1) India unanimously elected as President of UN-Habitat
•India has been unanimously elected as the President of UN-Habitat, an organ of the United Nations Organisation. The UN-Habitat promotes socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements across the world. Since the UN-Habitat came into being in 1978, it is only the third time that India has been elected to lead this important organization after 2007 and 1988.
•Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu is chairing the four-day meeting of the 58-member Governing Council of UN-Habitat at Nairobi in Kenya that began on 8th May. He will preside over the deliberations of the Council of UN-Habitat for the next two years.
•The theme of the 26th meeting of the council is 'Opportunities for effective implementation of the New Urban Agenda' with the focus on inclusive, sustainable and adequate housing for a better future and planning and financing sustainable urbanization and integrated human settlements.
2) Prabhat Kamal bezboruah 1st non-IAS to head tea board
•Renowned tea planter from Assam Prabhat Kamal Bezboruah has been named the new chairman of the Tea Board of India by replacing Shri Santosh Sarangi, stated by the Union government.
•With this, Bezboruah becomes the first non-IAS and an industry insider to be at the helm of the Kolkata-headquartered Tea Board, the governing body of the industry.
3) India to grow at 7.7 per cent in 2018-19: IMF
•India's growth is expected to rebound to 7.2 percent in the 2017-18 fiscal and 7.7 percent in 2018-19 after disruptions caused by demonetization, as per the IMF (International Monetary Fund) report.
•According to the report, growth in Asia is forecast to accelerate to 5.5 percent in 2017 from 5.3 percent in 2016. Growth in China and Japan is revised upward for 2017 compared to the October 2016 World Economic Outlook.
4) Emma Watson bags first ever ‘genderless’ award
•Hollywood actor Emma Watson picked up the first-ever Genderless Acting Award for the Best Actor category for "Beauty and the Beast" at the MTV Movie and TV Awards.
•The star, who first became known for her role as Hermione in the Harry Potter films, is a feminist campaigner and UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador. Her competition for the best actor prize included Hugh Jackman and James McAvoy. "Beauty and the Beast" also won movie of the year.
5) Ola ties-up with Airtel to roll out integrated digital offerings to customers
•India's largest cab aggregator Ola has partnered with Bharti Airtel to launch a range of integrated digital offerings to customers.
•As part of the partnership, Ola will integrate Airtel Payments bank to its app and Airtel will integrate Ola's mobile wallet Ola Money as a payment solution on Airtel website and MyAirtel app for mobile recharges and bill payments. Airtel will integrate its offerings across payments, content, PoS networks, and more with Ola’s offerings for its large customer and partner base.
6) Logo and mascot of Asian Athletics Championships unveiled in Odisha capital
•Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has unveiled the logo and mascot of the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships scheduled to be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar from July 6 to 9, 2017.
•Mr. Patnaik also formally announced Bhubaneswar as the host for the sports event. The mascot, named Olly Turtle, depicts the Olive Ridley turtles as Odisha’s Gahirmatha beach is a prime mass nesting site for the endangered species. More than 700 athletes from around 45 countries would participate in 42 events — 21 for men and 21 for women.
•Mr. Patnaik also formally announced Bhubaneswar as the host for the sports event. The mascot, named Olly Turtle, depicts the Olive Ridley turtles as Odisha’s Gahirmatha beach is a prime mass nesting site for the endangered species. More than 700 athletes from around 45 countries would participate in 42 events — 21 for men and 21 for women.
