1) PM launches various projects of Kandla Port Trust,
Gujarat
i. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has
launched various projects of Kandla Port Trust at Gandhidham in
Gujarat.
ii. He unveiled plaques to mark the
laying of Foundation Stone for the construction of the Dr.
Babasaheb Ambedkar Convention Centre and
the development of the 14th and 16th General Cargo Berth.
iii. He handed over Letters of Award for
Construction of Interchange-cum-ROB (Railway Bridge) at Kutch Salt Junction,
Deployment of two Mobile Harbour Cranes and Mechanization for the
handling of fertilizers at Kandla Port.
2) India becomes second largest steel producer in the world
i. India overtook
Japan to become the
second-largest steel producer in the world after China in 2016, according to
data released by the International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF).
ii. India’s stainless steel production rose to 3.32 million tons for 2016
showing an impressive growth of about 9% over 3.0 million tons achieved in
2015.
iii. The data were released at ISSF annual conference in Tokyo, Japan.
3) Free Wi-Fi Facility
to be provided at 28 Railway Stations
i. Minister of Railways
Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu has inaugurated the WiFi facility from Kudal
Railway Station at 28 Railway Stations of Konkan
Railway.
ii. Indian Railways has tied up with M/s
SYSCON/JOISTER for provision of 2 Mbps peer to peer 24 hrs FREE Wi-Fi
INTERNET bandwidth at 28 stations of Konkan Railway.
iii. This facility will help travelling public, commutes & tourists on
Indian Railways to access essential information and they could use their time
productively while waiting for trains at railway stations. This
initiative of corporation is a steps towards making a smarter India.
4) HDFC Life launches AI-based insurance email bot
'SPOK'
i. HDFC Life announced the launch of an artificial
intelligence-based application 'SPOK' that can automatically
read, understand, categorize, prioritize and respond to customer emails sent to
the private insurer.
ii. 'SPOK', an insurance email bot, can read customer queries within
milliseconds and respond to them.
iii. The deployment of SPOK will improve customer experience, while providing
the support staff with the bandwidth to focus on customer satisfaction.
5)Federal Bank launches
new trading platform
i. Federal Bank, in association with Geojit,
has launched a new trading platform called “Selfie” for
customers.
ii. Designed and managed by Geojit, the trading platform will give its users
absolute control over their investments with timely research inputs to make
sound investment decisions.
6) Israel aerospace
industries signs $630 million deal with India
i. Israel Aerospace
Industries (IAI) has closed another
major deal worth 630 million US dollar with India to supply
advanced long-range air and missile defense systems for four ships of the
Indian Navy.
ii. According to
State-owned IAI, the contract is for supplying Long Range Surface to
Air Missile (LRSAM) systems.
iii. The LRSAM is a
joint development by IAI and India’s Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO). The system provides the ultimate protection against a
variety of aerial, naval and airborne threats. The deal, a major boost to
the ‘Make in India’ campaign.
7) First draft of
nuclear ban treaty released by UN
i. A United
Nations-backed panel has publicly
released a draft treaty banning the possession and use of all nuclear weapons.
ii. The draft treaty is the culmination of a sustained campaign, supported by
more than 130 non-nuclear states, to prohibit nuclear weapons and persuade
nuclear-armed states to disarm.
iii. Nine countries that are known to possess nuclear weapons
are- the US, UK, Russia, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel
has not supported the draft plan.
8) World
Biodiversity Day.
i. Every year, May 22 is
observed as International Day for Biodiversity or World
Biodiversity Day. This date commemorates the date of Adoption of the Agreed
Text of the Convention on Biological Diversity at UNEP Headquarters, Nairobi on
22 May 1992.
ii. The theme for 2017
for World Biodiversity Day is “Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism”
9)India's Rohan
Chakravarty won WWF International President’s Award 2017
i. Rohan Chakravarty, a wildlife and environment cartoonist from
India, has won WWF International President’s Award 2017 for
his efforts to change attitudes towards nature.
ii.The award is the top accolade given by WWF (World Wildlife Fund) to
recognize leadership in young conservationists who are under the age of 30 from
around the world. The award ceremony was held recently in Manado,
Indonesia.
10) Indian-born woman elected to City of London Corporation
i. A 43-year-old UK
entrepreneur has become the first India-born woman to be elected as a
councillor to a ward in the UK.
ii. Rehana Ameer, who
was born and raised in Chennai, contested from Vintry ward in the City of
London county as an independent candidate.
11) Mathunny Mathews, the Real-life Hero of 'Airlift' passes away
i. Indian businessman Mathunny
Mathews died aged 81 in Kuwait after being part of the tiny emirate's
fortunes and trials for over six decades.
ii. He was known as one of the heroes who made possible the largest civilian
evacuation in known history and the main inspiration behind the 2016 Bollywood
historical drama Airlift.
12) India's Vaishali wins gold in Asian Blitz Chess Championship
i. India's R Vaishali won the women's title with
eight points from nine rounds in the Asian Continental Blitz Chess
Championship in Chengdu, China.
ii. Vaishali drew her final round game against Uurtsaikh Uuriintuya of Mongolia
to finish half-a-point ahead of Iran's Sarasdat Khademalsharieh and clinch the
gold medal.
iii. The Chennai player with an ELO rating of 2203 had finished third in
the Asian Championship event.
