1) Indian Army gets its first modern artillery gun almost 30 years after Bofors
•Sanjay Gubbi of Karnataka and Purnima Barman of Assam have won the prestigious Whitley Award, popularly known as Green Oscars, for their efforts in wildlife conservation.
•The awards are instituted by the U.K.-registered charity Whitley Fund for Nature Conservation. While Mr. Gubbi has been awarded for his work to protect tiger corridors in Karnataka, Ms. Barman has won the award for her work in conservation of Assam’s Greater Adjutant Stork and its habitat.
•The Indian Army received two 155mm/39 caliber Ultra Lightweight Howitzer artillery guns from BAE Systems in the United States of America. The Army had test-fire the guns at Pokhran, Rajasthan, recently. This comes after almost 30 years the Bofors howitzers were introduced in the late 1980s.
•The guns have been designed for firing Indian ammunition in domestic conditions. According to the deal, the first 25 guns will be bought directly from the US and the rest will be assembled in India.The design is such that these can be manoeuvred in narrow and treacherous mountain roads. The last time the Army had inducted a modern artillery gun was the Swedish Bofors .
2) Japan cabinet approves bill allowing emperor’s abdication
•Japan's cabinet approved a bill that would allow Emperor Akihito to step down, paving the way for the first abdication by a Japanese emperor in nearly two centuries. Abdication must take place within three years of the bill becoming law.
•In August 2016, he publicly cited age and declining health, which was interpreted as his wish to hand the crown to his eldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito. But current Japanese law has no provision for abdication, thus requiring politicians to craft legislation to make it possible. The 83-year-old emperor had heart surgery and prostate cancer treatment in 2016.
3) India betters ranking in international tourist arrivals
•India has jumped 16 places in the revised United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) rankings to settle at 24th for 2014 and 2015. Earlier, India was ranked 41st and 40th in 2014 and 2015 as per the global ranking, respectively.
•UNWTO is the United Nation’s agency managing promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism and its barometer ranks countries in terms of their ITAs- comprising both foreign tourist arrivals as well as non-resident arrivals. So far only the figures of foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) were compiled in India.
4) ISRO receives 2014 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize
•Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented now the 2014 Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
•The award was announced by a jury headed by Vice President Hamid Ansari in 2014, consists of a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 1 crore. The Prize was awarded to ISRO in recognition of its path-breaking achievements culminating in the Mars orbiter mission and its significant contributions in strengthening international cooperation in peaceful use of outer space.
5) BSNL signs pacts with Facebook, MobiKwik
•State-owned telecom operator BSNL has inked a clutch of agreements with Facebook and MobiKwik as its looks to popularize the internet and its value added services among customers.
•The pacts were signed to commemorate the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (17 May). Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Facebook, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) will provide connectivity for the social network’s 'Express Wi-Fi Program’.
•Facebook, through the Express Wi-Fi service, offers internet facility via public hotspots to users in rural parts of the country, in partnership with telecom operators. Under another MoU, the BSNL company will work with digital payments firm Mobikwik to co-create a BSNL mobile wallet to facilitate payment for its products and services. The third MoU of BSNL with Disney India will provide premium online gaming services to mobile customers of the telecom operator.
6) Purnima Barman & Sanjay Gubbi Win The Prestigious ‘Green Oscars’ Award
•The awards are instituted by the U.K.-registered charity Whitley Fund for Nature Conservation. While Mr. Gubbi has been awarded for his work to protect tiger corridors in Karnataka, Ms. Barman has won the award for her work in conservation of Assam’s Greater Adjutant Stork and its habitat.
