DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS 23 APRIL 2015
1. POLLUTION MANAGEMENT AND
ENVIORNMENT HEALTH PROGRAM ESTABLISHED BY WORLD BANK:
.    World Bank has established pollution
Management and Environment Health (PHEM) promgram which will focus on air
quality management.
.    PHEM program will
initially run from 2015 to 2020 with an estimated amount of 45 million US dollar.
.    The program will focus on
air quality management in five major urban areas India, China, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa.
2.   NEW YORK TIMES WON PULITZER PRIZES:
.    The New York Times has
won two Pulitzer prizes for coverage
of the Ebola outbreak in West
Africa.
.    The New York Times staff
won the Pulitzer Prize for International
reporting. 
.    Danial Berechulak, a freelancer won Pulitzer prize for the feature photography.
3. INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY
OBSERVED ON 22ND APRIL:
.    International
Mother Earth Day was observed
on 22nd April around the world.
.    International Mother Earth Day 2015 was observed
with the theme “It’s our turn to lead”.
4. JAPANESE TRAIN SET THE WORLD SPEED RECORD OF 603 KMPH:
.    Japanese Bullet train Maglev set a new world speed record of 603 kmph.
.    Maglev train broke its previous world record
of 580 kmph up in the year 2003.
5. MAKE MY TRIP ACQUIRED MYGOLA:
.    Online travel Service provider Make My Trip
has acquired startup travel guide Mygola.
.    Mygola was founded in 2009 by Anshuman
Bapna and prateek Sharma.
.    CEO of Make My Trip – Deep Kalra
6. XI JINPING HONOURED WITH NISHAN-E-PAKISTAN:
.    Chinese President Xi Jinping is
honoured with Nishan-e-Pakistan Award.
.    Nishan-e-Pakistan award is the highest civilian
award of Pakistan.
.    The award was presented by the president of
Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain.
7. 8.7 % INTEREST RATE FOR GPF IN 2015-16:
A. Union Finance Ministry
has retained the rate of interest at 8.7 % for GPF for the year 2015-16.
.    The interest rate will apply on provident
funds of central government employees, railways and defense forces.
GPF- General Provident
Fund
Key Points:
(i)   
Interest rate for senior citizens saving scheme hiked from 9.2% to 9.3%
(ii) Interest rate for
Sukanya Samridhi account hike from 9.2% to 9.3%