Daily Current Affairs 22 April 2014

1) World Earth Day Observed: April 22nd, 2014 is the 44th anniversary of Earth Day, an occasion for people to celebrate and raise awareness of the nature. It was founded by the US senator Gaylord Nelson as an environment teach-in held on this day in 1970. With over 20 thousand partners and organisations in 190 countries, more than 1 billion people has participated in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the World. Earth day marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement.

2) TCS joins top 10 global IT services companies club: This is a landmark for Indian IT. The country's largest IT services provider, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has broken into the league of top 10 global IT services companies, moving from the 13th position in 2012 to the 10th spot in 2013.

3) India to host World Bridge Championships Next Year: India will host the 2015 World Bridge Championships, said Bridge Federation of India president N.R. Kirubakara Moorthy in a release. The World Bridge Federation Council at its meeting in Dallas, US, on March 22, unanimously decided to award the Sep 26-Oct 10 event to Chennai. Over 800 players from 30 countries are expected to participate in these championships which India will be hosting for the first time.

4) Rani Mukerji, Aditya Chopra tie the knot: Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji and filmmaker Aditya Chopra have tied the knot in a quiet ceremony in Italy, ending years of speculation about their relationship. The couple, who have been dating for several years, married on Monday night in the Italian countryside.

5) 11th National Youth Athletics Championships: Goa Athletic Association in collaboration with Athletics Federation of India and Sports Authority of Goa has organised the 11th National Youth Athletic Championship for boys and girls at Bambolim Athletic Stadium from April 20 to 22.

6) Manchester United sacked David Moyes, install Ryan Giggs as interim manager: Veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs has been appointed interim manager of Manchester United following the sacking of David Moyes. United sacked Moyes just 10 months after he succeeded Alex Ferguson at the helm of one of the world's most famous clubs. Giggs, 40, made his United debut in March 1991 and has made a record 962 appearances for the club, winning 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, four FA Cups, four League Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.

7) RBI for two-stage verification for online banking transactions: Worried over rising number of frauds in online banking, the RBI has suggested that banks introduce two-stage authentication to ensure security of transactions. The RBI report on 'Enabling Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in Payment System Applications' said banks should also inform customers about risks associated with different types of online banking transaction.

8) Motorola Mobility appointed Amit Boni as general manager of India: Motorola Mobility Tuesday named Amit Boni as general manager of India as the handset maker tries to regain a foothold in a market where it was a large player till some years back, chose to withdraw operations in August 2012 and re-entered late last year.

9) Pakistan tests Ghaznavi missile: Pakistan on Tuesday conducted a successful training launch of the short range surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hatf III (Ghaznavi), which can carry nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 290 km.

10) Mathangi Sathyamurthy to receive M S Subbulakshmi Award 2014: Mathangi Sathyamurthy, Karnataka musician was selected for M S Subbulakshmi Award 2014. It was announced by the M S Subbulakshmi Foundation on 19 April 2014. She will receive a cash award of 10001 rupees and a plaque. The awards will be presented to her on 2 May 2014.

11) Thousands bid farewell to Garcia Marquez: Thousands of mourners queued up on Monday in Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes to bid farewell to Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The writer, 87, died on Thursday at his home in the Mexican capital. Escorted by a ceremonial guard, Garcia Marquez’s ashes were carried into the palace’s main lobby by his wife, Mercedes Barcha, and his sons Rodrigo and Gonzalo. A long red carpet and a large photo of the author decorated the building for the occasion.