3-4 may 2015 eng
4 may
Russian ballet legend Maya Plisetskaya died
Legendary Russian ballerinas Maya Plisetskaya died on 2 May 2015 in Munich, Germany. She was 89.
She is survived by her husband and brother, Azari Plisetsky, a retired dancer.
Plisetskaya born in Moscow on 20 November 1925 was considered as one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century. She danced for half a century and her modern choreography and performances charged with eroticism flouted Soviet convention.
She was an international face of Russia’s Bolshoi Theater. She joined the ballet company in 1943 at the age of 18 and became the Bolshoi's prima ballerina in 1960. Later, she retired as a soloist in 1990 at the age of 65.
The Soviet and Russian ballet dancer, choreographer, ballet director, and actress, published her autobiography, I, Maya Plisetskaya in 1994.
Third India-Tunisia Foreign Office Consultations held in Tunis
Third India-Tunisia Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was held in Tunis from 29 April to 2 May 2015. The third round of FOC was held after a gap of 12 years.
The Indian delegation was led by Secretary (East) Anil Wadhwa who held comprehensive discussions with Mohamed Ezzine Shelaifa, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia.
During the visit of Indian delegation to Tunisia, several bilateral and multilateral issues related to regional and international issues of mutual interest were discussed. Besides, the two sides also signed an Agreement on Exemption of Visas for Diplomatic and Official Passports.
Other discussions included
• Issues pertaining to TIFERT (Tunisia-India Fertiliser) plant, the bilateral joint venture in phosphates
• Further avenues of economic cooperation were explored and some specific items with potential for two-way trade were identified
• Ways of streamlining the procedure of registration of new pharmaceutical products was discussed
Railways won the 5th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2015
Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) on 3 May 2015 won the 5th Hockey India Senior Women National Championship 2015.
In the final match played at the Master Chandgi Ram sports stadium at Saifai, Uttar Pradesh, Railways defeated Hockey Jharkhand by 12-2.
The third position was bagged by Hockey Punjab who beat Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy by 2-0.
Earlier on 28 April 2015, the 5th Hockey India Senior Men’s National Hockey championship 2015 was also by the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB). In the final match Railways had defeated Uttar Pradesh Hockey (UPH) by 5-3.
14th Edition of Indo-French Naval Exercise VARUNA 2015 concluded
The Fourteenth edition of the Indo-French naval exercise VARUNA 2015 concluded on 2 May 2015. The exercise started on 23 April 2015 off the Goa Coast.
Features of the VARUNA 2015 Exercise
• Its aim was deriving mutual benefit from the experiences of the two navies. The experience gained through such exercises helps in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in the fields of Joint Maritime Air Operations Planning with exchange of Carrier Operational Capabilities.
• The exercise included both a harbour and sea phase and its mandate was to cover the entire gamut of maritime operations ranging from Aircraft Carrier Operations, Anti Submarines Warfare Exercises, Maritime Interdiction Operations and multi-ship replenishment exercise.
• From the Indian side, the participants included Aircraft Carrier INS Viraat, which is the second largest flagship vessel of the Indian Navy after INS Vikramaditya, destroyer Mumbai, stealth frigate Tarkash, guided missile frigate Gomati, replenishment tanker Deepak, submarine Shankul among others.
• The French Navy was represented by Aircraft Carrier Charles de Gaulle, which is the flagship vessel of the French Navy and the largest Western European warship currently in commission, two destroyers Chevalier Paul and Jean de Vienne, replenishment tanker Meuse and a maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2 among others.
About VARUNA Exercise
Though the navies of both the countries have been conducting joint exercises since 1983, these exercises were christened as VARUNA in 2001 following the establishment of a strategic partnership between the two countries.
Till date, thirteen such exercises have been conducted and the last exercise VARUNA 12 was conducted in the Mediterranean Sea from 19 July to 22 July 2012 off the Toulon Coast.
Chelsea won Barclays Premier League 2014-15 title with 1-0 win over Crystal Palace
Chelsea won the Barclays Premier League 2014-15 football title by defeating Crystal Palace 1-0 in the final match held on 3 May 2015 at Stamford Bridge in London.
This is their first premier league title in five years since winning the 2009-10 season title by defeating Manchester United.
With the present win, Chelsea qualified for Champions League Group Stage which will be held from September to December 2015.
About Premier League
The Premier League is the top league competition for English football. The competition started in 1992 when some clubs in the Football League First Division decided to break away from The Football League, founded in 1888 and has since become the world's most watched sporting league.
Till date, a total of 46 clubs have competed in the Premier League, but only five have won the title viz., Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.
India home to 48 of the 250 known species of bumblebees: Indian Bumblebees
India is home to 48 of the 250 known species of bumblebees. It was revealed by the book Indian Bumblebees released in April 2015.
The book was written by entomologist M.S. Saini along with co-authors Rifat H. Raina and Harpeet Singh Ghator.
About Bumblebees
• Like the honeybees, bumblebees are social insects and live in colonies. The size of colonies varies from species-to-species.
• Mostly characterised by black, yellow and reddish body hair, and often striped, bumblebees are generally found on altitudes of 2000-15000 feet along the entire Himalayas, from Jammu and Kashmir to Nagaland.
• The founder of the colony is the queen that hibernates throughout winter. In spring, she finds a site for a nest and then lays her eggs which will result in worker bees.
• They are crucial for the very sustenance of vegetation in high-altitude regions because they are the only pollinators which can live in that adverse climate.
• They pollinate vegetables, fruit trees, cash crops and even ornamental and medicinal plants high in the Himalayas.
Mazen Darwish honoured with 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on 3 May 2015 presented the 2015 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to Syrian journalist and rights activist Mazen Darwish.
The award was presented in Latvia on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day in recognition of the work he has carried out in Syria for more than ten year as a human rights defender and a journalist.
About Mazen Darwish
• He is a lawyer, press freedom advocate and is the president of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (CMFE) which was founded in 2004.
• He is one of the founders of the Voice newspaper and syriaview.net, an independent news site which was banned by the Syrian authorities.
• He established Media Club in 2011, the first Syrian magazine about media affairs.
• He has been detained by the Syrian Authorities since 16 February 2012 along with Hani Zaitani and Hussein Ghreir, his colleagues at the CMFE on the charges of promoting terrorist acts.
• The UN General Assembly on 15 May 2013 adopted Resolution 67/262 demanding that the Syrian authorities immediately release all persons arbitrarily detained, including the members of the CMFE.
• In January 2014, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) addressed a communication to the Syrian authorities denouncing the arbitrary detention of Darwish and his Media Centre colleagues and called for their immediate release.
In 2014, the award was presented to Ahmet Sik, a Turkish journalist for his investigative work on the controversial Gülen movement of the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.
Sandeep Jajodia removed as the president of Boxing India (BI)
A Special Genral Meeting (SGM) of the Boxing India (BI) on 3 May 2015 removed Sandeep Jajodia as its president.
The SGM, which was attended by 64 members of the BI, passed a No Confidence Motion in this regard.
He is the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Monnet Group (an infrastructure firm) and was elected to the post unopposed in the contest held on 11 September 2014.
Incidentally, BI Secretary General Jay Kowli resigned on 2 May 2015 after fallout with Jajodia for forging his signatures in a letter to the Asian Boxing Confederation.
Earlier, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports on 2 January 2015, recognised BI as the governing body for representing boxing in India after lifting the 2-year ban.
BI is the federation of 32 boxing associations representing various states or regions across the country.
Roger Federer won the inaugural Istanbul Open Tennis Men’s Singles Title
Switzerland tennis player Roger Federer on 3 May 2015 won the TEB BNP Paribas Istanbul Open Men’s singles title by defeating Pablo Cueves of Uruguay 6-3 7-6.
With this win, the world No 2 ranking player took his 85th ATP World Tour title and ended a long drought on clay since his previous title of 2012 Madrid Masters.
This is the first ever World Tour event in Turkey and was held from 27 April to 3 May 2015 in Istanbul, the Capital City of Turkey.
In the 439405 Euro prize money tournament, Radu Albot and Dusan Lajovic won the Doubles Men’s title by defeating Robert Lindstedt and Jurgen Melzer.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated Manny Pacquiao to win Fight of the Century of Boxing
American boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. on 3 May 2015 defeated Manny Pacquiao from Philippines to win the unified World Welterweight title. The match termed as Fight of the Century was held at iconic MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Mayweather won the title in 12 rounds with a unanimous decision in which Ringside Judge Dave Moretti scored the bout 118-110, while judges Glenn Feldman and Bert Clements both scored it 116-112.
With this win, Mayweather added Pacquiao’s World Boxing Organization (WBO) title to his World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) crowns.
Also, he extended his winning streak record to 48-0, that is, he has remained undefeated for 19 years as a professional fighter and a victory would push his record to 49-0, the same as American Rocky Marciano’s.
The match between Mayweather and Pacquiao was valued at 300 million US dollars and was the richest boxing match in the history.
Cow-urine refinery inaugurated at Pathmeda village for research on cow products
A cow-urine refinery was on 3 May 2015 inaugurated at Pathmeda village in Jalore district, Rajasthan for research on the cow products. The refinery was inaugurated by Rajasthan Health Minister Rajendra Rathore.
For the research on cow products, a scientific approach will be adopted for Indian traditional system of medicine. The refinery will prepare cow-urine extract for use in the formulation of various products.
To this effect, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Jodhpur's Dr S Radhakrishnan Ayurveda University and the Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.
The by-product derived from cow-urine extract will be used for cleaning at the SMS Hospital in Jaipur. Currently, the fibre obtained from cow dung is used at two places, in Agra and Jalore for running industries.
World Press Freedom day observed globally
3 May: World Press Freedom day
The World Press Freedom day was observed globally on 3 May 2015. Every year, over 100 national celebrations take place to commemorate this day. This year, the theme of World Press Freedom day is Let Journalism Thrive! Towards better reporting, gender equality and media safety in the digital age.
The day marks the celebrations of the fundamental principles of press freedom to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.
Generally, UNESCO on this day identifies the global theme and organizes the main event in different parts of world every year.
Background
World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 1993, following the recommendation of UNESCO's General Conference in 1991. Since then, 3 May is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.
This day also marks the anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek, a statement of free press principles put together by African newspaper journalists in 1991.
NTPC signed MoA with Jharkhand Government for maintaining Patratu Thermal Power Station
National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Ltd on 3 May 2015 signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Jharkhand Government for forming a Joint Venture Company for managing Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS).
This Joint Venture (JV) Company will be promoted by NTPC and Jharkhand Bidyut Vitaran Nigam Ltd. (JBVNL) with 74:26 equity participation. The JV Company will give employment to all the employees working in the station and will increase earning opportunities for many service providers.
Highlights of the MoA
• Performance improvement of existing station from 15 percent PLF to 82 percent to give more power to Jharkhand immediately.
• Building of an efficient Super Critical project of 4000 MW in 2 phases.
• Provide cheap and affordable 27X7 power supply to every household and adequate power for farmers in Jharkhand.
• Enable rapid industrialization which will provide massive employment to youth of Jharkhand in new industry.
• Jharkhand government will be a partner in this project without investing any additional capital.
Dr Mahesh Sharma inaugurated Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium
The Union Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, Dr. Mahesh Sharma on 3 May 2015 inaugurated the first ever Science Centre and Planetarium in the Union Territory of Puducherry.
The Science Centre and Planetarium has been set up by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) of Ministry of Culture at an expense of 5.5 crore rupees. It is the 47th Science Museum in the country.
About Puducherry Science Centre and Planetarium
• It has interactive exhibition galleries on Marine Biology and Fun Science
• It has an eight meter dome digital planetarium and an open-air science park
• The planetarium can accommodate 55 people at a time
Besides, the Chief Minister of Puducherry N. Rangasamy and the Science and Technology Minister T. Thiagarajan appealed to Dr. Mahesh to approve another science centre for Karaikal.
The 48th Science Centre will be opened soon in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Australia announced new punishments for foreigner investors breaking rules on buying property
The Australian government on 3 May 2015 announced tough new punishments for foreigner investors who break rules on buying property in the country.
This was jointly announced by Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Treasurer Joe Hockey. Now, the Australian Taxation Office will handle all residential real estate data which will enable it to alert the government of possible breaches more effectively.
The new punishments include
• Up to three years in prison and fines of 127500 dollars for individuals and 637500 dollars for companies
• The third parties, including real estate agents and developers knowingly helping those buyers will also be penalised with fines of up to 42500 dollars for individuals and 212500 dollars for companies
• Foreign buyers who are forced to sell a property will be prevented from profiting from the sale.
• Foreign buyers will also have to pay a 5000 dollar fee to buy property in Australia which will be used to fund the policing of the new rules
Besides, the government has also asked the foreign investors who have illegally bought Australian properties to declare themselves by December 2015 or risk facing tough new penalties including three years' jail and fines of up to 637500 dollar.
BHEL commissioned 195 MW Thermal Unit of KBUNL in Bihar
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), the state owned power equipment maker, on 4 April 2015 commissioned a 195 MW thermal unit of Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUNL) in Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
This was the first 195 MW unit to be commissioned by BHEL at the 2x195 MW Muzaffarpur Thermal Power Station (TPS) Plant of KBUNL. The second 195 MW unit is expected to be commissioned in the on-going 2015-16 financial year.
The Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Limited (KBUNL) is being developed in a joint venture between BHEL, NTPC and Bihar State Power Generation Company (BSPGCL).
Earlier, in the first week of March 2015, a 660 MW supercritical thermal unit was commissioned by BHEL at Barh in Bihar.