Daily News - 21st April 2105

1. Former Odisha Chief Minister J.B Patnaik passes away

(i) Former Governor of Assam and three-time Chief Minister of Odisha Janaki Ballav Patnaik is no more. 

(ii) He passed away in a private hospital at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh at 3 am on Tuesday, family sources said.

(iii) Mr. Patnaik, a veteran Congress leader, was 89 years old and is survived by his wife Jayanti Patnaik, son Pruthvi Ballav Patnaik and two daughters – Sudatta Patnaik and Supriya Patnaik.

(iv) According to his son-in-law Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, Mr. Patnaik had gone to Tirupati from Bhubaneswar on Monday to attend the convocation ceremony of Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha there on Tuesday. Mr. Patnaik was Chancellor of the university.

2. Xi launches $46-bn investment plan in Pakistan

(i) China on Monday cemented its “all—weather ties” with Pakistan by agreeing to build a strategic USD 46—billion economic corridor through the PoK as part of 51 deals signed, expanding the communist giant’s influence in the region.

(ii) Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled his country’s biggest overseas investment — the ambitious 3,000 km—long China—Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) — during his historic maiden state visit to Islamabad.

(iii) A total of 51 agreements were signed in different fields, including infrastructure projects, energy generation, agriculture, education, telecommunications and research.

(iv) Of the 51, 30 agreements were linked to the strategic corridor, regarded as the biggest connectivity project between the two countries after Karakoram highway built in 1979.

3. Nasim Zaidi assumed charge as Chief Election Commissioner of India

(i) Nasim Zaidi on 19 April 2015 assumed the charge as Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India. He succeeded Hari Shankar Brahma, who had retired on 18 April 2015.

(ii) With this, Zaidi became India’s 20th CEC. He will be the sole member of the three-member Election Commission till the government fills up the two vacant posts of election commissioners. 

(iii) He will have tenure of two years as he will attain the age of 65 in July 2017. 

(iv) Nasim Zaidi is a 1976 batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre. He had served as the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

4. Renault’s new brand signature

(i) Even as it is in the process of launching its new MUV (Multi Utility Vehicle) Lodgy across cities in the country, Renault has released a new brand signature: Renault – Passion for life. 

(ii) While it will talk about fresh approach to vehicle design that the company took in 2012, the signature will also explain brand’s promise to produce attractive vehicles for customers. 

(iii) This new brand identity will be deployed from April 2015.

5. Neeraj Kumar appointed as Chief Adviser of Anti-Corruption & Security Unit of BCCI

(i) Former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar was on 20 April 2015 appointed as chief adviser of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) Anti-Corruption & Security Unit (ACSU). 

(ii) He will have a term of one year, that is, till 2016. Kumar succeeded Ravi Sawant.

(iii) His appointment was made during Governing Council Meeting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) chaired by IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla in New Delhi. 

(iv) Neeraj Kumar is a 1976 batch IPS officer of the AGMU cadre. Earlier, he has served as the Delhi Police commissioner for 13 months i.e. from June 2012 to July 2013.

6. Amazon launches website for businesses to buy supplies online

(i) In line with vision to be India’s most customer centric company online market place Amazon has launched Amazonbusiness.in, a members-only B2B ecommerce website in India.

(ii) The website, at present, is serving businesses in Bengaluru.

(iii) According to the company, the website allows businesses to purchase their frequently needed business supplies and products for retail in bulk quantities at wholesale prices. 

(iv) The registration is currently open for businesses in Bengaluru including small office and home offices, kirana stores, drugstores, hospitals, hotels, and restaurants. Businesses in Bengaluru can register for free and place an order as low as Rs. 1000.

(v) “With Amazonbusiness.in, businesses now have an opportunity to unblock their working capital as they no longer need to face issues like inconsistent stock availability and long vendor lead times. 

(vi) They can order any day of the week and get 1 to 2 day delivery from Amazon’s reliable delivery service. 

(vii) They also get competitive and transparent prices and invoices with their VAT and CST identification numbers,” the company said in a statement.

6. At 603 kmph, Japan’s maglev train breaks its own speed record

(i) A Japanese maglev, which is the fastest passenger train in the world, has broken its own speed record.

(ii) Operator JR Central said the train reached 603 kmph in a test run on Tuesday, surpassing its previous record of 581 kmph set in 2003. The train travelled for about 2 km at a speed exceeding 600 kmph.

(iii) Japan’s high-speed rail services are among the most advanced in the world, with hundreds of trains running each day with minimal delays.

(iv) The Maglev Test Line, near Mount Fuji about 80 km west of Tokyo, is developing technology for use on a future link between Tokyo and Osaka. 

7. Sulekha.com raises Rs 175 crore from GIC, NVP

(i) Chennai-based local listing services provider Sulekha.com, on Tuesday said that it has raised Rs. 175 crore from the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore-GIC and Norwest Venture Partners.

(ii) The fresh fund raised would be used to further expand the platform and invest in technology and branding, the company said in a press release.

(iii) Commenting on the development, Satya Prabhakar, Founder and CEO of Sulekha.com, said, “This investment by GIC and Norwest is a powerful endorsement of the vast potential of the local services opportunity in India and Sulekha’s ability to prosecute it successfully”.

8. New York Times wins Pulitzer for Ebola coverage

(i) The New York Times won two prestigious Pulitzer prizes on Monday for coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, described by the Pulitzer board as courageous and vivid journalism that engaged the public and held authorities accountable.

(ii) The Pulitzer for Public Service, announced at Columbia University, went to Charleston, South Carolina's Post and Courier for its series on domestic violence.

(iii) The Pulitzers honour extraordinary work in U.S. journalism, literature, drama and other areas and bring welcome attention and recognition to newspapers and websites.

9. New kid in Wipro's block: Rishad Premji to join company board from May 1 

(i) Wipro posted a 1.2% sequential decline in quarterly revenue, weighed down by currency fluctuations, as India's third largest software services exporter fell short of its own expectations, after results of top-tier rivals Tata Consultancy ServicesBSE -0.16 % and HCL TechnologiesBSE -3.48 % underwhelmed investors.

(ii) WiproBSE 0.67 % also elevated chief strategy officer Rishad Premji to its board. His appointment will be effective May 1.

(iii) "It is an absolute privilege and honor to be invited to the board of Wipro, a company built over the past 70 years on the bedrock of uncompromising integrity and the hard work of thousands of Wipro-ites," said Rishad Premji in a statement.

(iv) For the January-March quarter, Wipro posted a net profit of $366 million, up 2% from last year. Revenue rose 3.2 to $1.77 billion from last year. Sequentially revenue declined by 1.2%.

10. Supreme Court to decide on five judges who will hear the validity of NJAC Act

(i) The issue of conflict of interest and doctrine of bias has once again cropped up before a constitution bench of the Supreme Court set up to hear the constitutional validity of the law replacing the appointment of judges by the collegium system.

(ii) After some of the parties in the matter raised the issue of heading the five-judge bench headed by Justice JS Khehar, it decided that before going into merits of the impugned law it will settle the issue as to which judges of the Supreme Court can hear it.