Ana!

Ysls of Current Events

India is under heavy pressure to
Regional Comprehensive. E(onQmic PartneIslnp agree to the investor state dispute
settlement provision in RCEP with-
What is the issue? out the safeguards provided in the
There'sa rush to finaliseRCEPthis year which is pushing India into covering
Model BIT.
most tariff lines that destroy its economy.
The investment chapter in RCEP is
What is RCEP? also pitching for strong provisions
RCEP is being negotiated between India and 15 other countries including the
10-member ASEAN,Japan, South Korea,New Zealand, Australia and China. on IPRs.
Agreeing to data exclusivity,extend-
India had very rightly maintained a cautious approach in its FTAson goods,
ing patent terms and unduly strong
intellectual property rights, and many new issues such as investment, govern-
enforcement measures will weaken
ment procurement and competition policy. the entire generic medicine sector
Why RCEP is becoming a disaster for India? and take away several health safe-
Therewas clearlyhuge pressure on India to conclude negotiations this year and guards in India's Patent Act, notably
to make major concessionsin goods, services and investment at the ministerial section 3(d).
of the RCEP in Hanoi. This will make medicinesinaccessible
It has the potential to overthrow India's policies of rural development and in- not only for Indian patients but for
dustrialisation especially'Make in India, and the promise of the Prime Minis- those in the entire developingworld.
ter to provide accessiblehealthcare and medicines to all. In addition, since India has rightly
Most important, it threatens the policy flexibility and sovereignty to pursue fought against 'TRIPS plus' provi-
independent economic, social and environmental policies. sions in its FTA negotiations with
In goods trade, India has already agreed to give up the three-tier tariff reduc- EU and European Free Trade Asso-
tion proposal that offereddifferent coveragefor Asean, Japan and South Korea, ciation, there is no rationale for it to
and a much lower levelof tariff reduction coveragefor New Zealand, Australia change its stance in RCEP.
and China. US-Saudi Relations
In agriculture and allied products, the plantation sector is already reeling from
the impact of the India-Asean FTA even with relativelyhigh protection of ag- Why in news?
riculture and a tariff-coverageof 73-80%. US President Donald Trump visited
Riyadh on 21st May,2017.
If tariff cuts cover 92-80%of products, the impact will be huge.
On the other hand, New Zealand's export-oriented dairy products will deci- He addressed leaders from over 50
Muslim countries in Riyadh.
mate India's growing dairy sector, which is still largely small-scale.
What is recent stand of the pres-
IfIndia has to cut duties on 92%of goods in RCEP,India will face threats from
both Asean and China. ident?
Bychoosing Saudi Arabia as his first
What are the other possible threats to Indian economy! overseas destination as President,
E-commerce commitments, if any,will allow companies such as Alibaba from Mr. Trump has signalled that his
China to displace Indian manufacturing especiallyin the SMEsegment. administration will retain the Wash-
Further, India is being asked to eliminate export restrictions on minerals and ington establishment line towards
raw material by Japan and South Korea,which may threaten domestic raw ma- West Asia.
terial availability. He called for unity in fighting ter-
India is openly pitching services as its offensive area of interest and may be rorism and said "Islam is peace':
willing to sacrificegoods tariffs for gains in services. He noted Saudi Arabia's attempts at
This can be the most dangerous ofIndia's current trade policy stance. "empoweringwomen':
India has demands for both Mode 3 (investment) and Mode 4 (movement of He signed a $110billion arms agree-
fot
people) with a proposal a,RCEPbusiness visa for professionals. ment with the Saudis.
India'sdemand for Mode 4 is unlikely to be granted. His administration will re-endorse
What India hopes to gain in Moc,le 3for its outward FDI is not clear as it is not Saudi Arabia,' along' with Israel, as
competitive in most service~except for IT and ITES. a key 1lWar.of America's West Asia
 policy and ignore criticism of Ri-
yadh's human rights violations at
home and interventions abroad.
America will also supply its rich
Arab allies advanced weapons: the
defence industry at home will obvi-
ously benefit from such deals, creat-
ing more jobs.
~~',~ hi! h-lJ'forv~T('~rd~
Despite reservations from Saudi
Arabia and Israel, his administra-
tion went ahead with the Iran nucle-
ar deal.
The logical next step of the nucle-
ar deal should be bettering ties be-
tween Washington and Tehran.
The major cause of instability in
West Asia is not just Iran, but also
the cold war between Iran and Saudi
Arabia.
If Mr. Trump wants to be peace-
maker and make West Asia a more
secure place, he has to reach out to
both sides and appeal to them to dial
down the tensions that have already
spilled into Syria, Lebanon, Yemen
and Iraq.
The Saudi petro- dollar muscle is
hard to resist for an American Pres-
ident desperate to create more jobs
at home.
But merely supplying weapons to
Riyadh and its allies will not bring
peace to West Asia, or help defeat
terrorism.
Law Commission Report
RecentlyLawCommissionreleased
its report on bail law reform which de-
serves urgent attention.
';-'d . {J~-h_\'.the report sar~
The Law Commission, in its 268th
Report, highlights the problem
where it has become the norm for
the rich and powerful to get bail
with ease, while others languish in
prison.
The Commission, headed by former
Supreme Court judge RS; Chauhan
recommend making it easier for all
those awaiting trial to obtain bail.
The commission said that one of the first duties of those administering crimi-
nal justice must be that bail practices are "fair and evidence-based':
"Decisions about custody or release should not be influenced by factors such
as gender, race, ethnicity, financial conditions or social status;' the report says.
The main reason that 67% of the current prison population is made up of un-
dertrials is the great inconsistency in the grant of bail.
Even when given bail, most are unable to meet the onerous financial condi-
tions to availit.
The Supreme Court had noticed this in the past and said that poverty appears
to be the main reason for the incarceration of many prisoners, as they are un-
able to afford ball bonds.
\fh:j" dtti'~ lht ''.In'P\)_R~.s_it~,q)"f'JpOSt"!
The Commission seeks to improve on a provision introduced in 2005 to grant
relief to thousands of prisoners languishing without trial and to decongest In-
dia'sovercrowded prisons.
Section 436A of the Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates that a prisoner
shall be released on bail on personal bond ifhe or she has undergone detention
of half the maximum period of imprisonment specified for that offence.
The Law Commission recommends that those detained for an offence that
would attract up to seven years' imprisonment be released on completing one-
third of that period, and those charged with offences attracting a longer jail
term, after they complete half of that period.
For those who had spent the whole period as undertrials, the period under-
gone may be considered for remission.
In general terms, the Commission cautions the police against needless arrests
and magistrates against mechanical remand orders.
It givesan illustrativelist of conditions that could be imposed in lieu of sureties
or financial bonds.
It advocates the need to impose the "least restrictive conditions':
However,as the report warns, bail law reform is not the panacea for all prob-
lems of the criminal justice system.
Be it overcrowdedprisons or unjust incarceration of the poor, the solution lies
in expediting the trial process.
National Commission For Minorities
The NCM is supposed to have a Chairperson, a Vice-Chairperson, and 7 mem-
bers, at least 5 of whom should be from minority communities.
The communities listed as minorities under the National Commission for Mi-
norities Act, 1992,are Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis and Buddhists.
Iains were included in the list in 2014.
hh.lt dol'S 'b ...(Ondllh""'1 deals with?
It is a forum for appeal, set up to safeguard the rights and interests of India's
minority communities.
Unlike the National Commission for SCs and for STs,National Commission
for Minorities is a statutory body.
The NCM Act lists 9 functions of the Commission:
to evaluate the progress of the developmeritof irtinorities under the Union and
states; . ' .
 ANALYSIS,OF
to monitor the working of safe-
guards provided in the Constitution
and in union and state laws;
to make recommendations for effec-
tive implementation of safeguards
for the protection of minority inter-
ests;
to look into, and take up, specific
complaints regarding deprivation of
rights and safeguardsof minorities;
to get problems of discrimination
against minorities studied, and rec-
ommend ways to remove them;
to conduct studies, research, anal-
ysis on socioeconomic and educa-
tional development of minorities;
to suggest appropriate measures in
respect of any minority to be un-
dertaken by central or state govern-
ments;
to make periodic or special reports
to the Centre on any matter con-
cerning minorities; especially their
difficulties;
To take up any other matter that
may be referred to it by the central
government.
What is the difference between
a constitutional and statutory body?
The power and authority vested in a
constitutional body are very differ-
ent from those vested in a statutory
body.
Constitutional bodies have greater
autonomy; they can take up and in-
quire into many matters suo motu,
and have powers of a civilcourt.
Again, not all statutory bodies are
the same - the National Human
Rights Commission (NHRC) has
more powers than the NCM.
Why is there a need for such
commission?
The Constitution is unambiguous
about the rights of individuals, and
of certain groups and minorities.
The success of a pluralistic democ-
racy lies in these rational and robust
institutions which protect those
rights, or give those abstract ideas
shape on the ground.
The degree of autonomy with which organisations like the NCM, NCSC,NCST
or NCBC are able to function eventually decides how healthy a democracy is.
These are systemsthat allowfor a healthy evaluation of the state of the nation, a
forum for airing of discontent, which ultimately strengthens the system, apart
from allowing individuals to fully exercisetheir rights.
What tl'i(' n1~.;\',_.'i.:] c\~ C."vi(:(~nsUrutio\'\;;'~,: ,<;1',' """,1
The Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Bill,2004,proposed
to establish a new Commission, with constitutional status.
But it got trapped in the quagmire of who is a 'minority', and the Billlapsed.
The founding fathers of the Constitution, as well as the framers of the 1992Act
seemed to have a clear idea of who 'minorities' were.
But the Supreme Court, in a matter concerning minority educational institu-
tions, ruled in October 2002 that a state may be considered as the basic unit
for the protection of the right of minorities to set up minority educational in-
stitutions .
Subsequently, a May 2007 cabinet proposal defined minorities along these
lines - so Hindus were a minority in states such as Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab,
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalayaand Mizoram.
While the NCM's recommendations are often ignored, the Centre is required
to present its reports, along with an action taken report, to Parliament.
Flood Management - SOP
What is 111':' JlllpOn"nu: 01 :>\,1\ .,'
Standard Operating Procedure laysguidelines to be followedby various public
agencies and government departments.
The functionaries include district collectors,urban local bodies (ULBs),devel-
opment authorities, the health department, Public Works Department (PWD)
and the IMD.
Some of the key tasks to be undertaken by the ULB include setting up emer-
gency operations centres (EOCs) and crisis-control room in the corporation
room and municipal wards.
Not only it is supposed to drain flood waters from all roads under its control,
it has to repair, restore and maintain all roads, storm water drains, etc, along
with other infrastructure.
\\'!ut ale the hIles (it he;dUi ,t.:;, j "'Jdlb';
At the preparatory stage, the department has to prepare an emergency health
crisis management plan for prevention of epidemic.
It has to establishan EpidemicControl Unit (ECU),analysedata receivedfrom
hospitalsand alsomaintain emergencystockof medicine,equipment and blood.
What is the role of PWD and lrrig'l;W\j departlEUlt"
At the preparation stage, PWD is supposed to maintain the drains periodically
and update the Drainage Master Plan.
It must redesign existing storm water and drainage systems in flood-prone ar-
eas for adequate flow of volume of drainage.
vvhat is the role of Power sUPI,h .uid Telecommumcatioo ;1. \:,:1'1'
Power supply department needs to identify sensitive locations around high-
risk power installations and raise the level of transformers and substations
above flood level.
 China's Belt And Road Initiative How is India reacting to BRI?
Why in news? Officially,India says it cannot en-
dorse the BRI in its present form,
Recently UNSC adopted a resolution on security in Afghanistan, which also since it includes the CPEC, which
included a reference to regional development initiatives such as China's Belt
and Road Initiative (BRI). runs through Indian Territory un-
der illegal Pakistani occupation
China promptly announced that this reference reflected a global consensus on (Gilgit-Baltistan).
the BRI.
Somehavearguedforthe more "prag-
What is BRI? matic" approach of a partial endorse-
The ongoing initiative is part of an intensifying campaign to mobilise high-lev- ment, as the initiativerollsout in var-
el attendance at the Beltand Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), ious countries,India can engagewith
hosted by China in mid-May. them (and with China) to promote
projectsthat would be of benefit.
The declared purpose is to review progress of the BRI, obtain perspectives of
stakeholders and plan new trajectories of cooperation. On the other hand India should ask
China whether it is willing to ad-
China's global outreach through connectivity and infrastructure development dress its concerns in such a way as
originated through BRI in 20l3. to enable high-level Indian partici-
The Silk Road Economic Belt includes land corridors from China through pation.
Central Asia and Russia to Europe with spurs to West Asia and to Pakistan _ India should ask China, whether it
the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). would be willing to declare that the
CPEC is not a component of the BRI
The 21st century Maritime SilkRoad links China'seast coast through major sea but a separate bilateral China-Paki-
lanes to Europe in the west and the Pacificin the east. stan project.
Together,they constitute the BRI,originally "One Belt One Road" initiative. A senior Chinese diplomat said
What are the proposed objectives of BRU drawing attention to Article 6 of
It is a rich mix of economic, developmental, strategic and geopoliticalmotives. the 1963 China-Pakistan "bound-
Chinese objectivesof the BRIare finding outlets for excesscapacity of its man- ary" agreement (in which Pakistan
ufacturing and construction industries. ceded the "Trans-Karakoram tract"
to China), wherein the two sides
Increasing economic activity in its relativelyunderdeveloped western region. agreed that after the J&Kissue is re-
And creating alternative energy supply routes to the choke points of the Straits solved, China would renegotiate the
of Hormuz and Malacca, through which almost all of China'smaritime oil im- boundary with the relevant sover-
ports pass. eign country.
The political subtext is strengthening China's influence over swathes of Asia Would China be willing to say the
and Africa, buttressing its ambitions to be a maritime power, and developing same today about the CPEC that
financing structures parallel to (and eventually competing with) the Bretton once the status of Gilgit-Baltistan
Woods system. is agreed bilaterally between India
What are the issue in BRU and Pakistan, China will renegoti-
ate with the sovereign authority the
Connectivity and infrastructure development are need of the hour for much of terms of transit of the corridor?
Asia, which lacks both finances required to develop them and the much need
capacity to develop them. Chinashouldincludethe existingland
corridor from India to Afghanistan,
But Chinese overcapacitymay override host countries' development priorities through Pakistanin the BRI.Thiscor-
in project selection. ridor would intersect the CPEC and
Political tensions between countries may prevail over considerations of eco- may therefore open new routes for
nomic benefit. Chinese goods to both India and M-
ghanistan, besides promoting India,
Local elites may corner the "spoils"from new projects, thereby exacerbating Pakistanand Afghanistantrade.
social tensions.
China should now use its strong po-
And financing strategies may result in countries sleepwalkinginto a debt trap sition to persuade Pakistan to recog-
(the Hambantota development projects in Sri Lanka provide a telling example). nise that this is in its best econom-
Much will depend on how sensitive China is to international and local con- ic interest Pakistan drops its state
cerns on these counts. . sportst)t~dterrorism. IJ IJ IJ

Initiatives/Pro rammes/Policies
GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES ANTI-RAGGING MO-
BILE APP: Union Human Resource Development Minis-
ter Prakash Javadekar launched an Anti-Ragging Mobile
App introduced by the University Grants Commission
(UGC) on 29 May 2017 in New Delhi. The mobile app
will help students register complaints against the menace
of ragging in the country. Prior to this, students had to
visit the website to register a complaint against ragging.
The new app will work only on Android system and will
facilitate students to register a complaint against ragging
immediately.
GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES TOILET USAGE CAM-
PAIGN, 'DARWAZA BAND': The Union Government,
on 30 May 2017, launched a new campaign called Darwa-
za Band on 30 May 2017 for the promotion of toilet usage
in the rural areas across the country. The aggressive new
campaign of the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation
called Darwaza Band seeks to promote toilet usage across
the villages of India. The campaign has been supported by
the World Bank.
INDIA'S FIRST ELECTRIC MASS TRANSPORT
PROJECT LAUNCHED IN NAGPUR: Maharashtra
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 26 May 2017 in-
augurated India's first Electric Mass Transport Project in
Nagpur. The pilot project envisages a fleet of 200 elec-
tric-powered public transport vehicles which will run
on Ola Cabs' app platform in Nagpur. Out of these 200
electric-powered vehicles, 100 e20 Electric Taxis were
manufactured by Mahindra & Mahindra group's Ma-
hindra Electric while Kinetic Green Energy and Power
Solutions has supplied 100 e-rickshaws, Kinetic Safar.
All these electric-powered public transport vehicles will
be fully owned by cab aggregator Ola. CM Fadnavis also
inaugurated an Electric Charging Station at the Nagpur
airport that was built by Ola itself. Ola also built three
other charging stations in Nagpur and all these four sta-
tions together have 53 charging points that can power the
entire fleet of 200 e-vehicles.
GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES HIGH SPEED TEJASEX-
PRESS: RailwaysMinister Suresh Prabhu on 22 May 2017
launched high speed, air-conditioned TejasExpress, a pre-
mium luxury train that will run from Mumbai to Goa. This
luxury train boasts of several modern facilities on-board
like LEDTV and tea/coffee vending machine. The train will
operate five days a week during non-monsoon period, and
three days a week during monsoon period.
UNION CABINET APPROVES ALLOCATION OF
2.5 PER CENT OF CRF FOR DEVELOPMENT AND
MAINTENANCE OF NATIONAL WATERWAYS:The
Union Cabinet, in May 2017, gave a green Signalto a pro-
posal jointly mooted by the Union Ministry of Shipping
and the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
(MoRTH) for amendment of Central Road Fund Act, 2000.
After the amendment, 2.5per cent of the proceedsof Central
RoadFund (CRF)will be allocatedfor developmentand main-
tenance of NationalWaterways(NWs) and a reduction in the
share providedfor developmentof NationalHighways.An al-
locationof2.5 per centof CRFproceedswouldprovidearound
Rs. 2000 crore per annum for the developmentand mainte-
nance ofNWs at existingratesof dutiesfunding the CRF.
UNION CABINET APPROVES SETTING UP OF AIIMS
IN KAMRUP: The Union Cabinet, presided by the Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, on 24 May 2017 gave its approval
for the establishment of new All India Institute of Medical
Sciences(AIIMS) at Kamrup in Assam. The institute will be
set up under the Pradhan Mantri SwasthyaSuraksha Yojana
(PMSSY).The estimated cost of the project is Rs.1l23 crore.
The new AIIMS will be completed in a period of 48 months
from the date of the approval of Government of India. The
pre-construction phase would be of 15months, while a con-
struction phase would be of 30 months. The stabilizationl
commissioning phase of would be of three months.
GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES SWACHH BHARATAPP:
Union Minister of Culture Mahesh Sharma on 23 May 2017
launched the Swachh Bharat App with an aim to involve
people actively to become part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
(Clean India Movement) in National Museum, Delhi. Pres-
ently, the Swachh Bharat App will be available for android
mobile phone users and can be downloaded from Google
Play Store. The App will be monitored by the Union Minis-
try of Culture and will play an important role in cultivating
the significanceof cleanliness to the citizens.
RAILWAY MINISTER INAUGURATED FREE WI-FI
FACILITY AT 28 RAILWAY STATIONS: Minister of
Railways,Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, on 21 May 2017, inau-
gurated free Wi-Fi facilityat 28 stations on the Konkan Rail-
way.The provision has been made possible through a tie-up
between Indian Railways and the broadband and internet
service provider SYSCON/Joister. The free internet would
be available at a speed of 2 Mbps for the whole of 24 hrs.
The initiative is in line with the Union government's Digital
India campaign. The service providers, SYSCON/JOISTER,
which are already providing JOISPOTbrand Wi-Fi in Pune
& Mumbai institutes, have undertaken the project as a part
Iof their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)activity.
 '\)
=====~(JM __
UNION CABINET APPROVES AMENDMENT OF
THE PUBLIC PREMISES ACT, 1971: the Union Cabinet
on 17 May 2017 approved the amendment 'inSection 2 and
Section 3 of the Public Premises (Eviction of Unauthorised
Occupants) Act, 1971.Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, the Cabinet gave its approval for the insertion of the
definition of 'residential accommodation occupation' in a
new clause in section 2 of the Act and the insertion of pro-
visions relating to eviction from residential accommodation
occupation in a new sub-section3B below sub-section 3A of
Section3 of the Act.the amendments would enablethe Estate
officerto apply summary proceedings for evicting unautho-
rised occupants from residentialaccommodations allotted to
them for a fixedterm or for a period they hold office.
CCEA APPROVES INDUSTRY-ACADEMIA COL-
LABORATIVE MISSION: the Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs on 17 May 2017 gave its approval for In-
dustry-Academia Collaborative Mission for accelerating
discovery research to early development for biopharmaceu-
ticals - "Innovate in India (13) empowering biotech entre-
preneurs & accelerating inclusive innovation." the Mission
will be funded by the Government of India. It will be im-
plemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance
Council (BIRAC),which is a Public Sector Undertaking of
Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
UNION CABINET APPROVES PAN-INDIA IMPLE-
MENTATION OF MATERNITY BENEFIT PROGRAM:
the Union Cabinet, on 17 May 2017, gave ex-post facto ap-
proval to Pan-India implementation of Maternity Benefit
Program. the program has been extended to all districts of
the country with effect from 1 January 2017. the Maternity
Benefit Program will grant compensation for the wage loss
in terms of cash incentives so that the women can take ad-
equate rest before and after delivery and not be deprived of
proper nutrition. the program aims to provide partial com-
pensation for the wage loss in terms of cash incentives so
that the woman can take adequate rest before and after de-
livery of the first living child. the cash incentives provided
would lead to improved health seeking behaviour amongst
the Pregnant Women and Lactating Mother to reduce the
effectsof under-nutrition namely stunting, wasting and oth-
er related problems.
GOVERNMENT REVISES BASE YEAR OF WPI TO
2011-2012 FROM 2004-05: the Department of Industri-
al Policy and Promotion under Union Ministry of Com-
merce and Industry on 12 May 2017 revised the base year
of All-India Wholesale Price Index (WPI) from 2004-05 to
2011-12.the base year ofWPI was revised in order to align
it with the base year of other macroeconomic indicators like
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Index ofIndustrial
Production (IIP). In the revised series, WPI will continue
'tc.__ ~)=======
to constitute three Major Groups namely Primary Articles,
Fuel & Power and Manufactured Products.
CSO REVISESBASEYEAROF lIP TO 2011-2012 FROM
2004-05: the Central Statistics Office (CSO), under Minis-
try of Statisticsand Programme Implementation, on 12May
2017 revised the base year of the all-India Index of Indus-
trial Production (IIP) from 2004-05 to 2011-12. the new
base year was selectedkeeping in view the base year of other
macroeconomic indicators namely Gross Domestic Prod-
uct (GDP) and Consumer Price Index (CPI).IIP in the new
series will continue to consist of three sectors viz. Mining,
Manufacturing and Electricity,as in the existing series. the
National Industrial Classification 2008 will be followed in
the new series for the purpose of classificationof products
as per industries. the unit coverage of IIP will, as before,
cover entities in the organized sector units registered under
the Factories Act, 1948. the Use-Based Classification was
revised to reflect the industrial segments and production
more accurately as well as to map the products more accu-
rately as per their use in the industries. the new use based
classificationincludes Primary Goods, Intermediate Goods,
Infrastructure/Construction Goods, Capital Goods, Con-
sumer Durable Goods and Consumer Non-Durable Goods.
GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES PNEUMOCOCCAl.
CONJUGATE VACCINE AGAINST PNEUMONL\:
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda
on 13May 2017launched Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine
(PCV) against Pneumonia under the Universal Immuniza-
tion Programme (DIP). PCV will protect children against
severe forms of pneumococcal disease, such as pneumonia
and meningitis. Currently, the vaccine is being rolled out to
approximately 21 lakh children in Himachal Pradesh and
in some parts of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the first phase.
these vaccines will later be introduced in Madhya Pradesh
and Rajasthan in 2018 and will be eventually expanded
across the country in a phased manner.
PM MODI LAUNCHES INTEGRATED CASE MAN-
AGEMENT SYSTEM OF SUPREME COURT: Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, on 10 May 2017, launched the in-
tegrated case management system of the Supreme Court in
New Delhi. this move is the apex court's first step towards
becoming a paperless, digital court. The new digital system
will enable the litigants to accesstheir data and retrieve any
information required online. Chief Justice of India, [agdish
Singh Khehar has proposed to integrate the system with all
the 24 high courts and subordinate courts in the country.
NITIN GADKARI INAUGURATES COUNTRY'S 1ST
BIO REFINERY PLANT: Nitin Gadkari, the Union
Minister for Road Transport and Highways inaugurated
India's first biorefinery plant that produces ethanol from
==========~6~..>;~E~~~~===========
~~'~ ..-;:~7
a variety of biomass in Pune on 7 May 2017. The project
is located at Rahu, a village in Daund Taluka in Pune Dis-
trict of Maharashtra. The newly set up plant is capable
of producing one million litres of ethanol per annum by
processing a variety of agricultural residue including rice
and wheat straw, cotton stalk, cane trash, corn cobs with
superior product yields.
GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES 'E-SANAD' FOR DIGI-
TAL ATTESTATION OF DOCUMENT: The government
on 24 May 2017 announced a service to digitise the process
of attestation of documents for those going abroad, so that
they are spared the trouble of visiting government offices
for the purpose. 'e-Sanad' -- an initiativeof the Ministry of
ExternalAffairs(MEA),in associationwith two other minis-
tries -- will initiallybe hosting school leavingcertificateswith
the help of Central Board of SecondaryEducation (CBSE).In
subsequent phases, the portal will also host documents from
centraluniversities.'ParinaamManjusha',the CBSErepository
of documentslikemark-sheetsand migrationscertificates,has
been integratedwith e-Sanadfor this purpose.
HRD MINISTRY LAUNCHES VIDYA VEERTA ABHI-
YAN:Prakash[avadekar,Union Ministerof Human Resource
Development, on 2 May 2017 launched the Vidya Veerta
Abhiyanin New Delhi. In addition,the minister also released
a collageof photo portraits and book on ParamveerChakra
recipients.The portraits were presented to Vice-Chancellors
of JawaharlalNehru University,Delhi University,Iamia Milia
Islamia,Jammuand lIT Delhi,among others.
IPlaces in News
DUBAI: Dubai on 1 May 2017 became the first city in the
world to get its own Microsoft Font. The Dubai Font was
launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid
Al Maktoum, Dubai's Crown Prince and Chairman of the
Executive Council.Dubai Font is the first typeface devel-
oped by Microsoft for Dubai. The font is available in three
styles as 'Dubai', 'Dubai Medium' and 'Dubai Light' and can
be in Italics, Underlined and Bold. The font is now avail-
able to more than 100 million users of Microsoft Office365
around the world.
MANCHESTER: A suicide bombing was carried out at
Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, followinga con-
cert by American singer Ariana Grande on 22 May 2017.
The attacker was identified as Salman Ramadan Abedi, a
22-year-old British Muslim who detonated a shrapnel-laden
improvised explosivedevice at the exit of the arena after the
event. Twenty-three adults and children, including Abedi,
were killed and 116were injured, some critically.
ROYAL TYRRELL MUSEUM OF PALAEONTOLOGY,
ALBERTA: The. Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
f Alberta in Canada. was in the news in May 2017 when
paleontologists in Canada unveiled a dinosaur mummy
that had been encased in stone for over 110 million years.
The remains of the armour-plated nodosaur, which is a
3000-pound plant-eating horned creature, went on display
on 12 May 2017.Thedinosaur mummy has all the skin and
gut contents intact. It is also a never-seen-before species of
nodosaur, as wellas the oldest dinosaur ever found in Alber-
ta. Its preserved skin and gut contents could provide invalu-
able clues on the extinct species. The fossilwas accidentally
discovered by miners six years ago.
I Books & Authors
CONFESSIONS OF A DYING MIND: The blind faith of
atheism:by HaulianlalGuite:Kiren Rijiju,the Union Minister
of State for Home Affairs,on 23 May 2017 unveileda philo-
sophical novel on God titled "Confessionsof a dying mind:
The blind faith of atheism;' in New Delhi. The book, touted
as world'sfirst philosophicalnovel on God, is penned by lAS
officerHaulianlalGuite.It has been publishedby a UK based
Bloomsbury Publishing. Haulianlal Guite, from Manipur, is
hailed asthe firstcivilservantto writeon PhilosophyafterJohn
StuartMill'swork titled "On Liberty"publishedin 1858.
MANN KI BAAT:compiled by BlueKraftDigital:President
Pranab Mukherjee, on 26 May 2017, received the first copy
of a compilation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann
Ki Baat radio chats. Compiled by BlueKraft Digital Foun-
dation and published by LexisNexis,the book was released
by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, who presented the
first copy to the President. The book givesreaders a chance
to get to know some hitherto unknown facets of the Prime
Minister's thinking, his beliefs and his thought process.
RISING STAR:The Making of Barack Obama: by David J.
Garrow: BarackObama createdhistory by becoming the first
African-Americanto serveasthe presidentof the UnitedStates
ofAmerica.Beingan iconicfigurein Americanhistory,Obama
garnerspeople'sattention and so does a new biographyof him
written by PulitzerPrizewinning author David J Garrow.Ris-
ing Star:The Makingof BarackObama by David J Garrowis a
1460-pagevoluminousbiographyof BarackObama which ex-
tensivelytalks about his formativeyearsand influentialfigures
who helped in the makingof an extraordinaryleader.
WOMEN WHO WORK: Rewriting the Rules for Success:
by Ivanka Trump: US President Donald Trump's daughter
Ivanka Trump released her new book Women Who Work:
Rewriting the Rules for Successon May 2,2017. As the title
 suggests, Ivanka shares her success mantras and offers ad-
vice to women on achieving work-life balance and personal
fulfilment both at the same time.
HERO - A BIOGRAPHY OF SACHIN RAMESH TEN-
DULKAR: by Devendra Prabhudesai
VIKRAM SETH'S A SUITABLE BOY TO BE ADAPTED
ON TV: Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy I is all set to be adapted
on the small screen by BBC. The news was disclosed by pub-
lisher Aleph Book Company in an official press release on May
5,2017. Set in the backdrop of post-independent India, A Suit-
able Boy follows four linked families in north India. The story
revolves around Mrs Rupa Mehra who is in search of a suit-
able husband for her youngest daughter Lata. Meanwhile the
daughter is torn between her duty towards her mother and the
idea of romance with her suitors. The book was first published
in 1993 and has sold over 26 million copies worldwide.
IConferences/Summits
ONE BELT, ONE ROAD SUMMIT: The One Belt, One
Road (OBOR) Summit or Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
was held in Beijing, China, in May 2017. The Summit
showcased its plans to build a network of trade routes
under the One Belt, One Road initiative. Leaders from
Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America gathered in Bei-
jing to work on details of the One Belt, One Road plan.
However, India chose to boycott the summit. Six 6 of
India's neighbours, namely Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal,
Bangladesh, Myanmar and Afghanistan, attended the
Summit and Signed 20 infrastructure deals with China
at the Belt and Road Forum.The two-day OBOR Summit
identified and agreed on 270 deliverable goals of Belt and
Road Initiative. The Forum resulted in signing of a joint
communique by 30 heads of state that promised to im-
plement plans for cooperation in trade and infrastructure
programs across Asia, Europe and Africa.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF VESAK CELEBRATIONS:
The International Day of Vesakcelebrationswas held in Co-
lombo from 12 May to 14 May 2017. Indian Prime Minister
Narendra Modi travelledto Sri Lankaon 11Mayto attend the
festival.Thefestivitiesincludedan InternationalBuddhistCon-
ference,whichwitnessedparticipationfrom over400delegates
from more than 100countriesacrossthe world.Buddha Purni-
rna or "Vesak'',the day of the FullMoon was observedglobally
on 10May 2017.The day marks the birth of Gautam Buddha,
who wasborn two and a halfmillenniaagoin the year 623 B.c.
It was alsoon this day that the Buddhaattained enlightenment
under the Mahabodhi tree at Bodh Gayaand it was on the day
ofVesakthat the Buddhapassedaway.
STONE SCULPTURESEXHIBITION: Union Minister of
State(Independent Charge)for Culture and Tourism,Mahesh
Sharma inaugurated an exhibitiontitled 'Return of the Three
StoneSculpturesfromAustraliato India'in the NationalMuse-
um in NewDelhion 23 May2017.The exhibitmarked the safe
return of three Indian stone sculptures including the 'Seated
Buddha: 'Worshippersof Buddha' and 'Goddess Pratyangira'
from Australiato India.The sculptureswerepurchased by the
National Galleryof Australia(NGA) from the Nancy Wiener
Galleryin New Yorkin 2007 and the Art of the Past antique
store in New York in 2005. The artefacts were stolen from
templesor archaeologicalsitesand smuggledout of India and
sold with false ownership histories by the dealers.The NGA
had acquired them unintentionallyand was the first to report
discrepancyin the artefacts'ownershiphistory.
17TH WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY:The 70th World
Health Assembly (WHA) opened at the Geneva-based UN
headquarters in Switzerland on 22 May 2017. The World
Health Assembly is the main decision-making body of the
World Health Organization (WHO).
START UP INDIA SUMMIT: The two-day 'Start up India
Summit' was held in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), in May 2017. The summit was the
first of its kind to be held in the UAE.It was organised by the
Consul General ofIndia (CGI) in Dubai and the Embassyof
India in Abu Dhabi in partnership with iSPIRIT,a non-prof-
it think tank and supported by TiE, Dubai, a non-profit as-
sociation dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship. The main
aim of the summit was to provide a common platform for
the Startup eco system in both India and UAE in order to
encourage greater collaboration, exchange of ideas and in-
teraction with academia, investors and industry. The sum-
mit also aimed to provide the start-ups with access to the
funding from venture capitalists in the UAE.
INDIA-PACIFIC ISLANDS SUSTAINABLEDEVELOP-
MENT CONFERENCE: India has hosted a two-day Pacific
Islands Conference in Suva, the capital city of Fiji. The In-
dia-PacificIslands SustainableDevelopmentConferenceheld
between25 and 26 May2017washosted by Ministryof Exter-
nal Affairs.The conferencethat was inauguratedby the Acting
FijianPrime Minister AiyazSayed-Khaiyumsaw the signing
of eight MoUs on the day of inauguration. TheseMoUswere
Signedon 25 May 2017 by fiveparticipating nations, namely
Fiji,Cook Islands,Nauru, Samoaand Niue.On behalfof India,
the inauguralsessionof the conferencewas addressedby Gen.
(Dr) Y.K. Singh(Retd),Ministerof Statefor ExternalAffairs.
MEETING OF INDIA-RUSSIA INTERGOVERNMEN-
TAL COMMISSION: The Co-Chairs of the India-Russia
Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic,
Scientific,Technologicaland Cultural Cooperation (IRIGC-
TEC) was held on 10 May 2017 in New Delhi. The delega-
tions of the two nations were led by External Affairs Minis-
ter Sushma Swaraj and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russia
Dmitry Olegovich Rogozin. During the meet, the two lead-
ers reviewed the progress made on various bilateral issues
since the last meet that was held on 13 September 2016.
They also looked forward towards the preparations for the
forthcoming India-Russia Annual Summit that is scheduled
to be held in St. Petersburg on 1 June 2017.
HADR EXERCISE: The annual Joint Humanitarian Assis-
tance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Exercise was held at Karwar
naval station in May 2017. Named as 'Karavali Karunya', the
exercise was conducted by Indian Navy's Western Naval Com-
mand. It involvedboth professionalexchangeand actualdisas-
ter responsemechanismsset on a Tsunamidisasterscenario.
SIMBEX-17:Simbex-17,a bilateralnavalexercisebetweenIn-
dia and Republicof Singaporewas held in the SouthChina Sea
in May 2017. Indian naval ships Shivalik,Sahyadri,Jyotiand
Kamorta and one P8-I Maritime Patrol and Anti-Submarine
WarfareAircraftparticipatedin the excercise.
CORPAT 2017:The 29th seriesof India- IndonesiaCo-Ordi-
nated Patrol (CORPAT)commenced on 9 May 2017 at Port
Blairunder the aegisof Andaman and NicobarCommand.The
IndonesianNavalShipKRISutediSenoputraarrivedat Haddo
Wharf, Port Blairto mark the commencement of the 29th se-
ries ofIND-INDO CORPAT.An Indonesian Maritime Patrol
Aircraftalso flewin with the Indonesian Navaldelegationled
by FirstAdmiralBambangIrwanto to INSUtkrosh,Port Blair.
The closingceremonytook place at Belawan,Indonesia from
22 to 25 May2017.The two navieshavebeen carryingout Co-
ordinated Patrolling(CORPAT)alongthe InternationalMari-
time BoundaryLine(IMBL)twicea year since2002.
IReport & Surveys
MUMBAI, KOTA FEATURE IN THE WORLD'S TOP
TEN MOST CROWDED CITIES: Two Indian cities -
Mumbai and Kota - were in May 2017 named among the
world's most crowded in a list topped by Dhaka, said the
World Economic Forum (WEF), citing UN-Habitat data.
With a population density of 44,500 people per square kilo-
metre, Dhaka, the capitalof Bangladesh,is the most crowded
city on the planet, followedby India's financialcapitalMum-
bai, home to 31,700people per square kilometreat the second
place. Kota in Rajasthanwith 12,100people per square kilo-
metre was ranked seventh.Others in the list include Medellin
in Columbiaranked third with 19,700peopleper squarekilo-
metre, Manila, Philippines(4th, 14,800),Casablanca,Moroc-
co (5th, 14,200),Lagos,Nigeria (6th, 13,300),Singapore(Sth,
10,200)and Jakarta,Indonesia(9th, 9,600).
INDIA BECOMES SECOND LARGEST STEEL PRO-
DUCER IN THE WORLD: India has emerged as the
second largest stainless-steel producer in the world after
China. India overtook Japan as the second-biggest pro-
ducer in 2016, according to data released by the Interna-
tional Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) at their annual con-
ference held recently between May 14-19, 2017 at Tokyo,
Japan. The International Stainless Steel Forum (ISSF) is a
non-profit research and development organisation which
was founded in 1996 and which serves as the focal point
for the international stainless steel industry. India's stain-
less steel production rose to 3.32 million tonne in 2016
showing an impressive growth of about 9% over 3 million
tonne it produced in 2015.
THREE OF BRITAIN'S FOUR WEALTHIEST ARE IN-
DIANS: The wealthiest persons in Britain are India-born,
according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2017 which
places the Hinduja brothers Srichand and Gopichand at
the top of 134 billionaires. The brothers' estimated riches:
16.2 billion pounds, 3.2 billion pounds more than 2016.
Overall, the United Kingdom has witnessed, contrary to
all expectations, what can only be described as a Brexit
boom. Its billionaires are richer than before, so much so
that the combined wealth of the top 500 individuals and
families is more than the total put up by 2016's wealthiest
1,000. David and Simon Reuben, of Iraqi Jewish origin
but Mumbai-born, have slipped from first to third place
this year with an estimated wealth of 14 billion pounds.
Steel magnate Lakshmi N Mittal is fourth with 13.2 bil-
lion pounds; the increase in his wealth from last year is
quite phenomenal at 6.1 billion pounds.
INDIA EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE 7.1% GROWTH IN
2017: UN report: The United Nations (UN) on 1 May 2017
releaseditsannualflagshipreport titled 'TheEconomicand So-
cial Surveyof Asiaand the Pacific2017'.Thereport saysIndia
is expected to achieve7.1 per cent economic growth in 2017
as re-monetization restores consumption and infrastructure
spendingincreases.The report said India'sgrowthwould edge
up to 7.5per cent nextyear.Thesetargetswill be met by higher
private and public consumption and increased infrastructure
spending.
KERALA SECURES 1ST POSITION IN PUBLIC AF-
FAIRS INDEX 2017: In the latest survey of think-tank
Public Affairs Centre (PAC), Bengaluru, released in May
2017, two South Indian States - Kerala and Tamil Nadu
- secured first and second rankings for the second year
in a row while poll-bound Gujarat gained two positions
rising from five in 2016 to three in 2017 in public affairs
index (PAl) in governance in States. Karnataka slipped
from third position in 2016 to fourth in 2017 while Ma-
harashtra stood fifth (4th in 2016) in governance indi-
cators. There was no change in the last four positions
among large States. Like in the previous year, Bihar
(18th), Jharkhand (l7th), Odisha (l6th) and Assam (l5th)
are at the bottom of the table in PA. The survey was based
on 10 themes, 26 focus subjects and 82 indicators. Among
12 small States (population less than two crore), Himachal
wrested the first rank, followed by Goa and Mizoram. Delhi
slipped from third position in 2016 to 9th position in 2017.
Meghalaya (12th), Arunachal Pradesh (Ll th) and Jammu
Kashmir (10th) are at the bottom of the table.
Punjab is the best performer among all States in the cat-
egory of essential infrastructure. Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh and Gujarat secured second, third and fourth
positions, respectively.
Kerala, Assam and Madhya Pradesh secured top three
ranks in implementation of social protection policies,
while Telangana, Haryana and Punjab are lagging in
execution of various State and Central government
schemes.
INDORE IS THE CLEANEST CITY IN SWACHH
SURVEKSHAN 2017 RANKINGS: Indore has been de-
clared the cleanest city in India among 434 cities surveyed
for the government cleanliness ranking by the Quality
Council of India, according to the Swachh Survekshan
2017 report. Union Urban Development Minister Ven-
kaiah Naidu on 4 May 2017 released the Swachh Survek-
shan 2017 report which had the Swachh Bharat rankings
of 434 cities based on their level of cleanliness. Madhya
Pradesh's capital - Bhopal - came second. Mysuru,
which had topped the list in 2016, came fifth this year.
State-wise, Gujarat has the highest number, with 12 of its
cities among the top 50 clean cities followed by Madhya
Pradesh with 11 and Andhra Pradesh with eight. Union
Territory Chandigarh, which had stood second last year,
slipped to the eleventh position this year.
1M iscellaneous
INDIA ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF UN-HABITAT:
India was, in May 2017, unanimously elected as the pres-
ident of the UN-Habitat, an organ of the United Nations
promoting sustainable human settlements across the
globe. UN-Habitat reports to the United Nations Gen-
eral Assembly. On behalf of India, Housing and Urban
Poverty Alleviation Minister M Venkaiah Naidu will pre-
side over the deliberations of the 58-member Governing
Council (GC) of the UN-Habitat for the next two years.
Since the UN-Habitat came into being in 1978, it is the
third time that India has been elected to lead this organi-
sation after 2007 and 1988.
PURNIMA DEVI BARMANNOMINATED FOR WHIT-
LEY AWARDS: Renowned wildlife biologist, Dr Purnima
Devi Barman, was in May2017,nominated for the prestigious
Whitley Awards.Barman has been nominated for her relent-
less effortsand campaignsfor the conservationof the Greater
Adjutant Storklocallyknown as Haargilain Assam.The wild-
lifebiologisthas been workingwith the Dadara,Pachariyaand
HingimarivillagesofKamrup districtto savethe GreaterAdju-
tant Stork.She is associatedwith Aaranyak,a Guwahatibased
NGO,whichworksfor wildlifeconservation.
EL SALVADORBECOMES FIRST COUNTRY TO BAN
METALS MINING: El Salvador in April 2017 became the
first country in the world to ban metal mining. The El Sal-
vador unicameral legislature passed the ban with support
from a sweeping coalition. The law was favoured by nearly
80 percent of the El Salvadorian population. The law bans
"prospection, exploration, exploitation, extraction or pro-
cessing of metallic minerals in El Salvador."The law entered
into force after being signed by President Salvador Sanchez
Ceren.
LAST DINOSAUR SPECIES TO SURVIVE ON EARTH
DISCOVERED: The fossil of one of the last living African
dinosaurs was recently discovered in a phosphate mine in
northern Morocco. The species, Chenanisaurus barbaricus,
is reportedly one of the last ones to have survived on Earth
before an asteroid strike wiped them out 66 million years
ago. The project was carried out as a part of an international
scientificcollaboration that aims to conserve Morocco'srich
fossil heritage by helping create and study the country's pa-
leontology collections.
WCD MINISTRY RELEASESREADER WITH GUIDE-
LINES FOR RAISING HAPPY CHILDREN: The Ministry
of Women and Child Development, in May 2017, released a
reader titled 'Raising Happy Children and Providing Safe
Childhoods: Divided into three parts, the reader aims to
serve as a guide for parents, teachers and community mem-
bers on how to prevent crime and violence by children and
give suggestions to help them create a more protective and
caring environment for their children.
SC CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE FOR FOUR CON-
VICTS OF 2012 DELHI GANG RAPE CASE: The Su-
preme Court on 5 May 2017confirmed the death penalty for
the four convicts of the 2012 gang-rape and murder of Nir-
bhaya. A bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra and Justices
R Banumathi and Ashok Bhushan was hearing an appeal
filed by the four convicts - Akshay, Pawan, Vinay Sharma
and Mukesh, who challenged the Delhi High Court's ruling
of confirmation of death sentence handed to them by a trial
~. r+:' 1'\1".
SUALGIRI, SWALGIRI COMMUNITIES NOTIFIED
AS SCHEDULED CASTES: Odisha's Sualgiri and Swal-
giri communities have been notified as Scheduled Castes
following President Pranab Mukherjee's assent to a new
law. The Rajya Sabha had in April 2017 passed the bill on
it after it was cleared by the Lok Sabha in March. The pres-
ident gave the nod to the Constitution (Scheduled Castes)
Order (Amendment) Act, 2017, on 28 April 2017. The SC
category status will entitle these communities to reservation
in government jobs and admission in educational institu-
tions, besides some other financial benefits. Some of the
major schemes for the scheduled castes include post-matric
scholarship,national overseasscholarship, RajivGandhi na-
tional fellowship,concessionalloans from National Sched-
uled Castes Finance and Development Corporation, hostel
facilitiesfor the SCboys and girls etc.
INDIAN RAILWAYS TO BUILD THE WORLD'S HIGH-
EST RAILWAY BRIDGE: Railways Ministry on 3 May
2017 announced to build the world's highest railwaybridge
over the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir in around
two years from now. This railway bridge is expected to be
35 metres taller than the EiffelTower of Paris. The massive
arch-shaped structure of bridge is already under construct-
ed at a cost of around Rs 1100 crore in hostile terrain.De-
signed to withstand wind speeds of up to 260 km per hour,
the bridge will connect Bakkal(Katra) and Kauri (Srinagar).
The bridge forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch be-
tween Katra and Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur-
Srinagar-Baramulla rail link project.
NAURU RATIFIES INTERNATIONAL SOLAR AL-
LIANCE PACT: Nauru, world's smallest republic and the
tiny island nation, on 23 May 2017 ratified the International
Solar Alliance (ISA) Framework pact. With this, Nauru be-
came the sixth country to ratify ISApact. Fivemore African
nationsincludingComoros,Cote d'lvoire,Somalia,Ghana and
Djiboutihavecommittedto signthe SolarAlliancepact during
the ongoingmeetingof the AfricanDevelopmentbank in Gu-
jarat,India.Thisisthe firsttime that India ishostingthe annual
meeting of the AfricanDevelopmentBank (AIDB).India had
joined the African Development Bank in 1983.
UN RELEASES THE FIRST DRAFT OF NUCLEAR BAN
TREATY: The United Nations on 22 May 2017 released the
first draft of the nuclear ban treaty that would legally pro-
hibit the possession of nuclear weapons, in the faceof strong
opposition from all the nuclear-armed states including the
United States.The draft was released in Geneva by Costa Ri-
can UN ambassador Elayne Whyte Gomez, who is leading
the UN conference negotiating the ban. It condemns the use
of nuclear weapons, terming it as a violation of the interna-
tional humanitarian law.
IScience & Technology
CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON WORLD'S LARGEST
TELESCOPE IN CHILE: Construction of the world's larg-
est optical telescope has started in northern Chile, marking
the dawn of a new era of astronomy. The Extremely Large
Telescope (ELT) is being built by the European Southern
Observatory (ESO), an intergovernmental astronomy or-
ganization in Europe, and is expected to begin operating
in 2024. With the main mirror 39 meters in diameter, the
ELTwill be the largest optical and infrared telescope in the
world and will take telescope engineering into new territory.
The giant telescope will be housed in an enormous rotating
dome that is 85 meters in diameter -- comparable in area to
a football pitch, according to t~ ESO.The ELTwill sit atop
Chile's 3,000-meter-high Cerro Armazones mountain in the
Atacama Desert, a plateau covering a strip ofland on Chile's
Pacificcoast west of the Andes mountains.
DUBAI POLICE RECRUITS WORLD'S FIRST ROBO-
COP: The Dubai police on 22 May 2017 officiallyinduct-
ed the world's first operational robot police officer 'Rob-
ocop' into the force at the 4th Gulf Information Security
Expo and Conference (GISEC). The launch of the world's
first operational Robocop is a significant milestone for the
United Arab Emirates' vision to be a global leader in smart
cities technology adoption.The Robocop is over 5 feet tall
and weighs 100 kg. It has a facial recognition software with
which it can identify offenders. It is capable of speaking six
languages and people can use its built-in tablet device to ac-
cess various police services. Through its tablet, it can also
communicate with people, respond to public queries, shake
hands and can do a military salute. It features an emotion
detector through which it can recognize a person's gestures
and body language from nearly fivefeet away.It can identify
hand gestures from a distance of up to 1.5metres.
THAAD MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM OPERATIONAL
IN SOUTH KOREA: The US military, in May 2017,said its
controversial Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System
(THAAD) missile defence system had become operation-
al in South Korea. The system can intercept North Korean
missiles although full operational capability is still some
months away.Tensions have been rising around the Korean
peninsula, with repeated threats from North Korea and the
presence of a group of US warships and a submarine. North
Korea reacted angrily to the latest military exercise, accus-
ing the US of risking a nuclear war.THAAD missile defence
system is designed to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles.
It shoots down short and medium-range ballistic missiles in
the terminal phase of their flight. It uses hit-to-kill technol-
ogy - where kinetic energy destroys the incoming warhead.
NASA'S JUNO SPACECRAFT DISCOVERS EARTH-
SIZED STORMS ON JUPITER: NASXs Juno spacecraft
has discovered Earth-sized cyclones at the poles of the Ju-
piter. It has also unveiled the presence of the storm systems
that travel deep into the heart of the planet. Both the poles
of the Jupiter were found to be covered with Earth-sized
swirling storms which are densely clustered and rubbing
together. The findings were the result of the Juno probe's
first data-collection pass in August 2017. The spacecraft
flew for about 4,200 kilometres of Jupiter's swirling cloud
top. The findings suggest the presence of ammonia clouds
over the planet which are quite variable and continue to in-
crease up to a few hundred miles or kilometres. Measurements
of Jupiter's magnetosphere in4ticate that Jupiter has a stronger
magnetic field than expected which is more irregular in shape.
The magnetic field in the pl~t is in the order of 7.766 Gauss
which is about 10 times stronger than the strongest magnetic
field found on Earth. The next flyby of the Juno Probe has been
scheduled for July 11, 2017. During the flyby, the spacecraft
will fly directly over Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER FIRST NATURAL HUMAN
ANTIBODIES AGAINST EBOLA VIRUS: A team of
scientists from the United States, in May 2017, announced
to have discovered a possible cure for Ebola viruses. They
have discovered the first natural human antibodies that
are capable of neutralizing and protecting animals against
all three-major disease-causing ebola viruses. The findings
could lead to the discovery of first effective ebolavirus ther-
apies and vaccines. Scientists have discovered the broadly
neutralizing antibodies from the blood of a survivor of the
20l3-16 Ebola outbreak. Scientists have also pinpointed the
human gene which is expected to be the source of the immune
cells that produce these antibodies. These antibodies could
emerge as a single therapy to treat all Ebola viruses. Ebola virus
disease (EVD) is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. It was
first identified in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo in
a village near the Ebola River, from which it takes its name. It
is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the
human population through human-to-human transmission.
Fruit bats are natural host of this virus.
SCIENTISTS AT lIT DELHI DEVELOPS CHEAPEST
RESPIRATORY FILTER: Scientists at Indian Institute of
Technology Delhi, in May 2017, announced to have devel-
oped the device 'Nasofilter' which is capable of restricting
up to 95% of dust and air pollutants. Involving a cost of Rs
10, it is the cheapest naso filter available. The Nasofilter em-
ploys an incredible filter technology that gives protection
against the finest particulate pollutants especially the PM2.5
concentration. It offers protection for at least eight hours
and therefore helps in reducir+ the risk of resnirat v disc-s-
es. The device has an assembly of millions of small-sized pores
that creates a thin flexible membrane capable of capturing very
small particles with high efficiency;The design of the filter pro-
vides good breathability and comfort. The researchers involved
in the project were recently awarded with the "National Start-
ups Award" by President Pranab Mukherjee.
PROXIMA B LIKELY TO HAVE WATER AND SUPPORT
ALIEN LIFE: An Earth Like Planet called Proxima B orbiting
the closest neighboring Star, Proxima Centauri, which is about
4.2 light years away is expected to have liquid water and the
potential to support alien life. The planet Proxima B was dis-
covered in 2016. Earlier studies have concluded that the planet is
present inthe habitable zone of its star Proxima Centauri so much
so that it receives the right amount of light to sustain liquid wa-
ter on its surface. The planet is of similar size to the Earth and is
expected to have an 'Earth-like' atmosphere. Scientists from the
University of Exeter in the UK have undertaken new research to
explore the potential climate of the planet. Scientistssimulated the
climate of Proxima B. In contrast to Earth, the light from Proxima
B were found to be mostly in the infra-red The results from the
simulation showed that Proxima B could have the potential to be
habitable and lie ina remarkably stable climate regime.
CHINA SIMULATES LUNAR-LIKE ENVIRONMENT:
China recently announced to have set up a 160-square-meter
(l,nO-square-foot) laboratory - dubbed as "Yuegong-I" or
"Lunar Palace" for simulating a lunar-like environment. Four
Postgraduate students from the Beijing's astronautics research
university will live in the laboratory for up to 200 days in a bid
to prepare for China's long-term goal of putting humans on the
moon. The Lunar Palace is hailed as the world's third bioregen-
erative life-support base and the first to be developed in China.
The Lunar Palace is the first of its kind facility to involve ani-
mals and microorganisms as well as plants and humans. It has
two plant cultivation modules and a living cabin consisting of
four bed cubicles, a common room, a bathroom, a waste-treat-
ment room and a room for raising animals.
NASA DETECTS SIGNS OF WATER IN A DISTANT
NEPTUNE SIZED PLANET: Scientists have detected "a
strong water Signature" in the atmosphere of a distant Nep-
tune-sized planet called HAT-P-26b. The study conduct-
ed using NASXs Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes has
showed that HAT-P-26b has a primitive atmosphere com-
posed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. Although
the planet is not a water world, its atmosphere which is rela-
tively clear of clouds has a strong water signature. Research-
ers have detected the presence of water by pooling data ob-
tained from four transits when the planet passed in front of
its host star. By studying how the signatures of the starlight
changes, researchers can come up with the chemical compo-
it r ,r tn ,Mm, hprp
SCIENTISTS AT lIT CREATE LOW COST SOLAR na-have the capability ef sending .manned missions to
CELLS USING JAMUN: Scientists at IIT Roorkee recent- space.The rocket is called-far boy,as it is.the country's heavi-
ly used Indian summer fruit, Iamun, to create low cost and est (weighing640 tonnes) but smallest rocket (43 metres). It
more efficient solar cells. To create the solar cells, the re- will have a new and advanced indigenous cryogenic engine
searchers made use of naturally occurring pigment present to lift it off to the geostationary orbit.
in jamun as an inexpensive photosensitizer for Dye Sensi- ASTRONOMERS CREATE THE LARGEST MAP OF
tized Solar Cells (DSSCs) or Gratzel cells. Gratzel cells are UNIVERSE EVER:Astronomers using the Sloan Digital
nothing but thin film solar cells made of a porous layer of SkySurvey (SDSS)at the Ohio State University in the USh-
titanium dioxide (Ti02) coated photo anode, a layer of dye ave created the first map of the large-scale structure of the
molecules that are capable of absorbing sunlight, an elec- universe based entirely on the positions of quasars. Quasars
trolyte for regenerating the dye, and a cathode. The above are incredibly bright and distantpoints oflight.Scientistsused
components of the Gratzel cell form a sandwich-like struc- the Sloan Foundation Telescopeto observe the innumerable
ture with the dye molecule playing a crucial role through its quasars in order to make the map. The telescopeobservations
ability to absorb visible light. gavethe team the distancesof 1llequasars,which wereused to
ISRO SUCCESSFULLY LAUNCHES GSAT-9 'SAARC' create a three-dimensionalmap~ofwhere the quasars are lo-
SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNICATION SATELLITE: The cated.The survey known as Slsan DigitalSkySurveywas ex-
"South Asia satellite" built by India for use by countries tended to BaryonOscillationSpectroscopicSurvey(eBOSS)to
better understand the expansionhistory of the universe.
of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) region was launched aboard Geosynchronous UNMANNED US AIR FORCE SPACE PLANE LANDS
Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F09)from the second launch AFTER SECRET,TWO-YEAR ORBIT: The US military's
pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at the spaceport in experimental space plane, X-37B landed on 7 May 2017 at
Andhra Pradesh on 5 May 2017. The 49 metre-tall, 415 NASA'sKennedy Space Centre in Florida after completing a
tonne rocket slung into orbit, the 2,230kg South Asia Sat-
two-year-longclassifiedspace mission. The unmanned Boe-
ing-builtspaceplane,which resemblesa miniature spaceshut-
ellite, intended as an 'Indian Gift' for use by its fellow South
tle, blasted off in May 2015 aboard an Atlas5 rocket built by
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) na-
United LaunchAlliance,a joint effortbetweenLockheedMar-
tions save Pakistan, which had opted out, stating "it has its
tin Corp and BoeingCo. The space plane is reported to have
own space programme. Costing around Rs. 235 crores, the
conducted unspecified experiments for more than 700 days
satellite was initially known as the SAARC satellite but with
while in orbit, making it the fourth and lengthiestsecretmis-
Pakistan deciding to keep out, it is now called the South
sion managedby the Air ForceRapidCapabilitiesOffice.
Asia Satellite. Its lifespan is over 12 years. The satellite was
NASA'S FIRST INFLATABLE GREENHOUSE COULD
announced by Mr. Modi during the 2014 SAARC summit
ENABLEWATERRECYCLING ON MARS: NASAScien-
in Nepal. GSAT-09 satellite enables full range of applica-
tists have designed an inflatable greenhouse that could be
tions and services in the areas of telecommunication and
used one day by astronauts to grow fresh food and produce
broadcasting applications viz. Television, Direct-to-Home
oxygen on Mars or Moon. The first-of-its-kind sample in-
(DTH), Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), Tele-ed-
volvesan inflatable,deployablegreenhouse that can support
ucation, Telemedicine and Disaster Management Support.
plant and crop production for nutrition, air revitalization,
The 2,230-kg satellite was built by the Indian Space Research water recycling and waste recycling.The new approach uses
Organisation (ISRO) and has 12 Ku-band transponders. It plants to scrub carbon dioxide while providing food and ox-
is cuboid in shape and built around a central cylinder has a ygen for those working in deep space. This way the carbon
mission life of over 12years. dioxide exhaled by the astronauts will be introduced into
ISRO SET TO LAUNCH INDIA'S HEAVIEST ROCKET the greenhouse and the plants would then generate oxygen
'FAT BOY': TheIndian SpaceResearchOrganisation (ISRO) through the process of photosynthesis.
willbe launching the heaviest rocket ever made by India, the TEJAS SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRES AIR-TO-AIR
Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV MISSILE: Tejas,the Light Combat Aircraft on 12May 2017
Mk- III) on 5 June 2017. The rocket, called the 'Fat Boy',re- successfullyfired Derby Air-to-Air BVRmissile in RADAR
portedly weighsas much as 200 full-grown Asian elephants. guided mode, demonstrating an Air-to-Air Beyond Visual
It is not only capable of carrying the heaviest satellitesbut it Range (BVR) missile firing capability.The launch was per-
could also enable India to send manned missions to space, formed in Lock ON after Launch mode for a BVR target
making it only the fourth nation in the world to be able to in the look down mode and the target was destroyed. The
do so. Presently,only three countries-US, Russia and Chi-
 objective of the test was to assess the Derby integration with
aircraft systems on-board Tejas including the aircraft avion-
ics, fire-control radar, launchers and Missile Weapon Deliv-
ery System and verify its performance. The Derby test was
conducted on a Maneuverable Aerial Target at the Interim
Test Range (ITR), Chandipur.
TRIAL OF AGNI-II BALLISTIC MISSILE FAILS TO
MEET DESIRED PARAMETERS: India on 4 May 2017
flight -tested Agni- II Intermediate Range Surface- to-Surface
Ballistic Missile from Abdul Kalam Island in Bhadrak dis-
trict of Odisha. However, the user trial failed and it did not
meet 'all the desired parameters. The test was carried out by
the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) as part of a training
exercise. The Naval ships trat)ked the vehicle, while a net-
work of radars, telemetry and electro-optical instruments
monitored the trajectory. 'Iht last test of Agni-II Ballistic
Missile was carried out in 2014.
INDIA SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRES BLOCK-III VER-
SION OF BRAHMOS CRUISE MISSILE: Indian Army
on 2 May 2017 successfully test fired Block-III version of
BrahMos supersonic cruise missile in the Andaman & Nico-
bar Islands. The land-to-land configuration of BrahMoS
Block III version was launched from a Mobile Autonomous
Launcher (MAL). This was fourth successive successful
launch of the missile. It was tested for its full-range in order
to demonstrate the weapon's unmatched lethality of hitting
the centre of a designated target with 'bull's eye' precision.
India is also set to conduct the maiden test of BrahMos su-
personic cruise missile's air version soon.
NASA NAMES NEW SPECIES AFTER ABDUL KALAM:
NASA, in May 2017, named a new bacteria discovered on the
filters of the International Space Station, ISS, as Solibacillus
kalamii to honour the late president Dr A P J Abdul Kalam.
The genus is Solibacillus and the species name is kalamii. Re-
searchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory has found that the
bacteria remained on board the International Space Station for
40 months. The new organism is found only on the ISS and has
not been found anywhere on the earth. In 1963, Dr. Kalam had
his early training at NASA before setting up India's first rocket
launching facility at Thumba in Kerala.
INDIA TEST-FIRES SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILE 'SPY-
DER: India, on 11 May 2017, test fired a surface-to-air mis-
sile 'Spyder' from a mobile launcher at launch complex 3 of the
Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha as a part
of missile launch practice of a series of tests of the short-range
quick reaction. The trial was carried out for validating several
parameters of the sophisticated weapon system to further for-
tify India's air defence system. Spyder (Surface-to-air python
and DERby) is an acquired missile system from Israel which
is a short-range, quick reaction surface-to-air missile to neu-
tralize enemy targets up to a distance of 15 km and at heights
between 20-and-9,OOOmetres. Spyder is however, shorter than
India's indigenously developed surface-to-air 'Akash' missile,
which has a strike range of25 km. Spyder is an all-weather mis-
sile which has an automatic process of engaging an aggressive
aircraft or missile.
ISports
ATHLETICS 'I
OUVE RIDLEY TO BE MASCOT OF ASIAN ATHLETIC..s
CHAMPIONSHIPS: Odisha Chief minister Naveen Patnaik
on 7 May 2017 unveiled the logo and mascot of the Asian Ath-
letics Championships scheduled at Kalinga Stadium in Bhu-
baneshwar from July 6 to 9 in presence of athletic legends like P
T Usha and Anju Bobby George.While the logo depicts an ath-
lete crossing the finishing line with historical tourist attractions
ofOdisha in the backdrop, the mascot is named OLLYthat rep-
resents the famous Olive Ridley sea turtle. Beaches of Odisha
are a prime nesting site for these endangered sea turtles.Naveen
also formally announced Bhubaneswar as the host for the in-
ternational sports event. More than 700 athletes from nearly
45 countries would participate in 42 sports events during the
four-day sports extravaganza.
I BADMINTON I
P V SINDHU ELECTED TO BADMINTON WORLD
FEDERATION ATHLETES' COMMISSION: Olympics
silver medallist P V Sindhu on 24 May 2017 became the
second Indian to be inducted in the Badminton World Fed-
eration (BWF) Athletes' Commission. Before Sindhu, Saina
Nehwal was inducted to the Commission.Sindhu emerged
the highest voted player in the BWF Athletes' Commission
election that took place on the sidelines of the Sudirman
Cup in Gold Coast, Australia. She topped the ballot with
129 votes and will be joined by Marc Zweibler of Germany
and Kristy Gilmour of Scotland for a four-year term.The trio
will be joined by Lithuania's Akvile Stapusaityte, who will be
serving a two-year tenure after replacing China's Tan Yuant-
ing, who retired after serving just two years on the panel.
SOUTH KOREA BEATS CHINA TO WIN 2017
SUDIRMAN CUP: South Korea on 28 May 2017 defeated
China to lift their fourth Sudirman Cup title at Gold Coast,
Queensland, Australia.South Korea's women shuttlers played
an impeccable game to beat lO-time champions China with a
3-2 win in the final played at the Gold Coast Sports and Lei-
sure Centre in Australia. It was the first time that the event
was hosted outside Asia and Europe since its establishment in
1989.South Korea's other victories in the Sudirman Cup were skipper Rohit Sharma, who is the only captain to win a hat-
in 2003,1993 and 1991.The Sudirman Cup is the world mixed trick of titles. Rohit has in fact ow won four IPL titles (one
team badminton championship.The Cup is named after Dick for Deccan Chargers in 2009). For Mahendra Singh Dhoni,
Sudirman, a former Indonesian badminton player and the it was yet another finalthat ended in a defeat -- fifth in seven
founder of the Badminton Association ofIndonesia (PBS!).The summit clashes. In one of the closest finals during the 10
tournament takes place every two years. editions, the trio of Iasprit Bumrah (2/26 in 4 overs), Mitch-
ell Johnson (3/26 in 4 overs) and Lasith Malinga (0/21 in 4
\, CHESS overs) were brilliant at the death defending a lowly total of
129/8as Supergiant were restricted to 128for 6 at the'end
R.R. LAXMAN WINS ALL INDIA OPEN RAPID FIDE
RATING CHESS MEET: Grand Master R R Laxman of ASHWIN WINS INTERNATIONAL CRICKETER OF
Integral Coach Factory on 18 May 2017 won the All India THE YEAR AWARD: Indian off-spinner Ravichandran
Open Rapid FIDE Rating Chess Tournament at the Kshudi- Ashwin was conferred the much-desired International
ram Anushilan Kendra, Kolkata, West Bengal.Laxman fin- Cricketer of the Year award at the CEAT Cricket Rating
ished on top in the tournament with 9.5 points.FIDE Mas- (CCR) International awards 2017 on 24 May 2017.The
ter Mitrabha Guha racked up 8.5 points to finish second in award was presented by former Indian Cricket Captain
the 10-round tournament while untitled Srijit Paul finished Sunil Gavaskar and Chairman of RPG Enterprises Harsh
Goenka at a function held at the Cricket Club of India in
third ahead of Grand Master Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury
Mumbai. Earlier, he had won the ICC Cricketer of the Year
with a better tie-break score.
award in 2016 as well. With this, he has joined thctr~nk~
CRICKET' . of Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, the only two other
Indian cricketers to have received the honour.
JHULAN GOSWAMI BECOMES HIGHEST WICKET
TAKER IN WOMEN'S ODI: Former Indian women's
cricket captain Ihulan Goswami, on 9 May 2017, became
I FORMUfAONE-1
2017 SPANISH GRAND PRIX: LewisHamilton and Mer-
the leading wicket-taker in Women's One-Day Interna-
cedes, on 14 May 2017,stole a stunning victory in the Span-
tionals going past Australian Cathryn Fitzpatrick record of
ish Grand Prix from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.The race was
180wickets. Goswami, 34, took three wickets against South
held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona. A
Africa Women during the ongoing Women's Quadrangular
clever strategic move by the team followedby Hamilton at-
Series in South Africa taking her career tally of wickets to
tacking and passing Vettel put the Briton in control and he
181in 153matches at an averageof21.76.The ICC Women's
defended successfullyto the end. Hamilton's second win of
Cricketer of the Year 2007, Arjuna Awardee, Padma Shri
the season cut his deficitto Vettelin the championship to six
winner and the once the fastest bowler in women's cricket
points after five of 20 races.
has been the mainstay of India women bowling unit since
2017 MONACO GRAND PRIX: Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel
her debut in 2002.
of Germany on 28 May 2017 won the 2017 Monaco Grand
LAXMANAWARDEDHONORARYLIFEMEMBERSHIP Prix at the Circuit de Monac, La Condamine and Monte
OF MCC:Stylishformer India batsman v.v.s. Laxman on 11 Carlo, Monaco.The second place in the race was secured by
May 2017became the latest ex-India playerto be awardedan Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, while the third place was secured
honorary life membership to the Marylebone Cricket Club by Red Bull'sDaniel Ricciardo
(MCq.After fellow greats Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid,
SouravGangulyand Zaheer Khan, Laxmanis the fifth Indian
to receivethe honour.Laxmandonned the India jersey for 16
AIZAWL FC BECOMES FIRST NORTH-EASTERN
long years,featuringin as many as l34 Testsand 86 One Day
CLUB TO WIN 2016-17 I-LEAGUE: Aizawl FC, a hith-
Internationals(ODls).He scored 8,781Testruns at an average
erto little-known club from a remote corner of the country
of 45.97and 2338 om runs at 30.76.
with a shoe-string budget, were on 30 April 2017, crowned
MUMBAI INDIANS WIN 2017 IPL: Magnificent death I-Leaguechampions in one of the most remarkable achieve-
bowling saw Mumbai Indians snatch an incredible one-run ments in Indian football history.AizawlFC drew with Shil-
victory from the jaws of defeat against Rising Pune Supergi- long Lajong 1-1 in a highly- anticipated match at the [awa-
ant in a thrilling grand finale of the Indian Premier League harlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong as they clinched the title
in Hyderabad on 21 May 2017.This was Mumbai Indians' in a manner similar to what LeicesterCity did in the English
third IPL trophy in 10 editions and more special for their
Premier League last season. With this, Aizawl FC became
the first ever north-eastern club to win the title.
N'GOLO KANTE NAMED FOOTBALL WRITERS' AS-
SOCIATION FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR: Chelsea
midfielder N'Golo Kante was named Player of the Year by the
Football Writers Association(FWA) on 8 May 2017, adding to
his list of accolades this season, including the PFA Player of the
Year award. Kante joined Chelsea from Leicester in a 32 mil-
lion (38 million euros) move last year and has become an in-
strumental figure for Antonio Conte's league leaders. Kante is a
French professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder
for English club Chelsea and the France national team.
BENGALURU FC BEATS MOHUN BAGAN TO LIFT
FEDERATION CUP: A brace from CK, Vineeth in the
second period of extra time saw Bengaluru FC beat Mohun
Bagan 2-0 to be crowned the Federation Cup champions at
the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha, on 21 May 2017.
After both sides played out a 0-0 draw in regulation time,
it took two strikes from substitute Vineeth to settle the tie.
MANCHESTER UNITED LIFTS 2016-17 UEFA EURO-
PA LEAGUE TITLE: Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan
scored as Manchester United defeated Ajax 2-0 in Stock-
holm on 24 May 2017 to take home the 2016-17 UEFAEu-
ropa League crown, along with earning a spot in the 2017-
18 Champions League. It was the second major trophy of
the season for the Manchester United. Their first win for the
season was the 2016-17EFLCup. The trophy is not only the
Red Devils' first in the Europa League,but also made them
the fifth team to take home titles in all three of Europe'stop
club competitions, the Champions League, Europa League
and the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup. Manchester Unit-
ed won the latter competition, which ceased to exist after
1999,in 1991.The Red Devils won their first European Cup,
which later became the Champions League, in the 1967-68
season. dt
ARSENAL WINS 13TH F4- CUP: Arsene Wenger's tur-
bulent year ended with a thir~ FA Cup success in four sea-
sons after Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 at the WembleyStadium
in London, England, to deny the English Premier League
champions a double on 27 May 2017.Arsenal have recorded
the most number of FA Cup final wins in the history of the
tournament as they clinched their 13th title.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND LIFTS 2016-17 GERMAN
CUP: Borussia Dortmund on 27 May 2017 defeated Ein-
tracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the German Cup final held at the
Olympiastadion, Berlin. It was the fourth title for Borus-
sia Dortmund, a German sports club based in Dortmund,
North Rhine-Westphalia.The German Cup, officiallyknown
as DFB-Pokal,is a German knockout football cup competi-
tion held annually.Sixty-four teams participate in the com-
petition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2.
Bundesliga.lt is considered the second-most important club
title in German football after the Bundesliga championship.
RAFAEL NADAL WINS HIS FIFTH MADRID OPEN
TITLE: Rafael Nadal of Spain, on 14 May 2017, continued
his magnificent tennis form in the clay court season as he
clinched the Madrid Open title for the fifth time by defeat-
ing Austria's Dominic Thiem in straight sets, taking his re-
cord in clay in 2017 to 15-0. For the 14-times Grand Slam
Winner, it was also the 72nd tournament win of his career.
With this, Nadal, who defeated defending champion Novak
Djokovic in the semi-final, also won his 30th ATP World
Tour Masters 1000 title. His 30 World Tour Masters 1000
titles is a tie with Serbia'sDjokovic.
VIJAY GOEL FLAGS OFF FOUR CLEAN HIMALAYA
EXPEDITIONS: Minister of Sports, VijayGoel flagged off
four Clean Himalaya expeditions and a Medical Mountain-
eering expedition to Mt Satopanth (7075 m) on 9 May 2017
at the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF)in Delhi.
IMF has launched four Himalaya Cleaning expeditions to
popular destinations in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Ut-
tarakhand & Arunachal.The expedition is an effort to extend
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's SwachhBharat Abhiyan to
the Himalayas.lt has been sponsored by ONGC as a part of
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)program.
INDIAN MOUNTAINEER CREATES HISTORY BY
SCALING MT EVEREST FOR THE FOURTH TIME:
Indian mountaineer Anshu Iamsenpa created history on
16 May 2017 by becoming the first Indian woman to scale
the world's highest peak, Mount Everest for the fourth
time. Iamsenpa, who is a native of Bomdila in Arunachal
Pradesh, scaled the peak successfully along with Furi
Sherpa.
SUNIL CHHETRI WINS HERO OF I-LEAGUE 201617
AWARD:BengaluruFC striker SunilChhetri on 2 May 2017
won the covetedHero of the League2016-17Award.Chhetri
won the most number ofvotescast by coachesand captainsof
the 10teams,which took part in the I-League.The strikerhad
scoredsevengoalsfor fourth-placefinishersBengaluruFC.On
the other hand, Khalid Iamil,who guided AizawlFC to a his-
torictitle win, waschosenasthe Coachofthe Year.Hewashon-
oured with the SyedAbdulRahim BestCoach Award.