1. Ajit Kumar Doval appointed as new National Security Advisor
i. Former Intelligence Bureau Chief Ajit Kumar Doval, considered one of the finest operational brains, was on Friday appointed as the National Security Advisor (NSA) to Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
ii. According to sources in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the decision to have Doval on board as the NSA was taken by Narendra Modi even before the election results were announced and he became the 15th Prime Minister of India.
iii. Doval was the first police officer to be awarded the second-highest peacetime gallantry award, the Kirti Chakra.
iv. In 1989, he had led a team of Intelligence Bureau officials along with the Punjab Police and National Security Guards in "Operation Black Thunder" to flush out terrorists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
2. World observes No Tobacco Day today
i. World No Tobacco Day is being observed today. This year, WHO and partners call on countries to raise taxes on tobacco.
ii. The main goal of this day is to contribute to protect present and future generations not only from the devastating health consequences due to tobacco, but also from the social, environmental and economic scourges of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
iii. The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987.
iv. The global tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600 000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke.
v. Research shows that higher taxes are especially effective in reducing tobacco use among lower-income groups and in preventing young people from starting to smoke.
3. Kamal Nath appointed pro-tem Speaker of 16 Lok Sabha
i. Former Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Kamal Nath has been appointed as the pro-tem Speaker in the new Lok Sabha.
ii. A notification issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said President Pranab Mukherjee has appointed him to perform the duties of the Speaker.
iii. The Narendra Modi government had recently conveyed its recommendation to Mr. Mukherjee to appoint Nath, who is the senior most member of the Lower House, as pro-tem Speaker.
iv. The pro-tem Speaker performs the duties of the office of the Speaker from the commencement of the sitting of the Lok Sabha till the election of the Speaker.
4. Peter Mutharika is new Malawi presidential
i. Malawi's opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Peter Mutharika has emerged winner of the May 20 presidential race in the southern African country, the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) said Friday.
ii. Mutharika, the 74-year-old brother of the late former President Bingu wa Mutharika, was elected president of the country after garnering 36.4 percent of the votes cast, Xinhua quoted MEC as saying.
iii. The official announcement came after Banda attempted to nullify the election and call fresh polls on the ground that the vote was marred by irregularities.
iv. MEC chairperson Maxon Mbendera said "the rule of law compels us to release the results" although some commissioners expressed reservations about the results.
v. "The democratic right of Malawians to elect their leaders is sacrosanct and must be respected," he said
5. Economy witnesses subdued 4.67% growth during last fiscal;
i. India's economic growth remained subdued at 4.7 per cent in 2013-14 and at 4.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of the financial year, mainly due to a decline in manufacturing and mining output.
ii. According to official data released today by the Central Statistics Office in New Delhi, the country's gross domestic product in 2013-14 was less than its advance estimate of 4.9 per cent.
iii. The manufacturing sector declined 1.4 per cent in the fourth quarter whereas Mining and quarrying contracted 0.4 per cent in the January-March quarter.
6. Uttar Pradesh chief secretary Javed Usmani removed, Alok Ranjan to replace him
i. Amid huge uproar over a string of heinous gang-rapes and crime against women in Uttar Pradesh, the Samajwadi Party government on Saturday ordered the removal of state Chief Secretary Javed Usmani, reports said.
ii. Alok Ranjan (inset) is likely to replace him, official sources said.
iii. Javed Usmani, a 1978 batch officer who has been transferred from Uttar Pradesh is likely to get Central deputation.
7. IPL7: Kings XI to meet KKR in title clash tomorrow
i. Kings Eleven Punjab will meet Kolkata Knight Riders in the final of IPL cricket at Bangalore tomorrow.
ii. Kings Eleven Punjab defeated Chennai Super Kings by 24 runs at Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai last night.
iii. Earlier, Kings Eleven Punjab made 226 runs in their stipulated 20 overs.
Chasing a victory target of 227 runs, Chennai Super Kings could make only 202 runs with the loss of 7 wickets.
8. India to take on Belgium in Men’s Hockey World Cup opener
i. The Men's and Women's Hockey World Cup begin in The Hague, the Netherlands today.
ii. While the Indian eves had failed to make it to the World Cup, the Indian Men's team led by Sardar Singh has been placed in Pool-A alongside defending champions Australia, England, Belgium, Spain and Malaysia.
iii. In today's other matches, Australia will meet Malaysia, and England will play Spain.
iv. Pool-B comprises Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Korea, Argentina and South Africa. Pool-B matches will be played tomorrow.
9. Pakistan to grant MDMA status to India to facilitate bilateral trade
i. Pakistan has said it would grant India the status of Non-Discriminatory Market Access (NDMA) to facilitate enhanced bilateral trade.
ii. According to media reports, Pakistan Commerce Minister Khurram Dastigir Khan clarified that it was not Most Favoured Nation status but non-discriminatory and parallel market access that is being granted to India.
iii. Pakistan has said it would grant India the status of Non-Discriminatory Market Access (NDMA) to facilitate enhanced bilateral trade. According to media reports, Pakistan Commerce Minister Khurram Dastigir Khan clarified that it was not Most Favoured Nation status but non-discriminatory and parallel market access that is being granted to India.
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