News update on 28 June 2016

1. India became the 35th full member of Missile Technology Control Regime

i. India has joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) today as a full member. This entry would be mutually beneficial to enhance global non-proliferation norms.
ii. The document for this has been signed by Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar in the presence of Ambassadors of France, Netherlands and Luxembourg in Seoul, South Korea.
iii. India's entry into the regime as its thirty-fifth member will enable India to buy high-end missile technology and also enhance its joint ventures with Russia. The aim of the MTCR is to restrict the proliferation of missiles, complete rocket systems, unmanned air vehicles and related technology for those systems capable of carrying a 500-kilogram payload for at least 300 kilometers, as well as systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction.

2. PM Narendra Modi launches Smart city Mission Projects in Pune

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the ‘Smart City Mission’ involving 83 projects from 20 different cities in the country. The ambitious mission of Union Government was launched at a function held at Pune’s Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex one year after it was announced.
ii. The Smart City Mission’ projects launched included 14 projects of Pune (Maharashtra) and 69 projects from 20 different shortlisted cities in the country to be implemented at a cost of 1,770 crore rupees.
iii. These projects are related to water supply projects, sewage treatment plants, solid waste management under Swachh Bharat Mission and development of green and open spaces under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). It also includes housing projects for urban poor under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and area development and technology based pan-city solutions under Smart Cities Mission. PM Modi also inaugurated ‘Make Your City SMART' contest, aimed at involving citizens participation in designing smart cities.

3. Union HM Rajnath Singh inaugurates 22nd meeting of Eastern Zonal Council at Ranchi

i. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the 22nd meeting of the Eastern Zonal Council at Ranchi, Jharkhand.
ii. Chief Ministers of Jharkhand Raghuwar Das and of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, along with other Ministers and very senior officers from various Ministries of the Central Government, and governments of Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha and West Bengal are taking part in the meeting. While the meeting is chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
iii. The meeting started with the review of the progress of implementation of the recommendations made by last year Eastern Zonal Council of 2015 that was held at Patna. In today's meetings, there are altogether 19 agenda points sponsored by participating four states, besides 10 Revised Agenda Points.

4. International Indian Film Academy Awards 2016

i. The 2016 IIFA awards which are officially known as the 17th International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA 2016) held in Madrid, Spain between 23 to 26th of June.
ii. The award has been presented by the International Indian Film Academy honouring the best Hindi films of 2015. The official ceremony took place on 25 June but the nominations were announced on 26 May 2016.
iii. In 2016 IIFA awards, Bollywood stars, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh bagged the Best Actor (Female) and Best Actor (Male) trophy at the 17th IIFA extravaganza for their performance in "Piku" and "Bajirao Mastani" respectively. While, Sanjay Leela Bhansali won the Best Director for "Bajirao Mastani" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" was named the Best Film at a glittering ceremony in Spain.

5. Suresh Prabhu flags off maiden train between Sonepat-Jind

i. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off a maiden train on the 81-km railway line between Sonipat and Jind and stressed on the need to create an infrastructure to promote growth and to meet future challenges.
ii. The train between Sonipat and Jind will also connect several hinterland villages and urban clusters with 13 railway stations, of which 10 will be new railway stations.
iii. The MoU was signed recently between them for the constitution of a joint venture entity for development of rail infrastructure in the state, which Prabhu said was going to be the first such state to have this kind of partnership.

6. AIIB approves first loans for projects in four countries

i. The China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has approved first set of loans totaling US 509 million dollars to finance projects in four countries namely- Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Tajikistan.
ii. These loans for the four projects were approved in Board of Directors meeting of AIIB held at its headquarters in Beijing, China.
iii. These loans will have an interest rate of London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) plus 1.15 % and a repayment period of 25 years with 5 years in the grace period. These projects spanning in the energy, transport and urban development sectors will help to bridge the region’s critical infrastructure financing gap. It will also help to strengthen regional connectivity.

7. BHEL commissions two hydel units in Afghanistan

i. State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) has commissioned two units of 14 Megawatts each at Salma Hydro Electric Project in Afghanistan.
ii. The Salma dam, or the Afghan-India Friendship dam, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
iii. In recognition of BHEL's contribution towards setting up of the project, BHEL CMD Atul Sobti was honoured with an appreciation shield by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharati. This project has been funded by government of India's grant to Afghanistan.

8. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar awarded Honorary Fellowship in the UK

i. National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) have awarded Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar with an Honorary Fellowship in the UK for his contributions to world peace and culture.
ii. As per NISAU statement, the organization is proud to honour Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for his immense contribution to furthering world peace & working towards a violence-free society, for his social and cultural contributions to India and for furthering Yoga, Meditation and Spiritual Studies in a global context.
iii. National Indian Students and Alumni Union UK is the umbrella organization representing the students and alumni of Indian origin in the UK. NISAU was created to provide a unifying voice for students with Indian heritage and promote, educate and celebrate Indian culture with people of all communities.

9. N Srinivasan re-elected as TNCA president for 15th term

i. Former BCCI President and former International Cricket Council Chairman N Srinivasan has re-elected as the president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) for the 15th consecutive term.
ii. While Mr. KS Viswanathan has been elected as a secretary of the TNCA.
iii. There are 28 affiliated district cricket associations in Tamil Nadu and 780 participating clubs in the districts where tournaments are conducted for different age groups. The association supplies free balls and bats to the districts every year. The TNCA promotes cricket by conducting various league tournaments for the under-13, under-15, under-17, under-19, under-22 and under-25 age groups, besides organising and national tournaments.

10. Anju Bobby George & Pullela Gopichand taken as members of Khelo India

i. Anju Bobby George and Pullela Gopichand have been named as the members of Khelo India.
ii. Khelo India is a national programme launched by the Union Government for the development of sports in the country.
iii. George, India's lone athletics World Championship medal winner and Gopichand, the chief national badminton coach are the two sportsperson who were included in the seven-member committee of Khelo India. The committee will be headed by Sports Secretary Rajiv Yadav.

11. Veteran Malayalam theatre artist Kavalam Narayana Panicker has passed away

i. Veteran Malayalam theatre artist and poet Kavalam Narayana Panicker has passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. He was 88 years old.
ii. Mr. Narayana has started his career as a lawyer in 1955. He has written over 26 Malayalam plays, many adapted from classical Sanskrit drama and Shakespeare such as Avanavan Kadamba, Daivathar, Kaikkuttappad, Ottayaan etc. In 1961, he was nominated as Secretary of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
iii. Mr. Kavalam Narayan was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 2007 and in 1983, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Direction while in 2002, he was honoured with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship.

12. Chile beat Argentina to win 2016 Copa America Football tournament

i. Defending champion Chile won the 2016 Copa America Football tournament by defeating Argentina in a penalty shootout.
ii. This was second Copa America title for Chile in two years. Chile won the first title in 2015 after defeating Argentina 4-1 in a penalty shootout following a 0-0 scoreless draw at the end of regulation. With this, Chile also became the first team to win the Copa America in back to back years since Argentina in 1946 and 1947.
iii. Besides the Copa trophy, there were other awards to recognise both individuals and teams, and the winners in different categories are :- Golden Ball : Alexis Sanchez (Chile), Golden Boot : Eduardo Vargas (Chile), Golden Glove award : Claudio Bravo (Chile), and Fair Play Award : Argentina.

13. Lionel Messi announces retirement from international football

i. Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football after Argentina crashed to an upset defeat against Chile in the final of the Copa America.
ii. The heartbroken Barcelona superstar was distraught after missing a spot-kick as Chile snatched victory in a penalty shoot-out  Messi's fourth straight defeat in a major final while representing Argentina.
iii. They were beaten 1-0 by Germany in the final of the World Cup in 2014 and lost on penalties, also to Chile, in the final of the 2015 Copa America. Messi also tasted defeat with Argentina in the final of the 2007 Copa America.

14. Argentina women win record seventh Champions Trophy title

i. The Argentina women’s team has claimed a record seventh Champions Trophy title with a 2-1 win over reigning World and Olympic champions, the Netherlands, in the final at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre.
ii. The Netherlands hit back with a high-quality penalty corner flick from Eva de Goede just after halftime, but Argentina held on to win their third successive Champions Trophy title.
iii. With this win final standings are - 1: Argentina, 2: The Netherlands, 3: USA, 4: Australia, 5: Great Britain and Individual Awards goes to - Best player: Carla Rebecchi (ARG), Best junior player: Maria Granatto (ARG), and Best goalkeeper: Joyce Sombroek (NED).

15. Wimbledon 2016 kick starts on 27th June

i. The 2016 Wimbledon Championships starts from today at the All England Club in London. This is the 130th edition of the third Grand Slam of the season.
ii. World number one Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Garbine Muguruza, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Kei Nishikori are among the top players who will be seen in action today.
iii. The world number one pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis in the Women's Doubles, and Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna, with their team-mates, in the Men's Doubles, will also be seen in action in the tournament.

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