GK and Current Affairs Updates

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully deployed the first experimental inflatable room attached to the International Space Station (ISS). 
•    The experimental inflatable room dubbed as BEAM (Bigelow Expandable Activity Module) was deployed after it was successfully expanded and pressurized.
•    The inflatable room BEAM has been built by Nevada Company Bigelow Aerospace. It will be attached to the ISS for a two-year test and is the first such habitat to hold humans in orbit.
•    It is made up of aluminium and soft fabric which expands in space. It is light weight and also takes minimal space. It creates place for astronauts to live and work. 
•    It is 4 metres long and 3.2 metres in diameter with 16 cubic metres of interior volume when fully expanded. 
•    Its 2 year orbital test is intended to pave the way towards the use of such habitable rooms for long space trips, including to Mars and Moon.

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar inaugurated a state-of-the-art submarine assembly workshop at the Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 
•    The inauguration is considered as a major step towards self-sufficiency in the area of submarine construction for the Indian Navy.
•    The newly built Submarine Marine Assembly Workshop is a pre-engineered building structure built at a cost of Rs 153 crore. It is capable to handle construction of multiple submarines simultaneously and will make it possible to assemble five submarines in the workshop at the same time.
•    The workshop has features such as sewage treatment plan, grey water treatment plant, rain water harvesting, oily water separator plant for treatment of sewage, oily water and grey water respectively, with zero discharge into the municipal drains.
•    This facility will ensure lesser delays in building indigenous submarines for Indian Navy in the long run as well as for the envisaged second line of Scorpene submarines under strategic Project P 75I.

Union Ministry of Railways and PEC University of Technology have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up of Kalpana Chawla Chair on Geospatial Technology for Indian Railways at the University.
Union Ministry of Railways and PEC University of Technology have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up of Kalpana Chawla Chair on Geospatial Technology for Indian Railways at the University. 
•    The MoU was signed in the backdrop of Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu’s Budget announcement in this regard.
•    The academic chair is being instituted in memory of Indo–American Astronaut and Alumnus of PEC Late Kalpana Chawla. She was the first woman of Indian origin in space.
•    The objective of the chair is to encourage research activities of Indian Railways in Geo-spatial Technology. 
•    It will also help to strengthen Railway projects where use of remote sensing data, Geographical information System (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS) is predominant.
 

People, non-governmental organizations and governments unite on World No Tobacco Day to draw attention to the health problems that tobacco use can cause. It is held on May 31 each year.
•    Hand saying no thanks to a packages of cigarettes offered
•    World No Tobacco Day focuses on informing people about health problems associated with tobacco use.
•    World No Tobacco Day is a day for people, non-governmental organizations and governments organize various activities to make people aware of the health problems that tobacco use can cause. These activities include:
•    Public marches and demonstrations, often with vivid banners.
•    Advertising campaigns and educational programs.
•    People going into public places to encourage people to stop smoking.
•    The introduction of bans on smoking in particular places or types of advertising.
•    Meetings for anti-tobacco campaigners.
•    Moreover, laws restricting smoking in particular areas may come into effect and wide reaching health campaigns may be launched.

Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu etched his name into Indian football’s history book after becoming the first player in the history of the nation to play in a game in the top division of a European league. 
•    The former East Bengal star achieved the feet as he was named in Norwegian side Stabaek’s starting line-up for their Tippeligaen game against Start.
•    However, this week, Gurpreet made history when he was named a starter in Stabaek’s starting eleven in a bottom of the Norwegian league clash against Start. Thus, after waiting for nearly two long years, Gurpreet finally got his break.
•    The 6’6” keeper’s start was made even sweeter as he kept a clean sheet as his side romped home to a 5-0 win. 
•    The win helped Stabaek pull away from the bottom and they now stand only a point away from getting out of the relegation zone at the midway point of their season.
 

Adding to the Academy Award-winning Jai Ho composer's vast collection of wins, the ceremony had Rahman presenting a lecture on "From The Heart: The World of AR Rahman's Music."
•    The Fukuoka Prize is an honour established in 1990 by the city of Fukuoka and the Yokatopia foundation. 
•    It was meant to pay a tribute to the works of individuals and organisations, who have promoted and preserved the diverse and rich culture of Asia.
•    Divided into three categories — Grand Prize, Academic Prize and Arts and Culture Prize — this year's winning list saw Rahman sharing the stage with historian Ameth R Ocampo from Philippines (Academic Prize) and Yasmeen Lari from Pakistan (Arts and Culture Prize).
•    Allah-Rakha Rahman, born A. S. Dileep Kumar, is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, musician and philanthropist. 
•    A.R. Rahman's works are noted for integrating Eastern classical music with electronic music, world music and traditional orchestral arrangements. 
•    Among his awards are two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, four National Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and thirteen Filmfare Awards South. 
•    Rahman's body of work for film and stage has given him the nickname of "the Mozart of Madras", and Tamil commentators and fans call him Isai Puyal 

Alastair Cook achieved a fabulous milestone as he broke Sachin Tendulkar's record and became the youngest to reach 10,000 runs in Tests on the fourth day of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Durham.
•    Cook became the first England player to reach the landmark of 10,000 runs and he also became the youngest at 31 years and 158 days to achieve the landmark. 
•    Tendulkar was 31 years and 326 days old when he reached the landmark against Pakistan at Eden Gardens in 2005.
•    The England skipper became the 12th batsman overall to reach the milestone and he achieved it in his 128th Test.
•    Alastair Nathan Cook, MBE (born 25 December 1984) is an English cricketer. 
•    A left-handed opening batsman, he is the captain of the England Test team and former ODI captain, and plays county cricket for Essex. 
•    Cook played for Essex's Academy and made his debut for the first XI in 2003. 
•    He played in a variety of England's youth teams from 2000 until his call up to the Test side in 2006. 

Paralympian David Weir made world history by becoming the first wheelchair race to complete a mile in less than three minutes on Sunday.
•    Posting a time of two minutes and 57 seconds, Weir shaved six seconds off his previous best performance at the Westminster Mile
•    Six-time gold medalist Weir said after the race: "I've always said I could do it.
•    Sunday's victory was Weir's fourth consecutive Westminster Mile title, beating South African rival Ernst.
•    Wheelchair racing is the racing of wheelchairs in track and road races. 
•    Wheelchair racing is open to athletes with any qualifying type of disability, amputees, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and partially sighted (when combined with another disability). 
•    Athletes are classified in accordance with the nature and severity of their disability or combinations of disabilities.
•    Like running, it can take place on a track or as a road race. 
•    The main competitions take place at the Summer Paralympics which wheelchair racing and athletics has been a part of since 1960.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Power today launched India’s first integrated web portal designed to promote and mainstream Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) in India. 
•    The portal (www.nzeb.in (link is external)) was launched by Mr. Pradeep Kumar Pujari, Secretary, Ministry of Power, and Ambassador Jonathan Addleton, USAID Mission Director to India.
•    A first of its kind, the portal provides complete information about Net Zero Energy Buildings – those that generate as much energy as they use – as well as how to achieve near-zero energy status through the use of efficient lighting and equipment, integration of renewable energy technologies, and best practice design strategies.
•    The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the United States Government agency which is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid.
•    President John F. Kennedy created USAID from its predecessor agencies in 1961 by Executive Order. USAID's programs are authorized by the Congress in the Foreign Assistance Act, which the Congress supplements through directions in annual funding appropriation acts and other legislation.
•    Although it is technically an independent agency, USAID operates subject to the foreign policy guidance of the President, Secretary of State, and the National Security Council.
•    USAID operates in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.

Lakshadweep became first Union Territory (UT) to sign 24×7 Power for All document. Representative of Government of India and the Administration of Lakshadweep signed the document in presence of P.K. Pujari, Secretary, Ministry of Power.
•    The document chalks out a plan to increase solar capacity of the region from 2.15 MW to 8.45 MW. 
•    At present, 10 inhabited islands of Lakshadweep are being fed by diesel mostly. 
•    The plan also envisions reduction of AT & C losses from current level of 21% to 6.7% till 2019 by increasing the collection efficiency up to 99 %.
•    As a part of energy efficiency measures, 1 lakh LED bulbs will be distributed by UT administration through Energy Efficiency Services (EESL) and Incandescent lamps/CFL bulbs will be replaced with LED bulbs under UJALA programme. Additionally, replacement of 3000 conventional street lights with LED street lights is also being taken up.
•    The ‘Power for All’ programme is a major step in this direction. 
•    Government of India have taken a joint initiative with respective State Governments for preparation of State specific documents for providing 24×7 power supply to all households /homes, industrial & commercial consumers and adequate supply of power to Agricultural consumers as per state policy.