Daily Current affairs - June 3rd and 4th, 2018 for all competitive exams
On June 3, 2018, the first
official World Bicycle Day was celebrated. Vice-President
Venkaiah Naidu flagged off a mega cycling event in New Delhi.
- New Delhi is one of the three cities in the world
where major events are being organized to mark the day. Berlin &
New York are the other two places.
- The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the
multiple societal benefits of using the bicycle for transport and leisure.
The day, which is celebrated for the first time this year, was approved on
12 April 2018 as an official United Nations day.
June 4 - International day
of innocent children victims of aggression
International Day of
Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed on June 4 each year. It was
established on 19 August 1982.
- The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain
suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical,
mental and emotional abuse. Its work is guided by the Convention on the Rights
of the Child, the most rapidly and widely ratified international human
rights treaty in history.
- The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides
us with the universal masterplan to secure a better future for children.
NTPC adopts Charminar
under Swachh iconic places project
NTPC Ltd has adopted the
iconic Charminar in Hyderabad under the Swachh Iconic Places Projects of India.
- NTPC Ltd and the Greater Hyderabad Municipal
Corporation have signed a memorandum of understanding for implementation
of development and beautification works under the Charminar
Pedestrianization Project in Hyderabad.
Swachh Iconic Places is
an initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission. It is a special clean-up
initiative focused on select iconic heritage, spiritual and cultural places
in the country. The initiative is being coordinated by the Ministry of
Drinking Water and Sanitation in association with the Ministry of Urban
Development, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and the concerned State
governments.
|
Badshahi Ashoorkhana restore
Telangana government and Aga Khan Trust are working to restore Hyderabad’s
17th century Badshahi Ashoorkhana.
- The 400-year old Ashoorkhana was built by Muhammed
Quli Qutub Shah.
- It was a house of mourning, where
large congregations of Muslims gathered in memory of the martyrdom of Imam
Hussain during the month of Muharram.
During the rule of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, in 1178 Hijri (about
1764 AD), the Ashoorkhana was converted into a bandikhana. For 80 years, it was used as a stable where horses were kept,
before it was restored as a place of worship by the then mutawalli Mir
Nawazish Ali Khan.
|
Odisha starts health insurance scheme for
journalists
Odisha government has launched “Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana”
for working journalists.
- The health insurance scheme for working journalists
will be implemented with effect from June 1, 2018. Under the scheme,
journalists from across the state will get health insurance coverage up to
Rs 2 lakh. At least five members of a journalist’s family would be covered
under the scheme.
- The scribes will get their health insurance card
from the District Information and Public Relations Officer (DIPRO) in
their respective districts.
Gopabandhu Das (1877–1928) was a social worker, reformer, political
activist, journalist, poet and essayist from Odisha. He was popularly known
as Utkalamani (Jewel of Utkal or Orissa).
|
Tripura begins exporting
pineapples to Dubai
The first batch
of Tripura’s “Queen” pineapples was dispatched to Dubai.
- The pineapples will be taken to Dubai on a SpiceJet
aircraft via New Delhi.
- The government has reached an agreement to dispatch
to Dubai one tonne of the pineapple variety every week, with the next
consignment scheduled for departure.
Odisha beach is Asia’s first to get ‘Blue Flag’ tag
Chandrabhaga beach on the Konark coast of Odisha will be the first in Asia
to get the Blue Flag certification.
- Twelve more beaches in the country are being
developed by the Society for Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM), an
Environment Ministry’s body working for the management of coastal areas,
in accordance with the Blue Flag standards.
Blue flag project Launched in December 2017 by the Environment Ministry, the prime
objective of the project is to enhance standards of cleanliness, upkeep and
basic amenities at beaches. Under the project, each state or union territory
has been asked to nominate a beach which will be funded through the ongoing
Integrated Coastal Management Programme.
To achieve the Blue Flag standards, a beach has to strictly comply with
33 environment and tourism-related conditions. The standards were established
by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) in 1985.
For example- a beach must be plastic-free and equipped with a waste
management system. Clean water should be available for tourists, apart from
international amenities. The beach should have facilities for studying the
environmental impact around the area.
|
Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) has been established
under the aegis of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate change.
The main objective of the Centre is to promote research and development
in the area of coastal management including addressing issues of coastal
communities.
It also supports implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management
(ICZM) activities in India and implements the World Bank assisted India ICZM
Project.
|
Agni-5 ballistic missile successfully test fired
India recently successfully test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear
capable Long Range Ballistic Missile Agni-5 from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the
Odisha coast.
- Agni-5 Ballistic Missile is
a surface-to-surface missile which can carry nuclear warhead weighing 1.5
tonnes to a distance of over 5,000 km and is the longest missile in
India’s arsenal capable of reaching most parts of China.
- With this missile, India has joined an elite club of
nations that possess the ICBM launch capability. Only the five permanent
members of the United Nations Security Council – China, France, Russia,
the United States and Britain, along with Israel, have so far possessed
such long-range missiles.
- The missile features many new indigenously-developed
technologies, including the very high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based
Inertial Navigation System (RINS), and the most modern and accurate Micro
Navigation System (MINS) which improves the accuracy of the missile.
At present, India has in its armoury the Agni series — Agni-1 with 700 km
range, Agni-2 with 2,000 km range, Agni-3 and Agni-4 with 2,500 km to more
than 3,500 km range.
|
China successfully
launches new earth observation satellite
China successfully
launched a new Earth observation satellite 'the Gaofen-6' which
will be mainly used in agricultural resources research and disaster monitoring.
- The Satellite was
launched on a Long March-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch
Centre in northwest China.
- It was the 276th
mission of the Long March rocket series.
Scientists develop the
aerial robot that can morph mid-flight
In a world-first, scientists
have drawn inspiration from birds to design an aerial robot capable of altering
its profile during flight.
- To reduce its wingspan and navigate through tight
spaces, the robot can reorient its arms, which are equipped with
propellers that let it fly like a helicopter.
- The technology, described in the journal Soft
Robotics, paves the way for a new generation of large robots.
EAM Sushma Swaraj begins
5-day visit to South Africa
External Affairs Minister
Sushma Swaraj begins her five-day visit to South Africa where
she will meet the top leadership of the country. Her visit will further
strengthen the close and long-standing ties with South Africa.
- The Minister will participate in the BRICS
Foreign Ministers Meeting and chair the IBSA Foreign Ministers
Meeting during her visit.
Defence Secretary Sanjay
Mitra gets additional charge of DRDO Chairman
Eminent scientist S
Christopher has completed his term as the chief of the Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and Defence Secretary
Sanjay Mitra was given additional charge of the post.
- Mr Christopher was in May 2015 appointed as
Director General of the DRDO for a two-year term.
- He was then working as Distinguished Scientist and
Programme Director (airborne early warning and control system) and
Director, Centre for Air-Borne Systems in the DRDO.
MK Jain has appointed as
the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India
The government has
appointed MK Jain as the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India, filling
a position which has been vacant since August 2017.
- Jain has been the managing director and chief
executive officer of IDBI Bank Ltd. since April 2017.
- A career banker, Jain has previously served as the
CEO of Indian Bank.
Abdel Fattah al-Sisi sworn
in as Egyptian president
In Egypt, President Abdel
Fattah al-Sisi was sworn in for a second four-year term in office as the
country faces major economic and security challenges.
- Sisi won 97% of valid votes in the March
presidential election.
- His only opponent, Moussa Mostafa Moussa, was
relatively unknown and a fervent Sisi supporter himself.
Vijay Mahajan is new
CEO for Rajiv Gandhi foundation
Social entrepreneur Vijay
Mahajan was appointed as secretary and chief executive officer of the Rajiv
Gandhi Foundation and director of the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary
Studies.
- Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) was set up on June 21,
1991, to realize the vision of Shri Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of
India.
India's Sanjana Ramesh
wins MVP award at Basketball without borders Asia
India's Sanjana
Ramesh was awarded the 'Most Valuable Player' (MVP) even as
compatriot Vaishnavi Yadav won the 'Girls Grit Award' on the fourth
and final day of Basketball Without Borders Asia 2018, which featured
66 campers from 16 countries from the Asia-Pacific region.
- The camp got underway with
the girls championship game between the New York Liberty and the
Minnesota Lynx. Coached on the sidelines by Ruth Riley and Sakshi Sheoran,
the Lynx defeated the Liberty 20-13.
Senior journalist Leela
Menon, 86, passes away
Leela Menon, a pioneering
journalist and the chief editor of Malayalam newspaper ‘Janmabhumi’, died at
the age of 86 in Kochi.
- Menon, who began her journalistic career with The
Indian Express in New Delhi in 1978, shot into the limelight for her
wide-range of ‘exclusive’ stories.
Former Footballer Timothy
Pereira passes away
Timothy Pereira, former
football international who represented Tata FC, died after a prolonged illness.
Pereira was 75
- He played for the country in 1967-68. Pereira also
played hockey and represented Catholic Gymkhana in the local league.
Kagiso Rabada wins South
Africa’s Cricketer of the Year award
South African speedster
Kagiso Rabada was named as South Africa’s cricketer of the year on Saturday.
- This is the second occasion where Rabada has bagged
the prestigious award after winning it in 2016.
- Rabada has been one of the most prolific performers
for his national team picking up 72 wickets in 12 Tests.
