Current Affairs, News & Facts of 09 May 2016

Scientists have detected atomic oxygen in the atmosphere of Mars for the first time since the last observation 40 years ago.

The Viking and Mariner missions of the 1970s made the last measurements of atomic oxygen in the Martian atmosphere.

Significance : Atomic oxygen affects how other gases escape Mars and therefore has a significant impact on the planet’s atmosphere.

It was detected using an instrument onboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). SOFIA is a Boeing 747SP jetliner modified to carry a 100-inch diameter telescope. It is a joint project of NASA and the German Aerospace Centre. 

These observations were possible due to SOFIA’s airborne location, flying between 37,000-45,000 feet, above most of the infrared-blocking moisture in Earth’s atmosphere. Scientists will continue to use SOFIA to study these variations to help better understand the atmosphere of the Red Planet.

Indian women wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik have qualified for 2016 Rio Olympics as the duo entered the final of 2nd Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey. 

Vinesh earned the spot in 48kg, Sakshi earned quota in the 58kg. This is the first time two female Indian wrestlers will compete at the Olympics. At 2012 London Games, Geeta Phogat was the lone Indian female grappler.

The State government of Karnataka has decided to establish Asia’s first Rice Technology Park at Gangavati in Koppal district and a Maize Technology Park at Ranebennur in Haveri district on the public-private participation model as a one-stop solution to all problems of rice and maize growers.

Significance: These parks would pave the way for opening new avenues for rice and maize growers to add value to their produce and get better returns and also enhance quality of the produce.

The Swiss government has honoured late veteran filmmaker Yash Chopra by unveiling special statue to express gratitude and salutations.

The statue weighing about 350kg, the sculpture is made of pure bronze and showcases Yash Chopra in an iconic pose.

Chopra used to love spending time in Switzerland and his films had encouraged South Asian tourists to visit the country through his films. The ace director's statue is installed at the heart of Interlaken, that falls under Kursaal.

This is not the first time the filmmaker has been honoured in this way by the Switzerland Government.

Earlier in 2011, government of Interlaken awarded him the honorary title of Ambassador of Interlaken and Jungfrau Railways had named a train after him – an honour shared only with the railway’s founder, Adolf Guyer.

Sadiq Khan - a member of the Labour Party and human rights lawyer of Pakistani descent has been sworn in as London's new mayor by comfortably outrunning of his nearest rival.

Khan also set a record by winning 1.1 million votes. With a 45 per cent election turnout, he finished with a margin of 13.6 percentage points over Zac Goldsmith of the Conservative Party.

His victory also marks the return of Labour Party rule in the British capital after eight years of Conservatives in power.

About Sadiq Khan

Khan was born as the fifth of eight children in a family of Pakistani immigrants. His father worked as a bus driver for over 25 years.

He entered the University of North London to study law and later worked as a solicitor specialising in human rights. He entered the House of Commons in 2005.

The Railways has launched the Bharat Darshan Tourist train for pilgrims to visit Shirdi, Tirupati, Jagannath Puri, Gangasagar, Baidyanath Dham and Jyotirlingams among others.

The train comprises 10 coaches and the bookings are being done by IRCTC that has firmed up a budget-friendly package for pilgrims.

According to the package a person has to pay Rs 830 per day to selected destinations in the east or the south of the country to visit major religious sites.

Bharat Darshan will mainly cover  pilgrimages destinations like Jagannath Puri, Gangasagar, Baidyanath Dham, Gaya, Banaras and Ayodhya.

It will also cover the “7 Jyotirlinga” and “Dakshin Darshan with Shirdi” tour package that will cover Shirdi, Tirupati, Kanchipuram, Rameshwaram, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Mysore and Bangalore.

Defending Champion Pakistan has won the Asian Kabaddi Championship 2016 held at Wah Cantonment in Pakistan by defeating India by 50-31 points. This is Pakistan’s second successive win in the Asian Kabaddi title as they had won it in 2012. 

The championship was organised by Pakistan Kabaddi Federation (PKF) in collaboration with POF Sports Control Board under the banner of the Asian Kabaddi Federation.

In this edition of  championship seven teams including India, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan had participated.

The government has started the process for issuance of Unique Business Identification Number (UBIN) to enable budding entrepreneurs set up their business without any delays.

The drive has been launched by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) under the aegis of Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The UBIN would automatically be moved on to MCA portal after it is issued to the intended beneficiary and subsequently sent to the CBDT which would nomenclature it as PAN for Unique Business Identification Number.

The move is seen as a major step towards boosting ease of doing business and the start-up India initiative of the government.

The Gujarat government has recently issued a government resolution (GR) giving minority status to the Jain community in the state.

However the previous UPA government had conferred minority status on the community at the national level in January 2014. Jains were the 6th community to have minority status after Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis.

Siginificance : Under the Constitution, religious and linguistic minorities enjoy special rights. The minority status helps to give constitutional safeguards to minority communities and make them eligible for welfare programmes of the Union Minority Affairs Ministry. Now in Gujarat ain institutions will also get special status like the one given to Christian and Muslim institutions as per Article 30 of Indian Constitution.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former South African cricketer Mickey Arthur as the head coach of Pakistan's cricket team.

His appointment would  fill the post that was left vacant after Waqar Younis resigned following Pakistan’s disastrous World Twenty20 performance in India.

This is Arthur’s third assignment with an assignment of international coaching. Earlier he coached South Africa from 2005 to 2010 and Australia from 2011 to 2013.

In his cricket career lasting a decade and a half, he had  played 110 first-class matches in a South Africa domestic cricket.

ICICI Bank has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the New Development Bank (NDB), to establish a strategic partnership in the areas of bond issuances, co-financing, treasury management and human resources. ICICI Bank became the first financial institution in India to sign the pact with NDB.

NDB is a multilateral development bank established by the BRICS states which are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The MoU was signed  by first President of NDB KV Kamath and ICICI Bank head Chanda Kochhar in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Significance : This MoU would help NDB in exploring bond issuance opportunities in the Indian and international bond markets, particularly in rupee-denominated bonds. It will also give both parties an opportunity to work together and leverage their respective strengths in the areas of resource raising, development finance and treasury risk management in a mutually beneficial manner