Current Affairs 09 May 2014

• Forbes 11th annual global list of most powerful 2000 public companies is out.  
  • Total 54 Indian companies are included in the world’s 2000 largest and most powerful public companies.
  • Reliance Industries placed globally at 135th is the most powerful Indian company in the list. 
  • It is followed by State Bank of India (155th), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (176th), ICICI Bank (304th), Tata Motors (332nd), Indian Oil (416th), HDFC Bank (422nd), Coal India (428th), Larsen & Toubro (500th) among top 500 companies.
  • US retains its hegemony with 564 companies followed by Japan with 225. 
  • Surprisingly the top 3 spots have been captured by China.
  The top 5 companies in the list are...
  
  • Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China – Banking 
  • China Construction Bank, China – Banking
  • Agricultural Bank of China, China – Banking 
  • JPMorgan Chase, United States – Banking
  • Berkshire Hathaway, United States – Conglomerate
• India wins the New Frontiers Award 2014 for its efforts to fight back the damage done by a series of natural disasters in last one year.  
  • The award, given by Arabian Travel Mart, reinforced the overall theme of the programme 'Recover, Repair, Rebuild'.
  • It has been appreciated for rebuilding physical infrastructure and its rural tourism economy following the June 2013 floods in Uttarakhand and the devastation wreaked in Odisha by tropical Cyclone Phailin.
  • Philippines had secured the 8th edition of this award last year (2013).
• Indian Aviation Academy (IAA) clinches International Arch of Europe Award for quality and technology in Gold Category.  
  • The award is given by the Business Initiative Directives Group (BIDG), Madrid (Spain).
  • The Academy has been set up for training and development by pooling resources of the three mainstay organizations of civil aviation namely, Airports Authority of India, Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Bureau of Civil Aviation Security. 
  • It conducts training in airport management, maintenance, airport safety and regulations, HR discipline, etc.
• Himalayanus, a new species of snake, has been unearthed by Chinese scientists.  
  • This brownish pit viper has been named Himalayanus in honour of its home in Himalayas. 
• US to induct 12000 Chinese railroad workers into Hall of Honour.  
  • The workers were responsible for building trans-pacific railroad between 1865 and 1869.
  • Asian-Americans are receiving this tribute for the first time since the Hall was introduced in 1988.