Important Current Affairs 10th May 2016

Michel Platini Resigns as Uefa President

• Suspended European Football Chief Michel Platini has resigned as UEFA President.
• The announcement came after he lost his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a ban for ethics violations.
• The arbitral panel upheld Platini’s suspension but cut his sanction from 6 to 4 years.
• He was found guilty of ethics breaches relating to a $2m disloyal payment.

Bison Declared National Mammal of US

• The bison has been named America’s first national mammal.
• The National Bison Legacy Act was  signed into law by President Obama
• The act was passed by the House & Senate last month.
• The measure will mean that the bison joins the bald eagle as an official animal symbol of the United States.
• The designation aims to prevent bison from going extinct.

Commemorative Coin on Maharana Pratap

• To mark the 475th birth anniversary of Maharana Pratap, govt. has released a commemorative coin of Rs.100 & a circulation coin of Rs.10.
• The coin was released by Minister of State for Culture & Tourism Dr. Mahesh Sharma in New Delhi.
• Maharana Pratap was a brave warrior, successful organizer & ingenious strategist, who fearlessly fought the Mughals & protected his people until his death

Sania-Hingis Lead Doubles Rankings

• In Tennis, Sania Mirza & Martina Hingis continue to lead the latest Women’s Doubles rankings.
• Sania & Hingis have won 13 titles together including 4 this year.
• American Serena Williams continued to top the women’s Singles rankings, with Angelique Kerber rising to second.
• Novak Djokovic placed at the top of men’s single rankings.
• Swiss Roger Federer replaced Andy Murray from the 2nd spot.

Boxers Fetch 4 Medals in Youth C’ship

• Indian boxers bagged 3 silver & a bronze medal, to finish third in the overall standings, in the 7th Asian Youth Championships held in Kazakhstan.
• National champion Ankush Dahiya in 60 Kg, Ashish Kulhirya in 64 Kg & Reyal Puri in 81 Kg categories fetched silver medals.
• Manjeet Singh contributed bronze to the tally.
• India were placed behind Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in the medals tally.

Mercury Makes Rare Transit Across Sun

• Scores of people across observed a rare astronomical phenomenon.
• Planet Mercury was seen navigating as dot on the solar disc.
• Mercury’s transit of the Sun, that occurs only 13 times in a century.
• It takes place when Mercury comes between the Sun & the Earth, & Mercury is seen as a small black dot moving across the face of the Sun.
• The next transit of Mercury will take place on Nov 11,2019.

World’s Most Admired 2016

• Microsoft boss Bill Gates remains as the most admired man on the globe.
• He is followed by the outgoing American President Barack Obama.
• Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been voted sixth in a list of the most admired men in the world during 2016.
• Hollywood actress & director Angelina Jolie is the most admired woman.
• This was according to a new survey by YouGov’s.

Govt Launches App for Waste Management

• The environment ministry has launched a web-based application — Integrated Waste Management System.
• It will enable industries dealing in hazardous waste to seek online permissions for import & export of certain categories of waste used for recycling.
• The app will track the movement & management of hazardous and other solid wastes.
• The portal will generate data on different categories of waste.

Anti-Hijacking Bill Passed in Parliament

• Parliament has passed the Anti-Hijacking Bill, 2016.
• The Bill provides for the death penalty even if ground handling staff & airport personnel are killed during such acts.
• In the previous Bill, hijackers could be tried for the death penalty only in the event of death of hostages.
• The Bill defines hijacking as seizing control of an aircraft unlawfully & intentionally.

Foodgrain Output at 252.23 mn tonnes

• India’s foodgrain output is likely to remain flat at 252.23 million tonnes (MT) in 2015-16 due to drought in 10 states.
• Rice production during 2015-16 is estimated at 103.36 MT, lower by 2.12 MT than the previous year.
• Wheat output is being estimated at 94.04 MT, higher by 7.51 MT.
• Pulses production is estimated to decline marginally to 17.06 MT.