Current Affairs Update - 16 July 2016

Updated on : 11:06, 30 August 2016

— NATIONAL —

NabamTuki resigns as Arunachal Pradesh CM:

• Arunachal Chief Minister NabamTuki resigned, following which the scheduled floor test will reportedly not take place.
• The newly elected Congress leader PemaKhandu has staked claim to form the government, but the date of the swearing-in has not yet been decided. Khandu has claimed to have the support of 45 Congress and two independent MLAs.

Madhya Pradesh becomes first state to approve setting up of Happiness Department:

• Madhya Pradesh Cabinet gave its nod to set up Happiness Department in the state. The department will work as knowledge resource centre on the subject of happiness.
• With this approval, Madhya Pradesh became the first state of the country to set up such a Department.
• Apart from the department, the cabinet also decided to establish a state Happiness Institute under the Happiness Department. Initially it will have a budget of three crore 60 lakh rupees.

Parliamentary affairs committee reshuffled:

• The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs (CCPA) has been reshuffled, with SmritiIrani being dropped as a special invitee and HRD Minister PrakashJavadekar elevated as a member.
• NajmaHeptulla, who recently resigned from the Union Cabinet, was removed from the panel.
• CCPA is headed by the Home Minister and is mandated to recommend the dates for Parliamentary sessions.

‘India ranks 3rd on business optimism index’:

• India has ranked third on the scale of global business optimism for the April-June quarter, after remaining on top globally for the two preceding quarters, according to Grant Thornton’s latest International Business Report.
• Delays in key reforms like GST, non-resolution of tax disputes, and the banking sector’s performance are among the reasons that impacted business confidence, the report added.

‘Ramayana month’ begins in Kerala:

• Kerala started observing Ramayana month in the temples. In Malayalam it is termed as the Ramayana Masam.
• The Ramayana Month starts with the commencement of Malayalam month ‘Karkidakam’.
• During this month the temples and homes of the state recites AdhyatmaRamayanamKilippattu written by medieval devotional poet ThunjathEzhuthachan for the 30 days.
• Ezhuthachan is regarded as the father of Malayalam literature.

96% rural electrification completed in Odisha:

• The Odisha government said that electrification work has been completed in around 96% of villages in the state.
• Energy Secretary of Odisha RK Verma said that out of 47,677 villages in the state as per the 2011 census, around 45,236 villages have got power connectivity by June 30.

India, EU review progress of FTA negotiations:

• India and the EU on Friday reviewed the progress of long-stalled talks for the proposed free trade agreement and expressed willingness to address outstanding issues as an integral part of the negotiations.
• Post-Brexit, the Chief negotiators of European Union and India deliberated upon the Broad Based Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA) negotiations in New Delhi.

Over 14 lakh LPG connections released under PMUY:

• Over fourteen lakh LPG connections have been released to the women of BPL families under the PradhanMantriUjjwalaYojana (PMUY).
• According to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, the scheme is currently under operation in 487 districts of 17 states.
• The scheme, launched in May this year, aims at providing LPG connections to five crore below-poverty-line beneficiaries over the next three years.
• The Ministry has suggested to the people to consult only the official website www.pmujjwalayojana.com for retrieving any information with regard to the UjjwalaYojana.
• In case of any doubt or clarification about the scheme, the consumers of UjjwalaYojana can also use toll free number 1800-266-6696.

 

— INTERNATIONAL —

US 1st to open high-band spectrum for 5G network:

• US regulators voted to open nearly 11 gigahertz of high-frequency spectrum to help carriers create 5G wireless applications and networks, making US the first country to do so.
• 5G networks are expected to be at least 10 times faster than 4G networks. South Korea and Japan plan to deploy 5G by 2018 and 2020 respectively.

Bullet trains cross at record speed of 420 kmph:

• Two bullet trains in China crossed each other while running on parallel tracks in opposite directions at record speeds of 420 kmph.
• The two trains – ‘Golden Phoenix’ and ‘Dolphin Blue’, were separated by only 1.6 meters when they met, setting a world-first for trains crossing at such speeds, as per China Railway Corporation.

Nepal PM to face no-confidence motion:

• Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has decided to face a no-confidence motion rather than resigning, after Maoist Centre withdrew its support from the coalition government.
• At a parliamentary meeting, he stated he is riding on “constitutional complexities” to buy time. The Maoist party withdrew its support stating the ruling party failed to implement past agreements.

Adults-only ice cream van launched in UK:

• Warner Leisure Hotels has launched an adults-only ‘Grown Up Ice Cream’ van in the UK, which serves a mix of ice creams and alcohol, with flavours like ‘Tequila Sorbet’ and ‘Bacon and Bourbon’.
• The van has a bouncer to keep underage people away.
• The hotel group, which plans adult-only holidays, announces the van’s stop on its Facebook page every morning

 

— APPOINTMENTS —

ZopNow’s CEO Mukesh Singh steps down:

• Grocery delivery startupZopNow’s Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mukesh Singh has stepped down from his position.
• Singh will now work on the technology-related operations of ZopNow. He will be replaced by Raj Pandey, a former Executive Director at JP Morgan.
• ZopNow’s other Co-founder BalKrishn Birla quit in 2013 and claimed of being wrongly ousted from the startup.

 

— BOOKS & AUTHORS —

Courage & Commitment authored by Margaret Alva:

• A book titled Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography by Margaret Alva.,Via this book, Alva narrates her forty-year career under four Prime Ministers, namely Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, PV NarasimhaRao and Manmohan Singh.
• It also tells about her transition from politician to Governor.
• In the book, the Alva narrates her trials and triumphs and controversies that rocked her career as a politician leading to expulsion from Congress Party in 1979.
• She provides details of her spats with Sanjay Gandhi, her role in framing Rajiv Gandhi’s last campaign tour and her involvement with the Jain Hawala investigation when in charge of the CBI.
• At the same time, she also offers rare insights into the lives of national and international political luminaries.

 

— AWARDS AND HONOURS —

Aziz 1st Indian-American to get Emmy nomination:

• Actor Aziz Ansari has become the first Indian-American actor to receive a nomination for the ‘Emmy Award’, an annual award to honour American television personalities.
• The 33-year-old actor received the nomination in the ‘Lead actor in a comedy’ category for his series ‘Master of None’.
• Earlier, British actors of Indian descent Ben Kingsley and Naveen Andrews have received Emmy nominations.

World 1st hospital train completes 25 yearrs of service:

• The world’s first hospital on a train, the Lifeline Express, today completed 25 years of service to the poor and underprivileged masses of rural India.
• Also known as the Magic Train of India, the train medically served more than 10 lakh poor in rural India and covered two lakh kilometres distance since its launch in 1991.

Cook becomes most prolific opener in Test cricket:

• England captain Alastair Cook surpassed former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar to become the highest run-scorer as an opener in Test cricket’s history.
• Cook, who is the 11th highest Test run-scorer, overtook Gavaskar’s 9607-run record as an opener, during the Lord’s Test against Pakistan.
• Cook recently beat Sachin Tendulkar’s record of being the youngest to reach 10,000 Test runs.

NalandaUniv declared UNESCO World Heritage Site:

• UNESCO declared the Nalanda University in Bihar a World Heritage Site.
• The university houses the remains of a monastic institution dating from the 3rd century BC to the 13th century AD.
• Considered the oldest university in the Indian subcontinent, it imparted knowledge for about 800 years. Sites in Iran, China and Micronesia were also added to the list.

Four Indian women bikers complete 10,000 km trip to 10 Asian countries:

• Four Indian women bikers have completed a 10,000-km trip to 10 Asian countries over 40 days to raise awareness against female foeticide.
• They visited schools and universities calling for education without gender bias.
• Psychologist Sarika Mehta, who led the ride, said while the problem of female foeticide is huge in India, we believe it is also a global problem and can happen anywhere.
• In India, the baby female-to-male ratio has been dropping, partly because of female foeticide.
• In 2001, there were 927 girls to 1,000 boys; in 2011, the figure fell to 919 girls.

 

— BUSINESS AND ECONOMY —

Tata Advanced Systems signs deal with Bell Helicopter:

• Tata Advanced System (TASL) and Bell Helicopter, a Textron Company signed an agreement to work together in support of India’s aviation and defense modernization initiatives.
• The agreement was inked with an emphasis on ‘Make in India’.
• As per the agreement, TASL and Bell Helicopters will join to develop both commercial and government (including military) rotary wing markets in India in the light utility and reconnaissance segments.

Travel Boutique Online partners with Fxkart.com:

• B2B travel portal Travel Boutique Online (TBO) entered into a strategic partnership with Fxkart.com, an online aggregator of foreign exchange dealers.
• The partnership will allow travel agents from TBO to make foreign exchange bookings for customers.
• Travel agents will be able to access forex rates instantly on Fxkart.com’s network of over 250 RBI authorised money changers across India.

 

— SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY —

World ‘s 1st 3D printing eatery coming to London:

• Food Ink, which claims to be the world’s first 3D printing restaurant, is coming to London between July 25 and July 27.
• At the cost of £250 (about $334) each, the pop-up restaurant will serve ten customers each night.
• People can also try the 3D printers themselves and taste 3D printed Snacks during the day.