IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 29th, 2017

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 29th, 2017

1.   On 29th May (29th May 2017) is International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers.

The day was established to :

i) Honour the memory of the UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace;

ii) Pay tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage.

Theme of International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2017 : "Investing in Peace around the world"

2.    The Russian parliament's lower house has passed anAnti-Suicide bill to combat the Blue Whale suicide challenge, which has caused over 100 teen deaths in the country. 

i)     The bill proposes a maximum punishment of six years in jail for driving children towards suicide. 

ii)    However, the bill mandates that criminal cases against suspects can be stopped if they cease their activities.

3.   What is Blue Whale suicide Challenge ?

i)The Blue Whale suicide game is believed to be an online social media group which is encouraging people to kill themselves.

ii)A group administrator assigns daily tasks to members, which they have to complete over 50 days.

iii)The horrific tasks include self-harming, watching horror movies and waking up at unusual hours.

iv)On the 50th day, the controlling manipulators behind the game reportedly instruct the youngsters to commit suicide.

4).  Prime Minister Narendra Modi On 29th May started off on his journey to 4 countries in a tour lasting six days. 

The 4 Countries he is visiting are :

o    Germany

o    Spain

o    Russia 

o    France

i)He will reach Germany On 29th May, where he'll meet Chancellor Angela Merkel. 

ii)He will head to Spain on Tuesday evening, after which he'll be in Russia from Wednesday to Friday. 

iii)Lastly, he'll be in France till Saturday.

iv)Aime of this Tour : To strengthen bilateral ties. 

5. HRD minister Prakash Javadekar On 29th May launched an Anti-Ragging Mobile Appintroduced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) at New Delhi.

i)This app will work on android system and students can log in and register their complaints instantaneously.

ii) Accordingly, all concerned will be informed and action will be initiated immediately.

6.   Kazakhstan, the world's biggest uranium producer, will start producing nuclear fuelfor Chinese power plants in 2019 through a joint venture set up by the two countries.

i) The first stage of the joint venture will produce about 200 tonnes of ready-to-use nuclear fuel assemblies a year, using technologies and equipment supplied by France.

7.   The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will commence the operation ofIndia's own 'GPS' or positioning system, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS), in early 2018. 

i)This would make India part of an elite group of countries that have their own positioning system. 

ii)The ISRO has spent ₹1,420 crore on building and setting up seven IRNSS satellites in space.

8.   A malware named 'Judy' has attacked over 3.65 crore Android users through simple fashion and cooking game apps on Google Play Store, according to security firm Check Point. 

i)Once these apps are installed, the malware uses the infected phone to click on certain Google Ads to increase the attacker's revenue. 

9.   North Korea On 29th May test-fired a short-range ballistic missile that flew 450 kilometres before landing in Japanese waters. 

i)This was North Korea's third missile launch in last three weeks, with previous two launches being medium to long range missiles. 

ii)The launch comes a day after state news agency reported that leader Kim Jong Un supervised test of new anti-aircraft weapon system.

10.              Visual theatre pioneer Satyabrata Rout has been awarded Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar for the year 2016. 

i) He has been awarded for developing a unique method of teaching and practicing direction and design achieved from his experience working with eminent theatre practitioners and scholars.

11.      The Swedish film 'The Square', directed by Ruben Östlund won the Palme d'Or, the top prize at Cannes Film Festival. 

ii)The film '120 Beats Per Minute!' won the Grand Prix, the runner-up prize.

a.    Further, the Best Actor prize was awarded to Joaquin Phoenix for 'You Were Never Really Here' while Diane Kruger won Best Actress for 'In the Fade'.

o    World Table Tennis Championships begin in Dusseldorf, Germany On 29th May with the Qualification matches.

o    This is the 54th edition of the competition, and hosted by Germany for the seventh time.

o    Top-ranked Indian in the world, Achanta Sharath Kamal will lead the 8-member Indian squad.

o    The team also includes Soumyajit Ghosh, Harmeet Desai, reigning national champion Madhurika Patkar, Manika Batra and Mouma Das.