GK and Current Affairs Updates

Norway in the first week of June 2016 became the first country to prohibit deforestation.
•    On 26 May 2016, the Norwegian Parliament had pledged to make government’s public procurement policy deforestation-free. 
•    The step was taken after a committee of MPs recommended imposing regulations to ensure the state did not contribute to deforestation of the rainforest.
•    The step taken by the government means that the parliament will no longer award government contracts to any company that cuts down and destroys forests.
•    Norwegian lawmakers also committed to find a way to source essential products such as palm oil, soy, beef and timber so that they leave little to no impact on their ecosystems. 
•    Norway had pledged to do that at the U.N. Climate Summit in 2014, alongside Germany and the United Kingdom.
•    A natural rainforest emits and absorbs vast quantities of carbon dioxide.
•    They are referred to as lungs of Earth.
•    They help to stabilize Earth’s climate. Scientists believe carbon dioxide is a major contributor to climate change. By absorbing carbon dioxide, rainforests help to reduce the effects of worldwide climate change.
•    They are an important home to about half of the species of plants and wildlife on the planet. Many of the species found in rainforests are endangered and can only survive in rainforests.
•    They help maintain the water cycle by producing large amounts of rainfall every year.
•    Tropical and temperate rainforests have been subjected to heavy logging and agricultural clearance throughout the 20th century.
•    Biologists have estimated that large numbers of species are being driven to extinction due to the removal of habitat with destruction of the rainforests.
•    As per a 2007 report from WWF, deforestation could wipe out or severely damage nearly 60% of the Amazon Rainforest by 2030.

Indian markets regulator SEBI recently put in place a stricter KYC and disclosure regime for Participatory Notes to make it tougher to use these offshore instruments without disclosing the money-trail and details of their users.
•    The new norms follows approval from the regulator's board to amend its regulations for Offshore Derivative Instruments (ODIs)-- popularly known as P-Notes -- after taking into account suggestions from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Black Money to ensure this route is not used for money laundering
•    Taking forward the proposals approved by its board, Sebi on Friday issued a detailed circular about the tightened Know Your Client (KYC) and disclosure requirements for ODIs, which provide the foreign investors an easier and cost-effective route to invest in Indian markets without directly registering as Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs)
•    Under the new norms, all the users of ODIs would have to follow Indian KYC and AML (Anti Money Laundering) Regulations, irrespective of their jurisdictions, while the ODI issuers will be required to file suspicious transaction reports, if any, with the Indian Financial Intelligence Unit, in relation to the ODIs issued by them
•    Presently, the details of ODI holders need to be mandatorily reported to Sebi on a monthly basis. Sebi has now decided that in the monthly reports on ODIs all the intermediate transfers during the month would also be required to be reported
•    Besides, ODI issuers will have to carry out reconfirmation of the ODI positions on a semi-annual basis. In case of any divergence from reported monthly data, the same should be informed to Sebi in a prescribed format
•    The new guidelines have been finalized after detailed consultation with the FPIs and users of ODIs, while they were also consulted for preparation of the formats
•    ODIs have often been in controversy in India for alleged misuse for round-tripping of funds. But the norms have been made stringent in the recent years, following which they have also become less attractive. While ODIs used to account for as high as 55 per cent of the total foreign fund flows in Indian capital markets in 2007, now their share has fallen to a record low level of 9.3 per cent

China has successfully launched a 23rd BeiDou Navigation Satellite to support its global navigation and positioning network. 
•    The satellite was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on board of Long March-3C carrier rocket. 
•    It is the 23rd satellite in the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, which is being developed as an alternative to GPS (Global Positioning System) of US.  
•    It was the 229th launch of the Long March carrier rocket. 
•    23rd BeiDou Navigation Satellite after entering its designed work orbit and finishing in-orbit testing, will join others satellite of the system already in orbit. 
•    It will help to improve the stability of the BeiDou Navigation system to offer global coverage. 
•    BNS is 2nd generation of the Chinese navigational system seen as rival to the US’s Global Positioning System (GPS). 
•    The system comprises total 35 satellites in two separate satellite constellations (i) Limited test system (operational since 2000) (ii) A full-scale global navigation system which is currently under construction. 
•    The BNS became operational in December 2011 in China with the constellation of 10 satellites of the system. 
•    In December 2012, the system began offering services to customers in the Asia-Pacific region. On its completion in 2020, the system will provide services to global customers. 
•    After completion, the navigation system would become an equivalent of the US Global Positioning System, Europe’s Galileo and Russia’s Glonass. 
•    It will be used for Civilian services, Navigation, messaging, transportation and weather forecasting sectors, Military applications etc 

•    Malhotra worked as the resident editor of The Statesman in New Delhi from 1965 to 1971.
•    He was the also the India correspondent for The Guardian from 1965 to 1978.
•    He held the position of editor at The Times of India from 1978 to 1986.
•    Since 1986, he had been a syndicated columnist for numerous dailies and periodicals in India and abroad.
•    In 1991, he authored a political and personal biography of Indira Gandhi.
•    He received the Ramnath Goenka Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
•    Malhotra was the resident editor of The Statesman in New Delhi from 1965 to 1971. 
•    He was the India correspondent for The Guardian from 1965-1978, until becoming editor at The Times of India, a position he held from 1978-1986.
•    Since 1986 he was a syndicated columnist for numerous dailies and periodicals in India and abroad. 
•    In 1991 Malhotra authored a political and personal biography of Indira Gandhi.

Noted playwright and actor Achyut Lahkar, doyen of Assam’s mobile theatre movement, passed away on 12 June 2016 following a protracted illness. 
•    Lahkar was the pioneering dramatist, veteran actor director and producer who staged numerous memorable plays in mobile theatre.
•    Born in 1931, Lahkar, a theatre enthusiast from his childhood days.
•    He founded Nataraj Theatre, the first Mobile Theatre Company of Assam in 1963 which performed across Assam and in other states for nearly 40 years.
•    Lahkar was considered to be the father of the Bhramyaman or Mobile Theatre of Assam.
•    Before venturing into mobile theatre, Lahkar published and edited an Assamese illustrated magazine called Deepawali for some time in 1952.
•    He was awarded the Kamal Kumari National Award in 1997.
•    He also received the Bhaben Barua Award, Mancha Prabhakar Award and Braja Nath Sarma Award.
Distinguished journalist, editor and author Inder Malhotra passed away

Railways minister Suresh Prabhu on Wednesday launched three passenger service initiatives—a Janani Sewa for mothers, optional catering in Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains on a pilot basis and a children’s menu on trains.
•    Under Janani Sewa, hot milk, hot water and baby food—to begin with—will be available at 25 railway stations including New Delhi, Mumbai, Howrah, Chennai, Surat and Lucknow. 
•    Originally, the service was meant to have been introduced on trains.
•    The decision to introduce this facility was taken after a mother last year tweeted to the minister that due to a delayed train service she was facing a lot of problems feeding her child as she was unable to find milk on the train.
•    The Indian Railways also launched an optional catering services project. 
•    To begin with the project will be taken up on a pilot basis for 45 days and will be available only on the Secunderabad-Pune Shatabdi Express and Mumbai Central-Hazrat Nizammudin Rajdhani Express.
•    The catering charges of Rs.340 for 1 AC and Rs.295 on 2AC/3AC would be deducted from the cost of the Rajdhani ticket if a passenger opts out of the catering service. 
•    Similarly a Shatabdi ticket would be cheaper by Rs.260 and Rs.220 for executive and chair car categories, respectively.
•    To make train travel a happier experience for children, the railways has launched items like French fries, noodles, burgers and meal combos through IRCTC. 
•    These items can be ordered by the passengers through the e-catering website of IRCTC, a specified phone number, SMS, mobile app or a four digit all-India toll free number—1323.

The World Day against Child Labour was observed globally on 12 June 2016 with the theme End child labour in supply chains - It's everyone's business.
•    This year, the focus for World Day Against Child Labour is on child labour and supply chains. With 168 million children still in child labour, all supply chains, from agriculture to manufacturing, services to construction, run the risk that child labour may be present.
•    To support businesses in their actions to remove child labour from their supply chains, the ILO and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) jointly created the Child Labour Guidance Tool, a resource for companies to increase their knowledge and ability to conduct business in line with international labour standards on child labour.
•    The International Labour Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it.
•    Each year on 12 June, the Day brings together governments, employers and workers organizations, civil society to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them.

Additional Solicitor General of India and former Parliamentarian SatyaPal Jain was on 10 June 2016 appointed as a part-time member of the 21st Law Commission of India.
•    The appointment will be in addition to his charge as an Additional Solicitor General of India.
•    He is a noted constitution lawyer and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.
•    He has been the Dean of the Law Faculty of Punjab University and is a Member of the Punjab University Senate for the last 40 years.
•    The President constituted the 21st Law Commission of India on 1 September 2015 and will end on 31 August 2018.
•    Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan, retired Judge of the Supreme Court, is the Chairman of the Commission and Justice Ravi R Tripathi, retired judge of Gujarat High Court and Bimal N Patel Director, GNLU are the other nominated members of the Commission.
•    The Secretary Department of Legal Affairs & Secretary, Legislature Department of Ministry of Law & Justice of the Government of India are ex-officio members of the Commission.
•    It is an executive body established by an order of the Government of India in 1955.
•    It works for legal reforms and its members will be primarily legal experts, who are entrusted a mandate by the Union Government.
•    The Commission is established for a fixed tenure of three years and works as an advisory body to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice.
•    The First Law Commission was established in 1955 with the then Attorney-General of India MC Setalvad as its Chairman.

Sikkim became the first state in India to have an open government data portal linked ‘sikkim.data.gov.in’. 
•    The portal was launched by Lok Sabha MP, P D Rai and also launched Open Government Data Platform (Sikkim). 
•    The portal has been developed by Government of Sikkim’s Information Technology Department and NIC team from Delhi. 
•    The open government data portal facilitates free use, reuse and redistribution of data produced or commissioned by the government or government controlled entities by anyone.
•    Sikkim is a landlocked state of India, the last to give up its monarchy and fully integrate into India, in 1975. 
•    Located in the Himalayan Mountains, the state is bordered by Nepal to the west, China's Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and east, and Bhutan to the east. 
•    The Indian state of West Bengal lies to the south.

Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V Vaithilingam was on Friday unanimously elected as Speaker of the 14th Puducherry Assembly. 
•    As soon as the proceedings began, Protem Speaker V P Sivakolundhu announced that Vaithilingam has been elected unanimously as Speaker as he was the only candidate who had filed papers when the deadline ended on Friday afternoon.
•    66 year old Vaithilingam was escorted to the chair by Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, his ministerial colleagues, DMK legislator R Siva and opposition AIADMK legislature wing leader A Anbalagan.
•    All eight legislators of the opposition AINRC, including former Chief Minister N Rangasamy, were conspicuous by their absence throughout the day’s sitting of the House. 
•    After assuming office Vaithilingam announced that Protem Speaker Sivakolundhu was elected unanimously as Deputy Speaker as his was the only nomination filed for the post.
•    V. Vaithilingam is an Indian politician who is the former Chief Minister of Puducherry.
•    He held that position from 1991 to 1996 and has been Chief Minister again from 2008-2011. 
•    Vaithilingam is credited with leading a stable and efficient government in Puducherry State through a complete five-year term during his prior period in office. 
•    He is a senior legislator serving six consecutive terms.