29th May: International Day of UN Peacekeepers
- The ‘International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers’ observed on 29th May to pay tribute those who served in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations.
- They also honour the memory of people who died in the name of peace.
- The theme for the 2017 International Day of UN Peacekeepers is “Investing in Peace Around the World.”
Sebastian Vettel wins 2017 Monaco Grand Prix
- German racing driver Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) has won the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix at Monaco.
- The second place in the race was secured by Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) and the third place by Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull).
- The 2017 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco, a street circuit that runs through the Principality of Monaco.
C.A. Bhavani Devi becomes first Indian to win a Gold in International Fencing tournament
- Fencer A Bhavani Devi has become first Indian to win a Gold Medal in the sabre event of the Turnoi Satellite Fencing Championship at Reykjavik, Iceland.
- She beat Sarah Jane Hampson (Great Britain) 15-13 points.
- Earlier, she has won silver medal in another event.
- She is currently a fencing coach at Sagar Lagu’s training academy, the SAI Centre in Thalassery, Kerala.
World Table Tennis Championships begin in Dusseldorf
- The World Table Tennis Championships (54th edition) has begun in Dusseldorf, Germany (7th- time) with the Qualification matches.
- Top-ranked Indian in the world, Achanta Sharath Kamal will lead the 8-member Indian squad.
- The team includes Soumyajit Ghosh, Harmeet Desai, reigning national champion Madhurika Patkar, Manika Batra and Mouma Das.
Asian Junior Tennis Championship begins in Pune
- Today, the Asian Junior Tennis Championship 2017 (under 18 category) has begun in Pune,Maharashtra.
- Players from 11 countries (Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Hong-Kong, Malaysia, China, Sri Lanka, Iran, and India) will participate in the tournament.
- The Championship is the second highest tournament anywhere in the world after the junior grand slams.
South Korea beat China to win 2017 Sudirman Cup
- South Korea defeated China to lift their fourth Sudirman Cup title at Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre, Queensland, Australia.
- South Korea’s women shuttlers beat China with a 3-2 win in the final.
- Earlier, South Korea won the Sudirman Cup in 2003, 1993 and 1991.
Note: The Sudirman is named after a former Indonesian badminton player and the founder of the Badminton Association of Indonesia (PBSI) Dick Sudirman.
Pune police bagged FICCI smart policing award 2017
- The Pune city police have bagged the FICCI (Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries) Smart Police Award for the year 2017.
- Police Commissioner of Pune 'Rashmi Shukla' has received the award from M P Meenakshi Lekhi during a program organized by FICCI and Vivekanand International Foundation on Homeland Security in Delhi.
- Out of 133 entries from the state police forces, the 'Mahila Suraksha' project of city police won the award.
India’s First Electric Mass Mobility System Launched in Nagpur
- The chief minister of Maharashtra ‘Devendra Fadnavis’ has inaugurated India’s first multi-modal electric vehicle project at the Nagpur Airport Complex.
- The pilot project will have a fleet of 200 electric vehicles like taxis, buses, e-rickshaw and autorickshaws.
- Four electric charging station has built by cab aggregator ‘Ola’ in various places of Nagpur including the Nagpur airport.
India's tourism growth reaches 15.4 %: Mahesh Sharma
- According to the union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma, India's tourism growth has reached 15.4% when the global tourism growth was only 4. 6%.
- This year, the tourism earnings in the country have increased to one lakh 56 thousand crores rupees.
- A city in Tamil Nadu will be selected and developed holistically as a tourist destination.
Dailong village in Manipur declared Biodiversity Heritage Site
- The Manipur govt. has declared Dailong village of Tamenglong district as a Biodiversity Heritage Site of the state.
- Dialong village (area - 11.35 sq km) has been declared as Biodiversity Heritage Site under Section 37(1) of Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
EPFO would invest Rs 20,000 cr in Exchange Traded Funds: Dattatreya
- According to the Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment ‘Bandaru Dattatreya’, EPFO (Employees Provident Fund Organization) would invest Rs. 20,000 crore in Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) this fiscal.
- The EPFO Central Board of Trustees meeting in Pune agreed on the proposal for raising ETF investments from 10 to 15% of investible deposits.
- Earlier, the Finance Ministry had notified a new investment pattern for EPFO, allowing the body to invest a minimum of 5% and up to 15% of its funds in equity or equity-related schemes.
- The EPFO had started investing up to 5% of its investible deposits in ETFs from August 2015.