1) Supreme Court issued guidelines for Govt advertisements:
--> Supreme Court has restricted the use
of photographs of political leaders and government functionaries in government
advertisements.
--> Apex court issued guidelines on
central government advertisements and said that only photos of the President,
Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India can be published.
--> It further added that images of
departed national leaders like Mahatma Gandhi can also be used in such ads.
--> The court directed the government to
form a three-member committee to regulate government ads.
2) Budget session of Parliament concluded:
--> Parliament's Budget session
concluded on 13 May 2015.
--> The extension of Lok Sabha session
by three working days has enabled the government to complete some of its
crucial agenda including a bill against black money stashed abroad and another
to amend the Whistleblowers Protection Act.
--> The second half of Budget session of
Lok Sabha was extended from May 8 to May 13.
3) Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved 10% stake
sale in Indian Oil Corp, 5% in NTPC:
--> The government on 13 May 2015
approved a 10% stake sale in the country's biggest refiner and fuel retailer,
Indian Oil Corp., (IOC) and 5% in power producer NTPC.
--> At current valuations, the
government is expected to generate around Rs 14,000 crore from the proposed
sale.
4) Hyderabad to become the first Indian City to offer Google
Street View:
--> Hyderabad will be the first city in
India to get Google Street View, Telangana IT Minister K T Rama Rao said.
--> A delegation led by the minister met
the Google Street View team of Manik Gupta, Director of Product Management and
Narayana Tummala, Ground Truth Engineering Lead for Google.
--> Google has in the past attempted to
offer Street View in India, but ran into regulatory hurdles.
5) Harbhajan Kaur Dheer becomes first Asian elected mayor in
UK:
--> Indian-origin councillor woman has
became the first Asian woman elected mayor of Ealing Council in London.
--> Harbhajan Kaur Dheer, 62, at a
ceremony at the Victoria Hall at Ealing Council yesterday became the Mayor of
Ealing Council after succeeding councillor Tej Ram Bagha.
6) Noted Bengali writer Suchitra Bhattacharya passed away:
--> Celebrated Bengali writer Suchitra
Bhattacharya died on 13 May 2015 at south Kolkata.
--> Known for her sensitive portrayal of
urban, social and feminist issues through her novels, many of her works have
been adapted into films, including Dahan.
7) Lok Sabha passed Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill:
--> Lok Sabha on 13 May 2015 passed The
Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Bill, 2015 by a voice vote.
--> The Bills amends the Negotiable
Instruments Act, 1881 in order to make cheque-bounce filing of cases more
convenient for check payees (person who receives the cheque).
8) Achal K Jyoti took over as new Election Commissioner:
--> Achal Kumar Jyoti, a former chief
secretary of Gujarat during Narendra Modi's tenure as chief minister, on 13 May
2015 took over as the new Election Commissioner.
--> Jyoti (62) had also served as the
state Vigilance Commissioner and worked in various capacities in his cadre including
as chairman of the Kandla Port Trust between 1999 and 2004 and managing
director of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL).
