateral Air Force exercise between India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) is underway at Al-Dhafra Air Base in UAE from 24 May 16 to 03 Jun 16. Ex-Desert Eagle-I with UAE Air Force was held at the same location in Sep 08. Su-30 MkI of the Indian Air Force and Mirage 2000-9, F-16 of UAE Air Force are participating in the exercise. The exercise will be played under multiple simulated scenarios.
Exchange sorties for aircrew of both the Air Forces have also been planned. Participation in such exercises enables Indian Air Force to fly against multiple types of platforms. These air combat exercises provide exposure towards mission planning and execution in a simulated high threat combat environment besides building up crew confidence and bonhomie with friendly Air Forces of India and United Arab Emirates.
Quick Link – IAF Participation
India, Australia sign MoU to enhance R&D capabilities in biotech
Seeking to stimulate and enhance the strategic research and innovation capabilities of the Indian biotech industry, BIRAC, a PSU under the Ministry of Science and Technology today signed an MoU with Horticulture Innovation Australia for launching a joint funding call.
The focus of the call is to undertake horticultural research in order to develop and deploy modern tools of plant biotechnology to improve crop productivity. The funding commitment from BIRAC and Hort Innovation is up to 6 million Australian dollars over a period of three years.
Quick Link – Indian biotech industry
SPORTS
Sunrisers Hyderabad clinch maiden IPL title
Despite a jaw-dropping batting effort from Chris Gayle and another half-century from Virat Kohli that helped him finish the season with a tally of 973 runs, Sunrisers Hyderabad expertly held their nerves to eke out an eight-run victory against Royal Challengers Bangalore in front of their home fans at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore and to win their maiden Indian Premier League title.
David Warner’s attack-minded move to put the runs on the board in a big encounter paid off handsomely as Sunrisers posted a mammoth 208 for 7. Warner laid a strong foundation with his ninth half-century of the season, before Yuvraj Singh held the middle-order together with a vital contribution.
Quick Link – Sunrisers-IPL title
Real Madrid FC wins 2016 UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid have maintained their 100% success rate in UEFA Champions League finals, winning five out of five. AC Milan are the only other club to have appeared in more finals – six, only three of which they have won. All five of Madrid’s wins have come in even-numbered years, and three of their finals have been against Spanish opposition. Madrid have now overtaken domestic rivals Barcelona as the UEFA Champions League-era’s most successful club – with five wins to four. Barça have also contested five finals, their one defeat coming in their first (1994 v Milan).
Quick Link – UEFA Champions League
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