Daily Current Affairs 05 May 2014

1) Government appointed R V Verma as Whole-Time Member (Finance) in Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority: The government has appointed R V Verma as a member of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA). Verma has been appointed as Whole-Time Member (Finance) in the PFRDA, the Finance Ministry said in a notification. He at present is Chairman and Managing Director of National Housing Bank, the regulator for housing finance companies. Verma is the first Whole-Time Member to be appointed by the government after PFRDA Act was notified last year. The government is yet to decide on the appointment of PFRDA Chairman, a post which has been lying vacant since November last year. The PFRDA consists of a chairperson and at least three whole-time members.

2) Dipika Pallikal back in top-10 after Texas Open high:  A final appearance at the Texas Open last month has pushed India's top squash player Dipika Pallikal back to the top-10 of the world rankings. Pallikal gained two places to be number 10 in the Women's Squash Association (WSA) rankings, the spot she has reached for the first time in December 2012.

3) China won Table Tennis World Championships: This year's world champion titles in table tennis have gone to both China men's and women's teams. Germany's men made it to the final round, but were unable to make strong gains on the defending champions. Both the men's and women's teams from China swept the World Team Table Tennis Championships on Monday. Germany's men lost out in the final to the favorites China at the event being held in Tokyo, with the record champions proving formidable opponents. China won 3-1 against Germany.

4) Vodafone, Airtel, Idea resume 3G services: Telecom operators Vodafone and Idea Cellular on Monday said they will resume 3G services in circles where they don't have spectrum through intra-circle roaming (ICR) pacts with other operators. Bharti Airtel has also announced resumption of its 3G services in circles where it don't have spectrum. This announcement by the operators comes post the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) ruling last week. The TDSAT bench headed by Justice Aftab Alam has said 3G ICR agreement signed by Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular was not violative of licence agreement.

5) Honda recalls 31,226 Amaze, Brio cars to check faulty brake:  Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) on Monday recalled 31,226 units of select variants of the Amaze compact sedan and Brio hatchback to inspect them for a possible defect in the brake system. Prepared by:www.currentaffairs4examz.com

6) Ratan Tata awarded Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire: Ratan Tata on Monday became the first Indian to be awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) since India became a Republic in 1950. British high commissioner to India, Sir James Bevan conducted the honours for Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons. The high commissioner presented Tata with the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

7) Ahmed Maiteeg elected New PM of Libya: Businessman Ahmed Maiteeg was elected on Sunday as Libya’s new prime minister after receiving 121 votes in parliament.

8) Juan Carlos Varela to be new President of  Panama: The opposition leader Juan Carlos Varela has won the Presidential election in Panama with almost 40 percent of the votes.

9) ING Vysya Life renamed as Exide Life Insurance: More than a year after the ING Group exited the life insurance business in India by selling its 26 per cent stake to Exide Industries, the name of ING Vysya Life Insurance Company Limited has been changed to Exide Life Insurance Company Limited (Exide Life Insurance) with immediate effect. The company received approvals from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (Irda) and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs last week.

10) Ahmet Sik won UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2014: Turkish investigative journalist Ahmet Sik won 2014 UNESCO Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.