Current Affairs: 19 June 2017

·         Lockheed Martin signs pact with Tata

·         Lockheed Martin has signed an agreement with India’s Tata Advanced Systems to produce F-16 fighter planes in India.

·         The announcement comes days before PM Modi travels to Washington for a first meeting with Trump.

·         India will also have the chance to export F-16 that is flown by air forces around the world

·         Tata is already building airframe components for the C-130 military transport aircraft.

·         Ram Nath Kovind Nominated For President

·         Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind has been named as BJP’s presidential nominee.

·         He is a lawyer by profession and has practised in both the Delhi HC and the Supreme Court.

·         He was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh and served two consecutive terms for 12 years, from 1994 to 2006.

·         He has also represented India at the United Nations and has addressed the UN General Assembly in 2002.

·         Greece blocks EU criticism

·         Greece has blocked a European Union statement at the United Nations criticizing China’s human rights record.

·         EU diplomats said, the decision by Greece, which has benefited from huge Chinese infrastructure investment in recent times, undermined efforts to confront abuse by China.

·         It marks the first time EU had failed to make its statement at the UN’s top rights body.

·         World’s Fastest Machine

·         According to a list released today by researchers in the US and Germany Two Chinese supercomputers have been declared the fastest machines in the world.

·         China’s Sunway TaihuLight and Tianhe-2 are the world’s fastest and second fastest machines.

·         While Switzerland’s Piz Daint and the US’ Titan took the third and fourth positions respectively.

·         South Korea to end use of nuclear power

·         South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, has vowed to phase out the country’s dependence on nuclear power, following fears of a Fukushima-style meltdown.

·         He has decided not extend the operation of ageing reactors, many of which will come to end of their lifespans between 2020 and 2030.

·         He has decided to completely scrap construction plans for new nuclear reactors that are currently under way.

·         No departure card from July 1

·         Govt has decided to discontinue the practice of filling up of the departure card by Indians at all international airports with effect from July 1, 2017.

·         The move is aimed at ensuring hassle-free movement of Indians going abroad.

·         However, those going out of the country via rail, seaport and land immigration checkposts will have to fill the embarkation card.

·         RBI directs IDBI to start insolvency

·         Lanco Infratech has said that RBI has directed its lead lender IDBI Bank to initiate insolvency proceedings for the company under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

·         The company is among 12 firms identified by the central bank with a combined debt of over Rs 1,50,000 crore.

·         Shares of Lanco tanked 20% to a record low after the confirmation.

·         AIIB approves 3 new members

·         Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank has approved membership of Argentina, Madagascar and Tonga at its 2nd annual meeting of governors.

·         Approved applicants included 1 regional prospective member of Tonga and 2 non-regional members of Argentina and Madagascar.

·         They will officially join AIIB once they complete the required domestic processes and deposit first instalment of capital with bank.

·         Venkaiah launches Urban housing project

·         To give push to the National Mission of Housing for All in Andhra Pradesh, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Venkaiah Naidu launched urban housing project for financially backward people of state.

·         The affordable housing project will be built in G+3 stories across 38 urban spaces in the State.

·         National Mission of Housing for All aims to provide shelter to all by 2022.

·         Experts resign from Trump HIV/AIDS panel

·         Six top health advisors have resigned from Donald Trump’s advisory council on HIV/AIDS.

·         HIV project director Scott Schoettes said the Trump administration has “no strategy” on AIDS and that he and his five colleagues will be more effective advocating for change from the outside.

·         Schoettes cited data showing that only 40% of people living with HIV in the US can access life-saving medications.

·         Despite pulling out with immediate effect, McDonald’s will continue at next year’s Pyeongchang winter Olympics as a domestic sponsor.

·         Indian Energy Exchange files IPO

·         Indian Energy Exchange has filed draft papers with the SEBI to float an initial public offering.

·         The IPO will see sale of 60,65,009 equity shares by existing shareholders, including Tata Power, private equity arm of Aditya Birla Group and Madison India Capital.

·         IEX is India’s first power exchange providing automated trading platform for electricityand renewable energy certificates.

·         1st Indian building to get trademark

·         114-year-old Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai has become the 1st Indian building to get trademark.

·         It has joined the elite club of trademarked properties in the world which includes the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower and Sydney Opera House.

·         With IHCL trademarking the building, nobody can now use Taj Mahal Palace’s images for commercial purposes without paying the company a licensing fee.

·         India’s most expensive office market

·         According to bi-annual global prime office occupancy costs survey by CBRE Group, New Delhi’s central business district of Connaught Place is the 9th most expensive office market in the world.

·         Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex is ranked 20th while the CBD of Nariman Point is ranked 33 on the list.

·         Central in Hong Kong and West End in London remain the two most expensive markets in the world.

·         The 2017 Orwell Prize

·         Britain’s most prestigious prize for political writing,Orwell Prize, was announced in London.

·         The 2017 Orwell Prize for books was bestowed upon John Bew for his extraordinary biography Citizen Clem.

·         Winners of the Orwell prize for journalism and the Orwell prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils were awarded to Fintan O’Toole and Felicity Lawrence respectively.

·         APY can now be subscribed digitally

·         Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority has introduced APY@eNPS which involves complete digital enrolment process.

·         It has been done to give additional push to cover the unreached population at greater ease.

·         Under APY, subscribers would receive a minimum guaranteed pension at the age of 60 years, depending on their contributions.

·         APY subscribers’ base is more than 54 Lakhs.

·         China to send mini-ecosystems to Moon

·         China is planning to send mini-ecosystems containing potato seeds and silkworm eggs to the Moon next year.

·         It’s aim is to study how the organisms develop on the lunar surface and to prepare for future moon landings and possible human inhabitants.

·         The 3-kilogramme mini-ecosystem, developed by research teams led by Chongqing University in China, will be sent to the Moon in 2018.

·         Pakistan wins Champions Trophy title

·         Pakistan won the 2017 Champions Trophy cricket final after beating arch-rivals India by 180 runs at the Oval ground in Britain’s capital, London.

·         With the win, Pakistan won their first Champions Trophy to add to their 1992 World Cup and 2009 World T20 wins.

·         Pakistan had come into the tournament as the lowest-ranked team and lost heavily to India in its opening group match.

·         India’s biggest win over Pakistan

·         India demolished Pakistan 7-1 to register their third consecutive victory and seal a place in the quarter-finals of the Hockey World League Semi-Final.

·         This was was India’s biggest over Pakistan, bettering the 7-4 effort against arch-rivals in 2003 Champions Trophy and 2010 Commonwealth Games.

·         This was India’s 56th win over Pakistan in the 168th match between the two nations.

·         Orion spacecraft passes key safety tests

·         NASA’s Orion spacecraft designed to take astronauts to deep space destinations such as Moon & Mars has successfully completed a series of tests for its critical safety systems.

·         Engineers tested abort motor for Orion’s launch abort system, firing 17-foot motor for 5 seconds.

·         Abort motor is responsible for propelling crew module away from the Space Launch System rocket in case of an emergency.

·         Govt announces 149 new POPSK

·         External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has announced that the govt. will soon open 149 new Post Office Passport Seva Kendra.

·         These will be in addition to 86 POPSKs announced by MEA in the first phase.

·         Govt. has set up a target that no one has to travel more than a radius of 50 kms to get a passport.

·         NDA govt has altogether opened or announced 251 PSKs and POPSKs since coming to power.

Banking & Finance

RBI directs IDBI Bank to start insolvency for Lanco Infra

Lanco Infratech said the Reserve Bank has directed its lead lender IDBI Bank to initiate insolvency proceedings for the company under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC).
Lanco Infratech Limited (LITL) intimated under Regulation 30 of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, that Reserve Bank of India directed IDBI Bank Limited, the lead bank of LITL to initiate Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) for LITL under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016
The company is among 12 firms identified by the central bank with a combined debt of over Rs 1,50,000 crore, a quarter of the total NPAs, for proceedings under the newly enacted Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

RBI initiates PCA against Bank of Maharashtra as bad loans mount

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has initiated prompt corrective action (PCA) against Pune-based Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) in view of a high level of bad loans and negative return on assets.
• BoM has become the sixth state-owned lender to be put under the PCA.
• For the year ended March 2017, the net non-performing assets (NPAs) of the bank rose to 11.76%, while return on assets declined to (-) 1.09%. 
• At the same time, the bank reported a loss of Rs 455.4 crore for the fourth quarter, while for entire fiscal 2016-17 booked loss of Rs1,372 crore. 
• It is to be noted that IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, UCO Bank, Dena Bank and the Central Bank of India have already come under the PCA initiated by the RBI
  
  

Awards & Honors

2017 Orwell Prize awarded to John Bew

• The 2017 Orwell Prize, Britain's most prestigious prize for political writing, was announced in London. The £3,000 2017 Orwell Prize for books was bestowed upon John Bew for his "extraordinary biography" Citizen Clem , which is about Clement Attlee, the founder of the NHS.
• The award, named after the author of the cult classic dystopian-political fiction Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm , is awarded annually by the Orwell Foundation to a book that comes closest to the George Orwell's ambition "to make political writing into an art".
• The winners of the Orwell prize for journalism and the Orwell prize for Exposing Britain's Social Evils were awarded to Fintan O'Toole and Felicity Lawrence respectively. 
• O'Toole of The Irish Times for applauded for his commentary on the ramifications of Brexit, while The Guardian's Felicity Lawrence was acclaimed for exposing social evils that revealed how criminal gangs were forcing migrants to work for them in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

Madhavan, Ritika Singh bag Best Actors

• Madhavan and Ritika Singh's Irudhi Suttru, the Tamil version of Hindi film Saala Khadoss, has walked away with three honours at 64th Jio Filmfare South Awards
• It bagged the awards in categories like Best Director (Sudha Kongara Prasad), Best Male Actor (Madhavan) Best Female Actor (Ritika Singh).Best Film SR Prabhu Joker
• Best Director: Sudha K Prasad for Irudhi Suttru
• Best Supporting Actor (Male): Samuthirakani Visaaranai
• Best Supporting Actor (Female): Sai Dhanshika Kabali

IMPORTANT TEMPLES IN INDIA

 TEMPLES IN INDIA

•   Brihadeeswara Temple ---------------Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.

•   The Konark Sun Temple -------------Odisha

•   Badrinath Temple---------------------- Uttarakhand

•   Kedarnath Temple ---------------------Uttarakhand

•   Gangotri Temple------------------------Uttarakhand

•   Rameshwaram Temple ---------------Tamilnadu

•   Vaishno Devi Mandir -----------------Jammu

•   Amarnath Cave Temple --------------Jammu

•   Dwarakadhish Temple ----------------Gujarat

•   Somanath Temple ----------------------Gujarat

•   Siddhivinayak Temple ----------------Maharashtra

•   Golden Temple ---------------------------Punjab

•   Akshar dham Temple  -----------------New Delhi

•   Virupaksha Temple ---------------------Karnataka

•   Gomateshwara Temple ----------------Karnataka

•   Lotus Temple ------------------------------New Delhi

•   Khajuraho Temple -----------------------Madhya Pradesh

•   Sanchi stupa Temple --------------------Madhya Pradesh

•   Hampi Temple -----------------------------Karnataka

•   Kalighat Temple --------------------------West Bengal

•   Kashi Vishwanath Temple -------------Varanasi , Uttar Pradesh

•   Lord Jagannath Temple -----------------Puri, Odisha

•   Meenakshi Temple ------------------------Tamilnadu

•   Tirupati Balaji Temple -------------------Andhra Pradesh

•   Lingaraja Temple--------------------------- Odisha

•   Birla Mandhir -------------------------------New Delhi

•   Padamanabha Swami Temple ----------Kerala

•   Kamakhya Temple -------------------------Assam

•   Yamunotri Temple -------------------------Uttarkashi , Uttarakhand

•   Kanchipuram Temple ------- --------------Tamil Nadu

•   Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir ---------Oldest Jain temple in Delhi

•   Ranakpur Temple ----------------------------Pali, Rajasthan

•   Laxminarayan Temple ---------------------New Delhi

•   Dwarkadhish Temple -----------------------Dwaraka , Gujarat

•   Shirdi Sai Baba Temple --------------------Shirdi , Maharashtra

•   Amarkantak Temple -------- ---------------Chattisgarh

•   Angrabadi Temple --------- -----------------Jharkhand

•   Chennakesava Temple ---------------------Karnataka

•  Hoysaleswara Temple ----------------------Karnataka

Data Interpretation: Quiz

Directions: The sub divided bar diagram given below depicts H.S. Students of a school for three years. Study the diagram and answer the questions.

Question 1: The percentage passed in 1st division in 2008 was
(1) 27%
(2) 32%

(3) 153/8%

(4) 1113/17%

Question 2: The pass percentage in 2008 was
(1) 67%
(2) 73%

(3) 792/3%

(4) 826/17%

Question 3: In which year the school had the best result for H.S. in respect of percentage of pass candidates ?
(1) 2008
(2) 2009
(3) 2010
(4) The percentage of pass candidates are same for the three years.

Question 4: The number of students passed in third division in the year 2008 was
(1) 50
(2) 60
(3) 70
(4) 80

Question 5: The percentage of the students passed in 2nd division in the year 2010 was
(1) 30%
(2) 40%
(3) 50%
(4) 60%

Directions: The graph given here shows a car following the linear path with uniforms speed. Study the graph and answer the questions.

Question 1: The speed of the car is
(a) 12 km/hr
(b) 6 km/hr
(c) 18 km/hr
(d) 24 km/hr

Question 2: The speed of the car in metres per minute is
(a) 60
(b) 100
(c) 600
(d) 1000

Question 3: The distance travelled by the car in 4.5 hours is
(a) 27 km
(b) 30 km
(c) 36 km
(d) 40 km

Question 4: The car covers a distance of 15 kilometers in
(a) 3 hours
(b) 2 hours
(c) 1.5 hours
(d) 2.5 hours

THE HINDU EDITORIAL: 12 JUNE, 2017

THE HINDU EDITORIAL

A) Pragmatic Step

The Kerala government’s new liquor policy is a pragmatic step that may help boost its revenue and retrieve lost ground in the tourism sector. More important, it will end the discrimination in favour of five-star hotels. Kerala’s erstwhile United Democratic Front government had restricted bar permits to five-star hotels alone, resulting in more than 700 hotels of other categories losing their bar licences. Under the new policy, hotels in the three- and four-star category may also have bars that serve Indian Made Foreign Liquor. Two-star hotels are permitted to serve wine and beer. At the same time, the Left Democratic Front government in the State has sought to give a boost to the traditional toddy business by allowing hotel bars to sell toddy too. To partially offset criticism, it has raised the legal drinking age from 21 to 23. The new excise policy is, of course, no surprise as the LDF election manifesto had made it clear that it does not favour prohibition and would rather emphasise on voluntary abstinence. In a State that has a high per capita alcohol consumption, there is a case for a vigorous campaign about the ill-effects of being addicted to alcohol, as opposed to one that makes liquor scarce and encourages bootlegging. The government has waited for a year before unveiling the changes it wanted, lest it be seen as acting in undue haste. Politically, the LDF is on firm ground. The UDF regime’s hardline liquor policy was the result of an internal game of one-upmanship between factions, and that decision did not help it return to power. Some opposition to the new policy is expected from influential religious groups as well as opposition parties. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has justified his decision to liberalise the sector by describing the earlier policy, which had received the Supreme Court’s approbation as well, as a ‘fiasco’, as the restrictions on the sale of liquor had brought down tourism traffic, caused job losses and led to a spike in drug abuse. He will now have to ensure that the purported positive outcomes, such as revitalising the tourism sector and the hotel industry, boosting employment and ending the brewing of hooch are actualised on the ground. The big challenge lies in pursuing this policy without violating the Supreme Court’s ban on having liquor outlets within 500 metres of national and State highways. News that a 1983 document of the Indian Roads Congress has said all highways automatically become arterial roads or sub-arterial roads while passing through urban areas gives a new dimension to the highway ban. State governments may now consider examining this aspect to get the Supreme Court to relax its highway ban in respect of hotels located within towns and cities. As protests mount against relocating bars from highways to interior residential areas, the situation calls for a pragmatic and holistic solution.

B) Comey’s case

The dramatic three-hour hearing of James Comey before the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8 has dragged President Donald Trump deeper into the Russia scandal, which he desperately wants to get out of. Mr. Trump once called Mr. Comey, who he fired as the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation last month, a “nut job” and the probe into allegations of Russian intervention in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections a “witch-hunt”. But Mr. Comey’s testimony, under oath before the Senate, lends credence to arguments that the administration’s handling of Russiagate was problematic from the very beginning. Mr. Comey, who questioned the President’s integrity and accused the administration of spreading “lies, plain and simple”, has torn into the White House narrative on both the Russia probe and his firing. He confirmed reports that Mr. Trump had asked him to let go of the investigation on Michael Flynn, the initial choice as National Security Adviser who was fired for lying to the Vice President over his own Russia links. This assertion directly counters Mr. Trump’s claim that he had not asked Mr. Comey to back off on the Flynn probe. Mr. Comey also said he was fired over the Russia probe, not over any mishandling of the investigation, as claimed by the White House, into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while Secretary of State. In short, Mr. Comey did not directly accuse the President of trying to obstruct justice — when asked he said it is up to the Special Counsel to understand what the President’s intent was. He tactfully presented a timeline of their interactions: Mr. Trump first asks for Mr. Comey’s loyalty, tells him to drop the probe on his aide Mr. Flynn, and later fires Mr. Comey. Mr. Trump is still adamant on his earlier positions. He has called Mr. Comey a liar and dismissed his Senate testimony. But the Senate hearing has already shifted the contours of the Russia probe. It is no longer only about Russian intervention in the presidential election, but also about whether the President of the United States tried to obstruct justice in his country. Here, the parallels between the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974 and Mr. Trump’s current predicament are striking. It is still not established whether Nixon ordered the break-in at the Democratic party office in the Watergate complex in Washington that triggered the crisis, but he had to go over his interference in the FBI probe into the Watergate case. It is up to Special Counsel Robert Mueller to find out if Mr. Trump tried to obstruct justice by asking the FBI chief to let Mr. Flynn go and whether he lied to the American public over Mr. Flynn, Mr. Comey and Russiagate. While the investigation will take time, its widening scope and the new revelations pose greater difficulties for a President who appears to be clueless on how to tackle the issue.

WORDS/ VOCABULARY

1) Pragmatic

Meaning: Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.

Example: I know I am recommending a pragmatic rather than a principled stand, but that is what national interest and foreign policy is all about.

Synonyms: Empirical, Hands-On, Real, Actual

2) Retrieve

Meaning: To find and bring back something.

Example: Computers are used to store and retrieve information efficiently.

Synonyms: Get back, Recover, Salvage

3) Discrimination

Meaning: The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age.

Example: There should be no discrimination on the grounds of colour.

Synonyms: Prejudice, Racism

Antonyms: Impartiality

4) Toddy

Meaning: A drink made of spirits with hot water, sugar, and sometimes spices.

Example: On Christmas Eve, people eat Lenten foods (no meat or dairy products) and drink hot toddies.

5) Manifesto

Meaning: A written statement of the beliefs, aims, and policies of an organization, especially a political party.

Example: In their election manifesto, the Liberal Democrats proposed increasing taxes to pay for improvements in education.

Synonyms: Policy statement, Declaration

6) Emphasise

Meaning: Give special importance or value to (something) in speaking or writing.

Example: He emphasized that all the people taking part in the research were volunteers.

Synonyms: Bring attention to, Accent, Stress

Antonyms: Understate, Play down

7) Abstinence

Meaning: The practice of restraining oneself from indulging in something, typically alcohol.

Example: It is also important to note that most patients reported reduced use rather than abstinence.

Synonyms: Teetotalism, Celibacy

Antonyms: Promiscuity

8) Bootlegging

Meaning: Illegally made, copied, or sold.

Example: He had a stall selling bootleg cassette tapes.

Synonyms: Illegal, unlawful, Smuggled

9) Unveiling

Meaning: Show or announce publicly for the first time.

Example: The Home Secretary has unveiled plans to crack down on crime.

Synonyms: Reveal, Display, Make known

10) Approbation

Meaning: Approval or agreement, often given by an official group.

Example: The council has finally indicated its approbation of the plans.

Synonyms: Approval, Praise, Endorsement

Antonyms: Criticism

11) Fiasco

Meaning: A complete failure, especially a ludicrous or humiliating one.

Example: The show was a fiasco – one actor forgot his lines and another fell off the stage.

Synonyms: Failure, Flop

Antonyms: Success

12) Purported

Meaning: That has been stated to be true or to have happened, although this may not be the case.

Example: A recent study into the purported health benefits of the drink was not conclusive.

Synonyms: Claim, Profess

13) Hooch

Meaning: Alcoholic drink, especially inferior or illicit.

Example: I went to my desk and got my bottle of hooch from the drawer.

Synonyms: Liquor, Intoxicating Liquor, Alcoholic Drink

14) Holistic

Meaning: Characterized by the belief that the parts of something are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.

Example: I think where Chaos and Complexity theory are really going, is, a holistic understanding of the universe.

15) Dragged

Meaning: To make someone go somewhere they do not want to go.

Example: That procedure was bound to drag out the negotiations.

Synonyms: Prolong, Delay, Resistance, Pull

16) Credence

Meaning: The belief that something is true.

Example: I’m not prepared to give credence to anonymous complaints.

Synonyms: Acceptance, Credibility

17) Integrity

Meaning: The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change.

Example: No one doubted that the president was a man of the highest integrity.

Synonyms: Honesty, Honour

Antonyms: Dishonesty, Fragility

18) Assertion

Meaning: A confident and forceful statement of fact or belief.

Example: She very quickly asserted her authority over the class.

Synonyms: Declaration, Claim

19) Adamant

Meaning: Impossible to persuade, or unwilling to change an opinion or decision.

Example: I’ve told her she should stay at home and rest but she’s adamant that she’s coming.

Synonyms: Unshakeable, Unswerving

Antonyms: Unsure

20) Contours

Meaning: An outline representing or bounding the shape or form of something.

Example: This map has contours marked at 250-metre intervals.

Synonyms: Outline, Silhouette, Form

21) Predicament

Meaning: An unpleasant situation that is difficult to get out of.

Example: She is hoping to get a loan from her bank to help her out of her financial predicament.

Synonyms: Difficult situation, Mess

22) Triggered

Meaning: An event or situation, etc. that causes something to start.

Example: There are fears that the incident may be a trigger for more violence in the capital.

Synonyms: Activate, Cause, Precipitate

23) Revelations

Meaning: The act of making something known that was secret, or a fact that is made known.

Example: Washington has been rocked by the further revelation that the alleged killer is a respected economist.

Synonyms: Disclosure, Acknowledgement, Divulging

Antonyms: Keeping