Current Affairs – May 13, 2018

S.No Topic Page Number

1 World News 2 - 3

2 National News 4 - 6

3 State News 7

4 Banking & Economy 8

5 Sports News 9

6 Awards & Honours 10

7 Appointments & Resignation 11

8 Science & Techonology 12

9 Obituaries 13

World News

China’s first home-built aircraft carrier begins sea trials

 On 13 May 2018, China’s first domestically developed aircraft carrier began sea trials.  The aircraft carrier has not been named yet. It is a 50,000-metric tonne vessel. It started off from a shipyard of Dalian Shipbuilding Industry in Liaoning province.  This vessel will become China’s second aircraft carrier. China commissioned its first carrier the Liaoning in 2012.  This trial aims to demonstrate the reliability and capability of the ship’s propulsion systems.  The carrier was launched in 2017. It has been undergoing fitting of weapons and other systems. It has not yet entered service.  The new vessel will focus on conducting combat-ready patrols and safeguarding China’s maritime sovereignty and interests.  China has developed a new jet fighter named A J-15 fighter to operate from the decks of its carriers.  The new carrier has a conventional propulsion system. It will use a ramp to launch J-15 fighter jets. The ship will carry various types of helicopters.  The new carrier has over 12,000 pieces of equipment. They were made by 532 Chinese enterprises. The vessel has nearly 3,600 cabins.

PM Narendra Modi’s Nepal Visit – Overview

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on an official visit to Nepal on 11 and 12 May, 2018. This was PM Modi’s third visit to Nepal and the first high-level visit from India since the formation of the new Government in Nepal this year.  On May 11, 2018, PM Modi Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Oli jointly inaugurated a direct bus service between Janakpur (in Dhanusa District of Nepal) and Ayodhya (in Uttar Pradesh).  On May 11, 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepalese counterpart K P Oli jointly laid the foundation stone of the 900-megawatt Arun III Hydroelectric Power Plant in Tumlingtar area in eastern Nepal.  On May 11, 2018, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Foreign Minister of Nepal, Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.

China seeks to reset ties with Japan

 After engaging with India in Wuhan, China is rebooting ties with Japan, as part of a larger pan-Asian initiative that appears to counter growing protectionism in the U.S.  Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang has concluded a major two-stage visit to Japan earlier this week. That included talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, following a trilateral meeting, in which South Korean President Moon Jae-in also participated.

National News

Pradhan, UAE minister flag off first consignment of ADNOC crude for India

 On May 12, 2018, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and UAE Minister of State& Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Group CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber flagged off first consignment of 2 million barrels of ADNOC crude for India.  In February 2018, during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to UAE, an agreement was signed between Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) and ADNOC of UAE, under which ADNOC will store about 5.86 million barrels of crude oil in India’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) facility at Mangalore at its own cost.  It is to be noted that ISPRL has built 39 million barrels strategic crude oil storage facility at three locations in India viz. Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Mangalore (Karnataka) and Padur (Kerala).  As per the ISPR-ADNOC agreement, ADNOC can sell part of the crude oil stored, to Indian refineries on commercial basis and a certain portion of the storage will be for exclusive use of the Indian government.  Mr. Pradhan is on an official visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE). During the course of this visit, he held bilateral meeting with Mr. Jaber to discuss the ongoing cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector and explored ways to further enhance the engagement.

Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to establish a dedicated web portal for promotion of Audio Visual Services in India

 The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will set up a dedicated web portal for spreading information on filming locations and production facilities available in India.  The portal will be of great help to production companies looking to shoot in India to obtain permissions and explore locations in India.  It will aid in acceptance of the application for shooting feature films, TV and web reality shows, along with the online payments.  It will offer information on locations and link to all state portals. It will capture detailed information related to a particular location, resources or facilities available in a standard format.

Shri J P Nadda holds high level review meeting on Vector Borne diseases in Delhi

 On 12 May 2018, J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare chaired a high level meeting to review the preparedness of various agencies for prevention and management of vector borne diseases, in New Delhi.  J P Nadda asked the agencies to develop a separate registry for cases originating and being treated in Delhi.  He said to focus on active case finding for source identification and reduction of vectors and transmission.  He added that there should be no shortage of diagnostic kits, drugs, testing labs, manpower and funds.  He highlighted the importance of conducting focused and intensive IEC (Information, Education & Communication) campaigns and continuing them through the monsoon season.  He directed the officers to perform supervisory visits to various hospitals in Delhi to assess the situation, preparedness and to offer on the spot technical guidance to the health authorities.

Domestic Violence Act for divorced women too

 A three-judge Bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, R. Banumathi and Naveen Sinha confirmed a Rajasthan High Court ruling of 2013 that the term ‘domestic violence’ cannot be restrained to marital relations alone it extends to all man-woman relationships, and also protects divorced women from their former husbands, the Supreme Court has upheld.

The Enforcement Directorate has initiated a probe into alleged irregularities in the procurement of 111 aircraft worth about Rs. 70,000 crore by Air India

 The Enforcement Directorate has initiated a probe into alleged irregularities in the procurement of 111 aircraft worth about Rs.70,000 crore, leasing of planes and the surrender of profit-making routes and flight schedules by Air India under the UPA regime.  The agency is currently examining the processes that were adopted in finalising the respective contracts and their implementation; besides the decisions taken for the surrender of profit-making routes and schedules, to the alleged benefit of private airlines.

Six-month jail likely for abandoning parents

 The Narendra Modi government is planning to increase the jail term for those who abandon or abuse their elderly parents to six months from the existing three months, according to a senior official.  The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which is reviewing the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007, has also proposed to widen the definition of children to include adopted children or stepchildren, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, grandchildren and minors represented by their legal guardians, a Ministry official said.

Passport office employees launch ‘Gandhian’ protest

 Expressing concern over the workload at passport offices, members of the All-India Passport Employees’ Association (AIPEA) on Saturday launched what they called a ‘Gandhian’ protest.  A group of employees gathered at the Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Bhikaji Cama Place to work on their day off as a symbolic protest, but were prevented from doing so following an official circular that warned them of disciplinary action.

President Kovind pays floral tributes to former President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on his birth anniversary

 The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, paid homage to Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, former President of India on his Birth Anniversary at Rashtrapati Bhavan today (May 13, 2018).  Ahmed was the fifth President of the country and also the second President to die in office.

State News

Manipur to get air dispensary on May 15

 Air dispensary services will be launched on May 15, said chief minister Nongthombam Biren Singh today speaking at the annual state level tribal cultural festival at TRI, Chingmeirong.  He announced that the services will be in 75:25 basis from central government and state government’s directives it will be under Udan service of Prime Minister Narendra  Modi. Five places have been chosen including Henglep, Moreh, Tamenglong and Jiribam and in regard to this, helipad upgradation work has already been started, he further informed.

Rajasthan govt invites Gurjar leader for talks ahead of quota stir

 The Rajasthan government has invited Gurjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla for talks tomorrow, after he threatened to revive the agitation for reservation to the community.  Bainsla has announced a sit-in on Tuesday to press for their demand of five-per-cent reservation within the Other Backward Class (OBC) quota. A faction of the community, opposed to Bainsla, is also planning to hold a separate meeting in Bharatpur district on the same day.

Madhya Pradesh to be declared ODF by October this year: CM

 The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced that the State will be declared as open defecation free (ODF) by Gandhi Jayanti this year.  This will mean that the State will become ODF one year before the national timeline of October 2nd, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Banking & Economy

Fino Payments Bank launches digital suite

 In a bid to expand its footprint in the digital banking and payments space, Fino Payments Bank has launched a  The suite includes BPay app, which was launched in September 2017 for digital transition of customers from assisted to self-service mode.  In addition to BPay, the suite includes Unified Payment Interface (UPI) , BHIM app, which has proved to be a game changer in peer-to-peer and merchant payments.  The suite also includes net banking facility, a Digi Savings Account which can be opened online only by providing Aadhaar number and PAN card and FasTag to make digital payments at national highway toll plazas.

Finance Minister clears 3 FDI proposals worth Rs 3,250 crore

 The finance ministry today said it cleared three foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals worth Rs 3,250 crore in April.  The proposals included that of Hindustan Infralog Pvt Ltd which sought approval for foreign investment from DP World Global Investment BV, Netherlands amounting to 65 per cent of paid-up share capital.  The proposal of Hindustan Infralog Pvt Ltd will bring FDI up to Rs 3,250 crore, a Finance Ministry statement said.  The other two proposals CVC Asia Pacific (Singapore) Pte and Alcon Laboratories (India) Pvt Ltd cleared by the Finance Ministry will not result in flow of FDI.  Besides, it rejected the proposal of Kora Research Advisors India LLP.

Vijaya Bank tags Reliance Naval as NPA

 State-run Vijaya Bank has classified the Anil Ambani group-led Reliance Naval and Engineering, whose auditors had recently expressed doubts about the company’s ability to continue as a “going concern”, as non-performing asset from the March quarter.  The company, which was earlier known as Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering, was bought over by Anil Ambani Group in 2016 and renamed as Reliance Defence and  Engineering. It owes more than Rs.9,000 crore to more than two-dozen banks, mostly state-run, led by the troubled IDBI Bank.

Sports News

Lewis Hamilton cruises to victory in Spanish grand prix

 Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton easily won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday for his second straight Formula One victory, increasing his championship lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

Athletics Federation of India decides to implement a strict ‘No-Needle’ policy at all national camps and training centres

 The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has decided to implement a strict ‘No-Needle’ policy at all the national camps and training centres in the country.  The Athletics Federation’s action comes a month after 20- kilometre race walker KT Irfan and triple jumper Rakesh Babu were sent back home from the recent Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast on charges of possession of needles, in violation of the organisers’ strict ‘No-Needle’ policy.  In order to the implement this policy, the AFI has formed a three-member committee of coaches, which has been empowered to search the rooms of the athletes.  Chief coach Bahadur Singh will head the committee while the other two members will be deputy chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair and chief coach (juniors) Sanjay Garnaik.

Indian U-16 football team wins title in Serbia, beats Tajikistan in final

 The Indian U-16 football team was crowned champions at the Four-Nation Tournament held in Serbia after they defeated Tajikistan 4-2 in the finals.  The four-nation tournament was played between India, Serbia, Tajikistan and Jordan.

Liverpool’s Salah wins EPL Player of the Season award

 Liverpool FC and Egypt national football team’s forward Mohamed Salah won the English Premier League (EPL) Player of the Season award.

Petra wins record third Madrid Open title

 Czech Petra Kvitova defeated Kiki Bertens 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-3 in a hard-fought battle to win the Madrid Open for a record third time.

Awards & Honours

Lata Mangeshkar conferred with Swara Mauli award

 On 12 May 2018, singer Lata Mangeshkar was presented the Swara Mouli title by spiritual guru Vidya Narsimha Bharati Swami at her residence in Prabhu Kunj, Mumbai.  Lata Mangeshkar is 88 years old. She received the Bharat Ratna award in 2001. She has also received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.  Her sisters Asha Bhosle and Usha Mangeshkar and brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar were also present at the occasion.

Appointments & Resignation

Pawan Kumar Agarwal given 3 months extension as CEO of FSSAI

 Pawan Kumar Agarwal has been given 3 months extension beyond May 15, 2018 as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).  He was appointed as the CEO of the FSSAI in December 2015.  The FSSAI is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.  It is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.

Sarah Mullally has appointed as rst female Bishop of London

 Former chief nursing officer the Right Reverend Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed as the first female Bishop of London at a service held at St Paul’s Cathedral.  The 56-year-old was appointed to the role in December and becomes the 133rd Bishop of London.

Science & Techonology

US cancels NASA’s carbon monitoring project

 On 10 May 2018, “Carbon Monitoring System (CMS)”, a NASA programme that cost $10 million per year to track carbon and methane was cancelled.  The Carbon Monitoring System (CMS) programme tracked sources and sinks for carbon and developed highresolution models of earth’s flows of carbon.  NASA said that, United States has cancelled the CMS project due to budget constraints and higher priorities with in the science budget.

Obituaries

Noted Hindi lyricist, poet, politician Balkavi bairagi dies in Madhya pradesh

 Noted Hindi film lyricist, Nandram Das Bairagi, popularly known as Balkavi Bairagi, died in his sleep today evening, his son said.  Bairagi, a Lok Sabha member between 1984 and 1989 and also a former Rajya Sabha MP, was 87.

Pakisthan hockey legend Mansoor Ahmed passes away in Karachi

 Pakistan’s World Cup-winning hockey goalkeeper Mansoor Ahmed passed away at a city hospital here today after battling a prolonged heart ailment.  The 49-year-old Olympian had been suffering for weeks from complications stemming from a pacemaker and stents implanted in his heart, and had reached out to India for help in securing a heart transplant.