DAILY GK -- 251 TO 300

251. England cricketer Joe Root bags top three England cricket awards

i. Joe Root, a England cricketer has bagged a hat-trick of awards, as he was named Test Player of the Year, Limited Overs Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year at the England's annual awards ceremony. 

ii. The 25 year old Root, who has been in an outstanding form in the last 12 months has posted 2,228 in 2015, which is the most by an English batsman in a calendar year. 

iii. Medium pacer Anya Shrubsole bagged the England women's cricketer of the year and Callum Flynn was named the best cricketer with a disability. David Lloyd was given the ECB's special achievement award, for his 50-year stint as a player, umpire, commentator and coach.

252. IOC to ban 31 athletes from competing in Rio after their sample from Beijing Olympics found tainted

i. Olympic chief Thomas Bach has announced that up to 31 athletes from six sporting event could be banned from competing at the Rio Games. 

ii. The announcement comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) retested 454 selected samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, in which 31 athletes samples have been caught in doping. 

iii. The IOC said the retests were conducted using the latest scientific analysis methods. Mr. Bach also said, IOC is awaiting the results of 250 retests from the 2012 London Olympics as well. The IOC said these retests were focused on athletes who could potentially take part in Rio. It added 12 affected national Olympic associations would be informed in the coming days.

253. Moody's pegs India's growth rate at 7.5% in 2016 & 2017

i. Global rating agency, Moody's has forecast a growth rate of about 7.5 percent for the Indian economy in 2016 and 2017. This growth will be driven largely by private consumption growth. 

ii. Moody's said the prevailing low headline inflation is expected to continue, helped by a good monsoon, which will allow the Reserve Bank to maintain its current accommodative stance. But Moody's noted that while India's GDP growth is strong, private investment remains weak. Capital utilization rates also remain low.

iii. Moody's also observed that, going ahead, the impact of weaker commodity prices is likely to fade over time, with the stabilization of commodity prices. It said since external demand is likely to remain lackluster, a sustained improvement in domestic private investment will be required to sustain the growth momentum.

254. Centre to postpone NEET by a year

i. Buckling under pressure, the Centre has decided to defer the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical college admission by a year through an ordinance or executive order.

ii. Following the Supreme Court order to implement NEET with immediate effect, the government was proposing to do so. However, it faced strong opposition from most of the States as well as medical colleges, which ‘in-principle’ favoured the concept, but objected to the immediate implementation.

iii. Under NEET, students would get admission to medical colleges across the country — both government and private — only on the basis of merit, scrapping in the process “management quota” seats.

255. Bonded labour rehab to be made Central sector scheme

i. Labour Minister (Independent) Bandaru Dattatreya stated that the Centre is revising the rehabilitation of bonded labour scheme, bringing it into the Central sector, and plans to raise financial assistance from rs. 20,000 to rs. 1 lakh .

ii. The scheme proposes to increase the Budget provision from rs. 5 crore to about rs. 47 crore per annum. 

iii. As per minister,the money will remain in an annuity account, controlled by the District Magistrate (DM), and a monthly earning will flow to the beneficiary account for his/her comfortable living. The corpus remains untouched until decided by the DM.  

256. Govt approves three pharma FDI proposals worth Rs. 60.73 crore

i. The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) has approved Rs.60.73 crore worth of foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals of Wockhardt, Aurobindo Pharma and Advanced Enzyme Technologies. 

ii. Enzyme Technologies FDI proposal is worth Rs.60 crore while Wockhardt and Aurobindo Pharma proposals are worth Rs.25 lakh and Rs.48 lakh respectively approved.

iii. The FIPB has also recommended the Axis Bank proposal worth Rs. 12,973.14 crore to increase foreign investment by FIIs / NRIs/ FPIs / ADRs / GDRs from 62 % to 74 % has been referred to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). This is in line with the government's decision to refer all FDI proposals above Rs. 5,000 crores to the CCEA.

257. SBI seeks to take over 5 associate PSBs, Bhartiya Mahila Bank

i. The country’s largest lender, State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to merge its five associate public sector banks (PSBs) and the Bharatiya Mahila Bank (BMB) with itself. 

ii. In this regard, SBI has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that it is seeking in-principle approval for acquisition from the Union Government. 5 subsidiary banks are: (i) State Bank of Bikaner and Jaipur, (ii) State Bank of Hyderabad, (iii) State Bank of Mysore, (iv) State Bank of Patiala and (v) State Bank of Travancore. Besides, the boards of the subsidiary banks and the SBI also met individually in Mumbai to begin merger talks to acquire the businesses including assets and liabilities. 

iii. he merger move comes after the Union Government had announced a road map for bank consolidation during the 2016-17 Union Budget. This was seen as necessary to meet the huge infrastructure financing needs of the country.

258. Nepal SBI Bank launches payment gateway

i. One of the largest overseas subsidiaries of SBI, Nepal SBI Bank has launched payment gateway to facilitate online trade and non-trade transactions between the Himalayan nation 'Nepal' and India. 

ii. The Payment Gateway was inaugurated by SBI Managing Director B Sriram, and Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae. With the help of this facility, the customer of Nepal SBI Bank can utilize various features of mobile banking and other value added services along with the platform of the payment gateway.

iii. Apart from this, Mr. Sriram has also inaugurated construction of main entrance gate of Pashupati area development trust on the theme of UNESCO World Heritage Design as a part of social responsibility initiatives of Nepal SBI. He has also handed over a cheque of Rs 5.21 crore to Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli for PM Natural Disaster Relief Fund.

259. PNB tops list of worst losses in Indian banking history

i. Public sector lender Punjab National Bank has reported the largest net loss of rs. 5,367.14 crore for 4th quarter ended 31st of March against the backdrop of a surge in bad loans. This is the biggest quarterly loss in Indian bank history. 

ii. Provisioning for NPAs grew almost threefold to Rs 10,485.23 crore in the fourth quarter compared with Rs 3,834.19 crore in the previous fiscal. The lender has reported gross bad loans of Rs55,818 crore compared to Rs34,338 crore in the previous quarter. As a percentage of its loan book, PNB’s bad loans are now at 12.9%. 

iii. Indian banks have seen a surge in bad loans after a clean up ordered of their books under an asset quality review (AQR) by the Reserve Bank of India. The RBI wanted banks to classify some troubled accounts as non-performing and make adequate provisions for those over the December and March quarters. So in the continuation Bank of Baroda has been reported the 2nd and 3rs largest losses in December 2015 and March 2016 quarters and IDBI bank has reported a loss of Rs2,183 crore. This is the fourth highest loss reported by any bank. Syndicate has reported the 5th highest loss (2,158 crore).

260. Apple announces opening of its map development centre in Hyderabad

i. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is currently on visit to India has announced the opening of its Hyderabad technology centre that will focus on the development of maps for its mobile products like iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple Watches. 

ii. The centre which has drawn in estimated investment of $25 million will employ up to 4,000 people according to the company.

iii. The announcement comes a day after the company said it will build an iOS design and development accelerator centre in Bengaluru, considered home to India's startup scene.

261. Ola signs MoU with government to benefit 'Safai Karamcharis'

i. Mobile app for transportation Ola has signed an MoU with National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC) established under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to focus on building a sustainable framework by supporting entrepreneurship, skill development training and self-defence courses for Safai Karamcharis and Scavengers.

ii. The Ola-NSKFDC partnership has the potential to generate synergies that will result in a better future for driver entrepreneurs by creating sustainable careers and livelihoods for them.

iii. The MoU was signed in the presence of Thaawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment.

Aimed at socio-economic development of Safai Karamcharis/ Scavengers, the MoU will aim at benefitting these people and their dependents by enabling livelihood opportunities, especially for women beneficiaries identified by NSKFDC.

262. BHEL commissions 250 MW thermal unit in Maharashtra

i. State-owned BHEL has commissioned a 250 MW thermal unit in Maharashtra.

ii. The unit has been commissioned at Parli Thermal Power Station (TPS) located at Beed district in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. BHEL has been a major partner in the power development programme of the state and has commissioned 16,000 MW of power generation capacity in Maharashtra, its highest in any single state.

iii. The project is owned by Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (Mahagenco). This is the eighth coal-based unit commissioned by BHEL at Parli TPS.

263. Tata Power bags 100 mw solar projects in Karnataka

i. A subsidiary of Tata Power, Tata Power Renewable Energy (TPREL) has announced that it has won two solar-grid connected photovoltaic projects of 50 mw capacity each in Pavagada Solar Park in the Tumkur district of Karnataka. 

ii. TPREL has received the Letter Of Intent (LoI) to develop the projects and will sign a 25 year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd.

iii. The projects have been awarded through open category under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) Phase-II Batch-II Tranche-I under ‘State Specific Bundling Scheme’. The JNNSM, launched in January 2010, aims to establish India as a global leader in solar energy by creating favourable policy conditions for its diffusion across the country.

264. Nomura exits mutual fund JV with LIC

i. The Japanese financial company Nomura has announced fully departure of its mutual fund joint venture with  insurance giant Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). As a result, LIC Nomura Mutual Fund has now been renamed LIC Mutual Fund. 

ii. LIC were entered into a joint venture with Japans leading financial services conglomerate Nomura Asset Management Strategic Investments Pvt. Ltd. (Nomura) on 18th January 2011.

iii. As per the Association of Mutual Funds in India, LIC Nomura Mutual Fund managed assets of about Rs. 13.156 crore as of March 2016 and according to the officials release, the existing shareholding pattern of the new Asset Management Companies Limited (AMC) is LIC - 45 %, LIC Housing Finance Ltd - 39.3 %, GIC Housing Finance - 11.7 % and Corporation Bank – 4 %. Earlier, Nomura held 35 per cent stake in the asset management company. 

265. Five Indian car models fail NCAP crash test

i. Five Indian car models got zero star ratings after failing in the crash tests conducted by the Global New Car Assessment Programme (Global NCAP). 

ii. The cars that failed the crash tests are the Renault Kwid, Maruti Suzuki’s Celerio and Eeco, Mahindra Scorpio and Hyundai Eon.

iii. Global NCAP participated in a two-day conference on road safety hosted by the Institute of Road Traffic Education in Faridabad. The results showed low levels of adult occupant protection in the five models. 

266. Ola sign MoU with KIAB

i. App-based cab service provider Ola has launched a unique initiative for travellers arriving at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA). 

ii. Through this first-of- its-kind agreement, Ola will have a designated ‘Ola Zone’ at the airport where its driver-partners will be able to park their vehicles and offer uninterrupted service to travellers. 

ii. The move will help users to get an Ola cab within less than three minutes.

267. Rakesh Kumar Mishra appointed as CCMB director

i. Rakesh Kumar Mishra, a noted expert in the study of function of genes, has been appointed as the new Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

ii. Mishra had joined CCMB in 2001 as a senior scientist after stints at the IISc, Bangalore, the University of Bordeaux, France, Saint Louise University, USA and the University of Geneva, Switzerland for post-doctoral experience.

iii. An MSc from Allahabad University, Mishra's research interests include investigating evolutionarily conserved features of genome organisation, chromatin structure and epigenetic regulation of genes during embryonic development stages.

268. Scientists develop world’s first Zika virus clone

i. Scientists from The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) have developed world’s first genetically engineered clone of the Zika virus strain. 

ii. They have dubbed it as infectious complementary DNA (cDNA) clone. It allows researchers to make Zika virus from test tube and cells on petri dishes. 

iii. The clone comprises of five fragments of complete zika viral genome which were individually cloned and assembled into the full-length Zika virus clone. 

269. UN-Habitat releases World Cities Report 2016, Urbanization and Development: Emerging Futures

i. As per United Nations report, India is projected to add 300 million new urban residents by 2050 and it will also need to build Climate Friendly cities to deal the challenge of accommodating the needs of the Population growth. 

ii. Research in India found that an increase of 200,000 in the urban population resulted in a decrease of 1.3 to 2.6 per cent in rural poverty.

iii. The first ‘World Cities Report 2016 – Urbanization and Development: Emerging Futures’ report by UN Habitat- In India, urban areas already contributing 60% of the GDP and an extra 300 million new urban residents are projected by 2050 and recommended the Government of India to build 100 new cities with low infrastructure, denser and low energy to avoid the addition of Greenhouse gases Challenges of Municipal Concerns. 

270. UN Secretary-General appoints Patricia Espinosa Cantellano Executive Secretary of UNFCCC

i. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Patricia Espinosa Cantellano of Mexico as Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

ii. She will succeed Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica. The appointment was made after consultation with the Conference of Parties through its Bureau.

iii. Prior to this appointment Ms. Cantellano has been serving as Ambassador of Mexico to Germany. She has also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mexico and carrying 30 years of experience at highest levels in international relations, specializing in climate change, global governance, sustainable development, gender equality and protection of human rights.

271. Indian-American Rupa Iyer awarded for teaching in US

i. Rupa Iyer, an Indian-American bio-technologist, has received the University of Houston's highest teaching award for her sustained and significant contributions to education in the US. 

ii. She is an Indian-American Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies at the University of Houston's College of Technology and has been presented the "Distinguished Leadership in Teaching Excellence Award".

iii. It is the highest award given in teaching and the only one given in this category by the varsity. The award is presented to a person who has ten or more years of teaching experience and has made sustained and significant contributions to education. 

272. Sevilla win 3rd consecutive Europa League title

i. Sevilla were crowned for the third straight year as the UEFA Europa League champions after they defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the final at the St. Jakob-Park in Basel. 

ii. Daniel Sturridge had given the Reds the lead in the first half before Sevilla stormed back in the second half to score thrice and defend their title. 

iii. Kévin Gameiro scored one goal and Coke grabbed a brace for Sevilla. Daniel Sturridge was the only scorer for Liverpool, which also made him the first English player to score in the Europa League final since 2001.

273. Five State Assembly Election 2016 Results: 

i. The 2016 Kerala Assembly Election has won by the CPI (M) led Left Democratic Front (LDF) by the absolute majority by winning 91 seats (44.94% votes) of the total 140 seats. So as result, Pinarayi Vijayan is set to become the next Chief Minister of Kerala.

ii. In Assam Assembly Election 2016, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its alliance partners have won an absolute majority by winning 87 seats (16.46% votes) in the 126 member House. BJP alone has won 60 seats (29.5% votes) on its own, thus making history by winning an Assam assembly election for the first time. So as result, Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is all set to become the next Chief Minister of Assam.

iii. Ruling All India Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has emerged victorious in the 2016 West Bengal Assembly Election.

iv. Ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Party under the leadership of Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha has emerged victorious in the 2016 Tamil Nadu Assembly Election.

v. The Congress, which has been decimated in Assam by the BJP and by the Left front in Kerala have managed to wrest power in the union territory of Puducherry in alliance with the DMK winning 17 of the 30 assembly seats.

274. President inaugurates Intelligent Operations Centre in Rashtrapati Bhavan

i. President Pranab Mukherjee has inaugurated an Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC) in Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

ii. He also launched a mobile application ‘Monitor’ for transformation of President’s Estate into a smart township. 

iii. During the launching ceremony President announced that President’s Estate will work around the ‘4H’ theme of a humane, Hi-Tech, Heritage and Happy Township. 

275. Cyclonic storm ROANU to strike Andhra Pradesh coast: IMD

i. The cyclonic storm ROANU that emerged in the west central Bay of Bengal was in news. 

ii. It came into news after India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its prediction said that the Cyclone is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by 20 May 2016 night and will hit Andhra coast.

iii. At present, ROANU is moving northeastwards and lay centred at south-southeast of Machilipatnam, about 290 km south-southwest of Visakhapatnam & 160 km south-southwest of Kakinada. It issued an orange warning message to Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. It issued yellow message for West Bengal as the system would turn into severe cyclonic storm.

276. JP Nadda launches Centre for Environmental Health to assess environmental impact on health

i. The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda has launched the Centre for Environmental Health in New Delhi.

ii. It was launched to assess the impact of environment-related problems like air pollution, climate change, pesticide use and sanitation on health.

iii. It is a joint initiative of the Public Health Foundation of India and the Tata Institute of Social Science. Its also includes capacity-building, advocacy, outreach and remedial issues.

277. Himachal CM launches PEHAL programme

i. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has introduced PEHAL programme in Shimla district. 

ii. The programme aim to expediting developmental works and government schemes through effective implementation at grassroots level. With this Shimla has become the 1st district in the state to launch such different programme to work as a team with the people.

iii. The PEHAL will focus on five areas namely- Primary Education, Forest Rights, Health and Sanitation, Campaign against drugs and skill development, and Women Empowerment. The district authorities have already begun works on all these areas with a distinct strategy. The programme also attempt to integrate the various stakeholders in the development story of the district. 

278. India lauded for Medicines with the Red Line campaign on antibiotics

i. Medicines with the Red Line: A public awareness campaign launched by the Union Government to curb irrational use of antibiotics.

ii. The term Medicines with the Red Line was in news, as the campaign was appreciated by the Global Review on Antimicrobial Resistance.

iii. The review was commissioned by the UK Prime Minister David Cameron in 2014 and chaired by economist Jim O’Neil.  As per the review, India led the way so far with its idea of a ‘Red Line Campaign’ for antibiotics packaging

279. International Buddhist conference begins in Nepal

i. A two day International Buddhist conference has begun in Nepal to celebrate the 2,560th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. Around 1,200 delegates and observers from 28 countries around the world are attending the conference. 

ii. The theme of the conference is "Lumbini, Nepal: the birth place of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism and world peace".

iii. The conference is inaugurated by the Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli. The main objective of organizing the event is to highlight Lumbini as birth place of Lord Buddha and the fountain of Buddhism, in the international arena, to establish Lumbini as the centre for interfaith and peace dialogue as well as developing Nepal as the fountain for world peace. 

280. India-Slovenia have signed Double Taxation Avoidance Convention

i. India and Slovenia have signed a Protocol to amend the existing bilateral double taxation avoidance agreement, broadening the pact to include exchange of information to curb tax evasion in Ljubljana. 

ii. The Protocol was signed by Mr. Sarvajit Chakravarti, Ambassador of India to Slovenia on behalf of India and Mr. Dusan Mramor, the Slovenian Minister of Finance on behalf of Slovenia.

iii. The Protocol will broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax related information which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes. 

281. Beijing-New Delhi Yoga Conference opens in China

i. Chinese yoga practitioners gathered in large numbers over 1,000 for a group performance in Kunming, China to open the China-India Yoga Conference. 

ii. The five day conference is featuring activities including courses from Indian yoga masters and yoga introductions for communities.

iii. The Yoga gathering was organised by the Foreign Affairs and Overseas Chinese affairs offices and the China-India Yoga College in Kunming.

282. Mukesh Ambani awarded Othmer Gold Medal for Entrepreneurial Leadership

i. Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani has been conferred the prestigious Othmer Gold Medal for his entrepreneurial leadership that has resulted in the expansion of India’s petroleum refining industry, creation of the Jamnagar Refinery in Gujarat-the largest grassroots petroleum refinery in the world.

ii. The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) established the Othmer Gold Medal in 1997 to honour outstanding individuals who have made multifaceted contributions to the world's chemical and scientific heritage through outstanding activity in such areas as innovation, entrepreneurship, research, education, public understanding, legislation, or philanthropy.

283. Tata Power acquires 30 MW wind farm in Maharashtra

i. Tata Power has announced that it has completed the acquisition of 30 MW wind farm in Maharashtra.

ii. Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL), a 100% subsidiary of Tata Power and has completed acquisition of 100% shareholding in Indo Rama Renewables Jath Ltd (IRRJL), which is a 100% subsidiary of Indo Rama Renewables Limited (IRRL). IRRJL has a 30 MW operating wind farm in Sangli district of Maharashtra.

iii. The wind farm, which is fully operational since July 2013, has a long-term power purchase agreement with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Ltd and is registered under the generation-based incentive scheme of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. With this acquisition, Tata Power's total generation capacity now becomes 9,213 MW and current operating non-fossil based capacity at 1,704 MW.

284. Indian journalist Philip Abraham elected as Deputy Mayor in United Kingdom

i. Indian journalist and Councillor Philip Abraham was elected unanimously as the Deputy Mayor of Loughton town in the United Kingdom. 

ii. Councillor Abraham was presented with the Deputy Mayor’s Badge by Carol Davis, the newly-elected mayor.

iii. V K Krishna Menon was the first person from Kerala to become a Councillor in Britain. He was a Labour Councillor for the Borough of St Pancras from 1934 to 1939.

285. Tsai Ing-wen sworn in as first woman president of Taiwan

i. Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has sworn in as the new president of Taiwan and also has become the first female President of the country. 

ii. The 59 year old, Tsai has begun her four-year term as president after an inaugural ceremony at the Presidential Office. 

iii. The DPP chairwoman and former vice premier scored a convincing victory in the election held in January. She took over from President Ma Ying-jeou, who has served two four-year terms since May 2008.

286. CBS News journalist Morley Safer passes away

i. Veteran CBS newsman Morley Safer, who retired from CBS News just a week ago has passed away after a 61-year career in journalism. 

ii. He was 84 year old. He was a intrepid storyteller and interviewer whose name became synonymous with the news magazine "60 Minutes". 

iii. Last week only, CBS News has announced Morley's retirement. He was a correspondent on the programme 60 Minutes for 46 years, joining in 1970. Safer, a native of Canada, wrote for Canadian newspapers in the 1950s before joining the CBC as a television correspondent.

287. Veteran Gujarati folk singer Diwaliben Bhil passes away

i. Popular Gujarati folk singer Diwaliben Bhil has passed away in Junagadh. She was 80 year old. 

ii. She was a born artist and famous for her unique voice. She was a self-taught singer and did not take a formal education in music and singing. 

iii. She had sung numerous folk songs and bhajans in Gujarati and also lent her voice to several film songs. Born in a tribal family in the Gir forests, Diwaliben became famous after a team from All India Radio heard her singing and aired a recording of one of her garbas in a programme. She received the Padma Shri award in 1990.

288. India lose to China in semi-final of Uber Cup

i. Indian women's team settled for a bronze medal after suffering a 0-3 defeat at the hands of defending champions China in the semifinals of the Uber Cup badminton championship, at Kunshan in China. 

ii. After top shuttlers Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu went down narrowly against their respective opponents in the two singles match, Jwala Gutta and N Sikki Reddy also bit the dust in the first doubles, ending India's campaign. 

iii. Indian eves had scripted history in the last edition when they won a historic bronze in New Delhi and they repeated the feat this time at Kunshan Sports Center Stadium.

289. 27th India and Indonesia CORPAT concludes in Belawan

i. The 27th edition of the India-Indonesia CORPAT (Coordinated Patrol) has concluded in Belawan, Indonesia. 

ii. The closing ceremony at Belawan saw the two navies conducting interactive session on measures to enhance inter-operability, which is also attended by INS Karmuk. 

iii. The 27th CORPAT was held from 29 April to 19 May 2016 and the closing ceremony was held from 16 May to 19 May 2016. The exercise is being carried out to keep the vital part of the Indian Ocean Region safe and secure for commercial shipping and international trade.

290. After liquor, Bihar government bans gutka and pan masala

i. Nitish Kumar led Bihar Government has announced the ban on sale, distribution, storage, manufacture, consumption and publicity of tobacco products like gutka and pan masala. 

ii. The ban on both packaged and unpackaged edible items containing tobacco content will remain effective for a period of one year.

iii. Last month state government announced complete ban on the sale of any types of liquor in the state, but had allowed sale of Indian Made Foreign Liquor in towns and cities. 

291. Indigenous faecal incontinence management device ‘Qora’ launched 

i. An indigenously developed “affordable” faecal incontinence management system ‘Qora’, a spin-off of a programme of the Department of Biotechnol​ogy and implemented at AIIMS and IIT Delhi, was launched by Minister of State for Science & Technology, Y.S. Chowdary.

ii. The international partners of the programme are Stanford University, US, Queensland University of Technology, Australia, and Tottori University, Japan.

​iii. The technology for the medical device was developed by Consure Medical, New Delhi, to address “a new level of care for patients outside the ICU”, said an official release, adding that the product has been clinically validated at AIIMS, New Delhi.

292. World Bank arm IFC to invest $68 mn in Apollo Health

i. World Bank subsidiary arm International Finance Corporation (IFC) is planning to invest US$68 million (about INR 460 crore) in Apollo Health & Lifestyle ltd (AHLL). 

ii. AHLL is a subsidiary of Apollo Health Enterprises Limited and includes a network of primary healthcare clinics across the country.

iii. This investment is the part of the overall raise of $135 million or Rs 900 crore investment which was earlier invested by IFC. Apollo Health, which currently operates primary health care​ clinics, is reportedly planning to expand its operations with the investment. 

293. G-7 summit 2016 : Finance Ministers and central bank governors meet in Sendai

i. Finance ministers and central banks governor from the Group of Seven developed nations kicked off the first day of their meeting in Sendai, Japan. 

ii. They have held discussions on the world economy, ahead of next week's G7 summit (26-27th May), to be held in Ise-Shima, central Japan. 

iii. Ahead of G-7 summit kickoff, the G-7 financial leaders discussed the future of the global economy with noted economists, including Nobel laureate Robert Shiller, a professor at Yale University, and Martin Feldstein, a professor at Harvard University. The participants are said to have exchanged views on what their governments can do to put the global economy back on track and achieve sustainable growth. Among world economic issues that they have discussed are the slowing Chinese economy and lower crude oil prices. They also discussed ways of dealing with tax evasion and questionable tax avoidance in reaction to disclosures in the Panama Papers.

294. US House of Representatives gave nod to bolster defence ties with India on par with NATO

i. The US House of Representatives have given its nod to a bipartisan legislation to improve defence ties with India.

ii. In this regard, an amendment to the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) was approved by the House. 

iii. The amendment is dubbed as ‘Enhancing Defence and Security Co-operation with India’. The legislation, once approved by the Senate and the President, will bring the country’s bilateral relations with India on par with its NATO allies and Israel. It encourages the executive branch to designate an official to focus on US-India defence cooperation.

295. IFC to invest $20 million in FCEL

i. Future Consumer Enterprise Ltd (FCEL) has informed the stock exchanges that International Finance Corporation (IFC) will invest $20 million in the company through equity-linked instruments. 

ii. It will use the funds to support growth plans and strengthen its balance-sheet. The company had also recently raised $55 million from US-based Proterra Partners (previously known as Black River Asset Management) and the promoters of the company and this completes the current fund raising plan of $75 million. 

iii. Other investors in FCEL include Brussels-based Verlinvest and Singapore-based Arisaig Partners.

296. HSBC to shut down half of its branches in India, 300 Jobs to go

i. UK based banking giant, HSBC Holding Plc stated that it plans to close 24 branches in India. 

ii. The decision comes after a strategic review of its retail banking and wealth management business showed customers are increasingly opting for digital banking services. This decision will impact around 10 % of the company's retail customer base and lead to 300 jobs losses.

iii. Presently, HSBC employs over 33,000 people in the country. But now the bank would consolidate from 50 branches across 29 cities to 26 branches across 14 cities, and the closures will take place gradually over the next few months.

297. Binali Yildirim set to become Prime Minister of Turkey

i. Transport Minister of Turkey Binali Yildirim is all set to become as the country’s Prime Minster. He was named as the prime minister after he was formally chosen for the post in a closed vote. 

ii. Yildirim is the Turkey's minister of transport, maritime and communication as well as a founding member of the AKP. 

iii. He will succeed Ahmet Davutoglu, who earlier stepped down due to differences with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

298. UN appoints Mary Robinson, Macharia Kamau as special envoys for El Nino, climate

i. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed former Irish President Mary Robinson and Kenyan diplomat Macharia Kamau as special envoys for El Nino and climate.

ii. The El Nino weather phenomenon, which occurs every two to seven years, affects rainfall patterns and causes both drought and flooding. The UN said in a statement that the phenomenon has created massive needs in various places of the world, particularly in eastern Africa, southern Africa, Central America and the Pacific.

iii. Ms. Robinson had previously worked as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and as Ban's special envoy for climate change. Mr. Kamau is Kenya's ambassador to the United Nations and former president of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Board. He was co-chair of the UN General Assembly working group on sustainable development goals.

299. Lhakpa 1st lady to climb Mt Everest seven times

i. A 42 year old woman born in Nepal, Lhakpa Sherpa has climbed Mount Everest for the seventh time. With this she has braked her own record for the most ascents to the world's highest mountain by a woman. 

ii. Two other Sherpa climbers share between them a record for 21 ascents of Everest, the maximum climbs by men and also shared the record for scaling the mountain for the ​most number of times overall.

iii. Lhakpa has reached the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak from the Tibetan side. She is one of the 11 children of a Nepali family and was born in eastern Sankhuwasabha district where the world's fifth highest mountain, Makalu is located. 

300. Cairn India CEO Mayank Ashar quits

i. Cairn India informed the stock exchanges that Mayank Ashar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, will step down from his post for personal reasons, effective June 5.

ii. Sudhir Mathur, the current Chief Financial Officer, will take over as Acting CEO. “Ashar will provide transition support to Mathur through June 30, 2016,” an official statement said.

iii. This is not the first change Cairn India has witnessed since 2012. Rahul Dhir, the first MD and CEO, quit in 2012. After Dhir came P Elango, from 2012 to 2014, followed by Ashar.

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