Current Affairs Daily Updates: 13th May 2017

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Current Affairs Daily Updates: 13th May 2017
APPOINTMENTS
VK Saraswat Named As New JNU Chancellor
  • The HRD Ministry has named scientist and former DRDO chief Vijay Kumar Saraswat as the next chancellor of JNU.
  • A full time member of NITI Ayog, Saraswat will be replacing ISRO Chief K. Kasturirangan, who completed his term on 30 March, 2017.
  • Saraswat was conferred Padma Shri in 1998, Padma Bhushan in 2013 and had served as a chief scientific advisor to the Minister of Defence.
UN chief names Britain's Mark Lowcock as humanitarian chief
  • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed British humanitarian expert Mark Lowcock as the UN Humanitarian Chief.
  • He will replace Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O'Brien in September.
  • The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs mobilizes and coordinates humanitarian action with international, national and civil society partners to provide aid during disasters, emergencies and conflicts.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
Forbes Middle East lists top 100 Indian business leaders
  • Retail Mogul Yusuff Ali and Pepsico executive Sanjeev Chadha are among the top 100 Indian business leaders in the Arab World 2017, according to a Forbes ranking for the Middle East.
  • Ali, managing director of Lulu Group International topped the Indian business owners’ category and Chadha CEO of Asia, Middle East and Africa at PepsiCo International led the Indian executive’s category.
BANKING AFFAIRS
RBI puts restriction on Uco Bank's business
  • Reserve Bank of India has put restriction on Uco Bank’s lending and branch expansion plans as the state-run lender made net losses for the two successive fiscal amid severe stress on asset quality.
  • There would be check on management compensation and directors’ fees as well as the sector regulator has invoked prompt corrective action (PCA) for the bank, aiming to bring it back on recovery path.
  • Uco has become the second lender to face business restrictions after IDBI Bank after RBI revised its PCA framework last month.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS
Base year of WPI, IIP revised to 2011-12
  • The government has revised the base year of wholesale price index (WPI) and index of industrial production (IIP) to 2011-12 from 2004-05.
  • WPI has been changed six times so far since 1942 and this happens to be the 7th revision.
  • The IIP base year has also been changed to ensure that it remains more relevant in the years that it is operational.
  • A base year is the year used for comparison in the measure of a business activity or economic index.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Bahamas elects Hubert Minnis as new prime minister
  • The Bahamas has elected Free National Movement's Hubert Minnis as its new Prime Minister, defeating incumbent Progressive Liberal Party's leader Perry Christie in a 34-5 parliamentary split.
WHO declares Ebola outbreak in Congo
  • World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an Ebola outbreak in Congo.
  • Teams of experts, including epidemiologists, biologists and hygiene specialists had been dispatched to the region.
  • Earlier, more than 11,000 people died in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014-2015
Nepal signs MoU with China on Cooperation under OBOR initiative
  • Nepal has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China on Cooperation under One Belt and One Road (OBOR) initiative.
  • The MoU seeks to strengthen cooperation in connectivity sectors including transit transport, logistic systems, transport network and related infrastructures development.
  • Similarly, the MoU also aims to promote people-to-people exchanges of different levels between the two countries.
19th Session of India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation
  • 19th Session of India-Italy Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation was held during 11th – 12th May, 2017 in Rome.
  • The Joint Commission was co-chaired by the Minister of Economic Development Mr. Carlo Calenda from the Italian side and by the Minister of Commerce and Industry Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman from the Indian side.
  • Both Sides reiterated the importance of the JCEC towards the development of bilateral economic and trade relations through facilitating dialogue and enhancing cooperation on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.
NATIONAL AFFAIRS
Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister launches "e-Krishi Samvad" to help farmers
  • The Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister, Radha Mohan Singh has launched "e-Krishi Samvad", a portal for addressing problems in the agricultural sector.
  • This portal that agricultural workers and other stakeholders to directly approach the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) with the problems they face.
Telangana first state with logo for hearing impaired drivers
  • Telangana has introduced a logo for identifying vehicles driven by persons with hearing impairment and has become the first state in the country to do so.
  • The state’s transport department has finalized the logo designed by Hyderabad-based graphic designer Manikanta Annapragada, who incidentally is the first person to obtain a driving license in the ‘hearing impaired’ category.
Ahmedabad to host biggest ever International Yoga Day event on June 21
  • Ahmedabad in Gujarat will host biggest ever International Yoga Day event on the 21st of June announced by Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev.
  • Chief Minister of Gujarat Mr. Vijay Rupani will inaugurate the event.
  • The program will be conducted in partnership with Gujarat government which will also involve various social organizations.
Adiyogi bust declared world’s largest by Guinness Records
  • The 112-foot tall bust of 'Adiyogi' Lord Shiva at the Isha Yoga Foundation in Tamil Nadu has been declared the world's largest bust (sculpture) by the Guinness World Records.
  • The bust, unveiled by PM Narendra Modi earlier this year, refers to the source of Yoga and symbolises the 112 methods of self-transformation that the first Yogi offered.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY / DEFENCE AFFAIRS
Tejas Successfully Test Fires Derby Air-to-Air Beyond Visual Range Missile
  • India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft "Tejas" has successfully test fired Derby Air-to-Air Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile in RADAR guided mode.
  • The test was performed on a Manoeuvrable Aerial Target at the Interim Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.
SPORTS AFFAIRS
Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat & Divya Kakran win silver in Asian Wrestling Championship
  • Indian women wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Divya Kakran bagged silver medals in their respective categories in the Asian Wrestling Championship in New Delhi.
  • Sakshi Malik lost her final against Risako Kawai (Japan) in 60kg category.
  • Sakshi wrestled for the first time in this category after jumping up the weight division from 58kg.
  • Vinesh Phogat lost the final in women's 55kg category and Divya Kakran in 69 Kg to settle with silver medals.