25 August 2017 Current Affairs
Nandan Nilekani appointed as Chairman of Infosys Board
Nandan Nilekani was appointed as the Non-Executive Chariman of Infosys Board, returning to the company ten years after he stepped down as its Chief Executive Officer. The decision in this regard was taken at the meeting of the Board of Directors of Infosys. Meanwhile, UB Pravin Rao will continue to serve as the interim CEO and MD at Infosys. Nilekani’s appointments came amid high-level exists from the company as CEO Vishal Sikka, Chairman of the board R Seshasayee and Co-Chair Ravi Venkatesan resigned from the Infosys board.
Microsoft launches Project Brainwave for real-time AI
Software giant Microsoft has launched Project Brainwave, a deep learning acceleration platform for real-time artificial intelligence (AI). Its launch is important as the real-time AI has increasingly became important as cloud infrastructures process live data streams, whether they be videos, sensor streams, search queries or interactions with users. The ‘Project Brainwave’ uses the massive field-programmable gate array (FPGA) infrastructure which has been deployed by Microsoft over the past few years. It can processes requests as fast as it receives them with the help of ultra-low latency.
Raghuram Rajan Pens Book ‘I Do What I Do’ on his RBI Stint
Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan has penned a book titled ‘I Do What I Do: On Reform, Rhetoric & Resolve’. Raghuram Rajan explains economic concepts and talks of issues like tolerance and connection between political freedom and prosperity in his new book. The book is a collection of essays and speeches during his stint as Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor. The book will hit stores on 4 September, exactly a year after he quit as the RBI governor.
India’s Oldest Cinematographer Ramananda Sengupta passes away
Country’s oldest cinematographer Ramanda Sengupta, who worked with legends like Jean Renoir, Ritwik Ghatak, and Mrinal Sen, died in Kolkata, West Bengal. Sengupta was 101 years old. He got his first break in 1938 when he joined Film Corporation of India in Kolkata (then Calcutta) as an assistant cameraman. His first film as a full-time cinematographer was in Purbaraag directed by Ardhendu Mukherjee in 1946.
Indian Navy Band Participates in International Military Music Festival
The International Military Music Festival “Spasskaya Tower” is the parade of the best military music bands of Russia and other countries that takes place every year at Red Square in Moscow. This time Indian Navy Band is participating in the festival. Every year about 1500 musicians, military men and other artists from around 40 countries perform at the “Spasskaya Tower”. The Festival is duly considered one of the largest international events in Russia and attracts tremendous response of the general public.
Amit Shah, Smriti Irani sworn in as Rajya Sabha members
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah and Union Minister of Textiles Smriti Irani took oath as Rajya Sabha members. The oath was administered to both BJP leaders by Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu. Smriti Irani took the oath in Sanskrit. While this would be Amit Shah’s first stint in the parliament, for Smriti Irani it would be her second term, as she was sworn in as a member of parliament from Gujarat to the upper house in 2011 as well.
Qatar restores its diplomatic relation with Iran
Qatar restored full diplomatics relations with Iran, disregarding the demands of Arab Nations now loked in a regional dispute with the energy-rich country that it lessens its ties to Tehran. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced that the contry’s amabassador would return to Tehran. Qatar pulled out its ambassador in early 2016 after Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric sparked attacks on two Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran, a move to show solidarity with the kingdom.
Tony de Brum passed away
Tony de Brum, the former Marshall Islands foreign minister who became a leading advocate for the landmark Paris Climate Agreement and an internationally recognised voice in the fight against climate change, has died aged 72. De Brum was also the Pacific nation’s climate ambassador.
Ronaldo First to be named Men’s Player of the Year for three times
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo won The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Men’s Player of the Year award for the 2016-17 season. Ronaldo picked up the trophy for the second consecutive season and third time in total. Ronaldo received 482 points in the poll, with Messi (141 votes) and Buffon (109 votes) finishing second and third respectively.