current affairs 31 May 2015

RIL became nation's most profitable firm by replacing ONGC.

• Reliance Industries has overtaken state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) to become the nation's most profitable company, posting a consolidated net profit of Rs 23,566 crore in the 2014-15 fiscal.

• ONGC, which posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 18,334 crore in 2014-15, slipped to number three, behind RIL and Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, India's largest IT firm, according to earning data of listed firms available on the BSE.

Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has been appointed governor of Ukraine's southern Odessa region

• Mr Saakashvili is widely credited with carrying out radical reforms in Georgia during his terms in office in 2004-13.

Classy Barcelona’s fifth European crown triumph with 3-1 defeat of Juve 

• Barcelona were crowned kings of Europe for the fifth time after beating Juventus 3-1 in a superb Champions League final at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday, capping their magnificent season with a treble of titles.

• Goals from Ivan Rakitic in the fourth minute, Luis Suarez in the 68th and Brazilian Neymar at the end of stoppage time sealed the Catalans' second treble, following their feat in 2009, after they also won the La Liga title and Spanish King's Cup.

World No Tobacco Day 2015 observed today

• Every year, on 31 May, WHO and partners mark World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption

Goals of the WNTD 2015 campaign

• Raise awareness on the harm to people’s health caused by the illicit trade in tobacco products, especially the youth and low-income groups, due to the increased accessibility and affordability of these products due to their lower costs.

• Show how health care gains and programmes, tobacco control policies, like increased tax and prices, pictorial health warnings and other measures are undermined by the illicit trade in tobacco products.

• Demonstrate how the tobacco industry has been involved in the illicit trade of tobacco products.

• Highlight how the illicit trade of tobacco products is a means of amassing great wealth for criminal groups to finance other organised crime activities, including drugs, human and arms trafficking, as well as terrorism.

• Promote the ratification of, accession to and use of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products by all Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and its early entry into force through the active involvement of all relevant stakeholders.