Current Affairs 13 May 2016

Current Affairs 13 May 2016 - Important Points

• According to WHO which state is no longer most polluted in the world – Delhi
• SC upholds constitutional validity of penal laws on – Defamation
• Which bank launches country’s 1st contactless credit card for SMEs - ICICI Bank
• India, China and four others courtiers sign pact on - Tax Info Sharing
• Railways to constitute Mobility Directorate and - Non-Fare Revenue Directorate 
• Which country is about to close Dadaab, world's biggest refugee camp - Kenya

Current Affairs 13 May 2016 - Details

According to WHO which state is no longer most polluted in the world – Delhi

Among Important National Current Affairs, on 12 May 2016 The World Health Organisation (WHO) in a survey declared that New Delhi is no longer the worst polluted city in the world in terms of air quality.

India is home to four of the five cities in the world with the worst air pollution.

According to the report, in terms of PM2.5 measurement, New Delhi ranked as the 11th worst city in the survey. The national capital had an annual average PM2.5 measurement of 122.

Know About WHO – 

• WHO, which is also known as The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. 

• WHO was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.

• The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. 

SC upholds constitutional validity of penal laws on – Defamation

Among Important National Current Affairs, The Supreme Court has upheld constitutional validity of penal laws on defamation as the right to life under Article 21 includes the right to reputation. 

By two-judge SC bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Justice Prafulla C Pant Ruling in this regard was given on combined petitions filed by a number of politicians and public figures. The petitioners had alleged that the provisions of criminal sanction act as a censoring device thus violate the freedom of speech guaranteed by the Constitution. 

Know About Defamation –

• Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 499 and 500, 1860 make defamation a criminal offence. As per Indian law’s defamation cases are both a civil wrong and a criminal offence. 

• In a criminal wrong a person can invite imprisonment up to two years as per section 500 of IPC, while in a civil wrong a person may be sued for monetary compensation.

Which bank launches country’s 1st contactless credit card for SMEs - ICICI Bank

Among Important National Current Affairs, India’s largest private sector bank ICICI Bank has launched country’s first contactless business credit card in association with Jet Airways for small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs). 

This card has been christened as the ‘Jet Airways ICICI Bank Business Advantage Card’. 

Do You Know – 

• The business credit card is powered by ‘VISA payWave’ contactless technology. 

• However, this technology enables cardholder to make payments by simply tapping card at contactless enabled terminals in more than 48 countries including India.

India, China and four others courtiers sign pact on - Tax Info Sharing

Among Important International Current Affairs, India along with other 5 countries viz. Canada, Iceland, Israel, New Zealand and China have signed OECD’s which is known as Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement in Beijing (China). 

The main aim of this multilateral agreement is boosting automatic exchange of information on tax issues and developing new tools to tackle the tax evasion. 

Do You Know – 

• The agreement allows all signatories to bilaterally and automatically exchange Country-by-Country Reports with each other. 

• Although, it is designed to provide tax administrations with information needed to combat tax avoidance through transfer pricing.

Railways to constitute Mobility Directorate and - Non-Fare Revenue Directorate 

Among Important National Current Affairs, The Union Railways Ministry has decided to constitute two Directorates viz. Mobility Directorate (MD) and Non-Fare Revenue Directorate (NFRD). 

They are set to be established for creation of cross functional directorates to focus on different areas in line with the Railway Minister’s budget speech. 

Know About Mobility Directorate –

• Mobility Directorate will be constituted to focus on areas like speed enhancement. 

• It will also handle work such as identification and prioritization of train corridors for raising speed and identification of path for timetabled freight trains.

Which country is about to close Dadaab, world's biggest refugee camp - Kenya

Among Important International Current Affairs, on 11 May 2016 The Kenyan Government declared that it will close Dadaab refugee camp. The camp, which is home to 330000 Somali refugees, is often referred to as the world's largest camp.

The Kenya government cited reasons of pressing national security for the decision. The government also stated that the camp has become safe haven for terrorist organizations like al-Shabaab, a Somali-based Islamist group.

Know About Dadaab Refugee Camps – 

• Dadaab Refugee Camp was established in 1991 to receive Somalis fleeing civil war.

• The Dadaab camps Dagahaley, Hagadera and Ifo were constructed in 1992.

• In 2011, the more recent Ifo II and Kambioos camps were opened, after 130000 new refugees, who fled Somalia due to severe drought, arrived.