Current Affairs Daily Updates: 17th June 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 17th June 2017
APPOINTMENTS
EazyDiner appoints Yuvraj Singh as Brand Ambassador
  • EazyDiner appointed cricketer Yuvraj Singh as Global Brand Ambassador.
  • EazyDiner is an online restaurant reservation platform.
  • EazyDiner is currently live in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Goa in India and Dubai.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
20 Indian firms in Top 100 companies in Asia 300 Ranking
  • Twenty Indian firms have been named in the top 100 of Nikkei Asian Review's Asia 300 companies list.
  • It is the most powerful and valuable listed companies in Asia.
  • The list was topped by Taiwan’s Largan Precision, the world’s leading maker of lenses for smart phone cameras.
  • Indian IT service provider HCL Technologies came in at the second place, followed by Zee Entertainment Enterprises and Tata Consultancy Services at the third and fourth place respectively.
Australia’s Vivid Sydney enters Guinness World Records for maximum number of light installations
  • World’s largest festival of light, music and ideas, Vivid Sydney entered into Guinness World Book of Records.
  • The Guinness World Record have given the Vivid Sydney installation Dreamscape the title for the ‘Largest interactive lighting display’.
  • Vivid Sydney installation Dreamscape has been made up of 124,128 lights and links the entire Circular Quay precinct beginning from the Sydney Opera House to the Sydney Harbour Bridge into one cohesive canvas of light.
  • Vivid Sydney is an annual outdoor lighting festival held in Sydney city of Australia.
DEATHS
German Reunification architect Helmut Kohl dies at 87
  • Former German Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, died at his house in Ludwigshafen, in the Western State of Germany.
  • He was centre-right Christian Democrats, was the longest-serving German chancellor of the 20th Century.
IMPORTANT DAYS OBSERVED
JUNE 17th: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought
  • The World Day to Combat Desertification has been observed to promote public awareness relating to International cooperation to combat desertification and the effects of drought.
  • This year the campaign started with “Our land. Our home. Our Future”.
  • Country Parties and civil society organisations are invited to organise events to celebrate the World Day to Combat Desertification as an additional opportunity to increase awareness raising and participation in the process.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
India ranks 75th in Environmental Impact Survey
  • India has ranked 75 in environmental impact survey conducted by UK-based Money Super Market.
  • The survey has been topped by Southern African country Mozambique as almost all its energy use comes from green sources.
  • South Africa ranked at 95 in the Environmental survey.
Switzerland sign automatic exchange of information with India to flush black money
  • Switzerland signed an automatic exchange of financial account information with India in order to facilitate immediate sharing of details.
  • According to the Swiss Federal Council, the implementation of the exchange sharing agreement has been planned for 2018 and hence the first set of data is likely to be exchanged in the year 2019.
  • ‘Joint Declaration‘ for implementation of Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) was signed between India and Switzerland in November 2016.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Union Government makes Aadhaar Mandatory for Opening Bank Accounts
  • The Union Government made Aadhaar mandatory for opening bank accounts as well as for carrying out financial transactions.
  • The notification issued amending the Prevention of Money-laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005, will require quoting of Aadhaar card mandatory along with Permanent Account Number (PAN) by individuals, companies and partnership firms for all financial transactions of 50,000 or above.
Haryana Government offers Insurance cover for crops
  • The Haryana Government announced immediate implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to help farmers avail of insurance cover against crop loss due to natural calamities for 2017-18.
  • Under this scheme, paddy, bajra, maize and cotton crops would be covered during the Kharif season while wheat, gram, barley and mustard would be covered during the Rabi season.
  • The farmers would have to pay only two per cent premium of the sum insured for Kharif crops and one per cent premium of sum insured for Rabi crops.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi To Flag Off Kochi Metro Services
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 13-kilometer section of Kochi Metro from the Palarivattom station.
  • The Kochi Metro will be the first in India to use Communication Based Train Control technology to maximise frequencies and minimise errors.
  • Each station will showcase a theme, such as maritime history, Western Ghats as well as the local history of the city, among others.
  • The Kochi Metro Rail Corporation decided to employ transgender people in stations.
  • The project cost an estimated Rs. 5,180 crore.
  • The fare will vary from a minimum of Rs. 15 to a maximum of Rs. 30.
Sushma Swaraj inaugurates KIP for Young Overseas Indians
  • External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj inaugurated Know India Programme (KIP) for young overseas Indians at a function in New Delhi.
  • This programme is aimed at promoting awareness on different facets of life in India and the progress made by the country in various fields such as economic and education.
  • The Know India Programme is a three-week orientation programme for the Indian diaspora.
CRPF launches helpline ‘Madadgaar’ for Kashmiris across country
  • The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a toll-free helpline called 'Madadgaar' to help Kashmiri people in distress in a bid to regain the lost trust of people in the security forces.
  • Madadgaar is a step to serve the citizens of Kashmir located all over the country.
  • CRPF is the largest central armed force in the country with over 3.13 lakh personnel currently deployed in Kashmir.
Sahapedia - UNESCO Fellowships in Indian cultural heritage launched
  • Sahapedia, an open online resource on Indian arts in partnership jointly launched a fellowship programme partnered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
  • The fellowships, available in two variants namely the Sahapedia Project Fellowship (SPF) and the Sahapedia Research Fellowship (SRF) gives the applicants the option of participating either at the level of primary documentation or in the content curation process.
  • The aim of Sahapedia is to provide as much of the vast and diverse body of cultural knowledge in India as possible, especially about the lesser known practices and traditions in India.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY / DEFENCE AFFAIRS
NASA records May 2017 as second-hottest month in 137 years
  • According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), May 2017 was the second hottest month in a span of 137 years.
  • May 2016 is the hottest on record with 0.93 degrees Celsius warmer than the May 2017 mean temperature.
  • NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) does the monthly analysis of global temperature by analysing the publicly available data acquired by about 6,300 meteorological stations around the world.