Important Current Affairs 22nd June 2016

Country’s First Yoga OPD Inaugurated

1. Country’s first Yoga OPD has been opened in the Sawai Mansingh hospital in Jaipur on the occasion of International Yoga Day.
2. Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Union Minister for water resources Uma Bharti inaugurated the Yoga OPD in the hospital premises.
3. Yoga OPD will be helpful for the patients in fast recovering from their illness.

Jews to Get Minority Status in Maha

1. The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved a proposal to grant minority status to the Jewish community in the state.
2. This decision will benefit students from these communities to avail scholarships from the state govt &also help set up educational institutions.
3. According to 2001 Census, the number of Jews living in India was 4,650 with 2,466 of them living in Maharashtra.

Instagram garners 500 million Users

1. Instagram, the photo sharing app has announced that it has more than 500 million users, including 300 million who connect daily to the app.
2. More than half a billion people on the planet are using Instagram.
3. Every day,95 million photos & videos receive 4.2 billion likes as every user signs in to the app for a daily average of 21 min.
4. Instagram was created in 2010 & was acquired by Facebook in 2012.

Hong Kong Most Expensive City for Expats

1. Hong Kong has been named the world’s most expensive city for expats.
2. London falls from 12th to 17th place in survey amid declining value of pound.
3. The three cheapest cities in the world for expats are Windhoek in Namibia, Cape Town & Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan.
4. This was according to survey by consultancy firm Mercer.
5. An expatriate is a person residing in a country other than that of their citizenship.

DRC Warlord Bemba Jailed over War Crimes

1. The International Criminal Court sentenced former Congolese vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba to 18 years in jail.
2. He was convicted of a slew of rapes & murders in the Central African Republic over a decade ago.
3. He was found guilty on five charges of war crimes committed by his private army.
4. The ICC has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes against humanity.

North Korea Carries Out Missile Tests

1. North Korea conducted two back-to-back tests of a powerful new medium-range missile.
2. Both tests were believed to be of a much-hyped, intermediate-range Musudan missile capable of reaching US bases as far away as Guam.
3. North Korea has made at least four previous attempts this year to test this type of missile.
4. The Musudan has an estimated range of anywhere between 2,500 & 4,000 km.

Jaitely Releases Banda Bahadur Coin

1. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has released commemorative silver coin to mark the 300th Martyrdom Day of Banda Singh Bahadur.
2. Bahadur is considered to be first sovereign ruler of Punjab.
3. The leader had sacrificed his life at the age of 46 to protect honour & tradition.
4. He established his rule by defeating Mughals in 1710 & later in 1716,he was captured & executed by Mughals in Delhi.

BoI Sells 18% Stake to Dai-ichi Life

1. Bank of India (BoI) has sold 18% stake in Star Union Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company to its Japanese partner for Rs 540 crore.
2. Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company’s share will go up to 44%.
3. BoI share will come down to 30% while Union Bank will continue to hold 26%.
4. The stake sale comes in the backdrop of new FDI norms whereby foreign insurers can up their stake to 49% from the earlier cap of 26%.

IRDA nod for Electronic Policies

1. IRDA has made it mandatory for life insurance companies to issue an electronic insurance policy for any individual who takes a sum assured of Rs 10 lakh & above or pays annual premium of Rs 10,000 & above.
2. For health policies of Rs 5 lakh & above or annual premium of Rs 5,000 & above are required to be offered in e-format.
3. Issuance of e-insurance policies will come into effect from Oct 1, 2016.

ISRO Places 20 Satellites into Orbit

1. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched a record 20 satellites from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.
2. This is the largest-ever number of satellites launched into orbit at once by ISRO.
3. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C-34 rocket lifted off with 20 satellites totally weighing 1,288 kg.
4. The rocket’s main cargo is India’s 725.5 kg Cartosat-2 satellite for earth observation.