MAY 2014 CURRENT AFFAIRS

Suspected Boko Haram Islamist militants abducted more than 200 girls from north-eastern Nigeria from April 2014 aged between 12 and 15.Air India announced on 1 May 2014 to join largest global airlines network Star Alliance in July 2014.National Basketball Association (NBA) on 1 May 2014 banned Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling for life and fined him 2.5 million dollars over an alleged racist remark on African-American spectators in the stand.Granary with walls of mud-bricks discovered by archaeologists during excavation at Rakhigarhi village a Harappan civilization site, in Haryana.India ranked no 1 in ICC Twenty20 International Team rankings by replacing Sri Lanka.Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ford Motor Co Alan Mulally announced to retire on 1 July 2014.US senate confirmed name of Manish Shah as Federal Judge in Illinois. He was confirmed by the Senate by 95-0 votes.Government of Namibia purchased 3400 India-made EVMs for use in the countries Presidential Election, scheduled in November 2014.The United States on 2 May 2014 announced 1.2 million US dollar aid package for Ukrainian Journalists.The Election Queue Management System, a first of its kind initiative in the country in Budwan district, West Bengal.World Press Freedom Day was observed on 3 May 2014 across the world.Trap Shooter, Manavjit Sandhu ranked at third spot in ISSF World Ranking.Nobel Laureate economist Gary Becker died at the age of 93 due to illness in Chicago.First indigenously developed air-to-air missile Astra successfully test fired on 4 May 2014 from a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet over the Arabian Sea off Goa.Vice-president of Panama, Juan Carlos Varela on 4 May 2014 won the presidential election.Sania Mirza of India and Cara Black of Zimbabwe on 3 May 2014 won women’s doubles title by defeating the Czech Russian team of Eva Hrdinova and Valeria Solovyeva 6-4, 6-3 in the final at the WTA Portugal Open 2014 held in Oeiras, Portugal.Turkish investigative journalist Ahmet Sik won the 2014 UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.Virat Kohli was ranked no 1 in ICC list of One Day International (ODI) ranking released in Dubai on 4 May 2014.

Dipika Pallikal ranked 10 in the Women’s Squash Association (WSA) rankings released on 4 May 2014.New Element 117 which is temporarily called Uunseptium with 117 protons set to join periodic table.Martin Kilzan won Munich ATP tournament in Germany by defeating Fabio Fognini 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.Mark Selby of England won World Snooker Championship title 2014 on in Sheffield, England.A book entitled A Stamp is Born authored by CR. Pakrashi was released by Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari.Prime Minister of Slovenia, Alenka Bratusek resigned on 5 May 2014.Elena Baltacha, the former British No 1 tennis player died of liver cancer at the age of 30.The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 5 May 2014 declared outbreak of polio as a World Health Emergency.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 6 May 2014 issued the guidelines to allow the minors of age above 10 years to open Savings bank accounts.BCCI suspended RCA and appointed an ad-hoc body to run the states cricket affairs. The action was taken after Lalit Modi was elected as RCA President.Pakistan successfully test-fired surface-to-surface Ballistic Missile Hataf-III Ghaznavi during war exercises of Army’s Strategic Force Command.Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed the former fast bowler of Pakistan, Waqar Younis as the coach of the national cricket team of Pakistan.Two Indian-Americans Manjusha P. Kulkarni and Ranjana Paintal on 7 May 2014 were selected for Champions of Change by the White House.Indian-American cardiologist Mitul Kadakia won the prestigious 2014 Gregory Bradeb Memorial Fellow of the Year Award.Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 7 May 2014 approved the flying license of AirAsia India Private Limited (AAIPL).Dennis Lillee left Cricket Australia coaching post over pay hike.Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 7 May 2014 issued guidelines to operators for Real Time Tracking of Aircrafts.Ronnie O'Sullivan was named snooker's Player of the Year at the sport's annual awards ceremony in London on 8 May 2014.Inspector General K Natarajan took over as the 21st Commander of the Coast Guard Region (Andaman and Nicobar) as a successor of VSR Murthy.Book entitled ‘India Junction – A Window to the Nation’ was released by Arunendra Kumar, the Chairman of Railway Board.

Reserve Bank of Inia (RBI) in its notification barred eligible Indian companies from raising ECB from overseas branches/subsidiaries of Indian banks.SEBI exempted Etihad Airways from making open offer in the Jet deal as purchase of 24% stake of Jet Airlines doesn’t amount to change in ownership.The United States, Russia, China, Britain and France signed a protocol to the Central Asian Nuclear- Weapon-Free-Zone Treaty.Chinese Premier Li Keqiang eight day official visits to four nations of African continent starting on 4 May 2014 concluded on 11 May 2014.Delhi Lieutenant Governor set up a High Powered Committee to look into the pollution levels in Delhi and suggest steps to reduce its levels in the city.Manipur defeated defending champions Orissa to clinch the Senior National Women’s Football Championships title at Golaghat Stadium in Assam.President of India conferred National Florence Nightingale Awards 2014 on 35 nursing personnel from across the country for their meritorious services.Russia’s Maria Sharapova won the Mutua Madrid Open Tennis title by defeating Romanian Simona Halep 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the finals.Rafael Nadal won his 27th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at Mutua Madrid Open final after Kei Nishikori was forced to withdraw with a back injury.London-based Hinduja brothers emerged richest in UK in the Super-Rich list. They replaced Lakshmi Mittal and Alisher Usmanov to top the list.The President of India gave his assent to the Whistleblowers Protection Bill 2011 and with his assent the Bill became a law.Union Government on 13 May 2014 appointed Lieutenant General Dalbir Singh Suhag as the 28th Chief of Army Staff (COAS).Oscar winning Swedish Film Director Malik Bendjelloul died.RBI has allowed the overseas branches of domestic banks to offer structured derivatives even if the products are not allowed in India, at present.The committee to review Governance of Boards of Banks in India on 13 May 2014 submitted its report to Reserve Bank of India (RBI).UN Envoy on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi on 13 May 2014 submitted his resignation to UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon in New York.Justice BS Chauhan appointed as the Chairman of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as a successor of Justice NP Singh.T-TBI has been chosen for the Special Commendation at the Golden Peacock

National Training Awards 2014 for conduct of Entrepreneurship training.Indian-American Indira Talwani’s name was confirmed as a federal judge in Massachusetts by US Senate.VRV Sriprasad appointed as MD of Volvo Buses India.Pankaj Advani on 14 May 2014 won Cricket Club of India (CCI) Classic Billiards and Snooker tournament.Hockey India (HI) honoured heroes of 1975 World Cup team on 14 May 2014.Six workers injured on 14 May 2014 after Hot water Spill from a valve at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.Asia's biggest milk brand Amul on 14 May 2014 announced to set up a dairy processing plant in Varanasi.The International Technology Law Association on 14 May 2014 appointed Sajai singh as the President.SC has appointed Justice Mukul Mudgal panel to further probe the IPL betting or spot fixing scandal that involves Narayanswamy Srinivasan and 12 others.Kasturirangan Task Force on Waste to Energy submitted its report on 14 May 2014 to the Planning Commission.Governor of the Reserve Bank of India announced that plastic currency notes will be launched in 2015 after field trials in five cities Kochi, Mysore, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Shimla Ashwin B. Pandya appointed as the Chairman of the Central Water Commission & ex-officio Secretary of the Government of India.Meghalaya High Court on 15 May 2014 ruled that the nationals of Bangladesh, who settled in the state before 24 March 1971 should be treated as Indians.16th Lok Sabha Elections 2014 results declared: BJP emerged as the winner in the 16th Lok Sabha election by securing 282 seats of 543. The results were declared on 16 May 2014.Manmohan Singh resigned as the Prime Minister of India after his party faced a defeat in the 16th Lok Sabha election.Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar tendered his resignation to the Governor of the state. He also recommended dissolution of the Bihar Assembly.Brazil released two postage stamps to pay tribute to the 100 years of Indian cinema. The stamps have been designed by Indian graphic designer.Montek Singh Ahluwalia resigned as the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission of India on 17 May 2014.15th Lok Sabha has been dissolved by the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee on 18 May 2014 on advice of the outgoing Union Cabinet.Russi Mody, the former Tata Steels Chairman died.Nabam Tuki on 18 May 2014 sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh in Itanagar and his oath to the

office was administered by Nirbhay Sharma.Indian men's recurve team on 18 May 2014 won Silver Medal in Archery World Cup Stage 2 at Medellin, US.Novak Djokovic won the Men's Italian Tennis Open 2014 held in Rome, Italy on 18 May 2014.Serena Williams of US won the Women's Italian Tennis Open 2014 on 18 May 2014. She defeated World No. 11 Sara Errani of Italy.Three-time F1 world champion, Sir Jack Brabham died at the age of 88. He is the only driver, who won a title by a car bearing his name.Veteran nuclear scientist N Srinivasan died.Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) Chairman C Rangarajan resigned on 19 May 2014.Bhasha Shahid Diwas or Language Martyrs Day was observed in Barak Valley of Assam on 19 May in remembrance of martyrs of language of the state.Former President APJ Abdul Kalam awarded honorary degree by Edinburgh University.Pawan Chamling of SDF sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim for a record fifth consecutive time.Jitan Ram Manjhi sowrn-in as the new Chief Minister of Bihar. Governor DY Patil administered his oath of the office and secrecy.RBI directed all new ATMs to be installed by commercial banks from July 2014 onwards would provide audible instructions and Braille keypads to customers.Domestic e-retailer Flipkart on 21 May 2014 announced that it has acquired rival and leading fashion e-retailer Myntra.com for 300 million US dollar.K Rajendra Kumar on 21 May 2014 was appointed as new Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir. He succeeded Ashok Prasad.Anandiben Patel was sworn-in as the first woman Chief Minister of Gujarat on 22 May 2014.Indologist and Sanskrit scholar Sukumari Bhattacharji who had equal grasp over English and Sanskrit language died on 24 May 2014.India’s distance runner, Kisan Tadvi won silver in boys 3000m race in 2014 Youth Olympics Asian Area Athletics Qualification event in Bangkok.Former IB chief, Rajiv Mathur took over as the new Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission.China won 2014 Uber Cup title of badminton on 24 May 2014.Real Madrid defeated Atletico Madrid 4-1 to win 10th UEFA Champions League Football title on May 24, 2014.

Japan won 2014 Thomas Cup badminton.TR Zeliang sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland as the successor of Neiphiu Rio on 24 May 2014.Malavath Poorna of Andhra became youngest woman to climb Mount Everest.RBI allowed banks to provide loans with tenures of up to 10 years to exporters to help them ensure capital flows to fulfill long-term contracts.Gorakhdham Express rammed into a stationary goods train near Khalilabad in UP in which six bogies were derailed.Shekhar Gupta’s book entitled Anticipating India-The best of national interest was released on 24 May 2014.Singapore became the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into India.Petro Poroshenko won the Ukrainian Presidential Election held on 25 May 2014.Japan won AFC Women's Asian Cup title against Australia in Vietnam on 25 May 2014.Dalia Grybauskaite, the Iron Lady of Lithuania, on 25 May 2014 won the Presidential elections of Lithuania.Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany on 25 May 2014 won Monaco Grand Prix of Formula One.Hindustan Motors halted the production of India’s iconic car Ambassador on 25 May 2014.Russia and China exercised their veto power against a draft resolution which was intended to refer the Syrian civil war to the ICC.Indian rupee becomes the best performing currency in Asia-Pacific region against US dollar so far in 2014.SIT has been constituted by Union Cabinet to implement the decision of Supreme Court on large amounts of money stashed abroad. Former judge of Supreme Court Justice MB Shah will head the SIT.The Royal Thai Army led by Commander-in-Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha in fourth week of May 2014 announced military coup in Thailand.Narendra Modi on 26 May 2014 was sworn-in as the 15th Prime Minister of India on along with 45-member Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhawan.Sushma Swaraj became the first woman External Affairs Minister on 26 May 2014.Reserve Bank of India (RBI) tightened acquisition & merger rules for Non-Banking Financial Companies.Ahmed Maitiq was sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Libiya on 26 May 2014.Mauritius on 27 May 2014 decided to provide automatic tax information exchange to India.

Sachin Tendulkar has been appointed as the goodwill ambassador of 35th

National Games, Kerala scheduled to be held from January-February 2015.PM of India Narendra Modi held talks with PM of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif.Maharashtra Government has included chapter on the name of master blaster Sachin in Marathi and English subject syllabus of class IV.Indian Navy and Singapore Navy conducted annual bilateral naval exercises, SIMBEX 2014 in Andaman Sea from 22 May to 28 May 2014.Azlan Shah best known as The Father of Malaysian hockey died in Ipoh, Malaysia on 28 May 2014. He was 86. Shah was the 34th ruler of the State of Perak and was a die-hard hockey player.Maya Angelou, the American author and poet died.Hiroshi Naka appointed as Vice President and Auditor General of World Bank.Nripendra Misra appointed as Principal Secretary to PM Narendra Modi.Supersonic Akash air defence missiles successfully intercepted targets.Mukul Rohatgi has been appointed as the 14th Attorney General of India. He succeeds Gulam Vahanvati.Vishwanath Tripathi, eminent Hindi writer awarded the prestigious Vyas Samman 2013.The Vice President of India Hamid Ansari on 29 May 2014 presented the Malti Devi Gyan Peeth Puraskar-2014.Union Government and the World Bank signed a loan agreement for World Bank (IDA) assistance of 1006.20 million US dollar for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan III.The international Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed on 29 May 2014.Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) announced on 29 May 2014 to buy 78 percent stake in Network18 Media and Investments for 4000 crore rupees.Mahindra Group Chairman Anand G Mahindra on 29 May 2014 became the first Indian to receive the prestigious Harvard Medal.

Human Proteome Map (HPM) deciphering 84% of human proteins was published in British Journal Nature on 28 May 2014.Two Indian-Americans Sriram J Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe on 29 May 2014 jointly won the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee.Ajit Doval has been appointed as the National Security Adviser on 30 May 2014.Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) on 30 May 2014 released the Provisional and Quarterly Estimate of National Income for the financial year 2013-14.Union Government signed credit agreement of a 24 million US dollar with World Bank for additional financing for URWSSP.Union Government signed a credit agreement of 165 million US dollar with World Bank for MRWSSP.Union Government signed a credit agreement of 121.20 million US dollar with World Bank for UDWDP.The US Air Force on 30 May 2014 deployed two Global Hawks on Misawa airbase in Northern Japan.The private space travel firm Space X on 30 May 2014 unveiled its new manned Dragon V2 Capsule to take astronauts into Low-Earth orbit and beyond.Goa Day was observed on 30 May 2014.The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has appealed to the people of India to “Say No to Tobacco” on 'World No Tobacco Day' on May 31, 2014.BG Srinivas, President and Member of the Board of Infosys resigned will be effective from 10 June 2014.The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on 31 May 2014 approved the appointment of Kavery Banerjee as Secretary, Department of Posts.

Important DaysMay 1 : International Labour Day, Maharashtra DayMay 3 : World Press Freedom Day, International Energy DayMay 8 : International Red Cross Day May 11 : National Technology DayMay 15 : International Family DayMay 17 : World Telecom DayMay 29 : International Day of United Nations PeacekeepersMay 30 : Goa DayMay 31 : World No Tobacco Day

Person Appointed

US Government on 2 May 2014 appointed Indian-American Jawahar Kaliani to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Department of TreasurySecretary of the DBT, K. Vijay Raghavan elected a foreign associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (USNAS)K Natarajan took over as 21st Command of Coast Guard Region (A&N)Kristin Lund of Norway became first-ever woman to head a UN Peacekeeping ForceJustice BS Chauhan appointed as the Chairman of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal as a successor of Justice NP SinghVRV Sriprasad appointed as MD of Volvo Buses IndiaConstitutional Scholar Sujit Choudhry appointed as Dean of UC Berkeley Law SchoolAB. Pandya appointed as the Chairman of Central Water CommissionNabam Tuki sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Arunachal PradeshJitan Ram Manjhi took oath as the Chief Minister of BiharPawan Chamling sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim for record 5th termNaveen Patnaik sworn-in as Chief Minister of Odisha for fourth consecutive termPresident of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee appointed Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of IndiaNarendra Kumar Verma selected as MD of ONGC Videsh LtdAnandiben sworn-in as first woman Chief Minister of GujaratRajiv Mathur took over as the new Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information CommissionPetro Poroshenko won the Ukrainian Presidential ElectionsAhmed Maitiq sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of LibyaNripendra Misra appointed as Principal Secretary to PM Narendra ModiMukul Rohatgi appointed as 14th Attorney-General of IndiaHiroshi Naka appointed as Vice President and Auditor General of World BankAjit Doval appointed as new National Security AdviserKavery Banerjee appointed as Secretary, Department of Posts

Person ResignedCEO of Ford Motor Co Alan Mulally announced to resign on 1 July 2014Prime Minister of Slovenia, Alenka Bratusek resigned on 5 May 2014UN Envoy on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi resignedPM Manmohan Singh tendered his resignation to PresidentNitish Kumar resigned as Bihar Chief MinisterPM Economic Advisory Council Chairman C Rangarajan resignedMontek Singh Ahluwalia, the Planning Commission Deputy Chairman ResignedNarendra Modi resigned as Gujarat CM to take over as PMBG Srinivas, President and Member of the Board of Infosys resigned will be effective from 10 June 2014

ObituaryNobel Laureate economist Gary Becker died at 93Oscar winning Swedish Film Director Malik Bendjelloul diedRussi Mody, the former Tata Steels Chairman diedN Srinivasan, the veteran nuclear scientist diedAmerican Cinematographer Gordon Willis dead at 82David Allen, former off-spinner of England and Gloucestershire diedDonald Levine creator of World’s first action figure diedMaya Angelou, the American author and poet diedAzlan Shah-The Father of Malaysian hockey died at 86Indologist and Sanskrit Scholar Sukumari Bhattacharji died

Person on VisitSAARC Countries Leaders visited India

SAARC Countries Leaders visited India on 26 May 2014. They visited India as a part of swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had substantive meetings with all eight leaders who visited India after the swearing-in ceremony

President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri LankaPresident Hamid Karzai of AfghanistanPrime Minister of Tshering Tobgay of BhutanPresident Abdulla Yameen of MaldivesPrime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam of MauritiusPrime Minister Sushil Koirala of NepalPrime Minister Nawaz Sharif of PakistanSpeaker of Bangladesh Parliament Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury

Person on NewsUS Senate confirmed Manish Shah as federal judge in IllinoisHinduja Brothers emerged richest in UK

Former Israel PM Olmert sentenced to imprisonment in corruption caseUS Senate confirmed Indira Talwani as federal judge in MassachusettsNarendra Modi elected as the Prime Minister of IndiaSajai Singh appointed as President of International Technology Law AssociationShah Rukh Khan featured on the cover page of magazine Forbes Middle EastIndian-American student Akhil Rekulapelli won National Geographic Bee ChampionshipSushma Swaraj became the first woman External Affairs Minister of IndiaA court in Ecuador sentenced former President Jamil Mahuad in absentia for 12 years in jail for embezzlement

AwardsAhmet Sik won UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2014IAA received International Arch of Europe AwardIndian-American Mitul Kadakia won 2014 Gregory Bradeb Memorial Fellow of the Year AwardTwo Indian-Americans Manjusha P. Kulkarni and Ranjana P. selected for Champions of ChangeCaparo Group won International Business of the Year award 2014Vikaram Sunderam won Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic of James Beard Awards 2014President conferred National Florence Nightingale Awards on 35 nursing personnelTechnopark–TBI selected for Golden Peacock Award 2014Edinburgh University awarded honorary degree to Former President APJ Abdul KalamProject Mobile Seva under DeitY won the 2014 United Nations Public Service AwardVishwanath Tripathi received Vyas Samman 2013Two Indian-Americans Sriram and Ansun jointly won the Scripps National Spelling BeeThe Vice President of India Hamid Ansari on 29 May 2014 presented the Malti Devi Gyan Peeth Puraskar-2014Anand Mahindra became first Indian to receive Harvard Medal

Cabinet MinistersPrime Minister and also in-charge of the Ministries/Departments not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Space: Narendra ModiHome Affairs: Rajnath SinghExternal Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs: Sushma SwarajFinance, Corporate Affairs, Defence: Arun JaitleyUrban Development Housing, Urban Poverty Alleviation, Parliamentary Affairs: M Venkaiah NaiduRoad Transport, Highways Shipping: Nitin GadkariRailways: DV Sadananda GowdaWater Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation: Uma BharatiMinority Affairs: Dr Najma A HeptullaRural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation: Gopinath Munde passed away on 3rd June 2014. New minister for the portfolio is yet to be decidedConsumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution: Ram Vilas PaswanMicro, Small and Medium Enterprises: Kalraj MishraWomen and Child Development: Maneka GandhiChemicals and Fertilizers: Ananth KumarCommunications and Information Technology, Law and Justice: Ravi Shankar PrasadCivil Aviation: Ashok Gajapathi Raju PusapatiHeavy Industries and Public Enterprises: Anant GiteFood Processing Industries: Harsimrat Kaur BadalMines Steel Labour and Employment: Narendra Singh TomarTribal Affairs: Jual OramAgriculture: Radha Mohan SinghSocial Justice and Empowerment: Thaawar Chand GehlotHuman Resource Development: Smriti IraniHealth and Family Welfare: Dr Harsh Vardhan

Ministers of State with Independent ChargeDevelopment of North Eastern Region, External Affairs, Overseas Indian Affairs: General VK SinghPlanning, Statistics and Programme Implementation, Defence: Inderjit Singh RaoCulture and Tourism: Shripad Yesso NaikPetroleum and Natural Gas: Dharmendra PradhanSkill Development, Entrepreneurship, Youth Affairs and Sports: Sarbananda SonowalInformation and Broadcasting Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Parliamentary Affairs: Prakash JavadekarPower, Coal, New and Renewable Energy: Piyush GoyalScience and Technology Earth Sciences: Jitendra SinghCommerce and Industry, Finance Corporate Affairs: Nirmala Sitharaman