Current Affairs 20 May 2016

Current Affairs 20 May 2016 - Important Points

• What is the name of Indian journalist who is elected as Deputy Mayor in United Kingdom - Philip Abraham
• Who received US National Medal of Science 2015 from Barack Obama - Rakesh K Jain
• Who launches Centre for Environmental Health to assess environmental impact on health - JP Nadda
• President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates Intelligent Operations Centre and launches - Mobile App Monitor
• Which two countries amend DTAA to bring information exchange under ambit - India, Slovenia

Current Affairs 20 May 2016 - Details

What is the name of Indian journalist who is elected as Deputy Mayor in United Kingdom - Philip Abraham

Among Important National Current Affairs, on 19 May 2016 Indian journalist and Councillor named Philip Abraham was elected unanimously as the Deputy Mayor of Loughton town in the United Kingdom. 

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

First person from Kerala to become a Councillor in Britain was V K Krishna Menon. From 1934 to 1939, he was a Labour Councillor for the Borough of St Pancras.

Know About Philip Abraham – 

• Philip Abraham is a well known journalist and councilor from Kerala and is also editor of Kerala Link.

• In 2012, Philip Abraham had won the election to the Loughton Town Council.

Who received US National Medal of Science 2015 from Barack Obama - Rakesh K Jain

Among Important International Current Affairs, on 19 May 2016 Indian American professor Rakesh K Jain has been awarded with the US National Medal of Science from the US President Barack Obama.

Rakesh K Jain received the honour at a White House ceremony along with 16 other winners of the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation.

At Harvard Medical School Jain is a professor. He is also Director of the Tumour Biology Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.

For this prestigious award he was selected in December 2015. 

Who launches Centre for Environmental Health to assess environmental impact on health - JP Nadda

Among Important National Current Affairs, on 19 May 2016 The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda launched the Centre for Environmental Health in New Delhi.

The centre aims to launch to assess the impact of environment-related problems like air pollution, climate change, pesticide use and sanitation on health.

Do You Know –

• The centre is a joint initiative of the Public Health Foundation of India and the Tata Institute of Social Science.

• The centre including chemical exposure, water and hygiene will conduct research across a range of environmental health issues.

• Also its mandate includes capacity-building, advocacy, outreach and remedial issues.

President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurates Intelligent Operations Centre and launches - Mobile App Monitor

On 19 May 2016, President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated an Intelligent Operations Centre (IOC) in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Here, President Mukherjee also launched a Mobile App Monitor for transformation of President’s Estate into a smart township.

Know About Intelligent Operations Centre – 

• Intelligent Operations Centre which is also known as IOC is a software solution designed by the IBM.

• With the help of this software, rich data are collected and streaming in from several sources within the Estate to provide intelligent insights.

• However, it also offers integrated data visualization, near real-time collaboration and deep analytics that will help agencies prepare for problems, coordinate and manage response efforts and enhance efficiency of services.

Which two country amend DTAA to bring information exchange under ambit - India, Slovenia

Among Important International Current Affairs, India and Slovenia have signed a protocol to amend the bilateral Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA). 

By Ambassador of India to Slovenia Sarvajit Chakravarti and the Slovenian Minister of Finance Dusan Mramor in Ljubljana the protocol was signed.

Do You Know – 

• The amendment protocol is all set to broaden the pact to include exchange of information to curb tax evasion. 

• The protocol will also broaden the scope of the existing framework of exchange of tax-related information.