The Daily Brief – 29th August, 2016

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SAKHIR, BAHRAIN - APRIL 20: Nico Rosberg of Germany and Mercedes GP celebrates finishing first during qualifying for the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit on April 20, 2013 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

The Daily Briefs are a comprehensive update of current affairs for the day. To know more about them, read this. If you’d like to receive updates for current affairs every day, you’ll need to subscribe by entering your email address at the right side of this page. The previous Briefs can be accessed at the archives here. Also, check out our mock tests!

  • The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has, for the first time successfully conducted the Scramjet (or Supersonic Combusting ramjet) engine test. The test was conducted from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikotta, Andhra Pradesh. The scramjet engine works on the Air-breathing Propulsion System. The system uses natural oxygen present in the atmosphere to burn the fuel stored in the rocket.
  • The Union Human Resource Ministry has formally launched Indian Institute of Techonogy (IIT) Dharwad in Karnataka. The prestigious higher education institute has already started functioning from this academic year.
  • The curfew in Kashmir has been lifted after 51 days, since the ongoing unrest began on July 9th. An all party delegation comprising senior leaders of political parties is slated to visit Kashmir on September 3rd. A total of 71 people — 68 civilians and three policemen — have been killed in this present bout of violence that started on July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in a gunfight. Over 11,000 others including civilians and security personnel were injured.
  • U.S. Ambassador to India Richard Verma announced that the U.S. will push for India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group when the issue is taken up later this year.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted national sports awardees, including Rio Olympics silver medallist P.V. Sindhu and bronze winner Sakshi Malik, at his 7 Race Course Road residence in New Delhi. Ace shooter Jitu Rai and gymnast Dipa Karmakar were also in attendance. All the four athletes will be conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award by President Pranab Mukherjee.
  • The Maharashtra government, in a first, has deployed drones along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, so as to prevent accidents and strictly enforce traffic rules.
  • Sania Mirza and Monica Niculescu of Romania won their first title together at the Connecticut Open, by beating Kateryna Bondarenko of Ukraine and Chuang Chia-Jung of Taipei.
Nico Rosberg
  • Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg from Germany won the 2016 Formula One Belgian Grand Prix. It was Rosberg’s overall tenth championship title, and the sixth win in the 2016 season.
  • NASA’s solar-powered Juno spacecraft has successfully executed its first flyby of Jupiter. The spacecraft passed just 4,200 kilometres above the planet’s clouds and was the closest contact ever achieved by a man-made probe with Jupiter.

Today’s Quiz

  1. Where is the Satish Dhawan Space Centre situated?





2. The ISRO recently conducted its first test of its Air-breathing Propulsion System. What is this engine called?





3. Name the Hizbul Mujahideen commander whose killing by Indian armed forces triggered a prolonged period of unrest in Kashmir this year.





4. Where did the Union HRD Ministry recently launch a new IIT?





5. Who is the current US Ambassador to India?





6. Who customarily confers the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award?





7. Which state government recently deployed drones to aid in better enforcement of traffic rules?





8. Who won the Belgian Grand Prix this year?





9. Juno, NASA's solar powered space craft recently completed its first flyby of which planet?





10. Sania Mirza and Monica Niculescu recently won the Connecticut Open. Where does Monica Niculescu hail from?









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