(FREE) UPSC Current Affairs 2024 PDF

Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 25 May 2014

Southern state CMs unlikely Modi’s swearing-in

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, who has opposed participation of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, kept up the suspense over her participation in the swearing-in of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister in New Delhi amid reports that she may boycott it.
Till late in the evening there was no official statement from the government or the ruling AIADMK on either her participation or whether she would depute any representative.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Kerala CM Oommen Chandy also had invitations to attend the ceremony, but have decided not to attend the programme.
Ms. Jayalalithaa dubbed as “unfortunate” the Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi’s invitation to Mr. Rajapaksa for his swearing-in, saying the “ill-advised” move could have been avoided as it amounted to “rubbing salt into the wounds of the already deeply injured Tamil psyche.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the release of five Indian fishermen in custody in Colombo as a “goodwill gesture” that comes a day before he leaves to India.
He will attend the ceremony where BJP leader Narendra Modi’ will be sworn in as Prime Minister of India.
Unlike the earlier batch of fishermen that he released soon after India’s abstention at the Human Rights Council in March -- who were arrested on charges of illegal fishing -- the five who are to be released now were arrested in November 2011 for allegedly smuggling narcotic drugs into Sri Lanka. At present there are no Indian fishermen in Sri Lankan prisons facing charges of trespassing, but there are six others arrested at different points in the last two years on charges of smuggling drugs, according to officials at the Indian High Commission here.
The Sri Lankan government has been upbeat about the regime change in India – President Rajapaksa was among the first leaders to congratulate Mr. Modi, and also to confirm his participation at the swearing in ceremony that Sri Lankan government sources termed a virtual “SAARC summit”.

Chocolate tycoon Petro Poroshenko is heading for a landslide victory in Ukraine’s snap presidential election, according to early exit polls.
Preliminary results of two exit polls gave Mr. Poroshenko 55.9 per cent and 57. 3 per cent of the votes, well above the 50-per cent threshold he needs to win presidency in the first round of voting. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko estimated to have received less than 13 per cent, with the other 19 candidates trailing far behind.
Mr. Poroshenko is an old hand in Ukraine’s politics. The 48-year-old billionaire candy-maker was active in the 2004 Orange Revolution and later served as Foreign Minister and Economic Development Minister. He financed the three-month-long protests in Kiev against President Viktor Yanukovych, who was eventually toppled in February in a West-backed coup.
Mr. Poroshenko strongly support’s Ukraine’s closer ties with the West, but is against joining NATO. He has also promised to mend ties with Russia after the election.

Nico Rosberg led from pole position to win the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton.
It was Rosberg’s second win of the season to put him back on top of the Formula One standings by four points, ending a run of four straight wins by Hamilton and giving Mercedes a fifth straight one-two.
The Monaco Grand Prix had been won from pole in nine of the last 10 years. The exception was when Hamilton claimed his first and only victory in Monaco in 2008.

Stepping up the battle in the Indian mobile handset market, homegrown firm Micromax has roped in Samsung India’s mobile and IT business chief Vineet Taneja as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Micromax, the country’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer, expects the move to help it further strengthen its position in the segment, which is witnessing explosive growth.
With over 25 years of experience, Mr. Taneja has worked with consumer brands like Hindustan Lever, Nokia and Bharti Airtel, prior to Samsung. He holds a degree in engineering from IIT-Roorkee and is an alumnus of IIM-Kolkata.