30th May 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• President Pranab Mukherjee is on 5-day visit to Sweden and  Belarus
• • Sweden Visit (31st May 2015 2nd June 2015)
  • • In the first leg of his visit Mr. Mukherjee will arrive in Sweden where he will meet the King Carl Gustaf, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven and Speaker of the Swedish Parliament.
    • During this visit, the two countries are expected to sign agreements on Urban Development, academics, health and in the field of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises .
    • • Important Points to Note : 
      • Sweden is the third largest trade partner of India.
      • This is the first visit of any Indian President to Sweden
    • Aim : The aim of the visit is to strengthen Sweden's long term political , economic and cultural ties with India.
  • Belarus Visit (2nd June 2015 to 4th June 2015) 
  • • Mr. Mukherjee will visit Belarus from 2nd of next month. 
    • He will be accompanied by a high level delegation of Parliamentarians and representatives from business and education sector.
  • Themes of the Visit : Innovations and sustainable development with a focus on Urban Development , Science and Research and emphasis on life science.
• At least 71 people have been killed in Syria's northern Aleppo province by barrel bombs dropped from government helicopters today.
• • The bombs, dropped by helicopters, are among the most deadly and inaccurate weapons used by government forces, and are reported in many parts of the country every day.
• In a landmark decision, the United States has removed Cuba from its list of State Sponsor of Terrorism, paving the way for normalizing ties frozen for half a century and lifting of additional sanctions against the communist country.
• • The move eliminates a major obstacle toward restoring diplomatic ties after 54 years of hostilities.
  •  The change allows Cuba to conduct banking in the United States, among other activities.
• The government today approved a pact on coastal shipping between India and Bangladesh to facilitate faster and cheaper cargo movement between both the nations.
• • The benefit of this agreement is that freight charges will come down and improve utilisation of port capabilities between the two countries. 
  • It will also help in decongestion of roads especially at the land custom stations/integrated check posts at the Indo-Bangladesh boarder.

National Affairs

• On this Day (30th May 2015), 1st Hindi newspaper Udant Martand‬ (The Rising Sun) was published from Calcutta, India in the year 1826.
• The union cabinet today gave its approval to the re-promulgation of the controversial Land Acquisition Ordinance.
• • The land ordinance will be issued for the third time.
  • The Ordinance was promulgated for the first time in December last year to amend the 2013 Act. Despite being passed in Lok Sabha, the government did not take it to Rajya Sabha as it lacked numbers there.
  • The Ordinance was re-promulgated in March this year and will lapse on June 4. 
  • The recommendation of the Union Cabinet will be sent to President Pranab Mukherjee for its approval.
• The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been apprised about the constitution of a committee to suggest different programmes to be undertaken by various ministries and states to celebrate the 125th Birth Anniversary of Dr. B. R Ambedkar.
• • The activities and celebrations will aim to spread the thoughts and ideas of Dr. Ambedkar and will be undertaken under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.
  • Note : This year marks the 125th birth anniversary year of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, who is also known as the architect of the Constitution of India. 
  • The contribution of Ambedkar in social, political and economic sectors is enormous and he is considered as one of the key founders of modern India.
• On the lines of Centre government's 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', the Maharashtra Government has launched 'Swachhata Saptapadi' scheme.
• • The grants received by the municipal councils and corporations from the 14th Finance Commission will be linked with the successful implementation of the scheme.
  • Actor Aamir Khan (Brand ambassador of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan) attend the inauguration ceremony as a guest along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Minister of State for UD Dr Ranjit Patil.

People in News

• "Jai Ho", a documentary based on music maestro AR Rahman's life, was screened at the White House in Washington.
• • The film, directed by Umesh Aggarwal, traces the journey of the Oscar and Grammy winning music composer's professional and personal life.

Business & Economy

• State Bank of India has launched an online application that will enable customers to apply for home, car, education and personal loans online.
• • Customers will instantly get an e-approval on filling the online form.
  • Thereafter, the bank officials will contact customers and complete all the loan formalities.
  • The bank is also planning to launch a similar application on the mobile platform soon.
  • SBI Chairperson : Arundhati Bhattacharya
• Fares for First Class and AC classes in passenger trains besides freight charges will go up by 0.5 per cent from 1st June 2015 as new service tax will come into effect.
• • Note : Currently, 3.7 per cent service tax is levied on train fares for AC Class, First Class and freight. This will go up to 4.2 per cent from June.
  • Railway Minister : Suresh Prabhu
• The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) has called for a nation-wide strike on June 24 in support of various demands of the State Sector Bank Employees Association (SSBEA).

Sports

• Sepp Blatter re-elected as Fifa president for a fifth term.

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