Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 13 September 2015

:: Business ::

Government developing framework for repowering wind farms: Piyush Goyal

With a view to ensure better capacity utilisation of wind energy projects, the Union Power Ministry is developing a framework for repowering wind farms from 200-300 watt units to 2-5 MW that are available in the market, Minister for Power, Coal, and New and Renewable Energy, Piyush Goyal said at an Assocham event held in New Delhi on Friday night.

Discom resolution

Talking about the discom resolution, Mr. Goyal said, “We are not only ceased of it but we are working relentlessly on a daily basis to fine tune and refine our proposals on that without giving any subsidy again or any grant/additional money (to the States).”
The Minister also said that government plans to bring down the cost of each LED bulb to Rs.44 from a level of Rs.74 through competitive bidding.

Hydel power sector

Talking about the slow progress of hydel power sector, Mr. Goyal said at the event that he had been able to get the Rs.9,000 crore worth Teesta power project back on line and with work expected to start soon it is likely to come on stream in a year’s time.
He also asked the industry associations to work in the national interest and not to become postman for scamsters or those following bad business practices.

Renewable energy sector

Talking about the poor progress of renewable energy sector in India, Mr. Goyal said, “Effectively, what I inherited was a situation where the industry had almost given up hope, you had anti-dumping looming large on solar industry, wind industry was crumbling in the back of withdrawal of certain fiscal benefits, bagasse based plants were almost dead or sick, small hydel was already over.”

:: Science & Technology ::

Cell-free protein manufacturing platform a game changer

The human body has a novel way of turning its proteins on and off to alter their function and activity in cells called phosphorylation -- the reversible attachment of phosphate groups to proteins.
Using a special strain of E coli bacteria, the researchers built a cell-free protein synthesis platform technology that can manufacture large quantities of these human phosphoproteins for scientific study.
This will enable scientists to learn more about the function and structure of phosphoproteins and identify which ones are involved in disease.
Such knowledge could pave the way for new drugs for a myriad of diseases, including cancer.
Trouble in the phosphorylation process can be a hallmark of disease, such as cancer, inflammation and Alzheimer's disease.
The human proteome (the entire set of expressed proteins) is estimated to be phosphorylated at more than 100,000 unique sites, making study of phosphorylated proteins and their role in disease a daunting task.
Along with Yale University researchers, Jewett combined state-of-the-art genome engineering tools and engineered biological "parts" into a "plug-and-play" protein expression platform that is cell-free.
Cell-free systems activate complex biological systems without using living intact cells.

:: Sports ::

Shastri retained as team director till 2016

Ravi Shastri was on Sunday retained as the team director of the Indian cricket team till the 2016 T20 World Cup at home, based on the recommendations of the BCCI advisory committee.
Shastri, who was appointed team director in August 2014, has been given another seven-month extension till the completion of the World T20 in April. The sixth edition of the tournament is scheduled to be held in India from March 11 to April 3.
The former Indian all-rounder took over the job after the England Test loss last year. The cricketer-turned-commentator then saw the team win the ODI series in England.
His two biggest achievements as team director are India's semi-final finish in the 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand along with Virat Kohli's Test side winning an away Test series against Sri Lanka after 22 years.
Acknowledging the performance of the Indian cricket team and the efforts of the coaching staff in recent times, the advisory committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman endorsed the extension of their tenure.
Along with Shastri, the committee also approved the extension of the assistant coaches till the T20 showpiece event next year. Sanjay Bangar stays on as the assistant coach (batting), Bharat Arun remains as bowling consultant and R Sridhar as the fielding coach.

Flavia Pennetta wonUS Open 2015,women single title

With her final shot in the 49th grand slam of her career, a beautifully struck off-forehand that scooted past the flailing racquet of a lifelong friend who had reached so far to bring down a giant of tennis just a day earlier, Flavia Pennetta made history..
In front of a capacity crowd who had expected to see history of another kind — that derailed when Vinci halted Serena Will¬iams’ tilt at the calendar Grand Slam in an astonishing semi-final — Pennetta promptly announced her retirement.
“One month ago I take the big decision in my life. This is the way I would like to say goodbye to tennis,” she told a capacity crowd.
It floored those who had paid big dollars to attend a final that, for the first time ever, sold out quicker than the men’s decider, undoubtedly due to the Serena slam factor.
Billie Jean King, who was standing in the crowd, was seen to bellow “No way” when the announcement was made.
Fellow professionals took to ¬social media to express their delight and dismay at the same time, for Pennetta is clearly a popular figure on tour.
What the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi made of it is unclear, but he was clearly delighted to witness the historic moment from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Pennetta’s boyfriend, Fabio Fognini, who had earlier knocked Rafael Nadal out of the tournament, was another forced to make a quick dash back to New York after moving on to his next event.
Retirement at the top is not completely unprecedented. Pete Sampras never played again after winning the 2002 US Open, although he did not announce his intentions for another year. Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli retired a month after winning Wimbledon in 2013.
Pennetta said she made the decision a month ago and had no great expectations heading into the Open, despite boasting a solid record in New York.
The 26th seed toppled some quality rivals along the way. Sam Stosur was her fourth-round opponent, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova a quarter-final rival and the world No 2 Simona Halep among the women she thrashed to reach the final.