Fifa appoints Fatma Samoura as first female secretary general

 Fifa broke new ground by appointing a Senegalese United Nations official as its first female and first non-European secretary general.

•  Fatma Samoura has no experience working in sports but Fifa President Gianni Infantino hopes that will help it try to regain the trust and credibility of the world.

Fédération Internationale de Football Association(FIFA) :

• Headquarters- Zürich, Switzerland
• Membership-  211 national associations
• President- Gianni Infantino
• Senior Vice-President Issa Hayatou

Vice-Presidents-

1.  Ángel María Villar
2. David Chung
3. Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa
4. David Gill
5. Alejandro Dominguez
6. Sunil Gulati

Secretary General -Fatma Samoura

Anil Kumble re-appointed ICC Cricket Committee chairman

 Former India captain Anil Kumble has been re-appointed ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket Committee chairman for a second term of three years.

•  Earlier he was appointed as the chairman for his first term in 2012 and now he will continue to head the panel until 2018. 
• Besides, former Indian Rahul Dravid was also named member of the ICC Cricket Committee.
•  Former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene also has been appointed member. 
• Former Australia off-spinner Tim May has been elected as current player representative and shall replace Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, who has completed his three-year term.
•  Three-time ICC Umpire of the Year Richard Kettleborough also has been appointed as umpires’ representative in the committee.

ICC (International Cricket Council) :

• Headquarters -Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Chairman- Shashank Manohar
• President -Zaheer Abbas
• CEO- David Richardson

26th World Economic Forum on Africa inaugurated at Rawanda

 Rwanda is hosting the 26th World Economic Forum on Africa (WEF) in its capital Kigali from 11 to 13 May under the theme: Connecting Africa’s Resources through Digital Transformation. 

• The event will focus, among other things, on how to diversify economies, tackle inequality and strengthen collaborations among countries.
•  This is the first time that the WEF is being held in Rwanda, whose economy has improved dramatically since the country was rocked by a genocide against theTutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994.

World Economic Forum :

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss nonprofit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva.
•  Recognized by the Swiss authorities  as the international institution for public-private cooperation, its mission is cited as "committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas"

Rodrigo Duterte wins 2016 Philippines Presidential Election

Anti-crime candidate and mayor of Davao City, Rodrigo Duterte has won the 2016 presidential election of the Philippines by a landslide victory.

•  He will become the 16th President-elect of Philippines.
•  In the Presidential election held on 9 May 2016, Rodrigo Duterte secured 39% (15.36 million) of the votes.

Philippines :

1. Capital - Manila
2. Currency- Philippine peso

Mauritius investors to be taxed from Apr 2017

 The government has gained the right to tax capital gains arising in Mauritius from sale of shares acquired on or after April 1, 2017, in Indian companies.

•  India and Mauritius signed a protocol for amendment of a three-decade-old double taxation avoidance agreement. 
• The agreement was signed in Port Louis.

Scientist develops World’s first holographic flexible phone

Scientists from the Queen’s University (Canada) have developed the world’s first holographic flexible smartphone named HoloFlex. 

• The HoloFlex smartphone lets users to interact with 3D (Three dimensional) videos and images without using any headgear or glasses.
•  HoloFlex features is a high-definition Flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode (FOLED) touch-screen display.

Sadiq Khan elected first Muslim Mayor of London

 

Sadiq Khan became London’s first Muslim mayor, as voters rejected attempts to taint him with links to extremism and handed a decisive victory to the bus driver’s son from south London.

•  Khan hailed his victory as the triumph of “hope over fear and unity over division.” Labour Party candidate Khan received more than 1.3 million votes – 57 per cent of the total – to Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith’s 43 per cent, after voters’ first and second preferences were allocated.

UN launches Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Zika virus response

 

The United Nations has launched UN Zika Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) to finance critical unfunded priorities in the response to the Zika outbreak. 

• The fund was launched by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States.
•  It aims to provide a rapid, flexible and accountable platform to support a coordinated response from the UN system and partners.
•  It will directly support the Zika Strategic Response Framework developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in consultation with UN agencies, partners and international epidemiological experts.

Mickey Arthur appointed as Pakistan cricket team’s head coach

Former South African cricketer Mickey Arthur has been appointed as Pakistan cricket team’s head coach.

•  It was announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). 
• With this appointment he fills the role vacated by Waqar Younis’ resignation in April 2016 following Pakistan’s early exit from the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan wins 2016 Asia Kabaddi Championship Cup

Pakistan has won the third edition of the Asian Kabaddi Championship 2016 (Circle Style) by defeating India.

•  In the final match held at Pakistan Ordinance Factory Sports Complex in Wah Cantonment, Pakistan (defending champion) defeated India by 50-31 points.
•  This is Pakistan’s second successive win in the Asian Kabaddi title as they had won it in 2012.

Asia Kabaddi Cup :

• Kabaddi is a contact sport that originated in ancient India,
• Kabaddi originated in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where it is derived from group hunting and village defense.
• The Asia Kabaddi Cup has been held twice in consecutive years.

Somnath Ghosh named as next Ambassador to Tajikistan

 Somnath Ghosh has been named as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Tajikistan.

•  Presently he is serving as Ambassador of India to Mangolia. 
• He will succeed Biraja Prasad who passed away in February this year.

Tajikistan :

• Capital: Dushanbe
• Currency- Somoni 
•  President - Imomali Rakhmon
• Prime minister: Kokhir Rasulzoda

China Bug Declared World’s Longest Insect

A bug over half a meter (1.6 feet) long discovered in southern China has been declared the world’s longest insect.

•  A stick insect measuring 62.4 centimeters (24.6 inches) found two years ago in the southern province of Guangxi has broken the record for length among the world’s 807,625 known insects. 
• The previous record-holder was a Malaysian 56.7-centimeter-long (22.3 inches) stick insect discovered in 2008 and now on display in London’s Natural History Museum.

Enda Kenny wins second term as Ireland’s prime minister

 Enda Kenny has been re-elected as prime minister of Ireland after 10 weeks of deadlock that followed an inconclusive general election in February. 

• Kenny is the first Fine Gael PM to win re-election in Irish history, though his triumph is marred by a minority administration that is propped up by independent MPs and, more crucially, by Fianna Fáil.
•  The party, which will remain on the opposition benches, has agreed to support the Fine Gael government for a period of two years in an unprecedented political ceasefire between the rivals.
• Kenny received 59 votes, with 49 against, in the 158-member parliament – by far the fewest votes ever received for a winning premier in Ireland.

Musician Angélique Kidjo honoured with Amnesty International Award

 World-renowned musician Angélique Kidjo and three inspirational African youth activist movements have been declared this year’s joint winners of the prestigious Ambassador of Conscience Award for 2016.

•  The award will be shared between Benin-born artist Angélique Kidjo, one of world’s most successful African singer-songwriters, and the activist groups Y’en a marre from Senegal, le Balai Citoyen from Burkina Faso and Lutte pour le Changement (LUCHA) from DRC. 
• All will be honoured at the awards ceremony in Dakar, Senegal, on 28 May.

Scientists win $3 million for detecting Einstein’s waves

Researchers who helped detect gravitational waves for the first time, confirming part of Albert Einstein’s theory in a landmark moment in scientific history, will share a $3 million Special Breakthrough Prize, according to the prize’s selection committee.

•  The Breakthrough Prizes for scientific achievements were created by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner along with several technology pioneers, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin. 

Andhra Pradesh Harita-Priya Agriculture Project wins 2016 WSIS Prize

Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Project  has won the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2016 prize in the e-Agriculture category. 

• Harita-Priya (Harmonized Information of Agriculture, Revenue and Irrigation for a Transformation Agenda – Precision Technology for Agriculture) Project is meant to collect very specific climate data from farms and give farmers personalised information through SMS. 

About  Harita-Priya Agriculture Project :

• The Harita-Priya Project uses wireless sensor networks to collect micro-climatic information from farms. 
• The data is used to create advisories and alerts on irrigation schedules and pests and plant diseases.
•  Based on this state agriculture officers disseminate personalised crop advisories in Telugu language to farmers by way of SMS. 
• The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) in Hyderabad has developed the project and is having a pilot run in Anantpur district.
•  Andhra Pradesh government, Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) station and Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University also have partnered for the project.

Union Cabinet approves India-UAE currency swap agreement

The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Central Bank of United Arab Emirates (UAE) on co-operation concerning currency swap agreement.

•  Decision in this regard was taken at the Union Cabinet Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. 
• The Agreement was signed in February, 2016 during the official state visit of Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India.

About the Agreement :

• The MoU commits that RBI and Central Bank of UAE will consider signing a bilateral Currency Swap Agreement on mutually agreed terms and conditions.
•  The agreement will be signed after undertaking technical deliberations, subject to the concurrence of respective Governments. 
• The MoU will help to further strengthen the close economic cooperation and relationship between India and UAE. 
• The swap agreement is also expected to facilitate invoicing of bilateral trade in local currencies. 

May 3: World Press Freedom Day

World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) is being observed on 3 May every year across the world to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press.

•  This day also seeks to remind governments their duty to respect and uphold right to freedom of expression enshrined under Article 19 of 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
•  2016 Theme: “Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms – This Is Your Right!”

About World Press Freedom Day :

• World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in December 1993, following the recommendation adopted at 26th Session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. 
• This recommendation was a response to a call given by African journalists who in 1991 produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration on media pluralism and independence. 
• Since then 3 May, is observed as anniversary of the Declaration of Windhoek and is celebrated worldwide as World Press Freedom Day.

Leicester City crowned English Premier League Champion

Leicester City FC was crowned champions of the of English Premier League title for 2015-16 season without playing as nearest challenger Tottenham Hotspur FC.

•  They were crowned after its nearest challenger Tottenham Hotspur FC had 2-2 draw with Chelsea FC.
•  The draw placed Tottenham at second position and was not able to surpass Leicester City FC’s seven point lead at the top of the table. 
• This is the first time in the Leicester City FC’s 132-year history it became the champion of the England. 

Leicester City Football Club :

• It is also known as the Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester.
• They play in the Premier League, having been promoted as champions of the Football League Championship in 2013–14, signalling a return to the top flight of English football after a decade away.

Nico Rosberg wins 2016 Russian Grand Prix

German Formula One Driver Nico Rosberg from Mercedes team has won 2016 Russian Grand Prix held at the Sochi Autodrom in Sochi, Russia.

•  It was Rosberg’s fourth consecutive win in the 2016 season and overall eighteenth championship title of F1 in his career. 
• Russian Grand Prix was the fourth race of the 2016 season of Formula One in which total 11 teams had participated .

Formula One :

• Formula One (also Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of single-seat auto racing that is sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). 
• The FIA Formula One World Championship has been the premier form of racing since the inaugural season in 1950, although other Formula One races were regularly held until 1983. 
• The "formula", designated in the name, refers to a set of rules, to which all participants' cars must conform.