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. December 10 – Human Rights Day
Human Rights Day is observed on December 10 every year. It commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, the Assembly passed resolution 423 (V), inviting all States and interested organizations to observe 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.
The theme for Human Rights Day 2015 is “Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always”
Quick Link – Human Rights Day
2. IISC bags solar panel R&D contract from US military
The Indian Institute of Science has bagged a US military contract for research and development on solar powered micro-grid. The federal contract worth USD 52,900 has been awarded by the US Pacific Air Forces, Yokota Air Base in Japan to develop solar powered micro-grid with battery and super capacitor energy storage system. This is one of the rare instances that an Indian scientific institute known for its high-end cutting edge research has been awarded a federal contract by the US military.
Quick Link –IISC
3. US joins ‘ambition coalition’ at UN climate talks
The United States has announced that it had united with the European Union and 79 developing countries to jointly push for an ambitious accord in Paris to curb global warming. The decision, announced by US Secretary of State John Kerry, came a day after the European Union said it had joined the African, Caribbean and Pacific nations most vulnerable to climate disasters to lobby for a far-reaching deal. However countries within the alliance dubbed the “high ambition coalition” by the United States have conflicting aims on some key points in the accord.
Quick Link – Ambition Coalition
4. Moscow announces trilateral Syria talks in Geneva
Russia said Moscow, Washington and the United Nations will hold Syria talks in Geneva as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict are ratcheted up. The announcement has been made by Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov. UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura is set to take part in the talks aimed at ending a brutal war that has killed more than 250,000 people and forced millions from their homes since March 2011. Representatives from Syria’s fragmented opposition began a two-day closed-door meeting in Saudi Arabia to seek a united front for potential talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Quick Link – Trilateral Talks
5. PM Modi to visit Pakistan next year for SAARC Meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Pakistan to attend the SAARC Summit likely to be held in September 2016, in what will be the first prime ministerial visit here from India in 12 years. The disclosure of Modi’s visit was made by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here in yet another indicator of a positive turn in bilateral ties after recent chill. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Pakistan who had come here in January 2004 and attended the SAARC summit besides holding talks with then Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. Vajpayee’s successor Manmohan Singh did not undertake any visit to Pakistan despite his desire to do so.
Quick Link – SAARC Meet 2016
6. New shorter draft of climate deal released by negotiators
The negotiators have unveiled a new shorter draft incorporating major progress as well as the differences, two days ahead of the deadline for the United Nations (UN) accord to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The first draft of the Paris Outcome, prepared after two days of high-level ministerial deliberations, was released by French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, which will be discussed by 196 nations further to reach a final agreement to tackle the challenge of climate change.
Quick Link – Climate Deal Draft
7. US Senators introduce legislation to cut H1B visas by 15,000
Two American Senators have introduced legislation in the Senate proposing to cut the number of popular H1B visas by 15,000 and that such a visa be given to highest wage earner first. The legislation in this regard was introduced by Senators Bill Nelson of the Democratic Party and Jeff Sessions of the Republican Party. Currently every year a maximum of 85,000 H-1B visas can be issued including 20,000 for those who completed higher education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
The popular work visa has been given to a large number of IT professionals from India over the years. The bill proposes to reduce the number of visas available by 15,000. It would also require the Department of Homeland Security to prioritize the allocation of these 70,000 H-1B visas to foreign workers based on their salary.
Quick Link – H1B Visa
8. US English Access programme launched in Bihar
As part of US-India collaboration in the areas of development and education, an American english language skill course has been launched in Patna for students hailing from economically disadvantaged section of the society. The US Consul General in Kolkata Craig Hall inaugurated the first ever English Access Microscholarship Programme (Access) programme in Bihar which is supported by the US Department of State.
Quick Link – English Access Programme
9. China launches new communication satellite
China has put a new communication satellite into orbit from the southwestern Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The “ChinaSat 1C” satellite was carried by the Long March-3B carrier rocket. It will provide high-quality voice, data and radio and TV transmission services. A new US report released last month said China has the most rapidly growing space programme in the world. Since October 2014, China had launched 16 spacecraft that had expanded its satellite communications and surveillance capabilities, including the first satellite that provided very high resolution imagery.
Quick Link – Communication Satellite
10. Fifth Heart of Asia conference begins in Pakistan
A regional conference hosted by Pakistan with focus on Afghanistan has started where External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will represent India at the ministerial-level meeting. The fifth ‘Heart of Asia’ conference, an annual gathering of Asian and other countries, is aimed at enhancing cooperation for countering security threats and promoting connectivity in the region. The high-ranking delegations from 14 participating states, 17 supporting countries and 12 international and regional organisations are participating in the two-day conference, according to the Foreign Office.
The Theme of the conference is ‘Heart of Asia -Istanbul Process: Enhanced cooperation for countering security threats and promoting connectivity in the Heart of Asia region.
Quick Link – Heart of Asia
11. Rohit Sharma became co-owner of UP Warriors in Pro Wrestling League
Cricketer Rohit Sharma has been named a co-owner of the Pro Wrestling League team UP Warriors. Sharma is the big celebrity to co-own a team in the much-hyped league, after Bollywood veteran Dharmendra. Speaking about the association, Sharma said he is proud to come on board as one of the co-owners of the UP Warriors team at the Pro Wrestling League.
Quick Link – Rohit Sharma
12. Afghanistan board signs MoU with NOIDA stadium
Afghanistan cricket team has shifted its home base from Sharjah to the UPCA stadium in NOIDA where they will play their matches and practice after a MoU was signed. According to the MoU with BCCI and Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) will be able to utilise the facilities of the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Sports Complex, which has successfully hosted a Ranji Trophy game between Uttar Pradesh and Baroda.
Quick Link – Afghanistan Cricket Board
13. India, Switzerland improve cooperation on tax
With India stepping up efforts to bring back illicit funds stashed abroad, Switzerland has said both sides have improved their cooperation on tax matters following several high-level meetings. Over the past few months, both countries have been working closely on mutual administrative assistance, according to the Swiss government. In recent months, Switzerland has disclosed names of more than a dozen Indians about whom information has been sought by the Indian government amid suspicion that their accounts in Swiss banks were being used for stashing illicit money.
Quick Link – Cooperation on Tax
14. ICC announces OPPO as Global Partner
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced an exciting new global partnership with Oppo, a leading mobile telephone device companies, on a four-year deal which runs from 2016 until 2020. Launched in China in 2004, Oppo has a strong presence in more than 20 countries, including Australia, China, USA and right across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Quick Link – ICC & OPPO
15. Govt clears Japan’s bid for first bullet train ahead of Shinzo Abe trip
India’s cabinet has cleared a $14.7 billion Japanese proposal to build its first bullet train line, one of India’s biggest foreign investments in its infrastructure sector. The decision ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit gives Japan an early lead over China, which is also bidding to build high-speed rail lines across large parts of India’s congested and largely British-era system.
Japan had offered to finance 80% of the cost of the train linking financial capital Mumbai with Ahmedabad, the commercial centre of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, at an interest rate of less than 1%.
Quick Link – India’s first Bullet Train
16. Lok Sabha passes bill to transfer control of potable alcohol to states
Lok Sabha has passed a bill that provides for transferring from the central government to the states the control over industries engaged in the production of potable alcohol. The Industries (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, was passed by a voice vote in the absence of Congress and Trinamool Congress which were boycotting the House over some “objectionable” remarks by a BJP member against Rahul Gandhi and Nehru-Gandhi family.
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the amendment would bring potable alcohol under the jurisdiction of states and help address the issue of litigations which have been filed. The Bill proposes to amend the first schedule of the Act so that it would be “in conformity with the judgement of the Supreme Court (of 1997) and also ensure that the industries engaged in the manufacture of alcohol meant for potable purposes shall be under the total and exclusive control of states in all aspects”.
Quick Link – Lok Sabha passes Bill
17. Ganga rejuvenation: NGT bans plastic from Gomukh to Haridwar
The National Green Tribunal has directed that there will be a complete ban on use of plastic of any kind from Gomukh to Haridwar along Ganga with effect from February 1. The NGT is also slapping a penalty of Rs 5,000 per day on erring hotels, dharamshalas and ashrams spewing waste into the river. The Tribunal passed a slew of directions to keep the river pollution free.
The green panel divided the cleaning work of Ganga into different segments. ie Gomukh to Haridwar, Haridwar to Kanpur, Kanpur to border of Uttar Pradesh, border of Uttar Pradesh to border of Jharkhand and border of Jharkhand to Bay of Bengal.
Quick Link – Ganga Rejuvenation
18. RBI announces timetable reduction in SLR
The RBI has announced a reduction in the share of government securities that banks have to mandatorily hold in their books in four equal phases starting from next fiscal year. The RBI has said that the bank’s investment in government securities also known as statutory liquidity ratio (SLR) would be lowered to 20.5% by January 2017. As of now, banks are mandated to invest 21.5% of their deposits in government securities.
According to the new time table SLR would be reduced to by 25 basis points to 21.25% as on April 2, 2016. It would fall to 21% by July 9, 2016. It would further be lowered from October 1, 2016 to 20.75%. The RBI said that the last round of reduction in the SLR would be one 20.50% by January 1, 2017.
Quick Link – Timetable Reduction
19. Mahela Jayawardene awarded honorary lifetime membership of MCC
Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has been awarded honorary life membership of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in recognition of his “stellar career”. Jayawardene’s invitation recognises a stellar career in which he played 149 Test matches and scored 11,814 runs at an average of 49.84. He appears on the famous Lord’s Honours Boards twice, having scored 107 and 119 against England in 2002 and 2006 respectively.
Quick Link – Jayawardene
20. Microsoft Cortana Launched for Android and iOS in Select Regions
Microsoft’s voice-based virtual assistant Cortana, which ships with every Windows 10 computer, is now available as a general release Android and iOS users in select region. After months of testing, the company announced that Cortana is out of beta ready to be used on rival mobile platforms. It will serve as a companion app to Windows 10 PCs.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it will be bringing Cortana to devices running Android and iOS. The Android public beta of it kicked off in August, and a limited beta rollout on iOS began last month. While both the versions have left testing phase, they are still only available to users in the United States and China for now.
Quick Link – Cortana
21. Virat Kohli becomes co-owner of PWL franchise Bengaluru Yodhas
Bengaluru Yodhas, the JSW Group owned franchise in the Pro Wrestling League, has announced India’s Test captain Virat Kohli as the co-owner of the team. Kohli who led the Indian team to a 3-0 Test series victory over South Africa recently, is all set to take it with this association with the Bengaluru franchise. The Pro Wrestling League, whose inaugural edition kicks off on the 10th of December in New Delhi’s KD Jadhav stadium, pits six city-based franchises against one another in one of the richest freestyle wrestling tournaments in the world. Kohli’s Bengaluru Yodhas will face Rohit Sharma’s UP Warriors in their opening fixture.
Quick Link – Virat Kohli
22. Conservative Macri sworn in as Argentine president
Business-friendly conservative Mauricio Macri was sworn in as Argentina’s new president, turning the page on 12 years under left-wing power couple Nestor and Cristina Kirchner. The oath of office was administered by incoming Senate speaker Federico Pinedo, who had served as provisional president. Kirchner, irate over the spat, boycotted the inauguration along with her allies in Congress.
“This government will know how to defend freedom, which is essential for democracy,” Macri vowed in an inaugural address that laid out a sweeping agenda for change. He also promised to fight “untiringly for those who need it most,” a nod to his campaign pledges to keep the Kirchners’ popular social programs. Macri, 56, won a November 22 run-off election against Kirchner’s chosen successor, Daniel Scioli.
Quick Link – Mauricio Macri
23. Ratan Tata Invests in Services Market-place UrbanClap
Industrialist Ratan Tata has invested an undisclosed amount in India’s services marketplace UrbanClap. Operational in six cities – Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad – UrbanClap allows users to book over 80 services, including plumbing, electrical work, beauty, wellness, tutorials and wedding photography.The company has a network of more than 25,000 service professionals.
The Tata Sons’ Chairman Emeritus been aggressively investing in start-ups, ranging from e-commerce firms to cab aggregators. He has invested in firms like Snapdeal, Kaaryah, Urban Ladder, Bluestone, CarDekho, Sabse Technologies, Xiaomi and Ola.
Quick Link – Ratan Tata
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