1. Union Cabinet gives nod to
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement
i. Union Cabinet meet
chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the signing of Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle Agreement.
ii. The agreement
which is similar to the SAARC Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) seeks to regulate
the vehicular traffic of passenger, personal and cargo amongst BBIN countries.
The agreement will be
signed on 15th June 2015 at the Transport Minister’s meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan.
iii. BBIN agreement
aims to promote safe, environmentally sound and economical efficient road
transport in the sub-region of BBIN. It also seeks to help each member country
to create an institutional mechanism for regional integration.
iv. BBIN agreement
will benefit member nations for mutual cross border movement of passenger and
goods for overall economic development of the region.
For implementation of
this agreement each signatory member will bear its own costs.
2. Senior scientist Dr. Srivari
Chandrasekhar appointed as Director of CSIR-IICT
i. Dr. Srivari
Chandrasekhar was appointed Director of CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology
(IICT) a premier research institute of Union Government based in Hyderabad,
Telangana.
ii. He was named
appointed to the top post by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is ex-officio
Chairman of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) functioning
under Union Ministry of Science and Technology.
iii. He has made
significant contributions in diverse areas of organic chemistry with a special
emphasis total synthesis of biologically active natural products, on chiral
chemistry and pharmaceutical products.
iv. He also has
developed technologies for synthesis of latest anti-tumor and abortive drug
mesoprostol, anti-tuberculosis drug bedaquiline and drug for treatment of
schizophrenia asenapine etc. Apart from above contributions, he also has more
than 250 publications with 5,000 citations to his credit.
3. 26 African countries create
TFTA: Cape Town to Cairo free-trade zone
i. African countries
have signed a historic The Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) that facilitates
creation of Africa’s largest free-trade zone.
ii. This free-trade
zone will cover 26 countries in an area from southernmost tip of African
continent i.e. Cape Town (South Africa) to Cairo (Egypt) in the north.
iii. The pact was
signed in Egypt will intent to ease the movement of goods across 26 member
countries which represent more than half the continent’s GDP. TFTA pact
combines existing three trade blocs among the African nations viz Southern
African Development Community (SADC), East African Community (EAC), Common Market
for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
iv. It will remove
trade barriers on most goods, making them cheaper and stimulating $ 1 trillion
worth of economic activity across the region of more than 600 million people.
4. Indian-Origin Surgeon General
Vivek Murthy Presented With Pride of Community Award
i. Indian-origin US
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has been presented with the Pride of the Community
Award by a prominent Hindu advocacy group.
ii. Receiving the
award by the Hindu American Foundation at its 12th Annual Day reception at
Capitol Hill, Mr Murthy said that he draws inspiration from the life of Swami
Vivekananda.
iii. HAF also awarded
Anantanand Rambachan, Professor of Religion at St Olaf College, Dharma Seva
award; Harpreet Singh Mokha of the Department of Justice, the Mahatma Gandhi
Award for the Advancement of Pluralism; and Senator Mark Kirk and Rep Joe
Crowley, HAF's Friend of the Community awards.
5. Stanford scientist Manu
Prakash makes water based computer
i. Manu Prakash, who
amazed the world last year by building a paper microscope, has now come up with
a computer that works by moving water droplets. P
ii. rakash is an
assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford University and he has
developed the water computer with the help of two of his students. He was born
in Meerut, India.
iii. What Prakash did
was devise a system in which tiny water droplets are trapped in a magnetic
field. When the field is rotated or flipped, the droplets move in precise
direction and distance. This became the basis of the computer clock, which is
an essential component of any computer.
iv. Computer clocks
are responsible for nearly every modern convenience. Smartphones, DVRs,
airplanes, internet - without a clock, none of these could operate without frequent
and serious complications.
6. Reliance Capital names
Gopkumar as CEO of broking, distribution business
i. Reliance Capital,
part of Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group, today said it has appointed B Gopkumar
chief executive of its broking and distribution business.
ii. Gopkumar, who
succeeds Vikrant Gugnani, has over 20 years of industry experience. He has
handled various assignments across varied functions, including direct sales,
priority banking, marketing, product development, broking and distribution.
iii. Reliance
Capital's broking business -- Reliance Securities -- provides a varied customer
base with access to equities, equity options, wealth management solutions and
mutual funds.
7. CAD shrinks massively to 0.2
per cent in Q4
i. The country’s
current account deficit (CAD) narrowed sharply to USD 1.3 billion, or 0.2 per
cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in the fourth quarter of the last
financial year on a sequential basis mainly on account of a lower trade gap.
ii. The CAD shrank to
1.3 per cent of GDP for full financial year 2014-15.
iii. On a
quarter-on-quarter basis, CAD narrowed sharply to USD 1.3 billion (0.2 per cent
of GDP) in fourth quarter of financial year 2014-15 from USD 8.3 billion (1.6
per cent of GDP) in the third quarter
8. Forbes list: Dhoni only Indian
among world's richest athletes
i. Cricketer Mahendra
Singh Dhoni is the only Indian sportsman in Forbes magazine's 100 highest-paid
athletes in the world.
ii. Dhoni has been
ranked 23rd on the Forbes list of The World's Highest-Paid Athletes 2015
dropping a notch from his ranking of 22 last year.
iii. Dhoni's total
earnings stood at $31 million, including amount from salary/winnings at $4
million and endorsements worth $27 million.
iv. The earnings
figures include salaries, prize money and bonuses paid out between June 2014
and June 2015.
