Daily GK Updates - 22nd May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISRO and NASA to develop the most expensive imaging satellite: NASA and ISRO will jointly develop and launch the world’s biggest and most expensive earth imaging satellite, costing $1.5 billion. The satellite has been named NISAR – NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.

2. Israel firm signs $630 million deal with India: The Israel Aerospace Industries has signed a $630 million deal with the Indian state-owned aerospace and defense company Bharat Electronics Limited. As part of the deal, the IAI will provide BEL with the naval version of the aerial defense system Barak 8 for four Indian Navy ships. The deal was part of the “Make in India” initiative, BEL will be used as the main contractor for the project.

3. YC Deveshwar and Soumitra Chatterjee conferred Bengal's highest civilian award: Soumitra Chatterjee and Y.C. Deveshwar conferred the West Bengal's Highest Civilian Banga Samman award by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Two categories of awards are presented as part of Banga Samman - Banga Bhushan and Banga Bibhushan.

4. Madhya Pradesh govt announces indefinite ban on sand mining in Narmada river: The Madhya Pradesh government has banned sand excavation in the Narmada river. A committee has been formed to suggest scientific ways of mining in the rivers and also explore ways for sand excavation without harming rivers.

5. Tejas Express flagged off: The Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has flagged off the high speed, air-conditioned ‘Tejas Express’ from Mumbai to Goa. The train is equipped with CCTV cameras besides smoke and fire detection system.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Day for Biological Diversity: The United Nations (UN) has proclaimed 22nd May ‘The International Day for Biological Diversity’ (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The theme of 2017 is 'Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism'.

2. Trump gets top civilian honour in Saudi: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud presented Donald Trump with the kingdom’s top civilian honour. The King declared that Trump was being honoured for “his quest to enhance security and stability in the region and around the world”.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Amazon invests in India wholesale arm: Amazon Wholesale India Pvt Ltd, the business-to-business wholesale marketplace that operates amazonbusiness.in, has received Rs 100 crore ($15 million) in funding from Singapore-based Amazon Corporate Holdings Pvt. Ltd and its US-based parent Amazon Inc.

SPORTS:

2. Mumbai Indians win IPL 2017: Mumbai Indians defeated Rising Pune Supergiant by 1 run to win their third Indian Premier League title. Krunal Pandya was named Man of the match.

Other important awards:

Gujarat Lions -- The fair play award.

Glenn Maxwell -- The award for hitting the most number of sixes in the season.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar -- Purple Cap (for topping the bowling charts with 26 wickets).

David Warner -- Orange Cap (for scoring 641 runs).

Sunil Narine -- The award for the fastest fifty of the season - 15 balls against RCB at the Chinnaswamy.

Basil Thampi -- The emerging player of the season award.

Ben Stokes -- Most Valuable Player of the season award.

3. Bengaluru FC wins 38th Federation Cup: Bengaluru FC beat Mohun Bagan 2-0 to win the 38th Federation Cup football tournament. With the win, Bengaluru also sealed a berth for next year’s Asian Football Confederation Cup.

4. Vaishali wins gold in Blitz Championship: India’s R Vaishali won the women’s title with eight points from nine rounds in the Asian Continental Blitz Chess Championship.

5. Real Madrid win La Liga title: Real Madrid defeated Malaga 2-0 to clinch their record 33rd La Liga title and their first after a five-year gap.

6. Elina Svitolina wins Italian Open: Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina has won the Italian Open tennis title by defeating Simona Halep in finals. Svitolina advanced to her maiden Rome final when Spanish semi-final opponent Garbine Muguruza, the French Open champion, retired injured as she trailed 4-1.

7. Zverev wins Rome Masters, beats Djokovic: Germany’s Alexander Zverev stunned four-time champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 to win the Rome Masters tennis tournament.

Daily GK Updates - 21st May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. NASA names new organism after APJ Abdul Kalam, an honour for the nation: Scientists at NASA have named a new organism discovered by them after A P J Abdul Kalam. The new organism, a form of bacteria has been found only on the International Space Station and has not been found on earth. The bacteria has been named Solibacillus kalamii to honour the late President.

2. Climber Jamsenpa sets record: Indian climber Anshu Jamsenpa reached the summit of Mount Everest for the second time in less than a week, setting a women’s record for a double ascent of the world’s highest mountain in a single season.

3. 2 Indians awarded posthumously with UN honours: Brijesh Thapa and Ravi Kumar will be honoured with the Dag Hammarskjöld Medal on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers to be observed on May 24. Brijesh Thapa served with the UN Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo while Ravi Kumar was deployed with the UNIFIL.

4. Joint HADR Exercise Commences: The Annual Joint Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise involving multiple agencies commenced at Naval Station Karwar. Named as Karavali Karunya, the exercise involves both professional exchange and actual disaster response mechanisms which is set on a Tsunami disaster scenario.

5. National Anti Terrorism Day observed: The National Anti Terrorism Day is observed every year on May 21 in India to raise awareness among all sections of people, about the danger of terrorism and violence. Former PM Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a female suicide bomber on May 21,1991 while conducting election campaign in Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Iran re-elects Hassan Rouhani: President Hassan Rouhani won re-election in a landslide, giving him a mandate to continue his quest to expand personal freedoms and open Iran’s ailing economy to global investors.

2. Robert Mueller appointed as Special Prosecutor to oversee the Russia interference: Robert Mueller, former Director of the FBI was appointed a special prosecutor to oversee the Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.

3. World Metrology Day celebrated: World Metrology Day is an annual celebration of the signature of the Metre Convention on 20 May 1875 by representatives of 17 nations. Theme for World Metrology Day 2017 is“ Measurements for transport”.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Reliance Jio wins the award of Digital Service Innovator of the Year: Mukesh Ambani led Reliance Jio has received TM Forum’s ‘Digital Service Innovator of the Year Award’ 2017. Reliance Jio got this award by acquiring 90 million customers in four months.

2. Yepme raises funds: Yepme.com, has raised an undisclosed amount in funding from listed garment exporter Gokaldas Exports Ltd. The firm will use the funds for the operations of its UK entity, Yepme UK Plc which deals in fashion products exclusively for the international markets, mainly the US, Europe and the Middle East.

3. Ford India has a new MD: American carmaker Ford has elevated Anurag Mehrotra as Managing Director for its Indian subsidiary.

SPORTS:

4. Laxman wins Rapid FIDE Rating chess meet: R.R. Laxman of Integral Coach Factory won the All India Open Rapid World Chess Federation Rating Chess Tournament at the Kshudiram Anushilan Kendra. Laxman defeated Mitrabha Guha to finish on top with 9.5 points.

Daily GK Updates - 20th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. New Service Tax Structure, four slabs: The GST Council headed by finance Minister Jaitley has finalised a 4 slab service tax structure at the rates of 5, 12, 18 and 28% as against the single rate of 15% levied on all taxable services. Healthcare and education will be exempt from the GST on services.

2. NITI Aayog holds first ‘Samavesh’ meeting: In pursuance of the Prime Ministers call for a New India 2022, the first meeting of the National Steering Group and other knowledge partners was held in NITI Aayog in New Delhi. The aim is to create a resurgent and progressive India.

3. Maharashtra agrees to release water to Karnataka: The Maharashtra govt. has agreed to release 3 TMC of water to Karnataka to mitigate the severe drinking water problem faced in Vijayapura, Bhagalkot and Belgaum districts of Karnataka. Both the states have also decided to implement inter-state Doodh ganga irrigation project.

4. India ranks 154th on healthcare index in Lancent’s Medical Journal: India has ranked 154th among 195 countries on healthcare index in Lancet medical journal’s report titled ‘Global Burden of Disease’.

5. SIMBEX-17 commenced in South China Sea: 24th bilateral exercise involving Indian Navy and Republic of Singapore Navy has commenced in South China Sea. It aims at increasing the interoperability between the navy of the two countries as well as developing a common understanding for maritime security operations.

6. Haryana launches e-textbook portal for school students: Students can download school books instantly from this e-textbook portal of the Haryana School Education Board. The portal also provides a facility to highlight certain portions of the e-textbooks making it easier for students to study.

7. Andhra Pradesh govt. to launch water grid project: The Andhra Pradesh government will launch a water grid project on a fast track with an estimated cost of 8,000 crore to provide safe drinking water in areas vulnerable to kidney disorders like Srikakulam and Prakasam districts on a pilot basis.

8. NTRO now under Intelligence Act: The National Technical Research Organisation which reports to the PMO and the NSA will now have the same “norms of conduct” as the IB and RAW. NTRO was created after the 1999 Kargil conflict as a dedicated technical intelligence agency.

9. Dr. Swaminathan’s book released: PM Modi released a 2-part book series on the eminent agricultural scientist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. The series is titled – M.S. Swaminathan: The Quest for a world without hunger. Dr. Swaminathan is also known as the Father of Indian Green Revolution.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Italy makes childhood vaccinations compulsory: Italy's government has declared a new law making a series of childhood vaccinations a condition of school inscription in a move triggered by a spike in measles cases. PM Paolo Gentiloni made the move compulsory.

2. World’s First Electric Bio-composite Car: Students from the Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands, unveiled the world’s first car made of bio-composite. The special thing about this car is that the chassis, bodywork and the interior of the car are all made of natural materials. The car is named “Lina”.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Flipkart tops the list of Best Places to Work in India: E-commerce giant Flipkart has topped LinkedIn’s list of the top companies to work in India second time in a row. While Oracle was at the bottom of the list.

2. Sanjeev Gupta named ‘CEO of the Year’: Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman of Liberty House Group, received the title ‘CEO of the Year’ at the prestigious Platts Global Metals Awards in London.

SPORTS:

3. Indian archers claim gold at World Cup: India’s compound men’s archery team consisting of Abhishek Verma, Chinna Raju Srither and Amanjeet Singh defeated Colombia In the penultimate day of the archery World Cup stage 1 championship in Shanghai.

Daily GK Updates - 19th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India’s first womb transplant conducted at Pune: Doctors at Galaxy Care Laparoscopy Institute successfully conducted India’s first womb transplant by transferring a woman’s uterus to her 21-year-old daughter, who was unable to conceive a child.

2. African Development Bank (AfDB) meetings to be held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat: The 52nd Annual Meeting of the African Development bank (AfDB) will be held in​​ Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 22nd to 26th of this month. This is the first time that the Annual Meetings of AfDB are being held in India.The next meeting of AfDB is scheduled to be held in Busan, South Korea in 2018.

3. National Green Tribunal bans open defecation, waste dumping on Yamuna floodplains: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned open defecation and dumping of waste on the floodplains of the Yamuna. An environment compensation of Rs. 5,000 should be paid by those who violated the order.

4. Affordable electricity to every citizen by 2022: According to the Power minister Piyush Goyal, the government has expedited process of rural electrification and provide every citizen affordable, adequate electricity by 2022. Smart power meters will be installed soon in the houses to enable 100% smart metering.

5. Operation ‘Garam Hawa’ by BSF begins: BSF has started operation Garam Hawa in the western sector in Rajasthan, under which vigil along the international border with Pakistan has been stepped up. The operation is being conducted as chances of infiltration across the border increase during intense heatwave conditions.

6. Harsh Vardhan gets charge of MoEF: Minister of Earth Sciences and Science and Technology, Harsh Vardhan, has been given additional charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) after the demise of Union Minister Anil Madhav Dave.

7. Govt. to set up 10 atomic power plants: Union cabinet today cleared a proposal to indigenously build 10 atomic reactors, the largest ever approval granted for such facilities in one go. These 10 reactors of 700 MW each will give much needed fillip to the domestic nuclear industry. The Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors will be developed by the Department of Atomic Energy.

8. IIT Delhi develops cheapest Naso filter: Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Delhi have developed the device ‘Nasofilters’ which is capable of restricting up to 95% of dust and air pollutants. It gives protection against the finest particulate pollutants in the air for at least eight hours and hence reduces the risk of respiratory diseases. Costing Rs 10 each, it is the cheapest Naso filter available.

9. GST rates announced, partially: The Centre and states agreed to exempt most food items including wheat, rice and milk from the Goods and Services Tax. Manufactured goods will attract 18% GST, other household items such as sugar, tea, coffee and edible oil will attract 5% levy. Luxury cars will be taxed at 28% GST plus a cess of 15%.

10. Kerala govt to distribute sanitary pads: To ensure ‘menstrual hygiene’ among girls, the `She Pad’ scheme for school students across Kerala was announced by chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The scheme intends to provide sanitary napkins for girl students in all government schools.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Scientists discover human antibodies to fight Ebola virus: Scientists of US have discovered a possible cure for all five known Ebola viruses, one of which ravaged West Africa in recent years. The neutralizing antibodies were discovered in the blood of a survivor of the West African epidemic. The antibodies can be used as a single therapy to treat all Ebola viruses.

2. Ferry service opens between North Korea and Russia: North Korea and Russia have started first ever ‘passenger ferry service’ to develop links and boost economic cooperation despite United Nations sanctions. Ferry service linking the two countries has been launched with North Korean passenger ferry docking in Russia's port city of Vladivostok.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Zomato’s 1.7 crore user records stolen: Food discovery and ordering platform Zomato revealed that about 1.7 crore user records have been stolen from its database. The stolen information has email addresses and hashed passwords of customers. No payment information or credit card data has been stolen.

2. Paytm raises $1.4 billion from SoftBank: Paytm has raised $1.4 billion from SoftBank Group Corp. in the largest funding round by a single investor in India. This is SoftBank’s biggest investment in the Indian startup ecosystem till date. The deal values the company at about $7 billion post-money and will take SoftBank’s stake to about 20%.

3. Anti dumping duty on aluminium foil: India has imposed anti dumping duty on a Chinese chemical used in pharma industry and aluminium foil to protect domestic industry from cheap imports. The duty on both the products would be effective for a period of five years.

Daily GK Updates - 18th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Union govt. asks states to lift stock limits on pulses: The Union govt. directed states to lift stock limits on all pulses with immediate effect to protect farmers who are not getting support price for their fresh produce. States have been asked to remove stock limits on pulses keeping in view the sharp fall in prices and sufficient supply of dals.

2. Karnataka to adopt a state butterfly: Karnataka became the second state in the country to adopt a state butterfly. Earlier Maharashtra had chosen the Blue Moron in 2015. The Southern Bird Wing has been designated as the ‘State butterfly’ of Karnataka. It is the largest butterfly in India and is endemic to south India, particularly Karnataka.

3. Indian Army gets 2 M777 Howitzers: India received two of the 145 M777 ultra light artillery guns ordered from the US arrived ahead of schedule. The guns will be tested at the Pokhran field firing range in Rajasthan.

4. CCEA approves pharma mission to develop bio-pharmaceuticals: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for Industry-Academia Collaborative Mission for accelerating discovery and research to early development for bio-pharmaceuticals. The Mission will be implemented by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council.

5. Purnima Devi Barman & Sanjay Gubbi win Green Oscars: Two Indian activists ‘Dr. Purnima Devi Barman’ and Sanjay Gubbi have won the annual Whitley Awards (popularly known as the 'Green Oscars) for their works in the field of animal and bird conservation in India. Sanjay Gubbi, won the award for his work to protect Karnataka's tiger corridors. Purnima has been selected for her relentless efforts and campaigns for the conservation of the Greater Adjutant Stork (Haargila) in Assam.

6. Shrinivas Kulkarni wins Dan David prize: Indian scientist Shrinivas Kulkarni has won the prestigious Dan David prize for his contribution in the field of astronomy.

3 Dan David prizes of 1 million dollar each are given every year in the categories of “Past”, “Present” and “Future” to people around the world who have made outstanding contributions to humanity in the sciences, humanities, or through their work in civil society.

7. India’s first ornamental fish park: India’s first Aquatic Rainbow Technology Park (ARTP) will be set up in Chennai. The park will include an ultra modern facility for ornamental fish equipped with multi-species hatchery and live feed culture units. It is being developed by Fisheries College and Research Institute, Ponneri in Tamil Nadu.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. International Museum day celebrated: Every year since 1977 International Museum Day is organised worldwide around May 18. This day is an occasion to raise awareness on how important museums are in the development of society. The theme chosen for 2017 is “Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums”.

2. Austria bans full face veil in public: The Austrian government has passed a legislation outlawing the use of garments that fully cover the face of women such as the burqa, as well as the distribution of the Quran in public. The law also requires all migrants in Austria to participate in an “integration” year, during which they would take classes to learn German and ethics.

OTHER UPDATES:

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

1. Tata Group most valuable Brand in India: According to Brand Finance, a global brand valuation and strategy consultancy firm, Tata Group is the most valuable brand in India at an estimated brand value of $13.1 billion. Tata topped the list of India’s 100 most valuable brands once again despite its value declining 4% from $13.7 billion in 2016. Tata Group is followed by Airtel at the second place and LIC at the third.

OBITUARIES:

2. Veteran actress Reema Lagoo passes away: Veteran film and theatre actor Reema Lagoo passed away after cardiac arrest in Mumbai. She started her career as a Marathi stage artist in 1970s and has played the role of mother to most famous starts like Shah Rukh and Salman Khan.

Daily GK Updates - 17th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Govt launches ‘Clean Money’ portal: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has launched the ‘Operation Clean Money’ portal that aims to create a tax-compliant society. This portal will create awareness about black money and also to help those who want to come clean on demonetisation cash deposits.

2. IIT-Hyderabad professor bags INSA Young Scientist award: Professor Aravind Kumar Rengan (at Indian Institute of Technology-Hyderabad) has been awarded the prestigious Indian National Science Academy (INSA) medal in the Young Scientist category for 2017. He has been awarded for devising a novel way of nano delivery using liposomes and gold nano-particles which is useful for both imaging and therapeutics.

3. India ranked second in Renewable Energy Attractiveness index: India has overtaken the US to become the second most attractive country after China for renewable energy investment, according to a report by EY.

4. India’s first smart grid project to generate power from renewable energy: The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology has successfully created the country’s first smart grid project, which will generate power from renewable sources of energy. The smart grid will be synchronised to generate power from solar, wind and vegetable waste resources, depending on the weather conditions and availability of waste products.

5. Chamling gets the first BS Shekhawat Award: Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling was conferred with the first Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Lifetime Achievement Honour in Public Service by President Pranab Mukherjee. Known as the ‘Land of Flowers, Sikkim is gaining popularity as a fully organic state in India.

6. Venkaiah Naidu announces separate channel of Doordarshan 'DD Jharkhand': The Union Information & Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidu has announced a separate 24 *7 channel of Doordarshan ‘DD Jharkhand ‘for Jharkhand state. Sufficient deployment of funds has been done for the purpose.

7. NASA and ISRO to go for joint inspection of the Oldest civilisation: Teams of the NASA and ISRO will inspect the excavation being carried out at an archaeological site in Haryana’s Fatehabad district to verify claims of it being the oldest civilisation in the world. Archaeologists have recovered artefacts pre-dating the Harappan Civilisation from the site.

8. Shipping Ministry signs MoU on ‘Sagarmala project’ in collaboration with DDU- GKY: The Ministries of Shipping and Rural Development has signed an MoU on ‘Sagarmala project’ in collaboration with Deen Dayal Upadhyay- Gramin Kaushalya Yojna (DDU- GKY) in New Delhi. DDU-GKY is under implementation in 28 states and has over 654 training centres in 522 projects in partnership with training partners.

So far, 54 lakh persons have been given skill training and of them 2.31 lakh got employed.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. David Letterman wins Mark Twain Prize: David Letterman has been named the next recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American humour, the award granted annually by the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is the longest running host of late night TV. The Mark Twain prize is given annually to a humorist whose impact on American society is reminiscent of Samuel Clemens.

2. Ovais Sarmad to join UNFCCC: U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Ovais Sarmad to join the UNFCCC as the Deputy Executive Secretary. His appointment comes at a crucial time when most of the countries have ratified the Paris Climate Agreement and the US President, Donald Trump, has threatened to scrap the pact.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Mohd. Anas smashes national record: Muhammed Anas smashed the national record in men’s 400m race to win a gold medal at the third leg of the Indian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in New Delhi. Anas clocked 45.32 sec. He also qualified for the World Championships to be held in London in August.

2. Japanese tennis player Mitsuhashi gets life ban for match-fixing: According to The Tennis Integrity Unit, Japanese Junn Mitsuhashi has been banned for life following an investigation into match-fixing. He has also been fined USD 50,000 after being found to have made corrupt approaches to other players and to have placed bets on matches.

3. ICC hikes prize money for Champions Trophy 2017: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has hiked the prize money of upcoming Champions Trophy 2017 and it now carries a total prize money of USD 4.5 million.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY:

4. Ambani leads Global Game Changers List: Indian business tycoon and chairman of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani leads Forbes second annual Global Game Changers list. The list features the most influential business leaders from around the world based on corporate growth, innovation and international presence.

Daily GK Updates - 16th May, 2017

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. ISKCON's Govardhan Eco Village wins Smart Village Award: ISKCON’s (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) Govardhan eco-village (Thane district) has been conferred Smart Village Award for being a sustainable project in rural Maharashtra. The ‘Smart Village Award’ has been instituted by the India Trade Promotion Organisation.

2. Uttar Pradesh Assembly passes GST bill: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has unanimously passed the UP Goods and Service Tax Bill, 2017. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath termed it as revolutionary move which is in the interest of both consumers and traders.

3. Plastic park to come up in Panipat: Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister, Mr Ananth Kumar announced to open 2 new CIPET centres in Haryana, a plastic park at Panipat on an area of 75 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore and a pharmaceutical park at Karnal. Ananth Kumar said 9 CIPET centres were in the pipeline in Medak, Jaipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Haridwar, Baghalpur, Varanasi, Agartala, Mumbai and Ranchi.

4. Bengali mandatory in West Bengal schools: West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee has announced that from now, students of all schools irrespective of boards or mother tongue would have to learn three languages from Class I to X, one of which would have to be Bengali.

5. Indian Boy makes history - World’s smallest satellite for NASA: Rifath Sharook, an 18-year-old student from Tamil Nadu, has developed the world’s smallest and lightest satellite. He is all set to break a global space record by launching the lightest satellite in the world, weighing a mere 64 grams. The satellite is made using reinforced carbon fibre polymer, is named ‘KalamSat’, after former President APJ Abdul Kalam.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Impeachment against Duterte rejected: Philippine parliamentary panel has rejected a proposal for an impeachment motion against President Rodrigo Duterte for his alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings and other crimes.

2. Syria peace talks restart in Geneva: A new round of Syria peace talks aiming to resolve a six year conflict, opens in Geneva. The UN’s Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said, the negotiations are focused on four separate baskets: governance, a new constitution, elections and combating terrorism in the war-ravaged country.

3. Yemen declares state of emergency over cholera outbreak: A state of emergency has been declared in the Yemen’s capital ‘Sanaa’ due to a deadly outbreak of cholera. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the disease killed at least 115 people and left more than 8,000 others infected across the country.

4. International Day of Families celebrated: The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993. Theme of International Day of Families 2017 : “Families, education and well-being”.

5. Edouard Philippe appointed as Prime Minister of France: French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Edouard Philippe as the new Prime Minister of France.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS:

1. Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut create record: Indian women’s cricket team openers Deepti Sharma and Poonam Raut have become the first pair in women’s ODIs to share a 300-plus stand for any wicket. They achieved this feat against Ireland.

BANKING & FINANCE:

2. HDFC Life inks distribution tie-up with Catholic Syrian Bank: HDFC Life has entered into a banc assurance tie-up with ‘Catholic Syrian Bank’ to distribute its individual life insurance products to the private lender’s customers. Now, HDFC Life will offer its leading range of individual life insurance, health, and pension products to the Catholic Syrian Bank’s customer over a period of time.