Current Affairs 5th June 2017

Current Affairs 5th June 2017 - Important Points

• Intercontinental ballistic missile defense system successfully tested by - Pentagon
• Foundation stone for 8 connectivity projects worth 1117 Cr at JNPT by - Nitin Gadkari
• RCom-Aircel merged wireless company to -Aircom
• International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression Day 2017 acknowledged globally on -  4th June 2017
• First Indian to be inducted in ITTF URC - Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer
• World Environment Day observed on - 5th June 2017
• In a first US, China sanctions deal UN expands - North Korea blacklist 
• 2017 Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold clinched by - Sai Praneeth
• 1st all weather tracked-chassis QR-SAM successfully test-fired by - India
• 334-year-old blasphemy law repealed by - Denmark
• MGNREGA National Award won by - Vizianagaram 
•  Lost temple discovered in China - After 1,000 years

Current Affairs 5th June 2017- Details

Intercontinental ballistic missile defense system successfully tested by - Pentagon

The United States of America successfully conducted the long planned first-ever test of its defense system against an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on 30th May 2017. 

Speaking on the development, the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) stated that a ground-based interceptor was launched at a California air base and it successfully shot down a mock ballistic missile.

Key Highlights

• The U.S military fired an ICBM-type missile from the Kwajalein Atoll towards the waters just south of Alaska in the Marshall Islands and after that a missile was fired to intercept it from the Vandenberg Air Force Base,California.
• Experts compare the exercise to hitting a bullet with another bullet. 
• The huge distance involved further added to the complexity of the test.
• It was the first live-fire test managed by Boeing Co. against a simulated ICBM for the Ground-Based Missile Defense.

Foundation stone for 8 connectivity projects worth 1117 Cr at JNPT by - Nitin Gadkari

Nitin Gadkari,The Minister of Shipping and Road Transport and Highways laid the foundation stone for eight connectivity projects at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai on 30th May 2017. The projects worth Rs 1117.03 Cr focus to boost connectivity of the hinterland to the Port Trust. Gadkari spoke on the occasion that Sagarmala programme is expecting huge investments and it will lead to better infrastructure and new jobs creation. He also stated that  a lot of companies are showing interest in land acquisition for setting up factories in the JNPT SEZ zone. Coordinator will be appointed to look into the needs of these new companies and help training the local youth in order to meet their specific needs.

More about Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust

• These new initiatives are expected to increase efficiency and boosting development in and around the port areas.
• The JNPT, the second youngest and one of the most modern major ports of the country was commissioned on 26th May 1989, it was formally  called as Nhava Sheva Port.
• In the beginning , It was planned to be a ‘satellite port’ to the Mumbai Port with the purpose to decongest its traffic but eventually it was developed into an independent port.
• It was completed in just three-and-half years on the marshy soil.
• The management used hi-tech instruments to do away with rock blasting in order to maintain the beauty of the nearby historical Elephanta Caves and other surroundings.

Do you know?

Jawaharlal Nehru Port is the country’s largest container port with the total land area in possession of about 2987 hectares.

RCom-Aircel merged wireless company to -Aircom

Reliance Communications (RCom) Chairman Anil Ambani announced on 2nd June 2017 that the merged entities of RCom and Aircel will be called Aircom. Both the companies Reliance Communications and Maxis Communications Berhad (MCB) announced their merger plans in September 2016.

Important highlights 

• R-Com will going to demerge its wireless business and transfer it to the new entity Aircom.
• Both R-Com and Maxis will be holding 50 percent each in the new entity Aircom.
• Aircom will going to be one of the India’s largest private sector companies with net worth of 35000 crore rupees and an asset base of over 65000 crore rupees.
• Independent professional team under the supervision of the board will manage the company.
• Post the completion of this merging, RCom’s overall debt will be reduced by 25000 crore rupees or over 40 percent of its debt, while Aircel’s debt will be reduced by 4000 crore rupees.
• It will enjoy increased business continuity through extended validity of spectrum holdings till 2033-35.

 International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression Day 2017 acknowledged globally on -  4th June 2017

On 4th June 2017, International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression was observed globally. Originally focused on victims of the 1982 Lebanon War, this day gives an opportunity to the world to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of mental, physical and emotional abuse.

The day also affirms the United Nations commitment to protect the children rights.

The International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, which is annually observed on 4th June as a United Nations observance day, was established on 19th August 1982.

First Indian to be inducted in ITTF URC - Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer

Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer became the first Indian to be nominated as a member of the Umpires and Referees Committee (URC) in the first week of June 2017. Following the AGM of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)in early June 2017, the Board of Directors of various committees met on the sidelines of the ongoing World Championships and handpicked the best in the business for this job. His term as a URC member is for a period of two years and that can be extended later on the descretion of the board. URC is the technical arm of the ITTF which takes care of all the technical issues involving the sport. The committee mandate is to oversee the training, appointment,certification and performance of umpires and referees.

More about Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer

• Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer also serves as the chairman of the South Asian Federation technical committee.
• He is also a member of the Technical Committee of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation.
• He had supervised the Asian Championships at Wuxi (China) as competition manager in May 2017.
• He was a deputy referee in the Kuala Lumpur World Championships 2016.
• He has also officiated in various International competitions as Competition Manger and Referee, including the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow in 2014.

World Environment Day observed on - 5th June 2017

The World Environment Day (WED) was observed with the theme ‘Connecting People to Nature’ on 5th June 2017 .The day is observed annually with an objective to encourage awareness and action for the environment protection. This day began in 1974 as a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues from marine pollution,to wildlife crime,to global warming and sustainable consumption.

In a first US, China sanctions deal UN expands - North Korea blacklist 

The UN Security Council passed a resolution expanding targeted sanctions against North Korea on 2nd June 2017 after it launched its ninth ballistic missile of the year. The resolution is the first such one that was agreed upon by both N Korea’s only major ally-China  and the United States since President Donald Trump took the office. Speaking to the council after the vote, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley stated that though the US will continue to seek a peaceful, diplomatic  resolution to this situation, it is also prepared to counteract North Korean aggression through other means, if needed in future.

Key Highlights

• The new resolution has expressed complete disapproval on North Korea’s continued proliferation of its nuclear and ballistic program.
• It has also extended a worldwide travel ban and asset freeze on senior officials  which came after five weeks of negotiations between Washington and Beijing, core military apparatus as well as the state entities that are directly responsible for North Korea’s banned nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
• The resolution accepted by the 15-member council, also included state officials and banks without any opposition.
• Sanctions have been applied on four entities including Koryo Bank and Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People’s Army and 14 other people including the North Korea’s overseas spying operations head.
• The sanctions are focusing to further restricting North Korea’s ability to finance its illegal activities.

2017 Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold clinched by - Sai Praneeth

Indian third seed B. Sai Praneeth captured the Men’s Singles title in the USD 120000 Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold badminton championship on 4th June 2017 by defeating Indonesian fourth seed Jonatan Christie 17—21, 21—18, 21—19 in 71 minutes in the final match played at Nimibutr Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand.

Interesting Highlights

• Born on 10th August 1992, Sai Praneeth Bhamidipati is an Indian badminton player from Hyderabad, Telangana.
• He stunned the 2nd seed Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia in the 1st Round 24-22, 22-20 in straight sets in the 2016 All England Super Series Premier.
• He also won the 2016 Canada Open Grand Prix Men’s Singles title.
• He defeated Kidambi Srikanth 17-21, 21-17, 21-12 to clinch his maiden Super Series title in the Singapore Open final in April 2017.

Do you know?

The 2017 Thailand Open Grand Prix Gold was the seventh grand prix's badminton tournament of the Grand Prix and 2017 BWF Grand Prix Gold. The tournament was held in Bangkok in Thailand from 30th May to 4th June 2017 with a total purse of USD 120000.

1st all weather tracked-chassis QR-SAM successfully test-fired by - India

India successfully test-fired indigenous first all weather tracked-chassis Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile (QR-SAM) on 4th June 2017. The QR-SAM was test-fired from a mobile launcher at Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha at around 12:39 p.m.IST. This test of the QR-SAM was the first test of the indigenously developed sophisticated high-speed missile that is capable of destroying tanks, bunkers, aerial targets and short range missiles.

Key Highlights

• The QR-SAM was jointly developed by the  Bharat Electronics Limited and Defense Research Development Organisation (DRDO).
• Reports suggest that this missile system has the potential to engage multiple targets within a range of 30 kilometres approximately with the configuration of two vehicles for area air defense.
• It is fully equipped for quick reaction and the enhanced system is all weather enabled, a network-centric one, which is also capable of search-on-the-move.
• It is a truck-mounted missile and can be rotated 360 degree, turret-based launch unit and electronic-mechanically operated,.
• The missile, which is a highly mobile air defense system, can also deceive enemy radars making it difficult to be detected.
• This missile can also be used as an anti-sea skimmer from a ship against low flying attacking missiles, also it employs dual thrust propulsion stage using high-energy solid propellant.

334-year-old blasphemy law repealed by - Denmark

Danish lawmakers revoked a 334-year-old blasphemy law which refuses to allow public insults of a religion, such as the burning of holy books in the first week of June 2017. Denmark was the only Scandinavian country with a blasphemy law, which called for up to four months in prison upon conviction, although most people were actually fined instead of conviction.

In the last 80 years , very limited blasphemy trials have been taken place in the country,while several high-profile cases have been dropped, including the one involving a caricature of the prophet Muhammad published in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in 2005.

Important highlights

• The Danish Parliament stated that politicians, who wanted to revoke this law introduced in 1683 “do not believe that there should be special rules protecting religions against expressions.” However, remarks and acts that causes risks or demean certain groups of people because of their religious beliefs will still be punishable.
• Two people were fined in 1946 who conducted baptism during a masked ball and in 1971, two public radio officials were convicted for broadcasting a song about a woman’s sexuality and her refusal for any divine moral figure. 
• A Danish man, who filmed himself burning the Quran before posting a video of his act on Facebook in 2015 would be facing a blasphemy trial soon in June 2017. But now, the case is now dropped after revoking the law altogether.

MGNREGA National Award won by - Vizianagaram 

The Union Ministry of Rural Development selected Vizianagaram as one among the 17 districts across the nation for the MGNREGA Annual Award for effective implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act during 2015-16 in the first week of June 2017. The prestigious award would be presented to the district program coordinator and District Collector at the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Sammelan in New Delhi on 19th June 2017.

Key Highlights

• Vizianagaram, a city and district headquarters of Vizianagaram district in Andhra Pradesh, had generated works for 361668 households in 2015-16 and disbursed Rs 483.42 crore as wages with an average of Rs 106.
• 240 rain water harvesting structures, and 440 water shed works were executed out of more than 5000 farm ponds. 
• In addition to that 3427 minor irrigation tanks were de-silted and restored to their original capacity.

Lost temple discovered in China - After 1,000 years

Chinese archaeologists have discovered the Fugan Temple, which was lost for almost 1000 years in China's south-western Sichuan province. The Temple was located in downtown Chengdu. It was a famous one that lasted from the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317- 420) to the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

Important Highlights

• Many tablets , ( over 1000 approximately)  inscribed with Buddhist scriptures and over 500 pieces of stone sculpture along with glazed tiles with inscriptions founded by the archaeologists.
• The project lead, Yi Li, revealed that only a part of the temple’s area has been excavated so far.
• The findings include the temple's foundation, ruins of surrounding buildings,roads, wells and ditches.
• Along with this, the archaeologists have also discovered around 80 ancient tombs near the temple, dating back to Shang and Zhou dynasties (1600-256 BC).
• Chengdu was an economic and cultural center in western China during the Sui and Tang dynasties.