Current Affairs May 1, 2010

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations – Atul Khare
Atul Khare a former IFS officer has been appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.

Events / Happenings & Observances:
Gujarat & Maharastra: Golden Jubilee Celebrations
Gujarat’s Chief Minister Narendra Modi kicks off State’s Golden Jubilee celebrations. he also lays a foundation stone of Mahatma Mandir at Gandhi Nagar. Mahatma mandir is being built at the estimated cost of Rs.100 crore. It will be spread over 34 acres and will have a business centre, exhibition halls, a memorial and garden on Gandhi and a suspension bridge in memory of the Dandi march.

International Labor Day:
International Labor Day or International Workers’ Day or May Day is observed by working people worldwide and their labor unions on May 1 every year. The event commemorates the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago in 1886, when Chicago police fired on workers during a general strike for the eight hour day. In India, first May Day celebration in India was organized in Madras by the Labor Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1, 1923.

National Green Tribunal (NGT) Bill Passed:
National Green Tribunal (NGT) Bill which paves the way for the establishment of a tribunal known as National Green Tribunal (NGT) for environmental clearance of development projects and providing relief and compensation to people affected by natural calamities has been passed by the Lok Sabha .

Under the legislation, the Central Pollution Control Board will approach NGT on behalf of affected persons for grant of relief or compensation or settlement of disputes. The NGT is meant to ensure expeditious disposal of cases on environmental protection, conservation of forests and other natural resources, thereby strengthening environmental adjudication and settlement of disputes.

Plantation Labor (Amendment) Bill Passed:
Plantation Labor (Amendment) Bill 2010 has been passed in Rajya Sabha. This bill seeks to empower the Centre to prohibit, restrict and regulate the employment of women and adolescents engaged in handling hazardous chemicals in the plantation industry.

Hike in Aviation Turbine Fuel Rates:
State-owned oil retailers raised jet fuel, or Aviation Turbine Fuel, ATF prices, by 273 rupees per kilolitre. This is the fifth straight increase since March.

International Updates:
37th member of the European Patent Organization – Albania
The European Patent Organization was created in 1977 to grant patents in Europe under the European Patent Convention (EPC) of 1973. Its headquarters are at Munich, Germany and has 36 members. Albania joins as 37th member on May 1, 2010.

Belgium: Another country to ban Burqua:
29 April 2010, the lower house of parliament in Belgium has passed a bill banning any clothing that would obscure the identity of the wearer in places like parks and in the street. The proposal was passed nem con (Nemine Contradicente which means without contradiction) and now goes to the Senate.

France was among the first countries to ban Burqua in French public schools in 2004.

Latest Country to ratify Nuclear Test Ban Treaty – Indonesia
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but it has not yet entered into force. The treaty has been signed by 182 countries.

Why the treaty not came in force?
Total 182 countries have signed the treaty out of which 151 have ratified by adopting national laws to implement the treaty. However, the treaty demands ratification by all 44 countries of the world which have Nuclear Technology. 9 countries have not ratified. These 9 countries are Indonesia, China, North Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the US.

Indonesia has now taken a decision to ratify the CTBT very soon. This statement has been made by Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa in the Indonesian parliament (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat).

4 Development Projects in Bhutan:
Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh launches four development projects in Bhutan. The projects were inaugurated by the Prime Minister include two in the Hydro-power sector. The foundation stones of Mangdechhu Hydro project with a total capacity of 720 megawatts and the Punatsangchhu-two Hydro power project with a capacity of 1000 Megawatt to be completed in Seven years were laid. Both the projects will be implemented under the Inter-governmental Authority model with 70 percent loan and 30 percent grant by the government of India. Prime Minister also launched a total solutions project related to IT for making half of Bhutan’s population computer literate.

India Japan MOU on Eco Friendly Cities:
India and Japan sign four memorandum of understanding for building future cities of India. The eco friendly cities will be built in the Delhi Mumbai industrial corridor, at a cost 90 billion dollars. This is going to be the largest ever project in the world, will be completed within nine years. This comes under the Smart Community Initiative of Japan.

People in News:
Who is Ranjan Daimary?
Ranjan Daimary is the founder of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) , more commonly known as Bodo Security Force. Ranjan Daimary has been arrested and detained by Indian authorities. he was handed over to BSF in Meghalaya, from where he was taken to Assam.

Fact Box: NDBF
The NDBF is a terrorist outfit which seeks to obtain a sovereign Bodoland for the Bodo people in Assam. The ‘Bodo Security Force’ was established on October 3, 1986, and on November 25, 1994, the outfit rechristened its name to NDFB. It had entered into a ceasefire agreement with the government on May 25, 2005. In December 2008, the NDFB split into warring groups – the anti-talks faction, led by Daimary, and the pro-talks faction led by Sungthagra, alias, Dhirn Boro

Note: National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) is currently on peace talks with the Centre.

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