Daily GK Updates 15 February 2015 Current Affairs Career Launcher Tirupati
Daily GK Updates 16.02.2015 Current affairs For Upcoming Examinations Useful for Banking SSC IBPS Examinations 2015. CL Tirupati Provides Daily GK Updates and Current Affairs daily here.
National:
Geeta Varadan, Tessy Thomas bag Nayudamma award
Two women scientists, Tessy Thomas and Geeta Varadan, bagged the Y Nayudamma Memorial Award for the year 2014. Tessy Thomas is Director, Advanced Systems Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, Hyderabad and Project Director (Mission) Agni V while Geeta Varadan is Director of the Advanced Data Processing Research Institute of ISRO. The awards will be given away to the winners by former head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and Ramon Magsaysay award recipient Shanta Sinha in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh on March 1, 2015. The award was instituted in 1986 in memory of global leather scientist and former director general of CSIR, Yelavarthy Nayudamma. Among the distinguished scientists and technocrats honoured with the award were, Sam Pitroda, Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, Lalji Singh, Rajendra Pawar, V. Shanta, V.K. Saraswat, T. Ramasami, A. Sivathanu Pillai and Nori Dattatreyudu etc.
Govt to launch ‘soil health card’ plan on February 19
A centrally-sponsored nationwide “Soil Health Card” scheme will be finally rolled out from Suratgarh in Ganganagar district of Rajasthan. The card, carrying crop-wise recommendations of nutrients/fertilizers required for farms of different soil types, will make it possible for farmers to improve productivity through judicious use of inputs. Such cards will be issued to 14 crore farm holdings across the country in three years. The move will help farmers identify the “health of the soil” which will go a long way in improving productivity through judicious use of fertilizers and water. All soil samples will be tested in various soil testing labs across the country. Thereafter, experts will analyze the strength and weaknesses (micro-nutrients deficiency) of the soil and suggest measures to deal with it. The result and suggestion will be displayed in the cards.
At 750MW, Madhya Pradesh to get world’s largest solar power plant
In 2016 on Independence Day, India will have the world’s largest 750MW solar power plant in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh, which will pip America’s much-vaunted 550-megawatt Desert Sunlight solar project in California, commissioned recently. Acquisition of 1,500 hectares of land for the Rs 4000 crore project is close to completion and government agencies are likely to invite tenders from developers by April. The state government is setting up the plant in a joint venture with Solar Energy Corporation of India. The expected cost of power production is pegged at Rs 5 per/unit which would be lower than production costs in any solar project in the country, including the one at Neemuch in MP and Mehsana and Patan in Gujarat.
West Bengal govt to introduce Crop Insurance Scheme for farmers
The West Bengal government has planned to introduce Crop Insurance Scheme for farmers. The scheme is aimed at helping the farmers to recover from crop loss due to floods and natural calamities. The State Government has also fixed the selling price of paddy at 1 thousands 360 rupees per quintal. The farmers will get this price in all Kisan Mandis and other places identified by the government. Selling of crops through these channels will eliminate payments to any middlemen and will also ensure transparency.
International:
Indian-origin scientist gets $500k research award
An Indian-origin researcher has received a $500,000 award for developing data-driven modelling and learning techniques to improve the accuracy of operational decision making. Professor Srikanth Jagabathula, from the New York University Stern School of Business, was recently recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF) with its Faculty Early Career Development Award (CAREER). As part of this prestigious award, Jagabathula, an IIT Bombay alumnus, will receive a total of $500,000 over the next five years to further his research in developing data-driven modelling and learning techniques with the goal of improving the accuracy of operational decision making.
China opens ‘largest’ embassy in Pak.
China has opened a new embassy in Pakistan, its “largest overseas” diplomatic mission, which Foreign Minister Wang Yi described as a symbol of friendship between the “all weather” allies.
Dhanak wins Grand Prix award in Berlin
Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak was honoured with The Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for the best feature-length film at the Berlin film festival. The movie, which premiered at the festival, also received a special mention from Kids Jury.
UN adopts resolution to resolve political & security crisis in Yemen
The United Nations Security Council has adopted a unanimous resolution to resolve the political and security crisis in Yemen. The 15 nation Council asked for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Houthi rebel forces from government institutions in the capital Sanaa. It has sought the release of President Mansour Hadi and his Cabinet from house arrest, and urged Houthi rebels to engage in good faith in U.N.-led peace talks. Amidst security concerns, nine Arab and Western countries have closed their embassies in Yemen and evacuated diplomats. Meanwhile political forces and governors of three southern provinces — Aden, Lahij, and Mahra have formed a local administrative, security, and political leadership and rejected the coup by the Houthis.
Iranian director’s ‘love letter to cinema’ wins
The Berlin film festival wrapped up after giving its Golden Bear top prize to Iranian dissident director Jafar Panahi, in a move hailed as a triumph for freedom of expression. Taxi is Panahi’s third picture smuggled out of the country in defiance of an official 20-year filmmaking ban, imposed for a documentary he tried to make on the unrest following Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential election. Hollywood director Darren Aronofsky, the jury president at the 65th Berlinale, said at a gala awards ceremony that Panahi had surmounted restrictions that had the power to “damage the soul of the artist”.
French actor Louis Jourdan dies at 93
The French actor Louis Jourdan, best known for his role in the multi-Oscar winning 1958 musical Gigi, has died in Los Angeles aged 93. Born in Marseilles, Jourdan began his career acting in French films before being lured to the US. Often seen in roles that capitalised on his Gallic charm, he described himself as Hollywood’s “French cliche. His later years saw him play evil villains, including in the 1983 Bond film Octopussy.
Grand Budapest Hotel wins screenplay award
The Grand Budapest Hotel scriptwriter Wes Anderson won the Writers Guild of America (WGA) 2015 award for original screenplay, while Graham Moore’s script for The Imitation Game won for adapted screenplay.
Sci. & Tech:
Seven more genes tied to brain disability affecting men
Scientists have identified seven more genes that can cause X-linked intellectual disability, which predominantly affects men. Defective genes on the X chromosome cause the disability. As men have only one X chromosome, the disability is passed on in a recessive manner. Women are affected only if both their X chromosomes carry the defective genes. Women with one healthy and one mutated X chromosome are usually free of the disability, but have a 50 per cent chance of passing the mutated chromosome on to their offspring. Because of the highly variable symptoms of the disability, the search for its genetic cause was tedious until a few years ago. An international research team headed by Vera Kalscheuer from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, analysed 405 families with cases of the disability.
Business & Economy:
Hindalco bags Kathautia coal mine
On the second day of coal auction, Hindalco Industries walked away with a coal mine in Jharkhand. Coal Secretary Anil Swarup confirmed the development saying that “Kathautia mine goes to Hindalco at Rs. 2,860 (per tonne).” Kathautia closed at Rs. 2,860 which means Rs. 228 crore per annum and Rs. 6,800 crore for 30 years. Companies like Monnet Ispat & Energy, Ultratech Cement and Rungta Mines were in the race for the mine. GMR and Reliance Cement bagged one mine each for an estimated Rs. 1,375 crore and Rs. 798 crore respectively. GMR Chhattisgarh Energy won the Talabira-1 coal block in Odisha. GMR pipped Adani Power, Essar Power, Sesa Sterlite and others by bidding at Rs. 478 per tonne to get the mine. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Cement beat Hindustan Zinc (HZL) and OCL Iron & Steel to bag the Sial Ghoghri coal mine in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh. After the Supreme Court cancelled allocation of 204 mines in September 2014, the government decided to auction the blocks. It is putting up 19 blocks on sale in the first tranche.
Age limit under EPFO pension scheme may be raised to 60
Retirement fund body EPFO’s trustees will consider a proposal to raise the age limit from 58 to 60 years for vesting of pension under the Employees’ Pension Scheme (EPS-95). At present, a formal sector worker covered under the EPS-95 can make contributions towards pension scheme till the age of 58 years and can claim pension after that. The pension implementation committee (PIC) has recommended an increase in the age for vesting pension to 60 years, while suggesting that the actuary should be asked to develop a model to give incentive to those persons who opt for drawing pension at the age of 60 years. At present, members can ask for fixing pension at attaining the age of 50 years provided they have served for at least 10 years.
Sports:
Wawrinka wins Rotterdam title
Stan Wawrinka filled in a last gap in his career trophy collection, beating holder Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to claim his first indoor title in the Rotterdam World Tennis event. The 29-year-old can now boast a matched set of honours — 250 (six of them) and 500 series titles, his 2014 Australian Open crown, a 2008 Beijing Olympic doubles gold medal with Roger Federer, plus Switzerland’s first Davis Cup title won in November 2014 against France.
Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova won the WTA Pattaya Open with a gripping 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Croatian Ajla Tomljanovic. This is Hantuchova’s third win in Pattaya after back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.
Gagan Narang wins
Gagan Narang beat Chain Singh by 6.5 points to clinch the men’s rifle 3-position event gold in the 15th Kumar Surendra Singh shooting championship. The results: 25m centre fire pistol: Men: 1. Vijay Kumar 590; 2. Samaresh Jung 584; 3. Gurpreet Singh 582. 50m rifle 3-position: Men: 1. Gagan Narang 454.5 (1155); 2. Chain Singh 448.0 (1167); 3. Imran Hasan Khan 437.1 (1152).
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