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.

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