Read Tnpsc Current Affairs June 17-22, 2017
International Affairs
Muzoon Almellehan named as new Unicef Goodwill Ambassador
- The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has appointed Syrian refugee Muzoon Almellehan as its newest and youngest Goodwill Ambassador on World Refugee Day (WRD) on June 20, 2017.
- The 19-year-old female education activist Muzoon has become the first goodwill ambassador with official refugee status.
China unveils world’s first train that runs on virtual tracks
- China has unveiled the world's first 'railless' train - a train that runs on virtual tracks. China is also testing a bus that can straddle the road, and allow traffic to pass under it.
- The new train is part of China's attempts to develop "intelligent rail express system". Instead of railway tracks, the train runs on rubber tyres.The train can move at a maximum speed of 70 km/hour.
China launches its first X-ray space telescope
- China launched its first x-ray telescope, a significant step in the country’s race to develop a space program that can rival that of the US or Russia.
- The Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT) took off from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the country’s first satellite launch site, located in Inner Mongolia via a domestically-developed Long March-4B rocket.
- Once in orbit, the telescope will be used to observe high-energy entities like black holes, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts in order to understand more about their energy sources.
India Wins Re-Election to United Nation’s Eco and Social Council
- India has won its re-election to the United Nation’s principal body on economic, social and environmental issues, continuing its streak of being elected for a third consecutive term.
- India was among 18 nations to be elected to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN with 183 votes.
- Japan followed India with the second highest votes in the Asia Pacific category.India was seeking re-election as its current term is set to expire this year. The ECOSOC has 54 members.
Dalveer Bhandari re-nominated by India for another term as judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
- India has re-nominated Justice Dalveer Bhandari as its candidate for another term as judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). His current term runs through February 2018.
- The ICJ elections will be held in November and if elected, he will serve a term of 9 years. During his term at the ICJ, Justice Bhandari has been engaged actively in the work of the Court.
World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2017 held in Switzerland
- More than 2,500 information and communication technology (ICT) experts and advocates from around the globe took part in the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2017 (WSIS Forum 2017), where they exchanged knowledge and experiences towards achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- WSIS Forum 2017 was held in Geneva, 12-16 June, and was co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP, in close collaboration with all UN agencies. The Chair-elect of this year's forum is Mr. Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister of Youth and ICT, Government of Rwanda.
106th International Labour Conference, 2017
- The 106th Session of International Labour Conference (ILC) was held from 5-16th June 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland.
- An Indian Tripartite Delegation led by the Minister of State for Labour and Employment (Independent Charge), Shri Bandaru Dattatreya participated in the ILC.
- In a historic step towards eradication of Child Labour from the country, India ratified International Labour Organizations Convention No 138 (minimum age for employment) and Convention No 182 (worst forms of child labour) to symbolise its commitment and initiatives for eradication of child labour.
National Affairs
Indore India’s first city to use robot to control unruly traffic
- The number one clean city of India, Indore has got another milestone to its name. This commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh has reportedly become the first city in India where robot is being used on an experimental basis to control its ever growing and unruly traffic.
- The traffic police in association with a private engineering college of the city for the first time has installed a metallic robot at a busy MR 9 intersection on an experimental basis to control the chaotic traffic in the locality.
Mumbai continues to be most expensive city for expatriates in India
- Mumbai is the most expensive city for expatriates in India and is ranked higher than major global cities such as Paris, Canberra, Seattle and Vienna, says a report.According to Mercer's 23rd annual Cost of Living Survey, Mumbai is placed 57th on the list while New Delhi was placed at 99.
- Chennai (135), Bangalore (166) and Kolkata (184) were the other Indian cities on the list. Luanda, the capital of Angola, was the costliest city, driven by cost of goods and security, followed by Hong Kong and Tokyo at the second and third places, respectively.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates Kochi Metro to the Nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the first phase of Kochi Metro to the nation on Saturday. Kerala Governor P Sathasivam, chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu and ‘Metro Man’ E Sreedharan were among those who accompanied the Prime Minister in the train. After cutting the ribbon at the Palarivattom station and took a ride from Palarivattom to Pathadippalam.
Union Government has launched ECBC 2017 for new commercial buildings.
- The Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal has launched Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) 2017 in New Delhi to prescribe the energy performance standards for new commercial buildings to be constructed across India.
- The updated version of ECBC provides current as well as futuristic advancements in building technology to further reduce building energy consumption and promote low-carbon growth.
Taj Mahal Palace hotel of Mumbai has acquired an`image trademark’ Trade Marks Act, 1999
- The iconic Taj Mahal Palace hotel of Mumbai has acquired an `image trademark’ under the Trademark Act of 1999. Thus, the Palace has become the first building in India to get intellectual property rights protection for its architectural design.
- Now, it is will be difficult to use Taj Mahal Palace’s images for commercial purposes without paying the company a licensing fee. The act enables to deal with the precise nature of rights which a person can acquire in respect of trademarks.
Amitabh Bachchan become the new brand ambassador to promote Goods and Services Tax (GST)
- The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has appointed Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan as new brand ambassador for Goods and Services Tax (GST). A 40-second video “GST – An initiative to create a unified national market” featuring him has already been shot and is being circulated by the Finance Ministry.
- In the video, Bachchan explains GST as a unifying force just like the three colours in the national flag. The GST will simplify a web of taxes, regulations and border levies by subsuming an array of central and state levies including excise duty, service tax and VAT.
CRPF Launches Helpline for Kashmiris Named ‘Madadgaar’
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a toll-free helpline called 'Madadgaar' to help Kashmiri people in distress in a bid to regain the lost trust of people in the security forces. 'Madadgaar' is a step to serve the citizens of Kashmir located all over the country.
Awards
Annabel Mehta conferred with the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire
- Sachin Tendulkar’s mother-in-law and social activist, Annabel Mehta has been conferred with the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in recognition of her 40 years of service to underprivileged communities in Mumbai and the NGO “Apnalaya”.
- The award will be presented to her at Buckingham Palace in London later this year. The Order of the British Empire (which has several ranks) was created in 1917 by King George V to recognise individuals, who have contributed valued service to their communities. MBE is a rank of the order and stands for Member of the Order of the British Empire.
John Bew won the 2017 Orwell Prize
- John Bew has been bestowed with the 2017 Orwell Prize for his extraordinary biography “Citizen Clem” ,which is about Clement Attlee, the founder of the NHS.
- The £3,000 award is the Britain’s most prestigious prize for political writing, which is awarded annually by the Orwell Foundation to a book that comes closest to the George Orwell’s ambition to make political writing into an art in London.
Ramamani Iyengar Institute wins first yoga award
- The Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute here has been selected as the first recipient of the Prime Minister's Award for outstanding contribution for promotion and development of yoga.
- The decision has been taken by the screening committee and evaluation committee for the awards that were constituted in 2016. The selection was done from among 85 nominations received and 15 more recommended by the screening committee.
Agricultural Microbiologist Dr Shrihari Chandraghatgi gets Japan Award
- Indian Agricultural Microbiologist Dr Shrihari Chandraghatgi, President & CEO, EcoCycle Corporation, has been conferred with Ministry of Environment Award in Japan for developing cutting edge technologies to address environmental problems.
- Dr Shrihari is the first foreigner to win this award in environmental sector in Japan.This award is the highest honour given every year jointly by the Ministry of Environment, Japan, and National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES), Japan and The Nikkan Kogyo Shinbun (a media group).
Yeshe Dorjee Thongshi conferred "Bhupen Hazarika Award"
- The Fifth Bhupen Hazarika National Award, 2017 has been conferred to an eminent writer from Arunachal Pradesh Yeshe Dorjee Thongshi.
- The prestigious Award, instituted by Sarhad, a Maharashtra-based organization, is honoring a person every year since 2012, who has rendered an outstanding literary work at national and international level.His most important novel is Mauna Onth Mukhar Hriday (Silent lips, murmuring hearts) which won the Sahitya Akademi award in 2005.
Important Days
International Day of Yoga: 21 June
- International Day of Yoga or commonly and unofficially referred to as Yoga Day, is celebrated annually on 21 June since its inception in 2015.An international day for yoga was declared unanimously by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 11 December 2014.
- The theme for the 2017 celebration, organized by the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, is 'Yoga for Health.'
International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is observed on June 19
The International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is observed every year on June 19 to raise awareness of the need to put an end to conflict-related sexual violence, to honour the victims and survivors of sexual violence around the world and to pay tribute to all those who have courageously devoted their lives to and lost their lives in standing up for the eradication of these crimes. The 2017 theme is “Preventing Sexual Violence Crimes through Justice and Deterrence”.
Sports
BRICS Games 2017 has started in which country
The first-ever BRICS Games has started at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention Center in Guangzhou, China on June 17, 2017. It featured some 300 athletes from five countries- Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa with 10 events in 3 sports – men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and Wushu.
Champions Trophy Cricket 2017: Pakistan clinched title
- Pakistan produced an incredible display to thrash fierce rivals India and win the Champions Trophy at The Oval.
- Fakhar Zaman hit a spectacular century to propel Pakistan to 338.India eventually limped to 158, Pakistan winning by 180 runs to take their first global 50-over title since 1992.Fakhar Zaman was declared Man of the Match. Hassan Ali was declared Man of the Tournament.
Kidambi Srikanth won the 2017 Men’s singles Indonesia Open Super Series Badminton tournament
- Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth has become the first Indian men’s singles player to win the Indonesia Open Super Series men’s singles tournament by defeating Kazumasa Sakai of Japan in the final at Jakarta by 21-11, 21-19.
- Srikanth clinched his third Super Series title after he had notched up victories at the 2014 China Open and the 2015 India Open.
Anil Kumble quits as Indian Cricket coach
- Anil Kumble has stepped down as head coach of India's men's team ahead of the forthcoming limited-overs series against West Indies.
- It is learnt that Kumble, whose one-year contract expired on June 18 at the end of the Champions Trophy, opted against a contract extension despite having been given that option. Kumble, 46, was appointed head coach of the side in June 2016 by the former BCCI administration.
First air corridor between India and Afghanistan inaugurated
- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has inaugurated the first Afghanistan-India air corridor during a ceremony at the Kabul International Airport—a direct route that bypasses Pakistan and is meant to improve commerce.
- Ghani said the aim of the route is to create more opportunities and make Afghanistan an exporting nation.Mountain-riddled Afghanistan is a landlocked country and all imports and exports depend on neighbouring countries.
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