1. Hashim Thaci elected President of Kosovo
- Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci has been elected as President of Kosovo after winning the required simple majority in the elections held in Pristina. He will succeed Atifete Jahjaga.
- Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Kosovo and Serbia reached a landmark agreement to normalise their relations in April 2013.
- Thaci, who earlier served as the PM helped to negotiate a deal with Serbia that gave more autonomy to Kosovo’s minority Serbs.
- He pledged to build a European Kosovo and enhance ties with the US.
2. India, UK Institutions sign MoU for collaboration in crop sciences
- Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology and a group of top UK research institutions signed an MoU for establishment of a joint India-UK collaboration programme in crop science.
- The MoU aims to enhance collaborative research, promote knowledge exchange, and support capacity-building to develop resilience in food security.
- The agreement envisages joint research projects on yield enhancement, disease resistance and drought resistance; research into crop re-breeding; and the translation of fundamental research into sustainable agriculture practice. It also contemplates the establishment of a joint Indo-UK Plant Science Centre in India.
3. India, Maldives sign agreement for avoidance of double taxation of income from International air transport
- The Union Cabinet has approved the signing of an agreement between India and Maldives for avoidance of double taxation of income from international air transport.
- The agreement provides for relief from double taxation for airline enterprises of India and Maldives by exemption of income derived by the enterprise of India from the operation of aircraft in international traffic, from Maldivian tax and vice-versa.
- Under the agreement, profits from operation of aircrafts in international traffic will be taxed in one country alone. Accordingly, the taxing right is conferred upon the country to which the enterprise belongs. The agreement will provide tax certainty for airline enterprises of India and Maldives.
4. Wawrinka wins Dubai ATP Tennis title
- Stanislas Wawrinka has won his ninth straight final by bagging the Dubai ATP Tennis title.
- Wawrinka defeated Marcos Baghdatis in straight sets with a 6-4, 7-6(13). This is his second ATP World Tour title of the year, following his third straight Chennai title in January, and his sixth straight victory over fellow 30-year-old Baghdatis.
- The Swiss player earned 500 Emirates ATP Rankings points and $511,750 in prize money.
5. Rozle Prezelj elected Chairman of IAAF Athletes’ Commission
- Rozle Prezelj has been elected the Chairman of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Athletes’ Commission in Monaco. Prezelj is a Slovenian high-jumper and replaces Frank Fredericks with immediate effect.
- Britain’s marathon world record-holder Paula Radcliffe was nominated as the commission’s Vice Chairwoman.
- IAAF is the international governing body for athletics.
6. Indian-origin engineer discovers 2D semiconducting material that could replace silicon chips
- University of Utah engineers have discovered a new kind of 2D semiconducting material for electronics which is made up of tin and oxygen or tin monoxide (SnO).
- The team was led by Indian-origin Ashutosh Tiwari. Only one atom thick 2D SnO material allows electrical charges to move through it much faster than conventional 3D materials like silicon. It will also facilitate development of much speedier computers and smartphones.
- The paper describing the material was published in the journal Advanced Electronic Materials.
7. Resul Pookutty becomes first Asian to win Golden Reel Award
- Famous sound designer Resul Pookutty has become the first Asian singer to win the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound for the documentary India’s Daughter. Pookutty won the award for Best Sound & Music Editing: Television Documentary Short Form.
- The competing films and television documentaries included Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and The Revenant’ among others.
- He was presented the award at the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ (MPSE) 63rd annual Golden Reel Awards.
- Motion Picture Sound Editors was established in 1953 and is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors while the Golden Reel Award acknowledges the year’s best work in the various areas of sound editing.
8. Dinesh Sharma elected as Chairperson of Governing Council of IFAD
- Dinesh Sharma elected as the Chairperson of the Governing Council of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) for two years.
- IFAD was set-up in 1977 as the 13th Specialised Agency of the UN and strives to eradicate poverty and hunger in rural areas across the world. India is a founder-member of IFAD and a key contributor.
- IFAD is managed by the two main governing bodies i.e. the Governing Council and the Executive Board. The Governing Council is the highest decision-making body and comprises 176 member countries.
9. India’s oldest first-class cricketer BK Garudachar passes away
- BK Garudachar, India’s oldest first-class cricketer, passed away in Bengaluru at the age of 99.
- He represented Mysore (as Karnataka was called till 1974), United Province and Bombay.Garudachar played 27 matches between 1935 and 1946 and made 1126 runs at an average of 29.63.
- He was a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler.
10. BARC appoints KN Vyas as Director
- KN Vyas has been appointed as the Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. He replaces Dr. Sekhar Basu.
- Vyas is a graduate from the 22nd batch of the BARC Training School and joined Fuel Design & Development Section of Reactor Engineering Division of the centre. He holds vast experience in design and analysis of nuclear reactor fuels and has been in the field of over three decades.
- Vyas has been conferred several awards, which include the Indian Nuclear Society Outstanding Service Award 2011, Homi Bhabha Science and Technology Award 2006, DAE Awards in the years 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2013. He is also a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineers.
11. Jabong appoints Muralikrishnan B as Chief Operating Officer
- Jabong recently appointed Muralikrishnan B as its COO.
- He will be responsible for overseeing the online apparel store’s technology, product and digital marketing functions. He will also be responsible for assisting in product management at other Global Fashion Group companies including Dafiti, Namshi, Zalora and Lamoda.
- Earlier, Muralikrishnan served as the COO of IndiaProperty. He was also eBay India’s country manager for two years following which he co-founded a digital health start-up in November 2013.
12. Gianni Infantino elected FIFA President
- Gianni Infantino was recently elected as FIFA President, replacing fellow Swiss Sepp Blatter.
- Infantino, a 45-year-old lawyer, entered the presidential race of the body when it became clear that Michel Platini, boss of European football’s governing body Uefa, could not stand.
- The first round of voting failed to determine an outright winner, though Infantino led with 88 votes. However, he achieved a simple majority in round two, thereby winning the election.
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