Important Current Affairs 9th May 2016

Emergency Number ‘112’ From Jan 1

• The single emergency number ‘112’ will be operational throughout India from January 1.
• It will help people reach immediate services of police, ambulance and fire department.
• Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has approved the provision of a single number for various emergency services.
• It would be similar to the ‘911’ all-in-one emergency service in the United States.

Gujarat Accords Minority Status to Jain

• Gujarat Govt. issued a government resolution giving minority status to the Jain community.
• The status will benefit the poor among the Jain community as they can avail  government welfare schemes.
• Jain institutions will get special status like the one given to Christian & Muslim institutions.
• The previous UPA govt had conferred the minority status on the community at the national level in Jan 14.

Novak Djokovic Wins Madrid Open Final

• World number one Novak Djokovic has won Men’s Singles final of the Madrid Open Tennis.
• He defeated Andy Murray 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the title clash.
• Djokovic now moves ahead of Spain’s Rafael Nadal with a record 29 ATP Masters 1000 titles.
• In men’s doubles final, Indo-Romanian pair of Rohan Bopanna & Florin Mergea was defeated by third-seeded Dutch-Romanian combination of Jean-Julien Roger & Horia Tecau.

Greece’s Approves Bill Reforming Tax

• Greece’s Parliament has approved a bill reforming the country’s pension and tax systems.
• The bill introduced with regard to the requirements the country must meet under its third international bailout.
• The bill is set to increase social security & pension contributions & raise taxes.
• The bill was approved by the 153 lawmakers of the ruling Syriza/Independent Greeks government coalition.

Kalraj Mishra Inaugurates Khadi Centre

• The Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Shri Kalraj Mishra inaugurated the Harmukh Khadi Gram Udyog Sansthan in Srinagar.
• It is a spinning and weaving centre and marketing plaza for khadi goods.
• The event was organised by Khadi and Village Industries Board, Srinagar.
• The Minister also distributed 25 new model charkhas among local artisans at the function.

Bollywood’s Advance Tax Index

• Salman Khan has emerged as the number one actor in advance tax payments for 2015-16 with Rs 32 crore.
• His earnings have been boosted with back-to-back hits like Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Prem Ratan Dhan Payo.
• Salman khan was followed by Akshay Kumar with advance tax of Rs 30 Cr & Ranbir Kapoor with Rs.22.3 Cr.
• In 2014-15, Shah Rukh Khan paid Rs 32 crore.

Ministerial Meeting of SAIEVAC Begins

• The eight nations composing the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children, SAIEVAC, are assembling in New Delhi for their 4th Ministerial Meeting.
• The meeting will set strategies and agree on commitments to ensure the protection & security of the children of the region.
• It is being hosted by the Ministry of Child & Women Development.

UN Launches Fund for Zika Virus Response

• United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the establishment of the UN Zika Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) to finance critical unfunded priorities in the response to the Zika outbreak.
• The Fund aims to provide a platform to support a coordinated response from the UN system & partners.
• It will directly support the Zika Strategic Response Framework developed by the WHO.

Biography of Shashi Kapoor Released

• A biography of veteran actor Shashi Kapoor, unveiling the chapters of his personal and professional life was released.
• The biography titled Shashi Kapoor – the Householder, the Star, has been authored by film journalist Aseem Chhabra.
• Shashi Kapoor was felicitated with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2015.
• He is is known for his work in films like Waqt, Deewar, Trishul & Utsav.

SpaceX Launches Japanese Satellite

• SpaceX successfully launched the Japanese communications satellite, JCSAT-14 on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
• JCSAT-14 is a satellite from the SKY Perfect JSAT Group.
• The rocket was able to achieve both its primary and secondary objectives.
• It was able to place the communications satellite into orbit & land its booster stage atop a ship in the Atlantic Ocean.