Current Affairs!

[maniza.siddique]

1. 'Dhan wapsi' Income Declaration Scheme to be implemented from June

a) The Union government has announced that its 'Dhan Wapsi Income Declaration Scheme' for disclosing information on domestic black money would start from June 1.

b) Individuals willing to declare their black money will have to pay tax and a penalty, totalling 45% to come clean.

c) The scheme was launched in 2015 and the government has collected about Rs. 2,428 crore in taxes after around 644 declarations were made under the one-time black money compliance window for those who had black money stashed abroad.

d) The amnesty scheme will be valid for four months from June 1 to September 30, 2016. Payments toward taxes, surcharge and penalty will have to be made by November 30.

2. India Post goes geotags post offices on geoportal Bhuvan

a) India Post has gone high-tech and geotagged over 1.5 lakh post offices on the indigenous geoportal Bhuvan, which has been developed by ISRO. Over 1.39 lakh post offices are in rural areas.

b) These tags will facilitate fast searches and not only help people get to the nearest post office but also know about services and timings.

c) ISRO developed Bhuvan to provide visualisation services and earth observation data to users in public domain.

3. BHEL wins Rs 1,600-cr contract to set up 250-mw thermal power plant

a) Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited has bagged a contract to set up a coal-based 250-mw thermal power plant at Rourkela Power Project in Odisha.

b) The contract has been signed between BHEL and NTPC-SAIL power company, a joint venture between NTPC and Steel Authority of India.

c) Previously, BHEL had executed the coal-based 2x250 mw Bhillai expansion power plant for the company.

5. India inks nuclear deal with Bangladesh

a) India and Bangladesh recently signed a nuclear agreement, the focus areas of which are of high importance in the 21st century- energy, connectivity, security.

b) The nuclear deal will equip and train Bangladesh to import their first nuclear power plant from Russia.

c) In March 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sheikh Hasina inaugurated a 100 mw power transmission line from Palatana to Bangladesh. India is currently working on upgrading this power transmission line to 500 mw.

7. South Korean author Han Kang wins 2016 Man Booker International Prize

a) South Korean author Han Kang has bagged the 2016 Man Booker International Prize for his book 'The Vegetarian'.

b) The book was translated by British translator Deborah Smith. The writer and her translator will split the award's £50,000 prize money.

c) Kang, 45, currently teaches creative writing at the Seoul Institute of the Arts. She has won the Yi Sang Literary Prize, Today's Young Artist Award, and the Korean Literature Novel Award.

8. Sudha Singh breaks 3,000m steeplechase national record

a) Indian athlete Sudha Singh has created history by breaking the national record in women's 3,000m steeplechase event in the Diamond League Meet in Shanghai.

b) She clocked a 9-minute 26.55 seconds to better the previous national record. Singh is already qualified for the upcoming Rio Olympics.

c) The 2015 World Championships gold-medallist Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi of Kenya won in a personal best timing of 9:07.42

9. FC Barcelona wins La Liga Champions Parade 2016

a) Barcelona FC has retained the Spanish league title La Liga with 0-3 score against Granada. Luis Suarez from Barcelona FC scored a hattrick.

b) They finished the tournament with 91 points in total. It is Barcelona FC's fifth straight win and eighth league title in 12 seasons.

c) Real Madrid finished second with a 2-0 win over Deportivo.

10. US launches Phase II of EPAA missile defence system in Romania

a) The US has launched Phase II of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) missile defence system in Romania.

b) It has been set up as a part of the USA-Romanian Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement which was signed in 2011.

c) The system is equipped to counter threats from short and medium-range missiles with the use of SM-3 missile interceptors.

d) While it will be built and maintained by the US, it will be jointly operated by the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).

e) It is the first land-based defensive missile launcher in Europe and will join other elements of the NATO defensive shield located in Germany, Turkey and Spain.

11. Government launches ePACE, INFRACON and upscaled INAM PRO

a) Union Minister of road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari recently launched three initiatives to foster best practices in engineering and construction of roads.

b) He has launched ePACE, INFRACON and an updated version of INAPPRO with the aim of the making the road-building process faster, more transparent and efficient.

c) ePACE: ePACE (Projects Appraisal & Continuing Enhances) is an online integrated Management Information System that brings projects from all wings of the Ministry under a common platform, ensuring their effective and real-time tracking. The portal currently tracks detailed information about over 2,000 projects being executed by multiple agencies. This information can be freely accessed by anybody.

d) INFRACON: It is a national portal for Infrastructure Consultancy Firms and Key Personnel. It will work as a bridge between consultancy firms working in the road engineering and construction sector and domain experts and key personnel who are deployed both for project preparation and supervision.

e) INAMPRO: It is a web-based application for infrastructure and material providers. It provides a common platform to the material providers and the prospective buyers.

12. Justice Deepak Gupta sworn-in as Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh HC

a) Justice Deepak Gupta has taken oath as the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court.

b) He started practising law since 1980 in Himachal HC. In October 2004, he was elevated as the judge of Himachal Pradesh HC. He had served twice as Acting Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh HC. In March 2013, he was transferred as the first Chief Justice of Tripura HC.

13. India, US hold first maritime security dialogue

a) The first round of talks under the maritime security dialogue between India & US was held in New Delhi to deepen strategic partnership in the maritime domain.

b) Both countries discussed issues like Asia-Pacific maritime challenges, naval cooperation, and multilateral engagement. A bilateral Maritime Security Dialogue co-chaired by officials at the Joint Secretary/Assistant Secretary-level of the Indian Ministries of Defence and External Affairs and the U.S. Departments of Defence and State will also be launched.

c) During this dialogue, a "white shipping" technical arrangement to improve data sharing on commercial shipping traffic and Navy-to-Navy discussions on submarine safety and anti-submarine warfare was also agreed upon.

d) The maritime dialogue between India & US is important due to recent claims by China to the disputed islands in the region and Beijing's consolidation of in the South China Sea.

14. Women archers Deepika, Bombayla, Laxmirani named for 2016 Rio Olympics

a) A 3-membered Indian women's archery team comprising Deepika Kumari, Bombayla Devi and Laxmirani Majhi was recently named for 2016 Rio Olympics.

b) The Archery Association of India (AAI) has selected them after rigorous six stages of selection trials and training over three and half months.

c) A 3-membered men's archery team comprising Jayanta Talukdar, Atanu Das and Mangal Singh Champia has been selected by AAI for the third stage World Cup in Antalya, Turkey. The team has to prove their worth in World Cup in Turkey to secure a berth in Olympics.

15. World Bank approves $625 mn for India's Rooftop Solar Program

a) The World Bank's Board has approved $625 million loan to support India's grid-connected rooftop solar programme to generate clean energy.

b) The board has also approved a co-financing loan of $120 million along with a $5 million grant from Climate Investment Fund's (CIF) Clean Technology Fund.

c) The project will finance the installation of at least 400 MW of Grid-Connected Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic (GRPV) in India. These solar PV installations will provide renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by displacing thermal generation.

d) The project also aims to bolster the capacity of key institutions and back the development of overall PV market.

16. Justice Tinlianthang Vaiphei sworn in as acting Chief Justice of Tripura High Court

a) Justice Tinlianthang Vaiphei of Gauhati High Court has been sworn as the Chief Justice of Tripura HC. He will be succeeding Justice Deepak Gupta, who has taken the oath as the Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh HC.

b) Justice Vaiphei is the seniormost puisne judge of the Gauhati High Court.

c) Vaiphei was appointed as an Additional Judge in the Gauhati High Court in July 2003. He was elevated as the Chief Justice (Acting) in October 2015.

17. 2016 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day observed

a) The 2016 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) was observed on May 17, 2016. The theme for this year's programme is 'ICT Entrepreneurship for Social Impact.

b) World Telecommunication Day has been annually celebrated since 1969. It was instituted by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Malaga-Torremolinos in 1973.

c) It marks the anniversary of the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention and the creation of the International Telecommunication Union.

[newsbytes-app]

News Bytes of the Day 18th May 2016

NewsBytes App launched the first news bot of India for FB messenger

NewsBytes App announced the launch of cross-platform and personalized news bot "NewsBytes App Bot" on Facebook Messenger. The bot is part of Facebook's Messenger program revealed at F8, and it will help readers get the news they want in a more conversational way.

Tim Cook's India visit: Apple to set up startup accelerator in Bangalore

Apple has launched an ambitious plan to tap into India's startup ecosystem with the iPhone maker announcing plans to set up what it calls a "design and development" startup accelerator in India's Silicon Valley, Bengaluru , at a time when the company is doubling down on India.

Apple CEO Tim Cook , who landed in India late on Tuesday night, said that the new accelerator facility would help iOS developers create innovative apps for the company's customers globally

Draft National Policy: Reproductive rights for women, paid childcare leave for men (Politics)

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday released the ministry's draft National Policy on Women 2016 in New Delhi.

Attempting to tackle more deeply-rooted forms of patriarchy, the policy suggests that childcare, dependant care and paid leave facilities should be made available to both men and women

The 24-page draft policy also recommends greater emphasis on collecting national-level data on gender differences in the economic, political and social spheres. It touches upon subjects such as improving women's access to legal aid, housing and shelter, drinking water and sanitation, public infrastructure and sports

[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

Daily Current Affairs - 18th May, Wednesday

1. Govt launches Swachh Office drive across India

a) The government has launched a 15-day Swachh Office drive In order to improve cleanliness across government offices.

b) The Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu directed senior-level officials to ensure sanitation and hygiene.

c) Swachh Office manual was also issued giving suggestions regarding standard office procedures to all the Union and state ministries to ensure sanitation.

d)  Norms suggested in the manual include ensuring water supply at 45 litres per head per day, one toilet for every 25 persons, urinals to be provided based on employee strength, removal of stains every week, checking electrical fittings twice a week, acid cleaning and scrubbing of toilets daily, schedule of inspections, etc.

2. RBI asks assessees to settle I-T dues in advance; allows 29 banks to accept payments

a) The Reserve Bank of India has appealed to income tax assessees to pay dues in advance of the due date and to use alternate channels of authorised banks.

b) The central bank has made this announcement noting the heavy rush in the end of March for remitting the I-T dues, which makes it difficult for the RBI to cope with the burden of issuing receipts despite having additional counters.

c) To tackle the problem, 29 agency banks have been authorised to accept payments of I-T dues. These include-SBI and its five associate banks, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis, Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, and Indian Overseas Bank, among others.

3. NASA launches super pressure balloon to conduct near-space scientific investigations

a) NASA has successfully launched a super pressure balloon from New Zealand's South Island Wanaka airport in order to conduct near-space scientific investigations.

b) The 532,000 cubic metres balloon is likely to remain airborne for over a 100 days.

c) The balloon will circumnavigate once every one to three weeks about the southern hemisphere's mid-latitudes depending on the wind speeds in the stratosphere.

d) The balloon will be visible from the ground and have an operational float altitude of 33.5 km. Experts at NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility and NASA's Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, will control balloon flight operations throughout the mission.

4. China launches Yaogan-30 remote sensing satellite

a) China's Yaogan-30 remote sensing satellite was recently sent into space from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gobi desert in north-western China. It was carried by a Long March-2D rocket. This is the 227th mission for the Long March rocket family.

b) The satellite was built by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). It is part of the second generation of the Yaogan series inaugurated in 2008. The first Yaogan satellite was launched in 2006.

c) It has two deployable solar arrays along with batteries. It employs CAST-2000 platform which has a dry mass of about one metric ton.

d) Its applications include land surveys, crop yield estimates, experiments and disaster relief purposes.

5. British royals launch "Heads Together" campaign to change views on mental health

a) On 16th May, Prince William, Princess Kate and Prince Harry launched "The Heads Together" campaign to transform the national narrative on mental health and well-being.

b) The campaign will be executed by the Royal Foundation in collaboration with eight charities that have decades of experience in tackling stigma and raising awareness.

c) Prince William will target young men at risk of suicide and Kate will focus on childhood mental health. Prince Harry will focus on military members and veterans and help them cope with their mental health challenges.

6. Pfizer to buy Anacor Pharma in $5.2 bn deal

a) Pfizer is set to acquire Anacor Pharma in a $5.2 billion deal to add the latter's topical eczema gel (crisaborole) to its portfolio. This acquisition will give Pfizer access to the non-steroidal gel crisaborole, which is currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration.

b) As per Pfizer's estimates, crisaborole had the potential to touch or exceed peak sales of $2 billion.

7. NTPC forms joint venture with Coal India

a) Mining giant Coal India Ltd. (CIL) and power producer National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd. NTPC have forged a joint venture to help Fertilizer Corp. of India Ltd. in its revival.

b) The JV will enable establishment of production facilities for the most common fertilizer, urea, at FCIL units in Sindri in Bihar & Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

c) NTPC & CIL will have equal equity in this JV.

8. UNICEF, EU launch #EmergencyLessons campaign on education in crisis zones

a) #EmergencyLessons campaign was recently announced by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union (EU). This public awareness campaign aims to emphasise the importance of education for children in crisis zones.

b) The campaign targets people 25 years old and younger across Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia and the United Kingdom. It aims to inspire them to raise their voices on behalf of children whose education is at stake due to the crisis. Real life experiences and stories of children from countries like Guinea, Iraq, Nepal and Ukraine, among others will be shared on social media platforms for the next seven months.

c) Celebrities like Samantha Cristoforetti, Italian European Space Agency astronaut; Bostjan Nachbar, Slovenian basketball player; Kriszta D. Toth, Hungarian news presenter and media personality; and Jaro Bekr, Slovakian dancer are lending their support to this campaign.

9. Discoverer of Neptune's rings dies

a) French astrophysicist, Andre Brahic, who was credited with the discovery of planet Neptune's rings, recently passed away at the age of 73.

b) His expertise in the solar system along with the American astronomer William Hubbard led to the discovery of the gaseous planet's rings in 1984.

c) He worked as an astrophysicist at the Commission for Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies (CEA) and was a professor at the University of Paris.

d) In 1990, an asteroid number 3488 was named Brahic in his honour.

10. World Hypertension Day observed

a) World Hypertension Day was observed on 17th May. The theme this year was "Know Your Numbers" as the goal is to increase awareness about high blood pressure (BP) within populations around the world.

b) This day was initiated by the World Hypertension League (WHL), an umbrella organisation of 85 such hypertension-related organisations and leagues in the world.

c) The WHL launched the first WHD on May 14, 2005. Since 2006, May 17 has been observed as WHD.

11. NK Singh committee formed to review and give recommendations on FRBM roadmap

a) Finance Ministry has formed a five-membered committee to suggest a roadmap for fiscal consolidation by 31 October. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has announced the formation of a panel to amend Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) act.

b) Former revenue and expenditure secretary N K Singh will head the committee, which will have former finance secretary Sumit Bose, chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian, RBI deputy governor Urjit Patel and National Institute of Public Finance and Policy director Rathin Roy, as members.

c) The committee will examine the need and viability of aligning fiscal expansion or contraction with credit contraction or expansion, respectively, in the economy. It will also study the need and feasibility of having a 'fiscal deficit range' by replacing the current fixed portion of GDP as a fiscal deficit target.

d) The panel will also review the working of the FRBM Act over the last 12 years and suggest changes for its implementation in the coming years.

e) As of now, the Finance Ministry has decided to follow its fiscal consolidation roadmap and set the fiscal deficit target for 2016-17 at 3.5% as against 3.9% in the previous year.

12. US law firm BakerHostetler hires world's first robot lawyer ROSS

a) A US-based law firm 'BakerHostetler' has hired the world's first artificial intelligence lawyer to assist the firm in legal research.

b) This robot is known as 'ROSS' and it is built with IBM's cognitive computer known as Watson.

c) ROSS will help lawyers to read through the law, gather evidence, draw inferences and provide highly relevant evidence-based answers using Watson's cognitive computing and language processing capabilities.

d) ROSS was built by a company named ROSS Intelligence at the University of Toronto in 2014.

13. Australian researchers build world's first scanning helium microscope

a) Australian researcher, Paul Dastoor has successfully built the world's first Scanning Helium microscope (SHeM) after 20 years of effort.

b) This microscope could pave the way for many discoveries by enabling scientists to study human, animal and plant samples as well as computer chips and pharmaceutical formulations without changing or damaging them.

c) Light microscopes analyse samples with the help of light which can damage the sample whereas, with the SHeM, the samples will be viewed in their real state for the first time.

14. Government unveils National Draft Policy for Women 2016

a) The National Draft Policy for Woman 2016 was recently unveiled for comments by the Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi.

b) This policy will replace the National Policy for Empowerment of Women, 2001 and provide a comprehensive action plan to tackle the women issues for next 15-20 years.

c) This policy aims at creating a society based on gender equality where women can attain their full potential and have equal participation rights in all the spheres.

d) The policy also exemplifies the need for an effective framework for further creation of policies and programmes for the development of women.

e) The policy emphasises the need to cater to emergency issues like making cyberspace safe for women, redistribution of gender roles for reducing unpaid care work, review of personal and customary laws in accordance with the Constitutional provisions, etc.

f) The policy seeks to review criminalisation of marital rape within the framework of women's human rights, etc.

g) It focuses on priority areas like health including food security and nutrition, education, economy, governance & decision-making, violence against women, enabling environment and environment and climate change.

[newsbytes-app]

News Bytes of the Day -: 18th May 2016

PM Modi to visit Iran 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Iran on 22-23 May, on a two-day trip that is expected to boost bilateral energy and trade ties 

Main Accused of Godhra train burning Farroq Bhana arrested by Gujarat ATS 

The Godhra train burning is perceived to be the trigger for the violence that followed in which nearly 1000 Muslims were killed while Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat.

Zika virus may spread to Europe : WHO

The infectious disease linked to severe birth defects in babies may spread into areas where Aedes mosquitoes thrive, in particular on the island of Madeira and the north-eastern coast of the Black Sea.

[newsbytes-app]

News Bytes of the Day 19th May 2016

Assembly Election Results

Jayalatita and Mamta Banerjee back in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively. BJP has won the Assam

An Egypt Air plane vanished on its way from Paris to Cario

An EgyptAir flight that vanished over the Mediterranean today was carrying 30 Egyptian and 15 French passengers, as well as a Briton and a Canadian, the airline said.

Orange Alert In North India

Govt has announced the orange alert in Delhi/NCR, Lucknow, Kanpur, which means temperature will be between 44 degree Celsius  to 47 degree Celsius  

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - Thursday 19th May, 2016 

1. UN-Habitat releases World Cities Report 2016

a) The UN-Habitat recently released a report titled 'World Cities Report 2016, Urbanization & Development: Emerging Futures', highlighting the need for a New Urban Agenda to unlock the transformative power of cities.

b) As per the report, 60% of global GDP is produced by top 600 cities containing 1/5th of the world population. In the last 30 years, from 1995 to 2015, the number of large cities and mega cities has doubled, with 79% of megacities located in Latin America, Asia & Africa.

c) Medium and small cities are the fastest growing urban centres that account for 59% of the world's urban population. Slum proliferation, income inequality, etc. are some of the major problems faced by these cities.

d) India is projected to add 300 million new urban residences by 2050. The report reiterates that these cities should be built in a climate-friendly way to cater to needs of the growing population and tackle other challenges. India also needs to build 100 smart cities to reduce pressure on urban infrastructure.

e) In order to deal with present problems faced due to rapid urbanisation, a New Urban Agenda shall be adopted at the upcoming UN conference Habitat III to be held in Quito, Ecuador in October 2016.

2. Govt. urges CMs of drought-hit states to draft weekly action plans

a) PM Modi along with the Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Radha Mohan Singh has asked CMs of drought-hit states to take weekly measures to manage drought. This includes periodical review of water shortage.

b) The plans should aim to deal with challenges like shortage of drinking water, construction of farm ponds, adoption of micro-irrigation projects and diversifying in order to start growing crops using less water.

c) The states should also focus on water conservation and security alongside rejuvenation of water bodies.

d) Drought-affected states: Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Telangana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

3. Indian women's relay team breaks national record at IAAF World Challenge

a) The Indian women's relay team has surpassed the 18-year-old national record to finish in the 4th position at the IAAF World Challenge.

b) The 4x100m women's relay team comprising Dutee Chand, Srabani Nanda, HM Jyoti and Merlin Joseph clocked 44.03s to finish the race.

c) They broke the national record of 44.43s created by the quartet -Saraswati Dey, Rachita Mistry, EB Shyla and PT Usha on July 22, 1998 in Fukuoka, Japan.

d) The Chinese team bagged the gold medal in this tournament.

4. Amritsar gets world's largest single rooftop solar plant

a) Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal recently the world's largest single rooftop solar power plant, claimed to be the biggest of its kind, at Amritsar's Beas town.

b) The plant has a capacity of 11.5 megawatt (MW) and stretches over 42 acres. Besides, the project extends to another 40 acres and includes seven other rooftop solar plants of 8 MW capacities on multiple rooftops thus, taking the total power generation to 19.5 megawatt across a single campus.

c) With an emphasis on green technology, it will generate nearly 150 lakh units annually and is likely to offset 19,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually. This eco-friendly solar project is estimated to generate power sufficient for approximately 8,000 homes.

5. Odisha govt. launches Green Passage Scheme

a) Odisha government has launched the Green Passage Scheme in order to provide orphans in the state access to free higher education.

b) As per the scheme, orphan students pursuing higher education from plus-II level to postgraduate level will no longer have to bear the education expenses.

c) They will be exempted from admission fees, tuition fees and laboratory fees for higher studies along with free hostel and food facilities.

d) CM Naveen Patnaik has directed all government, private, government-aided colleges and universities to ensure that orphan students are not charged in any form.

e) So far 16,382 orphan students have lodged in 272 institutions across the state.

6. India's Prithvi-II missile test fired successfully

a) India successfully test-fired the indigenously developed nuclear capable Prithvi-II missile. The short-range surface-to-surface missile was fired from a mobile launcher from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Odisha.

b) Introduced into India's armed forces in 2003, the nine-metre-tall, single-stage liquid-fuelled Prithvi-II is the first missile developed by DRDO under the prestigious Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.

c) With a strike range of 350 kilometers, Prithvi-II weighs 4600 kilogram and is capable of carrying 500 kg to 1000 kg of warheads and is thrusted by liquid propulsion twin engines. It uses advanced inertial guidance system with maneuvering trajectory to hit its target.

7. World's first Zika virus cDNA cloned

a) A multidisciplinary research team at the University of Texas Medical branch has genetically engineered the world's first Zika virus cDNA clone.

b) This discovery is expected to fasten research that will aid the development of vaccine against the virus.

c) Five fragments spanning the complete viral genome were individually cloned and assembled into the full-length clone of the Zika virus.

d) The team engineered a luciferase (responsible for signature glow in fireflies) reporter Zika virus which could be used to track Zika virus infection in mosquitoes and small animal models.

8. Indian-American Syamantak Payra wins Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award

a) Syamantak Payra, an Indian American teen has won the prestigious Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award for developing a low-cost, electronically-aided knee brace which will enable an individual with a weakened leg to walk more naturally.

b) He shared the prize amount of $50000 with Kathy Liu, who contributed toward developing an alternative battery component that could considerably improve battery performance and safety of the device.

c) The Intel Corporation and the Society for Science & the Public presented the award to winners at the 2016 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair held at Phoenix, in Arizona.

9. Trials conducted for Delhi Metro's new driverless trains

a) Delhi's Mukundpur witnessed a trial run of India's first driverless train. Designed to run on Unattended Train Operations (UTO) mode at the Mukundpur depot of the metro's of metro's upcoming Majlis Park - Shiv Vihar corridor.

b) The trial run started at the Mukundpur depot of Delhi Metro and ended at Majalis Park station on the Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar corridor of phase 3.

c) The driverless trains have been manufactured South Korea's Changwon city. In total, 14 such trains have were ferried to Delhi.

10. Barco appoints Rajiv Bhalla as MD for India

a) Barco, a global leader in visualisation technology, has appointed Rajiv Bhalla as MD for its Indian operations.

b) Rajiv, an industry veteran, holds a BE(Electronics) degree and MB. He has over 22 years of senior leadership experience in technology organisations like Thomson Consumer Electronics, Microsoft, NEC and Intel along with a deep understanding of the B2B and B2C markets.

c) He will be the legal representative to Barco India, fulfilling all legal and regulatory duties. Barco, a global technology company, designs and develops networked visualisation products for the entertainment, enterprise and healthcare markets.

11. IndiGo appoints Rohit Philip as its new CFO

a) Indian airline IndiGo has appointed Rohit Philip, former United Airlines' senior vice-president, as its chief financial officer (CFO). Philip will replace Pankaj Madan.

b) Philip earlier served as corporate vice-president and treasurer of Xerox Corporation. His appointment will be effective from July 18.

c) Philip holds an MBA degree from Cornell University and a mathematics graduate degree from St Xavier's College, University of Mumbai.

12. Nitin Prasad to headShell India

a) Shell India has confirmed Nitin Prasad as its new head, with his appointment effective from October 1st, 2016.

b) Prasad holds an electrical engineer degree from Georgia Institute of Technology, USA and a management graduate degree from INSEAD. He took up his current appointment as general manager in 2011. Shell Lubricants, in the third-largest lubricants market in the world.

c) He will replace Yasmine Hilton, who will end her assignment on September 30, 2016, after being associated with Shell for 37 years.

[newsbytes-app]

News Bytes of the Day 19th May 2016

Assembly Elections 2016 

Mamta banerjee and Jayalaitha has regained their positions in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively, BJP wins Assam by big margin, Congress collapsed in all 5 state  

Cyclone ROANU: Heavy Rainfall Predicted Across Odisha (India)

Heavy rainfall coupled with gusty surface wind is likely to pound some parts of Odisha as the deep depression over west-central Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm 'ROANU' today.

Sevilla win third straight Europa League title (Sports)

Sevilla achieved a remarkable hat-trick as it became the first club to win a third successive Europa League titles

The missing Egypt Air plane 

The EgyptAir Airbus A320 FLight MS804 was flying at 37,000ft (11,300m) when it went missing over the eastern Mediterranean sea.

Egyptian and Greek officials have stated that the missing EgyptAir MS804 flight has crashed into the Mediterranean Sea. 

[newsbytes-app]

News Bytes of the Day 20th May 2016

Cabinet Clears Special Order To Postpone Central Medical Exam NEET (Politics)

The government today cleared an ordinance, or an executive order, to defer the implementation of NEET or the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test - a common test for medical and dental courses - for state governments and their institutions.

Indian Naval Ships Rush Relief Material To Cyclone-Hit Sri Lanka(World)

India today sent two Naval ships with relief material to the cyclone-hit Sri Lanka.
INS Sutlej, a survey vessel, sailed for Colombo from Southern Naval Command in Kochi.

Google fights France over right to be forgotten(Business)

Google accused France of attempting to regulate global internet traffic, after French officials told Google to remove unwanted links from all countries and not just France 

North India boils, Mercury Crosses 50 Degrees In 2 Places (India)

Severe heat wave conditions continued to affect normal life in north India with mercury crossing 50 degrees Celsius

[omidichwalkar (Onkar Dichwalkar)]

Daily Current Affairs - 20th May, 2016

1. India, China home to one-third of mentally ill people: study

a) A new study by the Alliance of Global Burden of Disease has revealed that one-third of mentally ill people and people with substance abuse disorders are from India & China.

b) The study published in the The Lancet and The Lancet Psychiatry reveals that India accounts for 15% of the global burden of mentally ill population whereas China bears 17% of such population.

c) Three-fourth of this population resides in developing countries. In India, only 10% with mental disorders are estimated to receive evidence-based interventions. In China, the treatment-seeking rate is less than 6%.

d) In both the countries, less than 1% part of the national healthcare budget is allocated for mental health care. In the USA the figure is nearly 6%, while in Germany and France it is pegged at around 10%.

(e) The study is first in a series of three papers that mark the launch of the China-India Mental Health Alliance, a long-term project bringing together experts from China and India to take stock of the present condition of mental health services in both countries.

2. Ola signs MoU with Union Government to benefit Safai Karamcharis

a) Taxi-hailing app Ola has signed an MoU with the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) established under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

b) The MoU aims to build a sustainable framework by supporting entrepreneurship, skill development and self-defence courses for safai karamcharis of all levels.

c) It seeks to give them holistic benefits by enabling livelihood opportunities, especially for women beneficiaries identified by NSKFDC.

d) Ola will facilitate driver-partner micro-entrepreneurship opportunities on its platform for those who are identified and trained by NSKFDC.

3. Rehabilitation of Bonded Labourer Scheme - 2016 to be Made Central Sector Scheme

a) In a major revision, the rehabilitation of bonded labour scheme will be brought under the Central sector to increase financial assistance from Rs. 20,000/- to Rs.1 lakh.

b) Implementation of the revised rules will replace the Bonded Labour (Abolition) System Act 1976.

c) Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has stated that the scheme proposes to increase the Budgetary provision from ₹5 crore to about ₹47 crore.

d) Few highlights of the revision include: Extended cash assistance of Rs.2-3 lakhs rupees in cases of extreme deprivation, provision of 2 lakh rupees to the special category comprising females and minors.

e) It proposes a fund of Rs.3 lakhs for the disabled, female and children rescued from the trafficking, sexual exploitation and transgenders.

4. Moody's pegs India's growth rate at 7.5% in 2016 & 2017

a) Global rating agency, Moody's has forecasted that in 2016-17 India will witness a growth rate of 7.5% due to spike in private consumption .

b) The current low headline inflation is expected to continue further in 2016-17. India's GDP will show steady growth but private investment will remain weak.

c) India's economic growth is supported by high consumer spending which makes up 55% of aggregate demand. With the introduction of the Seventh Pay Commission, private spending will further increase.

d) The impact of weaker commodity prices is likely to dissipate as commodity prices stabilise.

5. SBI mulls acquisition of its associate banks, Bharatiya Mahila Bank

a) Edging closer to accomplish the consolidation agenda, State Bank of India (SBI) may merge its five associate banks and Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with itself to emerge as India's major banking institution, with assets worth Rs.37 lakh crore ($550 billion).

b) SBI chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya has stated that the merger will add immense value to the group; the cost of funds itself will come down considerably. However, the bank has clarified that the move is exploratory at this stage.

c) Five associate banks of SBI are: State Bank of Bikaner & Jaipur (SBBJ), State Bank of Hyderabad (SBH), State Bank of Mysore (SBM), State Bank of Patiala (SBP) and State Bank of Travancore (SBT). Bhartiya Mahila Bank, started in 2013, is a Delhi-based public sector bank.

6. PNB incurs worst losses in Indian banking history: RBI data

a) As per an asset quality review carried out by the RBI in 2015, Punjab National Bank (PNB) reported a loss of Rs.5,367 crore, the largest-ever loss reported by an Indian bank.

b) It is a result of inordinate rise in bad loans, which in turn increased provisioning. PNB's bad loans are now at 12.9%.

c) Bank of Baroda (BoB) reported two consecutive quarters of losses; in December 2015 quarter (a loss of Rs3,342 crore) and March 2016 (Rs3,230 crore). This is the second and third largest losses.

d) The fourth highest loss has been reported by IDBI Bank at Rs.2,183 crore. This is the fourth highest loss reported by any bank.

e) Lastly, in its March quarter results, Syndicate Bank also reported Rs2,158 crore loss - the fifth highest loss. The loss was a result of exceptional charge taken due to a fraud at its branches in Jaipur over the last four years.

7. BHEL commissions 250 MW thermal unit in Maharashtra

a) PSU Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has commissioned a 250 MW thermal unit in Maharashtra .

b) The unit has been commissioned at Parli Thermal Power Station ( TPS ), located in Beed district in Marathwada.

c) BHEL, a major partner in the state's power development programme, has commissioned 16,000 MW of power generation capacity here, its highest in any single state. The project is owned by Maharashtra State Power Generation Company. It is the eighth coal-based unit commissioned by BHEL at Parli TPS.

8. Tata Power bags 100 mw solar projects in Karnataka

a) Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd. recently won two projects of 50 megawatt capacity each in Karnataka under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission at a tariff of Rs.4.79 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

b) TPREL has received the Letter Of Intent (LoI) to develop the projects and will sign a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd.

c) Tata Power plans to generate 30 - 40% of the company's fuel total generation capacity using non fossil fuel sources by 2025.

9. Nomura exits mutual fund JV with LIC

a) Japanese financial firm Nomura has fully exited its mutual fund joint venture (JV) with state-owned insurer Life Insurance Corporation (LIC).

b) Thus, LIC Nomura Mutual Fund has been renamed LIC Mutual Fund.

c) earlier, Nomura held 35% stake in the asset management company (AMC). The shareholding pattern of the new (AMC) is LIC - 45%, LIC Housing Finance Ltd - 39.3%, GIC Housing Finance - 11.7% and Corporation Bank - 4%.

10. Rakesh Kumar Mishra appointed as CCMB director

a) The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has appointed Dr. Rakesh Kumar has been appointed as the new Director of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).

b) A postgraduate and a doctorate from Allahabad University, he joined CSIR- CCMB in 2001.

11. Patricia Espinosa appointed as new UNFCCC Executive Secretary

a) UN General Secretary Ban-Ki-Moon recently appointed Mexican diplomat Patricia Espinosa Cantellano as the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

b) Espinosa, who is presently serving as Mexico's ambassador to Germany (since 2013), will succeed Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica.

d) She has earlier served as Mexico's representative in multilateral bodies and international organisations in Vienna, Geneva and New York. She was also the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico from 2006 to 2012.

12. Sevilla win 3rd consecutive Europa League title

a) Sevilla has become the first football club to win the Europa League title three consecutive times.

b) In the final match against Liverpool in Basel, Switzerland, Sevilla scored 3 goals against 1 goal by Liverpool.

c) Sevilla has till date bagged 5 Europa League titles - in 2006, 2007, 2014, 2015 & 2016.

13.Indian-American Rupa Iyer awarded highest teaching award in US

a) The University of Houston's Distinguished Leadership in Teaching Award of the United States was recently conferred on Indian-American biotechnologist Rupa Iyer.

b) She has received this award for her sustained and significant contributions in the field of education. She has been serving as Associate Dean at Research & Graduate Studies at the University of the Houston College of Technology since 2014.

c) Iyer has received many honours in the past for her research in the area of environmental biotechnology, with applications in bioremediation.

14. President Mukherjee launches Intelligent Operations Centre and Mobile App Monitor

a) President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated an Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC) in Rashtrapati Bhavan. It is a software solution designed by IBM which helps collect and understand the rich data streaming in from several sources within the Estate to provide intelligent insights.

b) The IOC will be helpful for agencies to prepare for problems, coordinate and manage response efforts and enhance efficiency of services with IOC's integrated data visualisation, near real-time collaboration and deep analytics.

c) The President has also launched a Mobile App Monitor for transformation of the Estate into a smart township. It is a residents collaboration tool of the IOC. It will help residents and domain (Energy, Water, Horticulture, Waste and Security) supervisors to coordinate well.

(d) Using this app, residents can also report issues like broken street lights, electricity failure, etc. and check resolution status in their cell phones.

[sachislife2 (anjy- lif z beautifl)]

Kiran bedi ...former IPS officer and BJP leader...appointed as Lt. Governor to puducherry.

[mahalakshmi.s]

Daily Current Affairs - May 23, 2016 Monday

1. Sherpa Lakhpa first woman to scale Mt. Everest seven times

(i) Nepalese woman Sherpa Lakhpa has scaled the Mt. Everest for the seventh time, breaking her own record for the most summits of the world's highest mountain by a woman.

(ii) The 42-year-old, who works in a 7-Eleven store in the US, reached the peak of the 8,850-metre Everest from the Tibetan side.

(iii) Two other Sherpa climbers share between them the record for 21 ascents of Everest.

2. Brussels bomber's brother wins gold at European Taekwondo Championships

(i) Mourad Laachraoui, brother of suicide bomber Najim Laachraoui, has won the 54 kg final at the European Taekwondo Championships by overcoming Spaniard Jesus Tortosa 6-3 in Montreux, Switzerland.

(ii) The 21-year-old Mourad will now proceed to participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

(iii) Najim, was one of men who orchestrated the bomb attacks in the check-in area of Zaventem airport on March 22 this year. Later, a third bomb was made to explode at Maelbeek metro station, as a result of which 32 people died.

3. Emmy-winning actor Alan Young dies at 96

(i) Emmy award-winning actor Alan Young has passed away at the age of 96. He will be remembered for his role in the sitcom Mr Ed. which ran for six seasons from 1960-1966.

(ii) Young also starred in many films, including The Time Machine. In 1951, he won a Primetime Emmy award as best actor for The Alan Young Show.

(iii) Later, he also wrote cartoons and gave voice to several characters. He was the voice of Scrooge McDuck in Disney's TV series Duck Tales. He also lent voice for cartoons like Scooby-Doo and The Smurfs.

(iv) He was born in the UK, educated in Canada and later acquired US citizenship.

4. US House approves amendment to place India on par with NATO allies

(i) The US House of Representatives has approved amendments to a defence bill which would bring India on par with NATO allies as regards sale of weapons and technology transfer besides strengthening bilateral defence ties.

(ii) The amendment has been made a part of the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2017.

(iii) For the US, the legislation encourages the executive branch to appoint an official to concentrate on US-India defence cooperation, enable defence technology transfer, maintain a special office in the Pentagon exclusively for the US-India Defence Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), bolster India's military abilities by combined military planning and encourage co-development opportunities.

(iv) Further, it encourages the Indian government to allow combined military planning with the US for missions of mutual benefit such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, counter piracy, and maritime domain awareness.

5. HIFiRE hypersonic superjet technology test fired in Australia

(i) A joint US-Australian military research team has successfully tested the hypersonic superjet technology as part of the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) program.

(ii) The scramjet attached to a rocket booster was sent to an altitude of 278 km at Mach 7.5 (seven times the speed of sound).

(iii) The scramjet was a supersonic combustion engine that uses oxygen from the atmosphere for fuel, making it lighter and faster than fuel-carrying rockets.

(iv) The HIFiRE program aims to delve into the fundamental science of hypersonics and the potential for next generation aeronautical systems.

 (v) The jet was tested at the world's largest land-based testing range in Woomera, South Australia.

6. World Health Statistics 2016: Monitoring Health for the SDGs released

(i) As per the World Health Organisation's 'World Health Statistics 2016: Monitoring for the SDGs', life expectancy in the world has risen by five years since 2000. This is the fastest increase in lifespans since the 1960s.

(ii) Babies born in 2015 can expect to live another 71.4 years (73.8 years for females; 69.1 years for males). The longest lifespans are in Japan, where last year's newborns are expected to live to almost 84, followed by Switzerland, Singapore, Australia and Spain.

(iii) Africa still has the shortest life expectancy; babies born in Sierra Leone in 2015 have a life expectancy of just over 50 years. Those in Angola, Central African Republic, Chad and Ivory Coast are likely to live only a little longer.

(iv) Improved child survival rates, malaria control and better access to drugs to keep HIV at bay have led to a substantial rise in life expectancy in the African region- it is up by 9.4 years to an average age of 60.

7. Sebi announces stricter P-Note norms

(i) The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has toughened up norms for participatory notes (P-notes or PNs) in order to curb money laundering through this medium.

(ii) The Sebi board has decided to increase disclosure requirements for issuance of P-notes, which would enable the regulator to know the beneficial owners of these instruments at any point of time.  To enhance control over issuance and transfer of offshore derivative instruments (ODIs) or PNs, Sebi has announced that ODI subscribers will have to seek prior permission of the original ODI issuer for further/onward issuance/transfer of ODIs.

(iii) P-notes are derivative instruments issued by registered foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to overseas investors to enable them to trade in Indian stocks without having to register with the regulator. Presently, P-note subscribers do not have to take permission of the P-note issuer before transferring it to another offshore investor.

(iv) The issuer FPIs have been made more accountable because Sebi cannot directly exercise control over the downstream purchasers and that is where the PN route is highly misused.

8. Indian-American professor Dr Rakesh Jain to receive National Medal of Science

(i) US President Barack Obama will present Indian-American Dr Rakesh Jain with the National Medal of Science, the highest honour in the field of science and technology.

(ii) Dr Jain, Dr Rakesh K Jain is an alumnus of IIT-Kanpur and professor of tumor biology at Massachusetts General Hospital in the Harvard Medical School.

(iii) Jain has received various awards for his work on tumor biology, especially research on the link between tumor blood vessels and enhancing the effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

(iv) The National Medal of Science was established in 1959 and is annually presented by the National Science Foundation. The Medal recognises individuals for their remarkable contributions in the field of science and engineering.

9. G-7 FMs and central bank governors' meeting ends

(i) The meeting between finance ministers and central bank heads of the G-7 nations, which was held in Japan's Sendai city on May 20 and 21, focussed on bolstering and balancing global economic growth as the Chinese economy remains sluggish along with other emerging economies.

(ii) Central bank governors and finance ministers of the seven most developed countries, namely Japan, the US, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada, and their European Union counterparts converged for the two-day event.

(iii) Heads of major financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (Christine Lagarde), World Bank (Jim Yong Kim), Eurogroup (Jeroen Dijsselbloem) and OECD (Angel Gurria) along with professors from top universities discussed significant macroeconomic challenges in order to identify ways to fuel growth.

(iv) However, the meeting ended with disagreements as regards fiscal policies. While Japan and the US called for members to boost fiscal stimulus, Germany and Britain stressed on fiscal austerity. However, G-7 officials agreed that countries are free to take measures to cater to their individual economic situation.

10. Cabinet approves ordinance to keep state out of NEET for 1 year

(i) The Union Cabinet has approved an ordinance to keep state boards out of the uniform medical entrance examination - NEET - for this year.

(ii) The ordinance aims to "partially" countermand a Supreme Court verdict that said all government colleges, deemed universities and private medical colleges would fall under the NEET.

(iii) Though the exemption is only for state government seats, state seats that are earmarked in private medical colleges have also been exempted. States allocate around 12-15% seats in private medical colleges for state quota so that students from one state can get a seat in another.

(iv) The remaining seats in such colleges are reserved for domicile students. With this ordinance, remaining seats meant for domicile students will come under NEET.

11. Ratan P Watal appointed as Principal Adviser for social sector in NITI Aayog

a) Former finance Secretary Ratan P Watal has been appointed as the Principal Advisor for Social Sector in NITI Aayog.

b) Watal, a retired IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, had been Finance Secretary between August last year and April this year.He has been appointed to the post for three years.

c) National Institution for Transforming India, also called NITI Aayog, was formed via a resolution of the Union Cabinet on 1 January 2015. It replaces the decades old Planning Commission of India.

12. Anurag Thakur unanimously elected BCCI president

a) Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unanimously elected Anurag Thakur as its president while Ajay Shirke was chosen as secretary in a smooth change of guard at a time when the world's richest Board is sailing through choppy waters.

b) Anurag will replace Shashank Manohar who quit the post to take up ICC's Chairman position. He will stay in charge till 2017.

c) Thakur (41) will be the second youngest president to BCCI, first being Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad who was appointed at the age of 33.

d) Thakur, the son of former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, is a three-time member of the Lok Sabha from Hamirpur. Thakur also leads the party's youth wing-Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

13. UN appoints Mary Robinson, Macharia Kamau as special envoys for El Nino, climate

a) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed former Irish president Mary Robinson and Kenyan diplomat Macharia Kamau as special envoys for El Nino and climate.

b) El Nino occurs every two to seven years and affects rainfall patterns and causes both drought and flooding. The four worst affected regions are East Africa, Southern Africa, Central America and the Pacific. Ethiopia is facing its worst drought in 50 years.

c) The new envoys will be responsible for dealing with the upcoming challenges and build a long term approach to build the resilience of the most vulnerable.

14. Oldest Olympic champion Sandor Tarics dies

a) World's oldest living Olympic champion Sandor Tarics dies at the age of 102 in San Francisco. He was a member of Hungary's gold-medal winning waterpolo team in the 1936 Games.

b) A keen mathematician since his early age and an engineer by profession, he left Hungary after the Communist Party takeover in 1948 and settled in San Francisco where he was a university professor.

c) He attained prominence for his work in earthquake research, and in particular his design of earthquake-proof building technologies. He attended the 2012 London Olympics as the oldest living champion.

15. Kiran Bedi appointed Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry

a) Former IPS Officer and BJP member, Kiran Bedi has been appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, the post that was vacant for two years.

b) The appointment came three days after the Congress-DMK alliance won 17 seats in the 30-member state Assembly.

c) A sports lover and an author, Bedi is a recipient of Ramon Magsaysay Award as well as UN Medal for outstanding service.

16. India's first reusable space shuttle, RLV-TD launched from Sriharikota

a) India successfully launched the first technology demonstrator of indigenously made Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), capable of launching satellites into orbit around earth and reentering the atmosphere, from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

b) This hypersonic flight experiment lasted for about 10 minutes. The 6.5 metre-long 'aeroplane'-like structure weighing 1.75 tons was hoisted into the atmosphere on a Solid rocket motor weighing nine tonnes.

c) RLV-TD is a series of technology demonstration missions that have been considered as a first step towards realising a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully reusable vehicle.

To get fresh updates on your Facebook & Twitter timelines, subscribe to our pages created specifically for them. We will be posting only those exam specific links on these pages:Bank PO:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pagalguybankpo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaGaLGuYBankPO
SSC & Other Exams:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pagalguy-SSC-CGL-Others/879667042056262
Twitter: https://twitter.com/pagalguyssc
UPSC:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pag

[maniza.siddique]

1.Cyclonic storm ROANU to strike Andhra Pradesh coast: IMD

a) A cyclonic storm called ROANU emerged in the west central Bay of Bengal.

b) Indian Meteorological Department has notified that the cyclone will intensify into a severe cyclonic storm and hit the Andhra Coast.

c) The storm moving at a speed of 25 km per hour finally broke up on northern Bangladesh and Myanmar. More than 20 people are known to have died. Although a tragedy for victims, the country seems to be improving its warning services and 500,000 people were evacuated before the storm hit.

d) Roanu was the first cyclone of the Indian Ocean season that has two peaks: May-June and October-November; these peaks are in advance of the Southwesterly Monsoon and before the Northeasterly Monsoon, respectively.

2. JP Nadda launches Centre for Environmental Health to assess environmental impact on health

a) Recently, Union Health minister J P Nadda launched the Centre for Environmental Health to assess environmental impact on health.

b) It has been established to evaluate the impact of environmental problems like air pollution, climate change, pesticide use and sanitation on human health. The centre will take part in conducting research on environmental health issues.

c) The centre will also provide a policy engagement platform with the government, civil society & private sector with an aim to develop a road plan for the proper implementation of environment friendly policies.

d) This centre is the joint initiative of the Public Health Foundation of India and the Tata Institute of Social Science.

3. Himachal CM launches PEHAL programme

a) To work on areas having direct impact on people's lives, Shimla district administration has launched PEHAL. It includes implementation of programmes related to primary education, (PRERNA), educating people on rights of forests, health and sanitation, anti-drug campaign, livelihood and women empowerment.

b) PEHAL also aims to build a resource base of semi-skilled and skilled women. The district administration is also trying to create infrastructure for sports and recreational activities to steer young minds away from drugs under the anti-drug campaign incorporated in PEHAL.

c) The programme is also an attempt to integrate various stakeholders in the development of the district.

4. India praised for Medicines with the Red Line campaign on antibiotics

a) A global review on Antimicrobial Resistance has cited India's idea of putting a red line on the antibiotic packages to curb over-the-counter sale of these medicines. As per the report, 20-30% of antibiotics are consumed without prescription in south and east Europe, and up to 100% in parts of Africa.

b) The report was commissioned by the UK Prime Minister David Cameron in 2014 and chaired by economist Jim O'Neill.

c) India's Red Line Campaign was launched in the February 2016. Under this campaign, antibiotics were marked with a red line curb their irrational use and create awareness on the dangers of taking antibiotics without being prescribed them.

5. International Buddhist Conference begins in Nepal

a) A two-day international Buddhist Conference to mark the 2,560th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha has begun in Kathmandu.

b) Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the event and propagated the message of Buddha advocating extremism in all forms.

c) He also conveyed the government's commitment to effectively implement the Greater Lumbini Development Plan which aims to develop Buddha's birthplace as a major tourism hub by promoting religious tourism.

6. India, Slovenia sign Double Taxation Avoidance Convention

a) India and Slovenia have signed a protocol to amend an existing double taxation avoidance treaty between the two countries. The protocol aims to widen the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax-related information.

b) The framework will benefit both countries to end tax evasion and avoidance. It also provides India and Slovenia with the prospect of a mutual assistance to collect taxes.

7. Beijing-New Delhi Yoga Conference opens in China

a) Kunming city in Beijing witnessed the China - India Yoga Conference, which was held between May 18 to 22 saw a participation of over 1,000 Chinese yoga practitioners.

b) Activities like courses from Indian yoga masters and yoga introductions for communities were conducted.

c) It was jointly organised by the foreign affairs and overseas Chinese affairs offices and the China-India Yoga College in Kunming.

8. Mukesh Ambani awarded Othmer Gold Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership

a) The top chemical industry award, the Othmer Gold Medal, was recently conferred on Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

b) The US-based Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) awarded Ambani for his entrepreneurial leadership which has resulted in the expansion of India's petroleum refining industry and creation of the Jamnagar refinery in Gujarat, which is the largest grassroots oil refinery in the world.

c) The CHF established the Othmer Gold Medal in 1997 to honour outstanding individuals who have made multifaceted contributions to chemical and scientific heritage through activities in areas like innovation, entrepreneurship, research, education, public understanding, legislation, or philanthropy.

9. Indian journalist Philip Abraham elected Deputy Mayor in UK

a) Well-known Indian Journalist Philip Abraham was recently unanimously elected as the Deputy Mayor of the Loughton town in the UK.

b) Councillor Carol Davis, the newly-elected Mayor, presented the Deputy Mayor's Badge to Abraham.

c) An Indian journalist from Kerala and an editor for Kerala Link, Abraham won the election to the Loughton Town Council in 2012.

10. Tsai Ing-wen sworn in as first woman president of Taiwan

a) Tsai Ing-wen was recently sworn in as first woman president of Taiwan.

b) The 59-year-old former law professor will succeed Kuomintang (KMT, or Nationalist Party) President Ma Ying-jeou. The former president was ineligible for re-election after two four year terms.

c) Tsai has said she will preserve the status quo in relations with China, but that Beijing must respect Taiwan's democracy.

11. CBS News journalist Morley Safer passes away

a) Legendary journalist and 60 Minutes veteran Morley Safer passed away at the age of 84, a week after retiring from his post at the long-running CBS News program after 46 seasons.

b) Born in Toronto in 1931, Safer worked as a war correspondent in the 1950s and 1960s before joining 60 Minutes in 1970.

c) During his career, he reported on a broad range of topics, including war, cyberspace, social injustices and art.

12. Veteran Gujarati folk singer Diwaliben Bhil passes away

a) Gujarat's renowned singer Diwaliben Bhil passed away recently at her Junagarh residence.

b) Born in a tribal family, she began her singing career from a local Garbi, has become the voice of hundreds of Gujarati folk songs and garbas, including the famous "Maare todle betho mor", "Sona Vatakdi Re Kesar Gholya" and "Vage che re" and Ram Na Ban Vagya, Hari Na Ban Vagya Re to name a few.

c) She achieved success and was acknowledged in 1990 with Padmashree award for her precious contribution in the field of music.

13. 27th India and Indonesia CORPAT concludes in Belawan

a) India - Indonesia coordinated patrol CORPAT recently concluded in Belawan, Indonesia. The 27th edition of CORPAT was conducted from April 27th to May 19, 2016.

b) Indian naval ship Karmuk entered the Belawan harbour on May 16 to participate in the closing ceremony which was held during May 16th-19th, 2016.

c) The ship was escorted by Indonesian Navy ship KRI Imam Bonjol into the harbour.

d) Since 2002, Navies of India and Indonesia are taking part in coordinated patrol (CORPAT) twice a year along the International Maritime boundary Line (IMBL). The CORPAT is aimed to strengthen the collaboration and interoperability between these two navies.

14. After liquor, Bihar government bans gutka and paan masala

a) After the recent ban on every type of liquor, Bihar government moves towards imposing a ban on gutkas and paan masalas effective form May 21 to a period of one year. The ban includes the sale, distribution, storage and publicity of such tobacco products.

b) The government also issued authorising officials to conduct raids and inspections and take action against those flouting the guidelines.

c) RK Mahajan, Commissioner of Food Safety, Bihar government mentioned that the ban is aimed at improving the public health and prevent its further deterioration.

15. Indigenous faecal incontinence management device 'Qora' launched

a) Minister of State for Science & Technology Y.S.Chowdary has launched 'Qora', which is a faecal incontinence management system.

b) The technology for the medical device was developed by Consure Medical, New Delhi, to address a new level of care for patients outside the ICU.

c) Faecal incontinence is a condition wherein the patients are unable to control the bowel movements causing unexpected stool leakages.

d) The international partners of the programme are Stanford University, US, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and Tottori University, Japan.

16. World Bank arm IFC to invest $68 mn in Apollo Health

a) International Finance Corporation (IFC), a subsidiary arm of the World Bank is planning to invest 68 million in Apollo Health & Lifestyle Ltd. (AHLL). AHLL is a subsidiary of Apollo Health Enterprises ltd.

b) This current investment by IFC is the part of overall of raise of $135 million by IFC.

c) AHLL is biggest chain of standardized primary health care models such as Apollo clinics.

17. IFC to invest $20 million in FCEL

a) The subsidiary arm of the World Bank, International Finance corporation (IFC) has decided to invest $20 million in Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd. (FCEL) through equity-linked instruments.

b) The FCEL will use these funds to support the growth pans and strengthen its balance sheet.

c) US based Proterra Partners has also invested $55 million in the FCEL.

18. Binali Yildirim set to become Prime Minister of Turkey

a) Turkey's ruling party chose Binali Yildirim, a long-time ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to be the country's next Prime Minister.

b) Yildirim, Turkey's minister of transport, maritime and communications, will replace Ahmet Davutoglu.

c) He has served as the minister of transport in three separate administrations since the Justice and Development party (AKP) took power in 2002.

19. International Day for Biological Diversity 2016 observed

a) The International Day for Biological Diversity 2016 was recently observed.

b) This year's theme was 'Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their Livelihoods.'

c) UN General Secretary Ban-Ki-moon highlighted that biodiversity is an important cross-cutting issue in the message marking the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

(d) He also noted that despite numerous attempts, the loss of biodiversity continues. Only 15% of the countries are on the track to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by the agreed-upon date of 2020.

[newsbytes-app]

NewsBytes of the Day 23rd May 2016

Jayalalithaa Takes Sixth Oath As Chief Minister, Starts Term No 4 (Politics)

J Jayalalithaa will take oath at noon on Monday as chief minister of Tamil Nadu along with 28 ministers, 13 of them new faces.Among those who have accepted her invitation to attend is MK Stalin of arch political rival, the DMK. 

Barack Obama Says No Apology For A-Bomb On Hiroshima Visit (World)

US President Barack Obama will not apologise for the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on his landmark visit this week, he told Japanese public broadcaster NHK in an interview

Swadeshi Space Shuttle Tests, ISRO's 'Mission Accomplished (India)

India successfully tested its first-ever swadeshi or indigenous space shuttle today as its scale model - the Re-Usable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator or RLV-TD - was launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 7 am.

[newsbytes-app]

Current Affair of 24th May 2016  #NewsBytesOfTheDay

NEET Won't Apply To States For Now, President Agrees With Center 

NEET, the common entrance test for medical courses, will not apply to states for now. After much deliberation, President Pranab Mukherjee today signed off on the Centre's decision to put out an executive order to bypass a Supreme Court ruling.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu announces 13 winners of Fast track #SmartCity Lucknow tops list (India)

3 urban centres picked to be developed as smart cities under the Modi government's ambitious plan for an urban overhaul.

Chandigarh, Faridabad, Raipur, Ranchi, Warangal, Agartala, Imphal, Port Blair and Panaji are the other cities chosen on Tuesday through a fast-track competition.

3 urban centres picked to be developed as smart cities under the Modi government's ambitious plan for an urban overhaul.

Chandigarh, Faridabad, Raipur, Ranchi, Warangal, Agartala, Imphal, Port Blair and Panaji are the other cities chosen on Tuesday through a fast-track competition.

Modi seals Chabahar deal in Iran

Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a deal to develop Iran's Chabahar port, under which India would invest $500m for development activities.

[maniza.siddique]

DCA 24th may

1. Odisha Official language (Amendment), 2016  proposed

a) Odisha Governor Dr SC Jamir has finally brought an Ordinance to amend the Odisha Official Language Act, 1954 - known as 'The Odisha Official Language (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016.

b) The amendment will enable the use of Odia language in official matters.

c) If enforced, the ordinance will amend the Language Act and use Odia in writing files, letters and all other important government documents. The changes will be enforced from August 15th, 2016 onwards.

2. S K Sharma appointed CMD of Nuclear Power Corporation of India

a) Renowned scientist S K Sharma has been appointed as the MD and Chairman of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India for a period of 5 years.

b) He will be in charge of design, construction, commissioning and operation of nuclear power reactors.

c) Presently, Sharma is serving as Distinguished Scientist and Director (Operations) in NPCIL.

3. World Bank Group launches Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility

a) The World Bank Group recently launched a pioneering financing facility to combat dangerous disease outbreaks in poor countries, creating the world's first insurance market for pandemic risk.

b) The new fast-disbursing Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) will expedite global and national responses to disease outbreaks that put large populations and fragile economies at risk.

c) Launch of the PEF was officially announced at the recent meeting of G-7 finance ministers in Sendai, Japan.

e) The insurance will cover outbreaks of several classes of infectious diseases most at risk for epidemics: new orthomyxoviruses including influenza pandemic viruses A, B and C; coronaviruses like SARS and MERS; filoviruses like Ebola and Marburg; and other zoonotic diseases -- those that move between animals and humans -- including Crimean Congo, Rift Valley and Lassa fever.

4. Scientists discover new property of light based on angular momentum

a) Researchers at Trinity College Dublin's School of Physics and CRANN Institute have discovered a new form of light, which will change our understanding of the fundamental nature of light.

b) This new form behaves differently in terms of the existing rules of angular momentum.

c) The discovery is said to have real impact in fields like secure optical communications.

d) The discovery shows, for the first time, that the speculations on how quantum mechanics works for particles that are free to move in only two of the three dimensions of space, can be realised with light.

5. India, Iran sign 12 bilateral agreements

(i) During Indian PM Narendra Modi's recent visit to Iran, the two countries finalised and signed the historic Chabahar Port agreement, which would prove to be India's gateway to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe.

(ii) The two nations have also agreed to cooperate on various other areas, including "intelligence-sharing" to combat "terrorism", "drug trafficking" and "cyber crime". Further, it was agreed upon to sign pacts in diverse fields like trade credit, culture, science and technology and railways.

(iii) MoU for training of diplomats and exchange of eminent speakers, MoU on Policy Dialogue between Governments and Interaction between Think Tanks, Confirmation Statement between EXIM Bank and Central Bank of Iran, etc. are some of the other agreements signed.

6. Ruskin Bond's My Favourite Nature Stories released

a) 'My Favourite Nature Stories' and 'The World Outside My Window' authored by Ruskin Bond were recently released on the author's 82nd birthday.

b) In the book, Bond details various encounters with the natural world.

c) Ruskin Bond has been writing for over sixty years and has now over 120 titles in print novels, collections of stories, poetry, essays, anthologies and books for children.

d) His first novel The Room on the Roof, received the prestigious John Llewellyn Rhys award in 1957. He has also received the Padma Shri (1999), the Padma Bhushan (2014) and two awards from the Sahitya Akademi; one for his short stories and another for his writings for children.

e) In 2012, the Delhi government conferred on him the Lifetime Achievement award.

7. Mohun Bagan lifts 14th Federation Cup title

(i) Mohun Bagan FC has bagged the Federation Cup title for the 14th time defeating Aizawl FC 5-0 in the finals played at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati.

(ii) While Mizoram striker Jeje Lalpekhlua scored two goals, Haitian Sony Norde, Dhanachandra Singh and Bikramjit Singh scored one each.

(iii) Mohun Bagan's 14th title, the most by any club in the tournament, will enable them to play in the AFC Cup after they missed out on this year's I-League title.

(iv) The Federation Cup is a yearly knockout style club football tournament, which started in 1977. Presently, it is the most important club tournament after the I-League.

8. International Day to End Obstetric Fistula observed

a) To raise awareness about obstetric fistula, International Day to End Obstetric Fistula is observed on 23rd May annually. This day was first observed in 2013.

b) The theme for this year is End fistula within a generation.

c) The UN General Assembly calls on the international community to use this day to significantly raise awareness and intensify actions toward ending obstetric fistula.

d) Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal caused by prolonged labour without prompt medical intervention, usually a Caesarean section.

9. China beats South Korea to lift Uber Cup

(i) China has defeated South Korea 3-1 to win title at the Uber Cup championship for the 14th time.

(ii) Olympic champion Li Xuerui and former world number one Wang Shixian won their singles matches before Cheng Qingchen collaborated Tang Yuanting to bag the second doubles and secure China's third successive triumph at the biennial women's badminton team championship.

10. India, Oman sign 4 agreements on defence cooperation

(i) During India's defence minister Manohar Parrikar's recent visit to Oman, the two countries signed agreements on defence cooperation.

(ii) Further, an MoU was signed between the Royal Oman Police (Coast Guard) and the Indian Coast Guard for marine crime prevention at sea, another between the two governments on maritime issues; and a protocol between Royal Air Force of Oman and Indian Air Force on flight safety information exchange.

(iii) Both nations agreed that defence cooperation is crucial to bolster their bilateral strategic partnership

11. Himachal propagating Golden Mahseer fish for conservation

a) A hatchery worth Rs.6 crore has been set at Joginder Nagar town in Mandi district to rear the Golden Mahseer, a fish of the carp family.

b) Also known as tiger of Indian rivers, its first breeding is likely to come up in July and August 2016. It will be a major breakthrough in evolving the breeding technology of the fish.

c) The hatchery-reared juveniles would be released into the rivers and reservoirs.

d) Himachal Pradesh is aptly called the storehouse of aquatic biodiversity as its water bodies are home to 85 fish species, including rohu, catla and mrigal and trout, both brown and rainbow.

[sairat]

any one know's abt esic result date ?

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 25th May, Wednesday

1. Lt. Gen. SK Saini takes over as the New Commandant of Indian Military Academy

a) Lieutenant General SK Saini has taken charge as the 46th Commandant of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun.

b) An alumnus of National Defence Academy (NDA) and IMA, he was commissioned into the "7th Battalion the JAT Regiment'' in June 1981.In a career spanning over 36 years, he has served in various instructional and command positions.

c) During his service period, he has been honoured with many service medals including chief of army staff commendation, Yudh Seva Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal.

d) The Commandant has a passion for writing and has penned papers on "Changing Face of Terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir" and "Regional Security Cooperation and Confidence Building".

2. Actor Burt Kwouk passes away at 85

a) Veteran actor Burt Kwouk, best known for playing Inspector Clouseau's manservant Cato in the Pink Panther films, has passed away at the age of 85.

b) He appeared in seven Pink Panther films opposite Peter Seller. He also appeared in three James Bond movies including Goldfinger and You Live Only Twice and was a part of an eight-year stint in the sitcom Last of the Summer Wine.

c) He was awarded an OBE for services to drama in the 2011 New Year Honours list.

3. India, World Bank sign $100 mn loan agreement for Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization project

a) The Government of India, the Government of Karnataka and the World Bank have signed a $100 million loan agreement for the Karnataka Urban Water Supply Modernization Project (KUWSMP) in order to support efforts of Hubballi-Dharwad, the second-largest urban center in Karnataka.

b) The project aims to make the cities the first in India to provide citywide, continuous, piped and clean water supply to its one million residents including the slum dwellers, people dependant on public standposts or private vendors.

c) The project will be implemented over a period of six years, initially in the two cities and will include other eligible cities later on.

4. India, Iran and Afghanistan sign trilateral transit accord

a) India, Iran and Afghanistan have signed the Trilateral Transport and Transit Corridor Agreement. This as finalised during PM Modi's recent visit to Iran,

c) India and Iran also signed a number of agreements in the field of technology, petrochemicals, culture and railways as Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held consultations on defence partnership and combating threats of terrorism, radicalism, drug trafficking and cyber crime.

d) Besides, a Trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridor was also signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran.

5. Sarbananda Sonowal sworn-in as Assam Chief Minister

a) Former Union Minister and a BJP member Sarbananda Sonowal has taken oath as the Chief Minister of Assam. It was administered by Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya.

b) With this, he becomes Assam's second tribal CM after Jogen Hazarika in the 1970s. He is also first Chief Minister from BJP.

6. Centre declares 2nd batch of 13 listed smart cities

a) The Union government has declared the list of 13 cities to be included in the smart cities plan. With this, a total of 23 States/ union territories are a part of Smart Cities plan.

b) Lucknow topped the list of winners of the Fast Track competition conducted for 23 cities from as many states and union territories.

c) The 13 cities were selected based on the marks scored by them in the Fast Track competition and the benchmarks set by the top performers in the first round of Smart City Challenge competition

d) The Smart City mission aims to transform 100 cities by 2019-20, with the Union government providing financial support of Rs. 48,000 crore over five years. Assured water and power supply, sanitation and solid waste management systems, efficient urban mobility and public transportation, IT connectivity, e-governance and citizen participation are some of the highlights of the smart city project.

7. 'Smart Village' programme to improve public facilities launched in Gujarat

a) Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel launched 'Smart Village' programme with an aim to improve public facilities on the occasion of two year completion of her government.

b) Based on the lines of Smart City plan, this project would cover 300 villages chosen by the state-level committee consisting of experts on the basis of Gram Panchayat's performance.

c) Apart from improvements in cleanliness and hygiene, the plan will focus on health sector and increasing the job opportunities for women.

8. Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling conferred with Nepal's Yug Kavi Siddhicharan Prize

a) Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling was conferred with the 'Yug Kavi Siddhicharan Award' by Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli for his honourable contributions in promoting Nepali literature in India.

b) He has authored many books in English, Hindi and Nepali. His works in Nepali include Prarambhik Kavita (1978), Antaheen Sapana: Mero Bipana (1985), Ma Ko Hoon! (1992) and Sikkim ra Nariko Maryada. He is also a publisher.

c) He was conferred with the Sikkim Sahitya Parishad award twice, Chintan Puraskar for best poem and in 1987 and Bhanu Puraskar in 2010.

d) The award comprises of a certificate of appreciation and a sum of NRs 100,000.

9. 40 million Indians at risk from rising sea levels: UNEP

a) In a recent report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) titled as Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6): Regional assessment for Asia and the Pacific, 40 million indians will be at risk due to rising sea levels by 2050.

b) Also, the worst impacts of climate change are projected to occur in the Pacific and South and South-East Asia.

c) According to the report, seven of the ten most vulnerable countries will be from Asia Pacific region. India tops the chart followed by Bangladesh and China on second and third positions respectively. More than 40 million people in the country projected to be at risk from rising sea levels, with Mumbai and Kolkata having the maximum exposure to coastal flooding in future.

10. US lifts embargo on sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam

a) The US has recently announced that it has lifted embargo on the sale of lethal weapons to Vietnam.

b) This move is in line with US' efforts to bolster relations with its Pacific allies. Also, as President Obama put it "to remove "a lingering vestige of the Cold War."

c) This decision means that Vietnam has access to the equipment needed to defend its territories. However, the US has stipulated that sales should meet strict requirements related to human rights.

d) The arms ban had been in force since 1984. It was partially lifted in 2014.

11. Pankaj Advani wins 2016 Asian 6-Red snooker title

a) Pankaj Advani has won the Asian 6-Red Snooker title to become the first cueist to hold both continental and world titles in 6-red snooker.

b) The double IBSF World Six-Red Snooker champion has etched his name again in the short format of the game, defeating top seeded Malaysian Keen Hoh Moh 7-5.

c) Advani will now spearhead the Indian challenge in the team event with Aditya Mehta, Manan Chandra and Kamal Chawla.

12. Director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blake wins 2016 Palme d'Or

a) British director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blake has won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival.

b) This is the 79-year-old director's second award for best picture at Cannes. He won the award in 2006 for The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

c) Another English Director, Andrea Arnold won the competition's Jury Prize for her road movie American Honey.

[newsbytes-app]

News Bytes Of The Day 25th May 2016

Microsoft May Cut 1,850 Jobs As Satya Nadella Pares Phone Ambitions  (W)

Microsoft Corp. will cut as many as 1,850 jobs and take a new impairment charge as Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella pares back the company's ambitions in smartphones.

FreeCharge elevates Govind Rajan to CEO position (startup)

In a management shake-up, FreeCharge has elevated its CEO Kunal Shah to the position of Chairman, and COO Govind Rajan as the new CEO

Amar Singh, Beni Prasad File Nomination Papers For Rajya Sabha Elections

( politics)

Samajwadi Party candidates for Rajya Sabha, including Amar Singh, Beni Prasad Verma  filed their nomination papers today

[sivaregula (siva r)]

The currency of the issuance of the insurance policy? 

A. must be as the currency of the seller's country 

B. must be same as the currency of the issuing bank's country 

C. must be the same as that of the currency of the Letter Of Credit (LC) 

D. None of the above

dnt know the answer. plz any one help...

[maniza.siddique]

Daily Current Affairs - 26th May, 2016, Thursday

1. UNEP releases report titled Actions on Air Quality

a) Report titled as 'Actions on Air Quality' was released during the second United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-2).

b) UNEP noted a global air quality decline threatening to add to the seven million people air pollution deaths each year.

c) According to the World Health Organization (WHO), global urban air pollution levels increased by eight percent between 2008 and 2013. More than 80 percent of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution were exposed to air quality levels that exceeded WHO limits, threatening lives, productivity and economies.

d) On the positive side, 97 countries showed increased percentage of households that have switched to cleaner burning fuels which is a key move to tackle indoor air pollution, which claims over half of the seven million lives. While at least 82 countries out of 193 analysed had incentives that promoted investment in renewable energy production, cleaner production, energy efficiency and/or pollution control equipment.

e) Also it found improvements in some areas such as access to cleaner cooking fuels and stoves, renewables, fuel sulphur content and public transport - pointing to a growing momentum for change.

2. Cabinet gives ex-post facto approval to MoU between India and Maldives for cooperation in field of tourism

a) The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India and the Ministry of Tourism, Government of Maldives for strengthening cooperation in the field of tourism.

b) This MoU will be influential in increasing arrival from this important source market since in recent years, Maldives has emerged as an important tourism generating market for India.

c) The main objectives of the MoU include:

i) To expand bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector

ii) To exchange information and data related to tourism

iii) To encourage cooperation between tourism stakeholders, including hotels and tour operators

iv) To establish exchange programme for cooperation in Human Resources Development

v) To invest in the Tourism and Hospitality sectors

vi) To exchange visits of Tour Operators/Media/Opinion Makers for promotion of two-way tourism

vii) To exchange experiences in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management

viii) To participate in travel fairs/exhibitions in each other's country and

ix) To promote safe honourable and sustainable tourism

3. India, Japan MoU on sustainable, stable and low-carbon thermal power development approved

a) The union cabinet granted ex post facto approval to an agreement between India and Japan for promoting sustainable and low-carbon thermal power development.

b) The agreement supports Clean Coal Technology (CCT) for thermal power plants such as Ultra Super Critical (USC) and other environmental technologies. It will help India to design policies and technologies that suit our needs in terms of producing sustainable, stable and low-carbon thermal power.

c) The pact will enable the countries to identify barriers that could be addressed through mutual collaboration by the Central Electricity Authority and Japan Coal Energy Centre. An annual workshop will be held for bilateral knowledge and technology exchanges.

4. Pinarayi Vijayan sworn-in as Chief Minister of Kerala

a) Veteran CPI-M leader, Pinarayi Vijayan, was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Kerala. The oath was administered by the Governor P Sathasivam.

b) He served as the Secretary of the Kerala State Committee of the CPI(M) from 1998 to 2015 and was the longest serving secretary in the party's history.

5. Union Road Transport Minister Gadkari launches safety feature-rich Nirbhaya buses

a) The pilot project of 20 20 Nirbhaya buses of Rajasthan State Transport Corporation with multiple safety features to protect female passengers will be soon launched.

b) The buses will be enabled with a Vehicle Tracking System (VTS) and CCTV cameras along with panic buttons on every seat.

c) In case of emergency, the VTS and panic button will give assistance to the police to know the exact location of the bus.

d) Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari stated that he ministry will issue a notification on june 2, 2016 mandating public vehicles with a seating capacity of more than 23 seats to fix closed-circuit television, VTS and panic buttons. Vehicles below 23 seats will be asked to install VTS and emergency buttons.

6. Cabinet approves National Capital Goods Policy 2016

a) National Capital Goods Policy aimed at increasing capital goods production from the current value of Rs.2,30,000 crore to Rs.7,50,000 crore by 2025 got an approval by the Cabinet.

b) The policy will work towards encouraging exports of capital goods and promoting manufacturing activities in the Indian economy, while strengthening government's Make in India initiative. Also the National Capital Goods Policy envisages to raise direct and indirect employment from 8.4 to 30 million.

7. United Nations World Humanitarian Summit concluded in Istanbul

a) The United Nations World Humanitarian Summit was concluded on 24 May 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey in presence of more than 50 heads of the state. The summit was organised by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).

b) Summit's main achievement was the Grand Bargain, which is a set of 51 commitments to reform humanitarian financing to make emergency aid finance more efficient and effective.

c) During the meet, a New charter for Persons With Disabilities was also introduced which aims at improving the living conditions of people with disabilities during emergencies.

d) The UN chief emphasized on five core areas which needed commitment form every country namely: Prevent and end conflict, Respect rules of wars, Leave no one behind, Work differently to end need, Invest in Humanity.

8. Ahmedabad, Gujarat soon to launch its first branch of Islamic Development Bank

a) The first branch of Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank will be soon inaugurated in Ahmedabad Gujarat.

b) It is a part of MoU for a $100 million line-of-credit to facilitate exports to IDB's member countries which was signed between India's EXIM Bank and IDB during Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April 2016

c) The state will also receive 30 medical vans as part of IDB's social sector initiatives. The bank has 56 Islamic countries as its members.

d) IDBs primary objective is to promote the economic and social development of the member countries as well as the muslim community in lines with the Islamic law.

9. UNODC launches inaugural World Wildlife Crime Report

a) The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently launched its inaugural World Wildlife Crime Report highlighting the poaching and illegal trade of thousands of different species across the globe present real environmental dangers.

b) The report also emphasizes to take responsibility in tackling such crimes given how products made from illicit flora and fauna such as fashion items, furniture, food, and pets, may be hidden in plain sight.

c) The report is a part of UNODC's ongoing Global Programme on Wildlife and Forest Crime and was developed by UNODC with data provided by partner organizations under the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), including the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the World Customs Organization (WCO).

d) The seven specific areas, according to the report that demonstrate the scale of wildlife crime are seafood; pets, zoos and breeding; food, medicine and tonics; art, décor and jewellery; cosmetics and perfume; fashion; and furniture.

10. Veteran CPI (M) leader K Anirudhan passes away

a) CPI(M) veteran and former MLA and MP K Anirudhan passed away at the age of 92 due to age related ailments in Kerala.

b) Anirudhan, active trade union leader, was well known for his contributions in building the Communist party movements in southern part of the state.

c) Anirudhan was also elected to the state assembly in 1963, 1965, 1979 and 1980.

11. A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve: Mother Teresa

a) A Call to Mercy: Hearts to Love, Hands to Serve to be launched in August 2016, which is a compilation of unpublished writings of Mother Teresa.

b) Compiled by the Rev. Brian Kolodiejchuk, who has led the case for Mother Teresa's sainthood, the book offers Mother Teresa's profound yet accessible wisdom on how we can show mercy and compassion in our day-to-day lives.

c) The book will be released in August 2016, weeks before the late Nobel Peace Prize winner is to be canonised.