Daily Current Affairs - 13th June 2013

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International Affairs

• Iran began voting to elect the successor of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the state television announced.
• Nine months after the US ambassador to Libya was killed in an attack, Secretary of State John Kerry has sworn in a new envoy, vowing she would play a key role as the country moves toward democracy.
• The United Nations forecast Thursday that the world's population will increase from 7.2 billion to 8.1 billion in 2025, with most growth in developing countries and more than half in Africa. By 2050, it will reach 9.6 billion.
• Dubai has inaugurated the world's tallest twisted tower built at a cost of $272 million, setting a yet another record for skyscrapers and other engineering marvels.
• The European Commission proposed tougher nuclear safety rules Thursday, amid international debate about the future of nuclear energy and how to secure aging plants.
• US Secretary of State John Kerry is to visit Pakistan this month for the first time since taking office, Islamabad said on Thursday.
• The World Bank has slashed its growth forecast for China's economy this year to 7.7 per cent from 8.4 per cent, warning of a potential "sharp" slowdown triggered by a fall in investment.

National Affairs

• The Haryana government has prohibited manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of steel and steel products specified in the schedule, which do not conform to the specified standards and do not bear standard mark of Bureau of Indian Standards.
• Goa has been shortlisted as one of the venues to host the World Team Championship in the mindsport of Bridge in 2015, it was announced by the President of the World Bridge Federation (WBF), Gianarrigo Rona.
• Justice Usha Mehra, who headed a commission to probe lapses on part of authorities in the December 16 gang-rape case, was appointed as full-time member of the Law Commission.
• The Chalo Assembly agitation called by the Telangana Joint Action Committee has passed off peacefully amidst unprecedented security arrangements in and around Hyderabad.
• Director Aparna Sen will head the Jury of the 2nd Ladakh International Film Festival (LIFF) 2013 to be held from July 5 - 7 .
• ArunachalPradesh government appoints Tirap district deputy commissioner Dr Sachin Shinde as new secretary to Governor of state.
• Government revises upwards factory output growth rate in April to 2.2 per cent from 2 per cent announced yesterday.
• A special monitoring cell with the Jharkhand Special Branch is monitoring the movement of important leaders in Naxal-dominated areas in the wake of the Maoist attack on Chhattisgarh Congress leaders last month.
• Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde held discussions with key NDA constituent JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav in a bid to evolve a consensus on the Food Security Bill.
• World Bank sees India's growth touching 6.7% in two years.

Science and Technology

• Astronomers have discovered 26 new black holes in the Andromeda Galaxy, one of the nearest galaxies to the Milky Way, using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Sports

• The government on Thursday gave the go-ahead to India's ambitious bid to host the U-17 Football World Cup in 2017, thus boosting the country's chances of organising the tournament that is already being backed by Fifa vice president Jerome Valcke.
• Indian athletes are set to take part in the fourth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games to be held from June 29 to July 6 in Incheon, South Korea under the Olympic Council of Asia banner in the aftermath of IOA's ban by the IOC.
• Saina, Jayaram, Gurusaidutt enter quarters in Indonesian SuperSeries.
• ViditGujrathi defeated ZoranArsovic of Serbia, remains in joint lead of Grand Europe Golden Sands International Chess tournament.