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.
Sepp Blatter has been re-elected as President of FIFA.
- He defeated Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan as Prince
- This will be his fifth term. 65th FIFA Congress held in Zurich chose him for this post.
G Satheesh Reddy has been appointed as Scientific Advisor to Union Defence Minister.
- He is appointed as Scientific Advisor to Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
- Scientist G Satheesh Reddy is Director at Research Centre Imarat (RCI) & Programme Director of MRSAM, DRDO.
Pradeep Kumar Sinha has been appointed as Cabinet Secretary to Union Government.
- He will succeed Ajit Seth who has been holding the position for the last four years.
- Sinha, a 1977-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.
- The Prime Minister has approved the appointment of Sinha as the next Cabinet Secretary with effect from June 13.
Author of the "The Pakistan Paradox" is - Christrophe Jaffrelot
- Christophe Jaffrelot is a French political scientist specialising in South Asia, particularly India and Pakistan.
- He is director of the Centre d'études et de recherches internationales (CERI) at Sciences Po and director of research at the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS).
- Pakistan Paradox is the definitive history of democracy in Pakistan, and its survival despite ethnic strife, Islamism and deepseated elitism.
Amrita Shah is the author of Book "Ahmedabad: A City in the World."
- Amrita Shah has been a columnist and contributing editor with the Indian Express and was the founding editor of Elle India.
- Among the books she has written is a biography of Vikram Sarabhai (Penguin India, 2007).
- Shah received fellowships from the New India Foundation, the Homi Bhabha Fellowships Council and Fulbright to write Ahmedabad: A City in the World.
- She is currently visiting faculty at the Centre for Contemporary Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.
