Welcome back to another Weekly News Burger. For a collation of other informative News Burgers since February, click
here. For last week's News Burger, click
here.
This week’s News Burger is:
- Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Takes Charge As I&B Minister:
Mr Rathore takes over from former I&B Minister Smriti Irani, after a series of controversial situations that Ms Irani found herself in, including cancelling of licenses of journalists over 'fake news', and the Prasar Bharti controversy.
Mr Rathore is a former Army officer and Olympic silver-medallist (shooting).
In related news - Mr Amit Khare has been appointed as the new I&B secretary.
- Nick Read To Be The CEO Of Vodafone:
He will succeed Vittorio Colao as the CEO of the British Telecommunications giant. Nick Read is the current CFO of the Vodafone group, and he will take over from Colao in October.
Vittorio Colao has been serving as the CEO of Vodafone for 10 years.
- Delhi To Become The Most Populous City:
According to a report released by the United Nations, by 2050, 2/3 of the world's population will be living in cities, with maximum concentration across India, China and Nigeria. Currently, Tokyo is the world's most populated city, but it will be overtaken by Delhi in 2028, a UN representative said.
- V.K. Singh First Indian Minister To Visit North Korea In 2 Decades:
Former Army Chief and current Minister of State for External Affairs, General (Retd.) VK Singh has made a surprise visit to North Korea. He met with the Foreign and Culture ministers of the NK government in Pyongyang.
"The visit by Gen. Singh and the secrecy surrounding it suggests that India is trying to quietly rebuild ties with the reclusive regime, ostracised by most of the world due to its defiance of UNSC norms on nuclear weapons." - The Hindu
- India's First Solar-Powered Railway Station:
Guwahati is now the first Indian Railway Station to be completely solar-powered. The station will help to reduce the carbon-footprint and will also help to reduce power costs.
- China Launches First Privately Developed Rocket:
The rocket called the "Chongqing Liangjiang Star" was developed by Beijing based firm 'OneSpace Technology'. The rocket uses energy-saving technology, such as wireless communications instead of wired internet that, by cutting weight, has helped lower fuel costs by about 30%.
- Freshwater Decline In India:
NASA satellites have shown that due to groundwater extraction for irrigation of crops, the availability of freshwater has declined in Northern India. Read more about it in the link above.
- CIA's First Female Director:
Gina Haspel is the Central Intelligence Agency's first female director. She has replaced former CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who is now the US Secretary of State.
This is a controversial move, as Ms Haspel was responsible for illegal interrogation techniques at a CIA "Black-site" in Thailand, following the World Trade Center terror attack of 2001.
- Dutch PM To Visit India:
Prime Minister Mark Rutte of Netherlands will visit India on 24-25 May to solidify economic ties with India.
- UN To Send War Crimes Investigators To Gaza:
The United Nations will send war crime investigators to Gaza, where Israelis have been killing Palestinians due to border protests by the latter party.
Click here for all the latest updates on the situation in Gaza.
- Pawel Pawlikowski Wins Best Director Award:
"After the sudden death of his wife, director Pawel Pawlikowski hit a midlife crisis. So he returned to his native Warsaw – and made Ida, the film of his career"
- The Guardian.
Read more in the link above.
Which news item did you find the most interesting?
Let me know in the comments below!
Stay tuned for the May (4th Week) Weekly News Burger.