HINDUSTHAN IAS ACADEMY
CURRENT AFFAIRS-MAY
02.05.2015
Microsoft named its next Web Browser as Edge,Goodbye Internet Explorer
Microsoft has officially named its next-generation browser for Windows 10 as Microsoft Edge
which has more new features and faster than Internet Explorer and it will now replace Internet
Explorer
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Microsoft Edge was first announced as in January as Project Spartan
Edge has new features as notation tool, a distraction—free reading mode, and website
information from Cortana, a personal voice—assistant app for Windows
Microsoft Edge browser has Cortana built in which will understand of what the user
likes, based on their previous history.
Microsoft Edge will include news feeds and suggested web sites, in order to "help people
connect with and discover more content Another
New feature of Microsoft Edge is support for Web Extensions, add-ins for the browser written in
HTML and JavaScript which is similar to those that have been available for Chrome and Firefox
India is all set to gets it own indigenous real time quake monitoring system
India is all set to gets it own indigenous real time quake monitoring system parallel to United
States Geological Survey (USGS)
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The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is in the process of setting up an extensive network
of integrated seismo-geodetic equipment across ten strategic locations including Agartala,
Itanagar, Katra in Jammu, Jabalpur and Nagpur in the country.
The observatories will comprehensively monitor all earthquake activities in the subcontinent and will be able to study earthquake data in real time
GSI is establishing this system for the first time in India and should start functioning by
the end of July
The data collected by the field observatories will be interlinked through VSAT and
collated at Geological Survey of India's Data Receiving and Processing Unit in Kolkata
and uploaded on the GSI portal
Anyone can get instant information about any tremor felt across the Indian subcontinent
in real time from there.
NDTV’s Executive Co-Chairman to receive RedInk Award for Lifetime Achievement
Dr Prannoy Roy, Executive Co-Chairman of NDTV Group, has been awarded the 2015 RedInk
Award for Lifetime Achievement for Excellence in Journalism
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Dr Prannoy Roy has consistent and pioneering contribution to news television in India
The award, comprising a trophy and a citation, has been instituted by the Mumbai Press
Club
The awards were presented by the Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
Sreenivasan Jain of NDTV was presented 'Journalist of the Year' award.
Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Times Now, was honoured with 'Impact Editor of the
Year' award
About Dr Prannoy Roy :
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Dr Prannoy Roy, along with his wife and journalist Radhika Roy set up television news
production company called New Delhi Television in 1988, now called NDTV.
Dr Prannoy Roy was distinguished for his unparalleled coverage of election news and
changed the way people consumed TV news with his popular programmes such as ‘The
News Tonight’ and ‘The World This Week’.
Theera Veta defence exercise in Arabian Sea Conducted by Coastal Security
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The Coastal security exercise ‘Theera Veta’ for coast of Kerala, Lakshadweep and
Minicoy islands and the Union Territory of Mahe was conducted from 28-29 Apr 15
Theera Veta was conducted by the Coast Guard from its Ops room at Kochi and
Kavaratti and monitored from the Joint Operation Centre (JOC), at Naval base, Kochi
Theera Veta was actively participated by all agencies such as the Indian Navy, the Coast
Guard, Coastal Police, State and U/T administration, State/UT police, Fisheries
Department including Marine Enforcement Wing Intelligence Bureau, Customs
Theera Veta is held periodically to revalidate the standard operating procedures with a
focus on protecting the vital installations located coast to coast
Former Gujarat assembly speaker Barjorji Pardiwala passed away
Former Gujarat assembly speaker Barjorji Pardiwala,86, today passed away due to age-related
illness at a city-based private hospital.
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Barjorji Pardiwala, father of Gujarat High Court Justice J B Pardiwala, was also a
renowned lawyer in Valsa Pardiwala joined the bar at Valsad town of Gujarat in 1955
and practiced for more than 40 years
Barjorji Pardiwala, successfully contested election as Congress nominee on Valsad
assembly constituency and was made speaker of the seventh state assembly when
Madhavsinh Solanki was chief minister for period from December 1989 to March 1990.
Govt provides some relief relief to foreign investors from MAT
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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced exemption from minimum alternate tax MAT
on certain incomes of foreign firms
The government said that minimum alternate tax (MAT) would be applicable on the real
estate and infrastructure investment trusts only when there is actual transfer of their units
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MAT will not apply to capital gains on the sale of securities, royalty, technical service
fees and interest income.
Earlier, MAT was also applicable on exchange of equity shares of an Special Purpose
Vehicle for REIT or InVIT units
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also eased MAT rules for real estate investment trusts
(REITs) and Infrastructure Investments Trusts (InvITs)
The finance minister Arun Jaitley lowered the export duty on low-grade iron ore to 10%
from 30% to boost exports from Goa and revive mining of the commodity in the state
Belgian footballer Gregory Mertens dies after collapsing on pitch
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Belgian footballer Gregory Mertens died three days after suffering a heart attack while
playing for Lokeren's reserves
The 24-year-old defender had been in a critical condition after collapsing on the field 20
minutes into a reserve game against Genk on Monday since than he was on coma
Gregory was only at the club for one and a half years, but in that short time (he showed)
quiet modesty and was indispensable
04.05.2015
14 th Indo - French Naval Exercise "Varuna 2015" Concludes
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The ten day long Indo-French naval exercise, 'VARUNA', concluded off the Goa the
exercise presented the extrordinary naval strength and close ties between the two
countries.
Exercise VARUNA included the entire convergence of maritime operations ranging from
Aircraft Carrier Operations, Anti Submarines Warfare Exercises, Maritime Interdiction
Operations to multi-ship replenishment exercise
The 14th edition of the Naval exercise "Varuna" was started on April 23 and included
both harbour and sea phase.
French Navy was represented by Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers
Chevalier Paul and Jean de Vienne, replenishment tanker Meuse and a maritime patrol
aircraft Atlantique 2
Indian side Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, destroyer Mumbai, stealth frigate Tarkash,
guided missile frigate Gomati, replenishment tanker Deepak, submarine Shankul and a
few Fast Attack Craft participated
The Indian Navy and the French Navy have been conducting naval exercises since 1983
but this naval exercise was termed as "Varuna" in 2001
Since 1983 thirteen such exercises have been conducted last time such naval exercise was
conducted in 2001 off Toulon a city in southern France
New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) adjudged as the world's best airport
for the year 2014
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New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been adjudged the world's
best airport for the year 2014, under the category of handling 25 to 40 million passengers
per annum
Airports Council International (ACI) presented the Airport Service Quality (ASQ) award
to IGIA at a ceremony of the ACI Asia-Pacific/World Annual General Assembly on
April 28 in Jordan
The Delhi airport scored 4.90 on a scale of 5 points measured by 300 members of the
ACI ASQ benchmarking programme
It was on Second Position for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 but now it bettered it's
position and emerged as the top
On a scale of 5 points it's score was 3.02 in 2007
As many as 40 million passengers used IGIA to reach 58 domestic and 62 international
destinations in 2014-2015
During the period the average flight movements were 885 per day while 696,000 metric
tonnes of cargo was handled.
IGIA hosts six domestic carriers, 56 international carriers and also has the capacity to
handle the gigantic Airbus A380 aircraft
World Press Freedom Day 2015 observed
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Information and Broadcasting minister Arun Jaitley Extended his wishes on the occasion
of World Press Freedom Day and told to uphold the constitutional principles of
independent, free and pluralistic media
Minister of State for I&B Rajyavarhdan Rathore also extended his greetings said that the
government is fully committed to freedom of Press.
Independent and Quality Media was the theme of World Press Freedom Day 2015
About World Press Freedom Day :
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Every year, 3 May is a date which celebrates 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
Over 100 national celebrations take place each year to commemorate this Day. UNESCO
leads the worldwide celebration by identifying the global thematic and organizing the
main event in different parts of world every year
Russian ballet legend Maya,89, Plisetskaya takes her last breath
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Russian ballet legend Maya Plisetskaya, considered one of the greatest ballerinas of the
20th century, has died at the age of 89 in Germany
Not just Russia but the entire world knew that Maya Plisetskaya was the symbol of
Russian ballet in the 20th century
Plisetskaya joined the Bolshoi in 1943 her career at Russia's Bolshoi Theatre spanned
more than 35 years Owing to the purity of her performence she had audiences around the
world
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Plisetskaya left the stage aged 65 she became choreographer and started giving master
classes around the world.
In 1991 Plisetskaya moved to the German city of Munich with her composer husband
Rodion Shchedrin
Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurates the first ever Science Centre and Planetarium in Puducherry
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The Union Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent
Charge) and Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma inaugurated the first ever Science Centre
and Planetarium in the Union Territory of Puducherry
Built at a cost of approximately Rs. 5.50 crore, the Puducherry Science Centre and
Planetarium has interactive exhibition galleries on Marine Biology and Fun Science, in
addition to a 8m dome digital planetarium and an open-air science park.
The Science Centre Puducherry is the 47th Science Centre in the country which has been
opened to the public and the 48th Science Centre in Dehradun shall be opened shortly
Centre will organize year round activities to popularize science and enhance public
understanding for science and technology.
C.N.R. Rao honoured with Japan's highest civilian award
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Eminent scientist C.N.R. Rao has been honoured with Japan's highest civilian award for
his contribution to promoting academic interchange and mutual understanding in science
and technology between Japan and India.
The Emperor of Japan conferred the country's highest award, the Order of the Rising Sun,
Gold and Silver Star, on C.N.R Rao the Bharat Ratna awardee
C.N.R Rao is also the only Indian to be elected as a foreign member of the Japan
Academy in Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
C.N.R Rao is a National Research Professor, Linus Pauling Research Professor and
Honorary President of the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research
About C.N.R Rao :
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C.N.R Rao is an renowned scientist who has worked mainly in solid-state and structural
chemistry
He currently serves as the Head of the Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
of India Rao has honorary doctorates from 60 universities from around the world
He has authored around 1,500 research papers and 45 scientific books.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched seven IT based e-services
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched seven IT based e-services in the State at
Panchkula
These services include:
e-Stamping
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Jeevan Pramaan
Revised State Portal
Aadhaar-enabled biometric Attendance System (AEBAS)
CM Window,Mobile app
Aadhaar-linked registration of birth
Cow-Urine Refinery for research opened in Jalore, Rajasthan
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Rajasthan medical and health minister Rajendra Rathore on inaugurated a cow-urine
refinery at Jalore
The refinery, set up at Pathmera Gaushala, will prepare cow-urine extract for use in the
formulation of various products.
A MoU to this effect has been signed between Jodhpur's Dr S Radhakrishnan Ayurveda
University and the Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Bikaner
By-product derived from cow-urine extract will be used for cleaning at the SMS Hospital
in Jaipur and other by-products would be used by govt.for various purposes
Besides the cleaner, pesticides would be prepared using the cow-urine extract. "This
pesticide will be absolutely an organic product and would prove a boon for organic
farming,"
05.05.2015
World Asthma Day observed: Yes, you can control your Asthma
To most people ‘breathtaking’ means unique or spectacular, to those with asthma the meaning is
different; Asthma can literally take your breath away
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World Asthma Day is celebrated every year on the first Tuesday of May the world over
by Global Initiative for Asthma Management (GINA), a collaboration of National Heart
Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, USA and the World Health
Organization.
This year, the theme for World Asthma Day is, “You Can Control Your Asthma”.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 60,000 die of asthma in India
every year.
NABARD sanctions record Rs 12,406 crore in Pune achieved all time high performance
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Maharashtra Regional Office of NABARD in Pune has achieved all time high
performance with sanction of Rs 12,406 crore and disbursement of Rs 11,315 crore for
various development programmes during last fiscal year 2014-2015
Refinance support of Rs 700 crore for rural infrastructure and Rs 409 crore to other new
business products was also provided by NABARD in Maharashtra
NABARD has supported rural population by increasing capital formation in agriculture
and towards drought mitigation measures NABARD has extended refinance assistance of
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Rs 3082 crore primarily under minor irrigation, land development, farm mechanization
and Horticultural sector
MoU was also signed between Government of India, Government of Maharashtra and
NABARD for Revival Package of 3 Unlicensed District cooperative banks, Wardha,
Nagpur and Buldana involving financial assistance of Rs 379 crore
India's top shooters win 3 gold, 2 bronze medals at International Shooting Competition of
Hannover in Germany
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India's top rifle shooters have brought glory to the nation by winning a rich haul of three
gold and two bronze medals at the International Shooting Competition of Hannover in
Germany
Beijing Games gold medallist Abhinav Bindra has won both the individual and team gold
in his pet 10 metre air rifle event.
Upcoming talent Chain Singh added the 50 metre men’s rifle prone yellow metal to his
10 metre air rifle team gold, which he won alongside Bindra and Gagan Narang.
The two Bronze medals came though Narang in the men’s 50 metre rifle 3 positions
event, and Apurvi Chandela in women’s air rifle event
Army athletes emerge champions in 19th Federation Cup national senior athletic
championship
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The Indian Army team emerged champions in the 19th Federation Cup national senior
athletic championship, scoring 123.5 points at the end of the four-day event at the
Mangala stadium ,Karnatka
The Tamil Nadu team came second by securing 114 points The overall men's
championships also went to the Army and Tamil Nadu with 123.5 and 48 points
respectively.
Kerala claimed the overall championship in the women's category with 86 points
followed by Karnataka with 68 points
BHEL commissions Bijlee Utpadan's thermal unit in (KBUNL) Bihar
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Bhel commissioned a thermal unit of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUNL) in
Bihar
This is the first 195 MW unit to be commissioned by Bhel at the 2x195 MW Muzaffarpur
thermal power station of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUNL) in Bihar
KBUNL is a joint venture of NTPC and Bihar State Power Generation Company Limited
The second 195 MW unit is expected to be commissioned in the current financial year
(2015-16)
Mazen Darwish winner of UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
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The winner of the 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize is Syrian
journalist and human rights activist, Mazen Darwish, currently imprisoned
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The Prize will be awarded during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May,
which will this year be hosted by Latvia
Mazen Darwish has been recommended in recognition of the work that he has carried out
in Syria for more than ten years at great personal sacrifice, enduring a travel ban,
harassment, as well as repeated detention and torture
About Mazen Darwish
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Mazen Darwish, a lawyer and press freedom advocate, is the president of the Syrian
Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (CMFE), founded in 2004
He is also the founders of the Voice newspaper and syriaview.net, an independent news
site, which has been banned by the Syrian authorities In 2011,
Darwish established Media Club, the first Syrian magazine about media affairs
He has been detained since February 2012, when he was arrested with colleagues Hani
Al-Zitani and Hussein Ghareer.
India home to 48 different species of bumblebees
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Of the 250 known species of bumblebees,India is home to 48 different species species
Indian Bumblebees written by entomologist M.S. Saini and co-authors Rifat H. Raina and
Harpeet Singh Ghator, revealed this fact
They are mostly characterised by black, yellow and reddish body hair, and often striped,
bumblebees are generally found on altitudes of 2,000-15,000 feet along the entire
Himalayas, from Jammu & Kashmir to Nagaland.
Bumblebees are important to the ecosystem, as without them seed setting and fruiting
will not take place in many plants as they pollinate vegetables, fruit trees, cash crops and
even ornamental and medicinal plants high in the Himalayas
Like the honeybees, bumblebees are social insects and live in colonies — the size of
which depends on the species
Author and screenwriter Michael Blake oscar - Winning "Dances with Wolves " writer passes
away
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Author and screenwriter Michael Blake, who won an Oscar for his movie "Dances With
Wolves" which was made own novel, has died at the age of 69.
Michael Blake wrote the novel Dances With Wolves in 1988, which he turned into an
Oscar-winning film starring Kevin Costner in 1990
The 1990 film, which Kevin Costner directed and starred in, won seven Oscars including
Best Picture and Best Screenplay for Blake
Sandeep Jajodia removed from the from the post Boxing India President
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Boxing India president Sandeep Jajodia was removed as the president of the Boxing India
as he lost the no-confidence motion 2-55 in a special general meeting
Accepting the defeat, Jajodia sent a letter to all the members appealing them to think for
the betterment of the sport
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The Boxing India took charge on September 11 last year, and received a huge blow in
just eight months
06.05.2015
India beat Japan by 2-0 in second match of Test series
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Indian hocky team pulled off a 2-0 win over Japan in the second match of the four Test
series held in Bhubaneswar
The Indians surged into the lead through a 27th minute strike from S.K. Uthappa,before
Dharamvir Singh doubled the lead in the 48th minute.
The match had an interesting start and both the treams played a fast-paced game.
Due to the well organised defence from both the teams, the third quarter remained goalless The fourth and the last quarter of the game began with the same momentum but
indian hocky was seen attacking from the right flank
Dharamvir effortlessly attacked the Japanese citadel in the 48th minute, landing the ball
into the net, making it 2-0.
Salman Khan jailed for five years in hit-and-run case
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Salman Khan has been sentenced to 5 years rigorous imprisonment
Since he cannot apply for bail at sessions court, Salman Khan will be sent to Arthur Road
jail today
He has also been fined under section 304 II of IPC for culpable homicide not amounting
to murder.
A big sum of Rs over 200 crore is riding on actor Salman Khan in the form of film
projects and endorsements which will be affected as he will be in jail
Akash missile inducted in to Indian Army
The Army on Tuesday inducted the first regiment of the indigenously-developed Akash surfaceto-air missile system
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Akash missile is capable of targeting a multitude of aerial threats up to a range of 25 km.
Akash has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and
is being built by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)
Each regiment of Akash consists of six launchers with each launcher having three
missiles. The Army had placed orders for two regiments worth about Rs. 19,000 crore.
Air Force variant of Akash has already been inducted.
An Akash battery comprises four 3D passive electronically scanned array radars and four
launchers with three missiles each, all of which are interlinked. Each battery can track up to 64
targets and attack up to 12 of them. The missile has a 60 kg (130 lb) high-explosive, prefragmented warhead with a proximity fuse. The Akash system is fully mobile and capable of
protecting a moving convoy of vehicles
Union Cabinet approved Constitution 119th Amendment Bill on LBA between India and
Bangladesh includes Assam
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The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved Constitution 119th Amendment Bill on the land
boundary agreement between India and Bangladesh.
(119th Constitutional Amendment act of 2013) will allow the operationalisation of the
1974 India-Bangladesh Land Boundary agreement also India and Bangladesh will
exchange several enclaves which are under each other's adverse possession.
Instead of fierce resistance from the BJP’s Assam unit and other political parties Assam
has been included in Bill for land swap with Bangladesh
An international team of astronomers have discovered the most distant galaxy ever measured
in the universe
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The galaxy EGS-zs8-1 lies 13.1 billion light-years from Earth, the largest distance ever
measured between Earth and another galaxy has been discovered
It has been discovered by using a powerful instrument called MOSFIRE on the Keck I
telescope at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii
MOSFIRE instrument on the Keck I telescope,allows astronomers to efficiently study
several galaxies at the same time
The new measurement also enabled the astronomers to determine that EGS-zs8-1 was
forming stars very rapidly, about 80 times faster than our galaxy today
PM Modi joins Chinese social media platform Weibo receives overwhelming welcome
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Narendra Modi is Man who knows the power of social media so he decided to use this
tried and tested method to woo Chinese people and so he joined Chinese social media
platform Weibo
Narendra Modi posted "Hello China! Looking forward to interacting with Chinese friends
through Weibo," The prime minister is the first Indian leader to join Weibo, which has
accounts of politicians like British Prime Minister David Cameron.
PM Modi, is a leader wo world fame he registered over 7,000 hits in the first hour after
setting up his Weibo account.
Hong Kong handover diplomat Lu Ping passes away
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Lu Ping, the Chinese official who oversaw Hong Kong's transition from British to
Chinese sovereignty in 1997, has died at the age of 87
Lu Ping, Beijing's tough-talking point man on Hong Kong affairs Lu headed Hong Kong
and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAO),from 1990 to 1997
About Lu Ping:
Born in Shanghai in 1927, Lu ping graduated from the prestigious St John's University in
1947.
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He joined the HKMAO in 1978 Lu Ping was one of a handful of mainland officials who
oversaw Hong Kong's handover from beginning to end.
Lu Ping retired from the HKMAO a few days after the handover.
Maharashtra govt planning to bring separate marriage law for Buddhists
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The Maharashtra government has proposed formulation of a separate law for marriages in
the Buddhist community
The draft of the law will be ready by the end of this month
The Buddhist community has been demanding a separate law for their marriages from the
time Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar converted to Buddhism in Nagpur in 1957
Marriages of Catholics, Jews, Parsis and Muslims are already covered under the Hindu
Marriage Act, but Buddhists are not covered under this Act
The proposal for a separate Buddhist marriage act was first put forth by former state
cabinet minister Nitin Raut in 2007.
Central excise arrears rise to Rs 59,309 from Rs 45,463 crore a year ago
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Tax arrears towards central excise rose to Rs 59,309 crore in 2013-14, from Rs 45,463
crore a year ago
In its audit report on Indirect Taxes (central excise) tabled in Parliament, CAG showed
that arrears (pending recovery) have been rising since 2011-12
At the end of 2011-12, the arrears were Rs 35,964 crore. This rose to Rs 45,463 crore at
the end of 2012-13 and further to Rs 59,309 crore in 2013-14
07.05.2015
GST bill Passed by Lok Sabha with 352 votes in favour
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Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been by Lok Sabha with 352 votes in favour
Only 37 votes were cast against GST by the AIADMK members.
There was fierce opposition displayed by the Congress, the BJD and the CPI(M) against
but could not become hurdle for the bill Goods and Services Tax
Goods and Services Tax empowers both States and the Centre to levy the GST, which
will subsume the services tax, excise duties, stamp duties, entry tax and central sales tax.
Through GST Centre will be empowered to tax sales of goods and States get to tax
services.
Transition from the traditional taxation to GST will boost India’s growth by up to 2.5
percentage points
Cabinet approves amendment in Whistle Blowers Protection Act,2011
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The union cabinet on Wednesday approved amendments to the Whistlebowers
Protection Act, 2011 aimed at strengthening safeguards against disclosures which may
affect the sovereignty and integrity of the country,security, strategic, scientific or
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economic interest of the state, relations with a foreign state or leads to incitement of an
offence.
The amended Bill will be moved in Parliament during the current Budget session.
The Act provides a mechanism to investigate alleged cases of corruption and misuse of
power by public servants and also protect anyone who exposes alleged wrongdoing in
government bodies, projects and offices.
MoU signed between India and Iran for development of Chabahar Port
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India and Iran have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of
the strategically important Chabahar Port in Iran
The MoU was signed by Minister for Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Nitin
Gadkari and Iranian Minister for Transport and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad
Akhoundi in Tehran on behalf of their respective governments.
With the signing of MoU Indian and Iranian commercial entities will be able to
commence negotiations for finalization of a commercial contract
Under the contract, Indian firms will lease two existing berths at the Port and
operationalize them as container and multi-purpose cargo terminals
Chabahar Port will provide Afghanistan`s garland road network system an alternate access to a sea port,
which will significantly enhancing that nation`s overall connectivity to regional and global markets as
well as boosting the reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in the country
Banks open 15 cr PMJDY accounts opened so far
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Finance ministry is not leaving any stone unturned in achieving complete success in
ambitious financial inclusion scheme Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna (PMJDY)
Any financially excluded individual could inform a bank that he or she does not have an
account and the bank account would be opened immediately
About 98 per cent financially excluded households have been covered under the PMJDY As per the
status, 99.73 per cent survey work has been completed and 95.30 per cent household surveyed has been
covered
Microsoft launches Edu-cloud to make learning fun
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Microsoft has announced in India the launch of Edu-Cloud, a cloud computing-based
solution which aims at aiding digital learning and teaching for educational institutions
With the help of cloud computing, they create, deliver, and manage content from any
device, anywhere, anytime, making learning easy and fun
Edu-Cloud is expected to benefit 1 million teachers and 6 million students in over 1,500
institutes over the next 18 months.
The company has also announced a tie-up with the Chaitanya group of educational
institutions, which will adopt Edu-Cloud In the last 10 years,
Microsoft's education, skill development, entrepreneurship and digital literacy
programmes have touched over 5 crore people in 20 different states of India.
PM Narendra Modi pays tribute to Rabindra Tagore on his birth anniversary
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his tributes to Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore
on his 154th birth anniversary
PM Narendra Modi said "He represents the best of Modern and Ancient Indian
intellectual thought"
Gurudev Tagore blended the wisdom of India's past with a promise of its future
through his Literature, Art and Music.
He taught us the power of free thinking while inspiring us to dream of a 'Heaven of
Freedom' where the mind is without fear and the head can be held
Delhi High court Bill,2014 Passed by Rajya sabha
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A Parliamentary committee has approved the Bill to enhance the pecuniary jurisdiction
of Delhi’s district courts
The Delhi High Court (amendment) Bill 2014 proposes that civil suits up to Rs 2 crore
will be heard by the 11 district courts instead of the Delhi High Court.
Currently, all suits above Rs 20 lakh are heard by the High Court. These will now be
transferred to the district courts.
Out of the 60,000 cases pending in the Delhi High Court, 12,000 cases will be transferred
to the 11 district courts Delhi High Court (amendment) Bill 2014 will reduce workload of
the Delhi High court and pave path for to "speedy" disposal of cases
German-born US rocket expert Oscar Holderer passes away
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The last known surviving member of the German engineering team that designed the
rocket that took US astronauts to the Moon has died in Alabama
The German-born Holderer came to the United States in 1945 after World War Two with
a group of rocket engineers led by Wernher von Braun bringing technology used in the
German V2 rocket.
They played a key role in the Saturn V rocket used in the 1969 Moon landing The team,
led by Wernher von Braun, was part of a project called Operation Paperclip that
transferred technology used in Germany's V2 and other rockets to the US
08.05.2015
Achal Kumar Jyoti the Former Gujarat Chief Secretary appointed as Election Commissioner
An Election Commissioner or the Chief Election Commissioner has a tenure of six years in office or till he
or she attains the age of 65, whichever is earlier
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Achal Kumar Jyoti, a former Gujarat Chief Secretary, was appointed as the Election
Commissioner
The tenure of the 62-year-old officer will commence from the day he assumes his charge
Achal Kumar Jyoti retired from active service in January 2013
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After H S Brahma demitted the office of the CEC in April and Nasim Zaidi got elevated
to the top post, two posts in the three-member Election Commission had become vacant
In most tourist-friendly countries list : Spain named world's best country for tourists
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Spain named world's best country for tourists with the UK ranking fifth behind France,
Germany and the US
According to the biannual World Economic Forum The Travel & Tourism
Competitiveness Report 2015, Spain has the right elements for a great tourist experience
'outstanding attractions', 'excellent' culture, entertainment and infrastructure making it
the world's best country for tourists
The country recorded approximately 60.6 million arrivals in 2013; a figure that reflected
the surge in foreign tourists from China, Brazil and Mexico
Spain outranked its European peers France and Germany, who were named the second
and third most tourist-friendly countries
Egypt to ‘Rebuild’ the Lighthouse of Alexandria, One of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the
World
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Egypt’s supreme antiquities council has approved the rebuilding of the Lighthouse of
Alexandria.
The Lighthouse, which was built by the Ptolemaic Kingdom in 280 BC, once stood at
approximately 137 meters tall and was one of the world’s tallest man-made structures
for hundreds of years Hundreds of years after being badly damaged by a number of
earthquakes in 1323,
Egypt is seeking to revive the lighthouse at it’s original location
The Lighthouse, also known as the Pharos Lighthouse, was commissioned shortly after
Alexander the Great died by the first Ptolemy and completed during the reign of the
second Ptolemy
Despite being destroyed in 1323, remnant stones of the structure were used to build the
Citadel of Qatibay in 1480, which stands in Alexandria until this day.
Charlie Hebdo receives disputed PEN Freedom of Expression Courage award 2015
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The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has received a controversial freedom of
speech award at the PEN Literary Gala in New York on Tuesday
Islamists stormed the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris in January after the magazine
published drawings of the Prophet Muhammad.
Charlie Hebdo's editor in chief, Gerard Biard and Jean-Baptiste Thoret, a film critic who
arrived late for work on the day of the attack, were at the gala to accept the award.
Brazil legend Pele hospitalized after prostate surgery
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The three-time World Cup winner Brazilian legend Pele, arguably the greatest footballer
in history had prostate surgery at the Albert Einstein Hospital
Doctors performed a transurethral resection of the prostate,the surgery is done to relieve
moderate to severe urinary symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate
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The 74-year-old icon had one kidney removed during his days as a player Known as
"The Black Pearl" and simply "The King,"
Pele is one of the best known names in all of sports Peles electrifying play and penchant
for spectacular goals made him a star around the world
Failed Russian spacecraft falls from orbit, burns up
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The Russian Progress-59 capsule, loaded with more than three tons of food, fuel and
supplies, that blasted off aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan on April 28 which later due to technical difficulties went out of control and
was supposed to fall on earth
Recently Progress-59 spacecraft was flying over the central Pacific Ocean most of the
spacecraft was expected to burn up during its high-speed descent through the
atmosphere, but small pieces of the structure could have survived and splashed down in
the ocean
Only a few small pieces of structural elements could reach the planet's surface
Myntra.com acquires mobile app development platform company Native5
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E-commerce solutions provider for fashion and lifestyle products Myntra has acquired
mobile app development platform company Native5.
The acquisition will strengthen and expand Myntra's mobile technology team which is
focused on driving transformational change in the online shopping space
Native5 is Myntra's second technology led acquisition. In April 2013, Myntra acquired
Fitiquette, a San Francisco based technology solution
About Native5
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Native5 led by Kunal Abhishek, Barada Sahu, Shamik Dattaand and Manish Priyadarshi
was founded in 2012
It builds tools and services to enable cross platform app development on the cloud.
The entire team (barring Manish Priyadarshi) will join Myntra and work towards
creating innovative mobile experiences
NASA’s 10-Engine Electric Plane GL-10 Completes Flight Test
A team at NASA's Langley Research Center is developed and successfully flight tested battery-powered
plane that has 10 engines and can take off like a helicopter and fly efficiently like an aircraft.
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The prototype, called Greased Lightning or GL-10, is currently in the design and testing
phase
The initial thought was to develop a 20-foot wingspan (6.1 meters) aircraft powered by
hybrid diesel/electric engines, but the team started with smaller versions for testing,
built by rapid prototyping
It could be used for small package delivery or vertical take off and landing, long
endurance surveillance for agriculture, mapping and other applications.
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The remotely piloted plane has a 3.05 meters wingspan, eight electric motors on the
wings, two electric motors on the tail and weighs a maximum of 28.1 kilogram at take
off.
11.05.2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released commemorative coin on Swami Chinmayananda
Saraswati
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a commemorative coin to mark the birth
centenary of Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati in New Delhi
Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati was born as Balakrishna Menon on 8 May 1916. He
was known for teaching Bhagavad gita, the Upanishads, and other ancient Hindu
scriptures
He was Hindu spiritual leader and teacher who had inspired the formation of a global
NGO called Chinmaya Mission to spread the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta.
Through his Vedantic teachings, publications, centres, ashrams, temples, and social
service projects around the globe, his work continues to provide cultural and spiritual
instruction to members of the Hindu diaspora. He died on 3 August 1993
David Cameron back to power with clear majority
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Conservative Party, led by David Cameron, was swept back to power to govern the
United Kingdom for another five years.
The Conservative Party won with 331 seats, comfortably crossing the 326 mid-way mark
in the 650-seat House of Commons.
Opposition Labour Party won 232 seats, a loss of 26 seats. Its leader Ed Miliband has
stepped down.
Party
Seats
Vote Share
Conservative Party
331
36.9%
Labour Party
232
30.4%
Scottish National Party
56
4.7%
Liberal Democratic Party
8
7.9%
UK Independence Party
1
12.6%
Democratic Unionist Party
8
0.6%
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West Bengal's Nadia district bags UN Public Service Award
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West Bengal's Nadia district has been declared the winner for the '2015 United Nations
Public Service Award' in the category of improving delivery of public services
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Nadia district has been declared the First Place Winner for the 2015 United Nations
Public Service Award in the category of Improving the Delivery of Public Services for
the initiative 'Sabar Shouchagar' (toilet for all)
Nadia has become the winner of this global award from our entire country through a
tough competition with multiple entries from 187 countries
The Award would be handed over by the UN Secretary General on June 23, 2015 in
Medellin, Republic of Colombia
Indian Army signs MoU with Bank of India on defence salary package
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The Indian Army and Bank of India (BOI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) on defence salary package of the Army personnel.
The MoU was signed at a ceremony chaired by the Adjutant General Lt. Gen. Rakesh
Sharma and was attended by senior dignitaries of BOI, headed by Executive Director
Arun Shrivastava
The features of MoU include facilities like the standard bundle of concessional services
including free drafts, free cheque books, free funds transfers to any bank in India
through RTGS or NEFT and free ATM cards among others.
The Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) cover has been doubled to Rs. 10 lakhs, including
air insurance, home loan insurance on Army Welfare housing Organisation (AWHO) for
deaths on account of war/external aggression/ terrorist attack up to Rs 50 lakhs.
Two major additions are the applicability of PAI and overdraft facility to pensioners and
waiver of merchant service fee (MSF) for transaction on BoI POS Terminal installed at
CSD Canteens for BOI Card holders. The MoU also has a provision for yearly review of
specific features and requests.
Noted Assamese historian Dr Amalendu Guha takes his last breath
Eminent historian and social scientist of Assam Dr Amalendu Guha took his last breath
Governor, Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya, expressed his deep sense of grief at the demise of
the renowned Dr Guha.
About Dr Amalendu Guha:
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Dr Guha was born on January 30, 1924 in Imphal. He graduated from Presidency
College in Calcutta and secured his master’s degree from Calcutta University.
He started his career in teaching as a lecturer at Darrang College in Sonitpur district of
Assam. He did research on Afghanistan’s economy for his Ph.D. degree.He was a
prolific writer and had written several books in English, Assamese and Bengali.
His most acclaimed book was ‘Planter Raj to Swaraj: Freedom Struggle and Electoral
Politics in Assam’ which was outcome of his remarkable historical research related to
the socio-economic history of state.
His other books are Economy and Central Asia: Movement of Peoples and Ideas from
Times Prehistoric to Modern and Medieval and Early Colonial Assam: Society, Polity.
Dr Guha also had composed poems both in Asomiya and Bengali. His published poetry
collections were Tumaloi (Asomiya) and Luit Parrar Gatha (Bengali).
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He was President of Indian History Congress Modern India Session in 1983. He was also
an executive member of the Indian History Congress (IHC) from 1975 to 77. He also had
served as President of North East History Association (NEHA) from 1981 to 82.
Awards and honour:
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He was honoured with the Sahityacharya Sanman of the Asam Sahitya Sabha, Pt Ishwar
Chandra Vidyasagar Gold Plaque of Asiatic Society,
Asom Prakashan Parishad Award, Netaji Smarak Garima Award, Aniruddhadev Chair
Award of Dibrugarh University among others.
12.05.2015
Hotels, malls, hospitals fined over rainwater harvesting
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National Green Tribunal imposed hefty fines on five-star hotels, malls and hospitals for
not installing proper rainwater harvesting systems in their premises.
A bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, said these units have
even not "cared" to take the steps to install rainwater harvesting systems even after
several reminders.
Bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar slapped a fine of Rs.7.5
lakh each on Jaypee Siddharth and Piccadily Hotel. Tirupati Infraprojects Pvt Ltd (Indus
Hotels & Spa) was fined Rs.5 lakh. The NGT also imposed a fine of Rs.5 lakh each on
hospitals B.M. Gupta Hospital Pvt Ltd,Indraprastha Medical Corporation Ltd (Apollo
Hospital) Santom Hospital, and Jaipur Golden Hospital while Holy Family hospital was
fined Rs. 3 lakh.
NGT has asked all of them to show their source of water and also ordered them to show
as to why they should not be made to compensate for not harvesting rainwater
The directions came after a joint inspection status report submitted by the DPCC
according to which number of five-star hotels, malls and hospitals are not compliant with
the rainwater harvesting systems.
KV Kamath appointed BRICS bank president
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Banker KV Kamath was appointed on Monday as the head of the New Development
Bank, also called BRICS Bank that was set up by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South
Africa last year
Kamath has been appointed as the head of the BRICS Bank, the appointment will become
effective when he becomes free from his current assignments
Kamath, 67, would serve first five-year term as the bank’s head, followed by a Brazilian
and then a Russian
The BRICS nations had also agreed last year that the New Development Bank, which
will fund infrastructure projects in developing nations, would have its headquarters in
Shanghai
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The BRICS nations account for nearly USD 16 trillion in GDP and 40 per cent of the
world's population. The bank will start with an initial paid-in-capital of USD 50 billion
with each BRICS country contributing USD 10 billion
About KV Kamath :
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A mechanical engineer, he holds a degree from the Indian Institute of Management,
Ahmedabad, and was honoured with the Padma Bhushan title in 2008.
KV Kamnath is veteran banker, with an eight-year stint at the Asian Development Bank,
spent 13 years as ICICI Bank’s head during which it went on to become India’s second
largest bank
He retired as ICICI Bank’s CEO and Managing Director in 2009
At present, he is Non-Executive Chairman for ICICI Bank and also software services
company Infosys.
Mr. Kamath is credited to have nurtured Indian banking sector’s top female bankers,
including ICICI Bank’s current head Chanda Kochhar
Govt launches dedicated e-commerce Centre in Delhi
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Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad launched a dedicated e-commerce
Centre in New Delhi to cater the e-commerce business enterprises.
IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, e-commerce business has grown up to 70 thousand
crore rupees and with the capacity of handling 30 thousand parcels per day this dedicated
Centre will play a crucial role in e-business.
He said, government is revamping the postal sector with the help of information
technology and government is using the postal network to bridge the urban and rural
digital gap.
He said postal payment banking facility proposal is under consultation with Reserve
Bank of India and it will be launched soon
During the occasion, the Minister also launched the Mobile Application of India Post
Maha Govt, Sidbi set up Rs 200-cr fund for MSMEs
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Now micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs), which traditionally face hurdles
in formal sources of funding will not have any more problem for funds as State-run Sidbi
(Small Industries Development Bank of India) and Maharashtra Government have set up
a Rs 200-crore venture capital fund, to providing easy financing options to (MSMEs)
While the state has committed to contributing Rs 75 crore towards the fund, the rest will
be raised from banks and other financial institutions.
The investment will be in the form of equity and we will have a share in the firm and also
take risk along with the entrepreneur
4 injured in Low-intensity blast in Local Train in West Bengal
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About 14 people were injured in low-intensity bomb blasts at early hours today
Bomb exploded in Sealdah-Krishnanagar local train at 3:55 am just before it entered
Barrackpore station
Railway police were investigating the incident which appeared to be a crude bomb blast
Goa Government launched hot air balloon & amphibious vehicles
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Adding attractions to its tourism portfolio, the Goa government launched hot air balloon
and amphibious vehicles in the picturesque state of beaches.
Tourists can now travel in the hot air balloon that will fly over picturesque landscape
offering aerial view of the popular tourist destinations.
Amphibious vehicle, which can run on road and ply in waters, was also launched. Now
tourists can tour across backwaters and catch a glimpse of the flora and fauna in the
surroundings.
Justice Cyriac Joseph to act as NHRC interim Chairperson
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President Pranab Mukherjee has authorized Justice Cyriac Joseph to act as the interim
Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission until the appointment of a new
Chairperson in place of Justice K G Balakrishnan
Justice Balakrishnan, who completed his tenure as the sixth and longest serving
Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, joined the Commission as its
Chairperson on June 7 , 2010, after his retirement as the Chief Justice of India.
Korean People's Army Naval Force submarine test-launched a ballistic missile off the eastern
coast of North Korea
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North Korea made a key step in its nuclear weapons program by test-launching a ballistic
missile from a submarine but still away from developing a missile system or submarine
which could threaten its sworn enemy the United States
North Korea had been expected to be working on an SLBM, (submarine-launched
ballistic missiles), but the speed with which it conducted an evidently successful test
launch caught many observers by surprise
Kim Min-seok, spokesman for South Korea’s defence ministry told “We urge North
Korea to immediately stop developing SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles),
which hinder the stability of the Korean peninsula and Northeast Asia,”
Both the United States and Japan reserve rights to conduct pre-emptive strikes on North
Korean missile sites if a nuclear attack is viewed as imminent. Launching missiles from
submarines could enable Pyongyang to hide them
President of India to present National Florence Nightingale Awards
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The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will present the National Florence
Nightingale Awards to nursing personnel at Rashtrapati Bhavan on the occasion of
International Nurses Day on 12 May
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Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India instituted the National
Florence Nightingale Awards in 1973 as a mark of recognition for the meritorious
services of nurses
Until 2014 a total of 306 nurses were decorated with this award. This year, 35 nursing
personnel will be conferred with the Florence Nightingale Awards.
The Award carries Rs. 50, 000/- cash, a certificate, a citation certificate and a
Medal.Florence Nightingale, founder of modern nursing, was born on 12th May, 1820
and hence this day is celebrated as International Nurses Day all over the world.
Lok Sabha passes bill to deal with black money deposited aboroad
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Lok Sabha passed a stringent law imposing 120 per cent tax, jail term of up to 10 years
and penalty on undisclosed foreign assets and income to deal with the black money
menace
The bill was passed by voice vote in the lower house. It will go to the Rajya Sabha, which
will debate and return the bill since it has been termed a money bill. If it does not return
the bill in 15 days, it would be deemed to be passed.
The government may face hurdles in getting legislation passed in the Rajya Sabha, where
it is in less majority as compared to the opposition
Under the new law, there would be a short compliance window within which persons
with undisclosed income abroad can come clean by paying 30 per cent tax and 30 per
cent penalty.
Once the window closes, anyone found having undeclared overseas wealth would be
required to pay 30 per cent tax, 90 per cent penalty and face criminal prosecution
Failure to furnish returns or inaccurate disclosures in respect of foreign assets and bank
accounts or income will be punishable with rigorous imprisonment for six months to
seven years, besides a fine of Rs 10 lakh.
13.05.2015
Dr. Sivanadane (Siva) Mandjiny an Indian-American professor wins award for excellence in
teaching
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Chemistry professor Sivanadane Mandjiny was named UNC Pembroke's recipient of the
UNC Board of Governors 2015 Award for Excellence in Teaching
Annually, the Board of Governors names one professor at each of the 17 UNC campuses
to receive the award.
Announcing the award, UNC Pembroke Chancellor Kyle R. Carter praised Mandjiny's
dedication to teaching and mentoring students
About Dr. Sivanadane (Siva) Mandjiny :
Dr. Sivanadane (Siva) Mandjiny is native of Tamil Nadu, India, he earned a bachelor's
degree in chemical engineering from the University of Madras and a master's degree in
biochemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.
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He did a second master's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto
and a PhD from the Universite de Technologie de Compiegne in France.
Mandjiny studied in three languages, Tamil, English and French, and he taught himself
Hindi Hard work, determination and a strong wife fueled his educational achievements.
43 killed 13 other wounded as gunmen open fire on bus in Karachi
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At least 43 people have been killed when gunmen on motorcycles attacked on a bus in
Pakistan's southern city of Karachi the people who have died are belived to be from
minority Shia Ismaili community.
Six armed men on motorcycles opened fire on a bus at Safoora Chorangi, Gulistan-eJohar area of Karachi, killing at least 43 passengers
The gunmen stopped the overloaded bus, entered inside it and open fire indiscriminately,
the police said.
The death toll could further rise as about 20 others are seriously injured.The injured and
dead were shifted to various hospitals by rescue workers.
Taliban have claimed responsibility of the attack.
Pakistan’s Shia minority has been repeatedly targeted by extremists over the past few
years. Scores have died in these attacks
Over 60 killed in yesterday's earthquake in Nepal; 44 in India
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People's life was returning to normalcy in cities and quake-affected people in several
villages trying to build temporary shelter,another strong tremor hit parts of Nepal and
several parts of India which killed more than 60 people and about 1100 injured
Prime Minister Sushil Koirala appealed his people to come together to face this big crisis.
The April quakes have so far killed over 8,000 people and left more than 17,000 injured.
Google to set up Rs 1000 cr campus in Hyderabad
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Google Inc. will build its biggest campus outside the US in Hyderabad at an investment
of Rs.1,000 crore.
The 2 million square feet facility, the Internet giant’s first company-owned campus in
Asia, will house 13,000 employees when it is ready in 2019.
Telangana information minister K.T. Rama Rao, who is on an official visit to the US,
signed the agreement with Google Inc. at its headquarters at Mountain View, California
State government will allocate the company 7.2 acres in Hyderabad’s Gachibowli
locality.
The offices of Microsoft, Cap Gemini SA, CA Inc., Infosys Ltd, Wipro Ltd and Deloitte
are also based in Gachibowli locality.
South Central Railway to operationalise 17 automatic ticket vending machines in AP
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Southern Central Railway will operationalise 17 automatic ticket vending machines in
Vijayawada, Nellore, Tenali and Rajahmundry railway stations from today
passengers have to purchase a smart card for 50 rupees initially which will be valid for
one year from the date of purchase.
The smart card is valid for the purchase of unreserved tickets and platform tickets
The passengers can re-charge the required amount up to five thousand rupees and use to
purchase tickets through the ticket vending machines.
Third Secular blogger hancked to death in Bangladesh
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A masked gang wielding machetes hacked a secular blogger to death on Tuesday in
north-eastern Bangladesh it was third such deadly attack since the start of the year
They chased him down the street and first attacked his head with their machetes and then
attacked him all over his body after the attackers fled into the crowds, Das was rushed to
hospital but declared dead on arrival
Ananta Bijoy Das was murdered in broad daylight he was a blogger who regularly
blogged for Mukto-Mona.
The website used to be moderated by Roy, a Bangladeshi-born US citizen who was
hacked to death in the capital Dhaka in February.
Officially Bangladesh is an secular country but more than 90 percent of its 160 million
population are Muslims.
Since 2013, at least five bloggers have been attacked by Islamists after another hardline
group, Hefazat-e-Islam
Hyderabad to host global pharma summit 2015 from July 23
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Hyderabad will host four-day global pharma expo and summit from July 23.
The theme for global pharma expo and summit 2015 will be ‘Innovation and Advances'
The summit will deliberate on a range of issues, from pharmaceutical technology to
education, indigenous drugs and drug regulatory affairs, besides serving as a platform for
joint ventures and project collaboration
Retail inflation falls to 4.87% in April;rate cut hope brightens, factory output slows to 2.1% in
March
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Consumer Price Index, CPI, fell to 4.87 percent in the month of April 2015 as against
8.48 percent in April last year prices of food items, vegetables and fruits turned cheaper.
Data released by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation mentioned that
Inflation in food items like pulses and products was recorded at 12.52 percent highest in
the category. Milk and its products registered a price hike of 8.21 percent , spices at 8.7
percent. Whereas the inflation in vegetables and meat stood at 6.63 percent and 5.50
percent.
On the other hand, factory output, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production
(IIP), contracted by 0.5 per cent in March 2014
The ministry said that the rural inflation stood at 5.37 percent whereas urban centres
registered CPI of 4.36 percent.
Cabinet approves flagship 'Namami Gange' programme
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The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today approved
the flagship “Namami Gange” Program which integrates the efforts to clean and protect
the Ganga river in a comprehensive manner
The program has a budget outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore for the next 5 years. This is a
significant four-fold increase over the expenditure in the past 30 years
Marking a major shift in implementation, the Government is focusing on involving
people living on the banks of the river to attain sustainable results.
Learning from the unsatisfactory results of the earlier Ganga Action Plan, the Centre now
plans to provide for operation and maintenance of the assets for a minimum 10 year
period, and adopt a PPP/SPV approach for pollution hotspots.
In an attempt to bolster enforcement the Centre also plans to establish a 4-battalion
Ganga Eco-Task Force, a Territorial Army unit, apart from contemplating on a legislation
that aims to check pollution and protect the river.
14.05.2015
Punjab Govt. Issues Soil Health Card to Farmers
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Punjab agricultural department launched a programme to monitor the soil health of
farming lands by issuing soil health card to the farmers
The Initiative has been taken by the punjab government keeping in view the
overexploitation of soil since last 20 years
Punjab agriculture minister Tota Singh said that " every district had been given its mobile
laboratory to collect soil samples from every farm and issue farmers soil health card
linked with the department's central server"
Benifits of soil health card
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Through soil health card govt would monitor the health profile of the state's farms which
would soften the side effects of green revolution
After micro and macro profiling of the soil structure, the state government would come
out with a customized cropping and agricultural diversification plan for every area based
on soil specification
Soil Health Card scheme
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PM Narendra Modi launched soil health card in Feb 2015 with slogan: "Swasth Dharaa.
Khet Haraa." - Healthy Earth. Green Farm.
14 crore Soil Health Cards are envisaged to be issued over the next 3 years.
Calling for soil testing to be made a regular feature, the Prime Minister said a new class
of entrepreneurs could set up soil testing labs even in small towns
Eminent Bengali Writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passes away
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Eminent Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya Known for her sensitive presentation of
urban, social and feminist issues through her novels died at her south Kolkata residence
after suffering a cardiac arrest
Many of her works have been adapted into films, including Dahan which was based on
stigmatisation and helplessness of a rape survivor
About Suchitra Bhattacharya :
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Suchitra Bhattacharya was born on 10 January 1950 in in Bhagalpur, Bihar.
Bhattacharya graduated from the Jogamaya Devi College, an affiliated undergraduate
women's college of the historic University of Calcutta
Suchitra had written about 24 novels and a large number of short stories in different
leading Bengali literary magazines
some of her famous works include Hemanter Pakhi , Kachher Manush , Aleek Shukh ,
Icche and Kacher Dewal,
She was also vocal about voicing her opinions about several political issues.
Awards and honours :Suchitra received several awards which include the Bhuban Mohini Medal from Calcutta
University in 2004, the Nanjanagudu Thirumalamba National Award from Bangalore in 1996,
the Katha Award 1997 from Delhi, the Tarashankar Award in 2000 from Kolkata, the
Dwijendralal Award in 2001 from Kalyani, the Sharat Puroshkar in 2002 from Bhagalpur, as
well as the Bharat Nirman Award, Sahitya Setu Award and Shailajananda Smriti Puroshkar in
2004
Lok Sabha passes Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill 2015
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Lok Sabha passed the negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill.The objective of the Bill
is to provide mechanisms that would make filing of cases more convenient for payees if
cheques bounce.
The government faced questions from its own members and allies over whether the Bill's
provisions could be used by corporates to harass common people.
Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha insisted that it would boost the “integrity of
financial system” and not lead to the harassment of the common
About negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill:

The act to now provide that cases of bouncing of cheques can be filed only in a court in
whose jurisdiction the bank branch of the payee (person who receives the cheque) lies.
If a complaint against a person issuing a cheque has been filed in the court with the
appropriate jurisdiction, then all subsequent complaints against that person will be filed
in the same court, irrespective of the relevant jurisdiction area
Cabinet approves Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Bill,2015
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The Union Cabinet approved the new Benami Transaction (Prohibition) Bill to curb the
menace of unaccounted wealth inside the country, especially in real estate.
The Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015, provides for attachment
and confiscation of benami properties and also fine with imprisonment.
This is one more initiative to fight the menace of black money inside the country
The bill provides for stringent punishment to violators such as confiscation of wealth,
imprisonment, and fine.
Benami Transactions (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2015 will replace Benami
Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 1988
Cabinet gives nod to 5% disinvestment in NTPC & 10% in Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)
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The Cabinet has approved 5% disinvestment in NTPC and 10% in Indian Oil Corporation
(IOC)
Following the approval NTPC's stock fell 5% to Rs 134.30 on BSE and similarly IOC,
stock fell 2.62% at Rs 324.05.
The approvals are part of Rs 41,000 crore disinvestment target for the current financial
year
The disinvestmen will mop up about Rs 13,600 crore in this fiscal’s first disinvestment
approval.
Sale of 24.27 crore shares, or 10 per cent stake, in IOC would fetch close to Rs 8,000
crore at current rate
Sale of of 41.22 crore shares, or 5 per cent, in NTPC could fetch Rs 5,600 crore to the
exchequer at current rate
UP Government launches Samajwadi water ATM scheme
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav launched various schemes to make road travel
smoother for rural and marginalised population
1.
2.
3.
4.
Lohia gramin bus seva
water ATM scheme
149 self operating inquiry service
25 modern bus stations
Lohia gramin bus sewa :connectivity at affordable fare between cities and rural areas where there was no means of public
transport.It has 25 per cent lower fares.
Water ATM scheme:It will make potable water available at reasonable price to bus passengers.Water ATMs will
provide potable water at the rate of Re 1 per litre and cold water at Rs 2 per litre
Neel Mukherjee’s wins £10,000-Encore Award for "The Lives of Others"
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Kolkata born writer Neel Mukherjee won £10,000-Encore Award for his popular novel
"The Lives of Others" the story of a young man who is drawn into into extreme political
activism in 1960s Calcutta the era when Naxalbari movement was at it's peak
'The Lives of Others' was shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize
Mukherjee's first novel "A Life Apart" was published in 2010
About Encore Award:

The £10,000 Encore Award sponsored by Lucy Astor is awarded for the best second
novel was first awarded in 1990.
The award fills a niche in the catalogue of literary prizes by celebrating the achievement
of outstanding second novels, often neglected in comparison to the attention given to
promising first books
58% immunisation rate in rural areas, 67% in urban areas
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The current immunisation rate in rural areas is around 58 per cent while it is over 67 per
cent in urban regions of the country
According to government lack of awareness among parents and non-availability of
vaccines or vaccinators at session sites, fear of side-effects of vaccination (adverse events
following immunisation) are the reasons behind the low rate.
To promote immunisation government has conducted special immunisation weeks from
time to time in areas with pockets of low immunisation coverage while it is also
implementing 'Mission Indradhanush' and target areas with partial immunisation and no
immunisation in 201 high-focus districts.
aniel Mookhey becomes first Indian-origin lawmaker to take oath on the Gita in Australia
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Indian-origin Daniel Mookhey became the first politician on Tuesday to be sworn in to an
Australian parliament on the Gita.
Mookhey, 32, was elected by the Labor to replace Steve Whan in the New South Wales
upper house becoming state's first politician of Indian background.
About Daniel Mookhey :

Mookhey's parents had migrated from Punjab to Australia in 1973. Born in Blacktown
suburb, Mookhey holds three university degrees
He currently works as a consultant to unions, charities and community groups.
New Governors appointed by President Pranab Mukherjee in six states
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday appointed Governors for four States, as there were
number of Governors who had been holding the additional charge of more than two States for
the past few months.
Newly appointed governors :-
1.
2.
3.
4.
Droupadi Murmu has been appointed Governor of Jharkhand
J.P. Rajkhowa has been given the gubernatorial post of Arunachal Pradesh
Tathagata Roy has been made the Governor of Tripura
Shanmuganathan has been appointed Governor of Meghalaya
Governors who have been Transferred :1. Jharkhand Governor Syed Ahmed has been transferred and appointed Governor of
Manipur for the remainder of his term
2. Lieutenant General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma, Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, has been
transferred and appointed Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of his term
15.05.2015
Indian-origin councillor woman Harbhajan Kaur Dheer becomes the first Asian elected
mayor in UK
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Harbhajan Kaur Dheer, an Indian-origin councillor woman , became the first Asian
woman to be elected as mayor in London.
Harbhajan Kaur Dheer, 62, at a ceremony at the Victoria Hall at Ealing Council was
made Mayor of Ealing Council in London
She was holding the post of Deputy Mayor before assuming the present position.
Facts about Harbhajan Kaur Dheer:
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Harbhajan Kaur was born in Punjab in 1953 and came to Britain in 1975
Her husband councillor Ranjit Dheer is a former Mayor of Ealing
Early years in Britain were difficult for her and she had to work very hard to establish
herself and raise two children.
She had studied Social Sciences at Kingston University and obtained a degree in 1995
She had worked as an Approved Mental Health Professional in Surrey County Council
until 2003
She is a passionate advocate of rights of children and elderly including those with mental
health issues
"Kung Fu Yoga" with Aamir Khan and Jackie Chan as it's stars
Coinciding with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Chinese film regulators have
announced three China-India co-production films
1. Kung Fu Yoga -This film will be a perfect combination of Chinese martial arts and
Indian culture with Aamir Khan and Jackie Chan as it stars
2. A film on Xuan Zang with Wong Kar Wai as it's executive producer.Xuan Zang was a
noted Buddhist monk during the Tang dynasty (618-907), who made an arduous journey
to India to study Buddhism
3. Da Nao Tian Zhu (Causing havoc in India) - First film directed by Chinese film star
Wang Baoqiang.
Tejaswini Sagar wins gold at Under-15 World School Chess Championship
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Talented youngster of India Tejaswini Sagar won her maiden world title bagging the
gold in the under-15 category of World School Chess Championship
Aurangabad-girl defeated Kavinya Miyuni Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka in the ninth and final
round
Tejaswini scored seven points out of a possible nine, winning six, drawing two and
losing one game
Irina Barbayeva of Russia had to be content with the silver medal after losing to her
Kazakhstan rival
Nur Abidah Shanti of Indonesia wont he bronze medal in this section.
Punjab Government to launch sports awareness campaign
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Punjab sports department would launch a state wide sports awareness campaign in
collaboration with Australian Trade Commission
Campaign would begin with a seminar that will be held at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur
Engineering College Sri Fatehgarh Sahib.
State wide joint campaign to promote sports culture would witness interactive session in
the presence of renowned international sportspersons with budding players motivating
them to participate in international level tournaments.
The US House of Representatives has passed the Freedom Act, replacing the controversial
Patriot Act
The US House of Representatives has passed the Freedom Act, replacing the controversial
Patriot Act,The Freedom bill was passed 338 to 88 votes
Vitality of the act
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Freedom Act, would end the NSA's bulk collection of Americans' phone records, a
controversial programme that was made public in 2013 by former security contractor
Edward Snowden
The bill prohibits the intelligence community from engaging in bulk data collection
within the US
Freedom Act is seen as a big win for privacy and civil rights advocates as the bill protects
privacy while preserving essential national security authorities
The bill mainly focuses on people in the United States and not overseas, would amend
controversial sections of the USA Patriot Act, which passed in the wake of the September
11, 2001 attacks and which expire on June 1 this year
The reforms would explicitly prohibit the mass collection of telephone metadata phone
numbers, time and duration of calls by the NSA, as well as electronic data such as emails
and web addresses.
Edward Snowden in 2013 leaked thousands of documents to journalists that reported that NSA
for many years have been secretly collecting all records of US landline phone calls
Vijaya Bank opens over 5 lakh Jan-Dhan Yojana accounts in Karnataka
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The Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) the ambitious project of PM Modi that
was launched in Dharwad district in Karnataka during August last year
Vijaya Bank is implementing the programme through all its 1533 branches
Vijaya Bank has so far opened over 5 lakh basic zero balance accounts and issued Rupay
Debit cards to the account holders.
Over draft of Rs 5,000 is helping poor farmers to buy fertlilizers and seeds for their farm
it has also helped small entrepreneurs for their bussiness
China plans to invest USD 50 bn in Brazil for various infrastructure projects
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China is planning to invest up to $50bn (£32bn) in Brazil for infrastructure projects
The deal is due to be signed by banks from both countries during a visit by Chinese
Prime Minister Li Keqiang to Brazil next week
The money will be invested with aim of building a railway link from Brazil's Atlantic
coast to the Pacific coast of Peru to reduce the cost of exports to China
Beijing said the fund will also finance a joint venture to produce steel.
Brazil currently exports much of its iron ore to China.
President Pranab Mukherjee gave away Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil
President Pranab Mukherjee gave away Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil for the years
2011-12 and 2012-13.
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S V Shanmugam, a legend in the field of linguistics, received Tolkappiyar Award for the
year 2011-12, eminent Tamil scholar R Krishnamurthi got the Tolkappiyar Award for the
year 2012-13.
Reputed German Scholar Eva Maria Wilden, who is working on classical Tamil, received
Kural Pitam Award (Foreigner) for the year 2011-12.
K Iyyappan, E Ezhilvasanthan and K Jawahar received Young Scholar Award for the
year 2011-12
A Sathish, R Venkatesan, B Jaiganesh, M R Devaki and U Alibava bagged the Young
Scholar Award for the year 2012-13
About Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil :
Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil were instituted to give recognition and honour
to distinguished scholars who have made outstanding contribution to Classical Tamil
language and literature

These awards include one "Tholkappiar Award" for life time achievement to an Indian
scholar for outstanding contribution in the field of Tamil studies and two Kural Peedam
Award for eminent scholars of Classical Tamil of non-Indian origin and "Young Scholar
Awards" for scholars in the age group of 30-40 years for showing interest and excellence
in Tamil studies
24 agreements inked between India and China
India and China have signed 24 agreements in key sectors on day two of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi's first visit to China
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Protocol for setting up Consulates-General at Chengdu and Chennai besides a MoU on
consultative mechanism for cooperation in trade negotiations were among the 24
agreements signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Chinese
counterpart Li Keqiang in Beijing
An action plan between the Indian Railways and China National Railways on enhancing
cooperation in the railway sector
An MoU on education exchange programme and 'Space Cooperation Outline' were also
signed.
Four agreements were signed on sister-state and sister-city relations between Karnataka
and Sichuan province; Chennai and Chongqing; Hyderabad and Qingdao; and
Aurangabad and Dunhuang.
key agreements on developing China India think-tanks, maritime cooperation and ocean
sciences.
MoUs between Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Yunnan Minzu
University on the establishment of a yoga college
MoUs between Minzu University and another with Fudan University were signed for
Gandhian and Indian studies
16.05.2015
Housing.com's Rahul Yadav Challenges Zomato and Olacabs CEO to give half of their shares
to employees
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Rahul Yadav, co-founder & CEO of Housing.com is back in news few days back he
announced transferring his entire share holding worth Rs 150-200 crore to the company's
employees now he has now challenged Ola and Zomato CEOs to return half of their
stakes.
Hours after he allotted his personal equity worth Rs. 150 crore to Rs. 200 crore to
Housing.com employees, Mr Yadav tagged two fellow IITians in a Facebook post,
challenging them to follow his "noble" act.
Mr Yadav wrote on his Facebook wall"Now I challenge Deepinder Goyal of Zomato and
Bhavish Aggarwal of Olacabs to continue this noble act and give away half (not full) of
theur shares to their employees. And I hope both of them spread the nominations further,"
Mr.Deepinder Goyal, a 2005 graduate from IIT Delhi and Mr Bhavish Aggarwal, an
alumnus of IIT Bombay from 2008 batch run very successful start-ups

Mr Yadav dropped out of IIT Bombay in his final year of engineering to start
housing.com, a real estate website
India extends e-visa facility to Chinese nationals
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced that India will grant e-visas to Chinese
tourists.The Prime Minister's Office overruled the opposition of security and intelligence
agencies in its decision to grant e-visas for Chinese nationals.India and China also signed 24
deals worth over $10 billion, including MOUs in the area of skill development,
railways,establishing sister relations between cities of the two countries among others.Security
concerns have held up the move for several years.
what is e-visa?
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
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electronic or e-visas enabled by electronic travel authorisation, allows visitor to apply for
an Indian visa from his or her home country online without requiring a visit to the Indian
authorities.
The fee can also be paid online
Once e-visa gets approved, the applicant receives an email authorising travel to India and
applicant can travel with a printout of this authorisation.
when visitor arrives the country he presents the authorisation to the immigration
authorities who stamp the entry into the country.
Economical Importance of extending e-visa
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
It believes that extension of e-visa to China can boost India's tourism industry as 2015
and 2016 have been designated ‘Visit India’ and ‘Visit China’ years respectively, this
year India can attract a large proportion of 100 million Chinese tourists who visited
abroad last year and spent billions of dollars.
It is also a confidence building measure between the two countries
Doordarshan and China Central Television(CCTV) sign deal for exchange of art,culture
programmes
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Doordarshan and China Central Television – CCTV have signed an agreement for
exchange of television programmes related to art, culture and development.
Prasar Bharathi CEO Jawhar Sircar, who signed the agreement on behalf of India in
Beijing,said that the agreement enanbles both Doordarshn and CCTV to share
programmes on their networks free of cost.
Jawhar Sircar said Doordarshan will provide programmes pertaining to art, culture and
tourism and China in turn will exchange human interest and development programmes
and success stories
The exchange of programmes will begin by the end of this year, Sircar said both
networks will also take up co-production works.
Gadkari launches integrated data collection system
Gadkari Launched the integrated data collection system, the system will compile information on
road assets, condition of the pavements and traffic through use of laser technology
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The outcomes and data of integrated data collection system will assist in developing an
accurate and scientific maintenance planning mechanism and finalse road safety
measures and development of the National Highways network in India
The data collected will be stored and managed through a web based application, which
will be hosted in the public domain.
The application, when fully developed, can also be accessed by smart phones.
Information collected from this project will be useful for Transport Ministry, Finance
Ministry, NHAI, State PWDs, Police departments, funding agencies, developers and
citizens
The development of Road Asset Management System (RAMS) for the entire National
Highways along with collection of requisite data over 3,000 km of the pilot road network
is underway as part of the Prime Minister’s Digital India initiative.
The data collection over the pilot network of 3,000 km has commenced from Nagpur on 5
May 2015 on trial basis.
It is expected that 150 km will be covered in one direction per day. Complete baseline
data for 3,000 km will be available by September 2015.
World’s first warm-blooded fish named "Opah" identified
We have always been taugh that reptiles, amphibians and fish are cold-blooded while Birds and
mammals are warm-blooded but it will be surprising to know that Scientists have discovered the
first fully warm-blooded fish "Opah"
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The opah is the first fish species found to be fully warm-blooded, circulating heated
blood throughout its body much like mammals and birds
The fish, found in the waters off the US, Australia and several other countries, generates
heat by constantly flapping its fins and has developed an internal “heat exchange” system
within its gills to conserve the warmth
The secret lies in a specially designed set of blood vessels in the fish’s gills, which allows
the fish to circulate warm blood throughout its entire body.
The system is similar to that used by mammals and birds, which are known as
endotherms for their ability to maintain body temperature independent of the
environment.
Gagan Narang wins bronze in 50 m rifle event of ISSF World Cup bagged third Rio Olympic
quota in shooting
London Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang won a bronze medal in Men’s 50m Rifle Prone
event at the season’s second ISSF World Cup, in Fort Benning, USA.The medal also helped
India bag a third Rio Olympic quota in shooting.
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Gagan Narang With a total of 626.3 Narang was the 8th and last shooter to qualify for the
final stage. America’s Michael McPhail was the top scorer in the qualification round with
a total of 631.9 points followed by Matthew Emons and Bojan Durkovic
Narang is third Indian shooter to make the Rio cut after Jitu Rai and Apurvi Chandela.
Chandela had secured the quota place by winning the bronze in the 10m Rifle at World
Cup in Korea last month.
By winning silver in the 50m Free Pistol event,Pistol ace Jitu Rai had won India's first
Olympic quota place at the World Championships in Granada, Spain last year
Point to note
Each country can win a maximum of 30 quota places from a total of 15 shooting disciplines
(including shotgun events),two each from each discipline.
"Kung Fu Yoga" with Aamir Khan and Jackie Chan as it's stars
Coinciding with the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Chinese film regulators have
announced three China-India co-production films
1. Kung Fu Yoga -This film will be a perfect combination of Chinese martial arts and
Indian culture with Aamir Khan and Jackie Chan as it stars
2. A film on Xuan Zang with Wong Kar Wai as it's executive producer.Xuan Zang was a
noted Buddhist monk during the Tang dynasty (618-907), who made an arduous journey
to India to study Buddhism
3. Da Nao Tian Zhu (Causing havoc in India) - First film directed by Chinese film star
Wang Baoqiang.
18.05.2015
ICICI Bank opens it's first Chinese branch in Shanghai
I.
India's largest private sector bank ICICI has launched its first branch in Shanghai, China
II.
The branch would be based in Shanghai which is China's biggest city and a global financial
hub.The branch would begin with 17 banking professionals handling different functions
including corporate banking, operations, finance and treasury.
III.
Branch was inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi in the presence ICICI Bank's MD and CEO
Chanda Kochhar and other government officials
IV.
With the opening of this branch, ICICI Bank is strategically poised to take advantage of the
increased opportunities due to bilateral activity taking place between the two countries
V.
ICICI Bank have presence in countries across the world it consists of subsidiaries in United
Kingdom and Canada, branches in the US, China, Singapore, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Sri
Lanka, Qatar and Dubai, international Finance Centre; and representative offices in United
Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia.
VI.
The Bank's UK subsidiary has established branches in Belgium and Germany.
Mohammed Morsi the deposed Egyptian President sentenced to death
I.
Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi along with 106 members and leaders of
the Muslim Brotherhood was sentenced to death Saturday for allegedly breaking out of prison
in 2011
II.
Mohammed Morsi is already serving a 20-year prison term for ordering the arrest and
torture of protesters while in power
III.
Mohammed Morsi wads deposed by the military in July 2013 following mass street protests
against his rule since than authorities have also banned the Muslim Brotherhood and
arrested thousands of his supporters
IV.
A final verdict based his opinion will be delivered June 2 but will be open to appeals
Going through the past :-
I.
Morsi was a Member of Parliament in the People's Assembly of Egypt from 2000 to 2005,
and a leading member in the Muslim Brotherhood.
II.
He became Chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) when it was founded by the
Muslim Brotherhood in the wake of the 2011 Egyptian revolution after escaping from prison
III.
He stood as the FJP's candidate for the May–June 2012 presidential election. Morsi's victory
in the presidential election was announced on 24 June 2012
IV.
On 30 June 2013, protests erupted across Egypt, which saw protesters calling for the
president's resignation.
V.
VI.
VII.
Morsi was given a 48-hour ultimatum by the military to meet their demands and to solve
political differences, or else they would intervene by "implementing their own road map" for
the country.
He was unseated on 3 July by a military coup council consisting of Defense Minister Abdul
Fatah al-Sisi, opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Ahmed
el-Tayeb, and Coptic Pope Tawadros
The military suspended the constitution, established a new administration headed by the
chief justice,and initiated a "brutal" crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood
Government allocates Rs 5000 cr for development of AYUSH
Govt have launched an independent National AYUSH Mission aimed at capacity building for
the sector and allocated Rs 5,000 crore for the growth of Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda,
Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) The move take by the government
for AYUSH will create awareness about Ayurveda
I.
National AYUSH Mission aims at capacity building for the sector. The mission will
ensure creation of a centre of excellence for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy
independently,"
II.
III.
Ayurveda is quite popular and traditional in india being practised throughout the country,
including tribal and remote areas where modern medical facilities are not available the only
part that is missing in the growth of Ayurveda is that it does not have an elaborate organised
structure
India and China are home to largest number of medicinal plants in the world and hence the
use of these plants is also maximum in these areas.Chinese medicines have seen easy
acceptance across the globe, but the Indian Ayurvedic medicines have seen rise only since
last year.
Vice President Confers Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award to Smt. Anurradha Prasad
I.
The Vice President of India Shri M. Hamid Ansari conferred the “Pt. Haridutt Sharma
Award” in the field of Journalism, Writing and Social Services to Smt. Anurradha Prasad,
Editor-in-Chief, News-24 Channel
II.
Vice President opined that the Media persons should always do news reporting in an
impartial and responsible manner with objectivity
About Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award
Pt. Haridutt Sharma was a renowned journalist and eminent writer. In his memory, this Annual
award is given in the field of Journalism, Writing and Social Services for the outstanding
contribution in their respective field. The Award consists of Cash prize of Rs. 51000/-, Citation,
Trophy, Shawl and Souvenir
Vikas Gowda wins bronze in Shanghai IAAF Diamond League
Vikas Gowda the Ace India discus thrower won discus bronze medal in the second leg of the
prestigious IAAF Diamond League.
I.
The 31-year-old Gowda hurled the disc to a distance of 63.90m, which he achieved in his
fifth and penultimate attempt to finish third behind 2013 World Championships silver medallist
Piotr Malachowski (64.65m) of Poland and Robert Urbanek (64.47m) of Poland
II.
He is yet to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, for which the qualifying standard is
66m.
III.
Vikas Gowda was the National record holder of the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold
medallist and Asian Games silver medal winner
IV.
He will get $4000 for the third-place finish, besides earning one Diamond League point.
V.
The United States-based Indian has a season's best of 65.75m, which he achieved at La Jolla
in California last month, while his national record stands at 66.28m
Union Government sanctions 30 cold storage projects with an investment of Rs 725 crore
I.
Union Government sanctioned proposals for setting up 30 new cold chains in the
country with a total investment of Rs 724.9 crore
II.
It was announced by Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Badal . She told that ""These
projects will help in a big way in reducing the wastage of food and the Ministry will also
provide grant of Rs 274.9 crore on these projects"
III.
The total capacity of these projects will be 1.12 lakh tonnes of cold storage and 11.10 lakh
litres of milk per day
IV.
It would attract additional investment of Rs 470 crore and 209 reefer or refrigerated
container vehicles.
V.
VI.
138 integrated cold chain projects were approved by the government.56 cold chain projects
have come up and are fully operational while 52 remaining are in different stages of
completion,
Once all these 138 cold chain projects become operational it will add 4.76 lakh tonnes of
storage capacity and 118 lakh litres per day milk processing capacity and 810 reefer vehicles.
19.05.2015
Draupadi Murmu sworn in as the first woman Governor of Jharkhand
For the first time in the history of Jharkhand after it was formed out of Bihar on 15 Nov 2000 a tribal
woman has been sworned in as the Governor of the state.Draupadi Murmu was sworn in as the first
woman governor of Jharkhand. Draupadi Murmu succeeds Syed Ahmed, who will take over as the
Governor of Manipur.Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Virendra Singh administered the oath of office
to Draupadi Murmu.
About Draupadi Murmu :I.
Draupadi Murmu is a two-time BJP MLA from Odisha, Murmu was a minister in the
Naveen Patnaik Cabinet when the Biju Janata Dal ruled the state with the support of Bharatiya
Janata Party.
II.
She headed the BJP's Mayurbhanj district unit in Odisha and had represented Rairangpur in
the Odisha assembly.
III.
She was the Minister of State with independent charge for Commerce and Transport from
March 6, 2000 to August 6, 2002
IV.
She headed Fisheries and Animal Resources Development from August 6, 2002 to May 16,
2004
V.
Draupadi Murmu graduated from RB Women’s College in Bhubaneswar in 1979
India assumes presidency of 68th World Health Assembly after 19 years
India assumes presidency of the 68th Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) again after
a gap of 19 years .WHA is the top decision-making body of the World Health Organisation
I.
Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda, will preside over the 68th
Session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) at Geneva and will be leading a high level Indian
delegation to the WHA, to be held in Geneva From May 18-27, 2015.
II.
68th World Health Assembly is expected to deliberate on key issues of global interest
including anti-microbial resistance, air pollution and health, global health emergency,
preparedness and surveillance, global strategy and plan of action on public health,
innovation and intellectual property, and research and development in neglected tropical
diseases.
III.
Nadda and Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO will jointly inaugurate a photo
exhibition “Yoga for All, Yoga for Health” to mark the adoption of a resolution by the UN
General Assembly declaring June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.
IV.
7 agreements inked between India and South Korea
V.
India and South Korea inked seven bilateral agreements and agreed to upgrade
ties to "special strategic partnership".The list of agreements signed is as follows
S.No.Agreement/MoU
Remarks
Agreement between the
Government of the Republic of India-Republic of Korea Double
India and the Government of the Taxation
Avoidance Convention
Republic of Korea for the
(signed 1985) has been revised with
1.
Avoidance of Double Taxation a view to avoiding the
burden of
and the Prevention of Fiscal
double taxation on taxpayers in the
Evasion with Respect to Taxes two countries.
on Income
India-Republic of Korea
The Agreement is being signed under
2.
Agreement on Cooperation in the provisions of India-ROK CEPA; it
Audio-Visual Co-Production
would enable co-production of films,
animation and broadcasting
programmes. The Agreement would
enable opportunities for collaboration
between Indian and Korean film
industries, and facilitate collaboration
and exchange
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
MOU for Cooperation between
The MoU would formalize
the National Security Council
consultations between National
Secretariat of the Republic of
Security Council structures of the two
India and the Office of National
countries in a number of areas.
Security of the Republic of Korea
The MoU envisages cooperation in
MOU between the Ministry of
areas of electric power development
Power of the Republic of India
and new energy industries such as
and the Ministry of Trade,
renewable energy, smart grids and
Industry and Energy of the
power information and technology,
Republic of Korea concerning
transmission and distribution of
Cooperation in the field of
electric power, energy efficiency and
Electric Power Development and
storage system.
New Energy Industries
MOU between the Ministry of
The MoU will strengthen and
Youth Affairs and Sports of the
encourage cooperation on youth
Republic of India and the
matters through participation in
Ministry of Gender Equality and
events and activities through
Family of the Republic of Korea
exchanges, international conferences,
on Cooperation in Youth
seminars, youth camps, festivals etc.
Matters
Framework of Cooperation in To be signed under the provisions of
the Field of Road Transport and India-ROK CEPA, the FOC envisages
Highways between the Ministry cooperation in areas including road
of Road Transport and
policies, design and construction,
Highways of the Republic of
road operation, road management
India and the Ministry of Land, and safety, intelligent transport
Infrastructure and Transport of systems and electronic toll collection
the Republic of Korea
systems
MOU between the Ministry of The MoU envisages cooperation
Shipping of the Republic of
between the two countries in the
India and the Ministry of Oceans fields of maritime transport and
and Fisheries of the Republic of logistics including through sharing of
Korea on Cooperation in the
technologies, information and
Fields of Maritime Transport
experiences, the training of seafarers,
and Logistics
exchange of experts and port
operations etc
14 key agreements signed between India and Mongolia
During the PM Modi visit to Mongolia from May 16 to May 18, 2015. Narendra Modi and his
counterpart Chimediin Saikhanbileg signed 14 key agreements
which would strengthen the relationship between the two countries.Prime Minister Modi also
stated that India will provide an amount of USD one billion to support the expansion of
Ulaanbaatar's economic capacity and infrastructure. Ulaanbaatar is the capital and the largest
city of Mongolia. Modi said that Mongolia is an integral part of his government's 'Act East'
policy.
14 Agreements signed are :S.No. Agreement
1.
A joint statement for India-Mongolia strategic partnership
Air services agreement between the government of the Republic of
2.
India and the government of Mongolia.
Agreement between the government of the Republic of India and the
3.
government of Mongolia on cooperation in the field of animal health
and dairy
Treaty between the government of the Republic of India and the
4.
government of Mongolia on the transfer of sentenced persons
Memorandum of Understanding between the government of the
5.
Republic of India and the government of Mongolia on cooperation in
the field of traditional systems or medicine and homeopathy
Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Home
Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Justice of Mongolia
6.
for enhancing cooperation in border guarding. Policing and
surveillance.
Programme of cooperation between the government of the Republic of
7.
India and the government of Mongolia in the field of culture for the
Years 2015-2018.
Memorandum of Understanding between the government of the
Republic of India and the government of Mongolia on the
8.
establishmeni of cyber security training centre in the Ministry of
Defence of Mongolia.
Memorandum or Understanding between the foreign service institute
9.
of the Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the
diplomatic academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia.
Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Ministry
10. of External Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of foreign
affairs of Mongolia
11, Memorandum of Understanding between the ministry of new and
renewable energy of the government of the Republic of India and the
Ministry of Energy of the government of Mongolia on cooperation in
the field of renewable energy.
Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation between the National
12. Security Council of the Republic of India and the National Security
Council of Mongolia
Memorandum of Understanding between the government of the
Republic of India and the government of Mongolia on the
13.
establishment of India-Mongolia Friendship Secondary School in
Mongolia
Memorandum of Understanding Between Tata Memorial Centre of
14. India and National Cancer Center of Mongolia for Gifting of
Bhabhatron-II Terecobalt Unit along with a radiotherapy simulator.
Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio) signes pact with Chinese firm Huawei for sourcing various 4G
devices
I.
Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio) which is the telecom arm of Reliance Industries (RIL) has
signed a pact with Chinese firm Huawei for sourcing various 4G devices.
II.
RJio plans to launch 4G services this year in around 5,000 towns and cities through this move
it seeks to cover 90 per cent of urban India and over 2.15 lakh villages
III.
Through this pact Huawei will provide 4G devices which includes smartphones, tablets and
mifi dongles
IV.
On 7th of May RJio has raised a $750 million (nearly Rs.4,500 crore) loan to procure goods
and services from South Korean firms Samsung Electronics and Ace Technologies Corp.
Aruna Shanbaug the face of "euthanasia" in India dies at 66
Aruna Shanbaug, who became the face of a debate on euthanasia after being in a vegetative state for 42
years in a cubicle in Mumbai's King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, where she had worked as a
nurse and where she was sexually assaulted and choked by a ward boy Sohanlal Walmiki in 1973 the
brutal incident that left her in a vegetative state for 42 long painful years passsed away at the age of 66
yrs
I.
In the brutal incident on November 27, 1973 she suffered serious injuries to her spine,
while the strangulation with a dog chain cut off oxygen supply to her brain, rendering her to a
vegetative state for life.
II.
III.
Sohanlal Walmiki the person who raped her was convicted and served two concurrent
seven-year sentences for assault and robbery, but not for sexual assault
Shanbaug was confined to a bed in a special room allotted to her inside Ward No 4 of King
Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Parel, Mumbai, for 42 years
IV.
She was diagnosed with a pneumatic patch and was put on ventilator support five days ago
In March 2011, the Supreme Court rejected a petition filed by author Pinki Virani seeking
euthanasia for Shanbaug. The petition was opposed by the hospital's management and nursing
staff but this was the time when the issue of "euthanasia" the practice of intentionally ending a
life in order to relieve pain and suffering became a issue of common debate in the country due
to which Supreme court passed the law for passive euthanasia and laid out guidelines for
passive euthanasia.
Active and passive euthanasia
Active euthanasia:-Active euthanasia occurs when the medical professionals, or another
person, deliberately do something that causes the patient to die.
Passive euthanasia:-Passive euthanasia occurs when the patient dies because the medical
professionals either don't do something necessary to keep the patient alive, or when they stop
doing something that is keeping the patient alive
I.
switch off life-support machines
II.
disconnect a feeding tube
III.
don't carry out a life-extending operation
IV.
don't give life-extending drugs
Netherlands was the first country to legalise euthanasia .As of 2015, euthanasia is legal only in
the Netherlands, Belgium, Colombiaand Luxembourg. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland,
Germany, Japan, Albania and in the US states of Washington, Oregon, Vermont, New Mexico
and Montana.
Harkeert Singh Saini, an Indian-American wins Prestigious “Top Civilian Supervisor of the
Year”
I.
An 44-year-old Indian-American policeman Harkeert Singh Saini has been awarded the
prestigious "Top Civilian Supervisor of the Year" award for his efficient services to the Houston
Police department in the US state of Texas.
II.
III.
Harkeert Singh Saini received the award from Police Chief Charles A McClelland and
Houston Mayor Anise Parker during a function held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Houston
earlier this week
Harkeert Singh Saini is police record supervisor who has been working for the Houston
Police department for the last 15 years.
About Harkeert Singh Saini:-
I.
Harkeert Singh Saini is a graduate from Deshbandu College in New Delhi and he hails
from Hoshiarpur in Punjab.
II.
He came to the city in 1998, joined Houston Police Department in March 2000
III.
He was subsequently promoted as an office supervisor in the following years.
20.05.2015
"INS Kavaratti" the 4th anti-submarine corvette launched in Kolkata
I.
Another jewel in the crown of Indigenization of naval forces defence
establishments was added by the launching of the fourth and last class stealth corvettes
anti-submarine warfare ship being made for the Indian Navy under Project 28 (P-28).
II.
The vessel has been named after the capital of Union Territory Lakshadweep.INS
Kavaratti has been designed by the Directorate of Naval Design and built by the
GRSE Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers
III.
INS Kavaratti was launched by Manita Singh, wife of the Union Minister of State for
Defence, Rao Inderjit Singh in the presence of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K
Dhowan and Vice Admiral Satish Soni and other dignitaries from the Armed Forces,
Ministry of Defence and state administration
IV.
INS Kavaratti has a displacement of 3,300 tonnes, is 109.1 metres in length and
measures 13.7-m at beam. The vessel is propelled by four diesel engines to achieve
speed in excess of 25 knots and has an endurance of more than 3,400 nautical miles.
V.
An X-shaped hull of the ship is built with Warship Grade high tensile steel,
indigenously developed for the first time and it has a common raft mounted gear box
and diesel engines, which give the ship very low signature radiated underwater
noise . Infra Red Signature Suppression (IRSS) system increase the stealth feature of
the ship.
VI.
INS Kavaratti also has Total Atmospheric Control System (TACS) due to which it is
well-equipped to fight in nuclear, chemical and biological warfare conditions owing
to its weapons and its sensor suite is predominantly indigenous
What is project 28 ?
Project 28 is the primary project for driving localisation and developing the warship
construction industry in India.The aim with this project is to stipulate unprecedented
standards while providing opportunities to Indian vendors to develop expertise with
the technology.It has total of four in class.The order for the first four corvettes was
placed in 2003, with construction commencing on 12 August 2005. After INS
Kavaratti.The other three ships of the same class are INS Kamrota, Kadmatt and
Kiltan.Of the three, Kamrota was delivered to the navy in 2014, and has been
commissioned.Kadmatt and Kitan are expected to be delivered between 2015 and 2017.
Atacama Desert,Chile identified as the Driest place on earth
I.
Atacama Desert in Chile has been identified as the driest location on Earth by the
team of Researchers leaded by Armando Azua-Bustos, an environmental biologist and
research scientist at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
II.
The site is called Maria Elena South (MES) .The team discovered that MES has a
mean atmospheric relative humidity (RH) of 17.3 percent and a soil RH of a constant
14 percent at a depth of one meter.
III.
This soil value matches the lowest RH measurements taken by the Mars Science
Laboratory at Gale Crater on Mars, establishing the fact that conditions at the site are
as dry as those found recently on the Martian surface.
IV.
This discovery has toppled the Yungay region as the driest area of the hyper-arid
Atacama desert where the conditions are close to the so-called "dry limit" for life on
Earth but Chilean research team has now found that MES is "much drier" than
Yungay
V.
It should be noted that number of viable bacterial species have been found in the soil
profile
Geographical status of Atacama Desert:The Atacama Desert (Spanish: Desierto de Atacama) is a plateau in South America, covering a
1,000-kilometre (600 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. It is the
driest non-polar desert in the world.Most of the desert is composed of stony terrain, salt lakes,
sand, and felsic lava that flows towards the Andes.
Two Indians Named for the prestigious Radcliffe fellowship of Harvard University
I.
A proud day for the Indian Institute of Science and University of Delhi as two
Indians from Indian Institute of Science and University of Delhi have been named for
the prestigious Radcliffe fellowship of Harvard University.
II.
Shivani Agarwal from Indian Institute of Science and Maharaja Pandit from
University of Delhi are among 50 scholars, scientists and artists who will begin their
one-year fellowships at the Radcliffe Institute in September 2015
III.
Radcliffe fellowship of Harvard University is Considered as one of the most
prestigious honors for faculty, only three per cent of applicants were accepted this
year
IV.
Shivani, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Fellow has been selected for learning
to make choices in the era of big data.Mr Pandit has been selected for his project life
in Himalaya
Apple acquires Coherent Navigations
I.
In an move to improve its mapping service as it receives heavy competition from
Google Maps, which attracts a wide range of audience that uses its service.
II.
Apple has reportedly purchased Coherent Navigationa a Global Positioning System
(GPS)-related company that was started in 2008. Coherent Navigation was a small
firm that focused on creating commercial navigation services based on partnerships
with companies like Boeing and Iridium
III.
Coherent Navigation combines signals from traditional mid-Earth orbit GPS
satellites with those of low-Earth satellites from global satellite communications
company Iridium.Iridium's satellite system provides voice and data coverage for
phones and other devices across the Earth's surface
IV.
By this acquisition Apple would use company's technology to further enhance its
Maps app, which was initially phased out in 2012 launch due to inaccuracies,
omissions and other faults. Since then, Apple has worked to improve the app to
compete with rival Google Maps.
V.
Apple has acquired mapping firms such as Locationary, WifiSLAM, Hopstop,
Embark, and Broadmap as well in order to revive it's mapping service with some
new features.
Union Government sanctions 30 cold storage projects with an investment of Rs 725
crore
I.
Union Government sanctioned proposals for setting up 30 new cold chains in the
country with a total investment of Rs 724.9 crore
II.
It was announced by Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Badal . She told that
""These projects will help in a big way in reducing the wastage of food and the
Ministry will also provide grant of Rs 274.9 crore on these projects"
III.
The total capacity of these projects will be 1.12 lakh tonnes of cold storage and 11.10
lakh litres of milk per day
IV.
It would attract additional investment of Rs 470 crore and 209 reefer or refrigerated
container vehicles.
V.
138 integrated cold chain projects were approved by the government.56 cold chain
projects have come up and are fully operational while 52 remaining are in different
stages of completion,
VI.
Once all these 138 cold chain projects become operational it will add 4.76 lakh tonnes
of storage capacity and 118 lakh litres per day milk processing capacity and 810
reefer vehicles.
VII.
6 Indian-Americans receive 2015 Ellis Island Medals of Honor in US
VIII.
Six Indian-Americanswere among nearly 100 individuals who were presented
prestigious 2015 Ellis Island Medals of Honor in the US for their contributions to
America.
IX.
Meera Gandhi :- founder of The Giving Back Foundation.The Giving Back
Foundation is geared towards alleviating illness, poverty and suffering while
also addressing education issues which affect women and children around the
world.
X.
Rajdeep K Dhami:-Gehani, former president of the New York State Dental
Association, lives in Queens, New York.In November 2006 Gehani was honored
by the New York State Dental Foundation with the Foundation of Excellence in
Community Service Award.
XI.
Rahul M Jindal:-Jindal who is currently a Staff Transplant Surgeon at the
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and professor of Surgery and
Global Health at Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda,
Maryland.In 2013, Jindal was Award by the International Leadership Foundation
in Washington.The same year he also received the Outstanding American by
choice award by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.He was
awarded the Fulbright-Nehru Distinguished Chair to carry out research and
teaching in India
XII.
S Mona Sinha :- Chairperson of the Asian Women's Leadership University
(AWLU) Project her works are focused on empowering women as future leaders
of Asia.She is a trustee of Smith College, her alma mater and also serves on the
Advisory Boards of the Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School
and the Global Mental Health Program at the Columbia School of Public Health,
and as a trustee of all Souls School in New York.
XIII.
K V Kumar :- He is the managing partner of Kumar & Talvadkar
Associates, a Management Consulting Company.Kumar has turned around
many projects including most recently a privately held healthcare company in
Southern California.
XIV.
Baroness Sandip Verma :- He is the member of the House of Lords, and a
former junior minister at the Department of Energy and Climate Change in the
UK
XV.
About Ellis Island Medals of Honour :XVI.
The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is an American award founded by the
National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations which pays homage to the immigrant
experience and the contribution made to America by immigrants and their
children.The medals are awarded to native-born and naturalized US citizens
21.05.2015
Fighter Aircraft of the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 lands on Yamuna Expressway near
Mathura
I.
As A part of its trials to use national highways and civil airstrips for emergency landing
by its fighter jets in future .The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test landed a Mirage-2000 on
the Yamuna Expressway near Mathura.
II.
Prior to the trial all facilities like make shift Air Traffic Control, safety services, rescue
vehicles, bird clearance parties and other requirements were set in place by the IAF.
III.
The aircraft first made a practice approach on the highway coming down to 100 metres
before landing on the next approach.
IV.
Such landings can be carried out in emergencies if an active airport is not available under
certain circumstances.
MoU inked between SBI and Amazon for payment and commerce solutions
I.
An Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between State Bank of India
and e-commerce giant Amazon to develop payment and commerce solutions for customers and
small businesses
II.
SBI has the largest small and medium enterprise SME base in the country and Amazon has
huge customer base so through this tie-up the bank is working on ways to enrich customers'
payment experience and opening up the windows of e-commerce to its SME customers
III.
SBI which is the country's largest lender, will also provide loans to SME customers who
supply products to Amazon to help them increase their operations. Amazon has lot of SMEs
who sell products on Amazon.
IV.
There are SMEs whose products are very good but they are not able to scale because they
don't have that kind of financing so this tie up will boost such SMEs. SBI is also looking to
sign MoUs with Snapdeal and PayPal
Extra Knowledge :State Bank of India is an Indian multinational, Public Sector banking and financial services
company.It is a government-owned corporation with its headquarters in Mumbai,
MaharashtraIt has17,000 branches, including 190 foreign offices, making it the largest banking
and financial services company in India by assets i.e US$388 billion till 2013.It has 222,033
employees till 2014
Astra Missile Successfully Test Fired From Su-30MKI
I.
Indigenously-developed beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Astra was successfully
launched from Su-30 MKI fighter jet in two developmental trials conducted at the Integrated
Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha
II.
In the first trial, the supersonic missile was released when the fighter jet was performing a
“very high-g manoeuvre”. In the second trial, the manoeuvre was higher than in the first
exercise
III.
Extreme conditions were simulated for the missile’s launch in both the trials when it was
released at very low and very high altitudes
IV.
Including the wednesday's test seven developmental trials were conducted and the missile is
expected to be inducted by 2016
Extra Knowledge (EK) :-
I.
Astra is designed for an 80-km range in head-on mode and 20 km-range in tail-chase
mode. The 3.8 metres long missile, which has launch weight about 154 kg, uses solid-fuel
propellant and a 15 kg high-explosive warhead, activated by a proximity fuse.
II.
The 3.8-metre tall Astra is a radar homing missile and one of the smallest weapon systems
developed by DRDO.Astra ias equpped with terminal active radar-seeker and an updated
mid-course internal guidance system due tp which the missile can locate and track targets. It
is difficult to track this missile as its on-board electronic counter-measures jam signals from
the enemy radars.
III.
As an anti-aircraft missile it can be fired after receiving a signal from the far away target
through its on board manoeuvres based on radio frequency.Once inducted, India would join
select group of nations which possess this kind of stat-of-the-art weapon,it is the first stateof-the-art air-to-air missile developed and validated by DRDO
Meghalaya has achieved 100 percent success in implementing the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan
Yojna
I.
All eleven districts have been able to open at least one bank account of every household
under the ambitious scheme with this Meghalaya has achieved 100 percent success in
implementing the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna
II.
All households in the state have been successfully covered under the scheme. More than 5.53
lakh households have been covered with 1.55 lakh new bank accounts.
III.
As compared to the urban population rural population has given more response to the
financial inclusion scheme by opening new bank accounts.
IV.
Over 1.8 lakh accounts have been opened in rural areas, while in urban area the figure is
over 47,000. Banks have issued more than 1.31 lakh Rupay cards
Extra Knowledge (EK) :-
I.
Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is National Mission launched on 15 August
2014 for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, Banking/ Savings &
Deposit Accounts, Remittance, Credit, Insurance, Pension in an affordable manner.
II.
By 28 January 2015, 12.58 crore accounts were opened, with around 10590 crore (US$1.7
billion) were deposited under the scheme.It is run by Department of Financial Services,
Ministry of Finance,
III.
Account can be opened in any bank branch or Business Correspondent (Bank Mitr) outlet.
PMJDY accounts are being opened with Zero balance. However, if the account-holder wishes
to get cheque book, he/she will have to fulfill minimum balance criteria.
Special Benefits under PMJDY Scheme :-
1. Interest on deposit.
2. Accidental insurance cover of Rs.1.00 lac
3. No minimum balance required.
4. Life insurance cover of Rs.30,000/5. Easy Transfer of money across India
6. Beneficiaries of Government Schemes will get Direct Benefit Transfer in these accounts.
7. After satisfactory operation of the account for 6 months, an overdraft facility will be permitted
8. Access to Pension, insurance products.
9. Accidental Insurance Cover, RuPay Debit Card must be used at least once in 45 days.
10. Overdraft facility upto Rs.5000/- is available in only one account per household, preferably lady
of the household.
Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai wins Man Booker International Prize 2015
Innovative Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai has been announced as the winner of the
sixth Man Booker International Prize at an award ceremony at the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London.Krasznahorkai was chosen from a list of ten eminent contenders from around the
world.
Laszlo Krasznahorkai :I.
Krasznahorkai was born in Gyula, Hungary, on 5 January 1954
II.
Laszlo Krasznahorkai gained considerable recognition in 1985 when he published
Satantango which was later adopted in to cinema in collaboration with the filmmaker Bela
Tarr
III.
In 1993, he received the German Bestenliste Prize for the best literary work of the year for
"The Melancholy of Resistance"
IV.
He has been honoured with numerous literary prizes, amongst them the highest award of
the Hungarian state, the Kossuth Prize
Man Booker Prize :The Man Booker International Prize, worth £60,000, is awarded for an achievement in fiction on
the world stage. It is presented once every two years to a living author for a body of work
published either originally in English or available in translation in the English language. It has
previously been awarded to Ismail Kadaré in 2005, Chinua Achebe in 2007, Alice Munro in
2009, Philip Roth in 2011, and Lydia Davis in 2013.
Tathagata Roy sworn-in as the Governor of Tripura
I.
II.
Veteran BJP leader from West Bengal Tathagata Roy was sworn in as Tripura Governor
Tripura High Court Chief Justice Deepak Gupta administered the oath ceremony as per
Article 159 in The Constitution Of India 1949
III.
Mr Tathagata Roy was a former president of BJP in West Bengal
IV.
Tathagata Roy replaced Padmanabh Balkrishna Acharya, Governor of Nagaland, who had
held the additional charge of Tripura.
Constitutional provision regarding the appointment of governor:-
1. Article 153 of the Constitution requires that there shall be a Governor for each State. One
person can be appointed as Governor for two or more States.
2. Article 154 vests the executive power of the State in the Governor.
3. Article 155 says that “The Governor of a State shall be appointed by the President by warrant
under his hand and seal”.
4. Article 156 provides that “The Governor shall hold office during the pleasure of the President”.
The term of the Governor is prescribed as five years.
5. The only qualifications for appointment as Governor are that he should be a citizen of India and
must have completed the age of thirty-five years.
Article 159:-
Prescribes the oath, which a Governor has to take before entering upon his office. He has to
swear in the name of God/solemnly affirm that he “will faithfully execute the office of
Governor (or discharge the functions of the Governor) of (name of the State) and will to the best
of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law and that I will devote
myself to the service and well-being of the people(name of the State).”
V Shanmuganathan sworn in as 15th Governor of Meghalaya
I.
Senior BJP leader V Shanmuganathan has been sworn-in as the Governor of Meghalaya
at the Raj Bhavan
II.
Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court Uma Nath Singh administered the oath of office
to V Shanmuganathan
III.
Keshari Nath Tripathi, the West Bengal governor, was given additional charge in January
this year since former incumbent KK Paul was sworn in as governor of Uttarakhand.
IV.
Meghalaya was without a permanent governor for over four months
About V Shanmuganathan :He is a post-graduate and an M.Phil in political Science. He joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh in 1962 and later joined Bharatiya Janata Party and served in many party positions.He
has been in charge of the Defence, Research & Documentation and Overseas Friends of BJP
Cells.He is a prolific writer and written three books relating to culture and social aspects in
Tamil.
Read Constitutional provision regarding the appointment of governor:22.05.2015
ISIS militants take control of Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra "the home to UNESCO world
heritage site"
Syria's ancient city of Palmyra is in full control of ISIS. After a bloody battle with Syrian progovernment forces ISIS has seized almost full control of the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra.
ISIS now controls the nearby airport, prison and intelligence HQ, the Syrian Observatory for
Human Rights and many other government held areas
The city is home to a UNESCO world heritage site and famous for its 2,000-year-old ruins.
There are a lot of strategic assets in the area which ISIS will be gunning for military bases,
weapons depots, oil and gas facilities.Palmyra is also close to oil and gas fields
ISIS now controls more than 50 percent of Syria or over 36,000 square miles
The militants have previously demolished ancient sites in Iraq that pre-date Islam. Unesco says
its destruction would be "an enormous loss to humanity"
Nelong Valley near the India-China border opened first time for tourists after closure in 1962
I.
Nelong Valley that was closed for civilians after the 1962 war, has been opened for
tourists.
II.
The valley falls under the Gangotri National Park in Uttarkashi district and it is 45 km ahead
of the border
III.
Six vehicles will carry tourists from Bhairavghati to Nelong every day although no one will
be allowed to stay overnight within the 25-km area between Bhairavghati and
Nelong.Foreigners are not allowed in the valley
IV.
Nelong Valley a cold desert located at 11,600 feet is home to the snow leopard and the
Himalayan blue sheep and offers a beautiful view of the Tibetan Plateau
V.
Tourists visiting the valley will see the wooden bridge once used for trade between India
and China
Saina Nehwal regains top position in Badminton World Federation (BWF) ranking
I.
In the latest women's singles rankings released by the Badminton World Federation
(BWF) star Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal has regained the top spot ahead of the Australian
Open, starting on May 26.
II.
Saina has won two titles this year India Open Superseries and India Grand Prix Gold and
also reached the final of the prestigious All England Open, which is a Superseries Premier
event
III.
In men’s singles, K Srikanth has retained his fourth place. Even P Kashyap and H S Parnnoy
also maintained their 13th and 15th positions, respectively
IV.
In men’s singles, K Srikanth has retained his fourth place Parupalli Kashyap at thirteen and
H.S. Prannoy at fifteenth place.
V.
In women's doubles, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa also rose a place to No.21
India on 6th position in terms of scientific publications
I.
India has reached sixth position in terms of publishing scientific research papers,
climbing four spots as India was earlier on tenth position
II.
China has 1000 scientists for a million people while India has only 160 for a million people
III.
Scientific collaboration between India and UK was just few million pounds, but today it has
risen to 150 million pounds.
IV.
India and UK are collaborating in various sectors in fields like nuclear energy, solar energy,
monsoon and public health, rejuvenation of Ganga River and climate change
Extra Knowledge (EK) :1. According to the report brought out in November, 2012, India published 65,487 research articles
compared to 3,30,818 by China in 2010. However, during the period 2006-10 the total number of
research publications was 2,60,696 for India and 13,02,177 for China.
2. The present level of investment in the country for Research and Development (R&D) in science
and technology sector is 0.88% of GDP of which 0.65% is contributed by public sector
3. However, the private investment in R&D as percentage of GDP in India is 0.23% which has not
kept pace with many developed and emerging countries in the world
New Coal India Corporate Headquarters Building Inaugurated
I.
The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Smt. Mamata Banerjee inaugurated Coal Bhawan,
the new Headquarter of Coal India Ltd. in Kolkata
II.
Sh. Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy urges
all to work for achieving one Billion Ton production of Coal.
III.
Sh. Piyush Goyal asked the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of CIL Shri Suthirtho
Bhatttacharya, to set up a Coal Museum in the erstwhile Headquarter building located in
Netaji Subhas Road in Kolkata to make people aware of the great history of coal and that of
energy which has transformed our life.
IV.
The new building came up at a sprawling 27000 Sq. Ft. area at New Town Rajarhat and has
been built by the National Building Corporation NBCC, a public sector company of Urban
Development Ministry.
Himachal Pradesh successfully implementing Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign
I.
"Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" campaign is successfully being implemented in the Una and
Kinnaur Districts of Himachal Pradesh.
II.
The nationwide campaign was launched in March this year.
III.
The girl child sex ratio in the two districts is alarming
IV.
Government is holding workshops to ensure effective implementation of the relevant laws
and mobilize people to improve child sex ratio.
V.
teps have been taken to monitor the misuse of pre-natal diagnostic techniques. Nearly 250
clinics in private and government sectors were registered in the State.
Fighter Aircraft of the Indian Air Force Mirage 2000 lands on Yamuna Expressway near
Mathura
I.
As A part of its trials to use national highways and civil airstrips for emergency landing
by its fighter jets in future .The Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test landed a Mirage-2000 on
the Yamuna Expressway near Mathura.
II.
Prior to the trial all facilities like make shift Air Traffic Control, safety services, rescue
vehicles, bird clearance parties and other requirements were set in place by the IAF.
III.
The aircraft first made a practice approach on the highway coming down to 100 metres
before landing on the next approach.
IV.
Such landings can be carried out in emergencies if an active airport is not available under
certain circumstances.
Cabinet eases FDI norms for NRIs to increase capital inflow
I.
With aims to increase capital flows into the country the government decided to
liberalise foreign direct investment norms for NRIs and overseas citizens of India (OCI)
II.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
taken this decision in a meeting
III.
The Cabinet “approved amendments to FDI policy on investments by NRIs, PIOs & OCIs.
The amendment will give PIOs & OCIs parity with NRIs in eco & edu (economy and
education),”.
IV.
The amendment in FDI for OCIs , NRIs & PIOs will lead to greater forex remittances &
investment
V.
The government wants to channelise the funds of NRIs, who now have set up large
businesses abroad, by treating non-repatriable investments by NRIs as domestic investment.
VI.
The Modi government, has liberalised FDI policy for sectors such as defence, railways,
construction development, medical devices and insurance, and is keen to tap NRIs, OCIs and
PIOs
India ranks 24th in Environmental Democracy Index
I.
India ranks 24th in the environmental democracy index from the World Resources
Institute (WRI) which tracks how 70 countries around the world including 75 legal and 24
practice indicators, based on recognised international standards.
II.
The index evaluates whether Governments are enacting national laws to promote
transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in environmental decision making
III.
The top ten countries based on national laws are: Lithuania (EDI rank #1), Latvia (2), Russia
(3), United States (T-4), South Africa (T-4), United Kingdom (6), Hungary (7), Bulgaria (8),
Panama (9) and Colombia (10)
IV.
This index is a powerful lever that will help governments to become more transparent and
ordinary citizens to advocate for more rights
Key findings from the index :-
1. 93% of the ciuntries have established the right to environmental information
2. The Laws on public participation lag behind in many countries out of the vast majority of
countries assessed (79%) earned only fair or poor ratings for public participation.
3.
Most of the courts will hear environmental cases:- Nearly 73 % of the countries assessed will
hear environmental cases. Very few countries assessed have assistance for marginalized groups
only 14% have legal mechanisms that help women access courts to obtain redress when their
environmental rights are violated.
4. Most of the countries lag on providing citizens basic environmental information that is nearly
half (46%) of countries assessed do not provide any ambient air quality data online for their
capital cities.
Extra Knowledge (EK) :There are three key policies relating to environmental protection in India. They are:1. The National Forest Policy, 1988
2. Policy statement for Abatement of Pollution, 1992
3. National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development, 1992
How is ‘Environment’ defined under Indian Law?
According to Section 2(a) of the Environmental Protection Act, 1986, ‘Environment’ includes :a) Water, air and land
b) The inter-relationship which exists among and between,
i) water, air, land, and
ii) human beings, other living creatures, plants, microorganisms and property
Union Cabinet clears Rs 3,090-cr PSLV continuation programme
I.
The union cabinet gave its approval for the continuation of the Polar Satellite Launch
Vehicle (PSLV) programme for 15 operational flights (PSLV-C36 to PSLV-C50)
II.
The programme will cost Rs. 3,090 crores and "enable launch of satellites required for earth
observation, navigation and space sciences along with the possibility of clinching
commercial launch service contracts
III.
The PSLV programme approved will meet the demand of launching satellites at a frequency
of four to five launches per year, with a greater focus on enhancing the level of participation
by the Indian industry
IV.
All the 15 operational flights would be completed during the period 2017-2020
V.
Currently the PSLV operational flights that were sanctioned in 2008, are being utilised to
meet the satellite launch requirements.
Extra Knowledge (EK) :About PSLV :-
I.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle,commonly known by its abbreviation PSLV, is an
expendable launch system developed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites into
Sun synchronous orbits, a service that was, until the advent of the PSLV, commercially available
only from Russia. PSLV can also launch small size satellites into geostationary transfer orbit
(GTO).
II.
As of 2014 the PSLV has launched 71 spacecraft (31 Indian and 40 foreign satellites) into a
variety of orbits. Some notable payloads launched by PSLV include India's Chandrayaan-1
lunar probe and the Mars Orbiter Mission
Importance of PSLV :-
I.
PSLV has made the country self-reliant in the launching capability of satellites for earth
observation, disaster management, navigation and space sciences
II.
PSLV Continuation Programme will sustain this capability and self-reliance in the launching
of similar satellites for national requirements.
III.
PSLV has emerged as a versatile launch vehicle to carry out Sun-Synchronous Polor Orbit
(SSPO), Geo-synchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and low inclination Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
missions
'Blast-proof' wallpaper developed by US Army
I.
US army has developed "Blast-proof" wallpaper that could protect soldiers from
explosions.
II.
III.
A Rolls of lightweight sticky wallpaper, lined with tough Kevlar fibres that can be carried
easily by troops to reinforce the walls of temporary buildings
The lining reduces the amount of debris sent flying at the occupants of a building in the
event of an explosion.
IV.
What makes it unique is it can be quickly and easily applied by non-specialised units at short
notice. It provides significant potential tactical advantages.
V.
The ballistic wallpaper was displayed at the first Department of Defense Lab Day among 100
innovations from US Army engineers
Extra Knowledge (EK) :-
I.
In US Defense's most advanced research and development goes on at the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), where work is underway on everything from a
jet that shoots across the sky at Mach 20 to disaster-response robots.
II.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approximately 37,000 dedicated Civilians and
Soldiers delivering engineering services to customers in more than 130 countries worldwide
22 May observed as International Day for Biological Diversity
I.
The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological
Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues
II.
On May 22, 1992, the text of the Convention on Biological Diversity was adopted by the of
the United Nations at a conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Since 2001, the International Day for
Biological Diversity is celebrated each year on the anniversary of this date.
III.
"Biodiversity for Sustainable Development" was the theme for International Day for
Biological Diversity (IDB) 2015
IV.
This year’s theme reflects the importance of efforts made at all levels to establish a set of
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of the United Nations Post-2015
Development Agenda for the period of 2015-2030 and the relevance of biodiversity for the
achievement of sustainable development.
V.
Humanity’s fate is tightly linked with biological diversity the variety of life on earth.
Biodiversity is essential for sustainable development and human well-being. It is crucial to
the reduction of poverty, due to the basic goods and ecosystem services it provides
23.05.2015
Veteran jazz musician and a Grammy-winning Bob Belden passes away at 58
I.
Noted Jazz musician Bob Belden passes away of a heart attack at 58at Lenox Hill
Hospital in Manhattan.
II.
Belden was born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in South Carolina. He studied saxophone
and later attended the University of North Texas
III.
He was an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader and producer.He may be
best-known for his Grammy Award winning jazz orchestral recording, "The Black Dahlia".
IV.
In 2008, he arranged and produced Miles from India, a world fusion music record, based on
the compositions of Miles Davis. In the record, he assembled alumni of Davis and musicians
of India
V.
VI.
Belden earned three Grammy Awards throughout his career, including for 1996's Miles
Davis and Gil Evans
Belden also served as an A&R executive for legendary jazz label Blue Note Records
In February, Belden and his group, Animation, went on a four-day tour of Iran, performing
tunes by Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and Belden's own compositions. The visit, which came as
Tehran and Washington engaged in nuclear talks, was arranged by Search for Common
Ground, a U.S. nonprofit organization that aims to promote better ties between the long-time
rivals.
Andaman & Nicobar Police proposed to reserve 33% seats for women
I.
Andaman & Nicobar Police has proposed to reserve 33 percent of the seats for the posts
of constable and sub-inspector for women.
II.
The decision to keep 33 percent women in police will help the vulnerable sections like
women, children and the old to voice their grievances without fear and help resolve many
problems in a better way
III.
Earlier in June 2014, Gujarat Government also announced 33 percent quota for women in
police force.
IV.
NDA has already given it's nod for 33 per cent reservation for women in police forces in all
seven union territories including Delhi
Extra Knowledge (EK)
I.
The CRPF has three battalions staffed entirely by women. The first battalion No 88 was
raised in 1986 with its headquarters at New Delhi. The second battalion 135 came into existence
in 1996 at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The third battalion, Number 213 is located at Ajmer, Rajasthan
II.
There are approximately 200,000 American women on active duty in the US armed forces.
They constitute nearly 20 percent of its strength
25.05.2015
Ireland becomes first country to Approve gay marriage by referendum
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Ireland has become the first country in the world to approve gay marriage by
referendum with 62 percent in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, and 38
percent opposed.
The turnout was large as more than 60 percent of the 3.2 million eligible voters
cast ballots. All of Ireland's 43 constituencies except one voted in favour of the
measure.
The voter turnout was 60 percent - much higher than in other recent
referendums.
Ireland has made history - the first country in the world to vote for equal
marriage
Cheers broke out among the crowd of supporters who were into the grounds of
Dublin Castle hugged, kissed and waved rainbow flags in a festival atmosphere
as the result was announced, and parties in the capital's gay bars went on into
the night.
Extra Knowledge (EK):Nineteen countries have approved the freedom to marry for same-sex couples
nationwide (Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden,
Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, Denmark, France, Brazil, Uruguay, New Zealand, Britain,
Luxembourg, Finland and Ireland), while two others have regional or court-directed
provisions enabling same-sex couples to share in the freedom to marry (Mexico and the
United States).
Same sex marriage laws in India :

Homosexuality is mostly a taboo subject in Indian civil society and for the
government. Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code makes sex with persons of the
same gender punishable by law. On 2 July 2009, in Naz Foundation v. Govt. of
NCT of Delhi, the Delhi High Court held that provision to be unconstitutional
with respect to sex between consenting adults, but the Supreme Court of India
overturned that ruling on 11 December 2013, stating that the Court was instead
deferring to Indian legislators to provide the sought-after clarity
Same-sex marriage is not explicitly prohibited under Indian law and at least one
couple has had their marriage recognised by the courts. In April 2014 Medha
Patkar of the Aam Aadmi Party stated that her party supports the legalisation of
same-sex marria
India-Singapore bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX-15 commenced in Singapore from
May 23-26

SIMBEX-15, a bilateral naval exercise between Singapore Navy and Indian Navy
commenced from May 23-26 at Singapore
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Two Indian naval ships, INS Satpura and INS Kamorta, are participating in the
bilateral naval exercise
As a part of this deployment, INS Satpura, an indigenously built guided missile
stealth frigate, commanded by Captain Hari Krishnan and INS Kamorta, the
latest and indigenous anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette, commanded by
Commander Manoj Kumar Jha, had reached Singapore on May 18.
These ships participated in IMDEX-15 and are now conducting SIMBEX-15 being
held from May 23-26.
Along with Satpura and Kamrota, Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti
Submarine (LRMRASW) aircraft P 8I will also participate in the exercise.
The naval exercise will strengthen bilateral ties and enhance inter-operability
between navies of the two friendly nations," the statement added.
John Nash the 'Beautiful Mind' mathematician killed in a car crash
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John Forbes Nash, Jr the Princeton University mathematician whose life Oscarwinning film "A Beautiful Mind" died in a car crash with his wife
Nash, 86, and his wife Aliciam, 82, were killed when their taxi crashed in New
Jersey
The mathematician is renowned for his work in game theory, winning the Nobel
Prize for Economics in 1994
His works in game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential
equations have provided insight into the factors that govern chance and events
inside complex systems in daily life.
The theories of John Forbes Nash, Jr are used in economics, computing,
evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence, accounting, politics and military
theory.
John Forbes Nash, Jr shared the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
with game theorists Reinhard Selten and John Harsanyi.
In 2015, he was awarded the Abel Prize (along with Louis Nirenberg) for his
work on nonlinear partial differential equations.
He suffered paranoid schizophrenia:In 1959, Nash began showing clear signs of mental illness, and spent several years at
psychiatric hospitals being treated for paranoid schizophrenia.After 1970, his condition
slowly improved, allowing him to return to academic work by the mid-1980s.His
struggles with his illness and his recovery became the basis for Sylvia Nasar's
biography, A Beautiful Mind, as well as a film of the same name starring Russell Crowe
Indian film ‘Masaan’ wins critics prize at Cannes
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Indian director Neeraj Ghaywan's project Masaan, which centres around a group
of people in Varanasi, has won the prestigious critics prize in the Un Certain
Regard category, which runs parallel to the competition for the main prize,
Palme d’Or, at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, the International Federation of Film
Critics (FIPRESCI) announced on 24th May
The film set in Varanasi, follows the lives of a young orphan (Nikhil Sahni), a
low-caste teenage boy (Vicky Kaushal) who falls in love with an upper-caste girl
(Shweta Tripathi), her father (Sanjay Mishra) and a woman (Richa Chadha)
caught in a sex scandal. Masaan is Hindi word for crematorium, where the
teenage boy works. As their stories collide, in girl's father who is fighting a taboo,
the young orphan finds an unlikely father figure
Masaan is a joint production of Manish Mundra, Macassar Productions, Arte
France Cinema, Sikhya Entertainment & Phantom Films
Films, stars newcomers like Vicky Kaushal and Shweta Tripathi, along with
Sanjay Mishra and Richa Chadda
Ghaywan previously assisted Anurag Kashyap on Gangs Of Wasseypur
Mumbai Indians defeat Chennai Super Kings to win IPL 2015, becomes Two-Time IPL
Champion
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Mumbai Indians won the Indian Premier League 2015 title by defeating Chennai
Super Kings after scoring 202 runs, Mumbai Indians halted Chennai Super Kings
on 161/8 to claim their second Indian Premier League title since 2013.
The final, a repeat of their 2013 success at the same ground against the same
opposition made mumbai the third side after Chennai and Kolkata Knight
Riders to win the IPL on more than one occasion.
Mumbai Indians had defeated Chennai in the IPL 2013 final in Kolkata.
Extra Knowledge (EK) :
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Mumbai Indians Captain: Rohit Sharma.
Chennai Super Kings Captain: Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma.
Player of the Tournament: Andre Russell (KKR).
Orange Cap awarded to: David Warner (Sunrisers Hyderabad).
Purple Cap awarded to: Dwayne Bravo (CSK).
Emerging Player of the Season: Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Daredevils).
Most Valuable Player: Andre Russell (KKR).
Jayalalithaa sworn-in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for fifth time

AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa today was again sworn into power eight
months after she was forced to quit over corruption charges.
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J Jayalalithaa became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time. She was
sworn in along with 28 ministers
The 67-year-old AIADMK supremo was administered oath of office and secrecy
by Governor K Rosaiah.
Jayalalithaa took the oath in the name of God at a function held at the University
of Madras Centenary Auditorium
She had stepped down from office following conviction in Rs.66.65 crore
disproportionate assets case.
J Jayalalithaa is the first Indian chief minister to be disqualified .O.
Panneerselvam, a minister in her party, was succeeded as the Chief Minister on
29 September 2014.
Why was she disqualified from the post of Chief Minister ?
On 27 September 2014, Jayalalithaa was sentenced to four years in jail and fined Rs 100
crore by the Special Court in Bangalore.She was convicted in an 18-year-old
disproportionate assets case that was launched by Janata Party President Subramanian
Swamy (now member of Bharatiya Janata Party) on 20 August 1996 on the basis of
Income Tax Department report on her. Jayalalithaa's close aide Sasikala Natarajan, her
niece Ilavarasi, her nephew and the chief minister's disowned foster son Sudhakaran
were also convicted. They were sentenced to four years in jail and fined Rs 10 crores
each. Special Judge John Michael D'Cunha convicted her to owning assets to the tune of
Rs 66.65 crores (which includes 2,000 acres of land, 30 kg of gold and 12,000 saris)
disproportionate to her known sources of income during 1991-96 when she was chief
minister for the first time. The verdict was delivered at a makeshift court in the
Parappana Agrahara prison complex in the presence of Jayalalithaa and the other
accused. She has automatically been disqualified from the post of CM and legislative
assembly of Tamil Nadu and is the first Indian chief minister to be disqualified.O.
Panneerselvam, a minister in her party, was succeeded as the Chief Minister on 29
September 2014. On 17 October 2014, Supreme Court granted two months bail and
suspended her sentence in Disproportionate Assets Case.They have to appeal the
petition on or before 18th December 2014. On May 11, 2015, a special Bench of the
Karnataka High Court set aside the trial court order convicting former Tamil Nadu
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa and acquitted of all charges in the disproportionate assets
case
Two Indians posthumously chosen for UN’s prestigious Dag Hammarskjold Medal
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Two Indian peacekeepers are among the 126 military, police and civilian
personnel who will be posthumously awarded a prestigious UN medal next
week for their courage and sacrifice while serving in the world body's
peacekeeping operations last year.
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The two are Lance Naik Nand Ram, who served with the UN Organization
Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and
Raju Joseph, who had served in a civilian capacity with the UN Mission in South
Sudan (UNMISS), will be awarded the Dag Hammarskjold Medal on the
International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers which is observed annually on
May 29.
The commemoration international peacekeepers' day will mark the seventh
successive year in which the UN will honour more than 100 "blue helmets" UN
peacekeepers (often referred to as Blue Berets or Blue Helmets because of their
light blue berets or helmets)
The 126 military, police and civilian personnel lost their lives in 2014 while
serving with the UN as a result of hostile acts, accidents and disease and will
receive the medal during a ceremony at the world body's headquarters in New
York.
French film Dheepan honoured with Palme d’Or Award at Cannes Film Festival
Jacques Audiard's Sri Lankan refugee drama Dheepan on Sunday won the Palme d'Or, the top
honor of the Cannes Film Festival.Dheepan tells of a former Tamil Tiger fighter who pretend to
be a family in order to flee their war-torn country for a housing project in France and find a life
of asylum in a tough, drug-infested housing estate on the edge of Paris.The runner-up prize, the
Grand Prix, went to Son of Saul, a grim Holocaust drama by first-time Hungarian director
László Nemes.
68th Cannes Film Festival top awards:
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Palme D'Or: Dheepan
Grand Prix: Son of Saul
Jury Prize: The Lobster
Best Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Best Actor: Vincent Lindon
Best Actress: Rooney Mara and Emmanuelle Bercot
Best Screenplay: Michel Franco (Chronic)
Camera d'Or (Best first feature): La Tierra Y la Sombra
26.05.2015
The government has cleared 21 foreign direct investment (FDI) deals worth Rs.281 crore
The government has cleared 21 foreign direct investment (FDI) deals worth Rs.281 crore but it
postponed Kotak Mahindra Bank’s proposal to hike foreign investment limit in the bank to 55%.
The government has approved 21 proposals of foreign direct investment (FDI) amounting to Rs
280.70 crore
FDI proposals under approval route are cleared by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board
(FIPB) but those proposals involving investment of more than Rs 3,000 crore are given final
clearance by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
Pharma firm La Renon Healthcare proposal of investing Rs. 100 crore in a brownfield project
was cleared by the FIPB in its meeting on April 30.
Blue Dart Express’s proposal to acquire shares in Blue Dart Aviation Ltd. and hike shareholding
to 74 per cent from 49 per cent. This would involve investment between Rs. 52.8 crore to Rs. 69
crore.
Quickjet Cargo Airlines proposal to increase foreign shareholding in the company to 74% from
62.34% has also been cleared. The deal will entail FDI worth Rs.14.40 crore.
Forever Living Imports (India) Pvt. Ltd’s Rs.18.30-crore proposal to undertake single brand
retailing of ‘Forever’ brand products in India has also been approved by the board.
Proposal of NBFC company IIFL Holdings Ltd for increasing foreign equity from 54.7% to 100%
by way of issuing shares to FIIs was deferred
Lt General (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma sworn-in as 17th governor of Mizoram
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Lt. General Nirbhay Sharma (retd.) has been sworn in as the 17th governor of Mizoram
at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan.
Justice T Vaiphei, judge of the Gauhati high court, administered the oath of office to
general Sharma.
He is the eighth governor of Mizoram after the then state governor Vakkom
Purushothaman resigned on July 12 last year in protest against being transferred to
Nagaland.
The Congress-ruled Mizoram has earned the dubious distinction of having eight
governors in the past ten months.Proior to this Lt. Gen. Nirbhay Sharma was governor
of Arunachal Pradesh.
He has been transferred to Mizoram by President Pranab Mukherjee on May 12 .West
Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was holding the additional charge of Mizoram
till now.
About Lt. General Nirbhay Sharma (retd.) :

Lt. General Nirbhay Sharma is a product of the National Defence Academy and was
commissioned in the Indian Army in 1966. General Sharma is one of the most
distinguished and decorated Field Commanders of the Indian Army.
Most of his assignments have dealt with Jammu & Kashmir and the North Eastern
States; the last assignment being a Corps Commander and Security Advisor to the
Government of J&K. During the period, his landmark contribution in fighting the

ongoing proxy war in Kashmir, including the successful conduct of Parliamentary and
Assembly Elections are well known
As a young Captain, he fought in the 1971 War and was part of the Airborne Assault
Group, the first Indian Army Unit to enter Dacca. Apart from commanding a battalion
on the China border, he was part of the Sino-Indian Working Group and coordinated
counter-insurgency operations in the North East with civil agencies and inter-ministerial
delegations.
Manoj Mishra appointed as CMD of National Fertilizers Ltd
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Government has appointed ManojMishra as Chairman and Managing Director of staterun National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL).
Mishra, currently posted as Director Finance at StateTrading Corporation (STC), he is
likely to assume the charge as CMD of the fertiliser firm from this week.
Fertiliser Ministry has issued orders for appointment ofManoj Mishra as CMD of the
NFL
National Fertilizers Ltd (NFL) CMD post fell vacant after the retirement of NeeruAbrol
in February 2014
NFL has five gas-based urea plants viz Nangal & Bathindain Punjab, Panipat in Haryana
and two plants at Vijaipur inDistrict Guna, Madhya Pradesh
NFL has a total annual installed capacity of35.68 lakh tonnes and is the second largest
producer of ureain the country
Former PepsiCo executive Sunil D'Souza appointed as Whirlpool India MD
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Consumer appliances maker Whirlpool has appointed Sunil D'Souza as Managing
Director of its India operations.He will come on board effective June 22, 2015
In his 15 years with PepsiCo, D'Souza has held various senior management positions in
Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and India
He joins appliances manufacturer Whirlpool from PepsiCo where he was the Head of
PepsiCo’s VIMAPS Business Unit in Malaysia.
Sunil D'Souz has rich and diverse experience'' in different business segments of the
consumer driven industries along with his "proven track record in leading and growing
large businesses''.
Arvind Uppal will continue as Executive Chairman of the board of directors, Whirlpool
of India Ltd
Whirlpool had about USD 20 billion in annual sales, 100,000 employees and 70
manufacturing and technology research centres globally in 2014.
Voice password facility launched by ICICI
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Country's largest private lender ICICI Bank has launched a service through which
customers can make transactions using just their voice, without using other means of
authentication like a password.
The voice recognition service authenticates customers based on their speech patterns
and allows them to execute banking transactions through the bank's call centre
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Normally customer use authentication like entering card numbers, answering security
questions and entering a personal identification number (PIN) to carry out a phone
banking transaction.
Now their voice will act as the password for banking transactions through the call
centre and it is secure. Over 33 million savings bank and credit card customers will be
able to use the service.
Customers using smartphones find it difficult to enter the 16 digit card number and the
4 digit PIN with accuracy while voice based transactions process e has the potential to
increase security and convenience.
Tamil Nadu CM announced welfare schemes worth 1800 crore rupees
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Jayalalithaa has announced welfare measures worth over Rs 1800 crore, including for
improving roads and drinking water facilities and extending assistance to needy
families headed by women.
Jayalalithaa approved five major schemes such as opening more Amma canteens that
provide subsidised food, housing for poor and setting up Reverse Osmosis plants for
drinking water.
Chief minister Jayalalithaa has ordered improvement of roads in urban local bodies at a
cost of Rs 1000 crore
Jayalalithaa has also opened 201 more Amma canteens, providing food at subsidised
rates, across the state through video-conferencing.
Rs 2.10 lakh will be given in staggered manner to the poor to convert their thatched
houses into concrete roofed structures with solar power 20,000 families will be given
assistance in town panchayat areas in the first phase
1,274 Reverse Osmosis plants will be set in residential neighbourhoods, Amma canteens,
hospitals and public places at Rs 77.13 crore.
Bangladesh bans Islamist militant out fit Ansarullah Bangla Team
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The Bangladesh government has banned militant Islamist outfit, Ansarullah Bangla
Team, which has claimed responsibility for killings of several bloggers and free thinkers
in the recent months.Ansarullah Bangla Team that is believed to be behind the gruesome
hacking deaths of three secular bloggers in recent months.
Assailants in February had killed 45-year old Avijit Roy, a Bangladeshi-born US
national, in Dhaka while his wife narrowly escaped the attack. A month after Roy's
killing, another blogger Washiqur Rahman was murdered in similar fashion in
Dhaka.The killings have evoked outrage in the country and across the globe.
Bangladesh has banned six militant and extremist outfits so far the other five are –
Jamaa'tul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (JMB), Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB),
Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami, Bangladesh (HuJI), Shahadat-e Al-Hikma, and Hizb-ut
Tahrir.JMB and three other outfits were banned in 2005.
In Sikkim 98.50 % population covered under PMJDY
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Remote hilly, peaceful and tranquil State of Sikkim has given an exemplary response to
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna as 98.50 percent of the population has been covered
with PMJDY .
The banks in the hilly state of Sikkim have been successful not only in opening new
accounts but also in mobilizing but also in mobilizing very good balance in the accounts
so opened.
There was a time when the people in Sikkim were not much inclined to open bank
accounts and instead, liked to go for cash transactions only but now almost 98.50
population have their bank accounts
However bringing such a huge population under the scheme was never so easy. The
most challenging task for them was to make the hitherto un-banked households
understand the benefits they were going to get under the scheme
27.05.2015
Lt General (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma sworn-in as 17th governor of Mizoram
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Lt. General Nirbhay Sharma (retd.) has been sworn in as the 17th governor of
Mizoram at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan.
Justice T Vaiphei, judge of the Gauhati high court, administered the oath of office
to general Sharma.
He is the eighth governor of Mizoram after the then state governor Vakkom
Purushothaman resigned on July 12 last year in protest against being transferred
to Nagaland.
The Congress-ruled Mizoram has earned the dubious distinction of having eight
governors in the past ten months.Proior to this Lt. Gen. Nirbhay Sharma was
governor of Arunachal Pradesh.
He has been transferred to Mizoram by President Pranab Mukherjee on May 12
.West Bengal Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi was holding the additional charge
of Mizoram till now.
About Lt. General Nirbhay Sharma (retd.) :
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Lt. General Nirbhay Sharma is a product of the National Defence Academy and
was commissioned in the Indian Army in 1966. General Sharma is one of the
most distinguished and decorated Field Commanders of the Indian Army.
Most of his assignments have dealt with Jammu & Kashmir and the North
Eastern States; the last assignment being a Corps Commander and Security
Advisor to the Government of J&K. During the period, his landmark
contribution in fighting the ongoing proxy war in Kashmir, including the
successful conduct of Parliamentary and Assembly Elections are well known
As a young Captain, he fought in the 1971 War and was part of the Airborne
Assault Group, the first Indian Army Unit to enter Dacca. Apart from
commanding a battalion on the China border, he was part of the Sino-Indian
Working Group and coordinated counter-insurgency operations in the North
East with civil agencies and inter-ministerial delegations.
NASSCOM launches Cyber Security Task Force
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National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and Data
Security Council of India have launched NASSCOM Cyber Security Task
Force which aims to aims to build India as a global hub for providing cyber
security solutions, developing cyber security R&D plan and develop a skilled
workforce of cyber security experts.
NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force will include industry leaders across IT,
BPM and internet, heads of user organizations like banks and telcos as well as
representatives from the government
Rajendra Pawar, Chairman, NIIT will be the chairman of NASSCOM Cyber
Security Task Force
The task force has proposed four working groups focused on industry development,
policy enablement, technology development and skill development.
Vision of Cyber Security Task Force :
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The aim of Cyber Security Task Force is to build the cyber security industry in
India from the 1 per cent market share to 10 percent by 2025
Create a trained base of 500,000 certified and skilled cyber security professionals
and build 100 plus successful security product companies from India.
UN adopts resolution on protection of journalists in conflict zones
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Concerned by the frequency of acts of violence in many parts of the world
against media professionals in armed conflict the United Nations Security
Council has adopted a resolution on the protection of journalists in conflict zones
Media professionals and associated personnel in areas of armed conflict " shall
be considered as civilians and shall be respected and protected as such, provided
that they take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians,"
The council urged the immediate and unconditional release of journalists and
media workers who have been kidnapped or taken as hostages in situations of
armed conflict.
The unanimously adopted resolution, affirmed that the work of a free,
independent and impartial media constitutes one of the essential foundations of
a democratic society
What is Embedded journalism ?
Embedded journalism refers to news reporters being attached to military units
involved in armed conflicts. While the term could be applied to many historical
interactions between journalists and military personnel, it first came to be used in the
media coverage of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Hyderabad-based startup MartMobi acquired by Snapdeal
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Snapdeal has acquired Hyderabad-based technology startup MartMobi for an
undisclosed amount this acquisition will strengthen its mobility platform for
merchants.MartMobi creates mobile sites and apps for ecommerce stores, small
and medium-sized businesses.
The company that was formed in 2008 by Pramod Nair and Satya Krishna Ganni,
also provides real-time analytics to improve conversions and user engagement
Snapdeal is focussing on mobile platform as about 75% of orders are coming
from mobile-based devices. On the merchant side too similar trend is visible
Currently, MartMobi has a 15-member team
Currently, Snapdeal has over 40 Million registered users and over 150,000
business sellers offering around 11 Million products under 500+ categories on its
platform, delivering to over 5,000 cities and towns in India.
Scientists create history by developing world's first artificial molecular pump
Scientists have developed the first man-made molecular pump, this artificial molecular
pump can transports key proteins that cells need to function, that could be used to
power artificial muscles.
The new machine mimics the pumping mechanism of life-sustaining proteins that move
small molecules around living cells to metabolize and store energy from food.
Artificial molecular pump draws power from chemical reactions, driving molecules
step-by step from a low-energy state to a high-energy state - far away from equilibrium
According Fraser Stoddart from the Northwestern University the molecular pump is
radical chemistry - an ingenious way of transferring energy from molecule to molecule,
the way nature does They intend to use the energy stored in their pump to power
artificial muscles and other molecular machines
What actually happens?
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Under normal circumstances the ring-shaped molecules repel one another
The artificial pump is able to syphon off some of the energy that changes hands
during a chemical reaction and uses it to push the rings together
The tiny molecular machine threads the rings around a nanoscopic chain - a sort
of axle - and squeezes the rings together, with only a few nanometres separating
them.
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At present, the artificial molecular pump is able to force only two rings together
but in future they can extend its operation to tens of rings and store more
energy.
However compared to nature's system, the artificial pump is very simple
India and Vietnam Sign a Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation
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India and Vietnam signed a Joint Vision Statement on Defence Cooperation for
the period 2015-2020
The Statement was signed by the Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar and
the Vietnamese Minister for National Defence General Phung Quang Thanh at
the end of the delegation level talks in New Delhi
An MoU on cooperation between the Coast Guards of the two countries was also
signed in the presence of the two Defence Ministers.
The Vietnamese Defence Minister is on a 3-day official visit to the country at the
invitation of Shri Parrikar.
At the delegation level talks, the two sides discussed wide ranging issues
concerning defence cooperation, including cooperation in the area of maritime
security.
Both sides reiterated their commitment to further enhancing the ongoing defence
engagements between the two sides for mutual benefit.
Committee headed by Vijay Kelkar constituted to revisit and revitalise public private
partnership (PPP) mode of infrastructure development.
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The Centre has constituted a 10-member panel under former finance secretary
Vijay Kelkar to revisit and revitalise public private partnership (PPP) mode of
infrastructure development.
It was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech for
2015-16 .
The Committee will comprise of 10 members including its chairman Kelkar, who
is presently the Chairman of Institute of Public Finance & Policy
Among the members of the committee are :
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C S Rajan, Chief Secretary, Rajasthan Government;
S B Nayar, CMD, IIFCL;
Shekhar Shah, Director General, NCAER;
Pradeep Kumar, MD, CBG, SBI;
Vikram Limaye, MD, IDFC;
P S Behuria, former IRS
Sudipto Sarkar, Barrister-at-law, Kolkata
Functionality of the committee
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This committee has been asked to submit its report in three months
The committee will propose design modifications to contractual arrangements of
PPP, international best practices as well as institutional context.
Thefocus areas of the Committee will include measures to improve capacity
building in government for effective implementation of PPP projects, review of
experience of PPP policy, analysis of risks involved in such projects in different
sectors
The Committee may consult various stake holders in private sector, government
sector, legal experts, banking/financial institutions and academia
Ajinkya Rahane, Kumar Sangakkara, Kapil Dev conferred with CEAT awards
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Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara clinched International Cricketer of
the Year honour at a ceremony organised on May 25.
Classy middle order Ajinkya Rahane won the CEAT Indian Cricketer of the Year
honour
Former India captain Kapil Dev, who led the country to the first of two World
Cup titles in 1983, was conferred with the International Lifetime Achievement
Award at the 19th edition of the awards.
Rohit Sharma, who on Sunday led Mumbai Indians to victory in IPL 2015 was
given a special award for his record-breaking 264 made against Sri Lanka in an
ODI at Kolkata.
The award winners are :
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International Lifetime Achievement Award: Kapil Dev
International Cricketer of the Year: Kumar Sangakkara
Indian Cricketer of the Year: Ajinkya Rahane
International Batsman of the Year: Hashim Amla
International Bowler of the Year: Rangana Herath
T20 Player of the Year: Dwayne Bravo
Popular Choice Award: Kieron Pollard
Special Award: Rohit Sharma
Domestic Cricketer of the Year: R Vinay Kumar
Young Player of the Year: Deepak Hooda.
CEAT Cricket Ratings (CCR) was formed in 1995 in association with Professional
Management Group.Three cricketing legends Clive Lloyd, Ian Chappell and Sunil
Gavaskar are the members of the Governing Council of the CRR. This rating system
takes into account the performances in Test Cricket and One Day Internationals over a
period of 12 months from 1 May to 30 April. The system takes into account overall
performances, the Batting, Bowling, Fielding and Wicket Keeping
28.05.2015
UN adopts resolution on protection of journalists in conflict zones
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Concerned by the frequency of acts of violence in many parts of the world against media
professionals in armed conflict the United Nations Security Council has adopted a
resolution on the protection of journalists in conflict zones
Media professionals and associated personnel in areas of armed conflict " shall be
considered as civilians and shall be respected and protected as such, provided that they
take no action adversely affecting their status as civilians,"
The council urged the immediate and unconditional release of journalists and media
workers who have been kidnapped or taken as hostages in situations of armed conflict.
The unanimously adopted resolution, affirmed that the work of a free, independent and
impartial media constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society
What is Embedded journalism ?
Embedded journalism refers to news reporters being attached to military units involved in
armed conflicts. While the term could be applied to many historical interactions between
journalists and military personnel, it first came to be used in the media coverage of the 2003
invasion of Iraq.
Tripura government withdraws AFSPA as Insurgency Declines in the state
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Tripura state government has decided to withdraw the controversial Armed Forces
Special Power Act (AFSPA) from the remaining areas of the state as insurgency is on the
wane in the State.
Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) was in effect for the last 18 years to curb
insurgency.
According to Chief Minister Manik Sarkar this decision was taken in the meeting of the
council of ministers
Since the insurgency problem has largely been contained so there is no need of Armed
Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) in the state.
This Act has been in force in the State since February 1997, in the State’s 26 police
station areas. In four police station limits, the Act was partially enforced.
NRI scientist Latha Venkataraman created a single-molecule electronic device
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Indian-American scientist Latha Venkataraman and his team has created a singlemolecule electronic device which is a molecular diodes that perform 50 times better than
all prior designs. This research group lead by Latha Venkataraman is the first to develop
a single-molecule diode that may have real-world technological applications for
nanoscale devices.
Since the electronic devices are becoming smaller every day, the field of molecular
electronics has become more critical in solving the problem of further
miniaturisation.Single molecule represents the limit of miniaturisation.
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Latha Venkataraman said "It is amazing to be able to design a functioning single
molecular circuit"
Single-Molecule experiment:
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A single-molecule experiment is an experiment that investigates the properties of
individual molecules. Since individual behavior of molecules cannot be distinguished,
when we have bulk collection of molecules only average characteristics can be
measured. Single-molecule experiment supplied many new details on the measured
processes that were not accessible in the past. Indeed, since the 90s, many techniques for
probing individual molecules were developed.
Trevor Bayliss appointed as new head coach of England Cricket Team
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Australian Trevor Bayliss has been appointed as the new head coach of England, as
Peter Moores, second spell ended in early May.
Trevor Bayliss led Sri Lanka from 2007-2011 and took temporary charge of Australia for
their Twenty20 series in South Africa in 2014 and has coached Kolkata Knight Riders in
the Indian Premier League.
Bayliss played in 58 first-class matches as a batsman for his native New South Wales but
never represented Australia.
Bayliss will take up his new role in June as Ashes series against Australia begins in July
Paul Farbrace, who led England to victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord's,
will stay on as Bayliss's assistant coach
Paul Farbrace will remain in temporary charge for the second test against the Kiwis
which starts at Headingley on Friday.
His coaching honours :
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He Coached Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League. Under his
management, the Knight Riders became IPL champions, twice, in 2012 and 2014
He Coached Sri Lanka and led it to the World Cup final in 2011and World Twenty20
finalis (2009)
He had coached the Sydney Sixers in Australia's Big Bash League and led the Sixers to a
BBL title in the 2011-12 season and a CLT20 title the same year.
NASSCOM launches Cyber Security Task Force
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National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and Data
Security Council of India have launched NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force which
aims to aims to build India as a global hub for providing cyber security solutions,
developing cyber security R&D plan and develop a skilled workforce of cyber security
experts.
NASSCOM Cyber Security Task Force will include industry leaders across IT, BPM and
internet, heads of user organizations like banks and telcos as well as representatives
from the government

Rajendra Pawar, Chairman, NIIT will be the chairman of NASSCOM Cyber Security
Task Force
The task force has proposed four working groups focused on industry development, policy
enablement, technology development and skill development.
Vision of Cyber Security Task Force :

The aim of Cyber Security Task Force is to build the cyber security industry in India
from the 1 per cent market share to 10 percent by 2025
Create a trained base of 500,000 certified and skilled cyber security professionals and
build 100 plus successful security product companies from India.
Nebraska Bans Death Penalty
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Nebraska became the first conservative state in more than 40 years to abolish the death
penalty thus joined 18 other states and the federal district of Washington, DC where
death penalty is banned.
The unicameral legislature passed the measure 30 to 19 - the exact number of votes
needed to overrode the governor’s veto of a bill repealing the state’s death penalty law
This law is a victory for unicameral Legislature against the governor, many law
enforcement officials and some family members of murder victims whose killers are on
death row
The state has not executed an inmate since a 1997 electrocution.Ten men are on currently
Nebraska's death row
The state has never executed a prisoner using lethal injection which is the current
method for carrying out the death penalty in the state
29.05.2015
Singapore appoints Indian-origin diplomat S Chandra Das as envoy to Sri Lanka
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Singapore has appointed an Indian- origin businessman as its non-Resident High
Commissioner to Sri Lanka
Das has served as Singapore's ambassador to the Republic of Turkey
About S Chandra Das:
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He had served as Singapore's trade representative to the former Soviet Union from 1970
to 1972 and also as member of parliament from 1980 to 1996
Das was conferred the Distinguished Service (Star) Award by the National Trades Union
Congress in 2005.
Mr. S. Chandra Das serves as the Managing Director at Nur Investment & Trading Pte.
Ltd.
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Mr. Das served as a Managing Director of Intraco Ltd from 1976 to 1986
Mr. Das has over 40 years of experience primarily in companies involved in the trading
and manufacturing industries
He serves as the First Chairman of the Singapore Trade Development Board.
He has been an Independent Director at Embassy Property Developments Limited since
June 2, 2010.
Renowned scientist S Christopher appointed as DRDO chief
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Eminent scientist S Christopher has been appointed as Director General of the Defence
Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for a two-year term.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet has approved appointment of Christopher as
Secretary, Department of Defence Research and Development-cum-Director General,
DRDO for a period of two years from the date of taking over the charge
S Christopher is currently working as Distinguished Scientist and Programme Director
(airborne early warning and control system) and Director, Centre for Air-Borne Systems
in the DRDO.
Another scientist G S Reddy was appointed as the Scientificc Adviser to Defence
Minister Manohar Parrikar for a two-year term. Mr Reddy is Distinguished Scientist and
Director, Research Centre Imarat, and Programme Director of Medium Range Surface to
Air Missile (MRSAM) in the DRDO.
The Department of Defence Research and Development (DoDRD) has remained under
additional charge of Defence Secretary since January 30 this year, after Avinash
Chander's contract was terminated with effect from January 31.
G Mohan Kumar who has been recently appointed as Defence Secretary was on
Monday given the additional charge of the Secretary, DoDRD.
Abhinav Bindra becomes fourth Indian shooter to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics
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Abhinav Bindra became the fourth Indian to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics by finishing
sixth in a field of 132 shooters with 122.4 points at the ISSF World Cup in Munich
Ace Chinese shooter Zhu Qinan won the gold medal with 206 points in the final, while
Vladimir Maslennikov of Russia settled for silver with 205.7 points
Gagan Narang, Jitu Rai and Apurvi Chandela are the other Indians to have secured an
Olympic quota earlier.
According to rule each country can win a maximum of 30 quota places from a total of 15
shooting disciplines (including shotgun events), two each from each discipline.
PAHAL scheme gets huge response in Punjab
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The Centrally sponsored Pratyaksh Hanstantarit Labh or PAHAL Direct Benefit Transfer
of LPG scheme (DBTL) has benifited over 54 lakh families in Punjab having domestic
gas connections.
Out of those 54 lakh about 85 percent have linked with Aadhar and banks to get subsidy
directly in their accounts without any delay
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The Second Phase of the scheme was launched in the state it gives cash subsidy on 12
cylinders of 14.2 Kilogram or 34 cylinders of 5 kilogram. The subsidy amount
automatically gets transferred to the bank accounts of the consumers.
This scheme has helped to curb the sale of unauthorised sale of LPG cylinders at higher
rates and at the same time it also ensures that public money is saved in their bank
accounts.
The scheme being transparent will be benifitial to the public in long run
India, US discuss collaboration in media and entertainment sector
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Information and Broadcasting Secretary Bimal Julka met a delegation of the US-India
Business Council (USIBC) led by Joe Welch, Senior Vice President, 21st Century Fox
Mr Julka gave an overview of the growth of media and entertainment sector and
emphasized on the government’s efforts to make India a film shooting Destination.
The discussions also focused on the possible collaborative avenues related to anti-piracy.
Steps being taken by the government to promote 'Make-in-India' across different
platforms in various sectors were also discussed
New human ancestor species discovered in Ethiopia
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A new human ancestor species of human has been found in Afar region of Ethiopia
.Researchers have discovered teeth and jawbones dating back between 3.3 million and
3.5 million years back which supports that several human species coexisted during that
period.
The new species has been called Australopithecus deyiremeda, which means "close
relative" in the language spoken by the Afar people.
The most famous of these is Australopithecus afarensis - known as Lucy - who lived
between 2.9-3.8m years ago, and was initially thought to be the direct ancestor of
humans
The combined evidence that have been found from radiometric, paleomagnetic, and
depositional rate analyses shows that estimated minimum and maximum ages woulb
be about 3.3 and 3.5 million years.
The discovery of several species called Kenyanthropus platyops in Kenya in 2001, and of
Australopithecus bahrelghazali in Chad, and now it is Australopithecus deyiremedaI,
indicates that there were several species co-existing in various time phases
30.05.2015
U.S. State removes Cuba from the List of State Sponsor of Terrorism
I.
The United States has removed Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism this is a
important move toward restoring diplomatic ties betweenthe countries.
II.
although US trade embargo against the country remains which may only be ended by
Congress.
III.
Both the countries met to negotiate the details of restoring diplomatic relations, including the
opening of embassies in Washington and Havana.
IV.
The removal form the list of State Sponsor of Terrorism has been one of the key demand of
Cuba
V.
The diplomats of both the countries had met in Washington last week, but failed to come to
an agreement on opening embassies but this move will improve the relationship between the
countries.
SBI launches online application to apply for loans
I.
Government-owned lender State Bank of India has launched Online Customer
Acquisition Solution (OCAS),through which customers can apply online for home loans, car
loans, education loans and personal loans.
II.
SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya launched the online application,this online
application will help customers gauge their eligibility and get a quote personalised to their
requirement
III.
Customers can even upload all necessary documents online, reducing the processing time of
their loan get an e-approval on filling the online form. Thereafter, the bank officials will
contact customers and complete all the loan formalities.
IV.
The bank is planning to launch a similar application on the mobile platform very soon.
Veena Jain appointed as Director-General of Doordarshan News
The information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry on Friday appointed Information Service
Officer Veena Jain as director general of Doordarshan News Ms. Jain will also hold the dual
designation of OSD to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in charge of new media.
She will report to the Ministry for all purpose Ms. Jain takes over from Akshay Rout who was
officiating as Director-General News.Akshya Kumar Routa senior is a administrative grade
officer of the Indian Information Service (IIS) Group A, he has been promoted to the Selection
Grade of IIS Group A.
DD DG (news) is one of the most influential positions in the public broadcaster. Both DD and
AIR are media wings that function under Prasar Bharati.
PK Sinha appointed as cabinet secretary
I.
Pradeep Kumar Sinha, a 1977 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre has been
appointed as next Cabinet Secretary.
II.
Mr. Sinha, has been serving as Power Secretary since July 2013 he will succeed Ajit Seth
whose term ends on June 13
III.
He has earlier served as the Shipping Secretary and has also held several other important
positions in the Union Government and in his cadre state--Uttar Pradesh
IV.
PK is among the senior-most IAS officers in the country and is seen as an upright officer.
Cabinet secretariat:-
I.
The Cabinet secretariat is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister. The
administrative head of the secretariat is the Cabinet Secretary who is also the ex-officio
chairman of the Civil Services Board.
II.
III.
The Cabinet Secretariat assists in decision-making in government by ensuring interministerial coordination, clearing out differences amongst ministries or departments and
evolving consensus through the instrumentality of the standing or adhoc committees of
secretaries.
The Cabinet Secretariat ensures that the President, the Vice President and Ministers are kept
informed of the major activities of all Ministries/Departments by means of monthly
summary of their activities. Management of major crisis situations in the country and
coordinating activities of various Ministries in such a situation is also one of the functions of
the Cabinet Secretariat.
More than 100 cities of US will organise a Yogathon on the first International Yoga Day to be
celebrated on June 21
I.
15 cities in New Jersey-New York area, seven cities in California, six cities in Texas and
three cities in Ohio have already finalised the details of the Yogathon
II.
50 organisations have joined the countrywide campaign to spread the awareness about
Yoga.
III.
Sunstone Yoga, a Yoga studio chain which has presence in 13 locations in Dallas has come as
a sponsor for the event.
IV.
Organisations like Nepali Student Organisation and Food for Life Global - the world largest
vegetarian food relief organisation has joined in as an event partner
V.
During his visit to the United Nations in September last year, Modi had urged the world
community to celebrate Indian Yoga at the international level and that June 21 be declared as
the World Yoga Day
I&B Ministry to organize Talkathon on completion of one year of NDA govt
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is organizing Talkathon on the completion of one
year of the NDA Government
Union Ministers Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal and Nirmala Sitharaman will participate in the 90
minute live programme from National Media Centre in New Delhi
During the session of Talkathon they will answer questions posted on Twitter. The users may
use the hashtag #AskYourGovt to post their queries to the Twitter handle of the Ministry
@MIB_India,The event is a part of government's initiative to highlight its achievements during
one year in office, would be webcast live on YouTube channel of the I&B Ministry, pib.nic.in,
india.gov.in and DD News.
31.05.2015
Maharashtra government launches Swachhata Saptapadi scheme
I.
On the lines of Centre government’s ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ the Maharashtra
Government will launch ‘Swachhata Saptapadi’ scheme.The scheme was launched by Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis
II.
Actor Aamir Khan will attend the inauguration ceremony as a guest along with Chief
Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and Minister of State for Urban Development Dr Ranjit Patil
III.
There are about eight lakh homes in urban areas of the state that do not have toilets who
either use community or common toiletsstate government wants to stop by providing them
proper facilities to defecate which is the first mission of Swachhata Saptapadi’
IV.
Under the new scheme, debris or waste will not be allowed to dump at dumping grounds
and processing of waste will be made mandatory.
V.
Municipal corporations and municipal councils have to adopt new technology for disposal of
waste and the grants received from the Centre will be linked to the implementation of the
scheme.
31 MAY was observed as World No Tobacco Day 2015
I.
India observed 31 MAY as World No Tobacco Day Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi,
has given the following message on World No Tobacco Day: "World No Tobacco Day reminds
us of the harms associated with tobacco consumption and a day to reaffirm our commitment to
reduce this menace.
II.
The World Health Organization's focus on stopping illicit trade of tobacco products is a
laudatory effort that will help in minimising tobacco consumption."
III.
According to the WHO, tobacco causes over five million deaths world wide which is likely to
increase to 8.4 million if the situation is not brought under control.
About World No Tobacco Day :-
I.
World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on May 31. It
is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption
around the globe
II.
III.
The day also intends to draw attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and its
negative health effect
Currently tobacco leads to nearly 6 million deaths each year worldwide, including 600,000 of
which are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke
Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley to Inaugurate the New Bank Note Paper Line at Security
Paper Mill, Hoshangabad Madhya Pradesh.
I.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated a new production line to manufacture
currency paper at Hoshangabad Madhya Pradesh
II.
It symbolises the beginning of the 'Make in India' initiative and would ensure highdenomination notes are printed on locally-made paper.
III.
Currently, currency notes of larger denominations are printed on imported paper though ink
used is mostly produced within the country
IV.
The foundation stone for this New Bank Note Paper Line was laid on 17.12.2011 by the then
Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee.
V.
VI.
The project has been completed at a cost of Rs.495 crores within the budget and within the
time schedule. This plant is environment
friendly with minimal use of the power and water.
VII.
This plant has been incorporated with the latest pulp manufacturing plant, control systems,
equipped with automatic sheet cutter and packaging and has online inspection system.
VIII.
This plant is capable of manufacturing all denominations of Bank Note paper with capacity
to introduce 3-dimentional toned water mark
IX.
This new production line will also reduce possibility of diversion of the paper supplied by
foreign countries to other destinations for the purpose of generating fake currency,
G R Aloria appointed as Chief Secretary of Gujarat state
I.
Current chief secretary of Gujarat D J Pandian retires on May 31,2015 due to which the
state government appointed IAS officer G R Aloria for the post
II.
III.
He is 1981-batch IAS officer and currently serves as the additional chief secretary of Urban
Development Department
Aloria was officially appointed as the new chief secretary to Government of Gujarat with
effect from May 31, 2015
About G R Aloria :-
I.
Aloria has served in several key positions in the past including heading the Sardar
Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited.
II.
Aloria has also served as secretary in the revenue department as well as head Gujarat State
Road Transport Corporation
Sepp Blatter re-elected as FIFA President
I.
Mr Sepp Blatter, 79, was re-elected as global football body’s (FIFA) president in a vote
that overshadowed his arrests and corruption allegations.
II.
III.
The 2015, elections that was scheduled for the FIFA presidency, Blatter again became the
incumbent candidate, running for a fifth consecutive term. Prince Ali bin Hussein was his
opponent in the election
He was first elected President of FIFA on 8 June 1998 at the 51st FIFA Congress, succeeding
João Havelange who had held the presidency since 1974