Nepal elected as UNICEF’s executive board member
1. Nepal
has been elected to the UNICEF’s executive board, representing the group of
Asia-pacific countries for the term 2016-2018.
2. Nepal’s
ambassador and permanent representative to the UN Durga Prasad Bhattarai has
also been unanimously elected as vice-president to the bureau of the executive
board, according to Nepal’s permanent mission to the UN in New York.
3. With
its election to the United Nations children’s fund, Nepal has got another
chance to contribute to the work of the UN, this time in providing strategic
guidance to its agency specializing in the children’s causes.
4. Nepal
had contributed to the UNICEF remaining in the executive board in different
times including 1982 to 1985, 1992 to 1995 and 2002 to 2004.
Poet Balkrishna Garg conferred with 2015 Harikrishna Devsare
Baalsahitya Award
1. Veteran
poet Balkrishna Garg was honoured with the second edition of Harikrishna
Devsare Baalsahitya Award 2015 for his collection of poems for children titled
‘Baal Geet’.
2. He
was conferred with the award by Sahitya Akademi President Vishwanath Prasad
Tiwari and National Book Trust Chairman Baldeo Bhai Sharm.
3. Apart
from Mr. Garg, Yogendra Kumar and Hem Bhatnagar were also felicitated for their
contributions to childrens literature.
About Harikrishna
Devsare Baalsahitya Award
1. The
award was instituted in 2014 in the memory of Harikrishna Devsare, a renowned
Hindi writer known for his work in the field of children’s literature.
2. The
award comprised cash prize of Rs 75,000, a shawl and a citation. Harikrishna
Devsare was one of the foremost writers of Hindi children’s literature and had
devoted his entire life in creating children’s literature in Hindi. He passed
away in 2013.
Reliance to set up Rs. 5,000-crore naval shipbuilding unit near
Vizag
1. Reliance
Group will set up a naval shipbuilding facility near Visakhapatnam at a cost of
Rs. 5,000 crore.
2. A
memorandum of understanding to build the facility was signed between Reliance
ADA Group Chairman, Anil Ambani and AP Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, at
the CII Partnership Summit and Sunrise AP Investment Meet.
Key Points:
1. The
facility will establish at Rambilli.
2. Single
biggest investment in Andhra Pradesh after its bifurcation. This represents
single largest investment by any company at one location anywhere in Andhra
Pradesh.
3. It
will generate thousands of skilled jobs.
4. The
facility aims to be the best in the world in terms of technology, resources and
manufacturing practices.
5. It
is expected to complement Reliance Group's existing facility at Pipavav, in
Gujarat, with a clear focus on building strategic assets for the Indian Navy.
NASA’s Kepler spacecraft finds 100 new alien planets orbiting
other stars
1. The
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA’s) revamped planet-hunting
Kepler spacecraft has discovered more than 100 planets orbiting other stars.
2. The
Kepler spacecraft discovered these alien planets during its second-chance K2
mission by using the transit method.
About
Kepler spacecraft:
Kepler
was launched in March 2009 and was tasked with determining how commonly,
Earth-like planets occur throughout the Milky Way galaxy. Since its launch, the
mission has been incredibly successful and has led to finding of more than
1,000 alien planets of which half are exoplanets to be ever discovered.
ISRO conceives two ‘space parks’
1. To
engage domestic firms in launch vehicles — from integrating sub-systems to
assembling and launching the PSLV.
2. Two
space industry enclaves or “parks” that have been conceived.
3. One
for launchers at Sriharikota and a smaller one at an existing Bengaluru
spacecraft campus, signal increased privatisation of the nation’s space
programme over the next 5 years.
3. This
well-established rocket has put Indian and foreign satellites of up to 1,600 kg
into space.
Formula 1: First female driver Maria Teresa de Filippis dies age
89
1. Maria
Teresa de Filippis the first woman to race in a Formula 1 grand prix has died
aged 89.
2. The
Italian started three grand prix for the Maserati team in 1958 with a best
finish of 10th at Spa in Belgium.
3. She
also failed to qualify for the 1958 Monaco Grand Prix along with F1 boss Bernie
Ecclestione.
Raonic beats Federer to win Brisbane title
1. Milos
Raonic got one back on Roger Federer to start the new season. After losing
Coach Ivan Ljubicic to the Federer camp leading into 2016, Raonic achieved
something nobody else born in the 1990s has managed to do against the 17-time
major winner beat him twice.
Wawrinka thumps Coric to win 4th Chennai open title
1. Star Swiss player Stansilas Wawrinka won his
fourth title at the Chennai open after comprehensively thumping Croatian Borna
Coric 6-3, 7-5 in straight sets.
2. It
was the fourth title in five finals for 30-year-old Wawrinka, who had finished
runner-up in 2010 and won his first title in 2011 at the hard court venue. He
also won in 2014 and 2015.