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 each update. Make use of it.
Always Keep Yourself Updated!!!
APPOINTMENTS
Philips India appoints V Raja as vice-chairman and MD
Philips India has appointed V Raja as its new vice-chairman and managing director from December.
Raja, who was earlier heading TE Connectivity’s India operations, will be responsible for driving and building Philips India’s healthcare and consumer lifestyle businesses. He takes over from A Krishna Kumar, who was made head of the parent company’s emerging business group in September this year.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Syrian journalist, Turkish paper win media freedom prizes
A Syrian journalist who lives and works in the war-scarred city of Aleppo has been awarded the Reporters without Borders Prize in France for her defence of press freedom. The Paris-based media rights group singled out Zaina Erhaim for her “determination and courage” in covering the conflict in Syria, which is deemed the most dangerous country in the world for journalists. Over the past two years Erhaim has trained around a hundred print and television journalists, a third of them women. Her efforts have led to the emergence of a number of independent newspapers and magazines.
Reporters without Borders (RSF) also honoured centre-left Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet, which won the watchdog’s Media of the Year prize for its “independent and courageous journalism”.
Quick Link – Media Freedom Prize
David Beckham named sexiest man alive
Soccer turned fashion icon David Beckham, 40, has been named as this year’s sexiest man alive by People magazine. The announcement was made on ABC’s late-night TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live, where the magazine cover sporting Beckham’s face was revealed. He initially appeared on the show via video link, with his identity obscured. The audience then asked questions in a bid to reveal the mystery guest. When asked if he had any tattoos, the heavily inked Beckham coyly answered “one or two”.
Quick Link – David Beckham
BANKING & FINANCE
World Bank, AP ink $75-m credit deal for rural project
The Centre, Andhra Pradesh and the World Bank have inked a $75 million (₹500 crore) credit deal for the Andhra Pradesh Rural Inclusive Growth Project. The project seeks to enhance agricultural incomes of small and marginal farmers and ensure increased access to services related to health, nutrition, sanitation and social entitlements.
What are the Focus areas?
- Increasing economic opportunities for small and marginal farmers, especially from Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) households in the 150 most backward mandals.
- Developing a network of social enterprises for food, nutrition, sanitation and other social enterprises which operate at community and district level.
Quick Link – Andhra Pradesh & World Bank
FOREIGN RELATIONS
India, China agree to deepen defence ties, maintain peace at LAC
India and China have decided to deepen bilateral defence ties and maintain peace and tranquillity at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) besides strengthening cooperation against terror, including at the international level. The decisions came after the meeting between a visiting 26 -member delegation led by General Fan Changlong, Vice-Chairman of China’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Indian side, which was headed by Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, at South Block here. This is the highest-level Chinese defence delegation to visit India in recent years.
Quick Link – India and China
MoU between India and Vietnam for cooperation in the field of Animal Health
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Vietnam for cooperation in the field of Animal Health. The MoU was signed in September, 2014.
The MoU aims to promote mutual cooperation between India and Vietnam through joint activities in the areas of Animal Health and has agreed to:
- Protect territory of each other from introduction of animal diseases and infection caused by the trade of animals, products of animal origin and materials of animal reproduction.
- Share special information on meat processing, meat products and slaughter houses/abattoirs.
- Cooperate in the training and upgrading of human resources in the field of animal health through exchange of delegations, workshops, expert visits, training and share information on veterinary research.
Quick Link – India and Vietnam
Government extends currency swap facility for SAARC members
The government on November 18 extended the currency swap facility for SAARC members. Under this the RBI offers the facility of varying sizes not exceeding $2 billion in total. The decision was taken by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Background:-
- The Cabinet has given approval for the proposal to provide a two year extension with amendments to the framework on ‘Currency Swap Arrangement’ for SAARC member countries up to November 14, 2017, and extension thereafter, if necessary, by Finance Minister.
- Under the facility, RBI offers swaps of varying sizes to each SAARC member country (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) depending on their two months import requirement and not exceeding USD 2 billion in total, in US dollar, Euro or domestic currency.
- After approval of the Cabinet, RBI will negotiate the operational details bilaterally with central banks of the respective SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries.
Quick Link – SAARC Currency Swap
PM’s visit: India to complete strategic partnership with Singapore
India expects to conclude a ‘strategic partnership’ with Singapore during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the South-East Asian nation. During the visit he would also meet top CEOs and address the Indian community.
When, where and what??
- Modi will be in Singapore on November 23-24 on a bilateral visit, during which he is also expected to sign an enhanced defence cooperation pact, along with other MoUs on cyber security, culture and training on urban management and the like.
- Briefing the media about the visit, Secretary (East) with the Ministry of External Affairs Anil Wadhwa said Singapore has approximately 3,50,000-strong Indian diaspora out of its total population of 5.5 million.
- The bilateral trade with Singapore is about USD 17 billion and Singaporean companies are very active in India since early 1990s, including in equity markets.
Quick Link – India and Singapore
INDIAN AFFAIRS
Javadekar Announces Formation of Indian Resource Panel
Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar has announced the formation of Indian Resource Panel (InRP) on Resource Efficiency on November 18.
Why India needs this??
- To address the disproportionate and steadily increasing share of natural resources required to support changing lifestyles, as well as raw material for industrial production.
- With a growing economy, India is expected to have the world’s third largest consumer group by the year 2020, with a consumption share of 13%.
- With rising consumption levels, India is already facing supply constraints and import dependence of key materials in certain sectors.
- The demand for resources in the future will be increasingly huge and may eventually lead to worsening of impact on economy, environment, and access to resources, if not addressed in a timely manner.
Quick Link – Resource Panel
Intel India launches initiative for rural digitisation
Intel India on November 18 announced the launch of ‘Ek Kadam Unnati Ki Aur’. It is an initiative aimed at working with the government to create the blueprint for the digitisation of rural India. The first such Digital India ‘Unnati’ Kendra has been set up at a Common Services Center (CSC) in Nadimpalle village of Mahabubnagar district of Telangana. It will be used to create the framework for the Telangana Model Digital Village.
Quick Link – Intel India
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Brazil declares emergency after mine waste spill
Brazilian authorities has declared a state of emergency in more than 200 towns affected by a deadly mining waste spill. The government of Minas Gerais state said the measure covered the Rio Doce river basin and all towns impacted by the avalanche of mud and waste unleashed when two dams collapsed at the Samarco iron ore mine in Mariana 12 days ago.
The torrent of yellowish muck caused an environmental catastrophe, contaminated drinking water supplies and mostly destroyed the nearby village of Bento Rodrigues, with a toll of 10 dead and 15 missing. Samarco is a joint venture of Australia’s BHP Billiton, the world’s largest mining firm, and Brazil’s Vale, the biggest iron ore miner.
Quick Link – Waste Spill in Brazil
Alphabet revamps Google+ online social network
Google’s huge Alphabet on November 17 revamped Google+ online social network focused on people’s interests, and tuned for smartphones or tablets. They are starting to introduce a fully redesigned Google+ that puts Communities and Collections front and center.
How it is built??
- Google’s social network was rebuilt for fast, consistent performance whether accessed through computer web browsers or mobile devices powered by Apple or Android software.
- Google+ users interested in the new version will need to opt in at the social network.
- Google’s social network launched Communities in late 2012 as venues to people to connect online based on things or ideas they are passionate about.
Quick Link – Goolge Plus
‘Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace’ to propose solutions to conflicts
Fifteen countries, the United Nations and an Indian think-tank have come together to create a Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace. The panel was mandated to prepare a global architecture to prevent water wars, to use water as an instrument of peace and cooperation and to engage world leaders at a time when water resources were depleting at a fast pace.
Quick Link – Global High Level Panel
China inks $15 billion nuclear deal with Argentina
A Chinese state-owned company will finance and build two nuclear power plants in Argentina, the enterprise said, in a deal estimated to be valued at nearly $15 billion. China National Nuclear Corp will work with Argentina’s state-owned company Nucleoelectrica to build the South American nation’s fourth and fifth reactors, CNNC said Monday in a statement posted on its website. The agreement was reached over the weekend at the G20 summit in Turkey.
Airtel, Facebook expand free internet service across Africa
Telecom major Bharti Airtel and social media giant Facebook announced the launch of free internet access service platform across 17 African countries in phases by March 2016. The Free Basics service, which has been in midst of neutrality debate, offers free access to a set of basic websites and services with objective to introduce people to the internet. These websites provide free health, education and finance-related information.
Airtel Africa had already been working with Facebook since 2014 in enhancing accessibility to the internet in an affordable manner through the launch of Free Basics in Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Ghana, Seychelles and Rwanda.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Tianhe-2: World’s powerful Supercomputer for the sixth consecutive time
China’s Tianhe-2 has maintained its rank as the world’s most powerful supercomputer for the sixth consecutive time. The biannual Top500 list of supercomputers revealed that China’s Tianhe-2 supercomputer has retained its position. Developed by China’s National University of Defense Technology and deployed at the National Supercomputer Center in Guangzhou, Tianhe-2, or Milky Way 2, has a performance of 33.86 petaflops per second (Pflop/s). It has held the title as the most powerful computer since June 2013.
Quick Link – Tianhe-2
Russia’s newest defence satellite EKS Kosmos-2510 successfully launched
Russia launched an early warning satellite, deploying the first in a new fleet of military satellites to detect missile launches heading for Russian territory. The secretive payload blasted off aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, a military facility in northern Russia’s Arkhangelsk region. The launcher flew in the modernized Soyuz-2.1b configuration with an upgraded third stage engine and a digital flight control system.
A Fregat upper stage was programmed to fire multiple times to guide the mission’s satellite payload, believed to be the first EKS-class missile warning platform, into an elliptical Tundra-type orbit positioned over high latitudes. The defense ministry declared the flight successful in its statement after the launch.
Quick Link – EKS Kosmos
OBITUARY
Rugby: All Black legend Jonah Lomu dead at 40.
Rugby great Jonah Lomu, a pioneering global superstar whose speed and power terrorised opponents, died unexpectedly at the age of 40 after a long battle with kidney disease, prompting an outpouring of tributes for “a legend of the game”. Lomu had for decades struggled with the kidney illness that cut short his playing career, but close acquaintances said his sudden death still came as a shock. He passed away at his Auckland home, family spokesman John Mayhew said, after returning from a trip to Britain.
Quick Link – Jonah Lomu
Indian Red Cross Secretary General Dr. Satya Paul Agarwal passes away
Famous neurosurgeon and Secretary General of Indian Red Cross Society Dr. Satya Paul Agarwal passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Dr. Agarwal, 70, a Padma Bhushan recipient, was keeping unwell for the past one month and was under treatment at AIIMS. He was a well-known public health administrator and had played pivotal role in execution of various disaster relief operations and control of disease outbreak and epidemics in the country.
Quick Link – Satya Paul Agarwal
Former RAW Director Shankaran Nair passes away
Former chief of India’s external intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), K. Shankaran Nair, passed away in his sleep. He was 94 years old and survived by a daughter, with whom he was staying in the city for the past eight years. His wife passed away three years ago.
K. Shankaran Nair, from Ottapalam village in Kerala, was part of the Intelligence Bureau and was later inducted into Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in 1968, as the deputy to Rameshwarnath Kao, its founder. As Mr. Kao’s deputy, Shankaran Nair is credited with the success of the 1971 Bangladesh war. Under his leadership, RAW helped find the guerrilla fighters troupe Mukti Bahini and train them.
Quick Link – Shankaran Nair
THANK YOU 🙂 🙂 🙂
You can check how much thorough you are by checking Current Affairs Quiz Nov 18
