Important Current Affairs 25th June 2016

India Loses Bid to Join NSG

1. China has stonewalled India’s bid to enter the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
2. At a special NSG session in Seoul, India’s application for membership was discussed.
3. The main reason why India was unable to make it to the NSG’s high table was because it is not a signatory to the NPT.
4. A seat at the NSG is crucial for India because this exclusive group controls the global trade in nuclear tech.

Quizmaster Neil O’Brien Passes Away

1. Neil O’Brien, a pioneer of quizzing in India and leader of the Anglo-Indian community, passed away.
2. He was a former member of Lok Sabha & was also a three time nominated Anglo-Indian MLA in West Bengal.
3. He had conducted the first well-organized, formal quiz in 1967 at Christ the King Church Parish Hall in Kolkata.
4. He was the chairman of the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations.

RBI Unveils Framework on Payments system

1. RBI has released its much awaited The ‘Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision-2018’ document.
2. It aims at building best of class payment & settlement systems for a ‘less-cash’ India & ensuring access of mobile banking services to even basic phone users.
3. The current vision document is focussing on improving the infrastructure & regulations in the country to reduce cash transactions.

Sri Lanka Adopts Right to Info Bill

1. Sri Lankan Parliament has unanimously passed the Right to Information bill.
2. The bill is aimed at restoring transparency & good governance in a country plagued by corruption & misrule.
3. The new law gives citizens access to public information except personal data, national security information, financial & commercial policy decisions.
4. The adoption the bill was a culmination of an idea mooted in 1994.

Ban on Nepal Citizens Working in Afghan

1. Nepal has banned its citizens from working in strife-torn Afghanistan,.
2. The decision come days after 13 Nepali security guards were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul.
3. A cabinet meeting decided to suspend issuing labour permits to Nepalese nationals for Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria & Libya.
4. Nearly 9,000 Nepalis have been issued permits to work as security guards in Afghanistan.

Obama Designates the LGBT Monument

1. US president Obama has designated the Stonewall Inn, an underground gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village a national monument.
2. It will be the country’s first ever such monument honoring LGBT rights.
3. The Stonewall Inn in its current form opened in 1967 & is considered the birthplace of the modern US gay rights movement.
4. The Stonewall National Monument will report to the National Park Service.

Indian origin lawyer to chair UN panel

1. South African Indian-origin lawyer Yasmin Sooka has been appointed to chairman of three member UN panel to monitor the human rights situation in South Sudan.
2. Currently she is serving as the Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR) in South Africa.
3. UNHRC had constituted Panel following calls for investigation into alleged atrocities committed by the government & rebel forces.

25th June: Day of the Seafarer

1. Day of the Seafarer observed on June 25 was designated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 2010.
2. The day acknowledges that almost everything that we use in our daily lives has been directly or indirectly linked with sea transport.
3. Theme for 2016: “At Sea For All”. It highlights that seafarers serve at sea not just for their own career or for shipping industry or but for all of us.

Chess: GM Harika wins Eurasian Blitz

1. D. Harika added another feather to her cap by winning the women’s title in the Eurasian Blitz chess tournament in Kazakhstan.
2. The India No. 2 player picked up a cash prize of $2,500 & 60 ELO points to regain her position in the top 10.
3. Harika had won the best woman’s prize at the Zalakaros International Chess Festival in Hungary last week to jump to World No. 9 in the classical rankings list.

Indian bags UN honour

1. Indian social entrepreneur Zubaida Bai has been named among 10 “champions & pioneers” by UN Chief Ban Ki-moon.
2. She is founder of ‘ayzh’, a for-profit social venture providing health & livelihood solutions to impoverished women.
3. UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, supports companies to align with principles of human rights, environment & anti-corruption.

NASA spots “Super Grand Canyon”

1. NASA captured an image of an unusual canyon system at Pluto’s largest moon Charon that is far longer and deeper than Earth’s Grand Canyon.
2. The deep canyon informally named Argo Chasma. Its 700 km long and 9 km deep compared to Arizona’s Grand Canyon which is 450 kilometres long.
3. The image was obtained by New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI).

Bioink for 3D printing with stem cells

1. Scientists have developed a new stem cell-containing bio-ink that allows 3D printing of complex living tissues that may be used for surgical implants.
2. This was achieved by scientists of University of Bristol in the UK.
3. The bio-ink contains two different polymer components: a natural polymer extracted from seaweed, and a sacrificial synthetic polymer used in the medical industry.

$500 mn loan for bridges over Ganga

1. Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 500 million dollars loan to build a bridge across the Ganga River in Bihar.
2. Funds will be used to build 9.8 km road bridge in Bihar on the Ganga River. On completion of the project it will be the India’s longest river bridge.
3. ADB is multilateral lending agency based in Manila, Philippines dedicated to reduce poverty in Asia & the Pacific region.

Unichem gets FDA nod for Alzheimer drug

1. Drug firm Unichem Laboratories has received an approval from the US health regulator for it’s Donepezil Hydrochloride tablets.
2. The product will be commercialised from Unichem’s Goa plant.
3. Donepezil Hydrochloride is used to improve cognition and behaviour of people with Alzheimer’s, but does not slow the progression of or cure the disease.

Manipur Woman Activist Wins Global Award

1. Social activist Urmila Chanam has been awarded Voices of Our Future Award by World Pulse.
2. It is a social networking platform connecting women with a vision to amplify women’s voices to improve the lives of millions around the world.
3. Chanam from Manipur was among three from across the world who received award.
4. The other two recipients are Sadaf Kashif from Pakistan & Carolyn Seaman from Nigeria.

6,000 cr worth highway projects approved

1. Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) headed by Road Transport & Highways Secretary Sanjay Mitra has given its approval to construction of highways with length of 409 km.
2. These projects are in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim & Assam.
3. He also recommended 4-laning of Chikhali-Tarsod, Waranga-Mahagaon, Mahagaon-Yavatmal & Yavatmal-Wardha highway projects in Maharashtra.

EU Film Festival Begins in Kolkata

1. The European Union (EU) Film Festival began in Kolkata with a screening of German film Jack.
2. It is being held in partnership with Federation of Film Societies of India,Cine Central, West Bengal Film Centre ‘Nandan’ & British Council.
3. The inaugural film ‘Jack’ tells the story of a ten year old abandoned boy who picks up his 6 yr old brother & finds his way to life on his own.

WADA Shuts Down Rio Olympic Laboratory

1. Just weeks before the Olympic Games open in Rio de Janeiro, the city’s accredited anti-doping laboratory has been stopped from conducting tests.
2. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)has suspended the lab’s accreditation due to non-conformity with the International Standard.
3. Samples collected from athletes in Brazil during the interim ban will be transported to a lab in other country for testing.

Moody’s Lowers Outlook for UK

1. Ratings agency Moody’s has lowered the outlook for the UK’s credit rating from stable to negative.
2. Moody’s said Britain’s creditworthiness was now at greater risk after voting to leave the European Union.
3. Britain’s vote to leave the EU has sparked widespread turmoil & uncertainty & wiping more than $2tn of value from markets.
4. S & P has also warned Britain’s “AAA” credit rating was now at risk.

Nagaland launches women’s helpline ‘181’

1. Nagaland Governor P B Acharya today launched women helpline – 181 and also inaugurated Sakhi, a one stop Centre, intended to support women affected by violence both in private and public spaces under one roof.
2. The helpline & centre are aimed to provide integrated assistance, medical, legal and psychological counselling to women.
3. Notably , the ‘181’ helpline was first started in Delhi in 2012.