Current Affairs Daily Digest – May 11 2019
1. Tamil novelist and Sahitya Akademi awardee Thoppil Mohamed Meeran dies aged 74
Noted novelist and Sahitya Akademi awardee Thoppil Mohamed Meeran, 74, died at his residence at Veerabahu Nagar in Pettai .
Born in the coastal hamlet of Thaengaaipattinam in Kanniyakumari district on September 26, 1944, Mohamed Meeran authored the novels Oru Kadalora Graamaththin Kathai, Thuraimugam, Koonan Thoppu, Saaivu Naarkkaali and Anju Vannam Theru between 1988 and 2011. Of these, Saaivu Naarkkaali (The Reclining Chair), released in 1995, bagged him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1997.
2. Karnataka Bank appoints COO, CBO
Karnataka Bank Limited has promoted two of its General Managers, Balachandra YV and Gokuldas Pai, as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Chief Business Officer (CBO), respectively.
On promotion to the cadre of Chief General Manager (CGM), Balachandra will be the COO and will be overall in-charge of departments of Treasury and Accounts, Credit Monitoring., Legal and Recovery, IT and MIS, and HR and IR.
3. Professor Tijjani Bande Announced As President, UN General Assembly
Professor Tijjani Mohammad Bande has been appointed as the new President of the United Nations General Assembly.
His appointment was announced by María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, outgoing president of UNGA at a press conference in Abuja after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.
Bande becomes the second Nigerian to be appointed President of UNGA after Mr. Joseph Nanven Garba who held the position between 1989 and 1990.
4. Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi Airport ranked among top 10 in the world
Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has been ranked as the world’s eighth best in a survey conducted by AirHelp. AirHelp is an organisation that specialises in air-traveller rights and seeks compensation in cases of delays or cancellations.
According to the data collected, the New Jersey Hub was ranked as the worst airport in the United States (US) in the 2019.
Qatar Airways ranked as the top airline for the second consecutive year, followed by American Airlines, Aeromexico, SAS Scandinavian Airlines,and Qantas in the top five. At the bottom of the list were Ryanair, Korean Air, Kuwait Airways, the United Kingdom’s (UK) EasyJet and Thomas Cook Airlines.
5. 20th Conference of Regional Heads of Customs Administration (RHCA) of Asia Pacific Region of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) concludes in Kochi
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) had organised a Conference of the Regional Heads of Customs Administration of Asia Pacific Region of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) in Kochi from 08th to 10th May, 2019. India hosted this Conference in its capacity as Vice-Chair of the Asia Pacific Region of WCO which it assumed on 1st July, 2018 for a two-year period.
6. Bharatpe launches India’s first UPI Bahi Khata for merchants
BharatPe – India’s first Fintech start-up enabling payments for merchants through interoperable UPI QR codes, has announced its foray into merchant services with a new app .
The app allows merchants to record their cash/credit (Udhar) sales customer wise, request accounts receivable from customers via SMS payment links, and keep track of accounts payable to suppliers, among other services.
The BharatPe app also serves as a networking platform for merchants to connect with other BharatPe merchants near them and to collaborate with them to both sources and expand their businesses.
7. WTO Ministerial Meeting of Developing Countries in New Delhi
A WTO Ministerial meeting of developing countries is being hosted by India in New Delhi on 13-14 May 2019. Sixteen developing countries, Six Least Developed Countries (LDC)(Argentina, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Brazil, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, China, Egypt, Guatemala, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda)and DG, WTO are participating in the meeting.
Thetwo-daymeeting will be interactive in order to provide an opportunity to the Ministers to discuss various issues and the way forward. On the first day, there will be a meeting of senior officers of the participating countries followed by a dinner hosted by Union Minister of Commerce & Industry for the heads of delegations. On the 2nd day, the Ministerial Meeting will be held.
8. Konkan Railways signs contract agreement with Nepal to supply two 1600 HP DEMU train sets
Konkan Railways Corporation Ltd has signed a contract agreement with Nepal’s Department of Railways to supply two 1600 HP DEMU train sets. These trains will be used to operationalise railway link between Jayanagar in India and Kurtha in Nepal.
The agreement was signed in Kathmandu today in the presence of Indian Ambassador Manjeev Puri and Nepal’s Secretary, Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Madhusudan Adhikari.
The train sets will be manufactured by the Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai. The 34 kms Jayanagar-Kurtha Railway Link has been built by IRCON with Government of India financial grant under India-Nepal Development Partnership programme.
9. Tamil Novelist and Sahitya Akademi Awardee Thoppil Mohamed Meeran Passes Away
Noted novelist and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Thoppil Mohamed Meeran, 74, passed away at his residence at Veerabahu Nagar in Pettai .
Born in the coastal hamlet of Thaengaaipattinam in Kanniyakumari district on September 26, 1944, Mohamed Meeran authored the novels ‘Oru Kadalora Graamaththin Kathai’, ‘Thuraimugam’, ‘Koonan Thoppu’, ‘Saaivu Naarkkaali’ and ‘Anju Vannam Theru’ between 1988 and 2011. ‘Saaivu Naarkkaali’ (The Reclining Chair), which was released in 1995, got him the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1997.
10. ITC’s YC Deveshwar passes away
ITC’s longest serving chief, YC Deveshwar, passed away. He was 72 and is survived by his wife and two children.
He received the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award, in 2011. Deveshwar, was born in February 1947 in Lahore. He studied at IIT Delhi and then went on to pursue management course at Harvard University. He joined ITC in 1968 and became its Executive Chairman in 1996.
11. First Apache Helicopter formally handed over to The IAF
First AH-64E (I) – Apache Guardian helicopter was formally handed over to the Indian Air Force at Boeing production facility in Mesa, Arizona, USA on 10 May 19. Air Marshal AS Butola, represented the Indian Air Force and accepted the first Apache in a ceremony at Boeing production facility, representatives from US Government were also present.
IAF had signed a contract with US Government and M/s Boeing Ltd in Sep 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. The first batch of these helicopters is scheduled to be shipped to India by Jul this year.
12. National Technology Day: 11th May
National Technology Day is observed every year on 11th of May in India, acting as a reminder of the anniversary of Shakti. Shakti is the Pokhran nuclear test which was held on 11th of May, 1998. The day highlights the important role of Science in our daily lives and encourages students to embrace Science as a career option. Various events are organized in different technical institutes and engineering colleges to mark the day.
13. Madrid Open: Rafael Nadal beats Felix Auger Aliassime 6-3, 6-3
In Madrid Open, Rafael Nadal, a five times champion in Madrid, beat Canadian teenager Felix Auger Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 to reach the last 16.
In women’s singles world number one Naomi Osaka delivered an improved display to reach the quarter-finals of the Madrid Open yesterday, beating Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2, 6-3.
Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep also enter into the last eight. Sloane Stephens beat Zheng Saisai of China 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and will meet Petra Martic. Martic was leading 3-0 in the third after losing the first set 4-6 and winning the second 6-3.
14. EPFO offers online facility to withdraw PF balance
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) is offering an online service to withdraw your provident fund (PF) account balance. To make the withdrawal process quicker and easier, the provident fund body has introduced a one-page composite form for those EPF subscribers who have linked their Universal Account Number (UAN) with Aadhaar.
15. Ajoy Mehta is the new chief secretary of Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government appointed Ajoy Kumar Mehta, the municipal commissioner of Mumbai, as the new chief secretary of the state.
Along with Mehta, Praveen Pardeshi, the additional chief secretary to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has also been appointed as the new municipal commissioner of Mumbai.
16. Yakshagana ‘bhagawatha’ Nebburu passes away
Noted Yakshagana ‘bhagawatha’ (singer) Nebburu Narayana Hegde passed away in his residence at Nebburu in Sirsi Taluk of Uttara Kannada . He was 83-years old .
He was popularly called as Nebburu in Badgu Thittu school of Yakshagana.
17. Mukesh Kumar wins PGTI Players Championship
Seasoned golfer Mukesh Kumar produced a spectacular and error-free last round of seven-under-65 to win the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship in Panchkula .
The 53-year-old from Mhow won by one shot with a total of 15-under-273 at Panchkula Golf Club.
The old warhorse Mukesh (70-67-71-65), who has over 100 titles to his credit in a 35-year-long career, claimed a record 20th title on the TATA Steel PGTI and thus ended a two-year winless streak.
18. Iffco elects Balvinder Singh Nakai as Chairman; Dileep Sanghani as Vice Chairman
Cooperative major Iffco elected Balvinder Singh Nakai as its Chairman and Dileep Sanghani as Vice Chairman. The election was held at the 48th Annual General Body meeting of the Indian farmers fertiliser Cooperative (Iffco) .
Balvinder Singh Nakai is currently Chairman of Malwa Fruit and Vegetable Cooperative Marketing-cum-Procurement Society Limited. He has earlier served as Vice Chairman of Iffco for two terms.
Dileep Sanghani is Chairman of Gujarat State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited.
19. India’s first global, Mega-Science Exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’ to begin on May 8th in Mumbai
India’s first global, Mega-Science Exhibition ‘Vigyan Samagam’ is slated to begin at the Nehru Science Centre, Worli, Mumbai on May 8th, 2019. The exhibition will take visitors through the world from micro to macro, unveiling the efforts of the international community in understanding the Universe. It will showcase India’s participation in the world’s major Mega Science projects, where several developed countries are participating collectively.
The exhibition will be a platform where all major Mega Science projects will be showcased at a single place. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) are jointly organising this Exhibition. National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture have joined hands by providing venue for the exhibition and also taking care of the design of the exhibition.
