Daily Current Affairs Updates – 20th May 2017

Daily Current Affairs Updates – 20th May 2017:

Daily Current affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this.

ICMR to implement UN agency's standards on clinical trials

India's apex medical research body along with other leading groups will adopt UN health agency's recommendations to register and publicly disclose results of all clinical trials they fund or support. The Indian Council of Medical Research, the Norwegian Research Council, the UK Medical Research Council, Medecins Sans Frontieres and Epicentre, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Institut Pasteur, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust agreed to develop and implement policies within the next 12 months that require all trials they fund, co-fund, sponsor or support to be registered in a publicly-available registry.

Chitale Committee recommends several measures for Desiltation of Ganga

Chitale committee constituted to prepare guidelines for desiltation of river Ganga from Bhimgauda (Uttarakhand) to Farakka (West Bengal), submitted its report to Ministry of Water Resources.The committee in its report has recommended a slew of measures like a study of reach wise sediment transport processes along with establishing annual sediment budgets to guide de-silting activities.

Bhindawas bird sanctuary to be developed as tourist resort: Haryana CM

Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal has said that the Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary in Jhajjar, a heaven for the migratory birds, would be developed as a beautiful tourist destination. Mr Manohar Lal, accompanied by Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Om Parkash Dhankar, announced this after visiting the lake, Prakritik Chetna Kendra, and the watch-tower set up in the Bhindawas Bird Sanctuary in Jhajjar yesterday.

State: Haryana

Capital: Chandigarh

Chief Minister : Manohar Lal Khattar

Governor : Kaptan Singh Solanki

NGT bans open defecation, waste dumping on Yamuna floodplains

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has banned open defecation and dumping of waste on the floodplains of the Yamuna. An environment compensation of Rs. 5,000 should be paid by those who violated the order. NGT also constituted a committee headed by Delhi Jal Board CEO to oversee the execution of work pertaining to cleaning of the river.

NITI Aayog holds the first Samavesh meeting

With an aim to bring together 32 premier educational and policy research institutions to catalyse the country’s development process, government think-tank NITI Aayog hold the first Samavesh meeting. In pursuance of the PM call for a New India 2022, the meeting comes under the co-chairmanship of Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO and Shri Ratan P Watal, Principal Adviser of NITI Aayog.

Andhra Pradesh govt to launch soon water grid project to provide safe drinkingwater

Andhra Pradesh government will soon be launching a water grid project on a fast track with an estimated cost of 8,000 crore rupees to provide safe drinking water in areas vulnerable to kidney disorders like Srikakulam and Prakasam districts. This was stated by Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Nara Lokesh yesterday in Amaravati. Speaking after launching state-level call centre named “Jalavani” along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the latter’s residence at Undavalli, Mr Lokesh said the project aims to install water plants and supply safe water to the needy and that the grid would become a reality within a year.

State : Andhra Pradesh

Capital : Amaravati

Chief minister : N Chandrababu Naidu

Governor : E. S. L. Narasimhan

INTERNATIONAL

Start up India Summit to be held in Dubai

CGI (Consulate General of India) Dubai and Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi in partnership with iSPIRIT, a nonprofit think tank will host a two-day “Start-up India Summit” in UAE on 23rd and 24th of May 2017. This is the first such “Start-Up Summit” being held in the UAE. The aim is to provide a shared platform for the Start-up ecosystem in both India and UAE for greater collaboration, exchange ideas, interact with academia, investors and industry.

Prime Minister Releases Book Series written by MS Swaminathan

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has released a two-part book series written by the eminent agricultural scientist Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. The series is titled – M.S. Swaminathan: The Quest for a world without hunger. Dr. M S Swaminathan is known as the Father of the Green Revolution in India for his leadership and success in introducing and further developing high-yielding varieties of wheat in India. He is the founder and Chairman of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai. The Indian Government has honored him with its prestigious national decorations like Padma Shri and Padma Bhusan and he has been the recipient of numerous awards and prizes and medals from all over the world.

Climate Change: Antarctica is Turning Green

According to a new study conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Exeter in the UK, plant life on Antarctica is growing rapidly due to climate change. The scientists have observed a sharp increase in biological activity in Antarctica in the last 50 years. For ascertaining the growth, the scientists conducted tests at five cores from three sites and has observed the occurrence of major biological changes across the Antarctic Peninsula. The scientists made use of 150 years’ worth of data to arrive at the conclusion. The study has been published in the journal Current Biology.

Italy makes childhood vaccinations compulsory

Italy's government today declared a new law making a series of childhood vaccinations a condition of school inscription in a move triggered by a spike in measles cases. Speaking after a cabinet meeting approved the legislative decree, Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said the move will "make compulsory certain vaccinations that until now were simply recommended. Vaccinations covering 12 common diseases will be required to register children for state childcare and elementary school up to the age of six. Parents will be liable for fines if their children are not vaccinated. Lorenzin pushed for change after the number of measles cases tripled, largely because of children not being vaccinated.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY NEWS:

Japan's SoftBank Invests Rs 9,000 Crore in Paytm

Softbank has made its biggest investment in an Indian digital enterprise by sealing a funding round of Rs 9,000 crore ($1.4 billion) in mobile payments provider Paytm. This is the largest fund infusion by a single investor in an Indian start-up and also Softbank's largest investment in a single company in India.

Paytm get final nod to launch Payment Bank

Digital payment and commerce company Paytm has received the final nod from the Reserve Bank of India and is set to launch Paytm Payments Bank on May 23, 2017. Paytm is the third company from the 11 other applicants to launch payments bank after Airtel and IndiaPost. Mumbai-based Finopay Tech is also likely to launch its operations by next month (June).

Organisation: Paytm

CEO: Vijay Shekhar Sharma k

Headquarters: Noida, Uttar Pradesh

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

Scientists discover human antibodies to fight Ebola virus

Scientists of US have discovered a possible cure for all five known Ebola viruses, one of which ravaged West Africa in recent years. The so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies were discovered in the blood of a survivor of the West African epidemic. The antibodies can be used as a single therapy to treat all Ebola viruses.

APPOINTMENTS:

Paytm Payments Bank names Renu Satti as the new CEO

Paytm has announced its long-time executive and vice president Renu Satti will be the CEO of its Paytm payments bank. India's leading digital wallet player Paytm has recently received the final licence from the Reserve Bank of India for its payments bank entity.

M S Boje Gowda takes over as Coffee Board Chairman

M S Boje Gowda, a third generation planter from the country's key coffee growing region of Chikmagalur, took over as the Coffee Board Chairman after a gap of almost 70 years. Gowda became the first grower to assume

Air Marshal PN Pradhan Appointed as Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff

Air Marshal PN Pradhan has been appointed as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations). ntegrated Defence Staff was created in 2001 following the recommendation of GoM which was set up after the Kargil war to review India’s defence management. IDS was established to ensure a high degree of synergy between the Armed forces. IDS works towards integration of policies, war fighting and procurement by employing best management practices.

SPORTS NEWS:

World Cup Archery: Indian Men’s Team Wins Compound Gold

The Indian Men’s compound archery team has managed to win gold after defeating Columbia 226-221 in the archery World Cup stage 1 championships held in Shanghai, China. Indian archery team were represented by Abhishek Verma, Chinna Raju Srither and Amanjeet Singh. The Colombian team comprised Camilo Andres Cardona, Jose Carlos Ospina and Daniel Munoz. India beat USA in the semifinal and edged out Iran in the quarterfinals. The team also defeated Vietnam in the first round.

Indian compound archers claim men's team gold at World Cup

The Indian men's compound archery team today won the gold medal at the season's first World Cup in Shanghai, beating Colombia in the final. The team comprising Abhishek Verma, Chinna Raju Srither and Amanjeet Singh prevailed 226-221 against the Colombians. Indians grabbed a slender lead in the opening set by clinching it 58-57 and built on it in the next three to emerge triumphant. The Indian team made the final after beating US team in a closely-fought semifinal.