5th June 2016 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

Today (5th June) is World Environment Day.
- This day is celebrated every year to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth.
- It is run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
- This day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 on the day that United Nations Conference on the Human Environment began.
- Theme of the year 2016 : “Join the race to make the world a better place”.
Today (1st Sunday of June) is Cancer Survivors Day.
Pope Francis today announced a new law to deal with inaction over paedophile priests.
- Under this new law, Catholic bishops who fail to sack paedophile priests can be removed from office.
- This comes as some bishops have been long accused of simply moving priests accused of abuse to another parish, rather than report them to police or church authorities.
India has submitted its formal application to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to the United States.
- The NSG will reportedly assess India's application at "closed-door" meeting scheduled for June 9 and 10 in Austria's Vienna.
- Important Note : The NSG membership can help India gain access to the global nuclear market.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani jointly inaugurate Afghan India Friendship Dam.
Modi reaches Qatar capital Doha on the second leg of his five nation tour.

MOUs & Agreements

Telangana government has signed an MoU with California (US) for cooperation in fields of business innovation, alternative energy, and education.
India and Qatar today signed 7 agreements, including on investment and tourism promotion, following delegation level talks headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatar Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. The agreements signed were,
- Agreement on Cooperation & Mutual Assistance in Custom Matters.
- First Executive Program for MOU in the field of Youth & Sports.
- MOU for investment in National Investment & Infrastructure Fund.
- MOU on Cooperation in Skill Development & Recognition of Qualifications.
- MOU on Cooperation in the field of Health.
- MOU on Cooperation in Tourism.
- MOU on Finance Intelligence Unit-India (FIU-IND) & Qatar Financial Information Unit (QFIU).

National Affairs

Kerala government has decided to make the state's 590 km-long coastline "plastic and garbage free" by the end of this month, Kerala Fisheries Minister Mercykutty Amma said today.
- Plastic and solid waste will be collected separately and handed over to the Clean Kerala Company.
- The company plans to crush the plastic and use it for road tarring.
Himachal Pradesh today became the first state in the country to have a State Data Centre (SDC), designed using green data centre concept, to offer 101 people-oriented service online through an integrated data base.

New Appointments

CR Sasikumar has taken over as Managing Director of State Bank of Travancore (SBT), one of the associate banks of State Bank of India (SBI).
- Note : NK Chari has been appointed Managing Director of the State Bank of Mysore (SBM) yesterday.
Congress Legislative Party leader and former Union Minister V Narayanasamy will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Puducherry tomorrow.

Deaths

India's 1st Mr. Universe Manohar Aich passed away (104) in Kolkata today.
Veteran film, theatre and television actress Sulabha Deshpande (79) passed away.
- She was considered among those spearheading the experimental theatre movement in the 1970s.
- Some of her works include the films 'English Vinglish' and 'Gaman'.
- She won the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1987 for her contribution to theatre.
Moto2 rider Luis Salom (24) passed away after crashing during practice for the Catalunya Grand Prix.

Business & Economy

The government will release revised values of Index of Industrial Production (IIP) and Wholesale Price Index (WPI) within this year with a new base year of 2011-12, Chief Statistician of India TCA Anant said.
- This is to make them more representative of the current economic scenario, he added. Currently, the IIP and WPI have a base year of 2004-05.

Sports

Spain's Garbiñe Muguruza won her maiden Grand Slam title after defeating the defending champion Serena Williams in the French Open finals today. T
Kila Raipur, a village in Punjab, has been hosting a sports event called the 'Rural Olympics' every winter since 1933.
- The tournament reportedly aims at giving farmers an opportunity to test their stamina and strength.
- The four-day event features competitions like bullock cart race, tractor tyre racing, Gilli Danda, Gatka, and tug-of-war among other conventional sports.
ICC’s cricket committee has suggested making British Safety Standard-compliant helmets mandatory in international cricket.
- The committee expressed concerns that players were wearing helmets which were not compliant with safety standards, with England captain Alastair Cook being a recent example.
- Note : BSS helmets have lesser gap between the peak and the grille, and are not adjustable on either side.
India win four gold and one bronze on second day of Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Vietnam.