IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JUNE 9, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JUNE 9, 2016

1. Piyush Goyal Launches ‘Surya Mitra’ Mobile App

i. Minister for Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy Piyush Goyal has launched ‘Surya Mitra’ mobile app at the national workshop on rooftop solar power in New Delhi. 

ii. The GPS-based mobile app is developed by National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) which is an autonomous institution of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE).

iii. This app is a high-end technology platform which can handle thousands of calls simultaneously and can efficiently monitor all visits of Suryamitra’s. 

2. AYUSH minister has inaugurated National Health Editors’ meet on Yoga 

i. Minister of State for AYUSH,Shripad Yesso Naik, has inaugurated a National Health Editors' Conference in New Delhi. 

ii. The theme of the conference is Yoga for Holistic Health - Recent Researches. 

iii. The conference aims at ensuring wider dissemination of benefits of Yoga to the public through the media. In the conference, the Centre has decided to introduce International Yoga Award Scheme with a view to promote yoga from 2017. 

3. Union Government to form new reserve battalion named after Maharana Pratap

i. Union Home Ministry has decided to form new reserve battalion. It will be called Maharana India Reserve Battalion. 

ii. It was announced by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on the occasion of the 475th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap in Gogunda in Udaipur district. 

iii. He also unveiled the statue of Maharana Pratap in the ceremony. 

4. NPCIL and Westinghouse agree to begin engineering work on 6 N-reactors

i. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and the US firm Westinghouse have agreed to begin engineering work for six nuclear power plant reactors in India. 

ii. The engineering and site design work will begin immediately and the two sides will work toward finalizing the contractual arrangements by June 2017. 

iii. These nuclear reactors would bring clean energy to India and generate thousands of jobs and will also help to fulfill the promise of the US-India civil nuclear agreement and demonstrating a shared commitment to meet India's growing energy needs while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. 

5. India, US set up 2 clean energy financial support programmes for $60 mn

i. India and the US have announced the setting up of two financial assistance programmes worth $60 million for supporting India’s much-needed clean energy initiatives including in solar power and other renewables.

ii. This includes the creation of a $20 million US-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF) initiative, equally supported by the US and India.

iii. This is expected to mobilise up to $400 million to provide clean and renewable electricity to up to 1 million households by 2020. The two leaders from both country also agreed on a $40-million US-India Catalytic Solar Finance Programme, which would be equally supported by the US and India.

6. SBI, ICICI Bank heads among four Indians in Forbes ‘Powerful Women’ list

i. Four Indian women, including SBI Managing director Arundhati Bhattacharya and ICICI Bank Managing director Chanda Kochhar, are in the new list of Forbes’ world’s 100 most powerful women who are building billion-dollar brands and calling the shots in the financial markets.

ii. The Forbes ‘100 Most Powerful Women’ in the world list 2016, topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, includes PepsiCo Chief Indra Nooyi, Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, and HT Media head Shobhana Bhartia.

iii. Bhattacharya, ranked 25th on the list. While, Kochhar comes in at the 40th spot. However, Mazumdar-Shaw is ranked 77th on the list and Bhartia is ranked 93rd on the list. Nooyi is ranked 14th on the list.

7. World Oceans Day being observed on 8th June

i. The World Oceans Day is being observed globally on 8th June every year to raise global awareness of the current challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans. The day also seeks to provide a unique opportunity to honour, protect, and conserve the world’s oceans.

ii. The theme of this year is “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet”. 

iii. World Oceans Day was first introduced in 1992 to raise awareness of the crucial role the sea plays as sources of food, oxygen, and medicine. It was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008.

8. Indian-origin professor in the UK awarded by Queen

i. Eminent Indian-origin professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya has been awarded the prestigious Regius Professorship in Manufacturing by Queen Elizabeth II for his outstanding contribution in manufacturing. 

ii. Through his career, he has advised the UK government on manufacturing, innovation, and technology. He is an IIT-Kharagpur alumnus.

iii. Bhattacharyya has founded Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), at the University of Warwick in 1980 to invigorate UK manufacturing. The award falls under the Royal Prerogative, with each appointment being approved by the Queen upon Ministerial advice.

9. US returns 200 artifacts worth USD 100 mn to India

i. The US has returned over 200 stolen cultural artifacts to India, some dating back 2,000 years. The estimated cost of these artifacts is around US$ 100 million. 

ii. Indian Ambassador to the US Arun K Singh stated that 12 artifacts have been returned and the process has begun for the transfer of rest of the treasured artifacts.

iii. Items returned included religious statues, bronzes, and terra-cotta pieces looted from some of India's most treasured religious sites.  

10. Dr. Shahid Rasool Takes Charge At CEMCA

i. Dr. Shahid Rasool, a communication technology specialist, has taken charge as the new director of the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA). 

ii. Rasool will guide CEMCA, an arm of the Vancouver-based Commonwealth of Learning (COL) - in its mission to ensure effective utilisation of educational media resources for distance education.

iii. Rasool, who also has a doctorate in mass communication and journalism from the University of Kashmir, was earlier director of the university's Educational Multimedia Research Centre. Headquartered in New Delhi, CEMCA was set up in 1994 in response to calls by Asian Commonwealth countries for a greater focus on distance education.

11. American mixed martial arts fighter Kimbo Slice passes away

i. American mixed martial arts fighter Kimbo Slice has passed away in Florida. He was 42 years old.

ii. Slice real name was Kevin Ferguson.

iii. He was Bahamian-born ex-football player and strip club bouncer who began competing in unsanctioned street fights in 2003. 

12. Chess Grandmaster Viktor Korchnoi passed away

i. Chess grandmaster Victor Korchnoi has passed away in Wohlen, Switzerland. He was 85 years old. Viktor Korchnoi was a professional chess grandmaster and author.

ii. He is a former Soviet champion who defected to the West and was considered among the best players never to win a world championship. He was a candidate for the World Championship on ten occasions. In September 2006, he won the World Senior Chess Championship.

iii. He was born in Leningrad and learned chess from his father at the age of six. Angry at the Soviet leadership, Korchnoi defected in the Netherlands in 1976 and moved to Switzerland the following year. Korchnoi continued to play into old age, was still ranked in the top 100 in the world at the age of 75 and was Swiss chess champion as recently as 2011.

13. The veteran musician, composer of Nepali national anthem, Mr. Amber Gurung passed away

i. Amber Gurung, the renowned Nepali musician, and composer of the country's national anthem has passed away at the Grande International Hospital in Dhapasi. He was 78 years old and born and raised in Darjeeling. 

ii. He has composed more than a 1,000 songs including many era-defining numbers during his long career. He was suffering from diabetes and Parkinson's disease.

iii. Mr. Gurung is the composer of Nepali national anthem 'Sayaun Thunga Fulka Hami' and served the musical sector for more than four decades after shifting to Nepal in 1969 at the invitation of King Mahendra to lead the music department at the Nepal Academy of Arts and Literature.

14. Eden Gardens to host India's 1st pink ball match

i. Kolkata's Eden Gardens is set to host India's first-ever pink ball cricket match in the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Super League final starting June 17. 

ii. The three-day match, which will be played under lights, will feature pink Kookaburra balls. 

15. India to host Junior Men's hockey World Cup

i. The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has announced that the city of Nabab's -Lucknow, India will host the junior men's hockey World Cup, which is going to start from 8 of December and will end on 18th of December. 

ii. The Eleven-Day long event will feature 16 teams. They include defending champions Germany, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, England, India, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan and Spain.

iii. The women's Hockey Junior World Cup will take place before the men's competition, starting from 24th November and will end on 4th of December in Santiago, Chile. India will not be part of that event.