Top Ten Questions from ‘Current Affairs’

• What is TurkStream gas pipeline project?
• What is Al-Hadba?
• About how many EU nationals living permanently in the UK?
• To what extent the resolution of has improved over its previous satellite?
• What is NIUSAT?
• Name the India who won Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy?
• Who is French President?
• Who is German Chancellor?
• Who have been granted status of Full Member of ICC?
• Who is Shafiq Stanikzai?

• TurkStream will deliver Russian gas to Turkey and is eventually intended to serve the European Union.
  On June 23, 2017 Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the deep-water phase of the TurkStream gas pipeline project
  Russia first floated the project in 2014 after the European Union blocked plans for a pipeline under the Black Sea to Bulgaria, at the height of the Ukraine crisis.
  The Turkstream project will see the construction of two lines, each capable of carrying 15.75 billion cubic metres of gas per year. The first is due to be completed in 2018 and the second in 2019.
  Russia also plans Nord Stream 2, a twin pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany, but the project has been delayed due to opposition from countries including Poland.

• The ancient minaret known as “Al-Hadba” (Hunchback) lies next to the Nuri mosque and was the most loved and recognisable landmark in Mosul, sometimes referred to as Iraq’s Tower of Pisa.
  An estimated 3 million EU nationals are living permanently in the UK … These include over 20,000 Goans who had used their Portuguese heritage to apply for EU nationality…. Poland has 800,000 citizens as the biggest cohort
  On June 23, 2017 UK PM Theresa May, known for her hardline stance on Brexit, offered a sop to UK-based EU citizens by promising to allow them to stay in Britain after it exit from the economic bloc.
  For Poland, whose 800,000 citizens are the biggest cohort of the 3 million Europeans in Britain

• Cartosat-2, an advanced remote sensing satellite has a resolution of up to 0.6 m. The previous satellite in the series had a resolution of up to 0.8 m and was used by defence forces during surgical strikes across the LoC last year
  NIUSAT, a nano-satellite developed by Noorul Islam University in Tamil Nadu, to provide multi-spectral imagery for agricultural crop monitoring and disaster management support applications. It was launched by ISRO’s PSLV C38 on June 22
  The other 29 nano-satellites put into the orbit are from 14 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US

• Wipro chairman Azim Premji got among the honourees of Carnegie Medal, considered the most prestigious prize in philanthropy, for his efforts to reform public school system in India.

• Emmanuel Macron is French Presiden
• Angela Merkel is German Chancellor
   On June 22, 2017 at Brussels, British PM Theresa May said at the start of a European Union summit that she would reassure fellow leaders that her government will protect the rights of their citizens living in Britain after its departure from the bloc.
  But other leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, made clear that they did not want to get drawn into Brexit discussions
  

• On June 22, 2017 ICC, in a very significant development, confirmed  the war-torn Afghanistan and Ireland as Full Member of ICC thereby granting them Test status as the 11th and 12th nation respectively.
  

• Shafiq Stanikzai is Chief Executive of Afghanistan Cricket Board
  

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