Current Affairs 17th May 2017

Current Affairs 17th May 2017 - Important Points

• 2017 Spanish Grand Prix won by - Lewis Hamilton
• Public Affairs Index 2017 relased on - 12th May 2017
• MoU for cooperation signed between Indian Navy and - Space Application Centre
• Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem to win - 5th Madrid Open title
• Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine against Pneumonia launched by - Union Government
• 2nd NPDRR meeting in Delhi inaugurated by - Home Minister Rajnath Singh
• Mark Twain Prize 2017 for American humour won by - David Letterman

Current Affairs 17th May 2017 - Details

2017 Spanish Grand Prix won by - Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton stole a stunning victory in the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix from Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel on 14th May 2017.

It was Hamilton’s second win in the season.

Interesting Highlights

• Born on 7th January 1985, Lewis Hamilton is a British Formula One racing driver.
• He is racing for the Mercedes AMG Petronas team currently.
• Lewis is a three-time Formula One World Champion.
• He won his first title with McLaren in 2008 before moving to Mercedes, where he won titles back-to-back in 2014 and 2015.
• His 54 Grand Prix victories is the second highest of all-time followed by Michael Schumacher at 91.
• The Spanish Grand Prix is a Formula One race held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Barcelona.
• It is one of the oldest race in the world still contested, celebrating its centenary in 2013.

Do you know?

Max Verstappen was the winner of the Spanish Grand Prix 2016.

Public Affairs Index 2017 relased on - 12th May 2017

The Public Affairs Centre (PAC), India released the Public Affairs Index (PAI) 2017 on 12th May 2017. Kerala and Tamil Nadu secured first and second ranking for the second consecutive year in the index. Gujarat ranked third by gaining two positions from last year's index.

Key Highlights

• The PAI Rankings are based on the survey, carried out based on 10 themes, 26 focus subjects and 82 indicators.
• These 10 themes were very important infrastructure; Support to human development; Women and children; Crime, law and order; Social protection; Delivery of justice; Environment; Transparency and accountability; Fiscal management and Economic freedom.
• The top three positions of index were fetched by Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat respectively in the Large States category.
• Karnataka and Maharashtra stood at the fourth and fifth position in governance indicators respectively.
• In the Small States category, Himachal Pradesh ranked first followed by Goa at second and Mizoram at third position.
• Delhi, which was at third position in 2016 index, slipped to ninth position in 2017 in Small States category.
• In important Infrastructure, Goa stood as the best performer among all States followed by Delhi, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.
• Jammu and Kashmir, Tripura and Mizoram are the best performers in Social Protection Policies.
• Nagaland, Tripura and Kerala are adjudged as the best performers in Women and Children theme.
• Telangana is the best performer while Andhra Pradesh was labelled as the poor performer in the category of Fiscal Management.
• Nagaland was adjudged as the best performer in maintaining Law and Order.
• In the category of Economic Freedom, Gujarat is at top rank while Meghalaya secured the last rank.

MoU for cooperation signed between Indian Navy and - Space Application Centre

Indian Navy and Ahmedabad-based Space Application Centre signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Data Sharing and Scientific cooperation in the field of Meteorology and Oceanology on 15th May 2017. Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, AVSM, NM, Director General Naval Operations and Tapan Misra, Director, Space Application Centre (SAC) the MoU was signed at SAC, Ahmedabad. The signed pact provides the creation of a common platform of mutual cooperation where SAC will be sharing its expertise in a number of areas including satellite data acquisition technology with the Indian Navy. Areas of cooperation includes

Use of SAC generated weather products

• Sharing of non-confidential observational data for sensor pre-launch calibration and post launch satellite data validation.
• Providing expertise for installation of various satellite data processing modules at Naval METOC organisations.
• Technology sharing to generate weather information.
• Doing calibration and validation for ocean models.
• Training on latest technology and sharing of subject matter experts from the organisations to transfer knowedge effectively.

Rafael Nadal beats Dominic Thiem to win - 5th Madrid Open title

Spain’s Rafael Nadal won Madrid Open title of Tennis on 14th May 2017. 

Interesting Highlights

• The Spaniard defeated a determined Dominic Thiem of Austria in straight sets 7-6(8), 6-4 in the final match at Madrid. 
• For the 14-times Grand Slam Winner, it was also the 72nd tournament victory of his career. 
• With this, Nadal also won his 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title. 

Do you know?

Rafael Nadal's 30 World Tour Masters 1000 titles is a tie with Serbia’s Djokovic. With this win, Nadal will move into the world's top four, which will be updated on 15th May 2017. 

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine against Pneumonia launched by - Union Government

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda launched Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) against Pneumonia under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) on 13th May 2017.

Key Highlights

• PCV will protect children against severe forms of pneumococcal disease like 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 phases. 
• The vaccine will also support state government efforts in further bringing down the child mortality rate.
• To raise awareness about PCV, the ministry also unveiled the communication material comprising posters, banners, TV and radio spots, etc. at the event. 
• The Ministry also informed an extensive awareness campaign so that maximum number of people can avail these services.

Present condition of Pneumococcal disease in India

• Pneumococcal disease is the major cause of vaccine-preventable deaths in children under five years of age globally and in India.
• India accounts for nearly 20 percent of global pneumonia deaths in this age group.
• Pneumococcal pneumonia accounted for 16 percent approximately of all severe pneumonia cases and 30 percent of pneumonia related deaths in children under- five years of age in India.

2nd NPDRR meeting in Delhi inaugurated by - Home Minister Rajnath Singh

Home Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the second meeting of National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) in New Delhi on 15th May 2017. The meeting saw in attendance over 1000 eminent guests including State Ministers, Union Ministers,Heads of specialized disaster management agencies and representatives from private sector organizations. 

Important Highlights

• The second meeting of NPDRR will be held from 15th to 16th May 2017 with the theme “Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development: Making India resilient by 2030”.
• It will also have an exclusive Ministerial Session after the inaugural ceremony, where ministers from the Center, States and Union Territories will deliberate on various aspects of disaster risk reduction.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi experts on disaster management, academicians practitioners, and delegates will deliberate upon various cross cutting issues on disaster risk reduction based on the Sendai Framework and on the 10 point agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction given.
• Home Ministry with the help of NITI Aayog has organized an online call from startups and innovators in the areas like GPS based solutions, fire fighting, search, rescue operations, reconstruction and low cost shelter in MyGov.in for displaying during the NPDRR meeting.
•  More than 300 applications have been received for the same and shortlisted 10 would be showcasing their innovations in the exhibit area during the meeting.
• This NPDRR will be an ongoing Government effort to provide a road map for making our country disaster resilient by 2030.

Mark Twain Prize 2017 for American humour won by - David Letterman

David Letterman, who was the longest-running host of late-night TV shows in the United States, was awarded with the Mark Twain Prize 2017 for American humour on 17th May 2017.With this prize Letterman became the 20th humorist to receive the prize. He is also a recipient of Kennedy Centre Honours for his influence on American culture. 

Letterman hosted over 6000 late-night shows in 33 years on air. He bagged 10 Emmy Awards while hosting NBC's "Late Night" and then "The Late Show" on CBS. His final show drew an audience of 13.8 million people in May 2015.

More about Mark Twain Prize

• The Mark Twain Prize is granted annually by the John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts established in 1998.
• The Twain prize is given annually to a humorist whose impact on American society is reminiscent of Mark Twain, the 19th-Century novelist, satirist and social commentator.
• Past winners of the Mark Twain Prize include Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Jay Leno, Carol Burnett and Ellen DeGeneres.

Indian mountaineer creates history by scaling Mt Everest for the - Fourth time

Indian mountaineer Anshu Jamsenpa created history by becoming the first Indian woman to scale the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest for the fourth time on 16th May 2017. Jamsenpa, a native of Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh, scaled the peak successfully along with Furi Sherpa. Dawa S Lama, the Managing Director at Dream Himalaya Adventure confirmed the same. Lama further stated that Jampsenpa would be attempting a double ascent to make it a total of five successful climbs.

Important Details

• Jamsenpa, the mother of two teenage children, started her climb at 1.45 am on 13th May and reached the top at 9 am on 16th May to unfurl the national flag.
• The mountaineer’s double ascent expedition from Guwahati in Assam was flagged off by Dalai Lama, Tibetan spiritual leader on 2nd April 2017.
• She had started the summit expedition after 38 days of acclimatisation, climbing several nearby peaks and passes, at the Everest Base Camp from 4th April to 12th May.
• She previously scaled the Mount Everest twice in May 2011 and in May 2013.
• Jamsenpa spoke to officials at the Everest Base Camp and in Kathmandu over a satellite phone from the world's tallest peak after unfurling the Indian flag and clicking testimonial photos.
• She would be attempting the double ascent soon if conditions remain favourable.