Current Affairs!

[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs, April 15, Friday

1. 3rd Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation concludes

(i) The third Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conference came to an end on April 14.

(ii) On the final day, the New Delhi Resolution on Tiger Conservation was adopted. It focuses on restoration, reintroduction and rehabilitation of tigers in low density zones.

(iii) Further, it calls for faster implementation of the Global Tiger Recovery Programme through habitat improvement and anti-poaching surveillance by use of modern technology and extensive participation of local people and other stakeholders.

(iv) The three-day event was attended by ministers from 13 Tiger Range Countries and nearly 700 delegates and experts. The earlier conferences were held at Hua Hin, Thailand (2010) and Thimpu, Bhutan (2012) apart from the Tiger Summit at St Petersburg in 2010.

2. CRO Lambda appoints Tausif Monif as President of global operations

(i) One of India's fastest growing clinical research organisations (CRO) Lambda, which is headquartered in Ahmedabad, has appointed Tausif Monif as President of global operations.

(ii) With over 24 years of industry experience, Monif will steer the company's global expansion plans.

(iii) Besides India, Lambda has presence in Poland (Europe), London (UK), USA and Canada (North America). It provides end-to-end clinical research and drug development solutions to pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

(iv) The CRO is accredited by various worldwide regulatory authorities like ANVISA-Brazil, EMA, UK-MHRA, POLISH, ANSM (France), TGA-Australia, AGES (Austria), OGYI (Hungary), Turkey MOH,TPS-Canada, USFDA and WHO.

3. International perfume museum & park to come up at Kannauj

(i) UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has laid the foundation stone of an international perfume museum and park which will be established in Kannauj, also known as the perfume capital of India.

(ii) Besides refreshing Kannauj's glory as India's perfume hub, it would act as a world-class platform for ittar (perfume) manufacturers and enhance exports of local perfumes.

(iii) The museum and park will be developed by the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC).

(iv) The project includes a special perfume manufacturing zone in Kannauj for modern distillation and extraction units.

4. Journalist Ram Bahadur Rai is President of reconstituted IGNCA Board

(i) The government has reconstituted the board of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). It is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture.

(ii) Senior journalist Ram Bahadur Rai will assume the position of its president, replacing Chinmaya Gharekhan.

(iii) The IGNCA trust comprises 19 other members, including classical dancer Sonal Mansingh, lyricist Prasoon Joshi, artist Vasudeo Kamath and Union Culture Ministry Secretary.

(iv) Dr Sushmita Pandey, head of School of Studies in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology in Ujjain's Vikram University has been appointed as chairman of the National Monument Authority.

(v) Note: The IGNCA was set up in 1987 as a centre for research study and experience of all arts, academic pursuit and dissemination of information.

5. NAM portal launched to connect wholesale agri markets

(i) PM Narendra Modi has launched the National Agriculture Market, an e-portal to enable farmers to sell their produce online in wholesale mandis and get better rates for their produce.

(ii) Initially, 21 mandis from 8 states have joined the e-trading platform and farmers will be able to sell 25 commodities online. The states include Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, among others.

(iii) The portal seeks to eliminate the impediments farmers face due to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) which obstruct the free flow of farm produce.

(iv) The government aims to integrate 200 mandis by September 2016 and 585 mandis by March 2018. Around Rs.200 crore has been allocated for this project.

6. AIBA names Mary Kom as ambassador for Women's World Championships

(i) Renowned Indian women boxer Mary Kom has been named one of the eight ambassadors for the forthcoming Women's World Championships by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

(ii) Kom, who holds five World Championship gold medals, has been dubbed by AIBA as 'Magnificent Mary' for her commendable count medal count.

(iii) Kom aims to save herself a second successive Olympic quota through this world event which is scheduled from May 19 to 27 in Astana, Kazakhstan.  More than 300 of the world's top female boxers will participate in the championships.

(iv) Other ambassadors include Nicola Adams of Great Britain, Team USA's light flyweight Marlen Esparza, Adriana Arauja from host country of this year's Olympic Games Brazil, Bulgaria's Stanimira Petrova and Morocco's Khadija Mardi. The female officials chosen to be ambassadors are Algerian Kheira Siki Yakoub and Canada's Jennifer Huggins.

7. British dramatist Sir Arnold Wesker passes away

(i) Legendary British playwright Sir Arnold Wesker has passed away at the age of 83.

(ii) He made a name as a playwright with the Wesker Trilogy at the Royal Court theatre in central London. Over a career spanning five decades, Sir Wesker penned over 40 plays, short stories, essays and poetries.

(iii) He became the fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1985 and was conferred with the Goldie Award in 1987. He was also honoured with the Last Frontier Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.

(iv) Chicken Soup with Barley (1958), Their Very Own and Golden City (1965), The Journalists (1971), The Merchant (1976), etc. are some of notable plays.

8. India world's largest recipient of remittances in 2015: World Bank report

(i) As per the World Bank, India remained the world's largest recipient of remittances from abroad in 2015, despite a $1 billion decrease from the previous year.

(ii) The Bank attributed the decline to the effect of falling oil prices on remittances from the Gulf countries and depreciation of major sending country currencies. In 2015, India got $69 billion in remittances.

(iii) Remittances to India constituted 2.9 times the foreign direct investment ($24.3 billion) in 2014. This reduced to 1.75% of FDI ($39.3 billion) in 2015 (also due to a rise in FDI).

(iv) Other huge remittance recipients included China, Philippines, Mexico, and Nigeria.

(v) The report stated that the growth in pace was the slowest since the 2008 global financial crisis and remittances to developing nations amounted to $431.6 billion in 2015, an increase of 0.4 per cent over 2014.

9. India retains top spot in emerging markets consumer survey

(i) A recent survey on consumer confidence in emerging markets conducted by global financial services company Credit Suisse placed India at the top spot.

(ii) India topped the survey in 2015 when participants were more sanguine about their current and future finances.

(iii) "The negativity of consumers in Russia, South Africa and Brazil contrasted sharply with the relative optimism apparent in India, China and Saudi Arabia," said Giles Keating, deputy global chief investment officer, Credit Suisse.

(iv) The average Indian respondent's income has gone up by double-digits vis-à-vis a drop in the overall emerging markets average. However, future income expectations have moderated.

(v) The survey also presented the rapid rise in demand for product with low penetration. For instance: female hygiene products showed 14% improvement in one year, while smartphones grew 12%.

(vi) On the flipside, this year's survey highlighted slower growth rates or higher declines in spending in rural India.

10. India retains 19th rank among top 30 exporters

(i) As per a recent World Trade Organisation report, India retained its 19th rank among top 30 merchandise exporters in the world. China tops the list with exports worth $2.275 billion.

(ii) However, India's ranking among top importers slipped by one notch to 13th in 2015, from 12th in previous year. In terms of imports, the US topped the list.

(iii) India's exports dipped by 17.2% to $267 billion in 2015, while imports aggregated at $392 billion.

(iv) Further, in 2015, India's commercial services exports summed up to $158 billion, while imports were $126 billion.

11. Panagarh airbase renamed after former IAF chief Arjan Singh

(i) For the first time, Panagarh airbase, which is located in West Bengal's Burdwan district, has been named after former IAF chief Arjan Singh as 'Air Force Station Arjan Singh'.

(ii) This was done on the occasion of 97th birthday of Arjan Singh, Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Air Marshal C Hari Kumar, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Air Command.

(iii) Singh was the IAF chief from August 1964-69. He was the first Indian Air Chief to be elevated to the rank of Air Chief Marshal on January 16, 1966.

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[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

Daily Current Affairs, 14th April, 2016, Thursday

1. Centre approves South-Asian wildlife enforcement network

a) India has adopted South Asian Wildlife Enforcement Network (SEWEN).

b) The objective of becoming the member of SEWEN is also to strengthen ties with member countries to control the transboundary wildlife crime through building mutual cooperation in the region.

c) The SEWEN aims at bringing harmony & standardization in laws and policies of member countries related to the conservation of flora & fauna. It also strives to strengthen the institutional responses to fight against the wildlife crime.

d) South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN) is an inter-governmental wildlife law enforcement support body of South Asian countries namely - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAWEN was officially launched in January, 2011 in Paro Bhutan.

2. Delhi govt. approves Slum & JJ Rehabilitation & Relocation Policy, 2015

a) Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation & Relocation Policy, 2015 has been approved by Delhi state government to bring the development of city's urban poor.

b) By this policy, the JJ clusters which were created before 1st January, 2016 cannot be removed without their rehabilitation. No new juggi will be allowed to be created.

c) Planning and implementation of In-situ rehabilitation or redevelopment of jj clusters will be done by Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). After the in-situ redevelopment & rehabilitation 40% land returned to the land owning agency & the jj dwellers will rehabilitate the remaining 60% by constructing the multi storey flats.

d) JJ clusters on the land of land owning authorities like Delhi Development Board (DDA) will be handed over to to DUSIB/GNCTD on the land sharing basis in 40:60 ratio.

3. India, Germany sign pact on Namami Gange programme

a) An implementation agreement was signed under Namami Gange programme between the Union Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and the German International Cooperation (GIZ).

b) Indo-German bilateral projects like Support to National Urban Sanitation Policy (SNUSP) & Sustainable Environment friendly Industrial production (SEIP) will be also closely collaborated with this project.

c) The duration of this project is of three years. It will run from 2016 to 2018. Under this project, an integrated river basin management approach will be applied for the rejuvenation of Ganga.

d) The river basin management strategies used for Rhine & Danube in Germany will be applied for rejuvenation of Ganga.

4. Logistics exchange agreement signed between India & US

a) India & United states have recently signed Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement to enable the militaries of both the countries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

b) But, there is no provision of letting US troops to land or create military bases on Indian soil.

c) Both the countries agreed to commence Navy-to-Navy discussions on submarine safety and anti-submarine warfare.

d) Both the countries will expand their collaboration under the Defence Technology & Trade Initiative (DTTI). Under DTTI, two new pathfinder projects on Digital Helmet Mounted Displays & the Joint Biological Tactical Detection System.

e) They have also noted the understanding reached to conclude an information exchange annex (IEA) to enhance data and information sharing specific to aircraft carriers.

5. England's James Taylor retires from international cricket

a) Veteran English cricketer James Taylor has recently announced his retirement from the international cricket owing to his ill health.

b) Recently , James Taylor was diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

c) Till this date, he has player around 7 test matches for England with his top test score 76 against Pakistan in November, 2015.

6. India to sign a MoU with UAE to prevent human trafficking

a) India & UAE will soon ink a MoU for mutual cooperation in preventing and combating of Human Trafficking.

b) Both the countries have agreed to provide all the necessary cooperation to each other on the issues of prevention, rescue, recovery and repatriation related to human trafficking especially women and children expeditiously.

c) Both the sides will launch Anti-trafficking cells and task forces to prevent human trafficking. A joint task force will be also launched to monitor the efficient working of the agreed terms in MoU.

d) Police forces and other vigilant authorities from both the countries will work together to minimize the increasing events of Human Trafficking in both the countries.

7. Maharashtra approves Social Boycott Bill, 2016

a) The prohibition of social boycott bill, 2016 was unanimously approved in maharashtra assembly to curb the inhuman practice like social boycott and the extra judicial bodies like caste and community panchayats.

b) As per this bill, social boycott will be considered as a crime. The bill provides for prohibition of social boycott of a person or group of persons, including their family members as an individual or as a group like caste panchayat.

c) Engaging in social boycott will be considered as an offence and the offender will punished with either 7 years in prison or fine up to 5 lakh rupees or both.

d) Government will appoint Social boycott prohibition officers to detect the commission of offences, to assist the magistrate and police officers in discharge of their duties under the Act.

e) The trial for offence of social boycott should be completed within a period of six months from the date of the filing of charge sheet. This provision is enlisted in the bill to provide the speedy justice to the victims of social boycott.

8. Kane Williamson named Wisden Almanack Cricketer of the Year

a) New Zealand cricket player Kane Williamson is recently named as Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for the year 2015.

b) New zealand female cricketer Suzie Bates was also named as Leading Women's cricketer in the world. She captains the White Fern's cricket team.

c) It is the first time ever when two new zealanders are part of the Wisden Almanack's Five Cricketers of the Year when Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum were named among.

d) The principle criteria to be chosen for this accolade is the level of performance of the cricketer on the previous English summer.

9. Mission Drinking Water launched in Maharashtra

a) On the verge of the recent famine & severe water crisis in Maharashtra , CM of Maharashtra has launched 'Mission Drinking Water' to scale up the drought mitigation.

Under this mission, the ongoing crop pattern will be changed to sustain holistic development. A good amount of investment will also be done the field of agriculture and industries.

b) Maharashtra government will provide a roadmap and adequate budget to every famine hit village in the state.

c) Agricultural minister & Opposition leader of maharashtra will be a part of Maharashtra Drought Relief Committee.

10. IMF cautions UK about risks of Brexit

a) International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently warned of upcoming risks of Brexit.

b) Brexit means Britain's exit from European Union amidst cutting the global growth forecast. This move of Britain will disrupt the already established trade relations do severe regional and global damage.

c) Due to the recent migration crisis in Europe and the interminable euro mess, the demand of Brexit had surface and gained momentum.

d) Following the passing of the European Union Referendum Act, 2015, UK prime minister David Cameron has also declared to hold a referendum on the country's membership of the EU.

11. Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary celebrated

a) Father of Indian constitution Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar's 125 the birth anniversary was celebrated across India on Thursday. He was born on 14th April, 1891.

b) Dr Ambedkar was responsible for bringing a change in the social perspective of India.

c) As the first Minister of Law and Justice in Independent India, Ambedkar was the principal architect of the Indian Constitution. Besides, his economic reforms and plans also played a major role in building guidelines for the Reserve Bank of India

d) To strengthen the panchayati Raj institution in the villages Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched 'Gram Uday se Bharat Uday Abhiyan' at Dr. Ambedkar's birthplace Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.

[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

Current Affairs update: India - US Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)

India and the US are primed to bolster their defence and strategic ties by signing the much-awaited Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). The two countries will also work to achieve military cooperation and technology transfer.

In this article, we have discussed highlights of LEMOA, its impact and strategic importance with reference to India:

http://www.pagalguy.com/articles/india-us-logistics-exchange-memorandum-of-agreement-lemoa-42397033

[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs, April 16 - Saturday

1. Geetha Johri becomes Gujarat's first woman DGP

(i) Geetha Johri, a 1982-batch IPS officer, has been appointed as Gujarat's first woman Director General of Police.

(ii) Her promotion comes in the wake of state DGP PC Thakur being transferred to the Centre as the Director General of Civil Defence and Home Guards on deputation.

(iii) Johri attained prominence in early 1992 after she arrested Ahmedabad underworld gunman Sharif Khan. Later, she carried out a detailed investigation which resulted in the arrest of 13 policemen, including DG Vanzara, in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.

(iv) She was part of the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) under former CBI Chief RK Raghavan, which investigated into the 10 most heinous cases of the infamous 2002 riots.

(v) Earlier, she was posted as the MD of the Gujarat State Police Housing Corporation in Gandhinagar.

2. Delhi placed 44th among world's 50 'future-ready cities'

(i) As per a report by IT giant Dell, Delhi has been ranked 44th among 50 other cities in terms of how ready it is to tackle the future in an ever-changing world.

(ii) The report titled 'Future-Ready Economies Model', places San Jose in the first position followed by San Francisco.

(iii) The report ranked metros based on three parameters: human capital, infrastructure and commerce. These are aspects that help people and organisations to achieve enhanced connectivity, economic performance and the ability to attract talent.

3. New York Mayor declares April 14 as Bindeshwar Pathak Day

(i) In recognition of Indian activist Bindeshwar Pathak's contribution to improve people's health and hygiene, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared this year's April 14th as Bindeshwar Pathak Day.

(ii) He was honoured for advocating human rights in India and developing novel and eco-friendly sanitation technologies. He is the founder of Sulabh International, an Indian social outfit that works to improve sanitation across the country.

(iii) Earlier this week, the 73-year-old Pathak was also conferred with the New York Global Leaders Dialogue Humanitarian Award.

(iv) Sulabh, which comprises nearly 50,000 people, has constructed around 1.3 million household toilets and 54 million government toilets based on an inventive design. Besides, the organisation is spearheading a movement to stop manual cleaning of human waste.

4. Mahesh Iyer named COO of Thomas Cook

(i) Thomas Cook has promoted Foreign Exchange Division head Mahesh Iyer to the post of Chief Operating Officer (COO). Iyer will steer the firm's day-to-day business management.

(ii) In addition, Iyer will also be in charge of managing the visa and foreign exchange business in India, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.

5. Apollo Hospitals ties up with Google Health Card in India

(i) Apollo Hospitals has forged a tie-up with Google to provide information on health as part of its launch of the Health Card in India.

(ii) Health Card, launched in the US in 2015, provides basic information (prevalence, symptoms and diagnosis) about an ailment in a simple, de-jargoned manner on the Google search engine.

(iii) Apollo Hospitals JMD Sangita Reddy said that Apollo had collated abundant information on 400 diseases, including malaria and dengue, which would show up once the keyword of the disease was keyed in.

(iv) It would also give information on whether the disease was contagious, or at what age it would usually affect a person, etc. The information is presented with high-quality illustrations.

6. Jharkhand CM launches Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana

(i) Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das has launched the Bhimrao Ambedkar Awas Yojana for the benefit of widows. The scheme was launched on the occasion of Dr Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary.

(ii) The programme targets 11,000 houses in FY16-17 and Rs.80 crore has been earmarked in the budget for it.

(iii) A total of Rs.75,000 would be provided to build a house in hilly terrains and Rs.70,000 in plains. The amount would be directly credited to the beneficiaries' bank accounts in three instalments. In addition, the widows will also get pension.

7. Mali's renowned photographer Malick Sidibe passes away

(i) Malick Sadibe, award-winning Malian photographer, has passed away at the age of 80. He was known for his black and white portrait clicks of young Malians.

(ii) In 2007, Sidibe became the first African winner of the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the Venice Biennale.

(iii) According to critics his photos of Mali's post-colonial era helped the world see the West African country in a new light.

8. WADA rescinds accreditation of Moscow Laboratory

(i) The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has revoked the accreditation of Moscow Anti-Doping Center in Russia due to non-compliance with International Standard for Laboratries (ISL) and other technical aspects.

WADA suspended the laboratory on November 10, 2015 after which it was prohibited from conducting WADA-related anti-doping activities.

(ii) The cancellation has been accepted by the laboratory and it cannot conduct tests of doping control samples of urine and blood.

9. EU approves sharing of air passenger data to combat terror

(i) In order to combat terror acts, the European Union has approved a joint system for Police and Justice Officials to obtain air passenger data on all flights to and from the EU. The decision was finalised with 461 votes in favour.

(ii) The new system will help security agencies to methodically collect and save data of air passengers travelling to, from and within the EU.

(iii) The creation of a European passenger name records (PNR) system, which comprises name, travel date, ticket details, travel agency details, payment mode, sea and baggage data, gained significance after the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks and the March 22 attacks in Brussels.

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[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - April 17 and 18, Sunday and Monday

1. Forbes releases first-ever 'Global Game Changers' list

(i) American business magazine Forbes has released the first-ever 'Global Game Changers' list, with names of businessmen who have exhibited exemplary growth, innovation and global presence.

(ii) Marc Benioff, founder and CEO of Salesforce.co, who is considered to be a pioneer of cloud-computing, figures first in the list. He is followed by Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon.com; Rahul Bhatia, MD of InterGlobe Enterprises and co-founder of airline IndiGo; Sara Blakely, founder of apparel firm Spanx; Katrine Bosley, CEO of pharma firm Editas Medicine.

(iii) Besides Rahul Bhatia, two other Indians figure in the list, including Cyrus Poonawalla of Serum Institute of India (23rd), and Sunny Varkey of GEMS Education (26th).

(iv) While Bhatia's IndiGo is India's largest and most profitable airline, Poonawalla's Serum Institute of India is the world's largest vaccine maker by volume, producing 1.3 billion doses annually. Sunny Varkey is credited with building a worldwide network of private K-12 schools, with many focussing on educating girls. GEMS has 250,000 students admitted in 240 schools in 17 countries.

2. Itihaasa - app document India's digital revolution

(i) Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan has launched 'Itihaasa', a first of its kind app that chronicles India's digital revolution which began in mid-1950s.

(ii)   Developed over a period of eight months, the app comprises 600 short videos, 350 rare photographs and news clippings sourced from the archives of Indian Institute of Science (IISc), IIT Madras, and Infosys, among others.

(iii) It documents everything from the time India got its first electronic calculator till today's age of e-commerce, mobile apps and start-ups. It analyses the impact of the digital wave on the economy and the $150 billion IT sector.

(iv) A total of 44 experts and entrepreneurs feature in the app videos, including Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) founder FC Kohli, Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, Wipro Group chairman Azim Premji, former UIADI chairman Nandan Nilekani, etc.

3. Ecuador earthquake of 7.8 magnitude kills over 270

(i) An earthquake of 7.8 magnitude which struck the northern town of Muisine in Ecuador on the night of April 16 has killed 272 people and injured over 2,527 people.

(ii) Considered to be the most crushing quake since 1979, has wrecked widespread damage across the Andean nation's 24 provinces.

(iii) The country is located on the "Ring of Fire"-the arc with high seismic activity which extends around the Pacific basin. Here, Ecuador borders the Nazca and South American tectonic plates that are huge slabs of the Earth's surface that grind past each other at a rate of about 65mm per year.

4. India, Afghan and Iran firm up Chabahar Agreement

(i) India, Afghan and Iran have finalised the Chabahar Agreement to operationalise the strategic port, thereby granting India entry into Afghanistan and Iran and also central Asia (bypassing Pakistan).

(ii) The trilateral transit pact is set to enhance use of Chabahar Port, further economic development of Afghanistan and improve regional connectivity by enabling greater flow of people and goods among the three countries and within the region.

(iii) Chabahar is being touted as India's gateway to not only Afghanistan but also Russia and Europe.

5. Inzamam-ul-Haq to become Pakistan coach after quitting Afghanistan

(i) Former Pakistan cricket captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has resigned as the head coach of Afghanistan and is set to be appointed as the chief selector and coach of the Pakistan team.

(ii) He guided Afghanistan to the Super 10 stage of the recent World Twenty20 in India, during which they defeated eventual champions West Indies.

(iii) The 46-year-old played 378 ODIs and 120 Test matches for Pakistan and was also the team's batting consultant in 2012.

6. Rain Museum and Research Centre to come up at Meghalaya

(i) Sohra (formerly Cherrapunjee) in Meghalaya will soon get its Rain Museum and Research Centre as per plans of the state government.

(ii) The centre will be established along the lines of the High Altitude Cloud Physics Laboratory at Mahabaleshwar and will exhibit the individuality and culture of the people besides providing necessary scientific support for advanced research on rainfall.

(iii) The museum and the centre will function as a capacity-building establishment where visitors can get extensive information on Sohra, its people and the rainfall which is an integral part of the place.

7.  Australia wins Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2016

(i) Australia defeated India 4-0 to win the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2016 which was held in Ipoh, Malaysia. The team last won the tournament in 2014, and this is their ninth title.

(ii) Thomas Craig and Matt Gohdes scored two goals each in open field play for Australia.

(iii) India last won this annual hockey tournament in 2010 (fifth title), when they shared the title with South Korea.

8. Sri Lankan cricketer Rangana Herath retires from ODIs and T20s

(i) Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath retired from ODIs and T20 matches. He will, however, continue to play Test matches.

(ii) He played his first ODI in 2004, while his T20I debut came much later in 2011. Since then, he has played in 71 ODIs and 17 T20 matches. He has taken a total of 74 wickets in the 50-over format with an average of 31.91, while in the 20-20 format he has got 18 wickets at 20.72.

(iii) His remarkable feat was during a quarterfinal match against New Zealand wherein he single-handedly won the game for Sri Lanka with figures of five for three.

9. NDB extends loan to Canara Bank for renewable energy projects

(i) The New Development Bank of BRICS nations has a part ($75 million) of its first set of loans to public sector lender Canara Bank to fund renewable energy projects.

(ii) The clean energy generated by the projects in India is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by around 815,000 tonnes.

(iii) Loans to the tune of $800 million will be given to Brazil, China, South Africa and India.

(iv) The loan amount, which will be released in tranches, will be used to support renewable energy projects with a capacity of 2,370 MW in the four nations. As per the NDB, the projects will help in bringing down greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 4 million tonnes a year.

10. Rafael Nadal wins Monte-Carlo Masters

(i) Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal bagged his ninth Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters title by defeating Gael Monfils 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 in the final which was held at Court Rainier III.

(ii) With this win, the 29-year-old regained the title that he won at the Monte-Carlo Country Club from 2005-2012. His 46-match winning streak in Monte-Carlo was ended in 2013 by Serbian player Novak Djokovic.

11. Dipa Karmarkar first Indian woman to qualify for Rio Olympics

(i) Indian gymnast Dipa Karmarkar has become the first Indian woman to be qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics which is to be held in August this year.

(ii) The 22-year-old player scored a total of 52.698 points in the qualifying event to secure a quota for herself in the artistic gymnastics category.

(iii) Besides being the first Indian woman, she will also become be the first Indian female gymnast qualifying for the quadrennial sporting event after 52 years.

(iv) Since India's independence, only 11 Indian male gymnasts have taken part in the Olympics-two in 1952, three in 1956 and six in 1964.

12. Nico Rosberg wins Chinese Grand Prix

(i) Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg has won the Chinese Grand Prix, while world champion Lewis Hamilton was hindered and had to do five pit stops.

(ii) This is Rosberg's third consecutive win and sixth victory overall, dating to his last season. This is the German driver's second win in China, the first was in 2012.

(iii) Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel finished second, while Daniil Kvyat finished third   for Red Bull.

13. Uttar Pradesh has highest share of PPP project investments: Study

(i) A recent Assocham-SREI study titled 'PPP Investment in Indian Infrastructure: Need for growth and development' has stated that the north Indian state of UP figures in the top spot as regards PPP projects in India, with a share of 15%. It is followed by Maharashtra and Gujarat.

(ii) UP also has the highest share (of around 22%) in terms of value in total PPP investment projects under construction across India. Maharashtra has 11%, Haryana (8.5%), Gujarat (6%) and Madhya Pradesh (4.5%).

(iii) Gujarat has the highest share in infrastructure projects (value terms) at 15.5% and is followed by UP and Maharashtra (13% share each), Tamil Nadu and Karnataka (around 8% each).

(iv) The most number of PPP projects have been terminated in Maharashtra (13%), followed by Chhattisgarh (10%), Gujarat (9%), Kerala and Madhya Pradesh (7% each).

14. CK Deshmukh appointed as CVO in IOC

(i) IAS officer C K Deshmukh has been appointed as Chief Vigilance Officer in PSU Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.

(ii) A 1996-batch IAS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre, Deshmukh will serve the post till May 23, 2017. His responsibility as CVO would be keep corruption in check and bolster anti-graft measures in the company.

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[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - April 19, 2016, Tuesday

1. CBDT releases draft foreign tax credit guidelines

(i) The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has released guidelines to grant relief in lieu of income tax paid outside India. As per these rules, tax can be credited against maximum alternate tax (MAT), income tax, surcharge and cess.

(ii) Until now, the absence of foreign tax credit (FTC) rules made it difficult for taxpayers and authorities to come to consensus on credit claims, thereby causing ambiguity as well as litigation.

(iii) Foreign tax credit rules are applicable when tax is paid abroad and the same income is subject to tax in India. In this case, the taxpayer can avail credit for tax or call for a deduction in the tax.

 (iv) The draft stipulates that credit will be allowed to a resident in the year in which corresponding income has been offered to tax in India. It denies credit for any foreign tax which is disputed in any manner by the taxpayer.

2. Bill Campbell, mentor to Silicon Valley's brightest minds, passes away

(i) Bill Campbell, who was a mentor to some of Silicon Valley's important CEOs like Steve Jobs and Larry Page, has passed away at the age of 75.

(ii) Though he served as president, CEO and chairman of financial software maker Intuit Inc., he gained prominence as advisor for tech leaders.

(iii) He joined Apple's board in 1997, soon after Jobs returned as the company's CEO. Though the company was heading towards bankruptcy, Campbell slowly steered it towards growth.  He ended his 19-year-old tenure on Apple's board in 2014.

(iv) During the same time, he lent his expertise to Google, helping founding members forge a lasting partnership.

(v) Prior to joining Apple, Campbell served as the head coach of Columbia University's football team for six seasons. He created a 12-41-1 record at Columbia, a .231 winning percentage that was more than double than that of his three successors.

3. Govt. releases commemorative coin on Tatya Tope

(i) Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma has released a commemorative coin of Rs.200 value and a circulation coin of Rs.10 to mark Martyrdom Day of Maratha hero Tatya Tope.

(ii) Hailed as the hero of the 1857 mutiny, Ramachandra Pandurang Tope was captured by the British on April 7, 1859 and after a hasty trial for revolting against the East India Company, was hanged to death on April 18, 1859 at Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh.

4. NIT Sikkim establishes Param Kanchenjunga, fastest supercomputer 

(i) The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim has set up a supercomputer 'Param Kanchenjunga', which is said to be fastest among all the 31 NITs.

(ii) As per sources it aims to help in research and academics in areas like climate modelling, etc.

(iii) The supercomputer was established jointly with C-DAC - Pune at a cost of Rs.3 crore.

5. Pakistan's HBL becomes first South Asian bank to open branch in China

(i) Pakistan's largest bank - Habib Bank Ltd. has been granted licence to open its branch in Urumqi in Xinjiang province, which lies along the Silk Route and adjoins Pakistan.

(ii) It becomes the first South Asian bank to start operations in the world's second largest economy.

(iii) The bank aims to leverage on the growing investment and trade between the two countries that are carrying out their $46 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor project which will connect Gwadar port in Pakistan's Baluchistan to Xinjiang.

(iv) The bank will act as a channel for transactions and business deals, given that Urumqi is an emerging commercial and trade centre and the regional hub for China's Belt and Road Initiative (B&RI) in Central Asia.

6. Citibank's K Balasubramanian to head HDFC's corporate lending

(i) Citibank's managing director for corporate banking K Balasubramanian has been roped in to run the same business in HDFC Bank.

(ii) Expected to join in May, Balasubramanian will replace Jimmy Tata. The latter will take charge as the bank's chief risk officer.

(iii) The hiring is significant as the bank is taking efforts to attract companies to bank with it at a time when some of its Indian counterparts are battling bad debt.

(iv) The bank's corporate loan book has risen significantly from around Rs.47,000 crore three years ago to Rs.1 lakh crore at present. In the December quarter, HDFC's corporate loans grew 19%, much more than the average growth of 10.5% in the sector.

7. Report of Technical Committee on Large Scale Integration of Renewable Energy released

(i) Union Minister of State for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy has released report of the Technical Committee on Large Scale Integration of Renewable Energy, Need for Balancing, Deviation Settlement Mechanism (DSM) and associated issues.

(ii) A high-level technical committee was instituted to integrate high penetration of renewable energy and address concerns of stakeholders in order to guide India on the path of achieving the target of 175GW of renewable generation capacity by 2022.

(iii) The report prepared by the committee recommends a 15-point action plan to facilitate large-scale integration of renewables in India.

(iv) Some of the recommendations include ensuring flexibility in the conventional generation, frequency control, generation reserves, ancillary services, forecasting, scheduling, deviation settlement mechanism, balancing requirement, etc.

8. World Bank, UNICEF forge alliance to ensure early childhood development

(i) In order to lay the foundation for sustainable development and economic growth, heads of UNICEF and the World Bank Group have urged global and national leaders to take measures and invest in nutrition and early childhood development programs.

(ii) The alliance urges governments, development partners, civil society, foundations and the private sector to make early childhood development a global and national development priority, so as to provide children access to quality services that improve their health, nutrition, learning ability and emotional well-being.

(iii) Studies reveal that one out of four children under five years (159 million) are stunted due to poor nutrition. The numbers much higher in parts of Africa and South Asia. Nearly half of all 3 to 6 year olds (especially 80% kids in Sub-Saharan Africa) lack access to pre-primary schooling.

9. India exceeds solar energy target for 2015-16 by 150%

(i) India has surpassed its solar energy target for 2015-16 by a huge margin of 150%, commissioning 3018 MW against 2000 MW target it set for itself.

(ii) As per the Renewable Energy Ministry's latest figures, at the end of 2015-16, India's aggregate solar capacity is 6753.38 MW, up from 3743.97 MW a year ago.

 (iii) Tamil Nadu led the pack in capacity at 887.19 MW, followed by Andhra Pradesh (433.24 MW) and Telangana (351.56 MW).

(iv) Rajasthan, which has the best solar radiation among all other states, remains No. 1 as regards overall installed capacity at 1264.35 MW, while Gujarat, the earliest to start a solar programme, holds the second place with 1105.15 MW.

(v) The total target for 2016-17 is much higher at 17,000 MW, which means that over 10,000MW will have be added this year.

10. 13th Islamic Summit Conference concludes  

(i) The 13th Islamic Summit Conference recently concluded in Istanbul, Turkey with over 20 Muslim leaders pledging to a trailblazing deal to tackle terrorism.

(ii) The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which organised the summit witnessed participation of leaders from across 57 of its member states.

(iii) Leaders have agreed to a series of deals, including condemning Lebanon's Shiite group Hezbollah for propagating terrorism and for undermining national security of several countries.

(iv) The ten-year plan also included changing the "rising wave" of Islamophobia. It also proposes to establish an Istanbul-based police cooperation and coordination centre called the 'Islamic Interpol' to tackle terror and other crimes.

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[mahalakshmi.s]

Current Affairs Update: Pulitzer Prize 2016 winners declared

The Pulitzer Prizes, which are in their centennial year, have been announced for this year. The Associated Press has won the coveted award for public service for its coverage of the condition of trafficked migrants and slaves from Myanmar and the "severe labour abuses" in the Southeast Asian seafood trade.

The AP's series of stories on the issue resulted in the release of 2000 slaves in 2015, punishment of the perpetrators and reforms being effected in the US as well as other regions.

Note: The Pulitzer Prize, administered by the Columbia University, is an award that recognises achievements in print and online journalism, literature, theatre and music in the US. It was established in 1917 as per provisions in the will of Hungarian-born American Joseph Pulitzer, who was a newspaper publisher. 

Following is the complete list of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize winners:

a. Public Service - Associated Press

b. Breaking News Reporting - Los Angeles Times staff (For coverage of the San Bernardino shooting and the subsequent terror investigation.)

c. Investigative Reporting - Leonora LaPeter Anton and Anthony Cormier of the Tampa Bay Times and Michael Braga of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune (For stellar collaborative reporting by two news organisations that exposed increasing violence and neglect in Florida mental hospitals.)

d. Local Reporting - Michael LaForgia, Cara Fitzpatrick and Lisa Gartner of the Tampa Bay Times (For exposing a local school board's culpability in turning some county schools into failure factories, with tragic consequences for the community.)

e. National Reporting - The Washington Post staff (For revelatory initiative in creating and using a national database to elucidate how often and why the police shoot to kill and who the victims are most likely to be.)

f. International Reporting - Alissa J. Rubin of The New York Times (For thorough and stirring accounts of Afghan women who were forced to endure unspeakable cruelties.)

g. Feature Writing - Kathryn Schulz of The New Yorker (For excellent environmental reporting of the rupturing of the Cascadia fault line.)

h. Commentary - Farah Stockman of The Boston Globe (For extensive columns that examine the legacy of busing in Boston and its effect on education in the city with a clear focus on the ongoing racial contradictions.)

i. Criticism - Emily Nussbaum of The New Yorker (For television reviews written with an affection that never blunts the shrewdness of her analysis or the easy authority of her writing.)

j. Editorial Writing - John Hackworth of Sun Newspapers, Charlotte Harbor, FL (For fierce, indignant editorials that demanded truth and change after the deadly assault of an inmate by corrections officers.)

k. Editorial Cartooning - Jack Ohman of The Sacramento Bee (For cartoons that convey wry, rueful perspectives through a sophisticated style that combines bold line work with subtle colours and textures.)

l. Breaking News Photography - Mauricio Lima, Sergey Ponomarev, Tyler Hicks and Daniel Etter of The New York Times (For photographs that captured the resolve of refugees, the perils of their journeys and the struggle of host countries to take them in.) and photography staff of Thomson Reuters (For gripping photographs that follow migrant refugees hundreds of miles across uncertain boundaries to unknown destinations.)

m. Feature Photography - Jessica Rinaldi of The Boston Globe (For the raw and revealing photographic story of a boy who strives to find his footing after those he trusted abused him.)

Literature, drama and music:

Fiction - The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Grove Press)

Drama - Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda

History - Custer's Trials: A Life on the Frontier of a New America by T.J. Stiles (Alfred A. Knopf)

Biography - Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan (Penguin Press)

Poetry - Ozone Journal by Peter Balakian (University of Chicago Press)

Non-fiction - Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick (Doubleday)

Music - In for a Penny, In for a Pound by Henry Threadgill (Pi Recordings).

l

[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - April 20, Wednesday

1. Frank Schloeder appointed as acting President of BMW India

(i) Luxury car maker BMW has named Frank Schloeder as acting President of BMW Group India. The outgoing president Philipp von Sahr will head BMW Niederlassung in Berlin, Germany.

(ii) Schloeder, who is at present the director of marketing at BMW India, began his career with the luxury car maker in France in 1997. In his new role, he is expected to face tough competition from rivals like Mercedes which has witnessed double digit growth figures in the last few quarters.

(iii) He completed International Studies in Business Administration from University of Munster, Germany and Montpellier Business School, France.

2. Obama nominates Indian-American Geeta Pasi as US' next envoy to Chad

(i) US President Barack Obama has nominated Indian-American Foreign Service officer Geeta Pasi as US' next envoy to Chad.

(ii) A career member of the Foreign Service, Pasi served as the US Ambassador to Djibouti from 2011 to 2014. Presently, she is the Director of the Office of Career Development and Assignments in the Bureau of Human Resources at the Department of State.

(iii) Since joining the Foreign Service in 1988, she has served in countries like Cameroon, Ghana, India and Romania.

(iv) She was also the Director of the Office of East African Affairs from 2009 to 2011, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Dhaka, from 2006 to 2009, and Deputy Principal Officer at the US Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany from 2003 to 2006.

3. Five-time Emmy winning actress Doris Roberts passes away

(i) Legendary actress Doris Roberts has passed away at the age of 90 due to natural causes.

(ii) Having donned the hat of stage, film and television actress, the five-time Emmy award winning actress was known for her role as Marie, the mother of Ray Romano in the long-running TV series, "Everyone Loves Raymond".

(iii) She was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2011 and a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003.

4. RBL Bank launches dedicated branch for start-ups

(i) RBL Bank has opened its first dedicated branch for start-ups in Bengaluru and is set to open more such branches to offer an array of banking services specific to their needs.

(ii) The branch will aid budding businesspersons in establishing new ventures and provide services like foreign exchange, remittances and cash management. Other value added services like registration, legal and tax formalities will also be made available through its affiliates and partners.

(iii) To attract start-ups, the bank aims to make the most of Application Program Interface banking, electronic payments and receivables, prepaid card-based solutions and escrow services.

5. Costa Rican midfielder is Mumbai FC's new head coach

(i) Costa Rican midfielder Alexandre Henrique Borges Guimaraes has been roped in the as the head coach of Mumbai FC for season 3 of the Indian Super League.

(ii) As the head coach of the Costa Rica National Squad, Guimaraes lead them past the qualifying stages of the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups.

(iii) He also coached Deportivo Saprissa, a Costa Rican club, and won three national tournaments with them. Besides, Guimaraes has also trained several international teams, such as Comunicaciones of Guatemala, Irapuato and Dorados de Sinaloa in Mexico and won victories with teams like Al Wasl in UAE & Tiajin Teda in China.

6. FIH promotes India's Durga Thakur to international outdoor umpire

(i) The International Hockey Federation has promoted India's Durga Thakur to the post of international outdoor umpire in the wake of her performance at the recently-concluded Hawke's Bay Cup in Hastings, New Zealand.

(ii) She started her career as an umpire from the third Hockey India Sub-Junior Men & Women National Championship (Finals) in Bhopal in 2013. The double six-Nation Cup in Breda, Netherlands in 2015 was her first international assignment.

(iii) A physical education teacher, she has represented her state Himachal Pradesh in the National Championships across three sports, namely handball, basketball and hockey.

7. Hindi Sevi Samman awards presented

(i) President Pranab Mukherjee recently presented the Hindi Sevi Samman awards to 39 scholars across seven different categories for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014.

(ii) Among those honoured was Chinese professor Ge Fuping, who was given George Grierson prize for his remarkable works done for the propagation of Hindi abroad.

(iii) Besides him, Alka Dunputh (from Mauritius) and Shichiro Soma (from Japan) were also given the George Grierson award by the President.

8. Serena, Djokovic win big at 2016 Laureus World Sports Awards

(i) American tennis ace Serena Williams and Serbian player Novak Djokovik have been named Sportswoman and Sportsman of the Year respectively at the 2016 Laureus World Sports Awards. Both the players entered the finals of the four Grand Slams, winning three of them.

(ii) Brazil's Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias was declared Disabled Sportsperson of the Year after winning seven golds at the IPC Swimming World Championships.

(iii) This award has been annually being give since 2000 to athletes who show remarkable achievements in their chosen field of sport.

Other awardees are as follows:

i. Team of the Year: New Zealand, who won the Rugby World Cup

ii. Comeback of the Year: Rugby player Dan Carter, who helped the All Blacks become champions after missing the 2011 final because of injury

iii. Breakthrough of the Year: US golfer Jordan Spieth, who won the Masters and US Open

iv. Action Sportsperson of the Year: German triathlete Jan Frodeno, who became World Ironman champion

v. Athlete of the Year: Argentina and Barcelona footballer Lionel Messi

vi. Lifetime Achievement Award: Three-time Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda

vii. Spirit of Sport Award: Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff

9. PHDCCI, PHFI signs pact for skill development in health sector

(i) The PHD Centre of Commerce and Industry has signed pact with the Public Health Foundation of India to kick start a joint programme to organise skill development workshops for healthcare professionals.

(ii) Training workshops for industry, government and MNCs will be conducted across India based on public health issues, especially non-communicable diseases.

(iii) The healthcare sector grapples with staff shortage due to which most people are overworked. The skill development workshops thus endeavour to make the workforce more competent.

10. India signs MoU with Mauritius for collaboration in traditional medicine and homeopathy

(i) India and Mauritius have signed a pact for cooperation in the field of medicine and homeopathy.

(ii) The MoU envisions exchange of experts, traditional medicinal substances, collaborative R&D and recognition of the traditional systems of health and medicine in the two nations. It also aims to promote the diverse Indian traditional systems which fall under Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH).

(iii) The Ministry of AYUSH has entered into similar MoUs with China, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Hungary, Bangladesh and Nepal.

11. Indian firms focussing more on digital investments in IT & marketing: Survey

(i) PricewaterhouseCoopers' 7th Digital IQ Survey has revealed that Indian firms are focussing more digital investments in IT & marketing vis-à-vis their global counterparts, but relative less investments on customer experience and operations.

(ii) Conducted among 1,988 companies across the world, and 100 firms from India, the survey states that  36% of Indian companies are focussing digital investments on marketing versus 27% globally, while 37% Indian companies are focusing on IT as against 32% globally.

(iii) However, the global average outlay on customer experience is higher at 12% as against 7% in India.

(iv) Further, companies globally are using a technology-driven approach to adopt digital technologies rather than a business-driven approach. This is mainly true for the US where 18% of digital adoption is driven through business vis-a-vis 66% through technology. However, Indian firms are giving equal importance to technology (43%) and business (42%).

12. Women representation on company boards increases in India: Study

(i) A study conducted by Singapore-based advisory firm Korn Ferry and the National University of Singapore Business School's Centre for Governance Institution and Organisation (CGIO) reveals that women representation in boards of Indian companies has increased from 7.3% in 2013 to 8.6% in 2014. It is projected to be 12% for 2015.

(ii) Titled "Building Diversity in Asia Pacific Boardrooms", the study stated that three countries in the Asia Pacific region, viz. Australia, India and Malaysia, exhibited considerable change in increasing women representation on boards across companies.

(iii) India's corporate boards without women decreased from 44% in 2013 to 29% in 2014. The highest number of female board members were in the Telecommunication Services at 17.5%, followed by 11.6% in IT and 9.6% in Financials. At 4.9%, the lowest was in Industrials.

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[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - April 21, 2016, Thursday

1. World Bank releases World Development Indicators 2016

(i) The World Bank Group has released this year's World Development Indicators, which provides in-depth cross-country comparable statistics based on various parameters.

(ii) WDI includes 1400 indicators for over 200 economies. This year's WDIs help measure the 169 targets of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

(iii) Some of the most striking trends that have emerged this year include - reduction in undernourishment globally, but high rates in low income countries. Though undernourishment has been halved globally since 1990, over 25% of the population in low-income countries still can't meet their dietary energy requirements.

(iv) Secondly, although birth and death records are crucial for delivery of government programs and services, in Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than half of the children's births were recorded in 2011.

(v) While some regions have increased forest coverage, Latin America and the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa lost 97 and 83 million hectares respectively since 1990.

(vi) Since the 1980s there has been an extraordinary rise in aquaculture - fish, shellfish, and seaweed farming. 

(vii) WDI 2016 includes estimates of global and national extreme poverty rates at the international poverty line of $1.90 a day per person.

(viii) This year's WDI does not distinguish between 'developed' and 'developing' countries as the distinction is deemed irrelevant with the SDGs focussing on the world. Classification of a group of countries (eg. East Asia) is based on geographical coverage rather than a sub-set of countries that were previously referred to as developing.

2. NRI Kartar Lalvani's new book delves into imperialism in India

(i) NRI Kartar Lalvani, who is a philanthropist, private scholar and historian has published a book titled 'The Making of India: The Untold Story of British Enterprise' which reveals "many positive aspects" of the colonial rule that have remained unknown till now.

(ii) Born in Karachi in 1931, Lalvani studied pharmacy in Chelsea, before pursuing a doctorate degree with distinction at the University of Bonn.

(iii) He has stated that the book details "how this great British enterprise and its contributions in the 19th and 20th centuries helped to create a unified India, out of multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and divided regions of the vast Indian-subcontinent."

3. Snooker legend Steve Davis retires

(i) After an illustrious 38-year-old career, legendary snooker player Steve Davis has announced his retirement.

(ii) He started playing professionally in 1978 and has till date won a record 81 titles and 28 titles in the major events which is surpassed by Scottish player Stephen Hendry who won 36 major titles.

(iii) He holds the credit of having won the Betfred World Championship six times within a decade, first in 1981 and the last in 1989.

(iv) Among other honours, he also won the Sports Personality of the Year in 1988.

4. India ranks 133rd in World Press Freedom Index 2016

(i) As per the World Press Freedom Index 2016 released by the NGO Reporters Without Borders, India ranks 133rd among 180 countries in terms of press freedom.

(ii) The NGO condemned PM Narendra Modi's indifference to "threats and problems" faced by Indian journalists and bloggers who are "attacked and anathematised by various religious groups that are quick to take offence".

(iii) Finland, the Netherlands and Norway figured in the top 3 positions, and Africa as a region surpassed the Americas in this respect.

(iv) Pakistan was ranked 147th and China 176th. The three lowest-ranked countries were Syria, North Korea and Eritrea.

5. IR shows high capital spending of Rs.94,000 crore in FY15

(i) The Indian Railways (IR) has presented a record high capital expenditure of Rs.94,000 crore in 2015-16, an increase of Rs.37,000 crore vis-à-vis 2014-15.

(ii) For the 2016-17 fiscal IR has set a target of Rs.1.5 lakh crore capital expenditure. PM Modi is likely to have promised an enhanced Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) of up to Rs.60,000 crore, provided IR continues its good performance.

6. Justice PK Mishra appointed as Goa Lokayukta

(i) The Goa government appointed Justice PK Mishra as the Lokayukta of the UT to replace Justice (retd) Sudarshan Reddy, who resigned within seven months of his appointment as the UT's Lokayukta.

(ii) Mishra is a former Chief Justice of Patna High Court, who had until recently served as the chairman of Goa State Human Rights Commission.

7. Irfan Ahmed suspended for flouting Anti-Corruption Code

(i) The International Cricket Council has suspended Hong Kong all-rounder Irfan Ahmed for two-and-a-half years as he admitted to breach of the Anti-Corruption Code.

(ii) He was charged with offences under the Code and temporarily suspended by the ICC on November 4, 2015. This followed an investigation carried out by the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit.

(iii) Though he was not charged with any offence involving corruption, the ACU proved beyond doubt that he failed to approach the ACU about invitations to be a part of corrupt activities that has been made to him between January 2012 and January 2014.

(iv) Ahmed's period of ineligibility will take effect from the date of his provisional suspension and will therefore expire on 4 May 2018.

8. Rahul Johri appointed as BCCI's first CEO

(i) In a bid to create an impression as a professional institution, the BCCI on has appointed Rahul Johri as its first CEO. He will take charge of the position from June 1.

(ii) Johri was the Asia Pacific's executive vice-president and general manager for South Asia with Discovery Networks where he had been working for 15 years.

(iii) The appointment is being viewed as the result of the SC-appointed RM Lodha Committee's recommendations to bring about administrative reforms in the sport.

(iv) However, it is yet to be seen if Johri will be given enough independence to carry out his duties. This is because he will report to the BCCI secretary who is entrusted with all the executive powers.

9. StanChart MD Saurabh Agarwal joins Aditya Birla Group

(i) Saurabh Agarwal, MD and Regional Head of Corporate Finance, Standard Chartered Bank is set to join the Aditya Birla Group as Chief Strategy Officer.

(ii) Agarwal has helped the Birla Group to seal many deals, including restructuring cement business, and acquisition of UltraTech Cement Ltd.

(iii) Further, Dev Bhattacharya, presently executive president of corporate strategy and business development, will take up charge solar, online fashion and new initiatives.

10. Indian domain name complaints rise 60% in 2015: WIPO study

(i) As per a recent study by World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), India registered 59 domain name complaint cases in 2015, which is nearly a 60% rise.

(ii) While US heads the list of complaints at 847, German luxury fashion firm Hugo Boss is first among list of global companies which filed the highest number of cybersquatting cases in 2015.

(iii) Also, fashion emerged as the sector with high activity as regards domain name complaints.

(iv) Indian firms including Bharti Airtel, Voltas, Tata Sons, Wipro, Aircel and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation are among those who filed cybersquatting complaints in 2015.

(v) Note: Cybersquatting is registering, selling or utilising a domain name with the aim of gaining from the reputation of some other brand or trademark.

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[bharath_007 (bharath classy)]

How many of you know that Brazil is now sugar bowl of world?

[mechamit.nits]

CIVIL SERVICE DAY .

[bharath_007 (bharath classy)]

HAPPY EARTH DAY

[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - April 22 and 23, 2016, Friday and Saturday

1. Pranab Mukherjee nominates 6 dignitaries to RS

(i) President has approved nominations of six renowned personalities to Rajya Sabha. These include economist Narendra Jadhav, Olympic medallist Mary Kom, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, Malayalam actor Suresh Gopi, former MP and cricket commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu and journalist Swapan Dasgupta.

(ii) Members with "special knowledge or practical experience in literature, science, art and social service" are nominated to the Upper House on the recommendation of the government.

(iii) Though independent, the nominated members can vote along with the government, which is set to strengthen the government's power in Rajya Sabha.

2. M&M becomes first company to join EP100 campaign

(i) Mahindra & Mahindra has become the first Indian company to sign up for the EP100 campaign led by international non-profit organisation 'The Climate Group'.

(ii) As per the campaign goals, by 2030, M&M aims to double its energy productivity, which is a core requirement for businesses joining the campaign. The auto giant's Chairman Anand Mahindra represented India Inc. at the signing ceremony of the Paris climate change agreement at the UN.

 (iii) EP100 aims to help businesses achieve and implement bold climate targets, said The Climate Group's India Executive Director Krishnan Pallassana.

3. Raghuram Rajan, Sania Mirza among TIME's 100 Most Influential People

(i) TIME magazine has released the 2016 list of the "100 Most Influential People". Names of prominent achievers have been included under tags like Pioneer, Titans, Artists, Leaders and Icons.

(ii) RBI Governor Dr Raghuram G Rajan has made it to the list for being "India's prescient banker' and steering the country through the global crisis.

(iii)  Among others, Tennis champ Sania Mirza, actress Priyanka Chopra, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and founders of Flipkart Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal have also been named in the list.

(iv) The annual list also features leaders like IMF head Christine Lagarde and Gen. Lori Robinson, who was selected as the head of the US military's Northern Command and icons like Oscar-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who are "exploring the frontiers of art, science, society, technology and more."

4. Rock & pop artiste Prince passes away at 57

(i) Prince Rogers Nelson, known as Prince, passed away on April 21 at the age of 57. Known for his phenomenal musical talent that spanned across genres.

(ii) Known as the master of genres like rock, pop, R&B and funk, among others, Prince paved the way for an avant-garde pop music, inspiring artists like Madonna, Bruno Mars and Pharrell.

(iii) His unselective approach to music was exemplified by his 1984 song "Purple Rain." Some of his unforgettable his are "1999," "Let's Go Crazy," and "Kiss", among others.

(iv) He sold over 100 million records during a career spanning over 40 years. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, he won seven Grammy Awards and an Academy Award for original song score for the 1984 film "Purple Rain."

5. Harriet Tubman first Afro-American to feature on $20 note

(i) Anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman will be the first African-American to be featured on a $20 bill and the first woman in over a century. She will replace former President Andrew Jackson on the currency note.

(ii) US Treasury Department said that Tubman, who was born into slavery in the early 1820s and helped hundreds of slaves to escape, would be featured at the centre of the bill, while Jackson, a slave owner, would move to the back.

(iii) Further, in what is being seen as the historically symbolic makeover of the American currency, it was announced that the new $10 bill will feature an image of the historic march for suffrage and honour leaders of the suffrage movement, like Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul.

(iv) The front of the new $5 note will maintain the portrait of Alexander Hamilton.

6. ISRO scientists develop world's lightest material called silica aerogel

(i) In a first, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists have developed world's lightest material called silica aerogel, also known as "frozen smoke" or "blue air".

(ii) The material, scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSCC) in Thiruvananthapuram assert, has excellent thermal resistance and can be used as a filler in soldiers' uniforms, thereby helping save many lives at the Siachen glacier. It can also be used in foot insoles and for window glazing.
(iii) The matrix of aerogel is made up of 99% air and it is likely to be used on India's moon rover in Chandryaan-2 mission. 

(iv) Though its advantages are aplenty, the flipside is that the material is still very fragile. Scientists are thus trying out ways to toughen up the material.

7. India among 174 countries to sign Paris climate change agreement

(i) The Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has signed the historic Paris climate agreement along with other 174 nations at a ceremony hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York.

(ii) It is yet another significant step that brings together developing and developed nations to combat glob al warming. The agreement has set the record for the most countries to sign an international agreement on one day.

(iii) The agreement will be effective 30 days after at least 55 Parties to the UNFCCC ratify it.

(iv) India has reiterated its plans to quadruple renewable power capacity to 175 gigawatts by 2022 as part of the government's plan to supply electricity to every household.

(v) India also aims to add 100 gigawatts of photovoltaic capacity, 60 gigawatts of wind power, 10 gigawatts of biomass and five gigawatts of hydro projects.

8. IMF, OECD, UN and the World Bank form 'Platform for Collaboration on Tax'

(i) The world's major multilateral organisations including the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), United Nations and the World Bank Group have joined hands to set up a 'Platform for Collaboration on Tax'.

(ii) The move comes in the aftermath of the Panama Papers expose, which involved 11.5 million leaked documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. It made public the offshore banking activities of many heads of State, politicians, celebrities and other public figures.

(iii) The Platform's first duty will be to deliver several 'toolkits' created to help emerging countries implement measures developed under the G20/OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project and other international tax issues. While one toolkit on tax incentives has been delivered, the remaining will be delivered by March 2018.

(iv) It aims to help governments across the world address tax challenges. As taxation plays an important role in realising the Sustainable Development Goals, the Platform also aims to better frame technical advice to developing countries as they seek both more capacity support and greater influence in designing international rules.

9. Europe is world's first region to eradicate malaria: WHO

(i) As zero cases were reported in 2015, Europe has become the first region in the world to eradicate malaria, the WHO said.

(ii) From 90,712 in 1995, the number of locally transmitted cases dropped to zero last year. WHO said that strong political commitment, high detection and surveillance of malaria cases, mosquito control, cross-border collaboration have led to this milestone.

(iii) A country which has zero locally acquired malaria cases for at least three consecutive years is eligible for WHO's certification of malaria elimination. Europe has been given the distinction based on the present scenario and the likelihood that it will continue for the next two years.

(iv) In total, there were 438,000 malaria deaths in 2015, most of them children under five with the vast majority in Africa.

10. International Mother Earth Day observed

(i) The International Mother Earth Day observed in April 22 and it coincided with the signing of the historic Paris climate change agreement.

(ii) Earth Day was first celebrated in the United States in 1970 and is organised by the Earth Day Network. However, the General Assembly added the prefix Mother to this day as the planet is referred in many countries as Mother Earth.

(iii) This year's theme 'Trees for the Earth' urges people to take efforts to increase the tree count in their areas as trees help to combat climate change, counteract loss of habitats of species and also help communities and their livelihoods.

11. Comedienne Victoria Wood dies

(i) Well-known British comedienne Victoria Wood recently passed away at the age of 62 after a short battle with cancer.

(ii) She carved a niche for herself as one of the UK's most popular comedians in the 1980s. Her major break was when she wrote, produced and starred in Dinner Ladies in 1998, a BBC sitcom about staff working in a fictional factory canteen in Manchester. The series won several awards including Best New TV Comedy at the 1999 British Comedy Awards.

(iii) Recognised as a stalwart of British comedy, the five-time BAFTA award-winning artiste was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2008.

12. Idriss Deby becomes President of Chad for fifth time

(i) Earning 61.6% of the votes polled during the presidential elections, Idriss Deby has won his fifth term as President of Chad. Opposition leader Saleh Kebzaho bagged only 12.8% of the votes polled.

(ii) Chad's economy has been affected by the steep fall in international oil prices and a weakening of regional security due to chaos in Libya to the north and the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency in Nigeria to the south. An ex-army commander, Deby came to power in 1990 and over the years has taken key steps to marshal regional armies to fight militant groups.

(iii) The Central African nation is the headquarters for the five-nation regional force formed to fight Boko Haram in Nigeria. It is also the base for France's military operations in Africa.

13. WADA suspends accreditation of Beijing's anti-doping laboratory

(i) The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has suspended the accreditation the National Anti-Doping Laboratory in Beijing, prohibiting the agency from conducting WADA-related testing.

(ii) The four-month suspension is effective immediately, although the laboratory has 21 days to appeal the decision in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

(iii) If the Beijing laboratory satisfies the Disciplinary Committee in meeting these requirements, the laboratory may apply for reinstatement prior to the expiry of the four-month suspension period," WADA said.

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[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - April 24 and 25, 2016, Sunday and Monday

1. Japan's X-2 stealth jet completes test flight

(i) Japan has successfully completed the test flight of its first radar-evading aircraft, a stealth jet called the X-2.

(ii) The X-2 integrates an airframe, engines, and other high-tech systems and equipment that are adaptable to future fighters.

(iii) In most radar-evading stealth technology, surfaces of planes are designed to absorb radar signals or to deflect radar signals -- making the aircraft nearly invisible to electronics. Exterior surfaces are treated with special coatings to make the planes even less detectable by devices.

(iv) However, the development of a stealth fighter jet will add to the Asian nation's already complicated security environment as it may lead to tensions in the Korean peninsula and territorial disputes in the sea lanes running south from northern Asia.

2. Centre modifies SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act

(i) The Union government has modified the provision of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in order to ensure speedy justice to victims of atrocities.

(ii) Some of the salient modifications made stipulate the following: Completion of investigation and filing of charge sheet in the court within 60 days.

(iii) For the first time, there is provision of relief for rape and gang rape. Further, the amendments delinks requirement of medical examination for getting relief amount for non-invasive kind of offences against women like sexual harassment, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of women.

(iv) Provision of admissible relief in cash or in kind or both within seven days to the victims of atrocity, their family members and dependents.

3. Garcia-Mladenovic win Porsche Tennis Grand Prix

(i) French pair Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic defeated Indo-Swiss duo Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis 6-2, 1-6, 6-10 to win the win Porsche Tennis Grand Prix at Stuttgart, Germany.

(ii) The French duo hit 25 winners vis-a-vis the 16 by Mirza and Hingis.

(iii) Meanwhile, German ace Angelique Kerber won her second consecutive Porsche Teniis Grand Prix title with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over qualifier Laura Siegemund. This is her ninth career title.

4. Rafael Nadal wins Barcelona Open; equals record of 49 clay court titles

(i) Tennis ace Rafael Nadal has won the Barcelona Open for the ninth time by defeating two-time defending champion Kei Nishikori 6-4, 7-5. The Spaniard also equalled Guillermo Vilas' men's tennis record of 49 career clay-court titles.

(ii) The 14-time Grand Slam winner recently bagged the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters title.

(iii) Meanwhile, Bob and Mike Bryan won the tournament's doubles title for the third time in Barcelona defeating Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas and the Spaniard Marcel Granollers 7-5, 7-5. This is their second title in 2016, after they won the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston, Texas.

5. Russia win gold at World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship

(i) Russian pair Anastasia Bryzgalova and Alexander Krushelnitskiy bagged gold at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship by defeating China's Wang Rui and Ba Dexin 7-5.

(ii) The US clinched a 9-7 win over Scotland and took home bronze medals.

6. Mairaj Ahmed Khan bags India's first skeet medal at ISSF World Cup

(i) India's Mairaj Ahmad Khan won the silver medal in the men's skeet event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun), which ended at the Olympic Shooting Centre.

(ii) He lost to Sweden's Marcus Svennson 2-1 in the shoot-off tiebreaker in the gold medal match after both were tied on 14 targets after the regulation 16 shots. Tamarro Casandro of Italy won the bronze.

(iii) China topped the medal count with a total of two gold, two silver and three bronze medals. The Russian Federation finished second in the competition, winning two golds, two silvers and a bronze. Ukraine took the third place with two golds and a bronze.

7. Wrestler Sandeep Tomar secures Olympic quota

(i) Wrestler Sandeep Tomar secured a quota in the Rio Olympics by winning a bronze medal in the men's freestyle 57kg category at the World Qualifying Tournament.

(ii) He defeated Ukraine's Andriy Yatsenko 11-0 in the play-offs to become the fourth Indian wrestler to save a quota in the Olympics.

(iii) London Olympics bronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt (men's 65kg freestyle), Narsingh Pancham Yadav (men's 74kg freestyle) and Hardeep Singh (Greco-Roman 98kg) have earlier clinched Olympic quotas for the Rio Games, which will be held from August 5-21.

8. Govt. institutes panel to plan for doubling farmer incomes

(i) The Centre has formed a panel to suggest ways to double farmer incomes by 2022.

(ii) Headed by Ashok Dalwai, additional secretary at the agriculture ministry, the inter-ministerial committee is tasked with drawing specific plans to change farm policies from being production-oriented to be based on incomes or value addition.

(iii) It has to identify segments with larger potential for growth. The guideline for the committee would be to diversify risks in farming and devise ways through which integrated farming-foodgrains, horticulture and allied activities like livestock and fisheries-can increase farm incomes.

(iv) The panel also comprises experts from the Delhi-based National Council of Applied Economic Research and National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research.

9. World Book and Copyright Day observed

(i) World Book and Copyright Day was observed on April 23. It is a symbolic date for world literature as on this date in 1616 Cervantes, Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died.

(ii) UNESCO created this day to honour authors on this date, encouraging people, especially youngsters, to experience the pleasures of reading and develop respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.

(iii) The city of Wroclaw, Poland has been chosen in this year as the World Book Capital for its commitment to spreading the message of the power of books to nurture creativity and advance dialogue between women and men of all cultures.

10. Clement Mouamba named PM of Congo

(i) Congo's President Denis Sassou Nguesso has named former finance minister Clement Mouamba as prime minister of the nation, bringing a one-time opposition leader into the government.

(ii) The appointment has been made a month after Sassou Nguesso was elected President for a five-year term. Nguesso led Congo between 1979 and 1992 and returned to power after a civil war in 1997.

(iii) Mouamba was a senior member of the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS) but was ousted from the opposition party for participating in consultations that preceded a referendum in October 2015 on changing the constitution to allow Sassou Nguesso to serve a third term.

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[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - April 26, 2016, Monday

1. Sahapedia - India's first online portal on cultural heritage launched

(i) Sahapedia, which is India's first online portal providing information on the nation's diverse cultural heritage, has been launched.

(ii) It aims to educate citizens about the varied traditions, visual and performing arts, literature and languages of India. The free-to-access portal is a strong step towards the digitisation and research on art and culture and their significance in present times.

2. North America witnesses Pink Moon

(i) North Americans recently witnessed the full Pink Moon. The natural satellite of the Earth did not actually sport a pinkish hue, but had the same colour and was smaller than the usual.

(ii) That is because the name Pink Moon has little do with its colour and much to do with the timing. The Algonquin tribes native to the New England and Lake Superior regions coined the term Pink Moon as they have a tradition of naming every full moon after colours.

(iii) Since April's moon coincided with the flowering of the pink-petaled wild ground phlox plant (also known as herb moss pink), the tribes gave it the name 'Pink Moon'.

(iv) The full moon was prominent for another reason: April is when the moon's orbit carries it the farthest away from Earth. Hence, it looked a little smaller than usual.

3. Indo- Mongolia joint military exercise commences

(i) The 11th Indo-Mongolia joint training exercise-Nomadic Elephant - 2016-has commenced at Mongolia to promote military collaboration between the two countries.

(ii) The exercise will end on May 8th, 2016. It aims to enhance synergy and interoperability between the two armies to fight in counter insurgency and counter terrorism environment under the UN mandate.

(iii) A platoon of the Kumaon Regiment of the Indian Army along with a team of two observers will participate in the event. From the Mongolian Armed Forces, a total of 60 personnel will take part in the exercise.

4. World Intellectual Property Day observed on April 26

(i) The World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated on April 26 to increase our understanding of the role intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) have in promoting creativity.

(ii) In 2000, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) designated 26 April as the annual World Intellectual Property Day to bridge the perceived gap between IP as a legal concept and its relevance to people's lives.

(ii) This year the theme is Digital Creativity: Culture Reimagined; it explores the future of culture in the digital age: how we create access and finance it.

5. Former Thailand PM Banharn Silpa-archa passes away

(i) Former PM of Thailand Banharn Silpa-archa, who served 16 months as Thailand's prime minister in 1995-96, has passed away at age 83.

(ii) Known for gaining support of select group of citizens by promising projects for their benefit, Silpa-archa made his home province of Suphanburi, one of the nation's most developed regions.

(iii) His reign, however, was rife with corruption and maladministration and shortly after Thailand suffered an economic collapse.

(iv) He was also known as the eel for he could easily form coalitions, like the tenuous grouping of small parties that briefly ensured his power as prime minister.

6. India to host 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships for the first time

(i) India will host the 2018 Commonwealth Judo Championships in Jaipur, besides organising the Asian Cadet and Asian Junior Judo Championships in September 2016 in Kerala.

(ii) This will be the first time that Commonwealth Judo Championships will be held in India. While that is two years away, the 10th Asian Cadet Judo Championships & 17th Asian Juniors Judo Championships will be held here from September 6th to 12th at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kadvanthaa, Kerala.

7. Jeje Lalpekhlua named FPAI Player of the Year

(i) Indian striker Jeje Lalpekhlua was declared winner of the 'Indian Player of the Year' award by the Football Players Association of India (FPAI) at its annual awards function.

(ii) With three goals in five matches, he played a crucial role in India winning the SAFF Championships in January 2016 after having won the Indian Super League (ISL) title with Chennaiyin FC where he scored six goals.

(iii) The 25-year-old player from Mizoram, who got his international break in 2012 and came through the junior ranks, received the highest number of votes from fellow professional footballers, beating the challenge from the shortlist of India captain Sunil Chhetri, Bikash Jairu, David Lalrinmuana and Dhanachandra Singh, to win the prestigious award.

(iv) He was also the winner of the FPAI's Junior Indian Footballer of the Year award in 2011, AIFF Emerging Player of the Year award in 2013 and the 2015 Indian Super League Emerging Player of the League award.

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[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - April 27 and 28, 2016, Wednesday and Thursday

1. Riyad Mahrez first African footballer to hold Player of the Year title              

(i) Associated with English club Leicester City, footballer Riyad Mahrez is the first-ever African to bag the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award.

(ii) This season Mahrez played admirably well to take his team to the top of the league, scoring 17 goals and making 11 assists in 34 games.

(iii) Besides Mahrez, Sunderland striker Beth Mead won 'Women's Young Player of the Year' and Dele Alli of MK Dons was named 'Young Player of the Year'.

2. LS passes Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016

(i) The Lok Sabha has passed the Regional Centre for Biotechnology Bill, 2016 which seeks to establish a regional centre for biotechnology that will undertake research and impart training in the upcoming areas of biotechnology in order to create a hub of technology expertise.

(ii) As per the Bill, a regional centre for biotechnology, an institution of education, training and research, are to be established under the aegis of UNESCO in the National Capital Region.

(iii) This is a significant move considering India's advancement in biotechnology and the immense potential the sector holds. Some of India's noteworthy achievements in this field include the affordable indigenous rotavirus vaccine that will help save lives of millions of poor children; inexpensive diagnostic technologies and affordable generic drugs to treat diseases like Celiac, HIV, Dengue, Hepatitis C; drought and disease-resistant crops that help in improving agricultural productivity, etc.

3. Naval Detachment inaugurated in Lakshadweep

(i) A Naval Detachment (NAVDET) was recently inaugurated at Androth Island of Lakshadweep to extend India's naval presence to the island and provide communication network connectivity with mainland.

(ii) The detachment will also help to enable Sea Lanes of Communication (SLOC) monitoring and function as an Observance and reporting organisation, besides radar surveillance.

(iii) Vice Admiral Girish Luthra has stated that the new Detachment will improve the Indian Navy's reach and surveillance, and play a crucial role in strengthening maritime security and stability.

4. Shyam Benegal committee submits report on Censor Board

(i) The panel headed by film-maker Shayam Benegal has submitted its report with suggestions for the holistic revamp of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). The panel also includes actor-filmmaker Kamal Hassan, filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, ad guru Piyush Pandey and film journalist Bhawana Somayaa, among others.

(ii) Some of the recommendations of the panel are: Two more categories of U/A be added; one plus 12 years of age and one plus 15 years of age and two categories of adult-normal adult and adult with caution.

(iii) The CBFC can refuse certification if a film contains content that breaches the provisions of Section 5B (1) of the Cinematograph Act, 1952.

(iv) The CBFC can refuse certification "content in a film crosses the ceiling laid down in the highest category of certification".

5. World Day for Safety and Health at Work observed

(i) The World Day for Safety and Health at Work was observed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on April 28 on the theme 'Workplace Stress: a collective challenge".

(ii) This day was designated in 2003 to promote occupational safety, health and decent work.

(iii) As per data, annually around two million men and women lose their lives through accidents and diseases linked to their work. Further, there are 270 million occupational accidents.

6. Gopal Subramanian appointed amicus curiae for execution of Lodha panel recommendations

(i) The Supreme Court has slammed the BCCI for running a "prohibitory regime" and appointed senior advocate Gopal Subramanian as amicus curiae for implementation of RM Lodha panel's recommendations.

(ii) The court observed that young players wanting to achieve big in cricket do not get opportunities if they are not in line with the BCCI.

(iii) The Lodha panel's report suggests large-scale structural reforms. The judicial bench chaired by Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justice FMI Kalifulla thus stated that the policy of one-state-one-vote, similar to ICC's one-country-one-vote system, should work for India as well. More so because it will bring in equality in cricket.

7. Cartoonist V T Thomas passes away

(i) V T Thomas a.k.a Cartoonist Toms, who was known for his renowned characters Boban and Molly, has passed away at age 86.

(ii) Malayala Manorama carried the cartoons for nearly four decades. The themes of the comic strip, which varied from childish pranks to contemporary social and political satire, told the story of Boban and Molly, who hailed from a middle class Christian family in Central Travancore. Their parents Pothen and Mariya, Appi Hippy, Kunchukurup, panchayat president Ettunnan and his Chettathi were also some of Thomas' his characters.

8. Delhi National Museum of Natural History gutted

(i) A massive fire damaged many parts of Delhi's celebrated National Museum of Natural History.

(ii) The fire services took over four hours to douse the flames, and though no casualties were reported, many valuable specimen of animals, insects and birds and hundreds of books may have been damaged.

(iii) Established in 1972, the National Museum of Natural History in New Delhi is one of two museums focusing on nature in India. It functions under the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

9. ICC suspends Cricket Association of Nepal

(i) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) owing to excessive government interference.

(ii) ICC stated that CAN has flouted Article 2.9 of the ICC's Articles of Association, which prohibits government interference and requires free and fair elections.

(iii) The suspension means that CAN will not receive ICC funding for events or other purposes.  However, the ICC has declared that Nepal cricket teams would participate in ICC events.

(iv) Note: Nepal cricket has been facing crisis after the National Sports Council formed an ad-hoc committee to run the CAN in December 2015.

10. Badminton player Nandu Natekar inducted into CCI's Legends Club

(i) For the first time, a non-cricketer has been inducted into the Cricket Council of India's (CCI) Legends Club.

(ii) With him, renowned cricketer Kapil Dev has also been made part of the club. (iii) The Club celebrates the birthdays of Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. From now on, birthdays of the two new inductees will also be marked.

11. IIT scholar Ashok Kumar wins International Plant Nutrition Scholar Award

(i) Ashok Kumar, a research scholar from IIT-Kharagpur, has won the coveted International Plant Nutrition Scholar Award.

(ii) Given by the US-based International Plant Nutrition Institute, the award carries a certificate and cash prize of $2000.

(iii) Associated with the department of agriculture and food engineering, Kumar has been pursuing his PhD on nutrition management of rice-chickpea production system in laterite soil. The study will help use of organic fertiliser in the right quantity and timing to rice crop so that yield of rice-chickpea cropping system rises by 10%.

12. Parliamentary panel suggests fine, imprisonment for celebrities of deceptive ads

(i) A recent Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Consumer Protection Bill, 2015 has recommended measures to reform advertising practices in India.

(ii) Headed by Telugu Desam Party MP J C Divakar Reddy, the committee suggested several changes in its latest report. Some of the salient recommendations are:

-Accord legal powers for the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to curb misleading ads.

-Impose severe penalties, including jail term and revoking of license for those involved in food adulteration.

- Strengthen Department of Consumer Affairs to make laws regulating e-commerce, direct selling and multi-level marketing where consumer complaints are increasing.

- For first-time offence, the offender may be penalised with either a fine of Rs.10 lakh or imprisonment up to two years or both. For second offence, the panel recommends a fine of Rs.50 lakh and imprisonment of five years. Punishment and fine will increase proportionately for subsequent offences.

- Hold celebrities responsible for deceptive advertisements by imposing stringent action like jail term up to five years and penalty up to Rs.50 lakh.

13. Chinese labour camp activist Harry Wu dies

(i) Harry Wu, prominent Chinese labour camp and human rights activist has passed away at the age of 79.

(ii) He founded the Laogai Research Organisation, which creates awareness about China's "laogai" or forced labor detention centers, which proliferated under revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. He also established the Laogai Museum in Washington, which gives voice to those subjected to the system.

(iii) In the 1950s, when expression of intellectual opinion was stifled, Wu was tagged a counter-revolutionary and sentenced to life in prison. He later lived in exile.

(iv) In 1994, he became the first recipient of the Martin Ennals Award - known as the Nobel Prize for human rights, and continued to protest against other human rights violations, including China's forced organ harvesting and population control measures.

14. Two-time Olympic winner Felix Sanchez retires

(i) Two-time Olympic 400-meter hurdles gold medalist champion Felix Sanchez has retired from the sport. He will not participate at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

(ii) Sanchez made his first Olympic team in 2000 and won his first gold in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and second at the 2012 Summer Games in London. He also bagged two gold medals in the 2001 and 2003 world championships.

(iii) With a personal best score of 47.25, he is the eighth best runner of all-time. Between 2001 and 2004, he won 43 consecutive races and has run 48 races under 48.50.

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[maniza.siddique]

Current Affairs update: National Hydrology Project

Over the years, natural calamities like flood and famine have dealt a crushing blow to the Indian economy. While the recent floods in Chennai caused unprecedented loss of life and property, the 2013 Uttarakhand flash floods had resulted in damage across Uttar Pradesh, NCR, and Nepal, among others regions.

In this article, we have discussed the highlights of National Hydrology Project, its components, objectives and the benefits it promises to give India.

http://www.pagalguy.com/articles/national-hydrology-project-to-assess-indias-water-resources-4251925...

[maniza.siddique]

Current Affairs Update: Nuclear Security Summit 2016

The 4th National Nuclear Summit 2016, which was organised by the Nuclear Energy Institute, concluded on April 1, 2016 in Washington DC, US. Leaders from 52 countries converged in the city to finalise measures to secure nuclear facilities and begin to reduce nuclear stocks.

In this article, we have discussed the history of NSS, its significance and objectives, its outcomes and India's contribution in it.

http://www.pagalguy.com/articles/nuclear-security-summit-2016-first-step-towards-the-future-42579390

[maniza.siddique]

Current Affairs Update: The Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015

Introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2015 by Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill, 2015, replaces the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986. 

The Rajya Sabha has approved amendments to the Bureau of Indian Standards Bill in order to improve the quality of goods and services produced in India.

In this article, we have discussed the history of ISB, its objectives and salient features:

http://www.pagalguy.com/articles/the-bureau-of-indian-standards-bill-2015-42761626

[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - April 29 and 30, Friday and Saturday

1. Experian India launches fraud detecting credit scoring mechanism

(i) Global information services company Experian India has launched the 'Hunter Fraud Score', a scoring mechanism that measures the probability of fraud in a credit application across banking and insurance industries.

(ii) The score, with its advanced analytical approach, will help businesses identify credit applications that should be thoroughly vetted for potential fraud.

(iii) Experian is enhancing fraud detection practices in India by running the Experian Fraud Bureau - a closed user group (CUG) of industry members, who share fraud data and in return obtain expedient fraud detection services from Experian. The CUG comprises 47 banks and 15 life insurance companies.

(iv) Experian had also launched the Hunter Fraud Management Services for life insurance companies in March 2016.

2. New Zealand wins Bank Note of the Year award

(i) New Zealand's $5 note has won the 2015 Bank Note of the Year award, which is presented by the International Bank Note Society (IBNS), a group of currency enthusiasts.

(ii) The note, printed in Canada, is in orange-brown colour with mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary on the front and a penguin on the back. Besides reflecting New Zealand's culture, it has advanced security features.

3. Ban Ki-moon appoints Indian to UN University Council

(i) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed an Indian academician Radha Kumar to the UN University Council among 11 other members.

(ii) Kumar, Director General of Delhi-based think tank Delhi Policy Group, specialises in ethnic conflicts, peacemaking and peace-building. Along with the other appointees, she will work toward achieving a geographic and gender balance, with due regard for major academic, scientific, educational and cultural trends, as well as each member's field of expertise.

(iii) A former Director of the Mandela Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at Jamia Millia Islamia University, Kumar has also been a Senior Fellow in Peace and Conflict Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Delhi.

(iv) The main function of the Council is to devise policies of the University, govern its operations, and vet and approve its biennial budget and work programmes.

4. India to provide $1 bn Line of Credit to Mongolia

(i) PM Modi has announced that India will provide $1 billion line of credit to Mongolia.

(ii) The amount will be used to develop institutions, infrastructure and human resources.

(iii) The announcement comes amid Modi's visit to the nation, where he signed 14 agreements to bolster bilateral ties between the two nations. He is the first Indian PM to visit Mongolia.

5. Kishalay Bhattacharjee's book Blood on My Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters 

(i) Investigative journalist and senior fellow at Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses has released his book titled Blood on My Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounters.

(ii) The book deals with staged encounters in the north-east, which is one of the forms of institutionalised human rights abuse.

(iii) The author presents an anonymous account of an army officer, whose confessions reveal how defence honours are based on body count and the debilitating effect staged encounters have on the Indian democracy.

6. Kane Williamson to captain New Zealand cricket team

(i) Kane Williamson has succeeded Brendon McCullum as the captain of New Zealand team for all three formats of cricket.

(ii) He will become New Zealand's 29th Test captain when Mike Hesson's side tour Zimbabwe and South Africa in July-August.

(iii) After four years as skipper, McCullum retired in February 2016 following the Test series against Australia. During his captaincy, the team made it to their first World Cup final and emerged more competitive in the longer format of the game.

7. Day of Remembrance for Chemical Warfare Victims observed

(i) April 29 is observed as the Day of Remembrance for Chemical Warfare Victims. This year the UN urged nations to contemplate the "terrible toll" of chemical weapons and take efforts to achieve the milestone of a world free from the threat of such weapons.

(ii) April 29, 1997 was when the Chemical Weapons Convention entered into force.

8. Trinidad's Iraq Thomas scores fastest T20 century

(i) Iraq Thomas, a 23-year-old from Trinidad, scored a century in 21 balls, thereby surpassing West Indian batsman Chris Gayle's record of a century in 30 balls.

(ii) Thomas achieved the record-breaking score in a T20 match organised by Tobago Cricket Association. In an earlier match organised by the Association, he made 131 runs in just 31 balls, playing for Scarborough/Mason Hall United.

(iii) Note: Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum holds the record for the fastest Test century as scored a hundred runs off 54 balls against Australia earlier this year. South Africa's AB de Villiers holds the record for the quickest century in ODIs-he took 31 balls to score a century against the West Indies in 2015.

8. China develops world's first graphene electronic paper

(i) China has developed the world's first graphene electronic paper. The material has been developed by Guangzhou OED Technologies in partnership with a company in Chongqing Province.

 (ii) Graphene is the world's strongest and lightest known material; a single layer of graphene is only 0.335 nanometers thick, and it can conduct heat and electricity.

(iii) The material can used to make hard or flexible graphene displays, in electronic products like e-readers and wearable smart devices.

(iv) Compared with traditional e-papers, graphene e-paper is more bendable, energy-efficient and has more intensity. Due to its high-light transmitting capability, optical displays will be much brighter.

(v) Further, graphene is derived from carbon, as a result of which production costs will be much lower than for traditional e-papers, which use the rare, expensive metal indium.

9. India's investments into UK more than doubled in 2015 - Report

(i) A recent report states that Indian investments in UK increased 65% in 2015, making it the third-largest source of FDI in UK after the US and France.

(ii) The report is titled 'India meets Britain 2016: Tracking the UK's top Indian companies' published by UK-based Grant Thornton and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The combined turnover of Indian businesses rose from £22 billion in 2014 to £26 billion in 2015.

(iii) As per the report, most companies with high growth rates operate in fast-growth sectors like technology, telecom, pharmaceuticals, and financial services.

(iv) Another report revealed that the number of Indian companies in the UK has almost doubled from 36 to 62 firms in a year. The top five Indian firms in the UK are: Bharti Airtel, HCL Technologies, Emcure Pharma, Apollo Tyres, Wockhardt.

10. N K Singh to be honoured with Japan's national award

(i) Bureaucrat-turned-politician N K Singh is set to be honoured with Japan's second-highest national award for his contribution in improving Indo-Japan economic ties over the past few years.

(ii) The award- Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star - will be conferred on Singh by Japanese PM Shnizo Abe.

(iii) Singh had served in Japan during the investment decision of Maruti-Suzuki and subsequent forays of the Japanese automobile companies into India. As one of India's top bureaucrats, he handled key portfolios like Expenditure and Revenue Secretary, Member of the Planning Commission, etc.

11. Idea Mobile Commerce & Aditya Birla Idea Payments to merge

(i) Idea Mobile Commerce Services is set to merge with Aditya Birla Idea Payments Bank Ltd., a new entity in which Aditya Birla Nuvo Limited (a promoter of Idea) holds 51 per cent equity.

(ii) IMCSL presently manages digital wallet Idea Money and ABIPBL will shortly receive RBI licence for the payments bank.

12. Indian healthcare IT market is worth $1 bn: Nasscom

(i) As per a Nasscom report, the Indian healthcare IT market is worth $1 billion (around Rs.6,650 crore) and is expected to grow about 1.5 times by 2020.

(ii) The IT industry body's report stated that the healthcare software market created revenues of $96.8 million in 2014 and may well achieve a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% over the next five years.

(iii) On the other hand, the international health tech market is likely to grow at a CAGR of 6% to $25 billion by 2020 from $17.36 billion in 2014.

 (iv) One of the major reasons for increased technology adoption is the privatisation of the sector due to which patient-driven care, mobile apps, tech products like wearables and wellness-related solutions are doing well and will grow faster in the coming years.

(v) Also, the number of health start-ups (around 60% of total companies) have increased over the years, thereby attracting funding to the tune of $100 million since 2014.

13. More than 72 crore benefitted by Food Security Act: Centre

(i) The government has stated that more than 72.45 crore people across 33 states and UTs have been benefitted under the National Food Security Act (NFSA).

(ii) The remaining three states, namely Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Nagaland are in advanced stage of preparation for NFSA implementation.

(iii) This is a huge leap from only 11 states and UTs, which started implementation of NFSA by March 2014.

(iv) The Consumer Affairs Ministry has also stated that total storage capacity with Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies has been increased to 814.84 lakh metric tonnes (LMT).

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