9. Musa indandamanensis, a sweet banana species with orange pulp discovered in Andamans
Scientists at the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have discovered a new species of banana from a remote tropical rain forest on the Little Andaman islands. The species, Musa indandamanensis, was located about 16 km inside the Krishna Nalah forest in the island. The scientists who have made the discovery describe it as a distinct global species with unique green flowers and fruit bunch lux (axis) thrice the size of a regular banana species.
10. Kailash Satyarthi selected for 2015 Harvard Humanitarian of the Year Award
Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi has been selected for the Harvard Humanitarian of the Year Award for his contributions towards child reforms and his inspirational work against child abuse. Kailash Satyarthi has taken the sphere of social activism in India to a greater level through his dedication and hard work. He has been one of the greatest social reformers India has seen in modern times.
11. Union Cabinet gives nod to RCE for Kaladan Multi Modal Project in Myanmar
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval for the Revised Cost Estimate (RCE) of 2904.04 crore rupees for the Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in Myanmar. The objective of the project is to create a multi-modal mode of transport for cargo shipment from the eastern ports of India to Myanmar. It will provide an alternate access route to India’s north east region and contribute towards the regional economic development.
12. India, Israel signed pacts on Double Taxation Avoidance & Cultural Exchange
India and Israel have signed two agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation. The agreements were inked after President Pranab Mukherjee, who was in Jerusalem on the final leg of his tri-nation tour to West Asia, held a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin. During this visit to Israel, President Mukherjee also addressed the Knesset (Israeli Parliament). He also visited to the Holocaust Museum.
The Agreements are,
- A cultural exchange programme for 2015-2018
- The amendment to the protocol on Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement
13. Omid Kordestani appointed as Executive Chairman of Twitter
Twitter has announced the appointment of former Google executive Omid Kordestani to its board of directors, serving as executive chairman. Twitter’s co-founder, Jack Dorsey, who returned to the permanent role of CEOlast week, said: “A great chairperson is the first step to continuing to make our board one of the best in the world, and purpose-built to serve Twitter.
14. Dell Inc acquired EMC Corporation for 67 billion US dollars
In one of the mega acquisitions in the global IT space, PC maker Dell Inc will acquire EMC Corporation for about USD 67 billion. The EMC Board of Directors approved the merger deal and intends to recommend that stockholders of EMC approve the agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, EMC shareholders will receive USD 24.05 per share in cash in addition to tracking stock linked to a portion of EMC’s economic interest in VMware, which is an arm of EMC Corporation.
15. Portugal became the first European country to sign the MoU on establishment of Nalanda University
Portugal became the first European country to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the establishment of Nalanda University. The MoU was signed in New Delhi by Portuguese Ambassador to India Ana Martinho and Dr Jitendra Nath Misra, the Ambassador of India to Portugal. With this, Portugal became the 17th country overall and the fourth outside the East Asia Summit to do so.
16. India, US and Japan began five-day Malabar Exercise 2015
The Navies of India, United States and Japan have began the five-day Malabar exercise 2015 on the Eastern Coast. Warships, aircraft carriers and fast attack submarine will be participating in the exercise. Generally, the United States and India annually hold naval drills to sharpen skills, but this year the fleet of aircraft carriers, destroyers and frigates conducting war games included a warship from Japan.
17. Govt flags off Science Express special train on climate change
The government of India has flagged off the ‘Science Express Climate Action Special’ train from Delhi, as part of its initiative to sensitize the masses, especially children and the youth, about the issue of climate change, in the run-up to the global climate summit in Paris slated for December.
The train will run till 7 May 2016 and during the course of these eight months, it would stop at 64 locations across India, covering over 19,500 kilometres. Some of these locations are Patiala, Jaisalmer, Agra, Ambala, New Jalpaiguri, Vishakhapatnam, Vellore, Rameswaram, Mangalore and Gandhinagar.
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