03 May 2016 Current Affairs
BHEL Commissions 600 MW Thermal Power Plant In MP
State-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) on 3 May announced the commissioning of a 600 MW coal-based thermal power plant in Madhya Pradesh. The unit has been commissioned at the 1×600 MW Jhabua Thermal Power Project (TPP) located in Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh. The project has been developed by Jhabua Power Ltd (JPL), a subsidiary of Avantha Power & Infrastructure Limited (APIL). This is the second project of APIL commissioned by BHEL after the 1×600 MW Avantha Bhandar TPP at Raigarh in Chhattisgarh.
Astronomers Discovered 3 Earth Like Planets
An international team of scientists have discovered a trio of Earth-like exoplanets using the TRAPPIST telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory. These planets were found orbiting an ultra-cool dwarf star just 40 light-years from Earth and are likely comparable in size and temperature to Earth and Venus. Scientists have named the ultra-cool dwarf star 2MASS J23062928-0502285 (also known as TRAPPIST-1). It is located in the constellation of Aquarius (The Water Carrier). TRAPPIST-1 is about one eighth the size of the Sun (barely larger than Jupiter) and significantly cooler. The three planets were found to orbit very close to their host dwarf star. Two of the planets have orbital periods of about 1.5 days and 2.4 days respectively, and the third planet has a less well-determined orbital period in the range 4.5 to 73 days. The inner two planets only receive four times and twice the amount of radiation received by the Earth respectively.
Patricia Espinosa Selected as Executive Secretary of UNFCCC
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has selected Mexican diplomat Patricia Espinosa as the executive secretary of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). She will replace the incumbent Christiana Figueres when her term ends in July 2016. Prior to this selection she was serving as Mexico’s ambassador to Germany Earlier she had served as Mexico’s representative at the UN in New York for drug traffic, human rights, women promotion, social development and children’s rights. In her new role, she will play an important role in implementing the Paris Agreement on Climate Change that was approved by 195 countries in December 2015 during UNFCCC’s COP 21 held in Paris, France.
World Press Freedom Day Observed Globally
The World Press Freedom day was observed globally on 3 May 2016. Every year, over 100 national celebrations take place to commemorate this day. This year, the theme of World Press Freedom day is “Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms – This Is Your Right!”. This day also seeks to remind governments their duty to respect and uphold right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.The day marks the celebrations of the fundamental principles of press freedom to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. Generally, UNESCO on this day identifies the global theme and organizes the main event in different parts of world every year. World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. Since then, 3 May is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day. This day also marks the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.