GK & Current Affairs June 2016

Sweden has been voted as the best country in the world while India figured low at 70th position on a list of 163 nations.
•    'Good Country' 2015 index measures how countries contribute to the global good, Sweden, relative to the size of its economy, does more "good" and less harm than any other country.
•    The report ranked a total of 163 countries.
•    Indexing took 35 different UN and World Bank indices into account, for listing out the countries.
•    India figured at 70th position overall, three places below China.
•    India ranked at 37th position in health
•    India ranked 62 in wellbeing
•    India Ranked 119 in science and technology, and 106th in climate and 100th in world order.
•    The biannual index was founded by Simon Anholt, a British government adviser.
•    India’s best ranking 27th was in ‘international peace and security’ parameter of index and was the worst 124th in ‘prosperity and equality’
•    His aim was to find ways of encouraging countries to collaborate and co-operate a lot more, and compete a bit less.

On 2 June 2016 India and Tunisia signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for co-operation in Information Technology and promotion of traditional handicrafts.
•    The MoUs were signed after the delegation level talks between the two countries in the presence of Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari and Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid in Tunis. 
•    After the meet, the two nations also released a joint press statement saying that the entire gamut of bilateral as well as global issues was discussed. 
•    The two sides had discussion on bilateral ties focused on economic partnership and adding new areas of collaboration in IT and education.
•    The two sides also decided to enhance co-operation in counter terrorism.
•    Apart from this, Ansari also appreciated Tunisia's support to India's candidature to the expanded United Nations Security Council. 
•    He also invited 350 Tunisian citizens to India for training in different institutes over the next five years.
•    He said that the meeting of the India-Tunisia Joint Committee will be held later in 2016 and focus of the meeting will be promotion of tourism.

On 3 June 2016 P Sreeramakrishnan was elected as the Speaker of the 14th legislative assembly of Kerala. 
•    He was the candidate of ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) and a two-time legislator from Ponnani constituency.
•    In the voting held, he secured 92 votes against UDF's V.P. Sajeendran from Kunnathunadu constituency, who got 46 votes in the 140-member legislative assembly.
•    The only MLA of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) O Rajagopal voted in favour of P Sreeramakrishnan whereas the Independent MLA PC George's vote was marked invalid.
•    Earlier on 25 May 2016, veteran CPI-M leader Pinarayi Vijayan was sworn-in as 12th Chief Minister of Kerala.
•    In the Assembly Election held in May 2016, the CPI (M)-led left Democratic Front (LDF) came back to power in Kerala after 5 years, winning 91 seats in the 140 member Assembly, while UDF won 47 seats. The other two seats were won by BJP and Independent candidate each.

Asia’s largest annual security forum Shangri-La Dialogue was inaugurated in Singapore on 3 June 2016. It is the 15th Asia Security Summit to openly discuss and debate security matters in the Asia-Pacific region.
•    It is expected that the 2016 discussions will be dominated by the issues like territorial disputes in the South China Sea, military provocations of North Korea and Islamist extremism, migration, counter terrorism, military competition and cyber security.
•    The Singaporean government along with British think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies launched the Summit in 2002.
•    The forum is organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
•    The annual three-day summit became an unofficial conclave for regional defense ministers, along with European and US military officials.
•    The 2016 dialogue got its name from the location of the meeting, the Shangri-La hotel in Singapore.
•    The forum serves for military officials as a venue to meet behind closed doors.
•    The event will be attended by at least 20 Defence Ministers from Asia-Pacific countries which India’s Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. It will be led by Pentagon chief Ashton Carter.
•    It provides opportunities to defence ministers, military chiefs and high-ranking defence officials to hold bilateral meetings on its sidelines.
•    The primary interest to delegates attending 2016 is China’s assertive activities in the South China Sea as it continues to gobble up islets and challenge the passage of US Navy ships and aircraft through the area.
•    The Legislators, academic experts, journalists and business delegates from around the globe will attend the dialogue.
•    The previous editions of the conference were marked by heated public exchanges between US and Chinese officials.

Sweden has been voted as the best country in the world when it comes to serving the interests of its people and contributing to the common good of humanity while India figured low at 70th position on a list of 163 nations.
•    According to the 'Good Country' 2015 index which seeks to measure how countries contribute to the global good, Sweden, relative to the size of its economy, does more "good" and less harm than any other country. 
•    The report ranked a total of 163 countries taking 35 different UN and World Bank indices into account, including global contributions to science, culture, peace and security, climate change and health and equality.
•    The top 10 best countries included Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK, Germany, Finland, Canada, France, Austria and New Zealand, whereas Libya was ranked as the least "good" country in the world. 
•    India figured at 70th position overall, three places below China, with the best ranking (27th) in 'international peace and security' and the worst (124th) in 'prosperity and equality'.
•    While the country stood at 37th position in health and wellbeing and 62nd in science and technology, it was ranked 119th in culture, 106th in climate and 100th in world order. 
•    "The Good Country Index is pretty simple: to measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size," the report said.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) unveiled its first ever team of refugees which will have 10 members and 12 officials and will compete at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games under the Olympic flag.
•    The team includes five athletes from South Sudan, two from Syria, two from Democratic Republic of Congo and one from Ethiopia.
•    These refugee athletes have no home, no team, no flag, no national anthem. 
•    The invention of this refugee team is to give them a home in the Olympic village together with all the athletes around the world.
•    The athletes, six men and four women, will compete in the sports of swimming, judo and athletics.
•    They include swimmer Yusra Mardini from Syria who trains in Germany, South Sudanese middle distance runner Rose Nathike Lokonyen, living in a refugee camp in Kenya, and democratic Republic of Congo judoka Yolande Bukasa Mabika, training in Brazil.
•    The Olympic anthem will be played in their honor, the Olympic flag will lead them into the stadium.
•    It can send a symbol of hope for all refugees in the world and can send a signal to the international community that refugees are our fellow human beings and are enrichment to society.
•    The team will be housed in the athletes‘ village along with all other national teams and will enter the stadium as the penultimate team at the opening ceremony, ahead of the host nation.
•    “They will show to the world that despite the unimaginable tragedies they have faced, anyone can contribute to society through talent, skills and the strength of human spirit,” said Bach.
•    The plight of those fleeing conflict, as well as economic migrants escaping poverty, has polarized opinion in Europe, with the amount of new arrivals stretching the European Union’s asylum system.
•    The IOC had said it wanted to draw the world’s attention to the plight of refugees.

Shanghai-based New Development Bank is set to issue its first renminbi-denominated bonds, and is eyeing future funding for infrastructure projects.
•    This was revealed by Paolu Nogueira Batista, the bank's vice-president for economic research, strategy and partnerships and chief risk officer.
•    The bank was founded by the BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to finance sustainable development in the emerging markets and developing countries.
•    Its first five-year yuan-denominated bonds, also referred as green bonds, will be issued after receiving a rating from international ratings agencies as well as getting authorities' approval.
•    Batista outlined the bank's plans on Monday at the closing ceremony of the Shanghai Forum, an annual meeting of officials, academics, business chiefs and world opinion leaders that discusses issues such as business solutions and social governance.
•    Batista said that more bonds denominated in local currencies of the BRICS countries, including the rupees in India, will be issued if the bank's board and local authorities endorse the project plans.
•    The NDB announced its first batch of loans on April 16, providing $300 million to Brazil, $81 million to China, $250 million to India and $180 million to South Africa.
•    The NDB aims to be a global lender instead of being limited to being an institution for just a handful of countries.

Veteran Indian tennis star Leander Paes with Swiss partner Martina Hingis won over compatriot Sania Mirza and Ivan Dodig at Roland Garros.
•    The unseeded Indo-Swiss pair scored 4-6, 6-4, 10-8 win over the second seeds in the summit clash that lasted one hour and 28 minutes.
•    42-year-old Paes had won Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles in 2015 with Hingis.
•    Martina Hingis and Leander Paes hold the trophy after winning the mixed doubles final of the French Open. 
•    It was 18th Grand Slam title for Paes and 10th in the mixed doubles. 
•    For Hingis, it was Grand Slam title number 22nd and fifth trophy in the mixed doubles.
•    Hingis and Paes broke Sania immediately with Paes hitting a volley winner on Sania's return on the second breakpoint.
•    Hingis struggled with her first serve but managed to hold for team's 5-3 lead.

•    The winners split 116000 Euros as prize money while Sania and Dodig got 58000 Euros as a team

Nita Ambani, founder-chairperson of Reliance Foundation, has been nominated as an independent candidate to be a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
•    The election for membership, is scheduled at the 129th IOC Session at Rio de Janeiro between August 2 and August 4. 
•    She will continue to serve as a member of the IOC until she reaches 70 years of age.
•    IOC President is Thomas Bach.
•    Among Indians, Ambani will be the first woman and the third individual to become a member of the IOC after the late Sir Dorabji Tata and Raja Randhir Singh.
•    Ambani spearheads all of Reliance Industries' initiatives in sports, notably cricket, football, basketball, kabaddi, tennis and golf, either through the company, the foundation or its joint ventures.
•    Sports is also an important component at the 13 schools overseen by her - which educate more than 15,000 students - and at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School and the Reliance Foundation.

Raghavan Seetharaman, Qatar-based Indian banker, on 30 May 2016 was awarded the Green Economy Visionary award.
•    Seetharaman was honoured for his contribution in environment-friendly activities and for promoting green economy for nearly two decades.
•    The banker was presented with the award at the 2016 Union of Arab Banks International Banking Summit held in Rome. Mohammed Jarrah Al-Sabah, Chairman of Union of Arab Banks, presented the award to Seetharaman.
•    Raghavan Seetharaman is the Group CEO of Doha Bank, which is one of the largest commercial banks in Qatar.
•    In 2015, business magazine Forbes ranked Seetharaman 6th in the Forbes’ Top Indian Leaders in the Arab World 2015 list.
•    He started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), one of the four largest professional services networks.
•    In 2002, he became Deputy CEO for Doha Bank.
•    He was named CEO in September 2007.
•    He graduated with a degree in commerce from the University of Madras and then became a chartered accountant.
•    He also earned a double doctorate, first in Global Governance from the European University in 2013 and the second in Green Banking and Sustainability from Sri Sri University in 2015.
•    He also received an honorary degree (Doctorate of Laws) from the Washington College.