23-24 MAY 2016

Anurag Thakur unanimously elected BCCI president

Anurag Thakur was on 22 May 2016 unanimously elected as 34th BCCI President at the board’s special general meeting (SGM) in Mumbai. He will serve as President until September 2017.

Thakur, who is a BJP MP in Lok Sabha from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur district, is the second youngest BCCI chief. Fatehsinghrao Gaekwad in 1963 became the youngest BCCI President at the age of 33.

Thakur succeeds Shashank Manohar who stepped down from the position to take up the ICC chief's job. Manohar was elected the ICC's first independent chairman on 12 May 2016.

Before being appointed as President, Thakur resigned as BCCI Secretary. Thakur, 41, will also represent the BCCI on the ICC executive board and the Asian Cricket Council.

Anurag Singh Thakur

• He is the son of Prem Kumar Dhumal, the former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh.

• He has been a member of 14th, 15th and 16th Lok Sabha.

• He was elected as the Honorary Secretary of the BCCI in January 2015.

• He played one match in first-class cricket representing Himachal Pradesh and leading the team as captain in a match against Jammu and Kashmir in the 2000/2001 season.

Apart from this, after taking the office of President, Thankur named Ajay Shirke as his successor as secretary. Shrike will represent the BCCI at the chief executives committee meetings of the ICC.

International Day for Biological Diversity 2016 observed across the world

22 May: International Day for Biological Diversity

The United Nations (UN) observed the International Day for Biological Diversity (IBD) on 22 May 2016. The theme for the year 2016 is Mainstreaming Biodiversity; Sustaining People and their Livelihoods.

This year theme highlights the role of biodiversity in underpinning development. The UN also highlighted that biodiversity is an important cross-cutting issue in the message marking the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Besides, the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 13) to be held in Cancun, Mexico from 4 to 17 December 2016 will focus on the mainstreaming of biodiversity within and across sectors, which is closely linked to 2016 IDB theme.

Background

•The United Nations General Assembly, by its resolution 55/201 of 20 December 2000, proclaimed 22 May as the International Day for Biological Diversity.

•The day aims at increasing understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues and to commemorate the adoption of Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) on 22 May 1992 by the Nairobi Final Act.

•Earlier 29 December was designated as IBD to commemorate the date of entry into force of the CBD.

•The International Day for Biological Diversity falls within the scope of the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals.

•The theme of 2015 IBD was Biodiversity for Sustainable Development.

Oldest Olympic champion Sandor Tarics dies

The world's oldest Olympic champion, Sandor Tarics, died on 21 May 2016 in San Francisco. He was 102. His death was confirmed by Hungarian Olympic Committee MOB.

Tarics was member of the Hungarian Waterpolo team which won in the Berlin Olympics staged by the Nazi government in 1936, pushing Germany into second place.

About Sandor Tarics
• A keen mathematician and an engineer by profession, he left Hungary after the Communist Party takeover in 1948 and settled in San Francisco where he worked as a university professor.
• He achieved fame in US for his work in earthquake research and in particular his design of earthquake-proof building technologies. 
• A recipient of official honours in both the US and Hungary, he also served for a period as the UN's Earthquake Advisor. 
• At the age of over 100, Tarics still drove his car with California license plate Gold36. 
• In 2012, he attended the London Olympics as the oldest living champion.
• Tarics was born in 1913 in Budapest, Hungary.

Kiran Bedi appointed Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry

BJP leader and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Puducherry on 22 May 2016. Puducherry will now have a full time Lt. Governor after a gap of two year.

She will succeed Ajay Kumar Singh, the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, who was holding the additional charge of Puducherry since July 2014. The LG post of Puducherry was vacant after the union government in July 2014 sacked Virendra Kataria from the post.

The appointment comes into effect three days after the Congress-DMK alliance won 17 seats in the 30-member Assembly.

About Kiran Bedi

• She was India's first woman to join officer ranks of the Indian Police Service.

• In 2015, she joined BJP and was the party’s chief ministerial candidate during the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections.

• She is an IPS officer of 1972 batch who sought voluntary retirement from the service in 2007.

• At the time of retirement, she was posted as Director General, Bureau of Police Research and Development.

• After retirement, she hosted as TV show called Aap Ki Kacheri.

• She was one of the pioneers of anti-corruption crusade in 2011 along with Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal against the then UPA government.

• As DCP of North Delhi, she launched a campaign against drug abuse, which evolved into the Navjyoti Delhi Police Foundation (renamed to Navjyoti India Foundation in 2007).

• She has been a tennis player and in 1966 won the national junior tennis championship.

Some awards and recognitions with which she was felicitated with

• In 1979, she won the President’s Police medal.

• In 1994, she became the recipient of Ramon Magsaysay Award.

• In 1991, she was conferred with the Asia Region Award by International Organization of Good Templars, Norway.

• In 2004, she was conferred with UN Medal for outstanding service.

• In 2005, she was conferred with Mother Teresa Memorial National Award for Social Justice by All India Christian Council for reforms in prison and penal systems.

She is also the author of several books and some of them are

• Demand of Swaraj

• It's Always Possible: One Woman's Transformation of Tihar Prison

• What Went Wrong?... And Continues

• Galti Kiski

• Empowering Women… As I See

• Leadership & Governance… As I See

• Indian Police… As I See and many more

India's first reusable space shuttle, RLV-TD launched from Sriharikota

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 23 May 2016 successfully launched its maiden indigenous winged Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.

It was carried up on a solid rocket motor (SRM). The nine-ton SRM was designed to burn slowly to accommodate the vertical lifting of winged body.

After launch from the Sriharikota spaceport, it glided back onto a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal. The vehicle re-entered the atmosphere after reaching a height of over 70 km.

The mission, known as the hypersonic flight experiment, lasted about 10 minutes.

About Reusable Launch Vehicle

• The Re-Usable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) is considered as a first step towards realising a Two Stage To Orbit (TSTO) fully reusable vehicle. That is, it can put satellites into orbit around earth and then re-enter atmosphere.

• The 6.5 meter long RLV-TD has aeroplane like structure which weighs about 1.75 tons.

• The cost of this project is 95 crore rupees.

• It is very similar to the US space shuttle.

• The double delta-winged RLV-TD being experimented is a scale model which is almost 6 times smaller than the final version.

• Before moving on to the final version of the RLV will take off around 2030, ISRO has planned to test two more such prototypes.

• It has been designed with an aim to bring down the cost of making infrastructure in space.

• It was built at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thiruvananthapuram by a team of 600 scientists over five years.

Comment
At present, there is no country that flies a winged spacecraft into space. The two countries that used such spacecrafts were USA and Russia. The US retired such shuttles in 2011, while Russia flew such plane only in 1989.

In fact, RLV will be competing against two private companies namely SpaceX's Falcon 9 and Blue Origin's New Shephard rocket, which have already partially tested re-usable space shuttles.

Himachal Pradesh begins artificial propagation programme of Golden Mahseer fish for conservation

Himachal Pradesh fisheries department in the third week of May 2016 launched an artificial propagation programme for rehabilitation and conservation of Golden Mahseer fish.

A hatchery with an outlay of 6 crore rupees has been set up at Machhial near Joginder Nagar town in Mandi district to rear the mahseer. The hatchery-reared juveniles would be released into the rivers and reservoirs.

The brooder fish reared in the hatchery was collected from the local rivers and streams.

Declining population of Golden Mahseer

•Studies conducted by the fisheries department stated that the population of the golden mahseer is declining.

•The population of the fish is declining due to various reasons including construction of dams, barrages, pollution, indiscriminate fishing of brood and juvenile fish, introduction of exotic species and habitat deterioration.

•Golden mahseer has been declared endangered by the Washington-based International Union of Conservation of Natural Resources.

About Golden Mahseer

•Golden mahseer is an endangered species of cyprinid fish that is found in rapid streams, riverine pools and lakes in the Himalayan region and south Asia.

•It is a popular gamefish, the largest species of mahseer, and can reach up to 2.75 m in length and 54 kg in weight.

•It is also known as the tiger of Indian rivers.

•The fish is threatened by habitat loss, habitat degradation and overfishing, and it is estimated that it already has declined by more than 50%.

•The Indian Golden Mahseer is distinguished from its cousins in the Mahseer family by its long snout, slender and long body. Its caudal, pelvic and anal fins show tint of reddish golden colour, while the body above its lateral line is generally golden in colour in adult fishes.

India, Oman signed 4 MoUs/Agreements on defence cooperation

India and Oman on 22 May 2016 signed 4 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs)/agreements in Muscat. They were signed during the visit of Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Oman.

Details related to MoUs/Agreements

• MOU on Defence Cooperation between the Ministry of Defense of Sultanate of Oman and Ministry of Defence of India

• MOU between the Royal Oman Police (Coast Guard) and the Indian Coast Guard in the field of Marine Crime Prevention at Sea

• MOU between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and India on Maritime Issues

• Protocol between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman represented by Royal Air Force of Oman and the Government of India represented by the Indian Air Force on Flight Safety information Exchange

India-Oman defence relations

• Defence cooperation with Oman is of importance for India due to Oman’s strategic location at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

• Bilateral relation between Indian and Oman were formally established with signing of a 1953 Indo-Oman Treaty of friendship, Navigation and Commerce, a first between India and an Arab country.

• A military protocol was signed in 1972, and the two air forces together conducted Exercise Eastern Bridge in 2009 in Oman and in 2011 in India.

• The signing of a MoU on Defence Cooperation in Dec 2005 and subsequent establishment of the Joint Military Cooperation in Mar 2006 has set the foundation for increased defence cooperation.

• Since 1993, navies of both the countries have been conducting joint exercises - Naseem Al Bahr.

• The most recent exercise was conducted in the Arabian Sea off Goa coast in January 2016. It was the 10th edition Naseem Al Bahr.

• The Indian Navy has berthing rights in Oman and has been utilising Oman's ports as bases for conducting anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

Denmark wins first Thomas Cup badminton tournament

Denmark on 22 May 2016 won the 2016 Thomas Cup badminton tournament. In the final match played at Kunshan, China, the Danish team defeated Indonesia 3-2.

In the fifth and final set, Danish Hans-Kristian Vittinghus defeated Indonesian Ihsan Maulana Mustofa in two straight games 21-16 and 21-7.

Ending a 67-year wait, this was Denmark’s first ever win in the international tournament. Earlier, it had finished runner-up at the men’s international team tournament.

Denmark is also the first European nation to win the Thomas Cup.

Denmark’s victory also erased Indonesia’s hopes of winning its first Thomas Cup title in 14 years. Last time Indonesia won the title in 2002.

The final was Indonesia and Denmark's fifth meeting in the Thomas Cup final, with Indonesia having won on all previous occasions, in 1964, 1973, 1979 and 1996. Despite its loss in 2016, Indonesia with 13 titles managed to remain the country with maximum Thomas Cup titles.

Indonesia won the tournament in 1958, 1961, 1964, 1970, 1973, 1976, 1979, 1984, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2002.

Host China, which is home to some of the world's best men's badminton players, stumbled out of the tournament after a shocking 3-1 upset to South Korea in the quarter-finals.

On the other hand, Uber Cup (Women’s World Team Championships) was won by China. In the final, China defeated South Korea 3-1. This was China’s 14th Uber title. Indian women's team won bronze title at the Championship.

Thomas Cup

The Thomas Cup also known as Men’s World Team Championships is an international badminton competition. 
It was first staged in 1948-49, and the Uber Cup or Women’s World Team Championships was added for the first time in 1956-7.

Thomas Cup, taking place every three years, was the BWF’s first major international tournament. 
The idea for the competition and the donation of the trophy was by the first President of the World body, Sir George Thomas, legendary player (21 All England titles) and administrator of the Sport.

Qora, indigenous faecal incontinence management device, launched

The Union Minister of State for Science and Technology YS Chowdary on 20 May 2016 launched Qora. It is an indigenously developed faecal incontinence (FI) management system.

The affordable device is primarily aimed at patients outside the intensive care unit.

Qora was developed by the Department of Biotechnology in partnership with AIIMS and IIT Delhi.

The international partners of the programme include Stanford University, US, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and Tottori University, Japan.

What is faecal incontinence?

• FI is a medical condition marked by inability to control one’s bowel movements.

• It causes stools (faeces) to leak unexpectedly from the rectum. It affects nearly 100 million bed-ridden patients worldwide.

• As per an estimate, 58 per cent of patients in hospital intensive care units suffer from this condition, as well as another 27 million patients who live at home and are cared for by their families.

China wins Uber Cup Badminton tournament for 14th time

Chinese women badminton team showing its supremacy on 21 May 2016 won the Uber Cup title. In the final played at the Kunshan Sports Centre Gymnasium in Beijing, the host country defeated South Korea 3-1.

It was the host country’s third triumph in a row since 2012 and overall it won the title for 14th time since it first started competing in the Uber Cup in 1984.

However, South Korean team was unable to end their six-year drought at the Uber Cup.

Denmark wins first Thomas Cup badminton tournament

Match Results

In the best of five series, reigning Olympic champion Li Xuerui beat Sung Ji-hyun 14-21, 21-13, 21-10 in the first match.

In the second match and doubles Jung Kyung-eun and Shin Seung-chan of South Korea beat the Chinese pair of Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei 16-21, 21-17, 25-23 to level the tie.

In the third match former World No 1 Wang Shixian beat Kim Hyo-min 21-13, 21-12 to put China back on top.

In the final and fourth match Chen Qingchen and Tang Yuanting of China beat Chang Ye-na and Lee So-hee 21-14, 21-16 to clinch the winning point and the title.

India’s performance in Uber Cup

India won the bronze of the Uber Cup tournament after they suffered a 0-3 defeat at the hands of defending champions China in the semifinals.

Indian women team comprise of Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Jwala Gutta and N Sikki Reddy.

Indian team won the bronze medal of the tournament for the second consecutive time. They had won it for the first time and scripted history in the 2014 edition at New Delhi.

About Uber Cup

• The Uber Cup is the World Team Championships for Women and it was first held in 1956-7. It is held once in every three years. Since 1984, the Cup is held bi-ennially.

• It was named after a former British women's badminton player, Betty Uber. She gave the idea of hosting a women's event similar to that of the men (Thomas Cup).

• China has won the cup for maximum number of times. It has won the cup 13 times followed by Japan which has won it for five times. Indonesia and United States have won the cup for three times each.

International Day to End Obstetric Fistula observed

23 May: International Day to End Obstetric Fistula
The International Day to End Obstetric Fistula was observed across the world on 23 May 2016 with the theme End fistula within a generation. The day is celebrated to raise awareness about obstetric fistula.

The day was created through the resolution A/RES/67/147 of United Nations General Assembly calling on the international community to use this International Day to significantly raise awareness and intensify actions towards ending obstetric fistula.

About Obstetric fistula
• Obstetric fistula is one of the most serious and tragic injuries that can occur during childbirth. 
• It is a hole between the birth canal and the bladder or rectum caused by prolonged, obstructed labour without treatment.
• The condition typically leaves women incontinent and as a result they are often shunned by their communities. 
• Sufferers often endure depression, social isolation and deepening poverty. 
• Many women live with the condition for years as they cannot afford to obtain treatment.
• An estimated 2 million women in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, the Arab region, Latin America and the Caribbean are living with this injury and some 50000 to 100000 new cases develop each year. 
• Yet fistula is almost entirely preventable. Its persistence is a sign that health systems are failing to meet women’s essential needs

Mohun Bagan beats Aizawl FC 5-0 to lift 14th Federation Cup title

Mohun Bagan on 21 May 2016 clinched the Federation Cup title for the 14th time. In the final played at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati, Bagan defated Aizwal FC 5-0.

Bagan won this tournament after a gap of 8 years (in 2008), when it defeated Dempo 1-0.

The first half of the match went goalless. In the second half, Mizo striker Jeje Lalpekhlua netted two goals, while the other three goals were scored by Sony Norde, Dhanachandra Singh and Bikramjit Singh.

In the quarterfinals, the Aizwal FC defeated the I-League champions Bengaluru FC. In semi-finals, it defeated Sporting Clube de Goa to book its place in the final for the first time.

Federation Cup

The Federation Cup is an annual knockout style club football tournament in India. It has started in 1977. Presently it is the most important club tournament after the I-League, to which it has become a de facto League Cup.

The winning club of the Federation Cup gets a chance to compete in the continental level in AFC Cup.

2015 Federation Cup was won by Bengaluru FC.

My Favourite Nature Stories authored by Ruskin Bond released

My Favourite Nature Stories: Ruskin Bond

The book titled My Favourite Nature Storiesauthored by famous author Ruskin Bond was released on 19 May 2016.

In the book, Bond details various encounters with the natural world. He offers detailed explanation why he has such an overwhelming love for nature.

Apart from My Favourite Nature Stories, Bond also launched another book titled The World Outside My Window. In this book, he writes about some of the most interesting insects, birds, trees and flowers he has observed.

Both the books were brought out by Rupa Publications to celebrate Ruskin Bond's 82nd birthday.

About Ruskin Bond

•Born on 19 May 1934, Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent.

•He lives with his adopted family in Landour, Mussoorie, India.

•The Indian Council for Child Education has recognized his role in the growth of children's literature in India.

•He got the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, for his published work in English.

•He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014.

Union Government constituted DB Shekatkar Committee on defence spending

The Union Government on 20 May 2016 constituted a committee of experts on defence spending.

The 11-member committee will be headed by Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retd) and include top military officers and civilian experts.

The committee will recommend measures to enhance the combat capabilities of the over 13-lakh strong armed forces.

It will also focus on re-balanceing the overall defence expenditure in view of the escalating salary and pension bills. It was mandated to submit the report in three months.

Why the committee was appointed?

• Since 2008-09, allocations to the Ministry of Defence have been dominated by the increases in manpower cost.

• The implementation of the defence One Rank One Pension (OROP) and 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations, which became effective from the 2016-17, brings into stark focus the desirability of manpower-led increases in the defence budget.

• The primary criticism against the pattern of defence expenditure is that the skewed allocations in favour of manpower led to diminishing capital expenditure.

• In the Budget 2015-16, around 3.1 lakh crore rupees were set aside for defence purposes. Out of this, 38.3 percent constituted capital expenditure.

• Though the defence budget has seen around 10 percent growth overall (3.4 lakh crore rupees) in 2016-17, the allocations for capital expenditure undergone decline (34.7 percent).

• The appointment of the committee is also in tune with the Government’s ‘Save and Raise’ policy adopted in the aftermath of 1999 Kargil conflict.

• The policy is aimed at improving combat capabilities of the armed forces without any increase in manpower.

• To achieve this, the focus has been on induction of cutting-edge technologies and manpower optimization.

AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa sworn-in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for sixth term

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Supremo Jayalalithaa was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on 23 May 2016. Governor Dr K Rosaiah administered the oath of office and secrecy for her at the Centenary Auditorium, Madras University.

This is Jayalalithaa’s second consecutive term as Chief Minister of the state and sixth overall.

The governor also administered the pledge for the 28 ministers also. Ministers were administered swearing in pledge in batches.

Her party All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) stomped to victory in the state elections, landing 134 of the 232 seats in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election.

About Jayalalithaa

She served the state as its Chief Minister

• First term: June 1991-May 1996

• Second term: May-September 2001

• Third term: March 2002-May 2006

• Fourth term: May 2011-September 2014

• Fifth term: May 2015 to May 2016

During her second term, she was out of office for six months as the Supreme Court disqualified her in the TANSI (Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation) land acquisition case. She was re-sworn in March 2002.

During her fourth term, she was out of the office after being disqualified as a legislator and consequently lost Chief Ministership following her conviction in a graft case by a trial court in Bengaluru which was later set aside by Karnataka High Court.

Important Decisions taken post Swearing-in ceremony

After the swearing in she went to the Secretariat and signed in important files including

• Cancellation of loans to micro small and medium farmers who acquired loan through cooperative units

• Closing down of State owned liquor outlets in phases beginning with closing down of 500 shops

• Giving 100 units of electricity for free of charge

• Increase from four to eight grams of gold for wedlock for brides who have completed degree and diplomas in addition to financial assistance

Rakesh Kumar Mishra appointed Director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology

Rakesh Kumar Mishra on 19 May 2016 was appointed the new Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Who is Rakesh Kumar Mishra?

•Mishra is a noted expert in the study of function of genes.

•He had joined CCMB in 2001 as a senior scientist after stints at the IISc, Bangalore, the University of Bordeaux, France, Saint Louise University, USA and the University of Geneva, Switzerland for post-doctoral experience.

•He obtained his masters degree from Allahabad University.

•His research interests include investigating evolutionarily conserved features of genome organisation, chromatin structure and epigenetic regulation of genes during embryonic development stages.

About Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology

•The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology is an Indian Biotechnology research establishment of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research located in Hyderabad, India.

•It is a designated Center of Excellence for Global Molecular and Cell Biology Network, UNESCO.

•The National Biosafety level - 4 Containment Facility for Human Infectious Diseases, is Located in CCMB.

•Its objectives are to conduct high quality basic research and training in frontier areas of modern biology, and promote centralized national facilities for new and modern techniques in the inter-disciplinary areas of biology.

UN appoints Mary Robinson and Macharia Kamau Special Envoys on El Nino and Climate

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 20 May 2016 announced the appointments of Mary Robinson of Ireland and Macharia Kamau of Kenya as his Special Envoys on El Nino and Climate.

The El Nino weather phenomenon, which occurs every two to seven years, affects rainfall patterns and causes both drought and flooding.

The United Nations Special Envoys will provide the leadership required to tackle these challenges, raising the profile and sounding the alarm.

Who is Mary Robinson?

•Robinson is currently President of the Mary Robinson Foundation — Climate Justice.

•She served as the seventh, and first female, President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997.

•From 1997 to 2002, she served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

•She has also served as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region and as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Climate Change with John Kuofor and Michael Bloomberg.

Who is Macharia Kamau?

•Kamau is the Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations.

•He is a former President of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Board and former Co-Chair of the General Assembly Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals.

What is El Nino?

•El Nino is the warm phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (commonly called ENSO).

•It is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific, including off the Pacific coast of South America.

•ENSO refers to the cycle of warm and cold temperatures, as measured by Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean.

•It is accompanied by high air pressure in the western Pacific and low air pressure in the eastern Pacific.

•The cool phase of ENSO is called La Ninawith SST in the eastern Pacific below average and air pressures high in the eastern and low in western Pacific.

•The ENSO cycle, both El Nino and La Nina, causes global changes of both temperatures and rainfall.

India and Iran sign 12 Bilateral Agreements in various areas including Chabahar Port Development

India and Iran on 23 May 2016 signed 12 memorandum of understandings (MoUs) and agreements in various areas including building and operating the Chabahar port by India.

The MoUs and agreements were inked after delegation level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Modi is on a two day (from 22 May – 23 May 2016) visit to Iran.

Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Iran in last 15 years. On his arrival to the country he was received by Iran’s Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ali Tayyebnia at the Mehrabad International Airport.

The 12 Agreements/MOUs signed include

• India-Iran Cultural Exchange Programme: The objective is to extend the CEP for the period 2016-2019 covering the areas of culture and art; radio, TV, mass media and cinema; and relevant general and financial terms.

•MoU on Policy Dialogue between Governments and Interaction between Think Tanks: The MoU was signed between the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Iran. It seeks to create a Joint Secretary/Director General policy dialogue as well as encouraging new institutional mechanisms between think tanks on both sides. There is also a provision for a conference on contemporary issues of regional and global significance.

• MoU for training of diplomats and exchange of eminent speakers:It was inked between Foreign Service Institute (MEA) and the School of International Relations (Iran’s MoFA) under which the two bodies will enhance cooperation.

•Implementation Protocol (IP) on Cooperation in the Fields of Science and Technology: it should be maintained between Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of S&T and Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. The IP fleshes out the specific cooperation between the two sides pursuant to the 2003 MoU and covers areas like exchange of experiences, seminars, conferences etc.

•MoU for cooperation between ICCR and ICRO:The MoU signed between Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Islamic Culture and Relations Organizations of the IR Iran provides for institutional mechanisms for cooperation between ICCR and ICRO and lays down the modalities for the cooperation.

• Bilateral contract on Chabahar Port for port development and operations between IPGPL [India Ports Global Private Limited] and Arya Banader of Iran: The contract envisages development and operation for 10 years of two terminals and 5 berths with cargo handling [multipurpose and general] capacities.

• MoU between EXIM Bank and Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization [PMO] on current specific terms for the Chabahar Port project:This MoU is intended for the purpose of credit of 150 US dollar million for Chabahar port.

• Confirmation Statement between EXIM Bank and Central Bank of Iran: This confirms the availability of credit up to 3000 crore rupees for the import of steel rails and implementation of Chabahar port.

•MoU to establish a framework of cooperation between ECGC and EGFI: it was inked between ECGC [Export Credit Guarantee Corporation] Limited of India and the Export Guarantee Fund of Iran (EGFI) to in support and encourage foreign trade and foreign investment between India and Iran and, where appropriate, the supply of goods and services from their respective countries as part of a project to a third country.

• MoU to jointly explore the possibility of manufacturing aluminium metal: the MoU was signed between National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO) and the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO). The objective is for the two parties to jointly explore the possibility of manufacturing aluminium metal by setting up of a smelter on joint venture basis in Iran and/or entering into tolling arrangements with smelters in Iran or any other form of business collaboration including sale of alumina etc.

•MoU to enable IRCON to provide requisite services for the construction of Chabahar-Zahedan railway line: It was inked between IRCON and Construction, Development of Transport and Infrastructure Company (CDTIC) of Iran. Under its IRCON will provide requisite services for the construction of Chabahar-Zahedan railway line which forms part of transit and transportation corridor in trilateral agreement between India, Iran and Afghanistan. Services to be provided by IRCON include all superstructure work and financing the project (around 1.6 billion US dollar).

• MoU for cooperation between the National Archives of India and the National Library and Archives Organisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran: This MoU aims at facilitation of exchange of information and knowledge in the field of archival matters through exchange of manuals, guidelines, rules, publications and other special literature on archival topics.

Comment

The agreements signed between two countries open a new chapter in the history of India-Iran bilateral relationship.

Out of these 12 agreements, the most important is signing of agreement to develop strategic Chabahar port and related infrastructure. It  is an important milestone with potential strategic advantage to India.

It is strategically important because it will enable India to bypass Pakistan and open up a route to land-locked Afghanistan with which India has close security ties and economic interests.

Besides, both the countries also agreed to consult closely and regularly on combating threats of terrorism, radicalism, drug trafficking and cyber crime among others.

Mukesh Ambani awarded with Othmer Gold Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani was on 17 May 2016 awarded with the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his entrepreneurial leadership by the United States based Chemical Heritage Foundation.

Ambani was presented the award by Carsten Reinhardt, President & CEO of Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) during the occasion of the Heritage Day of CHF at Philadelphia, United States of America.

Why wasAmbaniawarded with the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership?
He was awarded for his entrepreneurial leadership that has resulted in:
• Expansion of India’s petroleum refining industry
• Creation of the Jamnagar Refinery in Gujarat – the largest grassroots petroleum refinery in the world
• Path-breaking initiatives in oil and gas exploration.

About Othmer Gold Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership
• The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) established the Othmer Gold Medal in 1997 to honour outstanding individuals who have made multifaceted contributions to chemical and scientific heritage.
• The medal commemorates Donald Othmer (1904–1995), a noted researcher, editor, engineer, inventor, philanthropist and co-editor of the Kirk-Othmer Encyclopaedia of Chemical Technology. 
• The medal is presented annually and co-sponsored by the CHF and its four affiliated organisations- American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), The Chemists’ Club, and the Societe de Chimie Industrielle (American Section).

Scientists discover a new property of Light based on Angular Momentum

Scientists in a breakthrough discovery in May 2016 discovered a new property of light that can alter our basic understanding of fundamental nature of light like the way light behaves and how it is useful.

The discovery was made by researchers from Trinity College Dublin’s School of Physics and CRANN Institute.

The research was published in the journal Science Advances.

The discovery was made while passing light through crystals. During this process scientists spotted this unexpected new property of light, which is based on the concept called 'angular momentum'.

Angular momentum measures how much a beam of light is rotating and physicists have always thought that in all forms of light the angular momentum would be a multiple of Planck’s constant, the physical constant that sets the scale of quantum effects.

What is the new property of light discovered?

As against this, scientists discovered angular momentum behaves in very different way. They found that each photon (a particle of visible light) can have half-integer values of angular momentum. In other words, angular momentum of each photon takes only half of this value.

It is this property which causes a beam of light to be confined to fewer than three dimensions.

How the discovery is significant?

The discovery will have real impacts for the study of light waves in areas such as secure optical communication opening up possibility for faster internet connections.

It would enable strange new possibilities, including particles whose quantum numbers were fractions of those expected.

The discovery shows, for the first time that the speculations on how quantum mechanics works for particles that are free to move in only two of the three dimensions of space, can be realised with light.

How the discovery was made?

The team used an effect discovered in the same institution almost 200 years earlier. In the 1830s, mathematician William Rowan Hamilton and physicist Humphrey Lloyd found that, upon passing through certain crystals, a ray of light became a hollow cylinder.

Himachal Pradesh launched PEHAL programme for Shimla district

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on 22 May 2016 launched the PEHAL programme for the district of Shimla.

The objective of the programme is to identify certain thrust areas that have a direct bearing on the lives of the people in the district.

Under the PEHAL, 5 focus areas were identified by the district administration for development. They are –

1. Primary Education

2. Forest Rights

3. Health and Sanitation

4. Campaign against drugs and skill development

5. Women Empowerment

Features of PEHAL programme

• PRERNA: It is the primary education component of the programme. The objective is to identify gaps in primary education and make teachers responsible focusing on them. 100 primary schools across the district were identified under the programme.

• Forest rights:The focus will be on two aspects -educating people on forest rights and administrative measures to settle all issues in relation to community rights of traditional forest dwellers in the district.

• Health and sanitation: Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and awareness campaigns will be conducted to stress the linkage between sanitation and health.

• Skill Development:As part of the livelihood mission, major initiatives will be undertaken to impart skills that include basic masonry, electrical work, home appliances, plumber courses, etc.

• Women empowerment: Various stakeholders, including the line departments, Panchayath Raj Institutions, Mahila and Yuvak Mandals will be involved in implementing the programme.

World Bank Group launched Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility

World Bank Group on 21 May 2016 launched the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) to protect poorest countries against deadly pandemics.

The PEF is an innovative and fast-disbursing global financing mechanism. It will accelerate both global and national responses to future outbreaks with pandemic potential.

It was built and designed in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the private sector, introducing a new level of rigor into both the financing and the response.

How the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility works?

• It includes an insurance window, which combines funding from the reinsurance markets with the proceeds of World Bank-issued pandemic (catastrophe, or Cat) bonds, as well as a complementary cash window.

• In the event of an outbreak, the PEF will release funds quickly to countries and qualified international responding agencies.

• The insurance window will provide coverage up to 500 million US dollars for an initial period of 3 years for outbreaks of infectious diseases most likely to cause major epidemics.

• The major epidemics covered under the facility include new influenza pandemic virus A, B and C, SARS, MERS, Ebola, Marburg, Crimean Congo, Rift Valley, Lassa fever, etc.

• It will create the first-ever insurance market for pandemic risk. Significantly, it will be the first time World Bank Cat Bonds have been used to combat infectious diseases.

• All 77 countries eligible for financing from the International Development Association, the World Bank Group’s fund for the poorest countries, will be eligible to receive coverage under this facility.

• It is expected to be operational in 2016. Japan became the first country to commit 50 million US dollars in funding toward the new initiative.

Why the PEF was launched?

• Recent economic analysis suggests that the annual global cost of moderately severe to severe pandemics is roughly 570 billion US dollars, or 0.7 percent of global GDP.

• In the last few years, the world suffered from various pandemics like Ebola, Zika and MERS, etc putting thousands of lives at risk.

• During the past two years alone, Ebola crisis crippled the economies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in West Africa

• If the PEF had existed in mid-2014 as the Ebola outbreak was spreading rapidly in West Africa, it could have mobilized an initial 100 million US dollars as early as July to severely limit the spread and severity of the epidemic.

• Instead, money at that scale did not begin to flow until three months later. During that three month period, the number of Ebola cases increased tenfold.

• The Ebola epidemic has claimed more than 11300 lives and cost at least 10 billion US dollars till date.

24 may

S K Sharma appointed CMD of Nuclear Power Corporation of India

Renowned scientist S K Sharma on 23 May 2016 was appointed the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

Sharma will be responsible for design, construction, commissioning and operation of nuclear power reactors. He has been appointed to the new post for a period of five years.

At present, Sharma is working as Distinguished Scientist and Director (Operations) in NPCIL.

About Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited

•The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is a government-owned corporation of India based in Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra.

•It is wholly owned by the Central Government and is responsible for the generation of nuclear power for electricity.

•It is administered by the Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India (DAE).

•It was created in September 1987 under the Companies Act 1956.

•All nuclear power plants operated by the company are certified for ISO-14001 (Environment Management System).

•It was the sole body responsible for constructing and operating India's commercial nuclear power plants till setting up of Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BHAVINI) in October 2003.

Odisha Official Language (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016 promulgated

Odisha Governor Dr SC Jamir on 23 May 2016 promulgated Odisha Official Language (Amendment) Ordinance, 2016. The Ordinance empowers the state government to formulate laws to implement the Odisha Official Language Act 1954.

This will facilitate use of Odia language in transaction of official businesses of the Government.

The Ordinance enforced on 21 May 2016 will amend the Language Act and use Odia in writing files, letters and all other official documents prepared by the government.

Earlier, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that the Odisha Official Language Act would be implemented by 15 August 2016. Some announcements made were

• He also announced that a university to promote Odia language and literature will be set up for teaching and research at the postgraduate, doctoral and post-doctoral levels.

• He also said that Odia Virtual Academy, which was announced in the state budget, would be set up. The academy will digitize the literary corpus of Odia language and make it available through web-portal.

Constitutional provision

Article 345 of the Constitution of India: Official language or languages of a State Subject to the provisions of Article 346 and 347, allows the state legislature to adopt 'any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language or languages to be used for all or any of the official purposes' of the concerned State.

It also provides that, until the Legislature of the State otherwise provides by law, the English language shall continue to be used for those official purposes within the State for which it was being used immediately before the commencement of this Constitution.

Orissa is the first state to be evolved on the basis of language. So the Orissa Official Language Act, 1954 was enacted in 1954.

NGT bans over 10-year-old light, heavy diesel vehicles in six Kerala cities

National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 23 May 2016 banned use of light and heavy diesel vehicles, which are more than 10 years old, in six major cities. The cities where these vehicles can’t ply on the roads include Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kollam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur.

In its first sitting, the NGT Circuit bench, comprising NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued the order while hearing a petition seeking action against highly polluting diesel vehicles such as trucks and buses. The other member of the bench was Bikram Singh Sajwan.

The petition was filed by Lawyers’ Environmental Awareness Forum (LEAF).

Directions of the NGT

• It directed the state government not to register any diesel vehicle in the capacity of 2000 CC and more, except public transport and local authority vehicles.

• It said, upon expiry of 30 days (from 23 May 2016), if any vehicle is found to be violating this direction will have to pay 5000 rupees as environmental compensation and this will be collected by traffic police or pollution control board.

• It asked the state police and pollution control board to maintain separate account in this regard. It also directed that the funds should be utilized for betterment of environment in these cities.

Director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blake wins 2016 Palme d'Or

British director Ken Loach's film I, Daniel Blakeon 22 May 2016 won the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival.

It was Loach's second award for best picture at the festival after 2006's The Wind That Shakes the Barley.

Who is Ken Loach?

•Loach is an English film and television director.

•He is known for his naturalistic, social realist directing style and for his socialist ideals.

•His 1969 film Keswas voted the 7th greatest British film of the 20th century in a poll by the British Film Institute.

About Palme d'Or

•The Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival.

•It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee.

•In 1955, the first Palme d'Or was awarded to Delbert Mann for Marty.

•As of 2016, Jane Campion is the only female director to have won the Palme d'Or for The Piano.

•In 2015, Jacques Audiard had won the Palme d'Or for Dheepan.

About Cannes Film Festival

•The Cannes Festival is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France.

•It previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from around the world.

•It was founded in 1946.

•On 1 July 2014, co-founder and former head of French pay-TV operator Canal+ Pierre Lescure took over as President of the festival.

•The Board of Directors also appointed Gilles Jacob as Honorary President of the festival.

•The 2016 Cannes Film Festival took place between 11 May and 22 May 2016. Australian film director George Miller was the President of the Jury.

Pankaj Advani wins 2016 Asian 6-Red snooker title

India’s ace cueist Pankaj Advani on 22 May 2016 won the Asian 6-Red snooker title. To win this tile for the first time, he defeated top-seeded Malaysian Keen Hoh Moh 7-5 in the finals held in Abu Dhabi.

To reach the finals, he defeated Aditya Mehta, an Indian player, 6-1 in a semi final match.

With this win, Advani became the first in the world to hold both world and continental titles in 6-Red snooker at the same time.

Earlier, in August 2015, he retained the World 6-Reds Snooker title in Karachi, Pakistan.

US lifts embargo on sales of lethal weapons to Vietnam

US President Barack Obama on 23 May 2016 announced an end to its embargo on sales of lethal weapons to Vietnam, its one-time enemy. He said the move removes a lingering vestige of the Cold War.

The embargos were removed during President Obama’s official three-day visit to Vietnam. He is the third US President to visit Vietnam since the end of the decade-long Vietnam War in 1975. Other two Presidents were Bill Clinton and George W. Bush (went in 2000 and 2006).

Earlier in 1995, the diplomatic relations between the two nations were restored by Clinton, but the US embargo on the sale of weapons remained in force.

Since them, Vietnam had been arguing for an end to the arms embargo. The embargo partially lifted in 2014 by Obama allowed Vietnam to purchase naval-defense equipment.

US Arms embargo on the Southeast Asian nation has been in place since 1984.

Comment
Obama's visit and uplifting the decade’s long sanctions comes at the time when US is trying to build its relationship with its Pacific allies. It can be termed that it is a calibrated move of United States to seize the deteriorating ties between Vietnam and its neighbour China over South China Sea claims.

China claims almost all of the energy-rich South China Sea, through which more than 5 trillion dollars of maritime trade passes each year. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

40 million Indians at risk from rising sea levels: UNEP

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in the third week of May 2016 released a report titled Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6): Regional assessment for Asia and the Pacific.

As per the report, nearly 40 million Indians will be at risk from rising sea levels by 2050.

Highlights of the report

• The worst impacts of climate change are projected to occur in the Pacific and South and South-East Asia.

• Settlement patterns, urbanisation and socio-economic status in Asia have influenced observed trends in vulnerability and exposure to climate extremes.

• By 2050, seven of the 10 most vulnerable countries worldwide will be in the Asia Pacific region.

• In 2011, six of the ten countries most vulnerable to climate change worldwide were in Asia and the Pacific.

• By 2050, areas of storm surge zones are expected for Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, with a combined total of over 58 million people at risk.

• India tops the chart with nearly 40 million people in the country projected to be at risk from rising sea levels.

• Mumbai and Kolkata have the maximum exposure to coastal flooding in future due to rapid urbanisation and economic growth.

Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling conferred with Nepal’s Yugkavi Siddhicharan Prize

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was on 22 May 2016 conferred with the Yugkavi Siddhicharan Prize by Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

The prestigious literary prize was bestowed upon him for his commendable contributions in promoting Nepali literature in India.

The prize was presented on the occasion of 105th birth anniversary of the late poet Siddhicharan Shrestha. It carries a certificate of appreciation and a sum of 100000 Nepali Rupees.

Literary works of Pawan Chamling

• He is an author of many books in Nepali, English and Hindi. He is also a publisher.

• He was conferred with the Sikkim Sahitya Parishad award twice for Chintan Puraskar in 1987 and Bhanu Puraskar in 2010.

• His other works in Nepali include Prarambhik Kavita (1978), Antyaheen Sapana: Mero Bipana (1985), Ma Ko Hoon! (1992) and Sikkim ra Nariko Maryada.

UK grants asylum to Maldives' ex-president Mohamed Nasheed

Hasan Latheef, lawyer of Maldives’ former President Mohamed Nasheed, claimed on 23 May 2016 that Britain has granted political refugee status to the ousted former president.

Nasheed was granted permission in January 2016 to leave for the U.K. by the Maldivian Government to undergo a spinal surgery. He was supposed to return to Maldives after the treatment, but remained in London.

About Mohamed Nasheed

•Mohamed Nasheed is a Maldivian politician, human rights and environmental activist.

•He served as the fourth President of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012.

•He was the first democratically elected president of the Maldives and one of the founders of the Maldivian Democratic Party.

•On 7 February 2012, he resigned as president under disputed circumstances, following weeks of protests by the opposition, which had then been joined by a majority of military and police forces.

Background

•In September 2012, Nasheed was put on trial for abuse of power for his actions in arresting Judge of Criminal Court Maldives Abdulla Mohamed. However, his trial was cancelled without explanation.

•Nasheed was again arrested in October 2012 for violating a court order not to leave Malé Atoll, the atoll on which the Maldivian capital is located. He was detained overnight and then released on the condition that he would answer questions about his alleged abuse of presidential powers within 25 days.

•He was reported to have taken refuge in the Indian High Commission office in Malé in February 2013 after a Maldivian court issued an arrest warrant against him and ordered the police to detain him.

•On March 2013, he was arrested on the charges of abuse of the office but was released a day later.

•In February 2015, he was arrested again and ordered to stand on trial for his decision to arrest Abdulla Mohamed in 2012 while he was the President.

•On 13 March 2015, he was sentenced to thirteen years in Maafushi Prison for abducting Abdulla Mohamed. He was charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act of Maldives.

•His jail term was widely criticised by international bodies, including the United Nations, and foreign governments.

•On 16 January 2016, he was granted permission under the condition to serve the remainder of the sentence upon return to the Maldives after surgery.

•He was granted 30 days leave for a back surgery, which expired on 22 January 2016. The former president requested an additional 60 day leave extension was temporarily rejected by the Maldivian authorities.

FIFA's acting Secretary General Markus Kattner dismissed over bonus payments

FIFA acting Secretary General Markus Kattner was dismissed from his position with immediate effect on 23 May 2016.

He was removed after FIFA’s internal investigation uncovered breaches of his fiduciary responsibilities in connection with his employment contract. He was accused of paying himself bonuses worth millions of pounds.

The 45-year old German took over as acting General Secretary after Jerome Valcke was sacked for irregularities.

Kattner joined FIFA in 2003 as Director of Finance, becoming Deputy Secretary General in 2007. His salary and bonuses were part of a contract that was unseen by relevant FIFA committees.

Earlier on 13 May 2016, Senegalese UN diplomat Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura was appointed as its first female Secretary General.

Gujarat Government launched Smart Village programme to improve public facilities

Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on 22 May 2014 launched the Smart Village programme to improve public facilities in villages.

The programe was launched to mark the completion of two years of her government. She assumed the office on 22 May 2014 and succeeded the incumbent Prime Minster Narendra Modi.

Features of Smart Village programme

• It was conceptualized on the lines of Smart Cities initiative of the Union Government under which 100 cities were chosen for infrastructure development.

• Under the Smart Village programme, 300 villages will be selected.

• Villages will be shortlisted by the state-level committee consisting of experts on the basis of Gram Panchayat’s performance through a transparent process.

• The objective of the programme is to make villages self-reliant, clean and hygienic.

• Toilets, cleanliness, drop-out rate in primary schools, malnutrition ratio, Anganwadi facilities, vaccination of children, ATVT services are some of the parameters on which a village will be adjudged as a Smart Village.

• These villages will get 80 lakh to 2 crore rupees cash assistance from the State government to implement the programme.

INS Tarmugli commissioned into Indian Navy

Fast Attack Craft INS Tarmugli was on 23 May 2016 commissioned into Indian Navy today by Vice Admiral HCS Bisht, AVSM, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.

INS Tarmugli will be based in Visakhapatnam under the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Andhra Pradesh) and will be deployed for coastal patrol and surveillance operations along the East Coast of India. 

About INS Tarmugli
• Built by M/s Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), INS Tarmugli is the first Follow-on Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC).
• Named after a picturesque island in the Andaman group, the 320-tonne INS Tarmugli, measuring 48 meters in length, can achieve speeds in excess of 30 knots. 
• The ship is manned by a team comprising four officers and 41 sailors with Commander Sreejith S Nair at the helm as Commanding Officer. 
• It is capable of operating in shallow waters at high speeds and is equipped with enhanced fire power.
• Built for extended coastal and offshore surveillance and patrol, the warship is fitted with advanced MTU engines, water jet propulsion and the latest communication equipment. 
• The ships armament consists of a 30 mm CRN 91 gun manufactured by Ordnance Factory Medak.  The gun is controlled by Stabilised Optronic Pedestal (SOP) manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). 
• The ship is also equipped with two 12.7 mm heavy machine guns (HMG) and multiple medium machine guns, besides shoulder-launched Igla surface-to-air missiles to combat aerial threats.

Union Government announced 2nd batch of 13 Smart Cities

The Union Government on 24 May 2016 announced the 2nd batch of 13 smart cities that will be developed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi'sSmart City Mission.

Lucknow topped the list of winners of the Fast Track competition conducted for 23 cities from as many States and Union Territories. With the selection of these 13 cities, 25 States/Union Territories are now covered under Smart City Mission.

Details related to 13 smart cities

•The 13 cities were selected based on the marks scored by them in the Fast Track competition and the bench marks set by the top performers in the first round of Smart City Challenge competition.

•The 13 cities have substantially improved their smart city plans by addressing the deficiencies identified in the first round of competition.

•These cities ensured better profiling in terms of infrastructure gaps and baseline service levels. They also ensured consistency between citizens’ aspirations and action plans and more feasible resource mobilization plans.

List of 13 smart cities

Rank	City	State
1	Lucknow	Uttar Pradesh
2	Warangal	Telanagana
3	Shimla	Himachal Pradesh
4	Chandigarh	Chandigarh
5	Raipur	Chattisgarh
6	New Town Kolkata	West Bengal
7	Bhagalpur	Bihar
8	Panaji	Goa
9	Port Blair	Andaman & Nicobar Islands
10	Imphal	Manipur
11	Ranchi	Jharkhand
12	Agartala	Tripura
13	Faridabad	Haryana

Sarbananda Sonowal sworn-in as Assam Chief Minister

Senior BJP leader and former Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Assam on 24 May 2016. Governor Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya administered his oath of office and secrecy at Khanapara in Guwahati.

It was the first time after 1985, when a Chief Minister took his oath in an open field.

With this, Sonowal became Assam’s second tribal chief minister after Jogen Hazarika in the 1970s. He is also first Chief Minister from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam.

It is the first time that a BJP-led alliance will form a majority government in Assam.

Earlier on 19 May 2016, the BJP and its allies Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front scored a massive victory bagging 86 seats in the 126 member Assam assembly. In 2011 Assembly elections of Assam the party won only five seats.

Sarbananda Sonowal

• He became state BJP President in 2013 for the first time.

• He started his political career in 2001 by becoming the member of Assam assembly in Asom Gana Parishad ticket.

• In 2004, he became Lok Sabha member for the first time by defeating Congress strongman Pawan Singh Ghatowar from Dibrugarh constituency.

• He joined Prime Minister Modi’s cabinet as the Union Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs.

• Prior to his political stint, he was the President of All Assam Students’ Union from 1992 to 1999.

• During 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP got 7 seats in Assam when Sonowal was in-charge of the state party unit.

Prime Minster Narendra Modi visited Iran

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 23 May 2016 concluded his two-day visit to Iran. During his visit, Modi held discussions with President Hassan Rouhani and also inked 12 bilateral agreements with Iran.

He also met the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to whom he gifted the reproduction of the seventh-century manuscript of the Holy Quran attributed to Hazrat Ali, the fourth caliph.

Written in Kufic script, this manuscript is a prized possession of the Ministry of Culture's Rampur Raza Library.

Highlights of the visit

• Two countries signed 12 agreements including the pact on developing the strategic Chabahar port

• The two nations also released a Joint Statement titled Civilisational Connect, Contemporary Context.

• Prime Minister and Hassan Rouhani lead delegation level talks in Tehran.

• He gifted reproductions of Ghalib's collection of poetry in Persian'Kulliyat-e-Farsi-e-Ghalib', as well as Sumair Chand's Persian translation of Ramayana to Dr Rouhani.

• Modi visited Bhai Ganga Singh Gurudwara in Tehran.

• In Tehran, he witnessed the inauguration of Conference on India and Iran, Two Great Civilizations: Retrospect and Prospects'.

• He released rare manuscript, Kalileh Wa-Dimneh, which is the Persian translation of the Panchatantra.

Besides the bilateral pact to develop the Chabahar port for which India will invest 500 million US dollars, a trilateral Agreement on Transport and Transit Corridor was also signed by India, Afghanistan and Iran.

Modi's visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 15 years, came months after the lifting of international sanctions on Iran following Tehran's historic nuclear deal with the Western powers over its contentious atomic programme. Earlier, the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had visited the country in April 2001.

India, Iran and Afghanistan signed agreement on Trilateral Transit and Transport Corridor

India, Iran and Afghanistan on 23 May 2016 signed the agreement on Trilateral Transit and Transport Corridor.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran and the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Tehran.

The purpose of the agreement is to facilitate seamless transport of goods between India and Afghanistan via the Chabahar port that is strategically located in the South East of Iran.

This agreement is expected to bring down cargo tariffs and boost regional economic development.

Besides, India and Iran also signed an agreement for the development of the Chabahar port. This agreement is complementary to the agreement on Trilateral Transit and Transport Corridor.

Under the agreement, India will develop the Chabahar port in Iran at an estimated cost of 150 million US dollars.