Current Affairs for SSC CGL Exams - 18 June 2015

World’s thinnest light bulb created

Researchers have created the world’s thinnest light bulb using grapheme (an atomically thin and perfectly crystalline form of carbon) instead of tungsten as a filament.

To boost production of pulses during the Kharif season, the Centre announced on Wednesday a bonus of Rs. 200 a quintal on the revised minimum support price for tur, moong and urad dal (lentils) for the marketing season of 2015-16.
The minimum support price for paddy was increased by Rs. 50 a quintal for the kharif marketing season of the financial year.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided to grant the bonus to encourage farmers to enhance the area under pulses cultivation and invest in increasing the productivity of the crop.
The Cabinet Committee approved the minimum support price, inclusive of bonus, for tur (arhar) dal at Rs. 4,625 a quintal for this year as against Rs. 4,350 last year; moong dal at Rs. 4,850 against Rs. 4,600; and urad dal at Rs. 4,625 against Rs. 4,350.

The Union Government has cleared 16 foreign direct investment proposals worth Rs. 6,750.86 crore, including that of Beacon’s unit Syngene, Torrent Pharma, Star India.
The approvals were based on the recommendations of Foreign Investment Promotion Board, a statement from the Finance Ministry said.
The top proposals include — Torrent Pharmaceuticals’ plan to increase foreign institutional investment limit to 35 per cent from 13.09 per cent amounting to Rs. 3,000 crore and Star India Private Ltd proposal for further issuance and transfer of shares to its foreign collaborator and acquisition of another Indian company on a slump sale basis, for a value of Rs.2,500 crore.
Another notable clearance was for pharma major Biocon’s unit Syngene International’s plan to increase the foreign investment limit to 44 per cent from 10 per cent through offer of shares to foreign institutional investors, foreign portfolio investors and non-resident Indians, worth about Rs.930 crore.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar was elected president of the Mumbai Cricket Association for a seventh two-year term at the elections held here on Wednesday.

FIFA has hired a top American lawyer Jenny Durkan, who was a candidate to become US attorney general, to help in its battle against a corruption storm, officials said Wednesday.
US authorities last month indicated 14 people, including nine top football officials and five sports business executives over tens of millions of dollars of bribes for media rights contracts.
Swiss authorities are also investigating the award of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar.

Antwerp (Belgium): After losing a closely fought match against Belgium, India men team registered a thumping 4-0 victory over the USA in their second practice match.
On the other hand, India Women Team narrowly lost to Italy by 1-2 in their second practice match ahead of the Fintro Hockey World League Semi-Final 2015, held in Antwerp in Belgium on Tuesday, 16th June 2015.