31st May 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

• Today on ‘World No Tobacco Day’.
• • This day is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption around the globe. T
  • It is also intended to discourage a consumption of tobacco and draw attention to the negative health effects of tobacco.
  • The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987.
  • This year's Theme : Stop illicit trade of tobacco products

New Appointments

• Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo will be the new Chancellor of the Nalanda
  
  University, the Ministry of External Affairs announced today.
• • Mr. Yeo, who is on the governing board of prestigious university, will take over from Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, who withdrew his candidature for a second term as Chancellor of the Nalanda University in Bihar in February 2015.
  • Note : Mr. Yeo was awarded the Padma Bhushan in the year 2012 in recognition of his contribution in the field of "public affairs." 

Business & Economy

• Service tax to go up to 14 percent from tomorrow.
• • This will result increased costs of all services like mobile recharges, eating out and traveling.
  • Note : Finance minister Arun Jaitley in his budget had proposed to raise service tax from 12.36 percent (including education cess) to 14 percent. 
  • This proposal takes effect from tomorrow.
  • The key services that will attract higher tax and hence become costlier are-railways, airlines, banking, insurance, advertising, architecture, construction, credit cards, event management and tour operators.
• The Finance Ministry today came out with new three-page income tax return (ITR) forms, dropping the controversial provision for mandatory disclosure of foreign trips and dormant bank accounts, while it also extended the last date of filing.
• • The new forms - ITR 2 and ITR 2A - will have only three pages and other details will have to be filled in schedules.
  • Note : The last date for submission of tax returns was extended to August 31, 2015.

People in News

• In a meticulously planned and executed operation, Telangana state's Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA A. Revanth Reddy was trapped by the sleuths of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) while allegedly trying to bribe a nominated MLA to vote in favour of his party candidate in the Legislative Council election scheduled on Monday.

Science & Technology

• An advanced version of the indigenously developed Pinaka Mark-II rocket was successfully test-fired today from Army's Chandan firing range near Pokhran using a multi-barrel launcher. 
• • Jointly developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Indian Army, this multi-barrel rocket launcher has high operational mobility, flexibility and accuracy as the major characteristics, which give the weapon an edge in modern artillery warfare for the Indian Armed Forces. 
• Chinese researchers have successfully developed the first automated teller machine (ATM) with facial recognition technology to reduce the risk of theft.
• • The developers include Tsinghua University and Tzekwan Technology, a Hangzhou firm in eastern China’s Zhejiang province that provides security protection for financial transactions.
• India has decided to buy only 36 Rafale fighter jets scrapping the earlier plan to acquire 126 of the French aircraft on grounds of huge cost.
• • Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar termed as “economically unviable” the previous UPA government’s 20 billion USD deal for purchase of the 126 Rafale fighter planes more than three years after France’s Dassault Aviation was declared the lowest bidder.
  • The deal would have required around Rs 1.3 lakh crore over a period of 10-11 years, he added.

Sports

• International Wrestling Tournament
• • Four Indian grapplers, including Yogeshwar Dutt, struck gold at the International Wrestling tournament in Sassari City, Italy, after finishing on top in their respective weight categories in Men's Freestyle.
  • Yogeshwar bagged the gold medal in 65kg division
  • Praveen Rana claimed the gold in 70kg category
  • Amit Kumar won the gold in 57 kg category and 
  • Narsingh Yadav won the gold  in 74kg category
• Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari outclassed Chang Hye Jin of Korea in straight sets to clinch the bronze medal in the women’s individual recurve event of the Archery World Cup.

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