Union minister Jitendra Singh on  Jun 24 launched an Omicron-specific mRNA-based booster vaccine for Covid.

GEMCOVAC-OM is India's first mRNA vaccine developed using the indigenous platform technology by Gennova, with funding support from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a statement said.

A few days ago, this vaccine got the nod from the office of the Drug Control General of India (DCGI) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA).

GEMCOVAC-OM is the fifth vaccine developed with support from Mission COVID Suraksha implemented by DBT and BIRAC under the Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 package of the government for accelerated development of COVID-19 vaccines.

GEMCOVAC-OM is a thermostable vaccine and does not require ultra-cold chain infrastructure used for other approved mRNA-based vaccines.

Captain Sunil Chhetri found the target yet again as India beat a spirited Nepal 2-0 in their second group match to book a berth in the SAFF Championship semifinals.

Chhetri (61st minute) scored his fourth goal of the tournament before Mahesh Singh (70th) struck to notch up the home side's second consecutive win.

India had beaten Pakistan 4-0 in their opening match  with Chhetri scoring a hat-trick.

With six points from two wins, India qualified for the semifinals from Group A along with Kuwait (also six points), who beat Pakistan 4-0 earlier in the day for their second victory.

India play Kuwait on June 27 to decide the group winner.

Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Ruben Neves has become the latest high-profile player to move to Saudi Arabia after joining Al-Hilal for a transfer fee of USD 59.7 million.

The fee is a record for English Premier League team Wolves.

The 26-year-old Portugal midfielder follows in the footsteps of Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante, who completed free transfers to Al-Ittihad earlier this month, while Cristiano Ronaldo moved to Al-Nassr in December. 

On a rainy day that led to cancellations and postponement of almost all outdoor events at the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, India's roller-skaters won plenty of medals on Jun 23 .

In the roller-skating arena, the Indian contingent added nine medals to the tally (3 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze).

Among the gold medallists were Md Nissar (30m slalom) and Aryan and Abhijit, who are part of the 2x100m relay.

Judo proved to be another happy hunting ground for India.

A day before, Suhalia Parveen's silver had helped India open its medal account in the sport.

She was joined by two more medallists on the mat, 24 hours later.

In the male Level 2 category, Prince Solanki won bronze, while Muskan won gold in the female Level 3 category.

The latter won both her bouts comprehensively to bring home the country's first gold in judo.

In table tennis, three medals were confirmed.

In an all-Indian final, in the U21-D3, Vighnesh Lokeshwar Naik beat Gunocean Singh Bedi 3-1 to take home the gold.

In the women's singles 30-D3, Alivelamma Gujjala ran through the field unbeaten to take home the gold.

India's brilliance in powerlifting extended to another day, with four more medals added to the tally.

In the 93kg category, Anurag Prasad won three golds (squat, deadlift, combined) and one silver in the bench press.

Q1. The Special Olympics World Games was recently held  in

1. London
2. Tokyo
3. Berlin                
4. Oslo
5. None of These                                           

Q2. Name the Wolverhampton Wanderers captain  who has become the latest high-profile player to move to Saudi Arabia after joining Al-Hilal for a transfer fee of USD 59.7 million ?

1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. N'Golo Kante
3. Ruben Neves                      
4. Karim Benzema
5. None of These

Q3. EBITDA means

1. Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization
2. Earnings Before Income t, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization
3. Earnings Before  Investment , Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization
4. Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Divestment , and Amortization
5. None of These

Q4. The US-based chip maker Micron Technology announced its plan to invest $825 million to set up its semiconductor assembly and test plant in Gujarat and  the government expects the company to manufacture the first made-in-India chip by December

1. 2023
2. 2024          
3. 2025
4. 2026
5. None of These

Q5. Name the Egypt's highest honour  which has been conferred  to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi  on Jun 25  by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi  ?

1. Order of Zayed Award
2. Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud
3. State Order of Ghazi Amir Amanullah Khan
4. Order of the Nile
5. None of These

Answers

1---------------3   Berlin

2---------------3   Ruben Neves

3---------------1  Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization

4------------------2   2024          

5------------------4    Order of the Nile

The Manipur government on Jun 25  extended the ban on internet services in the state for five more days to prevent any disturbances of peace and public order.

According to an official release, the ban on internet services in the Northeast state, which has been rocked by ethnic clashes and violence, has been extended till 3 pm on June 30 to "prevent any disturbances of the peace and public order in the jurisdiction of the State of Manipur".

The government release informed further that the ban on mobile internet services in the state was extended due to the "persisting unrest".

This is the third straight extension of the ban on internet services in the state.

Earlier, on May 3, the Manipur government suspended mobile internet services in the state, amid the spiralling ethnic violence, and the ban has remained in force ever since.

The government extended the ban on June 11, till June 15, and then again, for five more days, from June 20 to June 25.

Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic violence for a month, in the wake of a directive of the high court asking the state government to consider including the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

The Centre had to deploy paramilitary forces as violence escalated in the Northeast state.

India will soon embark on the second phase of Passport Seva Programme (PSP),

including new and upgraded e-passports. On the occasion of Passport Sewa Dewas on Jun 24 , External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asked passport-issuing authorities to support him in renewing the pledge to provide passport and related services in a “timely, reliable, accessible, transparent, and efficient manner”.

The second version of the passport programme is in sync with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of enhancing ease of living for citizens.

The foreign minister further said that after the pandemic the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)  rose to meet the rising demand for passport-related services by increasing the number of daily appointments and organising special drives over the weekends.

He added the ministry processed as many as 13.32 million passports and miscellaneous services last year, which marked a rise of 63 per cent from 2021. Jaishankar noted that there were 77 Passport Seva Kendras (PSKs) in the country in 2014, which have risen seven-fold to stand at 523 in 2023. 

The Indian Railways is all set to begin production from its biggest solar plant of at Bhilai in Chhattisgarh. The 50-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant is the Railways’ second after its 1.7 MW unit that was commissioned in February last year at Bina under West Central Railway in adjoining Madhya Pradesh.

As part of its initiative to use the vast and unoccupied areas to promote renewable energy, a solar plant was installed at Charoda close to a national highway in Bhilai under  the Raipur Division of the South East Central Railway (SECR) zone.

The plant is spread across 200 acres and has 1,54,500 solar photovoltaic panels installed. It underwent two trials in May and June.  SECR officials said the Railway Board will decide on use of the renewable energy-- whether to feed traction power for Indian Railways or for commercial purposes.

The electricity generated by the solar plant will be supplied to Power Grid Corporation and the same quantum of energy can be utilised by the Railways anywhere across the country from the regional grid depending upon the demand, they added.

The project was assigned to a Chennai-based Sherisha Rooftop Solar SPV that after the completion will operate it for over two-decades. The Railways officials expect the project to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.