current affairs may pdf capsule 2015 by affairs cloud

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Current Affairs PDF: May 2015

Indian Affairs

Maharashtra FDA ordered to file a FIR against Snapdeal and its CEO Kunal Behl

Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 1 May 2015 ordered to file a FIR against the

Snapdeal, its CEO Kunal Bahl and Directors for allegedly selling prescription drugs online. Selling of

drugs without prescription is a crime under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The FIR was filed after FDA officer on an investigation found that Jasper Infotech Pvt. Ltd. entered

into agreements with dealers across India to supply medicines offered or exhibited for sale on its

website, snapdeal.com, and to collect the sale proceeds on their behalf.

World s largest solar photo oltai pla t of MW to e uilt i ‘e a distri t of Madh a Pradesh

The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet in the last week of April 2015 gave its approval to build 750 megawatt

(MW) solar photovoltaic (SPV) plant at Gurh tehsil in Rewa district.

The pla t, to e de eloped i th ee phases of MW, o e o pleted ill e o e the o ld s largest solar power plant.

At present, the largest SPV plant is the Topaz Solar Farm (550 MW) in Califo ia s “a Luis O ispo county, US, which was commissioned in 2014

Rajasthan government allocates 12 crore rupees for Project Great Indian Bustard

Rajasthan Forest department has allotted more than twelve crore rupees for a bird conservation

programme, Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB).

For this project Japan Bank is going to provide financial support of three crore rupees.

Under the GIB Project, closures will be made at many places in Khudi rasla, Pokhran and Shahgarh

of Jaislmer district for safe habitat of bird. In order to regularly monitor the bird information chips

will installed.

Dr Mahesh Sharma inaugurated Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium

The Union Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge) and

Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma on 3 May 2015 inaugurated the first ever Science Centre and

Planetarium in the Union Territory of Puducherry.

The Science Centre and Planetarium has been set up by the National Council of Science Museums

(NCSM) of Ministry of Culture at an expense of 5.5 crore rupees. It is the 47th Science Museum in

the country.

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Rajasthan Government inks MoU with NHM, UNICEF and GAIN to counter malnourishment

Rajasthan Government has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Health

Mission (NHM), UNICEF and Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) to tackle the severe

problem malnourishment in the state.

This MoU will help to implement the state government programme which was announced during

the state budget. In this budget the state government had announced that special attention will be

given to the children falling out of medical reach in state.

Bhel o issio s Bijlee Utpada s ther al u it i Bihar

State-owned power equipment maker Bhel today said it has commissioned a thermal unit of KBUNL

in Bihar.

This is the first 195 MW unit to be commissioned by Bhel at the 2×195 MW Muzaffarpur thermal

power station of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUNL) in Bihar.

Salman Khan sentenced to five-years in jail in 2002 hit-n-run case

Bollywood actor Salman Khan was in news as on 6 April 2015 he was sentenced to five years

imprisonment by Mumbai Sessions Court.

He was sentenced for his 28 September 2002 hit and run case in which one pavement dweller was

killed and four others were injured.

BHEL o issio s GVK s h dro-power project in Uttarakhand

Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) has successfully commissioned the first unit of 82.5 MW at the

upcoming Shrinagar Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Uttarakhand.

The greenfield hydro electric project consisting of four units of 82.5 MW each is being set up by

Alaknanda Hydro Power Corporation (GVK Group).

Location of the Project : Alaknanda River, a major tributary of the Ganga River, a perennial river in

Uttarakhand.Near the town of Shrinagar in Pauri Garhwal District of Uttarakhand.

The project is designed to utilise the waters of River Alaknanda by way of a diversion dam .

Power generation from Shrinagar HEP is likely to result in reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Current Projects under Execution by BHEL in Uttarakhand:

Lata Tapovan HEP (3×57 MW)

Tapovan Vishnugarh HEP (4×130 MW)

Vyasi HEP (2X60 MW)

Vishnugarh Pipalkoti HEP (4×111 MW)

So far, more than 500 hydro generating sets of various ratings have been contracted on BHEL in

India and abroad, with a cumulative capacity of more than 26,000 MW. Of these, equipment for

about 5,000 MW generating capacity has been contracted outside India.

Current Affairs April Quiz Competition on June 11 & 12

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Lok Sabha passes GST Bill 2014

On Wednesday,6th May 2015, Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax Constitutional Amendment

bill. Lok Sabha Speaker Sumithra Mahajan announced that the Bill was approved with two-thirds majority

of the house. Finance Minister Mr Arun Jaitley said that the GST will reduce the prices in the long run and

boost the economic growth.

Insertion of Article 279A in the constitution will give the Bill power to Union and State governments

to make laws on goods and services taxation.

The Central and State governments are not interested in imposing higher GST rates that could hurt

people.

The proposed GST would harmonise a mosaic of state and central into a national sales tax,

that business and policy makers hope would boost production and reduce corruption.

Government think-tank proposed a GST rate to be set at 27%, which is above the global average of

16.4%.

Mr Jaitley said that the rates proposed would be too high and needs to be diluted.

Exemptions and Exceptions are also worked into the Bill. The tax does not apply to alcohol for ex

petroleum products will be taxed seperately .

Manufacturing states will be allowed to levy an additional tax of 1% on the supply of goods.

According to Mr Arun Jaitley , the whole country, which is one-sixth of the worlds population would

become a single market and therefore would give necessary fillip as far as trade is concerned.

The constitutional amendment bill was passed by 352 votes as against 37 after the government

rejected the opposition demand of referring it to a standing committee.

The GST Bill, would also give compensation to the states for the loss of revenue due to

implementation of GST, this compensation would be there for 5 years.

India – Bangladesh Land Boundary bill gets cleared by Union Cabinet

The constitution (119th) amendment bill 2013, which will allow the operationalisation of the 1974 India -

Bangladesh Land agreement was cleared by Union Cabinet on May 5, 2015. The envisaged exchange of

land includes enclaves and ad erse possessio s from West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam.

The India-Bangladesh Agreement was signed in 1974, but was not ratified as it involved transfer of

territory which required a Constitutional Amendment. Hence, the government is planning to

introduce this revised bill in the current session of parliament.

Once Parliament Clears the Bill, it would pave the way for the historic agreement being ratified by

India at a formal signing ceremony expected to take place when Narendra Modi visits Dhaka in

June.

According to the agreement, India is to receive 2,777.038 acres of land and to transfer 2267.682

acresto Bangladesh.

India has 111 enclaves within Bangladesh (70 square km) whereas Bangladesh has 51 enclaves in

India (28 square km)

Assam will stand to lose 268 acres of land in lieu of 714 acres currently with Bangladesh.

Defi itio of I dia-Ba gladesh Ag ee e t : The Bill efe s to de a ated la d ou da ies i accordance with the India-Bangladesh agreement signed on May 16, 1974.This agreement

underwent further modification through letters exchanged thereafter and a protocol on September

6, 2011.

Exchange of territories: The territories involved are in the states of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya

and Tripura. Many of these are enclaves (i.e., territory belonging to one country that is entirely

surrounded by the other country), and there are even enclaves-within-enclaves.

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Amendment to the First Schedule of the Constitution: The Bill amends paragraphs relating to the

territories of Assam, West Bengal, Meghalaya, and Tripura in the First Schedule of the Constitution.

Timeline :

1974 – India – Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement was signed on May 16,1974 between Indira

Gandhi and Mujibur Rehman, but not ratified.

2011 – In September 2011, Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh of India and Sheikh Hasina of

Bangladesh signed an accord on border demarcation and exchange of adversely held enclaves;

however, the Indian parliament has yet to ratify it. Under this intended agreement, the enclave

residents could continue to reside at their present location or move to the country of their choice.

2013 – The Constitution (119th Amendment) Bill, 2013 was introduced to the Rajya Sabha, the

Upper House of Parliament of India, on 18 December 2013.

2014 – The Parliament panel, Standing Committee on External Affairs, approved the bill in

November 2014

2015 – Cabinet clears the revised land boundary agreement delinking Assam on April 29, 2015

2015 – On May 5, Government reversed its decision of excluding Assam from the purview of its Bill

on exchanging land with Bangladesh.

Union Cabinet Approves Amendments to Whistleblowers Act

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.

Amendment is being done with a view to incorporate necessary provisions aimed at

strengthening safeguards against disclosures which may prejudicially affect the sovereignty and

integrity of the country, security of the state.

Safeguard has also been provided in respect of such disclosures which have been exempted under

section 8(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Government will now move an amendment bill in Parliament during the ongoing Budget session

itself.

Highlights of the act :

The Bill seeks to protect whistleblowers, i.e. persons making a public interest disclosure related to

an act of corruption, misuse of power, or criminal offence by a public servant.

Any public servant or any other person including a non-governmental organization may make such

a disclosure to the Central or State Vigilance Commission.

Every complaint has to include the identity of the complainant.

The Vigilance Commission shall not disclose the identity of the complainant except to the head of

the department if he deems it necessary. The Bill penalises any person who has disclosed the

identity of the complainant.

The Bill prescribes penalties for knowingly making false complaints.

The Bill also provides safeguards against victimisation of the person who makes the complaint.

Timeline :

2010 : The Public Interest Disclosures and Protection to Persons making the Disclosures Bill, 2011

was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August, 2010.

2011 : The bill was passed by Lok Sabha, in December 2011, as the Whistle Blowers Protection

Bill, 2011.

2014 : The Rajya Sabha had passed it on 21 February 2014.

2014 : It had received the assent of the President on 9 May 2014.

2015 : Union Cabinet Approves Amendments to Whistleblowers Act.

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Negotiable Instruments (Amendments) Bill, 2015 passed

NDA govt. passed the Negotiable Instruments(Amendment) Bill, which makes filling cases more

convenient for payees in cheque bounce cases.

It aims at section 138 of the original act because of which large of no. of cases are stuck in courts,

as SC had ordered previously that cases against accused could only be filed in courts under whose

jurisdiction, the bank account of the accused fall.

It had to face opposition from its own party members regarding the bill, who fear that it would be

used against common man by corporates.

The bill was later passed by voice vote.

Union Cabinet approves the operationalization of the APY , PMJJBY and PMSBY

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today approved the

operationalisation of the Atal Pension Yojna (APY), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and

the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY).

Atal Pension Yojana (APY):

Subscribers would receive a fixed minimum pension of Rs. 1000 per month, Rs. 2000 per month,

Rs. 3000 per month, Rs. 4000 per month, Rs. 5000 per month, at the age of 60 years, depending on

their contributions, which itself would vary on the age of joining the APY.

The Central Government would also co-contribute 50 percent of the total contribution or Rs. 1000

per annum, whichever is lower, to each eligible subscriber account, for a period of 5 years.

The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years and maximum age is 40 years.

The benefit of fixed minimum pension would be guaranteed by the Government.

The pension would also be available to the spouse on the death of the subscriber and thereafter,

the pension corpus would be returned to the nominee.

It is expected that around two crore subscribers would be enrolled during the current financial year

under APY.

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY):

Annual life insurance of Rs. 2 lakh would be available on the payment of premium of Rs. 330 per

annum by the subscribers.

The PMJJBY will be made available to people in the age group of 18 to 50 years having a bank

a ou t f o he e the p e iu ould e olle ted th ough the fa ilit of auto-de it .

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY) :

The Scheme will be available to people in the age group 18 to 70 years with a bank account, from

he e the p e iu of ‘s. ould e olle ted th ough the fa ilit of auto-de it . The risk coverage will be Rs. 2 lakh for accidental death and full disability.

The risk coverage will be Rs. 1 lakh for partial disability.

Schemes Inaugurated by Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment inaugurated the

p og a es Co e ial Moto D i i g T ai i g P og a e ith “elf Defe se “kills fo Wo e a d C edit E ha e e t Gua a tee “ he e fo “ heduled Castes , he e toda i Ne Delhi. Co e ial Moto D i i g T ai i g P og a e ith “elf Defe se “kills fo Wo e to be organized by

National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC) and o the othe ha d C edit E ha e e t Gua a tee “ he e fo “ heduled Castes to e i ple e ted IFCI Ltd

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Co er ial Motor Dri i g Trai i g Progra e ith “elf Defe se “kills for Wo e

About the Programme :

Providing Commercial Motor Driving Traini g ith “elf Defe se “kills fo 250 women organised by

NSKFDC.

It will meet the objective of women social & economic empowerment by creating job/self

employment opportunities for these women, belonging to the families of Safai Karamcharis.

The Self Defense Skills being taught during the training, will provide self confidence not only among

these women drivers, but would also give a sense of security to the women passengers,

particularly, those who have to travel at odd hours.

The programme is of utmost importance keeping in view the increasing incidents of eve-teasing,

molestation, rapes, etc

The Minister appreciated the initiative of NSKFDC, as it serves the twin purpose of security for

women and their economic empowerment, which is the foremost priority for the Government.

About NSKFDC :

Full Form : National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation

Set up in January 1997 as a non profit company under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment,

Government of India

Objective : To empower the Scavengers, Safai Karamcharis and their dependents to break away

their traditional occupation, depressed social condition and poverty and leverage them to work

their own way up the social and economic ladder with dignity and pride.

Headquarters : New Delhi.

Credit E ha e e t Guara tee “ he e for “ heduled Castes

About the Programme :

A sum of Rs.200 crores has been allocated towards Credit Enhancement Guarantee for young and

start-up entrepreneurs, belonging to Scheduled Castes, who aspire to be part of middle class

category, with an objective to encourage entrepreneurship in the lower strata of the Society

resulting in job creation besides creating confidence in Scheduled Castes.

Allocation is under Social Sector Initiatives in order to promote entrepreneurship among the

scheduled castes and to facilitate concessional finance to them.

Young and start-up entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes can avail this facility in large

numbers.

This scheme is to be implemented by IFCI,ltd.

About IFCI :

Full Form : Industrial Finance Corporation of India

An Indian government owned development bank to cater to the long-term finance needs of the

industrial sector.

First Development Financial Institution established by the Indian government after independence in

the year 1948.

Objective : The main objective of IFCI is to provide medium and long term financial assistance to

large scale industrial undertakings, particularly when ordinary bank accommodation does not suit

the undertaking or finance cannot be profitably raised by the concerned by the issue of shares.

Headquarters : New Delhi.

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National Space Act for regulating space activities in India

Mi iste of “tate i the P i e Mi iste s Offi e a d Mi iste of “tate i the Mi ist of Pe so el, PG & Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha today informed

that Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has initiated a process of formulating a National Space

Act.

Features of the Act :

To regulating the space activities in India,

To facilitate the enhanced levels of private sector participation in space activities in India and

Offering more commercial opportunities for private sector in India.

Towards this, a two day national workshop was held at ISRO Headquarters, Bangalore during Jan

16-17, 2015 with the participation of experts across the country. A draft version has been prepared,

which is under consultation with experts

Agreements, Treaties, MOUs Signed by ISRO

India has currently signed co-operation agreements with 35 countries for peaceful uses of outer

space.

ISRO is presently implementing the space debris mitigation guidelines endorsed by the United

Nations in design and operation of all its space systems.

Five international treaties on outer space activities formulated under the aegis of United Nations

Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space are already in place. India is a Member State in four

major treaties.

Rabindranath Tagore 154th birth anniversary – May 07

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid his tributes to Nobel Laureate Rabindranath

Tagore on his 154th birth anniversary.

India inks Chabahar Port deal with Iran

In a deal of significant strategic importance, India and Iran on Wednesday signed an inter-Governmental

Memorandum of U de sta di g MoU ega di g I dia s pa ti ipatio i the de elop e t of the Chabahar

Port in Iran.

This was signed by Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi, Minister for Transport and Urban Development of Iran,

and Nitin Gadkari, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister, during his visit to Iran.

About the Chabahar Port Project :

With the signing of this MoU, Indian and Iranian commercial entities will now be in a position to

commence negotiations towards finalisation of a commercial contract under which Indian firms

will lease two existing berths at the port and operationalise them as container and multi-purpose

cargo terminals.

It will impart significant strategic leverage to India giving it access to Afghanistan.

Chabahar which is located close to the strategic Persian Gulf will impart significant strategic

leverage to India giving it access to Afghanistan and to the energy-rich Central Asia bypassing

Pakistan.

It also cuts down transit time by a third accruing significant time and cost savings.

India, which has invested over $2 billion in Afghanistan, plans to link the Chabahar port with the

Zaranj-Delaram road, the garland highway, India built in Afghanistan by upgrading the Chabahar-

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Milak oad ope i g alte ati e a ess to sea po t fo Afgha ista s o e tivity to regional and

global markets.

India has already committed $100 million to develop the port.

India has planned to complete this port project in about one-and-a-half years.

In 2014, Indian government sanctioned an initial amount USD 85 million for the development of

Chabahar port.

Union Government, ADB signed loan agreement worth 31 Million US dollars

The Union Government and Asian Development Bank (ADB) on 7 May 2015 signed a 31 million US

dollars loan agreement to boost water availability in selected river basins in Karnataka and ensure

improved water efficiency in irrigation.

The agreement was signed by Raj Kumar, Joint Secretary (Multilateral Institutions), Department of

Economic Affairs on behalf of the Union Government and M Teresa Kho, Country Director of ADB in

India.

Prime Minister releases commemorative coin on Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday released a commemorative coin to mark the birth

centenary of Swami Chinmayananda.

Swami Chinmayananda was a renowned Hindu spiritual leader and teacher who had inspired the

formation of a global nonprofit organisation called Chinmaya Mission to spread the knowledge of

Advaita Vedanta.

Swami Chinmayananda born as Balakrishna Menon on 8 May 1916 pioneered works in the field of

education and social reform. He died on 3 August 1993.

He sa the eed to i ul ate I dia s g eat ultu e a d spi itual t aditio s, th ough the English medium, among an elite class of people, who had moved away from this heritage.

Nirmal Ganga Sahbhagita Programme

The Go e e t has lau hed Nirmal Ganga Sahbhagita a sustai a le i itiati e ith U a Lo al Bodies(ULBs) located on the banks of the river Ganga for achieving the objective of Clean Ganga.

Obejctive of the Programme :

The initiative aims at sensitizing the ULBs about the pollution in river Ganga arising primarily due to

dumping of solid waste in the river/nallas and to involve them in a long term engagement in

stoppage of the solid waste flow from nallas/drains to the river.

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) intends to enter in to a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) with the ULBs for effective and fruitful engagement in this regard.

The broad objective of the partnership is to involve the ULBs in the areas of solid waste

management, installation and maintenance of clarifiers/screens in the nallas/drains to support

primary treatment of waste water.

Mai tai i g litte f ee zo es 500m along the river basin.

It also encourages the volunteer force and youth in ghat cleaning .

Providing livelihood for unemployed youth for monitoring health and litter free zone of the river.

Public Outreach Activities.

Formation of Ganga Project Implementation Units (PIU) in various towns to enable implementation

of the Clea Ga ga P og a e at the to le el

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About National Mission for Clean Ganga :

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) is the implementation wing of National Ganga River

Basin Authority (NGRBA).

An autonomous society under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga

Rejuvenation.

NMCG is the coordinating body supported by States Level Programme Management Groups of the

following states: Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkahnd, Bihar and West Bengal,as well as the

National Capital Territory of Delhi.

NMCG aims to ensure effective elimination of pollution.

It also works for the rejuvenation of the Ganga river through a river basin approach for promotion

of inter-sectoral coordination.

It also works to maintain minimum ecological flows in the river to ensure water quality and

sustainable development.

The NMCG will also accept or provide grants and loans and undertake management of endowment

trust, fund or donation in consonance with its objective.

Govt approves National Smart Grid Mission

Government has approved the National Smart Grid Mission (NSGM) -an institutional mechanism

for planning, monitoring and implementation of policies and programs related to Smart Grid

activities.

This was stated by Sh. Piyush Goyal, Minister of state for Power, Coal & New and Renewable

Energy (IC) in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

The NSGM aims to implement a smart power grid based on the latest technology in automation,

communication and IT systems that can monitor and control power flows from points of generation

to points of consumption

Total Outlay : Rs.980 crore with a budgetary support of Rs.338 crore.

State-level missions on the lines of the national smart grid have also been proposed

NSGM has three tier structure.

Indian Army and Bank of India Inked an MoU

On 08th May 2015, an MoU was signed between the Indian Army and Bank of India (BOI) on the Defence

Salary Package. The signing ceremony was chaired by the Adjutant General, Lt Gen Rakesh Sharma, and

was attended by senior dignitaries of BOI headed by Mr Arun Shrivastava, Executive Director.

The first MoU between BOI and the Indian Army was signed in 2011 and was valid for a period of

three years.

Army is hoping that this MoU will benefit a large number of serving and retired Army personnel

who are having their accounts with BOI.

An opportunity to access modern banking facilities.

Basic features of the MoU :

The standard bundle of free / concessional services including free drafts

Free cheque books

Free funds transfers to any bank in India through RTGS / NEFT

Free ATM cards etc.

Additional Features :

The Personal Accident Insurance (PAI) cover has been extended upto Rs 10 lacs from Rs 5 lacs 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 lacs.


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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.

The revised MoU is tailor made to suit the requirements of serving soldiers, pensioners and

families.

Haryana Government included Deaflympics in its sports policy

State Government of Haryana on 9 May 2015 included Deaflympics in its Sports Policy. It was

included to enable Deaflympian medalists to get cash rewards, jobs and other benefits.

Decision to this effect to include Deaflympics in sports policy was taken during a state cabinet meet

chaired by Chief Minister Manohar Lal at Chandigarh.

Deaflympics, previously known as World Games for the Deaf and International Games for the Deaf,

is an event sanctioned by International Olympic Committee (IOC). Its participants are deaf athletes

and they compete at an elite level.

Goa Government launched hot air balloon & amphibious vehicles

State Government of Goa on 9 May 2015 launched hot air balloon and amphibious vehicles in the

picturesque state of beaches. It was launched with an aim to add attractions to its tourism

portfolio.

The hot air balloon will help tourists to fly over the picturesque landscape, which will provide an

aerial view of the popular tourist destinations.

Amphibious vehicle, which can run on road and ply in waters, can operate across seven routes in

five talukas of Goa.

Four MoUs Signed during Prime Minister s Visit to Chhattisgarh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Naxal-affe ted Da te ada distri t i Chhattisgarh s Bastar egio toda . This is M Modi s fi st isit to the egio afte e o i g the P i e Mi iste last ea . Mr Modi will be the first Prime Minister after Rajiv Gandhi to visit to region to inaugurate development

projects.

Other prime ministers since Mr Gandhi have visited the region, but for election campaigns.

Mr Modi inaugurated four projects there worth a total of Rs. 24,000 crore.

He also visited and interacted with students at Education City, Jawanga, Dantewada.

The Prime Minister also visited “aksha – a school for specially-abled children – and interacted

with students there.

MoUs signed at Dantewada :

MoU between Govt of Chhattisgarh, NMDC, IRCON and SAIL for 140km rail line between Rowghat

and Jagdalpur.

Estimated project cost: Rs. 2000 crore.

MoU between Ministry of Steel, Govt of Chhattisgarh, SAIL and NMDC for 3 million ton Ultra Mega

Steel Plant.


MoU between Govt of Chhattisgarh and NMDC for Slurry Pipeline and 2MTPA Pellet Plant at

Nagarnar in Bastar District


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MoU between Govt of Chhattisgarh and SAIL for setting up 1MTPA Pellet Plant at Dalli-Rajhara,

Balod District.


Indian Navy Commissions Porbandar base INS Sardar Patel

“ardar Patel , the latest Naval establishment of Indian Navy, was commissioned at Porbandar, Gujarat

by Anandiben Patel, the Chief Minister of Gujarat today.

The commissioning ceremony was attended by Admiral RK Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice

Admiral SPS Cheema, Flag Officer Commanding–in–Chief, Western Naval Command, senior naval

officers and other dignitaries of the state government.

As a part of the ceremony, the Chief Minister named the establishment INS Sardar Patel , after

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India.

Also unveiled the commissioning plaque as well as a marble bust of the Iro a of I dia . The economic importance of this frontal maritime state, in the overall national security dynamics, is

the core factor governing sustenance and operation of naval assets from the Forward Operating

Naval base at Porbandar.

First Commanding Officer of INS Sardar Patel : Cmde BR Prakash

He is the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Gujarat, Diu & Daman)

Modi launches Three Social Security Schemes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched three ambitious social security schemes, relating to

the insurance and pension sector and intended at widening the process of financial inclusion.

On his first visit to West Bengal after taking over as Prime Minister, he launched three social security

schemes :

Pradha Ma tri “uraksha Bi a Yoja a (accident insurance)

Pradha Ma tri Jee a J oti Yoja a (life insurance)

Atal Pe sio Yoja a Pension)

The Prime Minister then handed out certificates to the first three subscribers — including two

women.

The Jan Suraksha Yojana, under which the schemes were launched countrywide, is expected to

reduce the number of zero balance bank accounts created under the Jan-Dhan Yojana.

The schemes target the poor and unorganized sector who are neither covered by any form of

insurance nor get pension.

The three schemes were simultaneously launched at 112 centres in different states and union

territories attended by respective chief ministers/governors and the union ministers.

Three ambitious social security schemes, conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi were

simultaneously launched in Arunachal Pradesh today by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs

Kiren Rijiju and Chief Minister Nabam Tuki.

Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana :

The Scheme will be available to people in the age group 18 to 70 years with a bank account, from

where the premium of Rs. 12 ould e olle ted th ough the fa ilit of auto-de it . The risk coverage will be Rs. 2 lakh for accidental death and full disability.

The risk coverage will be Rs. 1 lakh for partial disability.

Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana :

Annual life insurance of Rs. 2 lakh would be available on the payment of premium of Rs. 330 per

annum by the subscribers.

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The PMJJBY will be made available to people in the age group of 18 to 50 years having a bank

account from where the p e iu ould e olle ted th ough the fa ilit of auto-de it .

Atal Pension Yojana :

Subscribers would receive a fixed minimum pension of Rs. 1000 per month, Rs. 2000 per month, Rs.

3000 per month, Rs. 4000 per month, Rs. 5000 per month, at the age of 60 years, depending on

their contributions, which itself would vary on the age of joining the APY.

The Central Government would also co-contribute 50 percent of the total contribution or Rs. 1000

per annum, whichever is lower, to each eligible subscriber account, for a period of 5 years.

The minimum age of joining APY is 18 years

Maximum age is 40 years.

The benefit of fixed minimum pension would be guaranteed by the Government.

The pension would also be available to the spouse on the death of the subscriber and thereafter,

the pension corpus would be returned to the nominee.

It is expected that around two crore subscribers would be enrolled during the current financial year

under APY.

Narendra Modi inaugurates IISCO plant at Burnpur

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated here the upgraded steel plant of IISCO that has the

ou t s largest blast furnace in Burnpur, West Bengal on Sunday.

The plant has been modernised at a cost of Rs. 16,000 crore.

Production capacity will go up from 0.85 mtpa to 2.9 mtpa.

The modernised facility will have the largest blast furnace.

It s a e i th of a lega i dust ial u it i the ou t . The newest plant of SAIL replaces the old 0.4 million IISCO facility at Burnpur in West Bengal that

still produces pig iron and a little bit of construction steel

It is devoted fully towards production of construction steel in its various usages — covering small

housing to sophisticated infrastructure needs.

Total Set Up Cost – Rs. 16,480 crore

It is spread across 953 acres is the fifth integrated steel plant of SAIL.

Target : Central government had planned to attain a capacity to produce 300 million tonnes of

steel by 2025 to meet industry demands.

Jayaram Jayalalitha cleared of corruption charges

An appeals court in southern India has acquitted powerful regional politician Jayaram Jayalalitha of

corruption charges, clearing the way for her to return to public office.

The High Court of Karnataka delivered its verdict on the appeal by former Tamil Nadu chief minister

J Jayalalitha challenging a special court order convicting her in the disproportionate assets case.

“uppo te s f o Ja alalitha s pa t hee ed, set off fi e a ke s a d da ed i the st eets of the Tamil Nadu state capital of Chennai, her hometown, after the Karnataka High Court in Bangalore

delivered its verdict.

Hyderabad to play host to global pharma summit

Hyderabad is all set to host a 4 day long global pharma expo and summit from 23 July,2015.

Event will touch a range of issues from pharma teaching to education, indigenous drugs, drug

regulation and will also endorse joint ventures and collabs.

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The su it, ith the the e i o atio a d ad a es is ei g o ga ised the I dus fou datio

in association with FTAPCCI and OMICS group.

40mw Solar Plant Commissioned in MP

Bangalore based, solar module manufacturer, Vikram Solar, has successfully commissioned a 40

MW solar photovoltaic plant for IL&FSED CO. Spread over 260 acres, it was installed within 6

months in 2 plants of 20 MW each.

It is set up under the Jawahar Nehru National Solar Mission phase II and is connected to the

national grid.

It s e pe ted to ge e ate . illio kWh i the fi st ea . It aims to boost local production. The high efficiency PV modules are made in Falta, West Bengal.

Samajwadi water ATM scheme launched by the government of Uttar Pradesh

Government of Uttar Pradesh has started Samajwadi water ATM scheme “a aj adi “hudha Pa jal Yoj a in bus stations. Mr Akilesh Yadav, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh launched this scheme for the

benefit of people, which aims in providing portable water to the passengers at a reasonable cost.

“tate go e e t ill i stall ate ATM s at most of the bus stations, which will provide portable

water at the rate of rupee one per litre and cold water at rate of rupee two per litre.

Apart from this , the state government of Uttar Pradesh Has also started Lohia gramin bus seva,

with 25% lower bus fares.

As a result of this scheme, the connectivity at reasonable price between cities and rural areas

where there was no means of transport will be provided.

149 self-operating inquiry services, super luxury air- conditioned bus services were also launched by

the government.

CM Mr Akilesh yadav, also laid foundation stones for 25 modern bus stations at a function

organised by state transport department.

The facility was installed at Charbagh of Lucknow and other 100 bus stations of the state.

India-American sworn in as the chairman of NIGC

NIGC- National Indian gaming commission- it is constituted for regulating gaming activities of the

sovereign Indian tribes in order to promote tribal development and ensuring the tribes are the

prime beneficiaries of the gaming activities.

Indian origin Jonodev Osceola Chaudhury has been appointed the chairman after a year and a half

stint as the acting chairman and vice chairman of NIGC.

He was sworn in by the secretary of interior- Sally Jewell, becoming the first Indian American to

hold this post.

Azure Power commissions a 100MW plant in Rajasthan

Azure Power has a ou ed to o issio it s la gest sola pla t i Jodhpu . It had won this project under the National Solar Mission phase II batch I to supply power to Solar

Energy Corporation of India for 25 years.

Inderpreet Wadhwa- Founder and CEO of Azure Power.

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Cleanliness awards for public health facilities to be launched by the government

Public health facilities would be awarded based on various parameters like sanitation,cleanliness and

infection control, by the government in a scheme that is going to be launched soon. Health Minister Mr JP

Nadda ould lau h the i itiati e to a a d pu li health fa ilities Kayakalp tomorrow and also release

“ a hhata guideli es . This i itiati e ould e Mi ist s o t i utio to a ds PM Na e d a Modi s p oje t “ a hh

Bharat A hi a

Health officials spoke about the objectives of this initiative being aimed at promoting

cleanliness,hygiene and control of infection at public healthcare facilities.

Other purpose of the initiative is to encourage the public facilities that show great performance in

adhering to protocols of infection control and cleanliness and to instill a culture of ongoing

assessment and review of performances towards sanitation cleanliness and hygiene.

The number of awards recommended under the scheme are 2 best district hospitals, 2 best

Community Health Centres or CHC, one award for PHC or Primary Health Centre .

Rs 50 lakhs and Rs 20 lakhs would be given as cash award in the first category of first and second

district hospitals respectively.

For CHC category first facility would be given Rs 15 lakhs and next Rs 10 lakhs

For PHC the cash award would be Rs 2 lakhs.

Through a 3 tier system the assessment would take place,internal assessment followed by peer and

then the external assessment in that order.

Some informations on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan

It is a national campaign by the Government of India towards cleanliness and covers 4041

statutory towns.

It was started on 2nd October 2014 by PM Narendra modi.

It is I dia s iggest e e lea li ess d i e participated by 3million government staffs and also

students belonging to schools and colleges in India.

Some famous personalities who took part are Sachin Tendulkar,Kamal Hassan, Salman khan,Saina

Nehwal,Amitabh Bachchan etc.

From 1st April 1999, the Government of india restructured the Comprehensive Rural Sanitation

Programme and launched the Total Sanitation Campaign or TSC.

From 1st April 2012, TSC was renamed as Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan or NBA.

On 2nd October 2014,the campaign was relaunched as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or SBA

Punjab becomes first state to issue Soil Health Cards to farmers

Punjab has become the first ever state in the country to issue Soil Health Cards or SHC to the farmers,a

government initiative to all the farmers in the state.A mobile testing lab is assigned to every district of the

state. Sample soil is taken from the farm and digitalised soil health details are issued

Currently state has 66 such laboratories that can test 3.5 lakh soil samples on the annual basis.

Checking of soil health on quarterly basis by these labs has been made compulsory by the state

government.

In view of over exploitation of the soil because of green revolution in Punjab, testing of soils is more

important now.

SHC helps the farmers in maintaining balanced health structure of the soil and teach them in using

right amount of fertilizers so that soil does not turn arid.

http://www.affairscloud.com/infobesity/famous-personalities/

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Punjab agricultural minister Mr Tota Singh told that he would personally monitor the project and

after micro and macro profiling of the soil, the state government would start customized cropping

and agricultural diversification plan for every area based on soil specifications.

Soil-crop compatibility would be taught by agricultural department and would join hands with

conservation of soil department to make the campaign a great success.

Regarding Soil Health Card Scheme or SHC

The SHC has in it all basic and crop wise recommendations of fertilizers and nutrients

In order to increase the productivity of farms, it provides crop wise nutrient recommendation and

other various inputs.

Profiling of soil structure would take place that would help in crop diversification as per soil content

of that particular place.

India pavilion inaugurated by Rajyavardhan Rathore at Cannes 2015

MoS for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Singh, inaugurated the India pavilion at the

68th session of the film festival.

It ill sho ase I dia i e a s ultu al a d li gual di e sit through trailers,etc. and aims to boost

co production opportunities between India and foreign nations.

The unveiling of the 46th IFFI,2015 Regulations and launching of India film guide was also done by

him. Two Indian films- Chauthi Koot by Gurvinder Singh and Masan by Neeraj Ghaywans are the

Indian entries in Cannes.

Govt to disinvest 5 % in NTPC and 10 % in Indian Oil

The Centre has decided to sell 10 per cent of its shares in Indian Oil Corporation and 5 per cent in NTPC

and could get around ₹13,800 crore if the shares are sold at their current price.

Disinvestment in both these companies will be executed through the offer for sale route, through stock

exchanges.

Retail investors (those bidding for up to ₹2 lakh) are required to deposit the full amount at the

time of the bid.

High net-worth and institutional investors do not have to deposit any amount.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, in its meeting o Wed esda , ga e i -p i ipal app o al fo disi est e t i these t o Maha at a o pa ies.

The Department of Disinvestment will finalise the date and then a ministerial panel under Finance

Minister Arun Jaitley will approve the floor price for the issues.

This is the price at or above which all investors will be required to make a bid.

National Conference on Nuclear Energy held in New Delhi

It was the 6th edition of this conference

This Yea s The e as Nu lea E e g : a Clea E e g optio . At p ese t, Nu lea po e pla ts ge e ates . % of I dia s total Ele t i it .

Centre allocates Rs 5,000 crore for development of AYUSH

The government has allocated Rs 5,000 crore for the growth of Department of AYUSH and launched

an independent National AYUSH Mission aimed at capacity building for the sector.

For creating awareness about Ayurveda, the Ministry is considering to observe Ayurveda Day.

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Independent National AYUSH Mission is launched aiming capacity building for the sector. The

mission will ensure creation of a centre of excellence for Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and

Homoeopathy independently.

IRCTC signs MOU with UPICO to provide training to the students

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC) has joined hands with UP

Industrial Consultant Limited (UPICO) to conduct a certified course in the state.

A memorandum of Understanding with UPICO has been signed to provide training in various areas

like catering, cooking and maintaining cleanliness at stations.

The MoU was signed by Manocha and UPICO MD Pravin Singh here to conduct a certified course for

students and youth to upg ade thei skills u de the Hu a “e ‘ojga Tak s he e i Utta Pradesh.

Union Information and Technology Minister Ravishankar Prasad inaugurates first postal ATM in Bihar

Union Information and Technology Minister Ravishankar Prasad i augu ates I dia s fi st postal ATM i Bihar,as being part of the Digital India Initiative. Bihar Finance Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav and senior

state BJP leaders Sushil Kumar Modi and Nand Kishore Yadav were present at the function.

He inaugurated the first postal ATM in Bihar at the GPO (General Post Office) in Patna,

The facility was part of efforts to increase the point of presence for customers, particularly in the

rural areas.

Hand-held devices would soon be used by the postal network and the devices to be used by the

postmen would ensure last-mile connectivity for banking transactions of India Post across its over

1.5 lakh branches.

This facility to be made available at all 8,000 post offices in rural areas in Bihar within a year.

Bihar has 9,000 post offices

Out of which 1,048 were fully computerised.

In Bihar, installation of ATM rooms have been done at 38 locations out of which three in Patna

were ready for transactions.

NITI Aayog launches its website in New Delhi

The website can be accessed on the following url: http://www.niti.gov.in.

The website was launched by Arvind Panagariya (Vice Chairman of NITIAayog)

First tribal woman takes oath as Jharkhand governor

Draupadi Murmu was today sworn in as the first woman Governor of Jharkhand.The oath-taking ceremony

held at Birsa Mandap at the Raj Bhavan.

Murmu succeeds Syed Ahmed, who will take over as Manipur Governor.

Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Virendra Singh administered the oath of office to Murmu.

She is the first tribal woman to hold the office of Governor of any state.

She is the first woman Governor of Jharkhand.

She is the first woman leader from Odisha to be appointed as a Governor in an Indian State.

Murmu will be sworn in as the ninth governor of Jharkhand.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, his cabinet colleagues, former Chief Ministers Shibu Soren

and Arjun Munda, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sudarshan Bhagat and a host of

other dignitaries were present during the oath-taking ceremony.


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Shanmuganthan to be sworn-in as new Governor of Meghalaya

Senior BJP leader V Shanmuganathan was today sworn-in as the Governor of Meghalaya at the Raj

Bhavan.

Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court Uma Nath Singh administered the oath of office to

Shanmuganathan at a solemn ceremony attended by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and most of his

cabinet colleagues.

Shanmuganathan was appointed as the new Governor on May 12.

12th International Water Expo to be held in Mumbai

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai in collaboration with EA Water Private limited, a leading

solution provider in waste water management, will organise the 12th international Water Expo in Mumbai.

The expo aims to explore the opportunities in water conservation and recycling.

Na e of this ea s e e t : Every thing About Water Expo 2015

It starts on 21st May and ending on 23rd May.

Key Highlights:

It is considered to be “outh Asia s largest ater e e t for showcasing latest technologies in the

water and waste water management sector.

The event will be attended by Participants from over 21 Countries.

There will be over 300 Exhibitors who would be showcasing advanced technologies and solutions

on water management.

Over 25000 Business Visitors

Over 1000 Conference Delegates

3 Day International Conference & Training Workshops Related to Water & Wastewater

Management Sector

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates 50th anniversar of I dia s first histori li of Mt. E erest i 1965

P eside t P a a Mukhe jee i augu ated the th A i e sa of I dia s fi st histo i li of Mt. Everest in 1965 at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

This function was organized by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) to celebrate the

historic climb of Mt. Everest in 1965 by an Indian team led by Captain Mohan Singh Kohli.

On this day in 1965, Indian team of 21 mountaineers led by Captain M S Kohli of Indian Navy had

successfully cli ed o ld s highest peak Mt. E e est afte a se ies of th ee u su essful attempts in five years.

Tathagata Roy sworn-in as 16th Governor of Tripura

Tathagata Roy on 20 May 2015 was sworn in as the 16th Governor of Tripura in Agartala.

Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court Mr. Jc. Deepak Gupta administered the oath of office to him

as per the provisions of Article 159 of Constitution of India.

He replaced Padmanabh Balkrishna Acharya, Governor of Nagaland, who had held the additional

charge of Tripura.


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Anti-Submarine Warefare ship Kavaratti launched in Kolkata

On 19th may 2015 in Kolkata, I dia Na s a ti-submarine warefare ship INS Kavaratti was launched.

Kavaratti was last of the four anti-submarine warefare class stealth corvettes built for India under project

28.On this occasion, Minister of State For DefenceRao Inderjit singh praised the contributions made by

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers GRSE, in meeting the growing demands of the navy.

Chief of Naval staff Admiral RK Dhowan also praised the work done by the yard for contributing

towards achieving the Indian Na s d ea of t a sfo i g f o Bu e s Na to Builde s Na . INS Kavaratti weighs 3300- tonne with length of 109.1mts and measures 13.7mts at beam.

It has an endurance of more than 3000 nautical miles and is propelled by 4 diesel engines with

capacity of reaching speeds of 25 knots.

Being 90% indigenous,shows about the capacity of domestic manufacturing of Indian Navy.

It has a x shaped hull,full beam super structure,inclined shipsides and Infra-Red Signature

Suppresssion that increases stealth feature of the ship.

TACS or Total Atmosphere Control System in it makes it capable of fighting nuclear,chemical and

biological warefare situations.

The ships are also equipped to carry and operate one multi role helicopter.

Kavaratti will be packed with state of art weapons and sensors like Medium Range Guns,Torpedo

Tube Launchers,Rocket launchers,close-in weapon system and chaff system.

Delhi government to launch Pay and Play scheme to promote sports

On May 19th 2015, government of Delhi decided to launch Pay and Play scheme at designated stadiums or

sport complexes. The main objective behind this scheme is to promote sports for all age groups in Delhi.

Under the scheme, Delhiites can play the various games available at the designated stadiums and sports

complexes of the state for a fairly modest price. It commences from 1st July with a morning session from 6-

9.30 am.

Govt. has decided to open its stadia and complexes for the general public, any individual or club can

o a ail the a ious fa ilities p ese t the e ithout ha i g to e it s e e . Pla g ounds at

various govt. schools will be available to academics, clubs, and individuals as well, to train and

coach students free of cost.

This facility will be totally free for students and specially abled persons. For others : a nominal fee

of RS 100/discipline/month will be charged for people upto 45 years of age and RS 75/month for

those above 45 years. BPL candidates and women will be charged at the flat rate of RS 45/month.

Stadia and complexes designated for the scheme are : Thyagraj Stadium, Chhatrasad Stadium, East

Vinod Sagar Complex, Najafgadh Stadium, Pehlapur Complex, Pooth Kala Complex, Rajiv Gandhi

Sports Complex.

This step was initiated by the Directorate of Education. Interested people will have to enrol

constituency wise only after they have fulfilled the eligibility criteria as prescribed.

UP FDA asked Nestle to withdraw 2014 batch of Maggi

U.P. Food Safety and Drugs Administration has asked Nestlé India to withdraw a batch of Maggi

noodles from the market

They found, in their security checks, high levels of lead and Mono Sodium Glutamate in the

product.

Nestlé has, on the other hand, challenged the findings and conclusions of the U.P. FDA.. They allege

that the organisation has come to the conclusion by their observation on only one packet whereas

the subsequent batches were found safe.

http://www.affairscloud.com/current-affairs/sports/

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Govt. relaxes FDI norms for NRIs, PIOs, OCI

The Cabinet approved amendments to FDI policy on investments by non-resident Indians (NRIs),

overseas citizens of India (OCIs) and persons of Indian origin (PIOs) as domestic investment.

This will give PIOs & OCIs parity with NRIs in economy and education

Website to track missing kids soon

The government for the first time plans to launch a web portal that can be accessed by a common

man to upload visuals and details of missing children and help track them.

he website khoyapaya.gov.in will act as an enabling platform for citizens to report missing children

or those found as well as sightings.

The web portal has been initiated by the ministry of women and child development (WCD) along

with the department of electronics and information technology (DEITY) and will be run with the

assistance of Childline and local police.

It is likely to be launched in June.

Union cabinet decides to restart Sindri unit of Fertilizer Corporation of India Ltd. ( FCIL )

Union cabinet in its meeting, headed by the Prime Minister, has decided to revive the closed urea unit of

FCIL at Sindri, Jharkhand, which is worth an investment of Rs. 6000 cr.

It has been decided to do so in order to meet the growing demands of urea in eastern states. The

unit was shut down in 2002.

In addition to this, Union cabinet has also approved to set up a new ammonia–urea complex

at Namrup in Assam on PPP model.

India sixth in terms of publication of scientific papers

India is now 6th in terms of publishing scientific papers, up by 4 spots, as announced by Secretary of

Department of S&T, Ashutosh Sharma in a function organized by Research Council of UK in the UK.

The event also highlighted India-UK partnership in scientific matters. India has a ratio of 160

scientists for one million people.

Mirage 2000 fighter jet landed on Yamuna Expressway

Mirage 2000 fighter jet of Indian Air force (IAF)conducted successful trial run of landing on Yamuna

expressway near Mathura on 21st may 2015.

Purpose : As part of road runway for emergency landing.

It is the first for military aviation in India.

Operations were conducted with active support from the government of U.P, Yamuna expressway

authority, toll authorities of JP infratech and the civil police.

Keyhighlights

Successful trial run gives a push to the planning authorities to convert the 308 km Agra-Lucknow

expressway

It is the first green field expressway in the country

Expected to cost around Rs. 13000 crore.

It will pass through Firozabad, Shikohabad, Manipuri, Etawah, Kannauj and Mohanlalganj.

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AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM for fifth time

The 67 year old AIADMK ( All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam ) supremo Ms.J .Jayalalithaa took the

oath held at the University of Madras Centenary Auditorium here on May 23rd, 2015.

Twenty eight other ministers also took oath in a brief ceremony.

She was administered oath of office and secrecy by Tamil nadu Governor K Rosaiah.

The swearing-in ceremony was attended by BJP leaders including Union Minister Pon

Radhakrishnan and national office bearer of the party H Raja. Actors Rajinikanth, Sarathkumar and

eminent music composer Ilayaraja were among the long list of dignitaries who attended the

function.

About disproportionate assets case

J. Jayalalitha, was sentenced to jail for four years on corruption charges in a case that has lasted for

18 years, following her conviction in the 66.66 crore disproportionate assets case

She was penalized with a fine of Rs 100 crore, highest imposed on any politician, by a special judge

Joh Mi hael D Cu ha o th “epte e . Apart from her, the court also accused Sasikala Natarajan, ilavarasi, V N Sudhakaran.

The Karnataka High Court had subsequently acquitted her of the charges on May 11.

Indian warships take part in naval exercise with Singapore

Two Indian naval ships, INS Satpura and INS Kamorta, are participating in the bilateral naval exercise

SIMBEX with the Singapore Navy on 23rd may 2015.

INS Satpura, is an indigenously built guided missile stealth frigate, commanded by Captain Hari

Krishnan

INS Kamorta, the latest and indigenous anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette, commanded by

Commander Manoj Kumar Jha

These ships participated in IMDEX-15 and are now conducting SIMBEX-15 being held from May 23-

26. The port visit of IN Ships to Singapore also coincided with the commemoration of 50 years of

diplomatic relations between India and Singapore. The visit was aimed at strengthening bilateral

ties and enhancing inter-operability between navies of the two friendly nations.

Government clears 21 FDI Proposals worth 281 crores

Foreign deals worth 281 crores of 21 Foreign Direct Investment o FDI s have been cleared by the

government, but deferred Kotak Mahindra Bank to hike the Foreign investment in the bank to 55%.

FDI proposals under approval route are cleared by Foreign Investment Promotion Board FIPB. But

these proposals involving more than 3000 crores are cleared by CCEA or Cabinet Committee On

Economic Affairs.

The proposal ofpharma firm La Renon Healthcare in investing 100 crores in brownfield project was

cleared by the FIPB in meeting on April 30th 2015.

PM Modi launches DD Kisan channel

Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi on Tuesday 26th May 2015, launched a television channel DD

Kisan at a function held in Vigyan Bhawan for rural India.

It is expected to bridge the informations gap in agriculture by bringing programmes for farmers on

global trends in crop planting and prices to make better choices.

PM Modi said that the 24-hour DD Kisan channel would be of great help to the farmers access

better technology, informations regarding weather and crop prices and would in productivity of

agriculture.

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100crores have been alloted by the government for this new DD Kisan chanel and would focus on

140 million farm households in India.

Lt GEN (Retd) Nirbhay Sharma new Governor of Mizoram

At the Durbar hall of Raj Bhavan in Aizawl on Tuesday 26th May 2015, Lt General(Retd) Mr

Nirbhay Sharma was sworn-in as 17th governor of Mizoram.

Mr Sharma will succeed West Bengal Governor Mr Keshari Nath Tripathi who was given additional

charge of Mizoram in April 2015.

Mr Nirbhay Sharma is the 8th Governor of Mizoram state after the previous Governor Vakkom

Purushothaman resigned on 12th July 2014 in protest against after he was transferred to Nagaland.

On day one Tamil Nadu CM Jaya okays Rs 1,800-crore for welfare schemes

A day after being sworn in as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time, J Jayalalithaa on

Sunday announced development and welfare schemes worth over Rs 1,800 crore.

Jayalalithaa launched several schemes, including those for improvement of roads, drinking water

facilities and for helping needy families headed by women.

The major thrust will be for urban and rural roads. She allocated Rs. 1,000 crore for urban roads,

including those under Chennai corporation limits as it was necessary to repair roads dug up

repeatedly by various agencies like Metrowater and those damaged in rains.

For the rural roads, the government will spend Rs. 800 crore covering 3,500 km of road network of

which 50 per cent will be spent on laying new bitumen roads and the rest for repairing the

damaged roads.

Micro Units Development Refinance Agency ( MUDRA ) bank partners with 19 regional coordinates

MUDRA bank has partnered with 19 state and regional level coordinates to reach the last mile

financiers for micro business. This would generate jobs almost 10 times of that being generated by

big companies presently.

This effort will likely transfer small enterprise industry into a 11 lakh crore industry. MUDRA bank

was set up by govt. to boost small scale business.

NASSCOM Launches Cyber Security Task Force

Software lobby National Software and Services Company( Nasscom ) along with Date Security

Council of India( DSCI ) formed a new body called Cyber Security Task Force led by NIIT Ltd

chairman Rajendra Pawar which will study cybersecurity threats, recommend how to tackle them

and explore ways to create opportunities out of them.

The Nasscom Cyber Security Task Force will also script a blueprint to make India a hub for

cybersecurity solutions, develop cybersecurity research and development and create a pool of

cyber security experts.

The taskforce will help grow the local cyber security industry from its 1% share of the overall

information technology-business process management (BPM) market to 10% by 2025.

Manabi Banopadhaya- I dia s first tra sge der ollege pri ipal

According to Mr Dipak K Kar,chairman of an educational panel that selects principals of colleges in

state,India for the first time had appointed a transgender as principal of a college and is expected to


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join the duty on 6th June 2015. Manabi Banopadhaya would be heading Krishnanagar Women

College in West Bengal.

Manabi Banopadhaya had been teaching in the college for more than 20 years and has the much

needed administrative experience.

Last year Supreme Court had announced transgender as legal third gender, granting them rights to

education employment and other health benefits.

Delhi high court gives nod to Greenpeace India to operate two of its domestic accounts

Delhi high court has allowed NGO Greenpeace India to operate two of its domestic accounts to

accept domestic contributions required for its day to day maintenance.

The bench led by Rajiv Shakder decided this in a plea of Greenpeace India against the central

government, to free is international and national bank accounts, which were blocked as per a home

ministry directive.

It also empowered the NGO to encash it's FDs.

Mhara Gaon Jagmag Gaon scheme to be launched in Haryana

Ma oha Lal Khatta , Chief Mi iste of Ha a a said that Mhara Gao Jag ag Gao our illage, illuminated village) scheme would be launched in those villages where there is no power theft.

The scheme would also be launched in other villages where the consumers pay their bills regularly

and where the line losses are not more than 20%.

Electricity up to 16 hours per day would be provided to those villages and further it would be

increased to 24 hours in well phased way.

The Ha a a CM as ad essi g ikas all at g ai a ket i Na gal Chaudhary, and the demands

put forth by Dr Abhey Singh Yadav representing Nangal Chaudhary assembly constituency were

accepted by the CM of haryana.

Tripura withdraws AFSPA,1958 from the state

State government of Tripura on 27 May 2015 decided to withdraw the Armed Forces (Special

Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958 from the remaining areas of the state immediately, after the Tripura

police in its latest half-yearly review found no need to extend the Act further.

The decision to withdraw the Act was taken during a cabinet meet which was chaired by Chief

Minister Manik Sarkar.

The Act was enforced in the state in 1997 in 40 police station falling within the areas of the state,

dominated by the tribals due to continuous violence and bloodshed.

Earlier in June 2013, the Act was withdrawn from nine police stations.

Maharashtra go t. to lau h “ a hhata “aptapadi s he e

O the li es of Ce t e s “ a hh Bha at A hi a , the Maha asht a Go t. ill lau h “ a hhata “aptapadi scheme, a cleanliness drive. The first mission of Swachhata Saptapadi will be to provide the eight lakh

homes in urban areas of the state, that do not have toilets, proper facilities to defecate.

The grants received by the municipal councils and corporations from the 14th Finance Commission

will be linked with the successful implementation of the scheme.

Aamir Khan will be the first in the inauguration ceremony along with Chief Minister Devendra

Fadnavis, and Minister of State for Urban Development Dr Ranjit Patil.

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Under the new scheme, debris will not be allowed to dump at dumping grounds and processing of

waste will be made mandatory.If the councils and corporations fail to implement Swachata

Saptrapati, they will loose a part of the grant.

Himachal Pradesh government sets up satellite tracking system to check forest fire

A satellite tracking system has been set up to check forest fires during summers in Himachal

Pradesh.

Under the satellite tracking system, continuous vigil was being kept on the forests to ensure that

the fire fighting staff reached the spot immediately on receiving information.

The Forest Minister said that awareness campaign was being launched throughout the state for

protection of forest wealth from fire for which 693 participatory committees had been constituted.

Yaduveer Raj Urs crowned new Maharaja of Mysuru

On Thursday 28th May 2015, at the Amba Vilas Palace in Mysuru, Yaduveer Raj Urs was crowned as

the e Maha aja of M su u . The e th o e e t as p i ate affai ut s oli of o ti ui g the family tradition of Wadiyars.

It was devoid of anything consequent to the abolition of institution of the maharajas and the Privy

Purse after independence.

Wadiyar is a 23 year old graduate from the University of Masachusetts,USA.

Darjeeli g ele rates Te zi g Norga s st irthda

Te zi g No ga s st i thda was celebrated in Darjeeling. He along with Edmund Hillary of New

)eala d, ea hed the su it of the o ld s highest ou tai peak, Mou t E e est, fi st i the world on 29th May.

Several functions were organised in the hill city to pay tribute to him, born as Namgyal Wangdi,

who climbed the Mount Everest in 1953.

Norgay was awarded the Padma Bhusan in 1959, he also received several medals and awards by

England and Nepal.He died at the age of 71 in 1968.

Mu ai hosts I dia s first editio of TEDxGatewayWomen Conference

The first TEDxGatewayWomen Conference in India was held in Mumbai on 29th May. In accordance with

the otto of TED s issio — Ideas Wo th “p eadi g — the TEDxGatewayWomen had eleven

e po e ed o e sha i g the o e ts a d ideas that initiated action towards change.

There were stories worth knowing, be it Justice Leila Seth, persisting with a cynical senior advocate

to bag an opportunity to work under him as a young lawyer and then go on to become the first

woman Chief Justi e i I dia Mu ai high ou t o Ca adia a tist a d s ie tist A iel Ga te s ge e al u iosit a out ho thi gs o k, hi h led he to de o atise a ess to ou ai s ith her wearable technology.

The other notable speakers were Padma Shri awardee and Director of SEWA Reemaben Nanavaty,

and economist-farmer-activist Chetna Gala Sinha, Co-founder, CEO at Mad Street Den & Mad Street

Lab Ashwini Asokan, playback singer and soprano Natalie Di Luccio, co-founder of Menstrupedia

Aditi Gupta, classical dancer and choreographer Ananda Shankar Jayant and founder and publisher

of White Print — I dia s fi st English lifestyle magazine for the visually impaired in Braille —

Upasana Makati.


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HP becomes first state to implement ABPS in country

Himachal Pradesh becomes the first state in the country to start Aadhaar based Payment

System(ABPS). Payments amounting to Rs 76.53 Cr have been made through this system till now.

The workers and vendors whose bank accounts were Aadhaar-linked were being paid through ABPS

and the wages and cost of material was being directly transferred to their latest Aadhaar-linked

bank accounts. The scheme was launched on October 2, 2014

So far, Aadhaar numbers of 7.23 lakh active MNREGA workers had been synced with MNREGA out

of which 5.54 lakh workers 'accounts had been linked with the banks.

Rural Development Minister : Anil Kumar

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, inaugurated New Bank Note Paper Line unit in Hoshangabad, MP

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the New Bank Note Paper Line unit at Security

Paper Mill in Hoshangabad, MP. It has a capacity of 6000 metric tone. He also flagged off the first

consignment of one thousand rupees bank note paper made indigenously to Currency Note Press

Nashik.

With opening of this, India will become self-reliant in producing Bank Note Paper for big

denominations. Earlier, India was dependent on import of bank note paper for currency of big

denominations. It is part of the indigenisation of the Bank Note paper undertaken by Security

Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited.

The project has been completed at a cost of 495 crore rupees within the scheduled time. The plant

is capable of incorporating the advanced security features into the Bank Note paper. It is also

capable of manufacturing all denominations of Bank Note paper including 1000 rupees.

Another such unit will be soon being opened in Mysore.

Cabinet approves India, Bangladesh coastal shipping pact

The Government today approved a pact on coastal shipping between India and Bangladesh to

facilitate faster and cheaper cargo movement between both the nations.

The benefit of this agreement is that freight charges will come down and improve the utilisation of

port capabilities between the two countries, the Communication and IT Minister, Ravi Shankar

Prasad, said while briefing the media.

It will also help in decongestion of roads, especially at the land custom stations/integrated check

posts at the India-Bangladesh boarder, the statement said.

I dia a d Ba gladesh shall e de the sa e t eat e t to the othe ou t s essels as it ould have done to its national vessels used in international sea transportation.

The commencement of coastal shipping between India and Bangladesh will increase bilateral trade

between the two countries and lower down the cost of transportation of Exim cargo.

I dia s t ade ith Ba gladesh has g o apidl du i g the past fe ea s a d Ba gladesh is o I dia s la gest t ade partner in South Asia.

Therefore, to reduce the cost of shipping operation, a lower but pragmatic standard of vessel

known as River Sea Vessel (RSV) has been prescribed for coastal shipping and the RSV category of

vessel has been agreed upon by both the countries.

Vinod Pipersenia is new chief secretary of Assam

Assam government appointed Vinod Kumar Pipersenia as the 45th chief secretary of the state. He

will replace incumbent JiteshKhoshla. He is an IAS officer of 1980 batch of Assam-Meghalayacadre.

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Before this he was working as the Additional Chief Secretary of Agriculture, Irrigation and PWD

Department.

Narendra Modi will be first Indian PM to visit Israel and Palestine

Narendra Modi will become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the jewish state Israel. Israel is

u e tl o e of I dia s ke defe e a d se u it pa t e s. The e a e o fi ed dates fo the isit et. In 2003, under the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA)

government headed by prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India welcomed then Israeli prime

minister Ariel Sharon,

Former deputy prime minister and home minister in the NDA government, Lal Krishna Advani, and

then foreign minister Jaswant Singh visited Israel in 2000.

Recently, home mi iste ‘aj ath “i gh s isited Is ael i No e e a d Modi et Is aeli P i e Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in

September.

International Affairs

Tu isia s U furl World s Largest Flag

Wo ld s la gest flag was unfurled at an event in Ong Jmel in the southern desert area of Tunisia.

Tunisian national flag of the size of 19 football pitches was unfurled in a bid to set a Guinness World

Record and promote patriotism in the face of Islamist extremism.

The flag of 104,544 square metre was made using 80 kilometres of fabric and weighed arounf 12.6

tonnes.

I dia ra ked th i Mothers I de

I dia s o ed th pla e out of ou t ies i the ha it o ga izatio “a e the Child e s report titled “tate of the Wo ld s Mothe s putti g it ehi d )i a e, I a a d Ba gladesh.

Top ou t ies as pe Mothe s I de : No a st , Fi la d d , I ela d d , De a k (4th) and Swedan (5th).

Bottom 10 countries: Niger (175th), Mali (176th), Central African Republic (177th), Congo (178th)

and Somalia (179th).

Magnitude 7.2 quake strikes off PNG, Solomon Islands

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific between Papua New Guinea(PNG) and the

Solomon Islands.

The quake hit at a depth of 22 kilometres some 149 kilometres southwest of Panguna in PNG and

642 kilometres from the Solomons capital Honiara.

Global Travel Tourism – India in 52nd place

On Global Travel Tourism list of countries, India has moved up 13 places to 52nd spot but ranks worst than

China,Russia.Brazil,South Africa etc.

As far is the Business destination is concerned India fares better than the others but regarding

infrastructure gaps, health issues, environment sustainability and its unsettling safety and security

easo s,I dia s a ki g has ee pulled little do .


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Spain tops the list followed by France,Germany,US,UK,Switzerland,Australia,Italy,Japan and Canada

in the top ten.China 17th rank and Brasil 28th rank made it to top 30 with India at no 52.

WEF o Wo ld E o o i Fo u said that I dia s relevence as business travel destination is

increasing along with the economic growth and it remains a highly price-competitive destination.

The recent changes in the Visa regime have the potential to boost the international arrivals.

In the TTCI or Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, India was ranked 65 out of 140 countries

covered.Long standing gaps in the infrastructure remains mainly in the tourism-specific

infrastructure where india is ranked 109.

Its 106th rank for India in Health and Hygiene, and 114th rank in Information Communication

Technology readiness.

The security and safety situation is unsettling where India position is 97. In case of environmental

sustainability India ranks 139.

World Economic forum Economist, Mr Roberto Crotti said that a country need not be wealthy to

have great tourism.

Many countries must still do more to tackle travel and tourism challenges including visa

policies,promotion of cultural heritage etc

Of the orld s Po erful Co pa ies is fro INDIA – Forbes

According to Forbes, India is home to 56 of the o ld s la gest o pa ies a d the list is topped United States of America. Reliance Industries, led by Mr Mukesh Ambani is the first.

The list gives snapshot of the largest and powerful companies of the world dominated by USA and China.

USA has 579 companies and China is home to 232 o pa ies ith Chi a s fou iggest a ks o the top four spots.

Japan slid to the 3rd place with home to 216 companies and United Kingdom is ranked 4th with 95

I dia added t o o e o pa ies to the last ea s tall of 54.

Reliance Industries occupied 135th place last year slid to 142 on the list now with a market value of

42.9billion dollars and sales of 71.7billion dollars.

State Bank Of India comes next with 33billion dollars as market value and is ranked at 152.

Other Indian companies like ONGC ranked 183,Tata Motors [263],ICICIBank [283],Indian Oil

[349],HDFC Bank [376],NTPC [431],TCS [485] etc

This year Global 2000 companies are from 61 countries and account for combined revenues of USD

39 trillion, with assets worth USD162 trillion,profits of USD 3trillion and market value of USD

48trillion.

Growth of 9%y-o-y is seen in the total market value of 2000 companies because of the bull market.

Europe finished with 486 companies this year behind Asia and North America with 691 and 645

companies respectively.

There are 200 new ones this year including travel company Expedia etc.

Facebook, jumped more than 200 ranks due to its rising revenues and profits.

President Mukherjee conferred with Honorary Doctorate in Moscow

President Pranab Mukherjee was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate in Moscow on Friday by

the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Singapore PM Lee opened first museum Indian Heritage Centre in Little India

Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong on 7 May 2015 opened first museum Indian Heritage Centre in Little

India.

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The museum was dedicated to Indian history.

Singapore is celebrating 50 years of its independence in 2015 as well as 50 years of diplomatic

relations with India.

Pakistan helicopter crash kills foreign envoys

An army helicopter has crashed in a mountainous part of northern Pakistan killing seven people,

including the Philippine and Norwegian ambassadors.

The diplomats flying in the ill-fated MI-17 were headed for a little advertised but extremely exciting

inauguration ceremony of a ski chairlift, built in the breathtaking resort of Naltar, in northern

Pakistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was scheduled to attend the inauguration, but his aircraft

turned back from Gilgit after reports of the crash.

North Korea successfully test-fired Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile

North Korea on 8 May 2015 successfully test-fired a newly developed Submarine-Launched Ballistic

Missile (SLBM). The nation described the missile as a world level strategic weapon.

The underwater ballistic missile that will meet the latest military science and

technology requirements of the country was test-fired after Leader Kim Jong-Un gave the order to

test-fire the missile.

Russia celebrates victory day

Vi to Da is ‘ussia s ost i po ta t se ula holida , oth o e o ati g the “o iet U io s huge suffe i g i the a a d highlighti g ‘ussia s po t a al of itself as a force for peace and

security.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was the most prominent world leader to attend the Victory Day

parade.

Russia showed off new machines of war, including a highly sophisticated tank, in the annual Victory

Day military parade through Red Square that marks the surrender of Nazi Germany and the Red

A s ke ole i the defeat.

David Cameron and Conservatives Back with Clear Majority in British Election

Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservatives won a resounding victory in the British general

election, with nearly complete results showing that the party had secured an overall majority in

Parliament.

The Conservative Party won with 331 seats, comfortably crossing the 326 mid-way mark in the

650-seat House of Commons.

The Labour Party : A distant second,the Labour Party won 232 seats, a loss of 26 seats from 2010

election.

Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband has stepped down for taking full responsibility for the defeat of

his party.

The Scottish National Party : SNP has swept Scotland — The SNP now have 56 MPs in Scotland,

while the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats each have one.

The Liberal Democrats : Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, who led his party to a poor

finish, winning only eight seats, down from 57 in 2010, has stepped down.

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United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP): The leader of the United Kingdom Independence

Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage also resigned following his defeat in Thanet South, a symbolic blow for the

anti-immigration and Eurosceptic party that got just one seat.

The Democratic Unionist Party of Ireland won eight.

High Profile Defeats :

La ou s “hado Cha ello of the E he ue -Ed Balls

“ otla d s La ou pa t head – Jim Murphy

The La ou pa t s a paig head – Douglas Alexander

The senior Lib Dem leader and former Business Secretary – Vince Cable

Former Energy Secretary- Ed Davey

Uma Kumaran – Labour candidate of Tamil-Sri Lanka origin, lost to her Conservative rival in Harrow

East

Modi to inaugurate 1st Gandhian studies centre in china

Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi, would inaugurate Gandhian and Indian study centre at

“ha ghai s p estigious Fudan University on may 16th. India would fund the centre, which is very

important as Mahatma Gandhi is not that much popular in China though he is around the world.

‘a i d a ath Tago e a d Ja aha lal Neh u s a es ha e ee i luded he eas Ga dhiji s a e was left out on the list put up regarding the pe so alities ho had i flue ed Chi a s ou se i the last 60 years.

OnMay 14th Indian PM would arrive for a 3 day visit, would sign an agreement for establishing yoga

studies college at the University Of Nationalities in Yunnan province.

116-year-old Mala sia o a is orld s oldest perso

Yati Musdi of Joho , Mala sia has e o e the o ld s oldest o e a d also the oldest li i g person, presently).

Born on 27th April,1899, the 116-year-old, has been passed on the title by the American, Gertrude

Weaver, who passed away just a few days after being declared the oldest woman alive.

It s o th hile to e tio he e that despite he age, she lai s to ha e a lea isio a d is f ee from any hearing aid

British-I dia Priti Patel appoi ted UK s e plo ent minister

British-Indian MP Priti Patel has been appointed employment minister in Prime Minister David

Ca e o s e a i et. Patel, , ho o fo ta l o he Witha seat i E gla d s Esse ou t as a Co se ati e Pa t

a didate i last eek s ge eral elections by getting 57.5 percent of the total 47,339 votes cast,

was in 2013 appointed the first ever UK Indian Diaspora Champion.

Chi a e o es orld s top rude u er despite e o o stutteri g

Chi a o e took the U ited “tates as the o ld s top importer of crude oil for the first time in April,

and its purchases are expected to remain strong despite a slowing economy, with far-reaching

consequences for global oil and commodities markets.

Chi a is al ead the o ld s iggest e e g o su e , ith oil by far the largest traded energy

market.


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The Saudi-led decision by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in

November 2014 not to cut production despite the slide in oil prices has been largely motivated by

an effort to defend market share against outside competitors like Russia or US shale producers.

Preside t Mukherjee i augurates Na aste ‘ussia i Mos o

President Pranab Mukherjee, currently on his four-day official visit to Russia, has inaugurated a

festival of Indian Cultu e Na aste ‘ussia i Mos o . As part of the festival, the Russian Ministry of Culture will support the initiatives of the Indian

Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in sending Indian teachers of music and dance to regional

centres in Russia from May 2015 to October 2015.

Special emphasis will be on encouraging the participation of youth of both the countries in cultural

exchanges.

The logo for the festival was designed by a young Russian from the Russian town of Krasnoyarsk,

who succeeded in an open competition participated by both Indians and Russians.

India, Russia signed 11 MoIs for Higher Academic Cooperation

Ele e Me ora du of I te ts or MoI s, were signed by the higher learning in India and Russia to

establish Institutes of Higher Education on 8th May 2015. Leading Indian and Russisan academic institutes

will train highly qualified staffs for innovative economy and expand scientific technical and technological

cooperation.

MoIs are signed in Moscow in the presence of Indian President Mr Pranab Mukerjee, who had

gone to Russia on a 4 day short visit to witness the Victory Day Parade on 9th may 2015, that marks

the 70th anniversary of Allied Forces victory in the Second World War.

The establishment of a network of Russian and Indian Universities will facilitate the establishments

of more institutional linkages, exchange of faculty,students and researchers.

It will also help in scientific conferences,research developments and symposias etc

From the Indian side those that signed the memorandum are IITBombay,IIT Madras,IIT

Delhi,University of Delhi,Indian Statistical Institute and Institution of Engineers.

Cooperation agreement was signed between Department of Science and Technology in India and

Russian Science foundation, that will help in joint research activities.

The purpose of signing these MoIs with Russia is India is trying to increase its economic growth and

development through strong importance on innovation and technology.

Asia s ealthiest u der list-Arun Pudur tops

According to Wealth-X , I dia te h illio ai e, M A u Pudu , has ee a ked as the I dia s ealthiest businessman under the age of 40. The owner and president of software firm Celframe, heads the list with

wealth of 4 billion dollars.

The software firm Celframe was founded in the year 1998 by Arun Pudur, a chennaite basically,

after he graduated from the university.

This fi p odu es the o ld s second most word processor after Microsoft.

Apart from software business, Arun has also got businesses in mining and real estate fields.

Chairman and CEO of Jumei International Holdings,Leo Chen,32 year old businessman is

the youngest of all and his business is online cosmetics retailing based.

Kiran Mazumdar-“ha ra ks se o d i the glo al list of Medi i e Makers

Biocon founder and managing director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has been ranked one of the most influential

executives in the world in the field of medicine by a top UK-based medical publication.



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Mazumdar-“ha , ho is easil o e of I dia s ost ell-known women entrepreneurs,ranked second on

The Medi i e Make Po e List . Anthony Fauci of US was ranked number one on the list.

He is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, USA.

She is the only Indian person to figure on the list.

Shaw appears on the list alongside global leaders from the industry, including CEOs, professors,

Nobel Prize winning researchers and many other celebrated scientists from the pharmaceutical

world.

Other Notable Leaders in the list :

Andrew Witty – CEO of GlaxoSmithKline

Heather Bresch – CEO of Mylan.

First Asian woman appointed mayor in UK

Indian origin Councillor Harbhajan Kaur Dheer,62, of the British labour party, becomes the first

Asian woman to be elected mayor of the Ealing council in West London suburb district.

She replaces Tej Ram Bagha at the annual council meeting.

She went to Britain in 1975 and was elected a labour councillor for the Greenford Broadway ward in

2010 for the first time.

Indian- Gagan Toor wins the NASA contest to name a mercury crater

NASA conducted a contest to name 5 new craters of mercury.

Enheduanna, the a e suggested Too , as o e of the fi e i e s. It s the a e of a “u e ia princess, who is first known poet and author.

The other 4 winning names are Carolan, Karsh, Kuthum, and Rivera.

The names were selected by public outreach team and approved by IAU, which had prescribed the

rules that the names must be of an artist, composer or writer, who was famous for 50 years and

died at least 3 years ago.

India way behind WHO health goals

A o di g to WHO s a ual o ld health statisti s fo , released in Geneva, India had met

merely 4 out of 10 health targets under Millennium Development Goals, and seems to make no

progress in the other 4.

India has increased life expectancy by 8 years during 1990-2013 as against the global increase of 4

years. India has also reduced infant mortality rate but it still contributes for most infant deaths

globally.

India has met it targets in HIV reduction, tuberculosis rates reduction and increase in access to safe

water, whereas it has performed poorly in family planning, ante natal care and in immunization of

measles.

Human Capital Index – India at 100, Finland at number 1

On global Human Capital index, hi h easu es the ou t s development and deployment of human

capital, India has been placed at 100 where Fi la d is a ked u e . I the ou t s list I dia is ranked below its BRICS peers like Brazil,Russia,China and South

Africa. Smaller nations like Srilanka,Bhutan and Bangladesh are placed above India. Pakistan is at

number 113 below India.

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World Economic forum or WEF had compile a list of top ten countries in which Finland occupies the

top spot followed by Norway,Switzerland,Canada,Japan,Sweden,Denmark,Netherlands, New

Zealand and Belgium .

On the asis of i di ato s ho ell the ou t ies a e de elopi g a d deplo i g thei hu a apital,fo usi g o thei edu atio skills a d e plo e t , WEF had p epa ed the e ti e list.

The list also indicated whether the countries are wasting or leveraging the human potential.

Report said that although education attainment in India had improved its youth literacy rate is only

90%, which is very below compared to other nations .

Due to large informal sector, India also ranks poorly on labor force participation.

Countries like France, US,UK, Germany ranks 14th,17th 19th and 22nd respectively.

Among BRICS nations Russia leads at 26th place followed by China at 64, Brazil at 78 and South

Africa at 92.

According to WEF ,14 countries have reached 80% human capital optimisation while 38 countries

got 70 to 80 %.

40 countries are in the range of 60 to 70% and 23 countries in 50 to 60% range while 9 countries

are below 50%.

In Asia and Pacific where the population is high the spread between highest and lowest performing

nations is widest.

Indian-American boy wins National Geographic Bee

on Wednesday 13th May 2015, fourteen year old Karan Menon,Indian-American student, has won

the prestigious National Geographic. Karan Menon, a eight grade student competed against ten

finalists from across USA, and won National Geographic Bee Championship held at National

Geographic headquarters.

Seven out of ten finalists were of Indian origin.

Karan Menon, apart from winning the championship title also got prize award of 85,000 US dollars

college scholarship, lifetime membership of National Geographic society and expedition for two to

Galapagos Islands.

Karan added his name into the list of all those Indo-Americans who had previously won the

Geographical Bee competition.

E-visas for Chinese Nationals

PM launched this facility at Tshingua University, through which Chinese applicants can apply for

visas online, a few days before they plan to travel.

This seeks to boost MoU on tourism cooperation as 2015 & 2016 have been chosen as Visit India &

Visit China years respectively.

Less than 2 lakhs Chinese visited India last year.

Indian origin boy working with Microsoft, developing braille printers

13 years old- California based, Shubham Banerjee, who is credited with the invention of a low cost

Braille printer with his Lego toys, is now working with Microsoft.

They plan to integrate the printer with Windows so as to make it accessible to the target users.

They plan to launch the product commercially in November.

By his invention he had reduced the price of braille printers by 82% and further targeted a price of

$500 or less.

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Former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi sentenced to death

Former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was sentenced to death by Egyptian court for his

involved in a mass Prison-break in 2011.

No , As pe Eg pt s la , the ou t s eligious autho ities ill ha e to gi e thei opi io efo e the death sentence can be carried out. But the advice will not be binding on the court.

Morsi who is the leader of Muslim Brotherhood Party was earlier sentenced to 20 years in jail for

was on charges of espionage for his involvement in ordering the arrest and torture of protesters

during his time in power.

He as Eg pt s fi st f eel ele ted p eside t afte the ilitary rule under Hosni Mubarak came to

end in 2011.In July 2013, he was ousted by the military after days of mass street protests by

Egyptians demanding his removal because of his divisive policies.

Current President of Egypt : Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Capital of Egypt: Cairo, Currency of Egypt: Egyptian

Franc

Canada sets a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 % by 2030

United States had also committed to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 26 to 28 per cent cut

by 2025 from 2005 levels.

European Union (EU) also had set a target to reduce emission of 35 per cent below 2005 levels by

2030.

Chi a is Wo ld s la gest g ee house gas e itte ut has ot a ou ed its ta get to edu e the greenhouse gas emissions yet.

Modi in China : India-China sign 24 key agreements

India and China signed a record 24 agreements in key sectors, including in railways and education, on day

t o of P i e Mi iste Na e d a Modi s fi st isit to the o u ist eigh ou . From skill development and railways to smart cities and education exchange programme, the agreements

a e ea t to e ha e I dia s ties ith Chi a.

List of 24 agreements Signed :

1– Consulates-general at Chengdu and Chennai :

Protocols between India and China on the establishment of consulates-general at Chengdu and

Chennai and the extension of the consular district of the consulate general of India in Guanzhou to include

Jiangxi province.

Skill development :

2– MoU between the Ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship of India and the ministry of

human resources and social security of China on cooperation in the field of vocational education and skill

development.

3– Action plan on cooperation in setting up of the Mahatma Gandhi National Institute for Skill

Development and Entrepreneurship in Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

Trade and Commerce :

4– MoU between India and China on consultative mechanism for cooperation in trade negotiations.

Sister States :

5– Agreement between state government of Karnataka and provincial government of Sichuan of China.

6– Agreement between Chennai and Chongqing of China.

7– Agreement between Aurangabad and Dunhuang of China.

8– Agreement between Hyderabad and Qingdao of China.

Space and Science Cooperation :

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9– MoU et ee I dia s i ist of ea th s ie es a d the State Oceanic Administration of China on

cooperation in the field of ocean science, ocean technology, climate change, polar science and cryosphere.

10– MoU et ee I dia s i ist of ea th s ie es a d the Chi a Ea th uake Ad i ist atio o e i g cooperation in the field of earthquake science and earthquake engineering.

11– MoU on scientific cooperation between Geological Survey of India, ministry of mines of India and the

China Geological Survey, ministry of land and resources of China in geoscience.

12- Space Cooperation Outline (2015-2020).

Health and Education :

13– MoU on education exchange programme.

14– Protocol on health and safety regulations on importing Indian rapeseed meal and the general

administration of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine.

Cultural Relations :

15– MoU between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Fudan University on the establishment of a

centre for Gandhian and Indian studies.

16– MoU between Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Yunnan Minzu University on the

establishment of a yoga college.

Railways :

17– Action plan between the National Railway Administration of China and the ministry of railways of

India on enhancing cooperation in the railway sector. (2015-16).

Cooperation Among others :

18- MoU on cooperation between the ministry of external affairs of India and international department of

the central committee of the Communist Party of China.

19- MoU between the ministry of mines of India and the ministry of land and resources of China on the

cooperation in the mining and minerals sector.

20- MoU between Doordarshan and China Central Television on cooperation in the field of broadcasting.

21– MoU on establishing India-China think-tanks forum.

22– MoU et ee I dia s Niti Aa og a d the De elop e t ‘esea h Ce t e, “tate Cou il of Chi a. 23– MoU between the ministry of external affairs of India and ministry of foreign affairs of China on

esta lish e t of states/p o i ial leade s fo u . Tourism :

24– Agreement between the ministry of tourism of India and the national tourism administration of China

on cooperation in the field of tourism.

Modi I augurates ICICI s First Bra h i Chi a

To help Indian and Chinese corporates in cross-border businesses, top private sector lender ICICI

Bank today opened its first branch in China, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra

Modi.

ICICI Bank has opened its first China based branch in Shanghai.

ICICI Bank had first opened its representative office in Shanghai in 2003.

In March this year it got the regulatory approval to expand it into a branch.

This branch will engage in banking activities permitted under the guidelines of the China Banking

Regulatory Commission.

The new ICICI Bank branch would begin with 17 banking professionals

India to assume Presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly

India is set to assume the presidency of the 68th World Health Assembly to be held in Geneva

starting May 18 with Health Minister JP Nadda to chair the meeting.

http://www.affairscloud.com/india-china/


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India is assuming the presidency of the WHA, the high decision making body of the World Health

organisation (WHO), after a gap of 19 years.

When : May 18 to 27. Where : Geneva

The Minister will host a reception for Health Ministers attending the Assembly on May 19.

Nadda and 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.

PM visits Gandan monastery in Mongolia, gifts Bodhi sapling

Prime Minster Narendra Modi handed over a Bodhi tree sapling to Hamba Lama (Chief Abbott) of the

Gandan Tegchilen monastery, saying it was a token of friendship from the Indian people.

Modi In Mongolia – List of Agreements Signed

India and Mongolia on Sunday signed 14 agreements, including an air services agreement and in cyber

security, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his Mongolian counterpart Chimed Saikhanbileg

After a three-day successful trip in China, PM Narendra Modi has reached Mongolia. On Sunday, the two

countries signed 14 agreements.

The two Prime Ministers witnessed the signing of the following bilateral agreements:

1- Agreement between the two governments on Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners.

2- Agreement between the two governments on Air services.

3- Joint statement for India-Mongolia strategic partnership.

4- Agreement between the two governments on cooperation in the field of animal health and dairy.

5- MoU on cooperation in the field of traditional systems or medicine and homeopathy.

6- MoU between the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Justice of

Mongolia for enhancing cooperation in border guarding, Policing and surveillance.

7- Programme of cooperation in the field of culture for the Years 2015-2018.

8- MoU on the establishment of cyber security training centre in the Ministry of Defence of Mongolia.

9- MoU between the foreign service institute between the external affairs ministries of both the

governments.

10- MoU on cooperation on foreign affairs.

11- MoU on cooperation in the field of renewable energy.

12- MoU for Cooperation between the National Security Council of the Republic of India and the National

Security Council of Mongolia.

13- MoU on the establishment of India-Mongolia Friendship Secondary School in Mongolia.

14- MoU between Tata Memorial Centre of India and National Cancer Center of Mongolia for Gifting of

Bhabhatron-II Terecobalt Unit along with a radiotherapy simulator.

$1-billion credit line to Mongolia :

Besides the agreements signed, India will provide a Line of Credit of $1 billion to support expansion of

Mo golia s e o o i apa it a d infrastructure.

Modi In china: 26 Business deals worth $22 Billion Signed

P i e Mi iste Na e d a Modi s isit to Chi a has ielded $22 billion worth of MoUs sho i g Chi a I . s strong interest in the Indian story, says a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The MoUs which span a wide range of industries including renewable energy, power infrastructure, and

steel a d s all & ediu i dust ies ill e ha e Chi ese o pa ies o it e t to Make in India , MEA has said.

http://www.affairscloud.com/make-in-india/

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The business-to-business MoUs include Indian industry giants like Bharti Airtel Ltd, Adani, Sun Group,

Wipro and GMR Limited.

Some of the Major Deals:

Sister Port :

Adani Ports & SEZ and Guangzhou Port Authority ag eed to esta lish siste po t elatio ship

Ports Involved : Mundra Port and Guangzhou Port.

Telecom :

Bharti Airtel s tie-up for credit facility with China Development Bank and Industrial and Commercial

Bank of China.

Agreement worth : $ 2.5 billion.

Services Sector :

Te h olog ajo I fos s also e te ed i to a MoU ith People s Go e e t of Qia a Auto o ous P efe tu e to joi tl uild Chi a I dia I fo atio “e i e I dust Co ido i Qinnan.

Infosys launched its Shanghai campus

Power and Natural Gas :

The Adani Group also inked an agreement with Golden Concord Holdings to establish an integrated

photovoltaic industrial park in Mundra SEZ

It will help to explore the investment opportunities in gas power generation and natural gas sector.

Welspun Energy entered into a memorandum of understanding with Trina Solar of China to jointly

set up a PV industry park .

This Agreement would help in for production of 500 MW of Photovoltaic (PV) cell and 500 MW of

PV solar module in India.

IL&FS Energy Development Co and China Huaneng Group for 4,000 MW Nana Layja Thermal

Power (Coal) project

Steel and Mines :

Jindal Steel and Power and ICBC on development of potential projects.

Bhushan Power and Steel signed a pact with China National Technical Import and Export

Corporation for an integrated steel project in Gujarat.

Infrastructure :

IL&FS and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC)

Film & Entertainment :

Co-Production of film Xuan Zang : Eros and China Film group

Others Indian Companies Signed deals with its Chinese Counterparts:

Two agreements were signed by the Confederation of Indian Industry and one agreement each by

the Essel Group,

Sun Group,

Axis Energy Ventures,

Go e e t of Guja at s i es depa t e t, Autolite,

Wipro,

GMR,

NIIT and

Aarvee Associates.


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Former Army Brigadier David Granger sworn-in as eighth President of Guyana

Former Army Brigadier David Granger on 16 May 2015 was sworn in as the eighth President of

Guyana. He was sworn-in as the President after his A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) party-

led coalition won the national elections.

In the national elections held on 11 May 2015, his coalition APNU – Alliance for Change (AFC)

defeated the uli g People s P og essi e Pa t PPP . With this, it e ded the ea old g ip o power of Indo-Guyanese PPP.

Modi In South Korea : List of Agreements Signed

List of seven agreements inked between India and South Korea on Monday after talks between Prime

Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Seoul.

During his two-day visit to the country beginning today, PM Modi will also meet business leaders and

attract investments of $10 billion for infrastructure projects.

Noti g that I dia o side s “outh Ko ea a u ial pa t e i its e o o i ode isatio , M . Modi said “outh Ko ea a e a leadi g pa t e i I dia s effo ts to de elop a o ld lass a ufa tu ing sector.

List Of Agreements Signed between the Two Nations:

1- Agreement on Double Taxation avoidance :

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of

Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income was inked.

2- On Security :

An MoU was inked for cooperation between the National Security Councils of both countries to

formalise consultations in a number of areas.

3- Power and Renewable Energy :

An MoU for cooperation in areas of

Renewable energy,

Smart grids and power information and technology,

Transmission and distribution of electric power,

Energy efficiency and

Storage system.

4- Agreement on Maritime Cooperation :

An MoU was inked for cooperation in maritime transport and logistics.

Also includes information sharing through sharing of technologies, information and experiences,

the training of seafarers, exchange of experts and port operations.

5- Agreement on Road Management :

A Framework of Cooperation was inked for cooperation in

Road policies,

Design and construction,

Road operation,

Road management and safety,

Intelligent transport systems and

Electronic toll collection systems.

6- A bilateral Agreement on Cooperation in Audio-Visual Co-Production was inked for co-production of

films, animation and broadcasting programmes.

7- An MoU was inked to strengthen and encourage cooperation on youth matters.

This Includes, Participation in events and activities through exchanges, international conferences,

seminars, youth camps, festivals etc.


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Other Developments :

South Korea will provide 10 billion US dollars to India for infrastructure, development of smart cities,

railways, power generation and other diversified areas as the two countries agreed to upgrade their

ilate al elatio ship to a “pe ial “t ategi Pa t e ship

Asia e o es orld s largest i estor regio : UNCTAD report

Asia has e o e, fo the fi st ti e, the o ld s la gest i esto egio ith illio U.“. dolla s i ested in 2014 , according to a report released Monday by the United Nations Conference on Trade and

Development (UNCTAD).

Asia e o es the Wo ld s la gest I esto desti atio i . Total Dollars Invested – 440 billon Dollars

North America – Second Largest Investor region

Total Dollars Invested – 390 Billion Dollars

Europe – Third Largest Investor region

Total Dollars Invested – 390 Billion Dollars.

Largest Sources of Outward FDI

United States

Hong Kong

China

18-nation military exercise in Jordan

Jordan has kicked off a two-week military exercise with some 10,000 participants from 18 countries, many

members of a U.S.-led military coalition against the Islamic State group, which controls much of

neighbouring Iraq and Syria.

The Eager Lion military drill, which has been carried out in Jordan for five years, now is a global

military exercise in which armies of different countries take part.

O je ti e of the d ill is to fight all aspe ts a d t pes of te o is .

It is designed to strengthen military-to-military relationships through a joint, whole-of-government,

multinational approach.

The exercises will focus on challenges such as combating terrorism and border security.

And other areas of focus are Integrated air and missile defence and humanitarian assistance and

disaster relief to add ess u e t a d futu e o fli ts se u it issues. Drill include responses to conventional and unconventional threats.

Some 10,000 troops are taking part in the two- eek Eage Lio e e ise. The exercise will be held among five sites across Jordan.

Eager Lion includes field training, multiple live-fire exercises, reconnaissance training, and Harrier,

Cobra and Osprey aircraft.

Countries taking part in the Millitary drill :

US,Jordon,France,Italy,Pakistan,Bahrain,Kuwait,Saudi Arabia,Lebanon,Australia,Canada,Qatar,Spain,

Romania,UAE,United Kingdom,Egypt,Iraq

Many are from countries that have joined a U.S.-led military coalition against Islamic State extremists.

Last year,Total of 24 countries took part in the Military drill.

Indian PM gifts woven pashmina stoles to Korean President

Two finely woven pashmina sholes on which a poem that Rabindranath Tagore had written mainly

for Korea is hand embroidered in English and Korean, had been gifted by Indian PM Mr Narendra


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Modi to Korean President Park Geun-H e. Tago e s poe o Ko ea, e oide ed o eige-colored

stoles as pu lished i the ea i Ko ea Dail Dong-A llbo . Wide range of discussions were held by the Indian PM and Korean President to take the bilateral

ties to higher level.

A a uet as held Ko ea P eside t Pa k i I dia PM Modi s ho ou . Cultu al p og a e e e held at a uet a d fa ous hi di so g Chal Chal Chal Me e “aathi

were sung by children .

President Obama enters Guinness Book Of Records

Obama broke a Guinness world record by becoming the fastest person to garner one million twitter

followers, which he did in less than five hours.

The new account- @POTUS – President Of The United States, is the new official PRESIDENTIAL

ACCOUNT of the USA and will be managed by the subsequent presidents.

He oke ‘o e t Do e J . s e o d ho a hie ed the feat i hou s.

Indian American Yale University professor Akhil Amar appointed to key post

Indian American Yale University professor- Akhil Amar has been named as a member of the

prestigious Council on Humanities by president Obama.

He is a professor of Law and Political Science in Yale since 2008. He is also a member of Board of

Directors of the Constitutional Accountability Centre. He was also elected a fellow of the American

Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Ancient Syrian city of Palmyra under ISIS control

The ancient Semite city in Homs, Syria – Palmyra– also known as the Pearl of desert, was seized by

the militant group ISIS. It is a world heritage city. The architecture dates back to the 1st –

2nd century AD, built in Greco – Roman style.

With the capture of Al–Tanf crossing in Homs, the Syrian govt. has lost control of the

ou t s all border posts with Iraq.

It also potentially opens the way for ISIS to the capital city of Damascus

Environmental Democracy Index- India at 24th place

In the first Environmental Democracy Index, India ranks 24th out of total of 70 countries which is

topped by Lithuania.The i de e aluates ou t s p og ess i e a ti g la s i the p o otio of transparency,accountability and engagement of citizens in making decisions

regarding environment.

The top ten nations are Lithuania,Latvia,Russia,USA,South Africa,UK,Hungary,Bulgaria,Panama and

Columbia.as per the list released by World Resources institute and Access initiative on 20th May

2015.

The index evaluates environmental democracy in 70 nations including 75 legal and 24 practice

indicators depending on international standards.

Indo-American Prodigy graduates from college at the age of 11

At the tender age of 11, Indo-American prodigy Tanishq Abraham graduated from California

community college on Thursday 21st May 2015.

At the age of six and seven when most of kids of his age would be playing, Tanishq enrolled himself

in high school and college courses that saw the beginning of an astonishing career.


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Parvinder Singh Batth, becomes first “ikh a or i U ited Ki gdo s Woki gha Borough Cou il

Indian-o igi ou illo Pa i de “i gh Batth as hose as the a o of B itai s Woki gha Borough Council, the first Sikh to hold the position.

He succeeds Councillor UllaKarin Clark for this post and will serve till 2016.

Parvinder Singh Batth previously had served as Deputy Mayor of borough of Wokingham in

Berkshire in south east England.

Ireland becomes first country to constitutionally legalise same-sex marriage

Republic of Ireland on 23 May 2015 became first country in the world to constitutionally legalise

same-sex marriage.

The efe e du o this issue to a e d ou t s itte o stitutio as passed ith a esou di g . pe e t Yes . Off the total ote tu out of . pe e t, 1,201,607 people voted

in favour of same-sex marriage, while 734,300 voted against it.

World s oldest li i g perso tur s

An American woman, said to be the oldest living person in the world, has celebrated her 116th

birthday.

Jeralean Talley, who was born in Georgia on May 23, 1899, but now lives in Inkster, Michigan

turned 116 on Saturday.

Talley was named the oldest living person in the world after Gertrude Weaver, an American super-

centenarian died in April.

Indian-origin businessman elected head of global firm

A leading Indian-origin entrepreneur Ranjit Singh Baxi, has been elected as president for a Brussels

based e li g asso iatio , Bureau of I ter atio al ‘e li g BI‘ . He is the chairman of J & H

Sales (International) ltd. ,will serve a two year term as president . The election was held at the

asso iatio s World Co e tio & E hi itio i Du ai o 9th May 2015.

In his acceptance speech , Mr Baxi, who succeeded Bjorn Grufman, a Swede, noted that the

precursor of climate change is the reduction of carbon emissions. He also referred to Prime

Mi iste Na e d a Modi s i itiati e alled “ at h Bha at , a a paig hi h would help to reduce

waste and promote recycling. He emphasised that recyclables must be provided with free passage

globally by reducing Trade Barriers and minimum legislative controls.

China sets up largest gold sector fund for nations along ancient silk board

Du i g o goi g fo u o t ade a d i est e t, i Chi a s o th est Xia it , gold se to fu d fo 65

nations along the ancient silk board had been set up.

The fund will be lead by Shanghai Gold Exchange[SGE] and 16.1 billion dollars in 3 phases is expected to

be raised.

It is expected that around 60 countries which fall along the routes of 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Or

MSR and Silk Road Economic Belt have invested in the fund.

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Pact ready for transit of vehicles in four SAARC nations

To make seamless transit of passenger and cargo vehicles and making cross-border trade cost

effective , India and other SAARC countries like Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan are expected to sign

a pact next month.

The sources said that the pact called BBIN, Bangladesh, Bhutan , India and Nepal agreement would

manage cargo and passenger vehicle traffic among these four of eight SAARC members.

There is also possibility for other SAARC nations like Afghanistan,Pakistan,Maldives and Srilanka to

join this framework.

Nitin Gadkari, Road Transport, Railways and Shipping Minister would visit Bhutan on 15th June to

sign Motor Vehicle Agreement with transport ministers from Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Japan set to join US-Australia military drill

Japanese troops will participate in a major US-AUS military exercise which is to take place

in Australia, for the first time.

The biennial drill- Talisman Sabre that begins on 7 July, including around 27000 service men, will

see the pa ti ipatio of so e pe so el of the Japa s G a d “elf Defe e Fo e JG“DF . It aims to improve tactical expertise in amphibian operations and to strengthen Japan-US

interoperability, also it comes at a time when US plans to strengthen its ties with its allies in the

face of Chinese aggression.

The e s a g o i g te sio i the “outh Chi a “ea- China is constructing artificial islands in disputed

waters( Sparthy Archipelago ) which is also claimed partly by US allies Philippines, Vietnam, and

others. China has a separate territorial dispute with Japan over Tokyo controlled Senakaku islands

also called Diaoyus.

The US is sending warships and surveillance aircraft within 12 nautical miles in the South China Sea,

which could lead to a stalemate in a stretch of eager traversed by some important global shipping

canals.

China and Chile sign currency swap deal

Chinese premiere Li Keqiang and Chilean president Michelle Bachelet signed a currency swap deal,

which aims at deepening economic ties by boosting trade and investment.

The deal et ee Chile s e t al a k a d the People s Ba k of Chi a, ill fa ilitate the e ha ge of upto 2.2 trillion pesos ( USD 3.6 billion ) for next three years.

It s a post of deals sig ed du i g P e ie e s fou atio tou of “outh A e i a hi h i luded Brazil, Columbia and Peru.

Chi a is Chile s top t adi g pa t e , a ou ti g fo a out % of its e po t i ludi g – copper,

salmon and wine.

India ranks 4th in APAC in terms of resume fraud

India is placed at 4th position in terms of discrepancies with 23%.

Philippines topped with 30% followed by Malaysia at 27% and Japan at 26%.

Fifth position was taken by Singapore followed by Australia and China at 22%,21% and 18%

respectively.

2,18,000 checks were carried out in India between January 2014 and April 2015 and reports were

given.

http://www.affairscloud.com/saarc/

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HireRight MD APAC,Mr Edward Hickey, said that because of high competition in the job market,

the candidates may decorate or fabricate qualifications or job experiences on resumes to get

noticed from others.

Four I dia s a o g For es orld s ost po erful o e

I the th Fo es a ual list of o ld s ost popula o e , fou I dia s ha e ee a ed, in the list topped by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Arundhati Bhattacharya: First woman (and youngest) Chairperson of State Bank of India (SBI) was

placed at 30th position.

Cha da Ko hha : Ma agi g Di e to MD a d CEO of I dia s la gest p i ate se to le de ICICI Ba k was placed at 35th position.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw: Founder, Chairman and MD of Biocon Limited was placed at 85th position.

Shobhana Bhartia: Chairperson and Editorial Director of the Hindustan Times Group was placed at

93rd position. It should be noted she has appeared on the list for the first time.

Top ten includes US Presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton 2,philanthropist Melinda Gates at 3,Federal

Reserve Chair Jannet Yellen at 4, GM CEO Mary Barra at 5, IMF Chief Christine Lagarde at 6,

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff at 7,Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg at 8,You Tube CEO Susan

Wojcicki at 9 and USA First lady Michella Obama at 10.

Country singer Taylor Swift youngest entry in Forbes most powerful women list 2015

Taylor Swift,25, debuted at number 65 in the Forbes most powerful women list, becoming the

youngest entrant.

She is a seven time Grammy Award winner, having sold over 40 million albums and over 100 million

solo downloads worldwide, making her one of the best selling artists ever.

Next youngest lister was founder and CEO of blood testing company- Therox, Elizabeth Holmes- no.

72, who is also the world's youngest female self-made billionaire

Only 12 Europeans, 3 Africans, 4 Middle Easterns, 4 Latin Americans and 18 Asia Pacific women

featured in the list, being published by Forbes magazine since 2004, dominated by politicians,

activists and business women round the world.

This year's list was also topped by German Chancellor - Angela Merkel.

German city evacuates 20,000 people to defuse WWII bomb

German authorities evacuated around 20,000 people from their homes in the western city of

Cologne on Wednesday after a World War II bomb was unearthed during construction work.

The unexploded US-made device, which lay five metres underground and was discovered on Friday,

was set to be defused later in the day.

India Vietnam joint vision statement on defence cooperation

India and Vietnam signed a Joint Vision Statement on defence cooperation for 2015-2020. The

statement was signed by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and his Vietnamese counterpart

during the delegation level talks in New Delhi.

An MoU on cooperation between the coast guards of the two countries was also signed. These

were signed during the Vietnamese Defence Minister's 3-day official visit to India at the invitation

of Mr Parrikar

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India tops world hunger list with 194 million people – UN report

According to the report given by Food and Agricultural organisation FAO of United Nations on

Thursday 28th May 2015,India is the home to 194 million people in the world who are

undernourished.

This is % of I dia s populatio , e e su passi g Chi a i oth u e s a d i p opo tio of al ou ished people i ou t s populatio .

According to the report of The State of Food Insecurity in the World, the higher economic growth is

not fully converted to higher food consumption indicating that the poor and hungry people are not

benefited from the overall growth.

Top ten countries: India (194.6), China (133.8), Pakistan (41.4), Ethiopia (31.6), Bangladesh (26.3),

Indonesia (19.4), Tanzania (16.8), Philippines (13.7), Nigeria (12.9) and North Korea (10.5). Note:

(population is million).

India remains at 44th rank in the annual global competitiveness report

Swiss business s hool, I te atio al I stitute fo Ma age e t De elop e t s IMD a ual Glo al Competitiveness list is out and India secured the 44th rank.

It cited problems like high corporate taxes and existence of a parallel economy for the low ranking.

The top 10 ranks include US (1) Hong Kong (2) and Singapore (3) move up overtaking

Switzerland(4), Canada (5),Luxembourg (6) Norway (7), Denmark (8), Sweden (9) and Germany (10).

Some challenges for India in 2015 are achieving high growth with zero defect, zero effect model,

mobilization of resources for public investment, implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, skill

development and employment generation and infrastructure development.

I dia s e o o i pe fo a e i p o ed from 21 to 16 rank, and business efficiency slightly

increased from 34 to 33. Government efficiency remained at the same spot on 47 but infrastructure

declined from 57 to 58.India was ranked 13th in the Asia Pacific category.

Singapore appoints Indian-origin diplomat S Chandra Das as envoy to Sri Lanka

Singapore has appointed an Indian- origin businessman as its non-Resident High Commissioner to

Sri Lanka, the Foreign Ministry announced today.

“ Cha d a Das se ed as “i gapo e s A assado to the ‘epu lic of Turkey, resident in Singapore,

from 2006 to 2015.

He had also p e iousl se ed as “i gapo e s T ade ‘ep ese tati e f o to i the U““‘, the former Soviet Union.

Indian-American kids win spelling bee title for 8th successive year

On Thursday 28th May 2015, at the 8th US National Scripps Howard Spelling Bee championships,

two Indian-American kids Vanya Shivshankar and Gokul Venkatachalam were jointly declared

winners.

It marked the eighth consecutive year that Indian-American students have taken the title starting

from the year 2008 onwards.

Two Indian-Americans among Forbes America 50 successful women

According to Forbes, inaugural list of Americas 50 richest self made women, two Indian-origin

women have made it to the list and shares the honours with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Media

Moghul Oprah Winfrey and singer Beyonce.


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India born Neerja Sethi with net worth of 1.1 billion USD has been placed at 14th while London-

born Jayshree Ullal at 30th place with 470 million net worth.

Muha adu Buhari as s or i as Nigeria s preside t

Muha adu Buha i as s o i as Nige ia s e head of stated fo a fou ea te , afte he o the fi st oppositio i to o e a sitti g p eside t i the atio s histo .

Buhari, 72-year-old, took the oath of office before the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Supreme Court

President Mahmoud Mohammed.

Buha i s o o e outgoi g p eside t Goodlu k Jo atha i Ma h polls.Befo e taki g the oath, he shook hands with the elected president he ousted in 1983, Shehu Shagari, in a military coup, and

he himself was ousted after 14 months.

Nepal skips R-Day celebrations to mourn quake-dead

Even as the government decided not to celebrate the seventh Republic Day celebrations, which falls

on Friday this year, messages to mark the day poured in from home and abroad.

Google Doodle changed its logo for Nepal – with a picture of candles – Thursday to mark the

‘epu li Da a d to ho ou Nepalis esilie e. O Ma th, , afte de ades of e olutio and protests, Nepal became the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the fund side of the search

e gi e gia t ote. “e e ea s late , this ou t is a i te atio al s ol of sple dou , pea e, a d te a it .

Andrzej Duda officially named president-elect of Poland

A d zej Duda, i e of Pola d s p eside tial ele tio , as offi iall a ed p eside t-elect in a

state ceremony at the Baroque Wilanow Palace.

P i e Mi iste E a Kopa z, Duda s pa e ts, ife Agata a d daughte atte ded the e e o to see the 43-year-old lawyer receive the official document confirming that he won the election. His

five-year term starts Aug. 6.

Duda is a member of the Law and Justice party, he won the presidential election against

Komorowski of the ruling pro-business Civic Platform.

Solar Impulse 2 plane takes off for Pacific flight

The revolutionary Solar Impulse 2 aircraft took off early Sunday for a six-day flight over the Pacific

Ocean, AFP saw, the most ambitious leg of its quest to circumnavigate the globe powered only by

the sun.

Swiss pilot Andre Borschberg, 62, left the ground in Nanjing, in eastern China, heading for the US

island of Hawaii, at about 2.40 am (1840 GMT), for a 8,500 kilometre (5,270 mile) flight expected to

take 130 hours.

Powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake shakes Japan

A powerful earthquake, 7.8 on the richter scale, shook Japan, which lasted for about a minute and

the quake was most intense at around 8.30pm. The epicentre was 676 kilometres below the Earth's

surface. It was centred on a remote spot in the Pacific Ocean around 870 kilometres south of

Tokyo.

Despite the huge power of the quake, there was no risk of a tsunami, the Pacific Tsunami Warning

Centre reported. There were also no immediate reports of injuries or damage.


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This was the second sizable shake Tokyo has had this week, after a much weaker quake hit close to

Tokyo on Monday. It is worthwhile to mention that Japan is located at the meeting place of four

tectonic plates and experiences around 20 per cent of the world's most powerful earthquakes every

year.

Indian-origin businessman honoured in Singaporea

Gautam Banerjee, who is the senior managing director at Blackstone and co-chairman of its Asia

operating committee, as well as chairman of Blackstone Singapore, an Indian-origin entrepreneur is

among the four persons, on whom the national honour will be conferred in Singapore for their

"instrumental roles" in the continued growth of the country's business scenario.

He was awarded the 'Public Service Medal' by President Tony Tan Keng Yam. The Public Service

Medal was also awarded to Paul Graham, Global Chief Operating Officer and CEO for Mainland

Europe, Middle East and Africa for DHL Supply Chain.

Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director for McKinsey and Company, and Michael R Splinter,

Applied Materials Chairman, were awarded the 'Public Service Star (Distinguished Friends of

Singapore) award'.

Bannerjee was also nominated as a member of parliament in Singapore, he currently serves on the

board of Singapore Airlines Limited, the Indian Hotels Company Limited and is the vice chairman of

the Singapore Business Federation.

Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore, Chairman : Beh Swan Gin.

Awards

CN‘ ‘ao o ferred ith Japa s highest a ard

Eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao was conferred

ith Japa s highest civilian award the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.

He was bestowed with this award for his outstanding contributions to science and Indo-Japanese

science cooperation.

Rao is a National Research Professor, Linus Pauling Research Professor.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Prannoy Roy

NDTV executive co-chairman,Mr Pranoy Roy, was honoured with REDINK life time achievement

award for the year 2015 in Mumbai. Mr Pranoy Roy spoke about the fact that the television

channels should go beyond the ta loid e s ultu e a d ust fo us o ualit jou alis .The award function was organised by Mumbai press club.

Redink Lifetime Achievement Awards were started in the year 2010 by Mumbai press club to

encourage good ethical journalism that will create impact on people and the society.

Golden Medal for Merit in work of spain for tennis star Rafael Nadal

At a e e o held i Mad id,“pai i the P i e Mi iste s offi ial eside e, the Prime Minister of

Spain Mariano Rajoy Brey gave Golden Medal For Merit In Work,o e of “pai s top i ilia a a d to Tennis player Rafael Nadal. The ceremony took place on 1st May 2015 which is recognised

as Labour Day.

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The award embodies the merits of working. Nadal felt honored on receiving this award and he said

that he never imagined getting the award and hoped of overcoming ups and downs and restoring

stability.

Spring imperial decorations award of japan 2015 for four Indians

The four Indians would receive Spring Imperial Decorations of Japan Award 2015 on 8th May at Imperial

Palace in Tokyo. These Indians are among 85 foreign contestants who will be getting this award on that

day.

The honors include four Indians including Mr C.N.R Rao and Mr T.K.A Nair who was former Advisor and

Principal secretary to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Mr Parekh and Mr Bhutia are the other two

indians to get this award.

The Order of the Rising Sun Award, is given to those who had made great contributions in the

fields ofInternational Relations.

Also contributions in Promotion of Japanese Culture,development in Welfare or preservation of the

environment are considered.

Mr C.N.R Rao, a Bharat Ratna recipient, would be given Order Of The Rising Sun,Gold and Silver

Star, for his contribution towards promoting academic interchange and mutual understanding

in science and technology between India and Japan.

Mr.T.K.A Nair, would be awarded with Order Of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, for his

outstanding contributions enhancement of relationship and promoting friendship between India

and Japan.

Mr. Nikunj Parekh,President of Indo-japanese Association Mumbai, would be honored with Order

Of The Rising Sun,Gold and Silver Rays, for his input in the promotion and presentation of Japanese

Culture In India.

A former local employee of Embassy of Japan in India, Mr Topgay Bhutia, would be conferred with Orders

Of The Sacred Treasure,Gold and Silver Rays.

I dira Ga dhi I ter atio al adjudged orld s est airport

Delhi s Indira Gandhi International Airport or IGIA, was adjudged as the orld s est airport for the year

2014 at a function held at Jordan on April 28th. Airports Council International or ACI gave the Airport

Service Quality award [ASQ] to IGIA at a ceremony of ACI Asia-Pacific World Annual General Assembly.

Out of 5 points, Delhi airport scored 4.9, measured by 300 members of ACI ASQ bench marking

programme.

Indira Gandhi International Airport was previously ranked number 2 in 2011,2012 and in 2013 to

emerge on top in 2014.

I the ea , IGIA s s o e as . . Airport Service Quality award is key to to understanding how to increase passenger satisfaction and

improve business performance.

In the year 2014-15 alone, as many as 40 million passengers used IGIA to reach 58 domestic and 62

international destinations.

The average flight movements during this period was 885 per day and 6,96,000 metric tonnes of

cargo was handled.

IGIA hosts 56 international and 6 domestic carriers and can handle gigantic Airbus A380 aircraft.

The airport serves as a hub for AirIndia, IndiGo,Vistara,SpiceJet.




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62nd National Film Awards Ceremony

On 3rd May 2015,President Mr Pranab Mukerjee, gave away 62nd National Film Awards at a

grand ceremony held in New Delhi.The ceremony was attended by great talents representing the

Indian film industry.

Yester year actor Shashi Kapoor, honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award, could

not attend the ceremony and he would be honoured later in Mumbai.

check complete overview here - http://www.affairscloud.com/62nd-national-film-awards-an-

overview/

Syrian journalist Mazen Darwish honoured with UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize

2015

Syrian journalist and rights activist Mazen Darwish was honoured with UNESCO-Guillermo Cano

World Press Freedom Prize 2015.

He as esto ed ith this a a d the UN s Cultu al od fo e og itio of his o k a ied out in Syria for more than 10 years at great personal sacrifice, harassment, enduring a travel ban, as

well as repeated detention and torture.

Nadia district bags UN Public Service Award

Nadia, hi h as de la ed as the fi st ope defe atio f ee dist i t i ou t , has o the United Nations Public Service Award 2015 in the category of improving delivery of public services.

While Hooghly and Burdwan districts have bagged the second and third positions, Jaisalmer district

in Rajasthan also features in the top 10 list of open defecation free districts. In all, 187 countries

were in running for the award.

G.K Reddy Memorial National Award to Vinod Mehta

Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday presented the G.K. Reddy Memorial National Award to late

ete a jou alist Vi od Mehta.The a a d as e ei ed Vi od Mehta s ife, Sumita Mehta.

K. Reddy Memorial National Award:

The award, given for outstanding contribution to journalism.

Founded by Member of Parliament and Chairman of the TSR Foundation, T. Subbarami Reddy, a

nephew of G.K. Reddy.

The award carries a cash award of Rs. 5 lakh, a gold medal and a citation.

The jury of the GK Reddy memorial award has been constituted with MP Karan Singh as chairman

of the award committee.

Ag es Varda to re ei e Pal e d Or

F e h di e to Ag es Va da ill e ho ou ed ith the p estigious Pal e d O at the up o i g Cannes International Film Festival for the global impact of her body of work.

The 86-year-old becomes the first woman to be selected for this distinction.

Florence Nightingale Awards to 35 nurses

Honourable President, Sri Pranab Mukherjee presented the national Florence Nightingale awards to

35 selected nurses from all over the country in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, on the occasion of

http://www.affairscloud.com/62nd-national-film-awards-an-overview/

http://www.affairscloud.com/62nd-national-film-awards-an-overview/

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I te atio al u ses da o th a , hi h is ele ated e e ear on the birthday of Florence

Nightingale.

While giving away the awards, he expressed concern over poor ratio of nurse to patient(1.25/1000)

i I dia o pa ed to the glo al atio of / . It s i po ta t to k o that u ses a e the la gest work force(26 lakhs) in the medical industry.

Health minister J.P. Nadda was among other dignitaries present.

10,000 Pounds UK literary award for Neel Mukherjee

U ited Ki gdo s Encore Award for best second novel had been won by bengali writer Neel

mukherjee for his o el The Lives of Others . It was way back in 1990 that this award was first given that has cash prize of 10,000 pounds.

This award is mainly given for outstanding second novels often neglected in comparison with

promising first books.

Indo-American professor wins UNC award for 2015

Indo-American professor Dr Sivanadane Mandjiny wins University of North Carolina[ UNC] 2015

awards given for teaching excellence. He will receive this award along with each professor of other

16 UNC campuses.

The award carries a cash prize of 12,500 US dollars and a commemorative Bronze. D “i a s dedication to teaching and guiding students was the major guiding force behind this award given to

him.

The First Indian-Origin lawmaker from Australia to take oath on Bhagavad Gita

Indo-origin Daniel Mookhey, became the first politician in Australia sworned on Bhagavad Gita

when he took oath in New South Wales parliament.

Mr Mookhey was elected by the Labor to replace Steve Whan in the New South Wales Upper

House, making him the states first politician of Indian origin.

Presidential awards for Classical Tamil conferred by Indian President

On 14th May 2015,Presidential awards for the year 2011-12 and 2012-13 are given to Tamil scholars who

had made outstanding contributions in Classical Tamil language and literature. These awards were

conferred by the Indian President Mr Pranab Mukherjee.

Tolkappiyar award was given to SV Shanmugam for the year 2011-12 and for R.Krishnamurthi for

the year 2012-2013.

Kural Pitam award given to Eva Maria Wilden of Germany for 2011-12.

Young scholar awards were presented to E.Ezhuilvasanthan, K.Jwahar and K.Iyappan for 2011-12

and to R.Venkatesan,A.Sathish, MR.Devak, U.Alibava and B.Jaiganesh

Tholkappi a a a d is a life time achievement award given to those who made great

contributions in Tamil studies

Ku al Pita a a ds gi e to those Ta il s hola s fo Classi al Ta il of non- Indian origins.

You g s hola a a ds gi e fo those i age 30 to 40 years for showing interest and excellence in

Tamil Studies.

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“i hildre re ei e Gha sh a Bi a i Childre s Bra er A ard for

14th Gnanashyam Binani Children Bravery Awards were presented to six children below the age of 16 at

a ceremony that took place on Monday the 11th of May 2015 in Mumbai. Two of these children are

posthumous winners.

Cash prize of Rs 51,000 to be used for their education, silver medal and a certificate of recognition

and citation are those for which the children are entitled.

Totally 74 nominations were received from all over India.

Akshay Tambe, Victor Lalbeiseia,Ashwini Ugadhe, Mhonbeni Ezung.

Shaurya Veer Singh and Rhea Chaudhary got the award posthumously.

Shaurya got the award for the fight he put up when three criminals barged into their house for

stealing. Inspite trying hard to save his mother, he was killed by those criminals.

Rhea was alone studying inside her home when she heard of commotion outside where her parents

and uncle were surrounded by armed criminals firing at them.

Rhea then lost her life when she took a bullet on her chest to save her dad .

Vice President Hamid Ansari confers Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award to Anurradha Prasad

Vice President Mohammed Hamid Ansari conferred the Pt. Haridutt Sharma Award to senior

journalist Anurradha Prasad in New Delhi.

She was bestowed with this award for her contribution in the field of Journalism, Writing and Social

Services.

Presently, Anurradha Prasad is the editor-in-chief of News-24 Channel and is Managing Director of

the entertainment company BAG Films & Media ltd.

She is wife of former Minister of State (MoS) for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla.

18 years old Indian boy won Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award Young scientist

18 years old Karan Jerath won Young Scientist for a device that will stop undersea oil spills.

Harkeert Singh Saini- Indo-American wins Prestigious Police Award in Texas

Prestigious a a d, Top Civilian Supervisor of the Year , as p ese ted to the ea old I do-American

policemen, Harkeert Singh Saini in a function that took place at Hyatt Regency Hotel recently in Houston.

He was conferred with this award for his efficient services to Houston Police department, in the

Texas state of USA.

He received this award from Mayor of Houston Anise Parker and Chief of Police Charles A

McClelland.

Harkeert Singh belongs to Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, who completed his graduation from

Deshbandu College in New Delhi.

He settled in Houston,Texas in 1998 and joined Houston Police Department in the year 2000.

He was promoted as office supervisor in his 15years of dedicated service.

Hungarian author Laszlo Krasznahorkai wins Man Booker International Prize

Prestigious Man Booker International Prize for the year 2015 has been won by author Laszlo

Krasznahorkai of Hungary.He was chosen from 10 contenders all over the world. He was awarded at a

ceremony that took place in London on May 20th 2015.

Mr Krasznahorkais novels are complex in nature where a single sentence would extend to a page.

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They deal with dystopian and apocalyptic themes where a forthcoming civilisational crisis threatens

the world.

His novels include Satantango[1985], The Melancholy of Resistance [1989], Seiobo Down

Below[2008].

Satantango was later made into a film with the help of Hungarian filmmaker Bela Tarr.

In the 1990s Laszlo spent more times in countries like Mongolia, China Japan etc and his writings

had aesthetics and literature of these countries.

Dame Marina Warner, Chairperson of the judging panel praised Laszlo being visionary writer of

extraordinary intensity and vocal range.

Mr George Szrites, translator of Mr Laszlo, was awarded translator prize of 15,000 pounds.

Prestigious Radcliffe fellowship by Harvard university- Shivani Agarwal and Maharaja Pandit selected

For the prestigious Radcliffe fellowship by Harvard University, two Indians Shivani Agarwal and Maharaja

Pandit have been selected. They are one among 50 scholars,scientists and artists and they would be

starting their one year fellowships at Radcliffe Institute in September 2015 .

Shivani Agarwal from Indian institute of sciences IISc Bengaluru, is selected as William and Flora

Hewlett Foundation Fellow for learning to make choices in big data

Maharaja Pandit has been selected as Hardy fellow for his project life in Himalaya and he is

from University of Delhi.

It is considered as one of the most prestigious honors for faculty, only 3% of applicants were

accepted this year.

Radcliffe Institute Dean Lizabeth Cohen said that it was great honor to give time,space and

intellectual stimulation to these innovative thinkers, to carry out their work.

Nadal re ei es Paris s top ho our

Pa is ost p estigious ho ou Grand Vermeil as p ese ted to tennis star Rafael Nadal on

Thursday 21st May 2015 at a e e t held at it s Hotel de ille. Nadal as te ed as the ost Pa isia of Mallo a s hile e ei i g the a a d f o Pa is

Spainish- born mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Two Indian peacekeepers to be given UN Dag Hammarsjold Medal posthumously

Two Indian peacekeepers – Lance Naik Nand Ram and Raju Joseph, have been chosen for UN Dag

Hammarsjold Medal 2015, to be awarded posthumously.

They are among the 126 military, police and civilian personnel who lost their lives in 2014 while on

various missions and will be posthumously awarded a prestigious UN medal. They have been

chosen for their brevity and sacrifice while serving in the UN peacekeeping missions in 2014, when

they lost their lives while still in service.

Nand Ram had served in the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of

Congo; while Raju Joseph had served in civilian capacity with the UN Mission in South Sudan.They

will be given the award on 29th May ,2015 on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.

NMDC wins Platts Global award 2015

Glo al Metals A ard, PLATT“ , was won by NMDC [National Mineral Development

Corporation] for the year 2015. At a function organised in London on 21st May 2015.

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NMDC became the first ever Indian firm to get this award for leadership in the Raw Materials and

Mining Sectors. The award was given to NMDC Chairman and Managing director Mr Narendra

Kothari.

68th Cannes Film Festival – Neeraj Ga a s Massa i s prizes

At the 68th Cannes film festival held between May 13th to 24th May 2015 in France film maker Neeraj

Ga a s Massa which has been the talk all over the world, got not only five minutes of standing

ovation but also managed to win the FIPRESCI, the International Jury of Film Critics prize and the Promising

Future prize.

68th Cannes film festival ,the coveted Pal d Or a ard e t to the fil Dheepan di e ted F a e s Ja k Audia d, a sto a out “ ila ka efugees t i g to build new lives in France.

The runner- up award e t to Son of Saul di e ted Hu ga ia a d Tai a s Ne Wa e master Hou Hsiao-hsien as gi e the Best Dire tor a a d.

Best Actor award went to French actor Vincent Lindon and Best Actress award was shared

between Emmanuelle Bercot and Rooney Mara.

The Jury Prize: The Lobster, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

Screenplay: Michel Franco for Chronic.

Annual CEAT awards for 2015 was given away in May 26

The CEAT cricket rating ( CCR ) was formed in 1995 with three cricket legends Clive Lloyd, Ian Chappell and

“u il Ga aska as e e s of go e i g ou il. It s the fi st i ket ati g s ste to e a d pe fo a es of players.

RPG group chairman- Harsh Goenka- announced the launch of cricket gear and named Aussie pacer Brett

lee as the brand ambassador of CCR.

List of award winners:

International cricketer of the year: Kumar Sangakkara

Domestic cricketer of the year: ‘. Vi a , ‘a ji t oph i i g Ka ataka tea s aptai . Indian player of the year: Ajinkya Rahane

T20 player of the year: West Indian player Dwayne Bravo

International batsman of the year: Hashim Amla

International bowler of the year: Sri Lankan Rangana Herath

Popular choice award: West Indian Keiran Pollard.

Special award: Rohit Sharma for his 264 run chase against Sri Lanka.

Young player of the year: Deepak Hooda

Alexander Payne to be honoured at Munich International Film Festival

Munich International Film Festival will pay tribute to American director Alexander Payne with a

retrospective of his movies- shorts, features and TV. Among the movies to be played are Election,

About Schmidt, Sideways, The Descendants, and Nebraska.

Pa e s last isit to the e e t as i he he i High Hopes A a d fo Citize ‘uth. O Ju e 26, there will be a gala held in his honour.

Oxford University award given to Indian-origin teacher

An Indian-origin teacher has been honored by prestigious Oxford University for helping a student

to get i to o ld fa ous u i e sit . U i e sit of O fo d I spi atio al Tea he A a d as gi e to Indian-origi Gu i at Ni “idhu,head of “ ie es at Oaks Pa k High “ hool.

52 | P a g e


The award was set up to encourage more state-funded schools to connect with the university.

Sidhu got the award in Oxford lastweek along with 11 others who were also nominated by their

students.

Five Indian students win Airbus innovation contest

At an award function held in Hamburg, Germany on Wednesday 27th May 2015, five Indian students, won

the fourth edition of Airbus Fly Your Ideas global competition organised in partnership with UNESCO in

order to encourage next generation of innovators.

Team Multifun comprising aerospace engineering students Sathiskumar Anusuya Ponnusami,

Shashank

Agarwal, Dhamotharan Veerasamy, Mojit Gupta and Ajith Mosses.

They had bagged the top price of Euros 30,000.

Two students were studying at IISc ,Bangalore, one student at City University, London,one in

Georgia Tech in USA, and other student was from Delft university of technology, Netherlands.

Out of 518 multi-disciplinary teams representing 3700 students from 100 countries who submitted

their ideas in December 2014, these five students were selected.

Hindustani vocalist refuses to accept an award conferred on her

Renowned Hindustani vocalist Prabha Atre has refused to accept the Swarbhaskara award, instituted in the

memory of legendary vocalist Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, conferred by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). It

carries a cash prize of Rs. 1,11,000 and a citation.

She cited a reason, that the civic body has taken nearly a year for the official presentation,

announced on June 13, 2014.

PMC Ma o Dattat e a Dha ka de o the othe ha d said the o alist s offi e had laid do the conditions that the award should be presented either by Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, Union

Minister Suresh Prabhu or former Justice Chandrashekhar Dharmadikhari barring which the award

would not be accepted and Rs. 75,000 should be made available towards honorarium for the

artistes participating in this programme.

The first Swarbhaskara award was given in 2011 to playback singer Lata Mangeshkar.

Banking & Finance

SBI Launches RuPay Platinum Debit Card

Cou t s la gest le de “tate Ba k on Thursday launched a RuPay Platinum debit card in association with

National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).

The RuPay card comes with a special feature for the convenience of customers that is accepted at

all payment channels- ATMs, PoS and eCommerce.

NPCI will soon launch international RuPay debit cards allowing its customers to use them outside

the country besides issuing RuPay credit cards by January 2016.

The card would be initially issued free to customers maintaining a quarterly balance of Rs 50,000.

The card offers various benefits like 5 per cent cash back on utility bills, complimentary airport

lounge access

It also offers personal accident death and permanent total disability insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh.

SBI has 19.7 crore debit cards in circulation and of which 4.5 crore are RuPay cards.

In the year ended March 2015, the bank saw a 37 per cent rise in its debit card transaction at Rs

30,785 crore from Rs 22,407 crore last year.

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Benefits of RuPay Card :

Lower cost and affordability

Customized product offering

Protection of information related to Indian consumers

Provide electronic product options to untapped/unexplored consumer segment

Inter-operability between payment channels and products

HDFC i orld s top list of o su er fi a e fir s

Mortgage lender HDFC has emerged the only Indian company a o g the o ld s iggest o su e financial services firms, after giants like American Express, Visa and Mastercard.

List was complied by Business magazine Forbes.

The list ranks the companies on the basis of a composite score of their revenues, profits, assets and

market value.

HDFC is ranked 7th on the list

American Express is placed on the top

Second Place – Capital One Financial

Third Place – Visa

Fourth Place – Discover Financial Services

Fifth Place – Orix

Sixth Place – Mastercard

Eighth Place – CIT Group of the US

Ninth Place – Tai a s Hua Na Fi a ial Tenth Place – Chi a s F a shio P ope ties

Forbes List of top regional banks :

China Construction Bank tops the chart

I dia s “BI is ra ked d

ICICI Bank is at 29th place

HDFC Bank is at 40th position.

Forbes List of Top companies in Oil and Gas Sector:

ExxonMobil is on the top place.

Reliance Industries is ranked 15th globally.

Forbes List of top computer services companies :

Google tops the list

I dia s TC“ is at th pla e

CTS is at 9th place

Infosys at 10th position.

Forbes Annual Compilation :

The list is pa t of Fo es a ual o pilatio of , iggest a d ost po e ful o pa ies globally, which includes a total of 56 companies from India across various sectors.

In the overall list, HDFC is ranked 485th, while Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries leads the

pack of the Indian companies at 142nd overall position.

Among other sector-specific lists, there is no Indian entity on the list of biggest major banks topped

by China s ICBC. The overall list is dominated by the companies from the US and China.


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MIDC and SIDBI Sign MoU to finance MSMEs

The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has entered into an agreement with

SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd. to provide easy finance to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs)

for their growth.

Both the MIDC and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) Venture Capital have jointly

created funds to the tune of Rs 200 crore to provide immediate finance to the MSMEs.

MIDC has contributed Rs 75 crore. SIDBI has provided the remaining Rs 125 crore.

The rate of interest at which finance would be provided to the MSMEs is yet to be decided

Crisil ‘ati gs report: Ba ks ad loa s to go up ‘s. , rore

In the current fiscal FY16, gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of Indian banks will rise by Rs. 60,000

crore to Rs. 4 lakh crore (4.5% of total loans),according to a Crisil Ratings report.

Important Points of the report :

Total weak assets to be at 6 per cent of total loans (similar to FY15) to Rs. 5.3 lakh crore in FY16 as

against Rs. 4.7 lakh crore in FY15.

Exposure of banks to vulnerable sectors is expected to remain high, just the way it was in 2014-15.

Its s al ulatio s sho a out Rs. 80,000 crore of stressed loans could be structured under the 5/25

scheme during 2015-16.

Private-sector banks will continue to outperform the industry with RoA of 1.6 per cent compared

with 0.5 per cent for PSBs.

H“BC uts I dia rati gs to u der eight

HSBC global research in its latest epo t has ut I dia s ati gs to u de eight f o o e eight. I dia s a kets ha e ee u de pe fo i g.B“E “e se is the o st pe fo i g ajo a ket i

Asia. “e se is do to % hile Chi a s i de is up to %. It further said that India has been the second most expensive market and also there is little room

for further rate cuts. Much to the dismay, 2015 El Nino conditions are also firmly established.

RBI Instructs Banks to appoint Internal Ombudsman

Reserve Bank of India has directed all leading banks to appoint internal ombudsman to improve their

customer service and to ensure that customer complaints in banks get resolved fast.

The internal ombudsman :

The internal ombudsman would be designated as Chief Customer Service Officer (CCSO).

CCSO should not have worked in the bank in which he/she is appointed as CCSO.

This initiative is to further boost the quality of customer service.

To ensure that there is undivided attention to esolutio of usto e o plai ts i a ks . This is similar to the post of chief vigilance officer in a bank, where a candidate is brought in on

deputation from another bank.

The i te al o uds a ill e a fo u a aila le to a a k s usto e s fo g ie a e ed essal efo e the app oa h ‘BI s banking ombudsman.

All public and private sector banks, as well as foreign banks, will have to appoint an internal

ombudsman

Among private lenders, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, IndusInd Bank,

Standard Chartered Bank, Citi Bank and HSBC are asked to follow the rule.

These banks have been selected on the basis of their asset size, business mix .

http://www.affairscloud.com/banking-ombudsman/


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RBI said that it will shortly issue detailed operational guidelines in this regard.

Banking Ombudsman :

The Banking Ombudsman Scheme is introduced under Section 35 A of the Banking Regulation Act,

1949 by RBI with effect from 1995.

The RBI had introduced the Banking Ombudsman Scheme (BOS) in 1995 to provide an expeditious

and inexpensive forum to bank customers for resolution of complaints relating to deficiency in

banking services provided by

Commercial banks,

Regional rural banks and

Scheduled primary co-operative banks.

Currently, it provides for 27 Parameters of complaints/deficiencies in bank services.

The RBI operates the BOS at free of cost

Accessible to all.

The current scheme became operative from 1 January 2006, and replaced and superseded the

banking Ombudsman Scheme 2002.

From 2002 until 2006, around 36,000 complaints have been dealt by the Banking Ombudsmen.

The appellate authority :

If one is not satisfied with the decision passed by the Banking Ombudsman, one can approach the

appellate autho it agai st the Ba ki g O uds e s de isio . Appellate Authority is vested with a Deputy Governor of the RBI.

State Bank of India launched Online Customer Acquisition Solution

State Bank of India launched yet another new service, Online Customer Acquisition Solution (OCAS),

an online platform to apply for home loans, car loans, education loans and personal loans.

Customers can even upload all necessary documents online, reducing the processing time of their

loan

This new service will help the customers determine their eligibility and get a loan personalized to

their requirement.

The customer will instantly get an e-approval on filling the online form. Thereafter, the Bank

officials will contact the customer and complete all the loan formalities.

A similar application will shortly also be launched on the mobile platform as well.

First facial recognition ATM developed in China

Chinese researchers from Tsinghua University and Tzekwan Technology, a Hangzhou firm in eastern

China's Zhejiang province that provides security protection for financial transactions, have

developed the first automated teller machine (ATM) with facial recognition technology.

China currently relied mostly on imported ATM technology, the report said, but the new machine,

which combines high-speed banknote handling, improved counterfeit-bill recognition and facial

recognition, was wholly Chinese.It seems to be a part of "Made in China" campaign, which aims to

transition the mainland from a manufacturing hub for low-end goods to high-quality products

within the next 10 years.

The new ATM's are expected to connect with the country's banks and public security networks,

which guarantees that only cardholders withdraw money, even if someone else knows the

password. These biometrics ATMs are not being used by some countries, such as the United States,

because of privacy concerns and its high cost.

Tzekwan chairman : Gu Zikun,


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SBI next after ICICI to launch contact less debit and credit cards

SBI ou t s la gest issue of de it a d a d thi d la gest issue of edit a d, has lau hed o ta t less debit and credit cards- SbilNTOUCh, with one lakh fraud cover.

It has tied up ith shoppe s stop, ‘elia e etail, Big Bazaa a d “ta u ks. It will come with

emergency replacement facility.

It uses Near Field Technology( NFC ) that enables users to pay by waving or tapping the card near

the reader instead of swiping.

IT wing for RBI under planning :

Raghunath Rajan said that RBI is planning to set up an IT wing to face the rising challenge of the

cyber world.

RBI already has an IT arm – Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology( IDRBT )

but did not embark on how this new IT wing will differ from IDRBT.

RBI relaxes 2-factor authentication norms for contactless cards upto Rs 2,000

The Reserve Bank of India relaxed the norms for the two-factor authentication requirement for small value

transactions made through the Contact less cards upto the payments of Rs 2000.

Customers can now make payments up to ₹2,000 using NFC (near field communication) enabled credit

and debit cards without punching the password at any retail outlet or while shopping online.

Features of the New Norms :

Additional authentication would not be required for up to Rs 2,000 per transaction only using

contact-less cards.

The limit of Rs 2,000 per transaction will be the limit set across all categories of merchants in the

country where such contactless payments will be accepted.

Beyond this transaction limit, the card has to be processed as a contact payment and

authentication with PIN (AFA) will be mandatory.

Even for transaction values below this limit, the customer may choose to make payment as a

contact payment, which has to be facilitated by both issuing and acquiring banks.

In other words, customers cannot be compelled to do a contactless payment.

These rules will not be applicable to ATM transactions irrespective of transaction value and Card

Not Present transactions (CNP).

A customer can now just wave the card before the PoS machines to complete the transaction.

This new norms will promote Tap and Pay Electronic Payments.

Tap and Pay Electronic Payments :

The tap a d pa efe s to the use of ea -field communication (NFC) technology, enabling users to

make payments by waving or tapping the card near the contactless reader instead of swiping it.

Custo e s a look fo the o ta tless logo o the a d as ell as at the e ha t lo atio so that they can distinguish such cards from other cards available with them and also identify the

locations where contactless payments are accepted.

Prior to this relaxation,

2-Factor Authentication : After tapping the card at a point of sale machines, the customer had to punch

their PIN number as an additional factor authentication (AFA) to avoid any chances of fraud.

Contactless payment cards :

Contactless payment systems are credit cards and debit cards, key fobs, smartcards or other

devices that use radio-frequency identification for making secure payments.

The embedded chip and antenna enable consumers to wave their card or fob over a reader at the

point of sale.

Transactions can be almost twice as fast as a conventional cash, credit, or debit card purchase.

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SBI Creates SBI Foundation for Group CSR Activities

The atio s largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) has created a separate company, SBI

Fou datio , to a out its assi e C“‘ i itiati es a d hopes to get it u i g f o Jul . Incidentally, July 1 is the Foundation Day of the bank, which was started as Bank of Calcutta in June

1806. Pande said that in fiscal 2104, the bank had spent 115 crore on CSR, on a profit of 10,891

crore, which was 6 crore more than its 1 per cent profit.

LIC acquires NMDC shares worth over Rs 1,116 cr

State-owned iron ore miner NMDC said on Wednesday Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has

acquired almost 8 crore of its shares shares worth over Rs 1,116 crore in a market purchase.

HDFC Bank launches medical prepaid card

HDFC Ba k has lau hed HDFC Ba k Apollo Medi al Be efits Ca d . The bank has partnered with Apollo Hospitals for this prepaid product, which allows corporates to

easily disburse medical allowance to their employees, saving time and cost.

With the card, the administrative process of disbursing money is being made quick and simple.

Corporates can load the specified allowance onto the card each month, which can be used by

employees for medical expenditure at pan-India VISA/ MasterCard outlets.

The card offers employees access to a wide range of additional benefits in the form of offers and

discounts, and facilities such as free ambulance services.

SBI Monthly Composite Index for the Month of May released

The SBI Monthly Composite Index, a leading indicator for manufacturing activity in Indian economy, inched

up from 46.8 in April 2015 to 53.8 in May 2015,

Key Points of the report :

The SBI Monthly Composite Index increased from 46.8 in April 2015 to 53.8 in May 2015.

The yearly SBI Composite Index for May 2015 decelerated to 56.4 in May from 58.2 in April

2015,due to

- Entrenched disinflationary impetus

- Weak Demand

Federal Bank Launches Co- Branded Credit card in partnership with SBI Cards

Federal Bank forayed into credit card segment through the launch of co-branded credit cards in

partnership with SBI Cards, a leading credit card issuer.

Federal Bank SBI Credit Card :

This is for the first time that Federal Bank is entering the credit card segment.

In the first year, Federal Bank aims to issue as many as 1.5 lakh credit cards to its customers

This alliance with SBI Cards will help fill a striking gap that existed in product portfolio.

It ill help to eet lie ts etail eeds

Initially, two variants—Plati u a d Gold N More—will be issued under the Visa platform for a

specified fee.

The Platinum card variant will come with a fee of ₹ 2,999.

The Platinum variant will offer a credit limit up to `5 lakh

The benefits to card members in terms of joining gift (exclusive gift voucher) and reward points for

use will outweigh the expense incurred towards the fee for the Platinum card.

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International airport lounge access and golf course access are the other benefits available under

the Platinum variant.

The Gold N Mo e a d ill o e ith a fee of ₹ 499.

This variant will offer a credit limit up to ₹ 1.75 lakh

GMR infra and GIIC ink MoU for Kakinada SEZ

Memorandum of Understanding MoU has been signed between GMR Infrastructure ltd and Guizhou

International Investment Corporation GIIC, for developing Kakinada special economic zone[SEZ] in Andhra

pradesh recently. On behalf of GMR Infrastructure Ltd, the MoU was inked by its subsidiary Kakinada SEZ

or KSEZ Pvt Ltd-President Challa Prasanna and GMR founder Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao in Beijing, china In

presence of Indian PM Narendra Modi.

As per the MoU signed, an industrial park for Chinese high- end equipment producing companies in

Kakinada would be set up.

IMD inks MoU with POSOCO

A Memorandum of Understanding or MoU has been signed between Indian Meteorological

Department IMD and Power System Operation Corporation Ltd or POSCO for the optimum use of

weather information and forecast in the power sector.

The main objective of this MoU is to enable power operators,generators, and utilities to make total

use of their supply and generation capacities with knowledge of weather conditions got from Indian

Meteorological Department.

Power system operators in India would use all weather details given by IMD for analysis and better

power management.

SBI inks pact with Amazon for payment

State Bank of India today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with e-commerce player

Amazon to develop payment and commerce solutions for customers and small businesses.

The idea of the MoU is that we can try and give customers a good experience in both buying and

selli g, “BI Chai a A u dhati Bhatta ha a told epo te s.

SEBI sets new norms for mutual funds managing off shore assets

Market regulator SEBI has simplified norms for domestic mutual fund managers managing off shore

pooled assets for low risk investors. It has dropped the 20-25 rule.

According to the rule, for a domestic mutual fund manager to manage foreign funds, it has to have

20 investors and a cap of 25% on investment by an individual.

The regulations called- SEBI( Mutual Funds) Regulation, 2015, will apply to category 1 and 2 Foreign

Portfolio Investors ( low risk ) which includes pension funds, banks, insurers, etc.

SBI partners with PayPal

The ou t s la gest a k a ou ed a pa t e ship with digital payments firm, PayPal so that the

Customers of State Bank of India (SBI) can now use their debit cards on PayPal for buying products

from overseas websites.

The pa t e ship ill also allo “BI s Mi o “ all a d Mediu E te p ise M“ME usto ers to use

Pa Pal s se u e pa e t solutio s. SBI has also announced a partnership with e-commerce firm, Amazon.com, in India.

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SBI signs pact with Snapdeal

“BI tie up ith “ apdeal fo fu di g M“MEs ill oost P i e Mi iste Na e d a Modi s Make-in-

India initiatives by putting more funds in the hands of the small entrepreneurs enabling them to

boost their industries.

SBI will offer easy loans to MSME traders and manufacturers on the Snapdeal platform enabling

them to scale up operations. There will be concessional interest rate for women entrepreneurs and

zero collateral security for loans up to Rs.1 crore. Traders will get collateral free loans up to Rs. 25

lakh.

RBI relaxes norms for raising ECB in rupee

The Reserve Bank today relaxed norms to help Indian corporates to raise funds in rupees from

overseas lenders.

To facilitate external commercial borrowing (ECB) in rupees, RBI said off-shore lenders may enter

into swap transactions with their overseas bank which in turn will enter into a back-to-back swap

transaction with a bank in India.

Earlier, a non-resident ECB lender was allowed to extend loans in rupees provided the lender

mobilises rupees through a swap undertaken with a bank in India.

RBI Signs MoU with Central Bank of Seychelles

Memorandum of Understanding MoU has been signed between Reserve Bank of India and Central

Bank of Seychelles on exchange of information and mutual assistance in banking sector

supervision.

MoU was signed between SS Mundra, Deputy Governor of RBI and C.Edmond, First Deputy

Governor of CBS.

BSE drops Tata Power from Sensex; Lupin to come in

Private sector electricity producer Tata Power will move out of the stock market benchmark index

Sensex and will be replaced by drugmaker Lupin.

The ha ge i the “e se s o stitue ts ill e effe ti e f o Ju e . Apa t f o e h a k indices, the BSE announced changes in the BSE 100, BSE 500 and Bankex indices as well.

Adani Power is to be excluded from the S&P BSE 100 and be replaced by Aurobindo Pharma. In

additio , Tata Moto s lass A sha es o DV‘ sha es ill also e i luded i B“E . Asia s oldest e ha ge also e o ed Ca a a Ba k a d Ba k of I dia f o the Ba ke , a d epla ed

26 companies from the BSE 500 index by introducing 27 stocks as part of their index rebalancing.

What is BANKEX Index? As a result of bank stocks were emerging as a major segment in the equity

market, the bourse has designed an index, computed on free float methodology, with base date as

on January one, 2002, Bombay Stock Exchange launched a new index, BANKEX.

SAIL, ArcelorMittal ink MoU to set up steel plant in India

“teel Autho it of I dia “AIL a d o ld s la gest steel ake , A elo Mittal sig ed a MoU to set up an automotive steel manufacturing facility in India.

The MoU was signed by ArcelorMittal Chairman & Chief Executive Lakshmi Niwas Mittal and SAIL

Chairman CS Verma in London.


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The proposed JV will construct a state-of-the-art cold rolling mill and other downstream finishing

fa ilities i I dia that ill offe te h ologi all ad a ed steel p odu ts to I dia s apidl g o i g auto oti e se to ,

RBI, Central Bank of Seychelles sign MoU on info exchange

The Reserve Bank of India has entered into an MoU with the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS) on

exchange of information and mutual assistance in the banking sector supervision. The MoU was

inked by C Edmond, First Deputy Governor, CBS and S S Mundra, Deputy Governor of the RBI, the

central bank on 21st may 2015.

The Reserve Bank has been signing the Memorandum of Understanding or Exchange of Letters

(EoL) with supervisors of other countries to promote greater co-operation and sharing of

supervisory information among the authorities. With this, RBI has signed 25 such MoUs, one Letter

for Supervisory Co-operation and one Statement of Co-operation, with overseas regulators.

This MoU is supposedly said as part of the drive to unearth black money and the global war against

the menace of money laundering. The MoU between RBI and Central Bank of Seychelle is significant

as Seychelles is known as a popular tax haven.

Cosmos Bank ties up with New India Assurance and LIC

The Cosmos Co-operative Bank- the oldest and tech-savvy multi-state scheduled bank has tied-up

with New India Assurance for Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and with Life Insurance

Corporation of India for the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana informed Krishnakumar Goyal –

Chairman Cosmos Bank.

Goyal informed that Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Yojana

will be available at all the branches of Cosmos Bank and customers should take advantage of these

facilities.

Banks union and Indian banks association sign 10th bipartite wage increment agreement

United Forum Banks Union (UFBU) & Indian Banks Association (IBA) on Monday, 25th May, signed

the tenth bipartite wage agreement in Mumbai, which will effectually put an extra burden of RS

4725 Cr and if superannuation is included, RS 8370 Cr.

UFBU was represented by nine bank unions, which covers 25 PSBs, 11 private banks and 7 foreign

banks. With this the employees will receive an increase of 15% salary, which will be calculated on

the total payslip component that includes Basic, DA, House rent

The deal, which will affect some 5 lakh workmen and 3 lakh officers, will be effective

retrospectively from Nov 2012, when the 9th agreement expired.

Transaction using Voice recognition : A new feat for ICICI bank

ICICI bank has launched a voice recognition service,which authenticates customers based on their

speech pattern and allows bank transactions through banks call centre.

This will cover over 33 million savings bank and debit&credit card holders.

This is a first-of-its-kind service, and with this customers are no longer required to enter their card

numbers, PIN and answer security questions to authenticate. Because with technology at place, the

voice will act as their password.

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Western Union Money Transfer renews 14 year old pact with India Post

Western Union, theAmerican global money transfer major, has renewed its 14 year old

partnership with India Post which means 10,000 post offices across India will continue to serve as

Western Union agents. The tenure of the contract is undisclosed.

Globally western union has tie ups withover 100 postal organisations round the world, with a

network of 1.11 lakh agents in India of which 9942 are post offices.

India Post is among the 41 entities who are in the run to become payment banks.

Department of Posts, Director General :Padmini Gopinath

Western Union, Chairman :Jack M. Greenberg.

RBI replaces Rupa Kudva with Naresh Takkar in the banking licenses panel

Rupa Kudva, former MD of CRISIL has been replaced with Naresh Takkar, MD and chief executive of

ICRA( India Credit Rating Agency ) by the RBI as a member of the four membered panel on

evaluating applications for payment bank licenses.

Other three members are Nachiket Mor, Head of panel- Director of Central Board of RBI,

Shubhankar Panse, former CMD of Allahabad bank and Deepak Phatak- a professor at IIT Bombay.

Sebi settles charges of fraudulent trading against two individuals

Market regulator Sebi has settled charges of fraudulent trading against two individuals after they

paid a total of around Rs 20 lakh in settlement fee.

The two individuals have violated PFTUP (Prohibition of Fraudulent and Unfair Trade Practices)

regulation in the matter of Arihant Foundations & Housing Ltd.

Laxmi M Chaturvedi paid over Rs 17.87 lakh while Manoharlal Chaturvedi made a payment of Rs 2

lakh towards settlement charges.

ANZ Bank to open 2 India branches by early 2016

ANZ Bank will open two more branches in India by early next year.

The two branches would be opened at Gurgaon and Bangalore, ANZ Executive Director

(International banking) Subhash DeGamia said. The bank opened its first branch in India at Mumbai

four years ago.

In June 2014, Australia New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) said it received in-principle approval

from the Reserve Bank of India to open new branches in Gurgaon and in outer Bengalore.

Its Mumbai branch offers Indian Rupee and foreign currency services, working capital and term

financing, transaction banking, global markets, deposits and advisory services.

In addition, ANZ's Bangalore-based operations and technology shared

IRDA slaps Rs. 65 lakh fine on India First Life Insurance

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has imposed Rs. 65 lakh

penalty on India First Life insurance company for 48 charges such as violation of norms related to

payment of commissions and reporting of expenses pertaining to corporate agents.

They also included wrongful involvement of business development managers on behalf of

corporate agents, running sales campaigns for the employees of corporate agents, offering

incentives such as foreign trips, gift cards and online redemption points and faulty reporting of

expenses and file and use procedures, among others.

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IRDAI Chairman- T S Vijayan, Head - Governance and Company Secretary, IndiaFirst Life Insurance -

Viswanarayan .

LIC raises stake in Canara Bank and Bank of Baroda

Cou t s la gest i su e Life I su a e Co po atio LIC has aised stake i state-owned Canara

Bank by about 7.7 per cent through preferential allotment of shares.

It has also increased its stake in another public sector lender Bank of Baroda (BoB) by buying 4.7

o e sha es f o the ope a ket. With the a uisitio , the LIC s stake i BoB i eased . pe cent to 11.4 per cent. LIC acquired the stake for a consideration of about Rs 750 crore as per the

current price.

With the a uisitio , the LIC s stake i BoB i eased . pe e t to . pe e t. LIC a ui ed the stake for a consideration of about Rs 750 crore as per the current price. These shares were

acquired over a period between January 16 and May 25, 2015 from the open market, BoB said in a

Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) filing.

With acquisition of 4 crore shares for a consideration of Rs 1,520.32 crore, the stake of LIC in

Canara Bank has gone up to 14.4 per cent, the lender said in a separate filing on the BSE. Prior to

this preferential allotment, LIC was holding 3.46 crore shares or 6.7 per cent in Canara Bank.

RBI proposed to introduce PPI for Mass Transit Systems

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday proposed to introduce a separate category of semi-

closed Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) for Mass Transit System (PPI-MTS).

The PPI-MTS can be used within the mass transit systems and will have a minimum validity of six

months from date of issue.

Such PPIs will be re-loadable instruments subject to an outstanding limit of Rs.2,000 at any point of

time, RBI suggested in a draft circular for public comments.

RBI releases Draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding Ratio for Banks

The Reserve Bank of India released on its website draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding Ratio

(NSFR) under Basel III Framework on Liquidity Standards for banks. It has requested for comments

on these guidelines by email at the earliest, but not later than June 26, 2015. The Reserve Bank had

proposed to issue the guidelines in the First Bi-monthly Monetary Policy Statement, 2015-16

announced on April 7, 2015.

The objective of NSFR is to ensure that banks maintain a stable funding profile in relation to the

composition of their assets and off-balance sheet activities. A sustainable funding structure is

i te ded to edu e the p o a ilit of e osio of a a k s li uidit positio due to dis uptio s i its regular sources of funding that would increase the risk of its failure and potentially lead to broader

systemic stress.

Finance Ministry notifies individual spending limit abroad

A notification allowing an Indian to spend $ 2.5 lakh abroad in a year, has been issued by the

Finance Ministry. Reserve Bank of India has done the same three months back.

A higher limit has been notified compared to the previous limit of $ 1.25 lakh per year because of

forex reserves getting stronger at $ 353 billion.

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Business

Railways to sign an MoU with the states for infra- expansion of railways

Railways will sign MoU with state governments to ensure their participation in its efforts to provide

better passenger amenities and upgrade infrastructure.

It is encouraging states' involvement in laying new tracks and improving passenger amenities at

stations.

Railways have also been entertaining suggestions from passengers for improving facilities at rail

premises.

Future Group s retail usi ess to erge ith Bharti ‘etail

The Board of Directors of Kishore Biyani-owned Future Retail approved the consolidation and

realignment of its retail operations with Bharti Retail Ltd.

To streamline the operations resulting from the consolidation, the respective boards of directors

propose to demerge the retail business of Future Retail to Bharti Retail and to demerge the

infrastructure business of Bharti Retail to Future Retail.

Torrent Pharma acquires 100% stake in Zyg Pharma

Ahmedabad-headquartered pharmaceutical major Torrent Pharmaceuticals has sealed a deal to

acquire a 100% stake in Zyg Pharma Pvt Ltd, part of the Mumbai-based Encore Group, for an

undisclosed sum.

Zyg Pharma makes dermatological formulations including creams, ointments, gels, lotions,

solutions.

Myntra acquires Bengaluru-based Native5

Myntra, an e-commerce portal for fashion and lifestyle products, has acquired Bengaluru-based

mobile app development platform company, Native5. This acquisition will strengthen and expand

M t a s o ile te h olog tea . Nati e is M t a s se o d te h olog led a uisitio . I Ap il , M t a a ui ed Fitiquette, a

San Francisco-based technology solution, a virtual fitting room.

Tata Communications ties up with China Telecom Global

Tata Communications announced a video network partnership with China Telecom Global to enable

and manage media content for customers in China and globally.

The tie-up enables China Telecom Global to leverage its worldwide reach, along with Tata

Co u i atio s Glo al Video Net o k to offe li e spo ti g e e ts i Chi a. The partnership will cater to a market opportunity of USD 2.57 billion.

Uninor CFO Vivek Anand quits

U i o s Chief Fi a ial Offi e Vi ek A a d has esig ed, a out a ea afte joi i g the o pa . Mr. Anand had joined Uninor in May 2014 after its then CFO Prasoon Sinha was elevated to handle

Group Finance function at headquarters in Oslo.

Aditya Birla Retail buys retail biz of Jubilant

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Aditya Birla Retail, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group, had acquired the total superstore business of

Jubilant Agri & Consumer products in an all cash deal.

Deal includes 4 hypermarkets in Bengaluru, said Pranav Barua, Business Director at ABG, as the

group plans to expand its business in the south.

Dedicated E-Commerce Centre of India Posts launched in New Delhi

With a network of 1.5 lakh posts, India Post, covers more posts than any other logistics company.

Go t. has de ided to use it as a ajo pla e i the e o e e usi ess. Go t. Has lau hed a e-commerce centre in Delhi to handle all the delivery business catering

exclusively to the ecommerce portals.

India Post s e A d oid app : Post I fo

Royal Enfield acquired Harris Performance Products Ltd

Eichel Motors, had acquired UK based Harris Performance Products Ltd, a motorcycle design and

engineering firm and the amount not revealed.Harris Perfromance had long standing relationship

ith ‘o al E field, de elop e t of hasis fo a d s i o i Co ti e tal GT afe a e ike as due to them.

Royal Enfields CEOSidharth Lal spoke about the idea behind the acquisition that his company is

working on new generation of products.The engineering and product design capabilities would be

increased by dedication of Harris Performance team.

Harris Performance Products,that was established by brothers Steve Harris and Lester Harris some

40 years ago, is one of leading expert company in designing and manufacturing of specialised high

performance motorcycle chassis and components.

Bharti Airtel gets Financial Commitments from Two Chinese banks for 9 years

I dia s top o ile a ie Bha ti Ai tel has e ei ed fi a i g commitments of up to $2.5 billion

from top Chinese banks as it tries to invest in the growth of data networks across its global

operations.

Bharti Airtel Ltd has received financing commitments from China Development Bank and Industrial

and Commercial Bank of China.

Financial commitments of about $2.5 billion.Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has

committed $500 million.

China Development Bank has committed financing of up to $2 billion.

This is the single largest bilateral commitment by China Development Bank to any telecom

operator globally.Also the largest bilateral commitment to a private Indian company.

Agreement is signed for an average maturity of about nine years.

The t a sa tio eeds app o als, i ludi g f o I dia s e t al a k, the Reserve Bank of India.

Askme acquires Bestatlowest.com for Rs 63 crore

Gurgaon-based Internet company Askme has acquired Accelity BestAtLowest Online Services

Private Limited, a New Delhi-based company that runs online grocery shopping marketplace

Bestatlowest.com, for $10 million.

Bestatlowest.com was founded by Ankit Nigam and Amit Nigam in 2013 with operations in New

Delhi.

Livspace acquires Dwll.in

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Home design service provider Livspace today announced the acquisition of Dwll.In, a curated online

network for interior designers.

With this acquisition, Livspace aims to create a catalogue of designer looks for homeowners and the

largest curated community marketplace of home designers.

Endo to acquire Par Pharma for $8 bn

Irish pharma major Endo International Plc has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the

US-based privately-held Par Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc from TPG in a transaction valued at $ 8.05

billion, including assumption of Par debt.

Apple acquires GPS firm Coherent Navigation

Apple Inc. has acquired Coherent Navigation, a Bay Area Global Positioning System (GPS) startup, in

an apparent effort to boost its mapping technology and services.

A u e of Cohe e t s ke e plo ees, i ludi g its CEO Paul Lego, also e e tl ega orking

for the Cupertino-based technology giant.

Bachchans invest in Ziddu.com

Actor Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan have invested $125,000 each in

Ziddu.com, a Singapore-based website owned by Meridian Tech Pte Ltd.

The $250,000 investment will fetch them a small, minority stake in the company whose valuation is

around $ 71 million.

A free cloud storage and e-distribution and micro payment platform founded by Venkata Srinivas

Meenavalli, it has a development centre in Hyderabad.

Reliance Jio inks pact with Huawei for sourcing 4G devices

Huawei will supply RJio with 4G devices which include smartphones, tablets and mifi dongles.

This agreement will play an important role in RJio ambitious plans to launch 4G service by 2015 in

around 5,000 towns and cities in India.

It is mandatory for RJio and other Indian telecom companies to roll out the 4G services who had

won broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum in 2010 by August 31, 2015 as per the licensing

agreement.These services must be rolled out in at least 90 per cent of the service areas, failing

which the Department of Telecom (DoT) have the right to withdraw the radiowaves.

IRCTC partners with myDala.com to offer deals to its customers

The Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation has tied up with coupons site myDala, which

offers customized solutions to advertisements through attractive deals and coupons.

It is planning to offer deals across categories like food and beverages, beauty, health and wellness,

tattoos, retail shopping, etc. to its customers.

While Dala ill ha e a ess to I‘CTC s t o o e egiste ed use s a d oppo tu it to lu e . million daily visitors with deals, IRCTC gets yet another revenue channel.

IRCTC is undergoing a massive modernization run, in order to reach out to maximum customers. It

has partnered with the likes of Airtel, Amazon, Pizza Hut, KFC and UBI. It had also launched COD

facility in January.

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The new site will be accessible at www.my-dala.irctc.co.in . Anisha Singh : Co-founder and CEO at

myDala.

Snapdeal acquires mobile e-commerce platform MartMobi

I dia s la gest o li e a ketpla e “ apdeal has a ui ed H de a ad-based mobile e-commerce

platform MartMobi.its 10th buyout, for an undisclosed sum.

Hyderabad- ased Ma t o i s o ile-specific platform and solutions allow small and medium-sized

businesses and brands to build mobile stores and apps

The company, formed in 2008, also provides real-time analytics to improve conversions and user

engagement.

Appointments

New directors for ISRO's three major centres

Three major centres of IndianSpace Research Organisation, including Satish Dhawan SpaceCentre

(SDSC), Sriharikota, are to get new directors.

Dr K Sivan, currently Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Thiruvananthapuram, will

take over from M Chandradathan, who is to retire by end May 2015, as the Director of Vikram

Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram.

ISRO said S. Somanath, Director (Projects), VSSC, will take over as Director, LPSC, from Dr K Sivan.

P Kunhikrishnan, Deputy Director (Mechanisms and Vehicle Integration), VSSC, will take over over

from Dr M Y S Prasad, as Director of Satish DhawanSpace Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.

GoAir Airlines names Wolfgang Prock-Shauer as new CEO

Budget carrier GoAir has appointed former Jet Airways chief executive, Austrian national, Wolfgang

Prock-Shauer, who has over 34 years of experience, as the new CEO of the company.

He will take charge from June 15. Prock-Shauer will succeed Italian airline professional, Giorgio De

Roni, who quit in March. Earlier Prock was a part of the management board of German airline

AirBerlin.

Jeh Wadia : GoAi s a agi g di e to .

Christopher – New Director General of DRDO

Indian government as appointed S. Christopher who heads the centre for airborne systems, as

new Director General of DRDO with the rank of a secretary. This was in line with Defence Minister

Ma ohar Parikkar s concept of dividing top post into two parts.

Government also appointed a younger scientist GS Reddy — a missile scientist, as the scientific

advisor to the defence minister.

Mr Reddy would report to Mr Parikkar and will b the pointsman for the minister for defence

research projects.

Dr Christopher is currently Distinguished Scientist and Programme Director[airborne early warning

and control systems] and Director, Center for Airborne systems in Bengaluru and Mr Reddy is

currently Distinguished scientist and Director,Research Center Imarat and Programme Director of

Medium Range Surface to Air missile MRSAM project.

http://www.my-dala.irctc.co.in/

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India Bank appoints new Central Financial Officer(CFO)

India Bank General Manager V A Prasanth has been appointed as the new CFO of the bank with

immediate effect.

He will replace K Srinivasa Raghavan as informed to the BSE by the bank.

P&G appoints new MD and CEO

Procter and Gamble has appointed- Al Rajwani as the new MD & CEO. He will replace Shantanu

Khosla, with affect from June 30, who has served P&G for 13 years.

Rajwani is a US citizen of Indian origin, who has been working for P&G in a variety of product

supply, marketing, management positions in the US, Canada, China, Korea and Arabic peninsula for

more than 34 years.

Before his role as VP/GM India, he was VP Arabic peninsula and Pakistan operations, where the

growth rate has been double digit and he is also credited for making P&G one of the leading FMCG

companies in the Middle East.

‘aj ish Ku ar appoi ted as “BI s fourth MD

Rajnish Kumar appointed as the 4th MD of “BI, ou t s la gest P“B. He ill e the MD-

Compliance and Risk Department, which has been created for the first time by the bank.

Prior to this, Kumar was MD & CEO of SBI Caps. Current chairman : Arundhati Bhattacharya has also

served the same post in the past.

The other three serving MDs are Pradeep Kumar( Corporate Banking Group ), B. Sriram ( National

Banking Group ) and V.G. Kannan ( Association and Subsidiaries ).

CBEC in full strength with five new appointments

Cou t s ape i di e t ta poli aki g od – Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), has five new

members appointed taking the number to full strength. Many of them were vacant for almost a year.

Presently Kaushala Srivastava is CBEC chairman while Joy Chanderi is the only working member. Srivastava

is due to retire in June and Chander will retire this month.

The CBEC consists of a chairperson and maximum of six members.

The new members are :

Najib Shah- former DG of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.

Noorja Shah(wife of Najib Shah)- DG, H.R.D.

Vanaj Narayan Sharma, Ashok K Kaushal and V.S. Krishnan- chief commissioners.

Najib, Noorja, Kaushal and Krishnan are 1979 batch I.R.S.( Customs and Central Excise ) officers,

while Vanaj Sharma is a 1980 batch officer.

This appointment of new members will give CBEC a boost in its effort to collect indirect tax

revenues comprising service tax, customs and excise duties.

Surender Singh took over as Director General of CISF

Senior IPS officer Surender Singh took over as the new director general of the Central Industrial

Security Force (CISF) on Friday.

Singh, a 1980-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the West Bengal cadre, was serving as a

special director in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) before taking up his new assignment as CISF chief.


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Arvind Saxena,first RAW officer in UPSC

On Friday 8th May 2015, Arvind Saxena, in-charge of Aviation and Research Centre of external snooping

agency RAW, was appointed as the member of UPSC, thereby becoming the first officer of 32 year

Research and Analysis Service or RAS to be named.UPSC is a ten member body with a Chairperson.

After the appointment of Mr Arvind Saxena,UPSC is left with one vacant post. Mr Saxena was due

to retire in August.

As pe the o de , “a e a s te u e ould sta t f o the da he assu es the offi e of the e e UPSC.

After formation in 1983, all RAW officers were provided with the option of either going back to

their service or joining the newly formed RAS with their seniority.

So as per the rule Saxena was absorbed as a RAS officer of the 1978 batch.

The process of including Saxena, Director and ex-officio Special Secretary, Aviation Research Centre

[ARC], in the UPSC in March was stimulated by the government, when it gave additional charge to

RAW chief Rajinder Khanna as Director General Security that takes care of aviation wing and special

forces inside the organisation.

ARC carries out arterial surveillance of the borders using its remote controlled aerial vehicles and

othe ai aft i ludi g MIG s a d heli opte s.

Ray appointed new member; CBDT now a full house

Senior IRS officer S K Ray has been appointed as the new member in the Central Board of Direct

Taxes, the apex policy making body of the Income Tax department.

Ray, a 1978-batch officer of the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax), was till now serving as the

Chief Commissioner of I-T in Ahmedabad.

“u il D “ouza : Ne MD of Whirlpool I dia

S. basedhome appliances giant- Whirlpool has appointed “u il D “ouza the MD of its I dia ra h. He will join as the MD onJune 22. Earlier he had been working with PepsiCo for 15 long years,

which includes holding various managerial posts in Malaysia, Vietnam, India and the Philippines.

Arvind Uppal – President( Asia Pacific ) at Whirlpool and Chairman, Whirlpool India.

New Indian Ambassador to Iran – Saurabh Kumar

IFS officer Mr Saurabh kumar, was appointed as the next Indian Ambassador to the country of Iran.

He is at present posted as Joint Secretary in National Security Council Secretariat.

Manoj Mishra appointed as CMD of National Fertilizers

Government has appointed Manoj Mishra as Chairman and Managing Director of state-run National

Fertilizers Ltd (NFL).

Mishra, currently posted as Director Finance at State Trading Corporation (STC), is likely to assume

the charge of CMD of the fertiliser firm this week.

Mohan Kumar is new Defence Secretary

Friday 22nd May 2015 turned to be an important day in the life of Mohan Kumar, a senior IAS

officer.He was appointed as new Defence Secretary for a period of two-year term. Mohan Kumar is

presently Secretary in Department of Defence Production. He is 1979 batch IAS officer of Odisha

cadre.

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Mohan Kumar would take charge from Radhakrishna Mathur , a 1977 batch Manipur-Tripura cadre

IAS officer, whose two year tenure finishes on May 28th 2015.

Mohan Kumar previously had worked in Commerce Ministry and also worked as Additional and

Special Secretary in Ministry of Water Resources, River development and Ganga rejuvenation

between 2010 to Sept 2013.

Mohan kumar who is from Kerala, has also served as Steel Secretary before becoming Secretary in

Department of Defence Production in 2014.

BJP MP S.S. Ahluwalia to head joint panel on Land Acquisition Amendment bill

Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) MP Surendrajeet Singh Ahluwalia has been appointed as the chairman of

a Joint Committee of Parliament that will look into the provisions of the Land Acquisition

Amendment Bill, 2015.

The joint committee will comprise of 30-members- 20 members from Lok Sabha and 10 from the

Rajya Sabha.

M.J. Joseph appointed as controller general of accounts in the Finance Ministry

M.J. Joseph has been appointed as the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) in the Ministry of

Finance. Prior to this appointment, Joseph was the Director General of the Bureau of Indian

Standards (BIS).

He succeeds Shri Jawahar Thakur who has been appointed as OSD (Accounting Reforms) in the

Office of CGA.

New MD and CEO of Syndicate Bank

Arun Shrivastava assumed charge as the new MD and CEO of Syndicate Bank.

Prior to this, he was the Executive Director of Bank Of India and looked after the foreign

subsidiaries – BOI of Indonesia and Botswana.

He is a certified member of Association of Indian Institution of Banks ( AIMB ).

Four new governors appointed, two transferred

The Narendra Modi govt. appointed 4 new governors and transferred 2 others, who had been appointed

during the UPA regime.

Rajnath Singh and Mr Modi held a close door meeting before deciding on the names.

New governors :

Jharkhand: Former Odisha Minister Droupadi Murmu was appointed as Governor of Jharkhand. She will

replace Dr Syed Ahmed.

Arunachal Pradesh: J P Rajkhowa was appointed as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He will replace Lt.

General (Retd.) Nirbhay Sharma.

Tripura: Tathagata Roy was appointed as Governor of Tripura

Meghalaya: V Shanmuganathan was appointed as the Governor of Meghalaya. He is a member of BJP

national executive.

Transferred :

Syed Ahmed – Shifted from Jharkhand to Manipur

Lt General(retd.) Nirbhay Sharma – Shifted from Arunachal Pradesh to Mizoram.

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J.U.A. appoints a new general secretary

Judo union of Asia (J.U.A.) elected Judo Federation of India President – Mukesh Kumar as the

general secretary.

Du i g the o g ess, I dia as allotted the hosti g ights of e t ea s Aisa adet a d J . Judo championship, which will be held in Kochi.

International Judo Federation president – Marius Vizer and general secretary – Jean Luc Rouge also

attended the J.U.A. Congress meet.

Nikesh Arora appointed as SoftBank President

Japa s “oftBa k Co p u eiled a a age e t eshuffle o Mo da , appoi ti g i est e ts head Nikesh Arora as president.

Also named him as a potential successor to CEO Masayoshi Son, as the telecoms conglomerate

steps up its overseas expansion.

A o a, , is p ese tl “oftBa k s i e- hai a leadi g the g oup s i te et i est e t a . M . “o s p o otio of M . A o a f o i e hai a to p eside t of the o pa appea s to

indicate a new i est e t e phasis, i hat M . “o alled a systematic approach to supporting

our group of disrupti e e trepre eurs.

So far, SoftBank has been a hybrid when it comes to investments, owning the third-largest mobile-

phone service providers in both Japan and the U.S.

Justice Cyriac Joseph appointed NHRC acting chief

Justice Cyriac Joseph who hails from Kerala, was appointed as the interim chairperson of the NHRC

until the new chairperson gets appointed.

He is taking over justice K.G. Balakrishnan who completed his tenure as the sixth chief of NHRC, he

had the longest tenure.

K V Kamath appointed as the head of New Development Bank of BRICS nations

Eminent banker K V Kamath was today appointed as head of the $50-billion New Development

Bank being set up by the five emerging economies of the BRICS grouping.

Kamath will have a five-year term of the bank.

Kamath has been named the first president of the NDB.

NDB is likely to be operationalised within one year.

About Kamath :

Kamath is the Chairman of the I dia s largest pri ate se tor a k ICICI. After serving at ICICI for more than a decade, Kamath had moved to Asian Development Bank,

Manila, in the private sector department in 1988.

His principal work experience at ADB was in various projects in China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh

and other emerging nations.

He has served as the chairman of Infosys Limited, the second-largest Indian IT services company.

He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University.

He was awarded Padma Bhushan Award from the Indian government – 2008

http://www.affairscloud.com/brics/

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Satish Reddy named as New chief of National Safety Council

Chair a of Dr ‘edd s La oratories Ltd, K Satish Reddy, has been appointed as the new chairman

of the National Safety Council (NSC).

Satish Reddy takes over the Chairmanship from Venu Srinivasan who steered the working of the

council since July 2011.

Former Gujarat Chief Secretary appointed as Election Commissioner

Former Chief Secretary of Gujarat, Mr Achal Kumar Jyoti, was appointed as Election Commissioner

on Thursday 7th May 2015, filling one of the 2 vacancies in a three-member body.

Mr Achal Kumar Jyoti aged 62, retired from active service in January 2013 after serving in various

positions which included Chairman of Kandla Port Trust, between 1999 to 2004 and as Managing

Director of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd.

His tenure as Election Commissioner will start from the day he assumes office as per Law Ministry

notification.

After VS. Sampath resigned in January, HS. Brahma was elevated as CEC and after Brahma resigned

2 posts in the 3 member body remained vacant.

Then Nasim Zaidi took over as CEC till Thursday 7th May 2015

In future government will add one more EC to fill up the remaining vacancy.

New Director General of Police Research and Development Bureau- NR.Wasan

On Thursday 7th May 2015, senior police official Mr Navneet Rajan Wasan, was appointed as

new Director General of Bureau of police Research and Development[BPR&D].

In an order issued by the Department of Personal and Training, Mr Wassan, 1980 batch IPS officer

of Andhra Pradesh, has been appointed to the post till the date of his superannuation i.e Nov 30th

2015.

At National Investigation Agency or NIA, Mr Wassan is working as Special Director General.

The post of DG, BPR&D, was lying vacant from march this year after the retirement of Mr Rajan

Gupta.

In other appointment,IPoS or Indian Postal Service officer Sheuli Burman has been appointed

as Chief Vigilance Officer [ CVO] in the Indian Telephone Industries or ITI Bangalore.

Mr Burman is 1990-batch IPoS Officer has been appointed for a period of 3 years.

Bharti AXA appoints Deepak Iyer as CEO

Deepak Iyer, currently working as the MD at Wrigley India, has been appointed as the new CEO and

MD of BHARATI AXA general insurance.

He will join office from June 2015 and will replace incumbent CEO Milind Chalisgaonkar. He has also

worked for PepsiCo.

Veena Jain appointed as Director General of Doordarshan News

Veena Jain was appointed as Director General (news) at Doordarshan. She succeeded Akshay Rout,

senior Indian Information Service (IIS) officer.

She is currently posted as Additional Director General in the News Services Division of All India

Radio (AIR). Prior to this, she had also been the director of Publications Division of AIR.

Jain will also hold the charge as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and will oversee the govt. new media

wing and social media cell.

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Indian-origin UK MP, Keith Vaz, appointed Vice-Chairman of Labour party

O e of B itai s lo gest se i g I dia -origin MPs, Keith Vaz, has been appointed Vice-Chairman of

the Labour party.

Vaz, 58, who was re-elected from his Leicester East stronghold at the May 7 general election, also

serves as the chair of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee in the House of Commons.

G R Aloria to be new Gujarat chief secretary

Gujarat government has appointed senior IAS officer G R Aloria as the new chief secretary of the

state.

He will replace incumbent Chief Secretary D J Pandian who is retiring on May 31.

He is a 1981 batch IAS officer, and at present is the Additional Chief Secretary of Ministry of Urban

Development Department and also holds the additional charge of Home Ministry. Aloria had

served in Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited as a head.

Niti Aayog gets 2 advisers; 10 new Joint Secretaries appointed

Alok Kumar, a 1993-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, and Jitendra Kumar, 1987-batch IFS officer of

UT cadre were appointed as advisers in Niti Aayog for a period of five years.

Ten new joint secretaries were also appointed

Anna Roy, a 1992 batch Indian Economic Service officer has been appointed as Joint Secretary (JS)

in the Department of Financial Services,

IAS officer Sanjay Prasad has been appointed as JS in the Department of Science and Technology for

a five-year term.

Jitendra Kumar Sinha, a 1996 batch IAS officer of Manipur Tripura cadre, is the new JS in the

Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region.

Md Shahbaz Ali, Indian Post and Telecommunication Accounts and Finance Service officer, has been

appointed as Managing Director (JS-level) in National Minorities Development and Finance

Corporation under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Rajiv Kumar, an IFS officer, has been appointed as JS in the Department of Electronics and

Information Technology.

Jagmohan Gupta, a 1987-batch officer of Indian Railway Accounts Service, is the new JS and

Financial Adviser in the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Science & Technology

Pinaka Mark-II rocket successfully test-fired

An advanced version of the indigenously and jointly developed by the Defence Research and

Development Organization and the Indian Army, multi-barrel rocketlauncher, Pinaka Mark-II rocket

was successfully test-fired from Army's Chandan firing range near Pokhranusing, near Indo-Pak

border.

It successfully hit the target in Keru area which was situated 55 km from the firing point. It has high

operational mobility, flexibility and accuracy.

Pinaka Mark-II rocket with a range of more than 60-km is capable of acting as a force-multiplier and

was developed to supplement artillery guns and is currently passing through a phase of testing.

Pinaka-I has already been inducted into the army.

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NASA spacecraft crashes into Mercury, ends mission

NA“A s Messe ge spacecraft has crashed into the surface of Mercury, ending its historic 11-year

mission that provided valuable data and thousands of images of the planet.

MESSENGER was launched on August 3, 2004, and it began orbiting Mercury on March 18, 2011.

The spacecraft completed its primary science objectives by March 2012.

Akash air missile inducted into Indian Army

The Indian Army on Tuesday May 5th 2015,i du ted the Akash issile s ste i to its a se al, to protect the country form aerial threats. Each regiment of Akash missile in the Indian army consists

of 6 launchers with each launcher having 3 missiles.

Indian Army had placed orders for 2 regiments worth of rupees 19,000 crores.

The first regiment will be ready by July 2015 and second by 2016.

Akash missile is medium range surface-to air, anti-aircraft defence system a d it fo s the I dia s first home made missile designed by DRDO .

Though it has taken little long to be designed, it will replace Russian missiles which the Army has

been using since 1 s

Microsoft launches Edu-Cloud

Information technology giant, Microsoft, today launched Edu-Cloud, a cloud computing-based

offering that will enhance digital learning and teaching in schools and higher education institutions,

in India

BrahMos land-attack cruise missile successfully test-fired from Car Nicobar Islands

India today successfully test-fired an advanced version of the BrahMos land-attack cruise missile

f o the Ca Ni o a Isla ds as it e alidated the eapo s p e isio st ike apability.

This launch was the 47th test-firing of the missile and follows an unsuccessful test which was

conducted on April 9, 2015 when the missile had failed to hit the target.

Features- It is capable of carrying a warhead of 300 kilogram and has top supersonic speed of Mach

2.8. It can strike a target at maximum range of 290-km.

ISRO to commission new multi object tracking radar (MOTR) to trace space debris

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is close to commissioning its new, home-made radar system

that is capable of tracking several objects at the same time.

The Indian space agency is set to test its sophisticated, indigenously-built, multi-object tracking radar

(MOTR) on a rocket flight next month while formal commissioning is expected to take three months time.

Uses of the MOTR :

It will give ISRO the capability to better handle future space missions.

To track space debris.

It will help the re-e t of odules a k i to the ea th s at osphe e. The radar could see objects as small as half a square meter in size, up to 1,000 km away.

It ill help to p ote t satellites i the lo ea th o it egio ai l , e ote se si g satellites from being hit by debris.

Less sophisticated versions of this radar could be used by airports.

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Japanese Scientists discovered new state of matter called Jahn-Teller-metal

The discovery was made by studying a superconductor made from carbon-60 molecules or buckyballs.

The research involves caesium fulleride (Cs3C60) in a face-centred-cubic lattice with a Cs3C60 molecule at

each lattice site. The research could help develop new molecular materials that are superconductors at

even higher temperatures.

The study shows that the material has a rich combination of insulating, magnetic, metallic and

superconducting phases – including the otherwise unknown state, dubbed as Jahn-Teller metal.

The research provides important clues about how the interplay between the electronic structure of

the molecules and their spacing within the lattice can strengthen interactions between electrons

that cause superconductivity.

Superconductors are a large and diverse group of materials that offer zero resistance to electrical

currents when cooled below a critical temperature (TC).

Superconducting lattices of fullerides – C60 plus three alkali-metal atoms – have been studied for

more than two decades, and provide an interesting test bed.

Astra missile fired from Su-30 MKI again

The 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.

I the fi st t ial, the supe so i issile as eleased he the fighte jet as pe fo i g a e high-g a oeu e . I the se o d t ial, the a oeu e was higher than in the first exercise.

It is one of the most modern, stand-off beyond visual range air-to-air missiles (BVRAAM)

NRI scientist creates first single-molecule device

Indian-American Scientist Latha Venkatraman and her team of Columbia Engineering researchers

have created single-molecule of electronic device that has potential of real world technological

applications for nanoscale devices.

Single-molecule diode that performs 50 times better than other designs have been developed by

the researchers under the guidance of Latha .

World s first artifi ial ole ular pu p de eloped

Fraser Stoddart and his coworkers at Northwestern university have developed first man-made

molecular pump capable of transporting key proteins to cells for functioning of it and can be used

to power artificial muscles.New machine imitates the pumping mechanism of life sustaining

proteins.

Proteins help in movement of small molecules around living cells to metabolise and store energy

from food.

Energy that is stored in the pump will provide power to other artificial muscles and other molecular

machines.

The chemical reactions give power to artificial pump and molecules are driven step by step from

low energy to high energy state by this power.

NA“A s Ne Horizo s spa e raft has ea ed latest i ages of Pluto

New Horizons has released some latest images of the distant estranged planet Pluto, on the 109th

birthday of Clyde Tombaugh, who discovered the distant icy world in 1930.

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New Horizons was nearly 203 million kilometres away from Pluto when it began taking images, with

Ne Ho izo s teles opi Lo g-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI),which is why Pluto appears as

a dot.

Alan Stern-New Horizons principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in

Boulder, Colorado. This project was launched more than nine years ago.

Environmental

World s first full ar -blooded fish discovered

Scientists at United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA, have discovered

very rare fully warm-blooded fish named Opah. It is a discovery that defies conventional biology.

Opah fish are reddish in colour with white spots and has distinct red fins.

It has an oval shaped body and weighs upto 90kgs.

It is normally found in deep waters at a depth of 50 to 400m.

It mostly preys on the fishes and squids.

The uniqueness of these Opah fishes is they can produce electricity by their pectoral fins flapping

continously.

The heat generated does not get lost to the environment because of its unique shapes.

The heat produced have average muscle temperature of 4 to 5 degree above surrounding water

temperature.

Main advantages of being warm blooded fish are faster swimming speeds, better brain and eyes

functions, withstand the effects of cold on vital organs when compared to cold-blooded fishes.

NOAA wants to compare Opah from different parts of the world to see how they have evolved

warming mechanisms in deep waters

New Species of fish found in Western Ghats

New species of fish called Pethia Striata have been found by ecologists in Tunga river of

Kudremukh National Park.Karnataka.

The discovery of these fishes has been published in the journal of American Society of

Ichthyologists and Herpetologists by researchers from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and

Enviroment ATREE.

2,000-year-old aqueduct unearthed in Israel

An ancient aqueduct dating back 2,000 years ago was unearthed near Har Homa in in East

Jerusalem city of Israel.

The discovered lower aqueduct was used in ancient times to transport water into the city of

Jerusalem

New human ancestor species discovered in Afar region of Ethiopia

In the Afar regions of Ethiopia, scientists had discovered a new human ancestor species

of Australopithecus deyiremeda. The scientists team led by Yohannes haile-

selassie from Cleveland Museum of Natural History, have unearthed upper and lower jaws of the

species.

By the radiometric, paleomagnetic and depositional rate fossil analysis it is predicted that the

minimum and maximum ages to be 3.3 and 3.5 million years ago.


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It must have existed alongside famous Lucy( female Australopithecus afarensis found in 1974) that

also existed 3.5 million years ago.

It must be noted that Lucy species lived from 2.9 to 3.8 million years ago .

Asiatic lion population in Gir sanctuary increases to 523: Census report 2015

Asiatic lion population in Gir sanctuary increases to 523: Census report 2015

The 14th Asiatic lion census,2015, proposes a good increment in the number of Asiatic lions in the

Gir Sanctuary of Gujarat. The number has gone upto 523 from 411 in 2010.

The census shows that there are 109 adults males,201 females and 213 cubs. The census covered 8

districts and was conducted by modern GPS , camera traps and dig cams.

SANDEEP Kumar- DCF , Gir sanctuary.

Sports

Prarthana wins ITF doubles title in Indonesia

Prarthana Thombare won her first ever USD 25000 level ITF (International Tennis Federation )

doubles title partnering with British partner Harriet Dart.

Prarthana and Harriet defeated the Thai pair of Nicha Lertpitaksinchai and Nudnida Luangnam ( 6-4

, 4-6 , 18-16 ) in the final.

Prarthana, now trains at Sania Mirza Tennis Academy in Hyderabad, had been the runner-up in

Ahmedabad USD 25,000 doubles event earlier in the season.

She also won two USD 10,000 level doubles titles this season -- at Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in March

and at Dehradun in April.

Arsenal keeps FA Cup

Reigning champions, london based, Arsenal won the FA Cup, world's oldest knockout competition,

for a record 12th time, setting up a victory against Aston Villa ( 4-0 ) in the finals, at Wembley with

the help of two spectacular goals from Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez .

Arsene Wenger also became the most successful FA Cup manager of modern times, guiding his side

to a sixth triumph in their 19th final, and another record.

Deepika Kumari wins bronze in Archery World Cup

Archer Deepika Kumari bagged the bronze medal in the women's individual recurve event of the

World Cup, going on in Antalya, Turkey.

Ninth seeded, Deepika defeated her second-seeded opponent Chang Hye Jin of Korea by 6 (26, 29,

26, 28)- 2 (25, 26, 28, 27) to come up as then winner. Korean archers stood first and second on the

podium with Deepika at third.

Earlier she was denied a place in the final by Olympic gold medallist Ki Bo Bae of Korea, going on in

Antalya

4 Indians bag gold in International wrestling tournament

Four Indian wrestlerss, struck gold at the International Wrestling tournament in Sassari City, Italy, in

their respective weight categories in Men's Freestyle.

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Yogeshwar bagged gold in 65kg division, while Praveen Rana claimed the gold in 70kg category.

Amit Kumar and Narsingh Yadav also finished on the top of the podium in 57kg and 74kg

categories, respectively. Other Indians in the competition were Mausum Khatri (97kg) and Hitender

(125kg).

Gurpreet Singh gets quota place for Rio Olympics

Gurpreet Singh gave India a fifth quota place in shooting for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Gurpreet secured 154 in the final of the Men's 10m Air Pistol at the International Shooting

Sport Federation (ISSF) Shooting World Cup, being held in Munich, finishing fourth. The winner

was Joao Costa (201.4 points) of Portugal, while Tomoyuki (200.4) Matsuda of Japan won the

silver and Sun Yang (177.3) was third, securing a quota place for China, another quota place

went to fifth placed Daemyung Lee (136) of South Korea.

He is the second Indian to have secured a Rio berth at the ongoing World Cup, apart from

Abhinav Bindra, who won a quota place with a sixth place finish in the Men's 10m Air Rifle final.

Gagan Narang, Jitu Rai and Apurvi Chandela are the other Indians to have secured an Olympic

quota place. Narang did so after finishing third in the 50m Rifle Prone Event of the ISSF World

Cup at Fort Benning in USA earlier this month.

Chandela won the quota place by winning the bronze in the 10m Rifle at World Cup in Korea

last month, while Rai had won India's first Olympic quota place at the World Championships in

Granada, Spain last year, when he won a silver in the 50m Free Pistol event.

National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president : Raninder Singh.

Australia s Haddi quits one-day game

Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin has announced his retirement from one-day internationals.

Haddi ade the a ou e e t ahead of his depa tu e fo Aust alia s Test tou s of the West Indies and the United Kingdom on Monday.

Haddin, 37, has played in 126-match one-day internationals in a career that began against

)i a e at Ho a t i Ja ua a d e ded i Aust alia s ICC C i ket Wo ld Cup fi al i to over New Zealand in Melbourne in March this year.

Indian shot-putter Inderjeet Singh qualifies for Rio Olympics

World University Games silver medalist shot-putter Inderjeet Singh achieved the Olympic

qualification mark with a throw of 20.65m on the second day of the 19th Federation Cup at

Mangala Stadium.

Defending champion Inderjeet from Harayana was just a shade away from the national mark of

20.69m, held by Om Prakash Singh since 2012.

The Ol pi ualifi atio pe iod o e ed o l este da a d is . fo the e s shot put.

Kowli Resigns Ahead Of Boxing India SGM

Jay Kowli ,Boxing India Secretary General,faced with definite removal, resigned ahead of much

awaited Boxing India Special General Meeting.

Mr Kowli was expected to been shown the door in a meeting where no confidence motion was to

be presented against him and BI president Mr Sandeep Jajodia.

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Mayweather beats Pacquiao to unify Welterweight Titles

Floyd Mayweather, cemented his status as best pound-for-pound boxer with an unanimous

de isio o e Ma Pa uiao as the out te ed as Fight of the Ce tur failed to live upto the

expectations.

There were boos from the 17000 crowd in the MGM Grand after Mayweather beat his rival

Pacquiao from philipines, to frustrate the hopes of full-blooded slugfest.

Chelsea beat Crystal Palace to clinch Premier League title

Chelsea li hed thei fi st P e ie League title fo fi e ea s as Jose Mou i ho s side p odu ed a typically stubborn display to grind out a 1-0 victory against Crystal Palace at a jubilant Stamford

Bridge on Sunday.

Chelsea were tested at times by a dangerous Palace side but the final whistle was greeted by

au ous s e es as Jose Mou i ho s side li hed thei fifth top-flight title and first since 2010.

Sandeep Jajodia removed as the president of Boxing India

A Special Genral Meeting (SGM) of the Boxing India (BI) on 3 May 2015 removed Sandeep Jajodia as

its president.

The SGM, which was attended by 64 members of the BI, passed a No Confidence Motion in this

regard.

He is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Monnet Group (an infrastructure firm) and was

elected to the post unopposed in the contest held on 11 September 2014.

‘oger Federer o the i augural Ista ul Ope Te is Me s “i gles Title

Switzerland tennis player Roger Federer on 3 May 2015 won the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open

Me s singles title by defeating Pablo Cueves of Uruguay 6-3 7-6.

With this win, the world No 2 ranking player took his 85th ATP World Tour title and ended a long

drought on clay since his previous title of 2012 Madrid Masters.

Indian Railway girls clinch 5th National Hockey Championship title

Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) have won the 5th National women hockey championship

title.

In the final match played at the Master Chandgi Ram sports stadium at Saifai, Uttar Pradesh the the

RSPB girls team defeated Hockey Jharkhand by 12-2 goals.

Sharath jumps to career-high 32 in world rankings

I dia s top ta le te is pla e “ha ath Ka al has ju ped pla es to ea h a a ee -high 32 in the

latest ITTF rankings and joining him in the top-100 for the first time is young compatriot Soumyajit

Ghosh, who has moved up to 95.

“ha ath s steep ise i the o ld a ki gs o es at the a k of a i p essi e si th pla e fi ish at Asian Cup in Jaipur where he beat three top-20 players.

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Jonathan Trott Announces Retirement From International Cricket

England batsman Jonathan Trott has retired from international cricket with immediate effect after a

disappointing tour of the West Indies, the 34-year-old said on Monday.

I dia s top shooters i gold, ro ze edals at International Shooting Competition

At the International Shooting Competition held in Hannover, Germany, I dia s top ifle shoote s won 3 Gold and 2 Bronze medals. Abhinav Bindra, who got Gold medal in Bijing Olmpics, won both

the individual and team gold in his pet 10 metre air rifle event.

Chain Singh won Gold medal in 50 metre men rifle and team gold in 10 metre air rifle event.

The gold medal winning 10 metre air rifle team included Abhinav Bindra,Gagan Narag and Chain

Singh.

Gagan Narag won the Bronze medal in men 50 metre rifle 3 positions event and Apurvi Chandela

o B o ze edal i o e s ai ifle e e t. The shooting event featured more than 1000 shooters all over the world.

All the medal winners will be seen action next week in Fort Benning for ISSF Rifle/Pistol world cup.

Seven Gold Medal for India In International Speed Skating Championships

In the recently held Hong Kong Speed Skating Championships, India totally grabbed 14 medals out

of which seven were gold. There were participants from China Bangladesh and HongKong etc.In the

event that was organised by Doon Yuen from Checkers Sports Club in Hong Kong.

Eleven year old Kushi Shah was the star performer where she won gold medals in 3 races held over

distance of 250,500 and 1000mts.

Bronze medal for Geeta Phogat in Asian Wrestling Championships

In the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship held at Doha on wednesday 6th May 2015, Indian

wrestler Geeta Phogat won the Bronze medal in the women freestyle 58kg category .

Geeta beat Thi Loan Nyguen of Vietnam by Fall verdict in the Bronze medal play-off. Geeta lost to

Japa s Kao i I ho, the Ol pi gold edallist, i the pool fight, e -route to Bronze medal play off.

Cash prize for Saina Nehwal from the ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs

For the runner-up position in the recently concluded All England Open Badminton Championship

2015 held in Birmingham United Kingdom, Indian Badminton star Saina Nehwal was given cash prize

worth 25 lakhs. Mi ist s “ he e of “pe ial A a ds had gi e this ash a a d to Neh al fo he performances in InternationalSports Events.

Saina Nehwal becomes the 3rd Indian and first women from India to reach the finals of the

prestigious tournament.

In the finals, world champion Carolina Marin defeated Saina Nehwal.

Prakash Padukone and Pullela Gopichand won the prestigious All England Open Badminton

Championship in 1980 and 2001 respectively.

Jitu Rai crowned TOISA sportsperson of the year

At the Times Of India Sports awards function, graced by legendary Carl Lewis, marks man Jitu

Rai was declared as the Sports person Of the year.

Milkha Singh got Lifeti e A hie e e t Of The Yea f o the lege da Ol pi Cha pio Ca l Le is a d Ti es G oup MD Vi eet Jai i a e e o that as atte ded I dia s spo ti g people.




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Other sports persons like Saurav Ganguly,Olympic Bronze medallist Mary Kom,badminton player

Saina Nehwal,CWG gold medallist Dipika Pallikal etc.

Davis cuppper Ramesh Krishnan,Olympic gold medallist hockey player Zafar Iqbal,World

championship Bronze medallist Anju Bobby George,Ganguly etc formed the jury panel.

Ju s u a i ous hoi e as Jitu ‘ai he eas ha pio ueist Pa kaj Ad a i agged the Popula Choice Awards.

Upcoming or emerging player award went to young shooter Malaika Goel along with five others.

Weightlifter Sanjitha Channu won Popular Choice Awards.

Virat kohli won the best cricketer a a d i e s atego hile i the o e s atego the award went to Harmanpreet Singh.

Indian Army team athletes emerge champions in Federation Cup

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 on Monday

19th Federation Cup national senior athletic championship :

Venue : Mangala stadium,Mangalore,Karnataka

The overall championships :

First Place – Indian Army Team – 123.5 points

Second Place – Tamil Nadu – 114 Points (Men team contributed only 48 points where as Women team

contributed 66 points )

The O erall Wo e s ha pio ships : First Place – Kerala – 86 Points

Second Place – Karnataka – 68 Points

Third Place – Tamil Nadu – 66 Points

Best athlete a ard i the e s ategor

Inderjeet Singh – Haryana

He was awarded for his stupendous toss in the shot put event, which helped him qualify for the Rio

Olympics in 2016.

He also awarded Rs.25000 cash award

Javelin thrower Devender Singh of Army also awarded Rs 25000 Cash award.

Best athlete a ard i the Wo e s ategor

Srabani Nanda – Odisha – ho e ualed he Pe so al est of . se s i i the o e s se tion.

Indians win a silver and two bronze in Asian Youth Athletics

Indians bagged one silver and two bronze on the opening day of the inaugural Asian Youth Athletics

Championships.

Ashish Bhalothia won a silver in boys shot put with a throw of 17.75m at the Qatar Sports Club

stadium.

Anumol Thampi (girls 3000m race) and Seema Sangwan (girls discus throw) won a bronze each.

Thampi clocked 10:24.98 in her race while Seema threw the discus to a distance of 41.14m.

Sakshi, Lalita win bronze in Asian Wrestling Championship

“akshi Malik a d Lalita agged o ze edal i Wo e s F eest le kg a d kg atego ies, respectively, even as Babita Kumari lost out on a third-place finish in 53kg division of the Senior

Asian Wrestling championship in Doha.

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Lalita was defeated No th Ko ea s Ha Ku -ok 3-9 in the semifinal but she managed to settle for

a bronze medal in the end in her category.

Yuki Bhambri wins doubles title

Indian Davis Cupper Yuki Bhambri partnering Adrian Menendez-Maceiras of Spain clinched the

doubles title with a 5-7, 6-3, 10-8 victory over second seeds Sergey Betov of Belarus and Mikhail

Elgin of Russia in the $50,000 Challenger tennis tournament in Karshi, Uzbekistan

It as Yuki s fifth Challe ge le el dou les title o e all a d fi st of the urrent season. Last year, he

had won two titles, and one each in 2012 and 2013.

Nico Rosberg wins Spanish Grand Prix

Nico Rosberg ended his Mercedes team- ate Le is Ha ilto s i i g st eak i this ea s Fo ula O e d i e s o ld ha pio ship he he drove to a near-fla less i to i “u da s Spanish Grand Prix.

The 29-year-old Ge a , ho had ee eate Ha ilto i all fou of this ea s fl a a season-opening races.

Ha ilto fi ished i se o d pla e a d Fe a i s “e astia Vettel as thi d.

Madrid Open Trophy 2015 – Bopanna and Mergea combo victorious

I dia s Rohan Bopanna and his new partner Florin Mergea (Romania) , won the Me s dou les Title beating Nenand Zimonjic (Serbia) and Martin Makowski (Poland) by 6-2 6-7 7-9. It as Bopa a s third title of the 2015 season.

Bopanna and his Romanian pair saved a match point and overcame the challenge of the opponents

in a game that lasted for 1hour and 24 minutes.

With Canadian Daniel Nestor, Bopanna won two titles in Sydney and in Dubai at the start of the

season and splitted with the Canadian.

After ending up runners-up in Casablanca event last month,this was the second finals where both

Bopanna and Mergea were involved.

They split euro 247,560 prize money and got 1000 ranking points each.

The Indian Roman pair won the first set in 23 minutes by racing to 4-1 lead and never allowing the

opponents to come back.

Bopa a is o ou tr s No dou les pla er

I dia s ‘oha Bopa a gai ed th ee pla es to e o ld u e , follo i g his stupendous title

win at the Madrid Open with Romanian partner Florin Mergea.

Bopa a gai ed poi ts fo his effo ts a d is o ou t s top a ked pla e i the ATP doubles chart.

BRICS U-17 football tournament to be held in India

Apex industry body ASSOCHAM has proposed a BRICS Under-17 Football Cup in India next year and

a Memorandum of Understanding is set to be signed tomorrow with Brazilian representatives here.

The MoU will be signed by Project Leader and Tournament Organiser, Joao Gilberto Vaz and

Secretary General ASSOCHAM, D S Rawat in the presence of Sports Secretary Ajit Sharan.

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Kamalpreet wins hammer throw event in United States

Natio al e o d holde Ka alp eet “i gh o the e s ha e th o e e t ith . at the Sacramento State Open in United States.

Kamalpreet, representing as an unattached athlete, came up with a throw of 69.61m off his sixth

and final attempt. Kamalpreet had improved his own national record to 70.38m at an invitational

event at the same venue recently.

Vikas Gowda won gold at Jamaican International meet

India discus thrower Vikas Gowda has won gold at 12th Jamaica International Invitational, an IAAF World

Challenge meet at the National Stadium.

Vikas Gowda set a new meet record of 65.14m to i the e s discus throw.

Chad Wright of Jamaica was second with a throw of 61.84m

Jared Schuurmans of United States was third with an effort of 61.62m.

With this, he broke his own record 61.38m set two years ago here in Kingston.

It was the second straight win for Gowda who had won the event here .

Gowda needs to break the qualifying standard of 66m to qualify for Rio 2016, though his national

record stands at 66.28m.

He was eighth in the IAAF World Junior Championships in 2002 held here in Kingston.

Indian U-19 Men;s Football team gets new Coach

Englishman Lee Alan Johnson has been roped in as the head coach of India U-19 football team,

besides that he will also act as the head scout for the national side and assistant coach for the sr.

e s tea . Prior to this he was the technical director of Rwandan football. He has worked for the Chelsea FC

academy.

World school chess championship(U -15) : Tejaswini wins gold

Wi e of atio al s hool ga es ha pio ship fe o ths ago, this as Tejas i i “aga s aide world title, defeating Kavanya Rajapaksha of Sri Lanka.

Barbayenka win silver and Nur Shanti of Indonesia won bronze.

It was held in Pattaya, Thailand.

Bronze medal for Gagan Narang in the World Cup

At the Fort Benning,USA where ISSF world cup is being held, on Friday 15th May 2015, I dia s Gagan

Narang won the Bronze medal i e s 50m prone event. After pistol shooter Jitu Rai and rifle shooter

Apurvi Chandela, Gagan becomes the third Indian shooter to have won a Rio Olympic berth for the

country.

In the exiting finals, Gagan shot 185.8 for the third place hile A e i a s Mi heal M Phail o gold and ticket to Rio games

The American shot 208.8 in the final. With 206.3 the silver medal went to Kristian Ole Bryhn of

Norway

As Kristian had already won quota place in 50mtr .3 position event at Changwon, second available

quota went to Gagan Narang.

Gagan managed to enter the final by ending up at 8th in the qualification rounds.

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With a grand total of 626.3, Gagan made it to the final round.

Othe I dia s like Surendra Singh Rathore and Chain Singh ended up at 13th and 23rd respectively.

Indias trio of Anjali Bhagwath, Apurvi chandela and Ayonkia Paul failed to make it to 10mtr rifle.

Apurvi Chandela could end up with only 415.1 points to finish 14th.

For Olympic games, each country that is taking part can win a maximum of 30 quota places from 15

shooting disciplines.

Italian Open: Djokovic and Sharapova triumph

Top seed Novak Djokovic warmed up for the French Open with a comprehensive 6-4, 6-3 victory

over Roger Federer to claim his fourth Italian Open title on Sunday.

‘ussia s Maria Sharapova also warmed up for the defence of her Roland Garros crown by securing her

third title here with a 4-6, 7-5, 6- i o e “pai s Ca la “ua ez Na a o. I the o e s doubles final, Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis lost to Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic

6-4, 6-3.

The results:

Men: Final: NovakDjokovic bt Roger Federer 6-4, 6-3; Semifinals: Djokovic bt David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4;

Federer bt Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 6-2.

Women: Final: Maria Sharapova bt Carla Suarez 4-6, 7-5, 6-1; Semifinal: Sharapova bt Daria

Gavrilova 7-5, 6-3.

Wo e s Dou les: Final: Timea Babos & Kristina Mladenovic bt Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis 6-4,

6-3.

Ethiopia ru ers i oth Me s & Wo e s titles in TCS World 10000m run

Ethiopia u e s o oth the Me s a d Wo e s titles i the eighth editio of Tata Co sulta Services (TCS) World 10 Thousand metre run in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

I Me s atego , Mosi et Ge e e agged the title lo ki g 28 minutes and 16 seconds,

while his teammate Fikadu settled at second place clocking 28 minutes and 14 seconds.

I the o e s se tio , Ma itu Daska agged the title lo ki g i utes a d se o ds

I I dia Me s atego “u esh Ku a agged the title by clocking 29 minutes 49 seconds.

I o e s atego Ta il Nadu s “u i a Loga atha o the title ith a ti e of i utes a d 58 seconds.

Kuldeep Malik named chief wrestling coach

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) named Kuldeep Malik as the new chief national coach in

place of axed Vinod Kumar.

WFI has also a ed a e assista t e s f eest le oa h a d o e s tea oa h follo i g the sacking of Rajneesh and Ramani Chanu, respectively.

Bronze for Archana

I dia s A ha a Ka ath o a o ze edal i the adet gi ls si gles at the Thaila d Ope ta le tennis tournament .

Archana lost 11-9, 11-7, 11- to Chi ese Taipei s Che Ti g-Ting, the eventual winner, in the

semifinals.

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Chris Rogers retire from international cricket

Australia opening batsman Chris Rogers has confirmed that he will retire from international cricket

after the Ashes series in England later this year.

Rogers made his test debut in 2008 and was recalled for the 2013 Ashes series.

He has made more than 1,500 runs at an average of 40 in 20 test appearances

Himachal Pradesh to host Paragliding World Cup 2015

Himachal Pradesh will host the Paragliding World Cup from 23 October to 31 October 2015 at Bir

Billing in Kangra valley. The world cup will be held under the aegis of Para-gliding World Cup

Association, France.

This is for the first time that India will be hosting the Paragliding World Cup which will see

participation from over 50 countries.

Yuki Bhambri, No.1 among Indian men

Yuki Bhambri has a lot to celebrate. For the first time ever, the 22-year-old Delhi lad played the final

of a clay court Challenger.

The effort helped him reach 158 in the latest world rankings.

the best for an Indian at the moment, ahead of Somdev Devvarman (172) and Saketh Myneni (196).

12th South Asian Games 2015 to be held in Kerala

12th South Asian Games 2015 to be held in Kerala in November-December this year.75

The Indian Olympic Association has allotted the 12th South Asian Games 2015 to Kerala to be held

in November-December this year

Kerala also hosted 35th National Games, which was held between January 31 to February 14.

Virat Kohli named sixth most marketable athlete by British magazine

British Sports business agazi e “po tsP o has a ed I dia Test i ket aptai Vi at Kohli as the sixth most marketable athlete of this year ahead of the likes of sprint king Usain Bolt and football

superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Another Indian, ace shuttler Saina Nehwal has been placed at the 44th.

Indian boxers clinch 4 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze medals in Doha Boxing Tournament

Indian boxers have rounded off a brilliant run at the Doha International Tournament by winning

four gold, one silver and two bronze medals.

Gold medal winners are L Devendro Singh in 49 kg category by defeating Aldren Moreno of

Philippines by 3:0.

Shiva Thapa in 56kg category by defeating HYM Abdelaal of Egypt by 2:1.

Manish Kaushik in 60 kg category by defeating Rabi Hamza of Morocco by 3:0.

Manoj Kumar in 64 kg category by defeating Magliquian Nicole of Philippines by 3:0.

The silver medal was won by Gaurav Bidhuri in 52 kg category. While Mandeep Jangra and Vikas

Krishan bagged bronze medals in 69kg and 75kg categories respectively.


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I dia i s gold i Wo e s World Ju ior Cha pio ships

Indian boxers showcased a remarkable performance at the AIBA Wo e s Ju ior/Youth World Bo i g Championships, clinching three gold and two silver medals on the final day of the event. The event was

held in Taipei, Taiwan from 13th – 24th May.

Savita (50 kg), Mandeep(52 kg) and Sakshi(54 kg) clinched gold, while Soniya(48 kg) and Niharika

Gonella(70 kg) had to settle for silver.

Soniya won India its first medal, however she lost to American Heaven Garcia (1-2). Next Savita

defeated Ukrainian Kateryna Rohova(2-1) to bag the 1st gold for India. This was followed by

Ma deep s - i to agai st I ela d s Nia h Ea le . Sakshi defeated American Yarisel Ramirez (3-0), while Niharika lost to Russian Anastassiia Sigaeva.

Jamuna Boro(57 kg) bagged bronze in youth competition.

Mumbai Indians defeat Chennai Super Kings to win IPL 2015 for second time

Mumbai Indians (MI) on 24 May 2015 won the eight edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 by

defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma.

Other highlights of IPL 2015

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).

Monaco grand prix,2015 : Nico Rosberg emerges winner

Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg came out as the winner of Monaco GP which is his 10th overall win

and second of this season, first being the Spanish F1 world championship. With this he became only

the 4th person in history to win three Monaco GP in a row. Others are : Ayrton Senna, Graham Hill

and Alain Prost.

Sebastian Vettel( Germany ) of Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton( U.K. ) of Mercedes were 2nd and 3rd

respectively. Fo e I dia s “e gio Pe ez a d Ni o Hulke u g fi ished th a d th espe ti el . Mercedes gaffe: After Ma Verstappe s rash, Mercedes decided to call Hamilton for a stop to

change tyres when Rosberg and Vettel crossed past him.

India thrash Japan 4-0, win hockey Test series 3-0

India finally stamped their dominance against Japan, winning the fourth and the final match 4-0 and

claiming the hockey Test series 3-0 at the Kalinga Stadium.

Trevor Bayliss : New head coach for England cricket team

Trevor Bayliss has been officiated as the head of the England national cricket team, becoming the

first Australian to hold such a post.

He su eeds Pete Moo es, ho as sa ked follo i g the tea s dismal performance at the World

Cup. T e o s fi st ajo task is to p epa e the tea fo Ashes Test se ies agai st Aust alia. Bayliss led the Sydney sixers to win Australia Big Six and Champions league in 2012 and IPL title for

Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 & 2014.

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Kapil Dev launches golf team for Louis Philippe cup

Former India cricket captain Kapil Dev, a keen golf enthusiast and an amateur player, has floated his

team in the upcoming Louis Philippe cup with top-ranked players like Siddikur and Om Prakash

Chouhan part of his outfit, Dev-Ellora Pune.

services hub employs more than 6,000 staff supporting ANZ's businesses around the world.

Abhinav Bindra becomes fourth Indian shooter to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics

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.

Sepp Blatter wins re-election as FIFA president

Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president for a fifth term on Friday, chosen to lead world soccer

despite separate U.S. and Swiss criminal investigations into corruption.

He was chosen for the post by the 65th FIFA Congress held in Zurich.

The 209 FIFA member federations gave the 79-year-old Blatter another four-year term after Prince

Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan conceded defeat after losing 133-73 in the first round.

Sevilla FC won Europa League title

Sevilla Football Club (FC) on 27 May 2015 won Europa League title. In the final clash at National

Stadium Warsaw, Poland, Sevilla defeated Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk football club, 3-2.

It was second consecutive Europa Cup win for Sevilla.

“e illa, the “pai s oldest lu solel de oted to foot all p a ti e, e a e the fi st side to i the Europa League four times. Last time, it captured the trophy in 2006, 2007 and 2014.

Obituary

Documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark passes away

Influential documentary photographer Mary Ellen Mark passed away in Manhattan, New York. She

was 75.

She was best-known for her humanist work and was one of the premier documentary

photographers of her generation.

In her career she had photographed people who were mainly away from mainstream society.

Spanish filmmaker Vincent Aranda passed away

Eight eight ea old “pa ish fil ake Vi e t A a da ostl k o fo di e ti g Jua a la lo a a d Lo e s – his most famous film, has passed away. He was one of the most renowned Spanish

filmmakers.

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He began as founding member of the Barcelona School of Films and was known for bringing Spanish

novels to life on big screens; he was known for experimenting and exploring complex social issues.

He was born in Barcelona in Nov 9, 1926, he made his directorial debut in 1964 with- B ight Futu e .

His latest p oje t as Lu a Calie te eleased i , hi h is a adaptatio of the o el Argentinean Mempo Giordinelli on the Process of Burgos.

Argentinean football player Cristian Gomez passed away

He died after suffering from a suspected stroke. He collapsed on the pitch during his sides second

division encounter with Boca Unidos.

This was a second death of a football player of Argentina in less than a fortnight. Ten days ago, San

Martin de Burzaco defender Emmanuel Ortega succumbed to head injuries.

Longtime Oscar director Marty Pasetta aged 82 passes away

Marty Pasetta, a veteran director of live TV extravaganzas including 17 Academy Awards shows,

has died. He was 82.Pasetta died in La Quinta,California.

Pasetta directed 17 Oscar telecasts from 1972 to 1988.

He also directed many Grammy Awards.

The “ othe s B othe s Co ed hou , El is P esle s ea Aloha F o Ha aii o cert and

many TV serials that got him 8 Emmy awards.

Actress- Comedian Anne Meara dies aged 85

American actress and comedian Anne Meara aged 85, breathed her last on 23rd May 2015 in

Manhattan,New York City,USA.

She was famous for her opposites-attract comedy routine with her husband Jerry stiller.

Meara started her career in so called summer stock theatre and in 1954 she joined the cast of NBC

soap pe a G eatest gift .

British actor Terry Sue-Patt dies

British actor Terry Sue-Patt was found dead at his home. He was 50.

Police officers discovered Sue-Patt s od afte eaki g do the doo to his ho e i East Lo do .

Nobel Prize winner- John Nash passes away

US mathematician and Nobel Prize winner, John Nash at age 84 and his wife Alicia aged 82 passed

away in a car accident in New Jersey.

John Nash was famous for his work in game theory and in 1994 won the Nobel Prize for Economics.

He was the inspiration behind the Oscar i i g fil A eautiful i d .

Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden has passed away

He passed away from a heart attack while he was admitted in Lenon Hill Hospital, Manhattan, NY.

He was only 58.

He had won three Grammies and other nominations during his great career. He also served as an

A&R executive for jazz label- Blue Note Records.

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Actor Wally Cassell died at 103

Cassell died peacefully at his home in Palm Desert, California. He was 103. He left behind his wife,

actress, singer and songwriter Marcy McGuire.

He, born in Sicily, with real name Oswaldo Castellano, began his movie career in 1942, when he

sig ed a o t a t ith MGM, a d ade his de ut i the o ie Fi ge s at the Wi do . “o e of his e o a le o ks a e, The Guilt , B eakdo , Qui ksa d , White Heat , i

which he pla ed a ga g asso iate of Ja es Cag e s ha a te , a d i a o ies like “a ds of I o Ji a a d The Fl i g Leathe e k

He also ade appea a es o TV, ith guest oles o hit p og a es like Gu s oke , The U tou ha les , ‘a hide a d The Be e l Hill illies Vel et .

Veteran jazz musician Bob Belden has passed away

He passed away from a heart attack while he was admitted in Lenon Hill Hospital, Manhattan, NY.

He was only 58.

He had won three Grammies and other nominations during his great career. He also served as an

A&R executive for jazz label- Blue Note Records.

Economist Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away

Dr Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri aged 81, breathed his last at his Pune residence. He was famous for his

lively lectures on subject of economics and inspired many younger generations at Delhi School of

Economics.

Actress Sudha Shivpuri passed away

Veteran actress Sudha Shivpuri, who be a e a household a e afte essa i g the ole of Baa i popula TV sho K u ki “aas Bhi Ka hi Bahu Thi , passed a a .“he as .

“he ega he a ti g a ee at a ea l age i ith Basu Chatte jee s fil “ a i. She also acted in films like Hamari Bahu Alka, Insaaf Ka Tarazu, Vidhaata, Sawan Ko Aane Do,

Bu i g T ai , Ma a Me saa a d Pi ja ased o A ita P ita s fa ous pa titio o el.

Mumbai KEM Nurse Aruna Shanbaug died after 42-years in coma

After being in the vegetative state[coma] for the last 42 years after being sexually assaulted, Aruna

Shanbaug eathed he last at Mu ai s King Edward Memorial hospital. In the second week of May she

was put on the ventilator support after being diagnosed suffering from serious bout of pneumonia, but

she died.

The year 1973 turned out to b cruel one for Aruna Shanbaug as she was sexually assaulted by a

sweeper in KEM hospital, mumbai.

As a result of that the oxygen supply to her brain was cut off and ever since that incident she went

into vegetative state or coma state.

Supreme Court in the year 2011 had rejected the mercy killing [euthanasia], which was filed by

author Pinki Virani.

Supreme Court based upon this case had framed guidelines for passive euthanasia instead of active

euthanasia.

Afte this ule “up e e Cou t, A u a s ase spa ked a de ate i the ou t a out the euthanasia laws and she became the face of the entire nation.

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I the ea , Pi ki Vi a i ote a ook titled A u a s sto that as ased o the life of

Aruna.

Ma athi pla Katha A u a hi as itte Duttaku a Desa ased o A u a a d it as staged under the director Vinay Apte in 2002.

B B King, the king of Blues, dies at 89

B B Ki g, the Blues lege d ho edefi ed a e a ith lassi s like The Th ill Is Go e, Please Lo e Me, a d M Lu ille, has died at the age of .

Riley B King, better known to his fans around the globe as B B King, was born September 16, 1925,

on a plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi.

Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passes away

On 12th May 2015, famous bengali writer Suchithra Bhattacharya passed away in Kolkata,West

Bengal, due to cardiac arrest. She was one of the most powerful and popular novelist of Bengali

literature.

Her writings mainly dealt with sufferings of women and also on social issues affecting the urban

middle class population.

Actress Elizabeth Wilson dies

Stage and screen actress Elizabeth Wilson has died. She was 94.

She was best known for her collaborations with acclaimed filmmaker Mike Nichols, most notably in

s The G aduate , i hi h she pla ed Dusti Hoff a s o -screen mother.

Ni hols also di e ted Wilso i his fil s Cat h-22″, The Da of the Dolphi a d ‘ega di g He .

Eminent historian Dr Amalendu Guha passes away

Eminent historian, economist and social scientist Dr Amalendu Guha died here today following old

age ailments.

He was 91 and is survived by his wife and eminent writer Anima Guha and a son.

Barjorji Pardiwala – Former Gujarat Assembly Speaker Passed Away

At the age of 86,former Gujarat assembly speaker Barjorji Pardiwala,passed away at a private

hospital in Ahmedabad, due to age related problems. Ayaz Sheikh, his assistant said Barjorji

pardiwala had some of his vital organs not functioning properly.

His last rites would be conducted at Valsad. Pardiwala was also a famous lawyer in Valsad and he is

father of Gujarat High Court Justice J.B Pardiwala.

Eminent scribe Amitabha Chowdhury passes away

Award-winning journalist and litterateur Amitabha Chowdhury died after a prolonged illness here

on Friday. He was 87.

He began his career in 1948 with Jugantar , an influential daily in the city at the time. Later, he

worked for Ananda Bazar Patrika and Aajkal .

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Motorcycling world champion Geoff Duke dies at 92

British motor le g eat Geoff Duke has died at the age of o the Isle of Ma , the spo t s spiritual home where the six-time world champion raced to six TT victories in the 1950s.

The a k o as The I o Duke i a e a he B itish ike a ufa tu e s a d ide s led the

world, retired from the championship in 1959 after 33 grand prix victories.

Crime and mystery writer Ruth Rendell dies at 85

Crime writer Ruth Rendell, who created the character Inspector Wexford that inspired a successful

TV series, has died. She was 85.

Rendell, who suffered a stroke in January, passed away here on Saturday morning, according to her

publisher Penguin Random House,

Singer Ben E King dies at 76

‘&B si ge Be E Ki g, est k o fo the so g “ta d B Me , has died aged . King passed away on Thursday of natural causes, reported Us magazine.

The soul singer rose to fame in the late 1950s with his vocal group The Drifters, with songs including

The e Goes M Ba a d “a e The Last Da e Fo Me .

Former Union minister Baleshwar Ram dead

Former Union minister and veteran Congress leader Baleshwar Ram died on Saturday night due to

kidney-related ailments in a private hospital.He was 87.

A five-term MLA from various assembly constituencies since 1952,Ram had served in ministerial

capacity in various Congress governments in Bihar in 1960s and 1970s.

He was elected to Lok Sabha from Rosera constituency in 1980 and went on to serve in the Indira

Gandhi government as a Union minister.

Writer-director Philip S. Goodman dies at 89

Philip S Goodman, a writer and director for film, television and stage, has died at his home in New

York City. He was 89.

Good a ote episodes of s a d s TV sho s su h as P ofiles i Cou age, Alf ed Hit h o k P ese ts, a d Joh “ta ato , epo ted Variety.

E ali ur a tor Nigel Terr dies at 9

A to Nigel Te , k o fo his pe fo a e as Ki g A thu i Joh Boo a s fil E ali u , has passed a a . He as .

Surveymonkey CEO David Goldberg dies

Goldberg was CEO of online survey questionnaire provider SurveyMonkey. He died at age 47.

David Goldberg, a popular Silicon Valley executive and husband of Facebook second-in-command

Sheryl Sandberg.

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Chinese Diplomat, Lu Ping passes away

The Chinese diplomat, Lu Ping, who oversaw Hong Kong transition from British to Chinese sovereignty in

the year 1997 passed away at the age of 87 on sunday 3rd May 2015. He was known for his hard-line

sta e fo this t a sitio a d he as Chi a s Chief egotiato i the ea s efo e the ha dover.

Lu Pi g alled Ho g ko g s last B itish Go e o Ch is Patte a si e fo ea s fo aki g the territory elections more democratic or his unilateral electoral reform proposals.

Lu Ping helped in drafting of Ho g Ko g s mini constitution.

He was appointed s Director of the Hong Kong and Maccau Affairs Office[HKMAO] In 1990 and

retired in 1997.

Hong Kong was leased for 99 years to British empire by China, after it lost to Britishers in the first

opium war.

Hong Kong island Kowloon penninsula became a British colony.

It was transferred to China on 30th June 1997.

Though the cause for his death was not known but its said that he had cancer.

His phenomenal understanding of the details of Hong Kong institutions made it possible for him to

play major role in drafting of Joint Declaration in 1984.

Ho g Ko g Chief E e uti e Leu g e p essed his o dole es o e Lu s death.

Veteran film director Kalpataru passes away at 78

Veteran film director Kalpataru, who worked in several hit movies such as Ghar Dwaar, Khoon Ka

Badla Khoon, Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani and Bade Ghar Ki Beti passed away at a hospital in Santacruz

West on Sunday evening. He was 78.

K Parvez, who started his career at the age of 18, made his real mark on family cinema when he

made the highl su essful Gha Gha Ki Kaha i, a d the eafte sta ti g a t e d of Gha … fil s.

Oscar winning author Michael Blake passes away

At the age of 69 in Tucson Arizona,Oscar winning author, Michael Blake passed away after his long struggle

with cancer.He won the coveted Nobel Prize for his novel Da es With Wol es .

In 1990 that novel was made into a movie that was a major hit and earned Blake an Oscar award for

his exceptional screenplay.

The movie had won 7 Oscars including Best Picture category. For his script Michael Blakes also won

the WGA award and Golden Globes.

Da es With Wol es as Blake s est o el and over 5 million copies were sold and was translated

into 15 languages.

He also had written several other novels that advocated for many causes including literacy,

National American History, and disappearing Of Wild Horses.

He was born in North Carolina, live with his family in Texas and finally settled in South Carolina.

His other major novels are The Holy Road,Airman Mortensen,Indian Yell etc.

His autobiography is like a running dog, which has detailed his career in writing and Hollywood.

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Books & Authors

Vi e Preside t ‘eleases The Book Chi a – Co fu ius i the “hado s

A Book titled China – Confucius in the Shadows was released by the Vice President M. Hamid Ansari

on 1 May 2015. Confucius was considered as the most efficient author in Chinese history.

Book has been written by Poonam Surie. Poonam Surie is an Adjunct Fellow at the Institute of

Chinese Studies, New Delhi.

The book highlights that in the evolving socio political milieu of China; interpreting Confucian

philosophy as being non-confrontationist, benevolent and with values such as filial piety and

harmony could help the current political regime deal with such problems as corruption and rising

inequalities.

Prof Bhi “i gh s ook titled U elie a le-Delhi to Islamabad released

Vice President of India, Mr Hamid Ansari, eleased p ofesso Bhi “i gh s ook titled Unbelievable-Delhi to Islamabad on 8th May 2105 at a function in New Delhi. The travelogue by

Prof Bhim Singh is unique in its content and must be read by all,the Vice President told while

addressing on the occasion.

The book is an effort mainly started by the lawyers of India and Pakistan to ensure that Pakistani

prisoners languishing in Indian jails are treated in accordance with the Constitution Of India spirits.

It also makes certain that Indian prisoners in Pakistan jails are not denied fair trials.

Book titled Ahmedabad: A City in the World by Amrita Shah released

Ahmedabad: A City in the World authored by Amrita Shah was released 28 May 2015. The book is a

biography of India's seventh-largest city Ahmedabad and its all too frequent complicity in

communal violence.

The author in the book has described the six-hundred year old former textile town in Kaka-style

development and sketches Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle against British rule.

Book titled Super Economies by Raghav Bahl released

The book Super Economies: America, India, China & The Future Of The World written by Raghav

Bahl published in May 2015. He is an Indian businessman best known for his ownership of several

television channels, including TV18.

The book explains the vastly changed nature of the world since the Cold War and predicts what will

be the likely changes in the 21st century.

Retired Army officer pens book of poems

Former Army officer Mr Ajith singh has discovered the value of duty,valour,honesty,brotherhood,

patriotism needed for a soldier through collection of poems.

At an e e t held, a ook of poe s titled Reflections of a Soldier itte Ajith “i gh as released by Lt Gen Bobby Mathews, General Officer Commanding of Konark Corps.

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Complete story of Indian Reforms- 2G, Power and Private Enterprise written by Pradeep Baijal

Mr Pradeep Baijal in his self-pu lished ook The Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G , Power

and Private Enterprice- A practitioners diary said that the G s a t ail sta ted u de UPA s Tele o Mi iste Da a idhi Ma a s egi e itself he Pradeep was head of the telecom

appointed by NDA government in 2003.

Pradeep in his book had alleged that former PM had gone to the extent of warning him if he did not

co-operate on 2G telecom licences and CBI wanted him to involve Ratan Tata and Arun Shourie in

the case.

Important days of May 2015

May 1 2015

Remembered for : International Labours Day

May 3 2015

Remembered for : World Press Freedom Day

The e : Let journalism thrive! towards better reporting,gender equality,media safety in the digital age Purpose : This day gives an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles to evaluate press

freedom, to assess the state of freedom of press all over the world and to defend the media from attacks

on their independence.

May 4 2015

Remembered for : International Buddha Poornima Diwas

May 5 2015

Remembered for : (first tuesday of the May) World Asthma Day

Theme : You can control your Asthma and the sub-theme : It s ti e to o t ol ou Asth a. Purpose : To increase the awareness about this disease among the people. The May month is also known

as Asthma Awareness Month. GINA or Global Initiative for Asthma, organises this annual event to create

awareness and promote ways to cure the disease around the world.

Remembered for : International Day of the Midwife

Purpose : To increase the awareness about the contribution of the midwives towards the patients all over

the world.

May 8 2015

Remembered for : World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day

Theme : Power of Humanity: The Fundamental Principles in Action

8-9 May 2015

Remembered for : Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the

Second World War

Purpose : the UN General Assembly declared 8–9 May as a time of remembrance and reconciliation and,

while recognizing that Member States may have individual days of victory, liberation and commemoration,

invited all Member States, organizations of the United Nations System, non-governmental organizations

and individuals to observe annually either one or both of these days in an appropriate manner to pay

tribute to all victims of the Second World War.

9-10 May 2015

Remembered for : World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)

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Theme : Energy – make it bird-friendly

Purpose : It is an annual awareness-raising campaign highlighting the need for the conservation of

migratory birds and their habitats

May 10 2015

Remembered for : Mothe s Da (second Sunday of the month of May)

Purpose : celebrated every year to honour and respect a mother.

May 11 2015

Remembered for : National Technology Day.

Purpose : Celebrated since 1999.The day glorifies the importance of science in day to day life and

motivates students to adopt science as the career option.It is celebrated annually all over the India to

commemorate technological breakthroughs.

May 12 2015

Remembered for : International nurses day

Purpose : celebrated every year on the birthday of Florence Nightingale

May 15 2015

Remembered for : International Day of Families.

Theme: Men in Charge? Gender Equality and Children s ‘ights i Co te po a Fa ilies. Purpose : Reflects the importance the international community attaches to families.The 2015 observance

of the International Day of Families aims to promote gender equality and rights of children within

families.It will also highlight prevention of family violence through fair family law frameworks and a variety

of programme interventions.

May 17th

2015

Remembered for : World Telecommunication and Information Society Day

May 20th 2015

Remembered for : Clinical Trials Day

Theme : Patie ts Fi st has been chosen by the Indian Society of Clinical Research or ISCR.

Purpose : A nation wide advocacy programme known as NavChetana is launched by by ISCR in order to

create an enabling environment for clinical research by raising awareness of its role.To bring clinical

research back on track in India. Many steps are been taken by the Indian regulators.

May 21st 2015

Remembered for : Anti Terrorism Day/ Martyrdom of Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi

Purpose : The day is annually observed on the death anniversary of seventh Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi

who was assassinated at an election rally near Chennai by a suicide bomber from the LTTE on 21 May 1991.

This is to create awareness for combating terrorism.

Rememberd for : World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development

Theme : Sharing Culture for a Shared Security

Purpose : The day provides us with an opportunity to deepen our understanding of the values of cultural

diversity.

May 22nd 2015

Remembered for : International Day for Biological Diversity

Theme : Biodiversity For Sustainable Development .

http://www.itu.int/wtisd/

http://www.un.org/en/events/culturaldiversityday/

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Purpose : International Day for Biological Diversity is celebrated to recognize the role of biodiversity to life

on earth and human well being.

May 23rd 2015

Rememberd for : United Nations day that is aimed at ending Obstetric Fistula

Theme : End fistula. Restore Wo e s Dig it .

Purpose : To promote action toward treating and preventing Obstetric fistula, a condition affecting many

women in developing nations. Fund raisers, mobile van campaigns, media announcements are few events

that promote the International day to end Obstetric Fistula.

Rememberd for : World Turtle Day

Purpose : The purpose of the observance is to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect

for, turtles and tortoises, and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive.

May 25 2015

Remembered for : International Missing Children's Day

May 29th 2015

Remembered for : International Day of UN Peacekeepers

Theme : UN70 and UN Peacekeeping: Past, Present, and Future

Purpose : It is a o asio to salute the pea ekeepe s of toda ho se e i so e of the o ld s ost volatile and dangerous environments. This Day is also a time to mourn fallen peacekeepers.

May 31st 2015

Remembered for : World No Tobacco Day

Theme : Stop illicit trade of tobacco products

Purpose : To Eliminate consumption of Tobacco Products to curb the financial, legal and health impacts of

tobacco consumption.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS!!!

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