Important Current Affairs 17th June 2016

SBI Rolls out ₹200-cr Start-up Fund

1. India’s largest public sector lender SBI has created a dedicated IT innovations and startup fund.
2. The IT Innovation Start-up Fund will have corpus of Rs 200cr.
3. This fund shall consider assistance of up to Rs 3 crore to an Indian registered company for promoting their business innovations using IT for banking & related technology.
4. The bank has also formed a mentoring team to assist startups.

Govt Slaps 20% Export Duty on Sugar

1. Government has imposed 20 per cent customs duty on sugar exports to boost domestic supply & check prices.
2. The price of sugar is ruling high at Rs. 40 per kilogram.
3. The duty has been imposed to restrict exports following a sharp rise in global prices.
4. A decision has been notified by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).
5. India is the world’s second largest sugar producer after Brazil.

Power Ministry Launches ‘URJA’ App

1. Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal has launched a mobile app aimed at enhancing the consumer connect with the urban power distribution sector.
2. The app named as ‘URJA’- Urban Jyoti Abhiyaan Mobile was unveiled.
3. It will provide information to consumers on power outage,timely release of connections, addressing complaints, power reliability etc.

Bangladesh-India Transshipment Kicks Off

1. India-Bangladesh transit facility has becomes operational.
2. A ship from Kolkata carrying 1000 tonnes of steel & iron sheets reached Ashuganj river port in Bangladesh.
3. From there it will transit throughout Bangladesh territory to reach its destination in Tripura.
4. The Kolkata-Ashuganj-Tripura transit through Bangladesh territory cuts the Kolkata-Agartala distance via Siliguri from 1600 km to 800 km.

India, Namibia Sign Two MoUs

1. Two MoU were signed between India & Namibia in Windhoek during the final leg of President Pranab Mukherjee’s three-nation visit.
2. The MoUs include one on capacity building for civil servants of Namibia & the other on setting up of centre of excellence in ICT.
3. The agreements were signed after a dialogue between President Mukherjee & his Namibian counterpart Hage Geingob.

Gravitational Waves Detected for 2 Time

1. For the second time,scientists have directly detected gravitational waves created by the collision of two black holes 1.4 billion light years away.
2. The scientists detected the gravitational waves ripples using the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) interferometers.
3. Gravitational waves carry information about the nature of gravity that cannot otherwise be obtained.

Freida Pinto Joins Hand with Michelle

1. Actress Freida Pinto will join Michelle Obama to promote global girls’ education initiative‘Let Girls Learn’ in Liberia,Morocco & Spain.
2. The initiative is aimed at helping girls obtain quality education.
3. They will take part in a discussion over the educational barriers girls face in the country.
4. The focus is to speak to young girls about the importance of education & staying in school.

Philadelphia to Bring in ‘Soda Tax’

1. Philadelphia has introduced a a levy on carbonated sugary drinks.
2. It will become the first major US city to implement a so-called soda tax.
3. The City Council gave final approval to a 1.5 cent-per-ounce tax on sugary beverages.
4. The Philadelphia vote marked a major victory for health advocates who say sugary drinks cause obesity.
5. In Philadelphia,more than 68% of adults & 41% of children are obese.

Russia Unveils Nuclear Icebreaker

1. Russia has launched the world’s biggest & most powerful icebreaker in St. Petersburg.
2. The Arktika is 568 feet long and powered by two nuclear reactors.
3. It can cut through ice of up to 2.8 metres (nine feet) thick.
4. Russian interest in the Arctic is rising, as global warming opens up shipping routes & access to mineral resources.

Hathaway Appointed Goodwill Ambassador

1. Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway was appointed as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.
2. Ms. Hathaway will put the spotlight on the issue of the unequal burden of care work in the home as one of the key barriers to gender equality.
3. She has received an Academy Award,Golden Globe & Screen Actors Guild award.
4. UN Women is the United Nations organization dedicated to gender equality & the empowerment of women.