21 April 2017 - Current Affairs

‘TIME’ releases list of 100 Most Influential People of 2017

  • Time Magazine has released the annual list of 100 most influential people of 2017.
  • This year, only two Indians to feature on the list PM 'Narendra Modi' and Paytm founder 'Vijay Shekhar Sharma'.
  • Donald Trump (US President), Vladimir Putin (Russian President) and Theresa May (British Prime Minister) featured on the new list of 100 most influential people by the magazine.
  • PM Narendra Modi is described as a maestro of the art of political seduction, playing on the existential fears and cultural insecurities of people facing downward.
  • Paytm founder ‘Vijay Shekhar Sharma’ venture Paytm witnessed a huge growth by the end of 2016 with 177 million users.

Italian mayor ‘Giuseppina Nicolini’ wins UNESCO Peace Prize


  • The UNESCO has awarded the ‘Peace Prize’ to the mayor of the Italian island of Lampedusa ‘Giuseppina Nicolini’ (56-year) for her commitment to saving the lives of migrants and refugees.
  • Nicolini was bestowed with the honor for her effort that saved thousands who fled across the Mediterranean often on unseaworthy boats to find a better and peaceful life.


'One Part Woman' wins Sahitya Akademi Award for translation of Mathorubhagan


  • Writer Perumal Murugan’s novel Mathorubhagan (One Part Woman) has won the Sahitya Akademi award -2016 for translation in English.
  • The translation was done by ‘Aniruddhan Vasudevan’ and the book was published by ‘Penguin’.
  • The prize in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper plaque and a cash component of Rs 50,000.
  • The book “One Part Woman” is a novel based on a possible ancient cultural practice among people living around Tiruchengode.


India wins elections to 2 UN subsidiary bodies


  • India has won elections to two subsidiary bodies of a UN organ focussed on social and economic issues.
  • India along with 12 other members was elected to the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
  • The country garnered the most number of votes (49 out of 50 members of ECOSOC) in the Asian group.
  • The 13 members elected for three-year terms (from January 2018) include Burkina Faso, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Moldova, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, the United Kingdom and the United States.
  • India, along with 19 other nations, was also elected by acclamation to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) for a four-year term beginning January next year.

Note: The CPC is the main subsidiary organ of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly for planning, programming and coordination.

CII signs MoUs with 3 Singapore Universities


  • The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed agreements with three Singapore universities (Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, and Singapore Management University) to provide training opportunities to students at the ASEAN-India Business Forum in Singapore.
  • The Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) will allow the universities and International Enterprise (IE) Singapore to tap into CII's network of over 8,000 members to create overseas attachment opportunities for enrolled students.

Note:  The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is an association of Indian businesses which works to create an environment conducive to the growth of industry in the country.

China & Iran to sign contract on heavy water reactor


  • The China and Iran will sign the first commercial contract to redesign Iran's Arak heavy water reactor in Vienna.
  • Redesigning the Arak heavy water reactor is a core aspect of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program.
  • The signing will create a favorable condition for the progress of the redesign.


Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh inaugurated 'India Steel 2017' in Mumbai


  • The Union Steel Minister ‘Chaudhary Birender Singh’ has inaugurated the three-day International Conference and Exhibition on Steel Industry 'India Steel 2017'(3rd edition) at Mumbai Exhibition center in Mumbai.
  • The exhibition-cum-conference was organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCO) along with Union Ministry of Steel.
  • Presently, India is the third largest producer of crude steel in the world.


TRAI invites comments on ease of doing business in broadcasting sector


  • The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has invited comments from stakeholders on ease of doing business in the broadcasting sector.
  • The comments can be sent till 8th May.
  • It will help in identifying issues related to ease of doing business before going for an elaborate consultation later.


SC sets 25% of net salary of husband for maintenance to an estranged wife


  • The Supreme Court (SC) has set a benchmark for maintenance to be paid by a husband to his estranged wife.
  • According to Supreme Court, (a bench of Justices ‘R Banumathi’ and ‘M M Santanagoudar’) directed a resident of West Bengal to set aside 25% as maintenance for his former wife and their son.


President Xi Jinping elected to key Congress of Communist Party


  • Chinese President Xi Jinping (63-year) has been unanimously elected as a delegate to the National Congress of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Guizhou provincial party unit.
  • He will complete his first five-year term during the 19th party Congress to be held later this year and start his second five-year term.
  • A total of 2,300 delegates to the National Congress, slated for the second half of 2017, are being elected by 40 electoral units across the country.
  • The unanimous vote of Xi by more than 730 provincial congress delegates represents the shared aspiration of more than 1.7 million CPC members and the wholehearted support of over 40 million residents.
  • The election will be completed by June.


Telangana CM Chandrasekhar Rao re-elected TRS President


  • Today, the Telangana Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao has been re-elected as the president of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS).
  • Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) is an Indian regional political party based in Telangana State.
  • Chandrasekhar Rao attained a Master’s degree in Literature from Osmania Arts College-Osmania University, Hyderabad

Note: TRS Founded on 27 April 2001 by K. Chandrashekar Rao, with a single point agenda of creating a separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital.

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