GK Update 30 June 2016

1. Anti-submarine torpedo Varunastra inducted in Navy

i. Indigenously-built heavyweight anti-submarine torpedo Varunastra has been successfully inducted in the navy, making India one of the 8th countries to have the capability to design and build such a system.
ii. Developed by Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), a premier laboratory of DRDO.
iii. Having almost 95 % indigenous content, Varunastra, costing about Rs 10-12 crore per unit, is capable of targeting quiet and stealthy submarines, both in deep and littoral waters in intense counter-measure environment.

2. Malaysia gets 2 women Shariah HC judges

i. Two women have been appointed as judges of Malaysia’s Islamic Shariah High Court for the first time in the history of the judiciary of the Muslim-majority country. Noor Huda Roslan, 40, and Nenney Shuhaidah Shamsuddin, 41.
ii. Shariah High Court deals with exclusively Islamic laws, having jurisdiction upon every Muslim in Malaysia.
iii. Shariah High Court, also known as Syriah High Court, refers to Sharia law in Islamic religious law and deals with exclusively Islamic laws, having jurisdiction upon every Muslim in Malaysia.

3. Viswanathan Anand honoured with 'Honoris Causa' Doctor of Science degree

i. Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand was conferred the "Honoris Causa" Doctor of Science by Indian Institute Of Technology (IIT) during its 49th convocation ceremony. The 46-year-old Anand was bestowed with the degree by NITI aayog chairman Arvind Panagariya.
ii. He was also the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 1991–92, India's highest sporting honour. In 2007, he was awarded India's second highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, making him the first sports person to receive the award.

4. Union Cabinet approved MoU between UPSC and Royal Civil Service Commission of Bhutan

i. The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC).
ii. The MoU will strengthen the existing relationship between RCSC and UPSC. It will facilitate sharing of experience and expertise of both the parties in the area of recruitment. 
iii. The draft MoU between UPSC and RCSC, Bhutan will be signed to develop institutionalized linkage between the Public Service Commission of both the countries, which share the common ideals.

5. Pioneer of modern art in painting and pottery, K G Subramanyan passes away

i. Renowned sculptor and painter KG Subramanyan passed away in Vadodara, Gujarat following a brief illness. He was 92. He was multifaceted artist credited with being one of the pioneers of Indian modern art and was also a freedom fighter.
ii. K G Subramanyan Born in 1924 in Kerala. He was a socialist and Gandhian throughout his life. 
iii. He was renowned for his terracottas, outdoor murals and toys and also experimented with weaving. 

6. Four Indian-Americans honoured with 2016 Great Immigrants Award in US

i. Four Indian-Americans have been honoured with prestigious Great Immigrants: The Pride of America Award 2016. They are among 42 distinguished US personalities representing more than 30 countries of origin around the world  honoured with this year’s award. 
ii. All of these personalities represent a wide range of personal immigration stories, and inspiring professional accomplishments.
iii. Four Indian-Americans are Sunder Pichai : He is CEO of internet search engine giant Google. Hari Sreenivasan : He is broadcast journalist associated with the PBS NewsHour. Vikram Malhotra : He is associated with McKinsey. Bharati Mukherjee : He is award-winning author. She is professor emerita in the department of English at the University of California, Berkeley. 

7. China Launches 2nd Shijian-16 Satellite

i. China has successfully launched its second Shijian-16 series satellite for space research and experiments. The first Shijian-16 satellite was launched in October 2013. 
ii. The satellite was launched on board of Long March-4B rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Jiuquan, northwest China’s Gansu Province.
iii. The second Shijian-16 satellite will be used for space environment measurements and technology testing. It will mainly probe the space environment, radiation and its effects and also record space physical environment parameters and conduct other related space experiments. 

8. Royal Enfield announces collaboration with Flipkart to sell its accessories

i. E-commerce major Flipkart and Royal Enfield have entered into collaboration where flipkart will sell complete range of accessories of Royal Enfield.
ii. Royal Enfield is first time entering into the partnership with a third party for selling its accessories as it previously worked only with own website and authorized retail network.
iii. The flipkart portal has the whole range of Royal Enfield apparel and accessories. These include helmets, riding gear, saddle bags, and head-gear. Along with these, the much needed lifestyle products amongst the youth such as shoes, T-shirts and jackets will also make place on the portal.

9. Rodrigo Duterte sworn-in as new Philippine President after a landslide election victory 

i. After a landslide election victory in May, Rodrigo Duterte was sworn in as the 16th president of the Philippines and promised to make sweeping changes to the country's political system.
2. Maria Leonor Robredo was sworn in as Vice President.
3. The Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes administered Duterte's oath of office at the Rizal Ceremonial Hall in Malacanang, the presidential palace. 

10. India successfully test fires ballistic missile ‘Barak-8' off Odisha coast

i. Ballistic missile Barak-8 was successfully tested from Balasore district of Odisha. 
ii. The missile was launched from test fired from launch pad no-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur. The Barak-8 is India’s new surface to air missile which is developed jointly with the Israel.
iii. Barak-8 is a medium range and surface-to-air type ballistic missile and has the capability to identify and hit a target missile within a range of 70 km. The missile is about four-meter long and weighs 275 kg. It has capacity to carry a payload of 60 kg. 
iv. The system also includes a multi-functional surveillance and threat alert radar (MF STAR) for tracking, detection and guidance of the missile.

11. ICMR signs agreement to provide healthcare through solar based solutions

i. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has signed MoU with the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a policy research institution, to launch a new ‘Initiative on Solar for Healthcare’. 
ii. The collaboration will focus on providing effective health care delivery at the last mile by reducing uncertainty in critical infrastructure, particularly electricity supply via cost effective solar-based solutions. 
iii. Under this collaboration, on a pilot basis, we will install solar systems at select PHCs in partnership with three state governments and evaluate its impact on healthcare delivery and health outcomes.

12. Govt approves MoU with Tanzania for bilateral cooperation in water resources management

i. The Government approved the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Tanzania for bilateral cooperation in water resources management and development.
ii. The agreement regarding this was approved by the Union cabinet under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 
iii. The areas of enhanced cooperation include techniques in water harvesting, surface and groundwater management and development and aquifer recharge. 
iv. The Government shall encourage the exchange of experts, organization of training programs, study tours and other such activities including demonstrative pilot studies, in order to build capacities in the areas mentioned above.

13. World Bank, ISA sign agreement for collaboration in solar energy

i. The World Bank Group has signed an agreement with the International Solar Alliance (ISA), to collaborate on increasing solar energy use around the world with the goal of mobilising $1 trillion in investments by 2030.
ii. The ISA is a group of 121 countries led by India and is headquartered in India.
iii. The agreement was signed on Thursday when the World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim met the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy.
iv. As part of the agreement, the World Bank Group will develop a roadmap to mobilise financing for development and deployment of affordable solar energy, and also work with other multilateral development banks and financial institutions to develop financing instruments to support solar energy development.

14. Maharashtra, Tata Power to ink pact for 1,000 MW for Mumbai

i. The Maharashtra government is reportedly planning to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tata Power for sourcing 1,000 MW from the upcoming Dherand Thermal Project. 
ii. Tata Power is constructing a 1,600 MW power plant at Dherand in Raigad district which will substantially augment the power requirements of Mumbai.  
iii.Tata Power is India’s largest integrated power company with a growing international presence. The Company together with its subsidiaries and jointly controlled entities has an installed gross generation capacity of 9184 MW and a presence in all the segments of the power sector.