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Important Current Affairs 31st May 2019

NATIONAL

Gujarat traffic police to use laser guns to curb overspeeding

• The Gujarat governmenthas decided to equip the traffic police with 'laser guns'for detection of over-speeding by vehicles. The state police's traffic branch has purchased 39 such high-tech guns at a cost of Rs.3.9 crore.

• Five of these US-made devices will be given to the Ahmedabad city police, and every district police force will also be provided one of these guns.

A three-day workshop was organised recently at the Karai Police Academy here to impart training to over 200 traffic policemen on operating the device.

• Laser gun:The gun uses laser technology to detect the speed of a vehicle. It can record the speed of three vehiclessimultaneously in a second, even if the vehicles are a km away.The device is equipped to record speeds from 0-320 kilometre per hour.

• The speed gun is an online device which can send an e-memo to the owner with a photo of the vehicle. If required, the speed gun can also generate and print the challan offline on the spot.

It is also capable of recording videos of the over- speeding vehicles which will serve as proof if the vehicle owner confronts the police.

SC extends tenure of NCDRCs judicial member by one year

• Supreme Court May 29 extended the tenure of Justice V K Jain, a judicial member of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), which was expiring.

• A vacation bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Aniruddha Bose said the extension of tenure would be for one year or till the process of fresh appointment is completed.The bench was dealing with an application seeking an extension of Justice Jain's tenure.

• He had joined the Delhi Judicial Service on May 20, 1977, and was later appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court on May 14, 2009.

He had demitted the office on May 14, 2014, after which he was appointed as a judicial member of the NCDRC.

Mississippi River flood becomes the longest-lasting in over 90 years

• Flooding in theMississippi River is on the record for being the longest-lasting in more than 90 years since the "Great Flood" of 1927.

It is due to relentless, record-breaking spring rainfall. In the month of June also, Mississippi River will continue to rise as runoff from snowmelt upstream in combination with rainfall runoff moves through the river system.

• Along several parts of the river, water levels have been at flood stage for nearly 4 months. It is the longest stretch of time since the Great Flood.

• The reason for this drastic flood is climate change, as planet is getting warmer which is resulting in rise of heavy downpours.

About the Mississippi River:

• It is the second-longest river and Chief River of the second-largest drainage system on the North American continent.

Source: Lake Itasca, Minnesota, United States

Mouth: Gulf of Mexico

INTERNATIONAL

Goldman Sachs to invest USD250 mn to construct one of its largest global workspaces in Bengaluru

• New York-based investment and financial services major Goldman Sachs have pumped in $250 million to construct one of its largest global workspaces in Bengaluru.

• Bengaluru workspace:Bengaluru, with 2,500 techies, is the second-largest engineering talent base of Goldman Sachs after New York. Goldman Sachs Service, Bengaluru has become one of the firm’s global centres of innovation focused on the development and application of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to help solve business problems for our worldwide network.

• The investment bank has seen significant technology value-addition from Bengaluru during the past one-and-a-half decades, and software solutions developed in the city have been used in many business verticals. It has also undertaken automation of key services such as client onboarding.

ISS spacewalk successfully carried out for the 217th time by 2 cosmonauts

• Two Russian space agency Roscosmos' cosmonauts have successfully carried out the 217th spacewalk for International Space Station's support, maintenance and upgrade. The spacewalk, fourth for 2019, was done by Expedition 59 Commander Oleg Kononenko and Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin and lasted six hours and one minute.

• This was Commander Kononenko's fifth spacewalk and the first-ever for Ovchinin.The cosmonauts retrieved science experiments, install handrails on the Russian segment of the complex, and conduct maintenance on the orbiting laboratory.

• Roscosmos State Space Corporation:

Formation: 25 February 1992

Headquarters: Moscow, Russia

Administrator: Dmitry Rogozin

Parent organization: The Russian government

• It is responsible for the wide range and types of space flights and cosmonautics programs for the Russian Federation.

APPOINTMENT AND RESIGNATION

Former Flipkart Executive Sandeep Patil appointed as India Managing Director of Truecaller

• Former Flipkart Executive Sandeep Patil appointed as India Managing Director of Truecaller. He served as the head of consumer and commercial lending vertical at Flipkart until his new appointment with Truecaller.

Sandeep Patil will be leading business strategies to expand the company and increase its revenue.

• He will be supervising the teams based in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

India is the largest market for Truecaller with 60-70% of global revenue and user base.

It has 100 million daily active users in the country.

About Truecaller

Headquarters: Stockholm

Founded: 2009

Founders: Nami Zarringhalam and Alan Mamedi

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa received baton of Chairman COSC

• Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa received the baton of Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee from outgoing Chairman COSC and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba,

• Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa will be the Chairman COSC with effect from May 31, 2019, consequent to relinquishment of charge by Admiral Sunil Lanba upon superannuation.

• Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, an alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College and the National Defence Academy, was commissioned in the Flying Branch of Indian Air Force in June 1978.  He is an experienced fighter pilot and a qualified CAT ‘A’ Flying Instructor with over 3000 hours of flying experience to his credit.

• The Air Chief Marshal has mainly flown the MiG-21 aircraft with flying experience across the entire spectrum of fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

Admiral Sunil Lanba is proceeding on retirement on May 31, 2019, after a distinguished career spanning over four decades.

BANKS AND ECONOMY

NCLT approved the the resolution plan of Tata Steel to acquire Bhushan Energy Ltd.

• The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the resolution plan of Tata Steel to acquire debt-ridden Bhushan Energy Ltd. for about Rs.800 crore on 30 May. The principal bench of NCLT-Delhi also rejected objections from Bhushan Energy’s former promoter Neeraj Singal opposing Tata Steels’ bid.

• Resolution plan:Under the resolution plan, Tata Steel will offer an upfront payment of Rs.730 crore. It would also pay Rs.50 crore additionally to operational creditors of the company. Besides, Tata Steel would also infuse Rs.367 crore into the company as a part of equity infusion. A detailed order is still awaited in this matter.

• Acquisition of Bhushan Steel Ltd.:Bhushan Energy was a subsidiary of Bhushan Steel Ltd., which was also taken over by Tata Steel last May and later renamed as Tata Steel BSL Ltd.Tata Steel had offered Rs.35,200 crore in cash to acquire Bhushan Steel besides Rs.1,200 crore to creditors and convert the remaining debt owed to banks to equity.

• Earlier in June 2018, in this matter, NCLT had extended the insolvency resolution period for 90 days after the creditors failed to find a suitable buyer within the initial period of 180 days as mandated under the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC).

Tags: current affairs, Resignation, National News, international news, Sports and Awards, signed MoU, Appointments, BANKS
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Important Current Affairs of 29th May

NATIONAL:

Madhya Pradesh to tentatively have new UNESCO heritage site

• Orchha town in Madhya Pradesh has a historical site with the Bundela dynasty architectural style.

• The Archaeological Survey of India included that heritage town of Orchha in a tentative list of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) world heritage sites. It was included in the proposal sent by the ASI to the UN body in April 2019.

• UNESCO’s rules state that to be a part of the World Heritage sites, the heritage or historical site must first be on the tentative list.

• After making it to that list, yet another proposal is sent to the UNESCO.

Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma launched a new project to boost medicinal plant cultivation

• Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma launched a new project to boost medicinal and aromatic plants cultivation named "Aroma Mission".

• "Aroma Mission" a project of Rs.18 crore launched to give importance for agriculture and allied sectors so that farmers earn the benefits from it.

• CM inaugurated a processing unit of essential oils and insisted institutions like CSIR-CIMAP to undertake more researches in this field.

• Broomsticks and bay leaves were categorized as 'Agro Forestry' items.

• Cultivation of lemon grass and citronella plant will be undertaken on 50-acre plots in every district of the state.

• Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) is a plant research laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)

Telangana to set up countrys first 'Blockchain District' in Hyderabad

• Telangana released a draft blockchain policy to set up country's first 'Blockchain District' in Hyderabad. Telangana released a draft blockchain policy to set up country's first 'Blockchain District' in Hyderabad.

• It is aimed to create an ecosystem for major blockchain companies, start-ups for promoting research, innovation and industry collaboration. Telangana Government signed an agreement with Tech Mahindra to set up the Blockchain district in 2018.

• The draft was released by Information Technology, Electronics and Communications (IT E&C) Department. The main focus will be given to the sectors such as banking, financial services and insurance, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, government institutions and departments, logistics and supply chains.

• The incentives like access to investments, subsidies, tax credits will be rolled out to attract enterprises, Small and Medium Enterprises and startups. Other incentives include 25% subsidy on lease rentals up to 5 lakh per annum for the first three years of operations.

• 100% reimbursement of State Goods and Services Tax (SGST ) for the first three years for startups with revenue less than 5 crore and along with one-time grant of Rs.l0 lakh, 75% subsidy in travel fare when the founders attend global conferences and 25% reimbursement on Internet charges would be provided.

INTERNATIONAL:

India, Sri Lanka and Japan signed a deal to develop container terminal at Colombo

• Sri Lanka, Japan, and India signed an agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal at the Colombo Port on 28th May. The joint initiative is estimated to cost between $500 million and $700 million.

• The signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC)is significant, given that the countries had been negotiating the deal since last year with little success.

As per the agreement, the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) retains 100% ownership of the East Container Terminal (ECT), while the Terminal Operations Company is jointly owned. Sri Lanka will hold a51% stake in the project and the joint venture partners will retain 49%.

• Aim: The ECT development project aimed at neutralizing the growing influence of China, which has poured money into the South Asian island nation under its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure plan. The ECT is located some three km away from the China-backed international financial city, known popularly as port city.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION:

Alapan Bandyopadhyay appointed as new Home Secretary for West Bengal

• Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee appointed Alapan Bandyopadhyay, an IAS officer of the 1987 batch, as the new Home Secretary for West Bengal. He succeeds Atri Bhattacharya .

• Alapan Bandyopadhyay was in charge of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises(MSME) Department with additional charge of Industry, Commerce and Enterprises Department.

• Ajit Ranjan Bardhan as the new principal secretary of the North Bengal Development Department (NBDD)Bardhan was earlier in charge of Youth Services and Sports department.

• Barun Kumar Ray, who was in charge of the NBDD with an additional charge of Jalpaiguri Commissioner was transferred as the Commissioner of Malda.

Choten D Lama, Secretary of the Panchayat & Rural Development Department (P&RD) was shifted to the Backward Classes Welfare Department with an additional charge of the Tribal department.

• Gyanwant Singh was appointed as the new ADGP (Law and Order).

Jayanta Kumar Basu was appointed as the director of the directorate of economic offences.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY:

RBI extended time window for using the RTGS for customer transactions

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that the time-window for using theReal Time Gross Settlement System (RTGS) for customer transactions will be extended from 4:30 pm to 6 pm on all working days. It will be effective from June 1, 2019.

• The current RTGS service window for customer transactions is available to banks from 8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on a working day.

Transactions will now take place under three windows:

1.8 am to 11 am

2.11 am to 1 pm

3.1 pm to 6pm

• Charges for the transactions:

• There shall be no charge for transactions between 8 am and 11 am.

• A charge of Rs.2 will be levied on every transaction conducted between 11 am and 1 pm.

Rs.5 shall be charged for every transaction between 1pm and 6pm.

Standard Chartered launched Trade A1 Engine in partnership with IBM

• Standard Charteredlaunched Trade A1 Engine in partnership with IBM Standard Chartered in partnership with IBM has launched the Trade A1 Engine which will automate the high risk process of trade documentation.

• It will enhance client experience through increased operational efficiency and strengthened operational control.This newly launched Trade A1 Engine will replace the Traditional documentary trade consisting of millions of data elements in paper-based that to be reviewed through a largely manual process.

About Trade A1 Engine

• Conversion of non-digital shipping documents into machine-readable format enabled by Optical Character Recognition (OCR).

•The Identification and classification of document types from an initial pre-defined database.

• The Continuous Machine learning (ML) based on user re-classification / re-defining of data elements to further Improve accuracy.

• Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities to read and capture context from data in the documents.

Srei Equipment Finance ties up with Oriental Bank of Commerce to offer loans for purchase of equipment under a co-lending arrangement

• Srei Equipment Financetied up with Oriental Bank of Commerce to offer loans for the purchase of equipment under a co-lending arrangement.Srei Equipment Finance is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Srei Infrastructure Finance.

• The funds for the project will be sourced through a platform named iQuippo, a unique digital market place of Kanoria Foundation.It will help in loan origination, loan dues collection, auction of equipment, valuation of equipment and other facilities.

• The co-lending arrangement will include financing of construction, mining and allied equipment, medical equipment, commercial vehicles and farm equipment.

Motila Oswal AMC become the first Indian fund house to introduce WhatsApp transaction platform

• Motilal Oswal Asset Management Company (AMC) become the first Indian fund house to launch WhatsApp transaction platform for mutual fund transactions for new as well as existing investors.This enables investors to use WhatsApp to invest in any scheme from Motilal Oswal AMC.Investors can either invest lump sum or through SIPS.

• The platform works:

• An investor should add Motilal Oswal AMC number (+91 9372205812) to his/her contact list. Then on WhatsApp, type 'Hi' on the above number.

• After sharing the PAN details, the investor should share his/her mode of investment, fund, amount. Finally, authorize payment for the transaction through the payment link sent

DAYS:

Veer Savarkar was observed on 28 May

• Swatantryaveer Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's birth anniversary was celebrated on 28 May 2019. On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to VD Savarkar. He said that the nation will always remember sacrifices made by Veer Savarkar during the freedom struggle.

SPORTS:

Ivo Karlovic-Oldest Man to win a match at the French Open 2019 for 46 years

• Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic became the oldest man to win a match at the French Open 2019 for 46 years on 28 May. He beat Spain’s fellow veteran Feliciano Lopez in a first-round duel.

• Forty-year-old Ivo Karlovic became the oldest player to win a match at Roland Garros and defeated 37-year-old Feliciano Lopez to secure 7-6(4), 7-5, 6-7(7), 7-5 in three hours and six minutes to reach the second round at the clay-court Grand Slam for the sixth time.

• This was the oldest men’s match in combined age at Roland Garros during the Open Era, and the seventh-oldest match at a Grand Slam. Karlovic hit 35 aces and saved five of the six break points he faced to win his first match since Indian Wells.

Tags: current affairs, Resignation, National News, international news, Sports and Awards, business, Appointments, Days and Date, BANKS
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Important Current Affairs of 28th May

NATIONAL:

India elected to Executive Board of first UN-Habitat Assembly.

• First session of the UN-Habitat Assembly will be held from 27-31 May 2019, at the headquarters of UN-Habitat in Nairobi.

• The Theme is: “Innovation for Better Quality of Life in Cities and Communities”. 

• The Sub-theme as: “Accelerated implementation of the New Urban Agenda towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals”.

• During the first session, The Assembly is expected to establish the Executive Board of UN-Habitat and elect its members, to review and approve the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan 2020-2025 and also review the Progress in the implementation of New Urban Agenda, among other things.

• A State which is a member of a Specialized Agency and the Observer Members States of the United Nations may participate in the deliberations of the UN-Habitat Assembly in the capacity of an observer.

• The Assembly will also be attended by United Nations Agencies, Local authorities and non-state actors including civil society, youth and women group representatives, the private sector and the Academia.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Maldives Ex-Leader Mohamed Nasheed Tipped as New Speaker.

• Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed nominated as the country’s parliamentary speaker.

1. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is the current President of the Maldives.

2. Male is the capital of the Maldives.

3. The Maldivian rufiyaa is the currency of the Maldives.

Ola Electric appoints ex-Vodafone Group CEO Arun Sarin to board.

• Bengaluru-based Ola's newly-formed company Ola Electric has appointed former Vodafone Group CEO Arun Sarin as an independent director on its board. Sarin also currently serves on the boards of Cisco Systems, Accenture, Charles Schwab and Ola's parent company ANI Technologies. The IIT- Kharagpur alumni had received an Honorary Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 2010

About Ola Electric:

• India's first multimodal electric vehicle project launched on the 26th of May, 2017.

• The project brought together industry and government to pioneer electric vehicles for

public and shared mobility in Nagpur.

About Amit Sarin:

• Arun Sarin is an Indian-American telecommunications executive. Sarin was the former CEO of the telecom giant Vodafone Group plc, serving from 2003 until 2008

• Board member of: Accenture, Ola Cabs, Cisco Systems, Charles Schwab Corporation, University of California, Berkeley

• Awards: CNN-IBN Indian of the Year Global Indian

Candy Crush maker King's Co-founder quits as CEO after 16 yrs.

• Riccardo Zacconi, Co-founder of video game developer King, known for developing the Candy Crush Saga game, has stepped down as the CEO, its parent firm Activision Blizzard's regulatory filings revealed. Zacconi, an Italian businessman, led King for around 16 years after it was founded in 2003. However, he will stay on as King's Chairman, the filings further revealed.

About Candy Crush Saga:

• Candy Crush Saga is a free-to-play match-three puzzle video game released by King on April 12, 2012, for Facebook; other versions for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 followed. It is a variation of their browser game Candy Crush.

• Initial release date: 12 April 2012

About Riccardo Zacconi:

• Riccardo Zacconi, is an Italian businessman, best known as CEO of King, a company he founded in 2003. King is the developer of the popular mobile games app Candy Crush Saga. On May 26, 2019, Zaconni announced he was stepping down as CEO of King

AWARDS:

South Korean film 'Parasite' wins top award at Cannes Film Fest.

• Director Bong Joon-Ho became the first South Korean to win the Palme d'Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his film 'Parasite'. Filmmaker Mati Diop, the first black woman director to be considered for the Palme d'Or, won the Grand Prix, the runner-up prize for her film 'Atlantics'. Belgium's Dardenne brothers won Best Director for 'Young Ahmed'.

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Important Current Affairs 27th May 2019

INTERNATIONAL:

Donald Trump becomes first foreign leader to meet new Japanese emperor.

• US President Donald Trump became first foreign leader at Japan's Imperial Palace where he made history becoming the first world leader to meet with the new emperor of Japan.

Emperor Naruhito ascended to the throne on May 1, opening what is called the era of "Reiwa," or "beautiful harmony."

• US President who is on a four-day state visit to Japan was treated to a welcome ceremony full of pomp and pageantry.

About Naruhito

Reign:1 May 2019 - Present

Predecessor: Akihito

126th monarch - According to Japan's traditional order of succession.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Pema Khandu to be sworn-in as Arunachal Pradesh CM on May 29.

• Pema Khandu will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on May 29, Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Home Affairs informed on Twitter. This comes after Arunachal Pradesh BJP MLAs on Monday unanimously selected Pema Khandu as the leader of BJP Legislature Party. BJP had won 41 seats in the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly.

About Pema Khandu:

• Pema Khandu is an Indian politician and the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh. Since assuming office of chief minister in July 2016, he and his government have twice changed their party affiliation

• Office: Chief minister of Arunachal pradesh until 31 Dec 2021

• Party: Bharatiya Janata Party

Punjab Congress chief Jakhar resigns after losing to Sunny Deol.

• Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar has resigned from his post after losing to Bollywood actor and BJP candidate Sunny Deol from Gurdaspur Lok Sabha seat. Jakhar said that he had resigned three days ago but has not heard from the party yet. The Congress won 8 out of 13 seats in the state.

About Sunil Jakhar :

• Sunil Kumar Jakhar is an Indian Politician and President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Elected consecutively three times from Abohar constituency, he was a Leader of opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha from 2012-2017. He is a member of the Indian National Congress.

• Party: Indian National Congress

Prem Singh Tamang sworn in as Sikkim CM.

• Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) president Prem Singh Tamang on Monday took oath as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. Fifty-one-year-old Tamang, who took the oath in Nepali, was administered the oath by Governor Ganga Prasad at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok. SKM won 17 seats in the 32-member assembly, ousting former CM Pawan Kumar Chamling-led Sikkim Democratic Front after over 24 years.

About Prem Singh Tamang:

• Prem Singh Tamang, better known as PS Golay, is an Indian politician and the current Chief Minister of Sikkim and leader and founder of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha. Prior to forming the party, he was a key member of the Sikkim Democratic Front Party.

• Organization founded

• Sikkim Krantikari Morcha

AWARDS:

Prof. Bhargava awarded 2019 Dr Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize.

• Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Professor Balram Bhargava jointly won the 2019 Dr. Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health at the 72nd World Health Assemblyin Geneva, Switzerland. He bagged the award for his achievements as a clinician, innovator, researcher, and trainer.

• Professor (Dr) Balram Bhargava, Secretary, Department of Health Research, (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare) and Director General of ICMR joined on 16th April 2018. He is Professor of Cardiology at AIIMS, New Delhi and also serves as the Executive Director for Stanford India Biodesign Centre, School of International Biodesign (SiB). He is an outstanding cardiologist, one of the foremost leaders in biomedical innovation, public health, medical education, and medical research.

• Professor Bhargava has excellent leadership qualities and has established the India-Stanford Biodesign program, a unique interdisciplinary fellowship program to foster innovation, design in low-cost implants/devices. He set up the c-GMP Centre for Excellence for Stem Cell Studies, at AIIMS which has initiated treatment of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy which has benefitted a number of no-option heart failure patients waiting on the cardiac transplant list.

Awards:

•  He has been awarded the SN Bose Centenary award, Tata Innovation Fellowship and Vasvik Award for Biomedical Technology Innovation, Ranbaxy Award and the OP Bhasin Award in the field of Health and Medical Sciences. He has been awarded the Padma Shri high civilian award by the Honourable President of India and the UNESCO Equatorial Guinea International Prize for research in Life Sciences at Paris.

• The Dr. LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health was established in 2008. It is awarded to individuals, institutions, and governmental or nongovernmental organizations who have made an outstanding contribution to public health. The Prize aims at rewarding work that has extended far beyond the call of normal duties, and it is not intended as a reward for an excellent performance of duties normally expected of an official position of a governmental or intergovernmental institution.

The prize is awarded once a year and consists of a plaque from the Founder and a sum of money which will not exceed US$ 100 000. It will be presented at a special ceremony during the World Health Assembly.

SPORTS:

Apurvi Chandela bags gold medal in 10m Air Rifle in ISSF World Cup.

• India won third International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle and Pistol tournament in Munich, Germany.

• Apurvi Chandela won gold in the women's 10m Air Rifle competition after a closely-fought contest. She shot a score of 251 in the final to outshine Wang Luyao of China, who shot 250.8. 

• This was Apurvi's second ISSF World Cup gold of the year followed by a world record score in New Delhi.

• After the first round of qualifying in the women's 25m Pistol, Asian Games champion Rahi Sarnobat stood in the second position with a score of 294.

China beat Japan won 2019 Sudirman Cup.

• China won the badminton world mixed-team championship, Sudirman Cup 2019 in Nanning. They beat Japan in men's doubles, women's singles and men's singles and won the title for the 11th time.

• In the latest Men' singles match Shi Yuqi stunned world champion Kento Momota for 15-21, 21-5,21-11.

About 2019 Sudirman Cup

• Dates:  19–26 May

• Edition: 16th

• Level: International

• Competitors: 377

• Nations: 31

• Venue: Guangxi Sports Center

• Location: Nanning, China

About China

• Capital: Beijing

• President: Xi Jinping

• Currency‎: ‎Renminbi‎ (yuan)

Shooter Saurabh breaks own world record to win 2nd World Cup gold.

• India's 17-year-old shooter Saurabh Chaudhary broke his own junior and senior world record to win his second World Cup gold medal. Saurabh won 10m Air Pistol event with 246.3 points, breaking his own senior record of 245 points and junior record of 245.5 points. Saurabh had booked a quota for 2020 Olympics during his maiden World Cup in February.

About Saurabh Chaudhary:

• Saurabh Chaudhary is an Indian sport shooter. He comes from a family of farmers living in Yamuna & Gangatic plains of western Uttar Pradesh. He won the Gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in 10 m Air Pistol. He became the youngest Indian gold medalist at the Asian Games.

• Gold medals: Shooting at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics – Men's 10 metre air pistol,

Shooter Rahi Sarnobat wins gold in WC, seals Olympic quota.

• Indian shooter Rahi Sarnobat on Monday won the gold in 25m Pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Munich. With this, the 28-year-old also sealed a quota place for India in the event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Rahi scored a total of 37, beating Ukraine's Olena Kostevych, who was champion at the 2004 Athens Olympics

About Rahi Sarnobat:

• Rahi Jeevan Sarnobat is a female athlete from India who competes in the event of 25 meters pistol shooting. She won her first gold medal at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India.

• Gold medal: Shooting at the 2018 Asian Games – Women's 25 metre pistol

• Awards: Arjuna Award for Shooting.

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Important Current Affairs of 26th May

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Manjit Singh GK expelled from Shiromani Akali Dal.

• Former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjit Singh GK was expelled from Shiromani Akali Dal, two days after he questioned the party's leadership over its performance in Punjab Lok Sabha polls. Rajya Sabha MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder said that the step was taken after the Delhi court recently directed to investigate corruption charges against Manjit.

President Kovind appoints Modi as PM, swearing-in likely on May 30.

• President Kovind appoints Modi as PM, swearing-in likely on May 30

• NDA leader Narendra Modi met President Ram Nath Kovind today and staked claim to form new government. President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Modi to the office of Prime Minister and asked him to advise about the names of others to be appointed members of the Union Council of Ministers. The swearing-in ceremony is likely to take place on May 30.

SPORTS:

First 300-run partnership came after 28 years of ODI cricket.

• Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid shared ODI cricket's first ever 300-run partnership after notching 318 runs against Sri Lanka in the ICC World Cup on 26 May 1999, nearly 28 years after first ODI was played. Ganguly, who went on to score his career-best 183 in the match, contributed 157(146) for the second wicket partnership while Dravid scored 145(129).

Apurvi Chandela wins second ISSF World Cup gold of the year.

• India's Apurvi Chandela won her second International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup gold medal this year in Germany on Sunday. Chandela, who beat China's Wang Luyao in the 10-metre Air Rifle event, had earlier registered a world record score at ISSF World Cup in New Delhi in February. Notably, this was Apurvi's career's fourth ISSF medal.

About ISSF World Cup:

• The ISSF World Cup was introduced by the International Shooting Sport Federation in 1986 to provide a homogeneous system for qualification to the Olympic shooting competitions. It still is carried out in the Olympic shooting events, with four competitions per year in each event.

About Apurvi Chandela:

• Apurvi Singh Chandela is an Indian sport shooter who competes in the 10 metre air rifle event. She won the gold medal in the 2019 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi.

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Important Current Affairs 25th May 2019

NATIONAL:

25-yr-old mechanical engineer Chandrani to become youngest MP ever

• BJD's Chandrani Murmu, a 25-year-old mechanical engineer who won Odisha's reserved Keonjhar seat by defeating two-time BJP MP Ananta Nayak, will become the youngest member in Lok Sabha history. Chandrani won the seat by 66,203 votes. She will replace JJP founder Dushyant Chautala, who had become the youngest parliamentarian at 26 after being elected to 16th Lok Sabha from Hisar.

NDA elects Narendra Modi as its leader for 2nd time in a row.

• The BJP-led NDA has elected Narendra Modi as its leader for the second time in a row at NDA parliamentary board meeting today. Modi will meet President Ram Nath Kovind later today to stake claim to form government. "I thank all allies and MPs who unanimously chose NDA leader Narendra Modi as the new PM," said BJP President Amit Shah.

About NDA:

• The National Democratic Alliance is a coalition of right-leaning political parties in India. At the time of its formation in 1998, it was led by the BJP and had 13 constituent parties. Its chairman was late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Also representing the alliance are L. K

• Chairperson: Amit Shah

• Founder: Bharatiya Janata Party

• Founded: May 1998

• Members: Bharatiya Janata Party, Biju Janata Dal, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.

INTERNATIONAL:

Trump bypasses US Congress to sell $8-billion arms to Saudi, UAE.

• US President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, bypassed Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi, the UAE and Jordan. Members of Congress had been blocking sales of military equipment to Saudi and the UAE because of huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION:

Indian Army officer appointed head of UN Mission in South Sudan.

• Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar has been appointed as the new Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. He served in the UN Angola Verification Mission III from 1996 to 1997, and in the UN Mission in Sudan from 2008 to 2009. Lieutenant General Tinaikar is currently Commandant of The Infantry School.

• Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar:

• General Shailesh Tinaikar is the recipient of the Sena Medal and the Vishisht Seva Medal for Distinguished Service. A 1983 graduate of the Indian Military Academy, he was the Additional Director General of Military Operations at Army Headquarters before taking charge of the Infantry School in Mhow.

About United Nations Mission in South Sudan:

• The United Nations Mission in South Sudan is the newest United Nations peacekeeping mission for the recently independent South Sudan, which became independent on 9 July 2011. UNMISS was established on 8 July 2011 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1996.

Wikipedia

• Headquarters: Juba, South Sudan

• Head: David Shearer

• Founded: 9 July 2011

• Parent organization: United Nations Security Council.

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Important Current Affairs of 24th May

INTERNATIONAL:

US, Japan, South Korea, Australia Hold 1st Naval Drills In Western Pacific.

• US State Department approved to sell air-defense missiles for worth of more than USD 600 million to Japan and South Korea.

This approval was result of rising tension with North Korea when a pair of missile was tested by North Korea last week.

The US government has approved sale of 94 SM-2 missiles used by ships against air threats along with 12 guidance systems for a total cost of USD 313.9 million.

About South Korea

Capital: Seoul

Currency: South Korean Won

President: Moon Jae-in

About Japan

Capital: Tokyo

Currency: Japanese Yen

Prime Minister. Shinzo Abe

About USA

Capital: Washington D.C.

Currency: United States Dollar

President: Donald Trump

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Jagan Mohan Reddy To Be Sworn In As CM of Andhra Pradesh.

• YSR Congress Chief Jagan Mohan Reddy sworn in as chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on 30th of May at Vijayawada.

• Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy announced this following his party achieving inching towards a landslide victory in the legislative elections for Andhra Pradesh Legislative assembly.

He will replace N Chandrababu Naidu who resides as Andhra Pradesh CM

About YSR Congress Party

President: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy

Founded:12 March 2011

Odisha Cong chief resigns after party's defeat in LS polls.

• Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Niranjan Patnaik on Friday announced his resignation after the party's defeat in the state. "I've sent my resignation to Congress President (Rahul Gandhi) owning moral responsibility for party's poor show in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in (Odisha)," he said. "While Congress faced defeat in the state, I too lost at the hustings," Patnaik added.

About Niranjan Patnaik:

• Niranjan Patnaik is an Indian politician, from Orissa. He is currently state president of Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee and former minister of Orissa State.

• Born: 22 February 1948 (age 71 years), Anandapur

• Party: Indian National Congress

• Residence: Bhubaneswar

• Education: Utkal University (1962)

• Siblings: Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Chittaranjan Patnaik

• Children: Navajyoti Patnaik

YSRCP wins Andhra Assembly polls, Jagan Reddy to become CM.

• YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has won the Assembly election in Andhra Pradesh, with victory in 151 of the 175 constituencies in the state. The previous ruling party Telugu Desam Party (TDP) managed to win 23 seats. Meanwhile, YSRCP leader Ummareddy Venkateswarlu has announced that party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will take oath as the Chief Minister on May 30.

About Jagan Mohan:

• Yeduguri Sandinti Jaganmohan Reddy, is an Indian politician from Andhra Pradesh, who is the founder and leader of YSR Congress Party, and Leader of opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly since 16 May 2014. He is the son of the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

• Born: 21 December 1972 (age 46 years), Pulivendula

• Party: YSR Congress Party

• Spouse: Y S Bharati (m. 1996)

• Education: Nizam College, The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet

• Siblings: Y. S. Sharmila

• Children: Harsha Reddy, Varsha Reddy

About YSR Congress Party (YSRCP).

• YSR Congress Party is a regional political party in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India. Currently, its president is Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy, the son of former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy. Both YSR and Jaganmohan Reddy had been members of the Indian National Congress.

• President: Y. S. Vijayamma

• Leader: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy

• Founder: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy

• Founded: 12 March 2011

• Wings: YSR Congress Trade Union, YSR Congress Mahila Wing, YSR Congress Student Wing, YSR Congress Youth Wing

• Headquarters: Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Theresa May to resign as the Prime Minister of UK on June 7.

• Theresa May on Friday said she will step down as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on June 7. This comes as May faced backlash by her own MPs against her latest Brexit plan. Since January, the UK Parliament has rejected the withdrawal agreement that May negotiated with the European Union (EU) three times.

About Theresa may:

• Theresa Mary May is a British politician who serves as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 until 2019. May was first elected Member of Parliament for Maidenhead in 1997, and served as Home Secretary from 2010 to 2016.

• Born: 1 October 1956 (age 62 years), Eastbourne, United Kingdom

• Party: Conservative Party

• Previous offices: Home Secretary of the United Kingdom (2010–2016),

• Education: St Hugh's College, Oxford (1974–1977), University of Oxford.

About United Kingdom:

• The United Kingdom, made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, is an island nation in northwestern Europe. England – birthplace of Shakespeare and The Beatles – is home to the capital, London, a globally influential centre of finance and culture. England is also site of Neolithic Stonehenge, Bath’s Roman spa and centuries-old universities at Oxford and Cambridge.

BJD wins 112 seats in Odisha, Patnaik set to be CM for 5th time in row.

• BJD won 112 seats out of 146 in 2019 Odisha Assembly polls, with party President Naveen Patnaik set for a fifth consecutive term as CM. Patnaik becomes only the third CM after Sikkim’s Pawan Chamling and West Bengal’s Jyoti Basu to achieve the feat. BJP won 23 seats, Congress 9, and CPI(M) and an independent candidate won one seat each.

About Naveen Patnaik:

• Naveen Patnaik is an Indian politician who is the current and 14th Chief Minister of Odisha. He is also the president of the Biju Janata Dal, a writer and has published four books.

• Born: 16 October 1946 (age 72 years), Cuttack

• Party: Biju Janata Dal

• Education: The Doon School, Welham Boys' School, University of Delhi, St Stephen's College, Kirori Mal College Hostel

• Siblings: Gita Mehta, Prem Patnaik.

• Parents: Biju Patnaik, Gyan Patnaik.

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Important Current Affairs of 23th May

NATIONAL:

Indra Nooyi was presented with an honorary degree by the prestigious Yale University.

• Former PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi was presented with an honorary degree by the prestigious Yale University, her alma mater. The degree is to recognize her achievements in business and for being a global role model who encouraged women and girls to see themselves as top corporate executives. She is celebrated for her leadership and her commitment to helping women achieve success.

• Nooyi, She received a degree in Master of Public and Private Management from the university's Yale School of Management in 1980, was presented with the Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

• Nooyi was among 11 individuals to be presented with the honorary degrees for achieving distinction in their fields.

Others who received the honorary degrees included author and feminist activist Gloria Steinem, wildlife researcher Cynthia Moss, entrepreneur and philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa and Harvard University president Lawrence Bacow.

Indra Nooyi:

• In 2006, Nooyi became the first woman to helm the global food and beverage giant PepsiCo. She stepped down in October 2 last year as PepsiCo's CEO, after 24 years with the company, the last 12 as CEO of the global beverage giant.

• Nooyi was recently elected to the board of Amazon, on whose audit compensation committee she sits. She is a member of the World Economic Forum board of trustees and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

• She is also an independent director of the International Cricket Council and chair of the compensation committee at Schlumberger, an oilfield services company, on whose board she serves.

• One of 25 women to have led a Fortune 500 company, Nooyi has appeared frequently on the Forbes and Fortune rankings of the world's most powerful women.

Cong's Ramya Haridas becomes Kerala's second-ever Dalit woman MP.

• Ramya Haridas, Congress' Lok Sabha candidate from Alathur constituency in Kerala is set to become the second-ever Dalit woman MP from the state. She defeated senior CPI(M) leader and sitting MP PK Biju with a margin of nearly 1.59 lakh votes. The 32-year-old, who has a habit of breaking into songs during rallies, recited a poem to thank the voters.

• About Ramya Haridas:

• Ramya Haridas is an Indian politician of Indian National Congress in the state of Kerala and the daughter of All India Mahila Congress leader Radha. She currently serves as the Block panchayat President of Kunnamangalam. She will be contesting from Alathur in 2019 election as All Indian National Congress candidate.

• Born: 1987 (age 32 years), Kozhikode

• Party: Indian National Congress.

Gopal becomes first HIV-infected climber to scale Everest.

• Gopal Shrestha, a 56-year-old from Nepal's Pokhara, on Wednesday became the first HIV-infected climber to scale the world's highest peak, the Mount Everest. Shrestha, who used to play football for Nepal, climbed the peak in his second attempt after being forced to abandon his first attempt due to the deadly earthquake in Nepal in 2015.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’s:

Assam Rifles signed the charter of affiliation with the Indian Coast Guard.

• In a first, the Assam Rifles (AR) signed the charter of affiliation with the Indian Coast Guard to enhance inter-forces cooperation and interoperability. It is a permanent affiliation of Assam Rifles with the Coast Guards.

•  The charter of affiliation was signed by the Director General (DG) of the Indian Coast Guard, Rajendra Singh and DG, Assam Rifles Lt Gen Sukhdeep Sangwan on 22 May 2019.

Main Objective:

The objective of the affiliation is to promote bilateral cooperation between the two Services and contribute to joint capacity for training, sports, adventure, and sustainable development.

The affiliation includes:

• The training will involve the exchange of information and personnel of the two Forces and building camaraderie. The two will work together in humanitarian missions and other areas.

A combat battalion of Assam Rifles will soon be training onboard ICGS Shaurya (16), an offshore patrol vessel in Chennai.

• In due course of time, arrangements will be made for the exchange of personnel including those with an understanding of Land Border Management (LBM) with Assam Rifles battalions.

Over-Seas Deployment (OSD) of AR personnel on board an ICG ship, bilateral meetings between the two forces, and participation of experts from both sides in such meetings.

ADB to provide тВ╣5,200 cr to electrify railway tracks in India.

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Wednesday said it will provide $750 million (over тВ╣5,200 crore) long-term financing to electrify railway tracks in India. This is the largest single non-sovereign loan ever committed by the funding agency. Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) will use the loan to install electric traction equipment along about 3,378 kilometres of existing railway lines.

About ADB:

• The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The company also maintains 31 field offices around the world to promote social and economic development in Asia.

Wikipedia

• Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines

• President: Takehiko Nakao

• Membership: 68 countries

• Founded: 19 December 1966

• Purpose: Economic development

• Subsidiaries: Asian Development Bank Institute

BANKS AND ECONOMICS:

HDFC Group Overtakes Tata Group As Indias Most Valuable.

• HDFC group overtaken the 151-year-old Tata group to emerge as India’s most valuable by way of market capitalization (m-cap).

The combined market value of the five listed companies of the HDFC group – HDFC, HDFC Bank, HDFC Life, HDFC Asset Management and Gruh Finance stood at Rs 11.66 lakh crore while the combined m-cap of 29 Tata group companies stood at Rs 11.64 lakh crore, about Rs 2,000 crore less than that of the HDFC group.

About HDFC group

CEO: Aditya Puri

Headquarters: Mumbai

Founded: August 1994, India

Subsidiaries: HDFC securities, HDB Financial Services

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

N Chandrababu Naidu resigns as CM of Andhra Pradesh.

• N Chandrababu Naidu has resigned as Andhra Pradesh CM after trends showed his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leading in only 23 Assembly seats and winning two. YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) is leading in 138 Assembly seats and has won 12. The Legislative Party meeting of YSRCP is set to take place on May 25.

About N Chandrababu Naidu:

• Nara Chandrababu Naidu is an Indian politician who was the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh serving since 2014. He was the first chief minister of the state since it was divided. Wikipedia

• Born: 20 April 1950 (age 69 years), Naravaripalli

• Spouse: Nara Bhuvaneshwari (m. 1980)

• Education: Sri Venkateswara University

• Siblings: Ramamurthy Naidu

• Parents: N. Kharjura Naidu, Amanamma Naidu

• Children: Nara Lokesh

Netflix hires its first India content IP lawyer.

• Netflix has reportedly appointed Priyanka Chaudhari as director and senior counsel for content and Intellectual Property (IP) in India. Chaudhari, who worked at Balaji Telefilms as VP-Group Legal for around two years, will be Netflix's first content IP lawyer in India, the report said. Reportedly, in her new role, Chaudhari will report to Netflix's Los Angeles office.

About Netflix:

• Netflix, Inc. is an American media-services provider headquartered in Los Gatos, California, founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California

• Founded: 29 August 1997, Scotts Valley, California, United States

• Films produced: Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, The Kissing Booth, MORE

• Owned by: Morgan Stanley, Reed Hastings

• Founders: Reed Hastings, Marc Randolph

• Did you know: Netflix is the world's seventh-largest internet company by revenue.

DAYS:

World Tortoise Day is observed on 23rd May.

• World turtle day is observed on 23rd May. It is sponsored yearly since 2000 by American Tortoise Rescue. The aim 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. This year the day spotlights on freshwater turtles.

• The herpetologists, one who studies about amphibians and reptiles, have launched a unique initiative to gather more information about India’s freshwater turtles and tortoises.

In India:

• The India Biodiversity Portal has initiated a ‘Turtle Spotting Week’ as part of a unique exercise to document the creatures across India. The week began on 17th May and ends on 23rd May 2019.

• There are at least 28 species of freshwater turtles which can be spotted across the country and we felt that not enough attention was being given to them. Research and conservation activities in particular are limited and we wanted to encourage more people to document their findings.

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Important Current Affairs of 22th May

INTERNATIONAL:

Nepal banned popular Chinese digital wallets Alipay and WeChat.

• Nepal banned popular Chinese digital wallets Alipay and WeChat to prevent the loss of foreign currency earnings from tens of thousands of Chinese tourists. The reason cited is Nepal was losing out since the actual transactions took place in China.

• Over 1,50,000 Chinese holidaymakers visited Nepal in 2018, many using digital wallets to pay in hotels, restaurants, and shops in tourist areas, especially in Chinese-run businesses.

• Nepal:

President: Bidhya Devi Bhandari

Prime Minister: KP Sharma Oli

Capital: Kathmandu

Currency: Nepalese rupee

Bangladesh stopped visas for Pakistani nationals.

• The Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad has stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals for one week over a fresh diplomatic row amid strained bilateral ties since 2013 when Dhaka decided to hang several of the 1971 war criminals.

The Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis for the last one week as a mark of protest as a Bangladeshi diplomat's visa-extension application has not been cleared by the Pakistan government for last four months.

No official announcement yet made:

In 2018, Dhaka denied a visa to the Pakistan High Commissioner. The Foreign Office in Dhaka, however, is yet to make any formal confirmation and no official notification has been issued on the halting of visas to the Pakistani nationals.

Bangladesh refusal for Pak. new high commissioner:

Bangladesh has reportedly refused to accept the 'agreement' from Islamabad for the appointment of a new high commissioner.

Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs named Saqlain Syedah as its new High Commissioner to Bangladesh, but Dhaka refused to accept the "agreement", a diplomatic requirement under which a host country has to confirm the appointment of an incoming envoy.

Reason:

Bangladesh, which seceded from Pakistan in 1971, has accused Pakistan of financing terrorism on its soil. Bilateral ties have become so strained. Now it has halted granting visas to all Pakistanis.

AGREEMENTS AND MOU’s:

Tech Mahindra signed a defence contract worth Rs.300 crore with Indian Navy.

• IT major, Tech Mahindra has signed a defence contract worth Rs.300 crore with Indian Navy. This contract is its biggest agreement to date. The IT major will implement RFID-based access control system across all naval bases and ships as part of 'Armed Forces Secure Access Card (AFSAC)' Project. AFSAC  will replace the existing paper-based identity card for all Navy personnel, including dependents and ex-servicemen. As part of the AFSAC Project, Tech Mahindra will implement RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) based access control system across all naval bases and ships.

AFSAC Project:

•  The Mumbai-based company will develop a secure application to manage the access control devices, network devices, and the AFSAC card through a data centre.

•  The security of Indian Naval establishments against unauthorized access is a thrust area and the AFSAC Project will be an important step towards achieving this aim.

• Scheduled to be implemented over the next two years, the project will ensure smooth issuance, handling, administration, management and life-cycle support of AFSAC Cards on turnkey basis.

• This project further cements the company's role as one of the leading system integrators globally. Tech Mahindra is already working with entities like Coal India, India Ports Association, Kanpur Smart City and others.

Tech Mahindra:

Type: Public

Founded on: 24 October 1986

Chairman: Anand Mahindra

MD & CEO: C.P. Gurnani

Services: Outsourcing, Consulting, Managed services

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

TikTok parent hires former Google executive Sameer Singh as VP.

• TikTok owner ByteDance has appointed media agency GroupM's South Asia CEO Sameer Singh in the role of VP, monetisation, for India. The IIM Calcutta alumnus, who has earlier worked as Director Agencies Business at Google India will join new role in August. In his new role, Sameer will lead the advertising, sales and marketing strategies across ByteDance’s products in India.

About TikTok:

• TikTok, also known as Douyin in China, is an iOS and Android media app for creating and sharing short videos. The application allows users to create short music videos of 3 to 15 seconds and short looping videos of 3 to 60 seconds.

• Initial release date: September 2016

• Stable release: 11.2.3 / 12 May 2019

• Developed by: ByteDance

• Size: 308.3 MB (iOS); 80.19 MB (Android)

• Operating system: iOS, Android

• Available in: 33 languages

Bimal Dayal to lead merged entity of Indus Towers, Bharti Infratel.

• Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Group have announced Bimal Dayal, who is currently CEO of Indus Towers, will be appointed CEO of the merged entity of Indus Towers and Bharti Infratel. Dayal, who joined Indus Towers as its Chief Operating Officer in 2010, previously worked with Ericsson. The tower companies further named Indus CFO Hemant Ruia as the combined entity's CFO.

• About Merged entity of indus Towers,Bharti Infratel.

• The merged company will be listed on the stock exchanges as Bharti Infratel is a publicly traded company. ... Bharti Infratel and Vodafone Group own 42% each inIndus Towers, while Vodafone Idea, the merged entity of Idea Cellular and Vodafone India, holds 11.15%.

DAYS:

World Biodiversity Day is observed on 22 May.

• The International Day for Biological Diversity (or World Biodiversity Day) is a United Nations-sanctioned international day to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The day is observed on May 22 every year. The theme for 2019 is 2019 - Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health.

Biological Diversity falls within the scope of the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals. Agrobiodiversity and its potential to support human nutrition and good health is a critical component of the global sustainability agenda. The critical role of biodiversity in sustainable development was recognized in a Rio+20 outcome document, The World We Want: A Future for All.

Theme 2019: Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health:

• This year’s International Day for Biological Diversity focuses on biodiversity as the foundation for our food and health and as a key catalyst to transforming food systems and improving human well-being.

• The theme aims to leverage knowledge and spread awareness of the dependency of our food systems, nutrition, and health on biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. The theme also celebrates the diversity provided by our natural systems for human existence and well-being on Earth, while contributing to other Sustainable Development Goals, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, ecosystems restoration, cleaner water, and zero hunger, among others.

• To conserve and sustainably use biodiversity for the well-being, every individual need to:

• Reduce meat consumption

• Eat and purchase seasonal foods

• Buy local foods

• Reduce food waste

• Compost food scraps

• Reduce food packaging by using reusable bags or reusing glass jars or containers

• Avoid single-use plastics like plastic straws, coffee cups, plastic cutlery, take out containers or plastic water bottles

• Promote local and indigenous biodiversity for food and nutrition

AWARDS:

Oman author Jokha Al Harthi wins Booker International Prize.

• Oman Author Jokha Al Harthi won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for "Celestial Bodies", the story of three sisters of a desert country confronting its slave-owning past and a complex modern world.

• Jokha Alharthi, the first Arabic-language writer to take the prize, will split the 50,000 pounds or 64,000 US dollar purse with her UK-based translator, Marilyn Booth.

About Man Booker International Prize

Country: United Kingdom

Awarded for: Best book in English translation

Presented: by Man Group

Reward(s):£50,000

First awarded: 2005.

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Important Current Affairs 21th May 2019

NATIONAL:

PCT Humanity entered the Guinness Book of World Records for its hunger relief efforts.

• PCT Humanity, a charity run by an Indian, in the UAE has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for its hunger relief efforts during the holy month of Ramzan in Abu Dhabi. The charity set the new Guinness World Records for “Longest Line of Hunger Relief Package” in Abu Dhabi.

Adjudicated by Douglas Palau, the attempt saw iftar meals containing seven items spread in a line without keeping any gap between the packages for a kilometre.

Joginder Singh Salaria's, founder of PCT Humanity, efforts were in continuation to the vegetarian iftar held daily at the premises of his company Pehal International, Dubai Industrial Park. The main aim of the charity is to feed people pure vegetarian food to stay healthy and fit and also save animals.

Reliance beats Indian Oil, becomes India's biggest firm by revenue.

• Asia's richest person Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has toppled state-run Indian Oil to become India's largest company by revenue. Reliance reported revenue of тВ╣6.23 lakh crore for 2018-19 compared to Indian Oil's тВ╣6.17 lakh crore. With this milestone, Reliance has achieved the number one position in India in terms of revenue, profit and market capitalisation.

• Reliance Industries Limited is an Indian conglomerate holding company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Reliance owns businesses across India engaged in energy, petrochemicals, textiles, natural resources, retail, and telecommunications. Wikipedia

• Stock price: RELIANCE (NSE) тВ╣ 1,339.90 +14.00 (+1.06%)

• 21 May, 3:43 pm IST - Disclaimer

• CEO: Mukesh Ambani (31 Jul 2002–)

• Owner: Mukesh Ambani (47.35%)

• Founder: Dhirubhai Ambani

• Founded: 8 May 1973, Maharashtra

• Revenue: 6.23 lakh crores INR (US$87 billion, 2019)

• Subsidiaries: Jio, JioSaavn, Radisys, Indiavidual Learning, MORE

BANKS AND ECONOMICS:

Tripura Gramin Bank received Indias top three Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) in terms of profit, business and growth.

• Tripura Gramin Bank received India’s top three Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) in terms of profit, business and growth.

• Currently India has 46 Regional Rural Bank out of which Tripura Gramin Bank ranked 3rd in the country. 

• Tripura Gramin Bank posted a profit for 7 successive years to Rs 125.45 crore in fiscal 2018-19.

• The central government has a 50% stake, the Union Bank of India has 35% stake and rest 15% is held by the Tripura government.

About Tripura Gramin Bank

Founded    21 Dec 1976

Headquarter: Agartala

Chairman: Mahendra Mohan Goswami.

APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATIONS:

Joko Widodo has been elected President of Indonesia for the second term.

• Indonesia’s Joko Widodo has been re-elected as President of the country. He beat his rival Prabowo Subianto, a retired general.

Widodo and his vice-presidential running mate Ma’ruf Amin won the election by a 55.5% to 44.5%margin over Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno.

Widodo's PDI-P finished first in the People's Representative Council (DPR) election with 19.33%, followed by Prabowo's Gerindra with 12.57%. The next top parties by the number of votes are Golkar, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Nasdem Party, and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

Joko Widodo:

Joko Widodo is an Indonesian politician who is the seventh and current President of Indonesia.

Elected in July 2014 as the first Indonesian president to not come from an elite political or military background, he was previously the Mayor of Surakarta from 2005 to 2012, and the Governor of Jakarta from 2012 to 2014.

He belongs to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle.

Indonesia General election:

• General elections were held in Indonesia on 17 April 2019.

• For the first time in the country's history, the president, the vice president, members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), and members of local legislative bodies were elected on the same day with over 190 million eligible voters.

• Sixteen parties participated in the elections nationally, including four new parties.

The election was a re-match of the 2014 presidential election, in which Widodo defeated Prabowo. The election was described as "one of the most complicated single-day ballots in global history".

Moin ul Haque appointed as Pakistans High Commissioner to India.

• Pakistan announced career diplomat Moin ul Haque as its new High Commissioner to India. The appointment was formally approved by Prime Minister Imran Khan. He is the current ambassador of Pakistan in France.

• Haque replaces Sohail Mehmood. The post of High Commissioner to India fell vacant after Sohail Mehmood was appointed Pakistan's new foreign secretary.

• Pakistan has announced new ambassadors to 18 countries including China, Japan, and Brussels. The decision came after a detailed meeting with Prime Minister Khan, who formally approved the new appointments.

Other appointments:

• In Beijing, Naghmana Hashmi will replace Masood Khalid, the incumbent envoy to China, after completion of his tenure. Additional Secretary Imtiaz Ahmad has been appointed Ambassador to Japan, while Zaheer Janjua, currently serving as additional secretary in Europe, will look after the Pakistani mission in Brussels.

• Sarfaraz Ahmad was appointed as ambassador to Sudan, Imran Haider as ambassador in Tajikistan, Major General Abdul Aziz Tariq in Brunei and Major General Muhammad Khalid Rao in Bosnia Herzegovina.

• Ambassador in Kuwait Ghulam Dastagir will replace Muazzam Ali Khan in Abu Dhabi, while Qazi Khalilullah, serving asambassador in Russia, was being given an extension of six months.   

The newly-appointed ambassadors and consul generals will play a pivotal in promoting the soft image of Pakistan and will adopt the best behaviour with Pakistani community living abroad.

Note:

Ambassador: An ambassador is an accredited diplomat sent by a state as its permanent representative in a foreign country.

DAYS:

May 21 is observed as Anti Terrorism day in India.

• Every year May 21 is observed as Anti-Terrorism day in India. The day is observed in the memory offormer Indian PM Mr. Rajiv Gandhi who passed away on this day. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated at an election rally near Chennai by a suicide bomber from the LTTE on 21 May 1991. On this day the Centre intends to spread awareness among the people about the danger of terrorism and violence and its effect on the people, society and the country as a whole.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs requested all Varsities and affiliated colleges to observe the day. • The objective behind the observance of Anti-Terrorism Day is to wean away the people from terrorism and violence. Its motive is to promote unity, peace and harmony across the nation.

• The Purpose of observing World Anti-Terrorism Day is:

• To spread the message of global peace and non-violence

• Deter vulnerable youth from following cult practices and being misguided

• Commemorate and honor the sacrifices made by thousands of soldiers who battled against terrorism

• Pay homage to the victims who lost their lives in terrorist attacks

• Device ways and hold awareness programs to protect future generations from radical influence.

• On this day Anti- terrorism pledge is taken in all government offices, PSU and in other public organisations. Events like debates, discussions, symposiums, seminars lectures will be held in schools, colleges and in universities on dangers of terrorism.

Tags: current affairs, National News, international news, signed MoU, Appointments, Days and Date
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