24th May 2015 - Daily GK Update

1. Indians posthumously chosen for UN's prestigious Dag Hammarskjold Medal
  • i. Two Indian peacekeepers have been chosen posthumously for United Nation’s Dag Hammarskjold Medal. They are Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph. 
  • ii. Both of them are among the 126 police, military and civilian personnel who have been posthumously awarded a prestigious UN medal. 
  • iii. They have been chosen for this award for their courage and sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping operations in 2014 and lost their lives as a result of hostile acts, accidents and disease.
  • iii. Lance Naik Nand Ram had served with the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). While, Raju Joseph had served in a civilian capacity with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). 
2. Indian film Masaan wins critics prize at 68th Cannes film festival
  • i. Indian film Masaan has won the prestigious critics prize in the Un Certain Regard category at the 68th Cannes Film Festival after it was premiered on May 20, 2015. 
  • ii. The film is directoral debut of Neeraj Ghaywan and a joint production of Manish Mundra, Macassar Productions, Arte France Cinema, Sikhya Entertainment & Phantom Films. 
  • iii. It stars Vicky Kaushal, Shweta Tripathi along with Richa Chadda and Sanjay Mishra. The film is a narrative set based in Varanasi and its characters connected with the Ganga. 
  • iv. The critic’s prize in the Un Certain Regard category runs parallel to the competition for the main prize, Palme d’Or in the film festival.
3. Tanishq Abraham 11-year old Indian-American creates record by graduating from California College
  • i. Tanishq Abraham, 11-year-old Indian-American child prodigy created a record by graduating from California College with three associate degrees in science, maths and foreign language studies. 
  • ii. He is native of Sacramento, California and youngest to graduate from the American River College (ARC), in Sacramento, California. 
  • iii. In 2014, he also had created a record by becoming one of the youngest ever in the US to graduate high school. 
4. India-Singapore bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX-15 commences in Singapore
  • i. Bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX-15 between India and Singapore commenced on 23 May 2015 in Singapore and concluding on May 26, 2015. 
  • ii. This edition of naval exercise will give traditional emphasis on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and more complex maritime exercises. It will involve various facets of naval operations such as air and surface practice firing, air defence, maritime security and search & rescue operations. 
  • iii. For this edition of exercise, Indian navy is represented by
  • INS Satpura- an indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate with integral helicopter. 
  • INS Kamorta- an indigenous anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette. 
  • P 8I Aircraft- It is a long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti- Submarine (LRMRASW) aircraft.