CURRENT GK
1.London woos 20 Indian start-ups to set up biz :-
(i)As many as 20 start-ups across India have been shortlisted for assistance to set up their businesses in London, as part of the India Emerging 20 programme hosted by London Mayor’s initiative London & Partners.
(ii)These 20 start-ups have been selected from 345 participants across the country.
(iii)London & Partners is London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s business and promotional agency. The IE20 programme is supported by BDO, a global tax, accounting and advisory network. The programme aims to assist start-ups in meeting investors, financiers and potential partnerships for setting up their business in London/UK. These start-ups will be taking part in the London Tech Week next month.
2.Pranab finds traits of Nehru, Indira in Modi :-
(i)President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in his ability to communicate and carry the country with him.
(ii)He also said that Mr. Modi had made some “epoch-making decisions” in his three years at the helm of affairs.
3.Sukma attack: Report flags grave lapses by commander :-
(i)A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) internal report to the Union Home Ministry on the Sukma massacre has revealed grave lapses by the company commander, including violation of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
(ii)The troops took the same route for nearly two months in violation of the SOP and even the back-up team failed to reach on time, the report said.
4.Kashmir civil society group writes to Pranab :-
(i)Kashmir Valley-based civil society group, the Group of Concerned Citizens, wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday expressing its concern over the Army’s move to reward a Major who had used a civilian as a human shield.
5.Two Chinese fighters intercept US plane in S China Sea :-
(i)The Pentagon today said it was concerned by an “unsafe and unprofessional” encounter between two Chinese fighters and a US surveillance plane over the South China Sea.
(ii)The Chinese J-10 warplanes intercepted a US Navy P-3 that was operating in international airspace Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman Commander Gary Ross said.
6.NCP, CPI(M) willing to participate in EVM challenge, says ECI :-
(i)The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday said that eight political parties sent their response to the poll panel over the EVM challenge till 5 pm.
(ii)The NCP and CPI(M) have expressed interest in participating in the EVM challenge.
(iii)The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress raised some issue but as per existing framework of challenge they said they are not participating
7.Tamil Nadu hotels to shut down on May 30 over GST rates :-
(i)As a mark of disagreement with the exorbitant tax rates under the much-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill to be rolled out on July 1, hotels and restaurants across Tamil Nadu will observe a one-day shutdown on May 30.
(ii)According to the Tamil Nadu Hotels’ Association, over two lakh restaurants will be participating in the protest, including 1,500 bakeries, 400 restaurants and 300 small eateries in and around Coimbatore.
8.New restrictions on cattle slaughter :-
(i)The Centre has banned the sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets across the country.
(ii)Under a notification, titled the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017, those who wish to sell cattle — bulls, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers and camels — may do so only after they formally state that the animals have not been “brought to the market for sale for slaughter”.
9.Government tells telecom players to cut prices, pass benefits to users :-
(i)The finance ministry on Friday asked telecom companies to rejig costs and lower prices to pass on the benefits of tax rate reduction under GST to customers from July.
(ii)Under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, which will come into being from July 1, telecom services will attract an 18 per cent levy. Service providers can claim input tax credit (ITC) which will bring down the effective incidence of the levy.
10.FBI looking into Kushner’s contacts with Russia :-
(i)President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s contacts with Russian interlocutors during the transition may be examined by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) as part of its ongoing inquiry into alleged meddling by Kremlin in the 2016 US presidential election, media reports said.
(ii)Mr. Kushner is a senior adviser to the President and is influential in policy matters.
11.Lalit Modi’s son pads up for RCA elections :-
(i)The Rajasthan Cricket Association’s presidential elections on May 29 will see high-profile candidates fighting it out. Taking on Congress leader CP Joshi will be Lalit Modi’s son Ruchir.
(ii)The elections were slated for April 26, but secretary Sumendra Tiwari had called off the process.
(iii)The Joshi faction moved court which declared May 29 as the next date.
