20th May 2015 Daily Current Affairs Updates

1) Astra missile successfully test-fired from Sukhoi-30 MKI:

--> Indigenously-developed beyond visual range air-to-air missile, Astra was successfully launched from Su-30 MKI fighter jet in two developmental trials conducted at the Integrated Test Range, Chandipur, Odisha on 20 May 2015.

--> In the first trial, the supersonic missile was released when the fighter jet was performing a “very high-g manoeuvre”. 

--> In the second trial, the manoeuvre was higher than in the first exercise.

--> The 3.8-metre tall Astra is a radar homing missile and one of the smallest weapon systems developed by DRDO. 

2) Tathagata Roy sworn in as Tripura Governor:

--> Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Tathagata Roy on 20 May 2015 was sworn in as the Governor of Tripura.

--> He became the 16th Governor of the state.

--> The Chief Justice of Tripura High Court, Deepak Gupta, administered the oath of office at a ceremony held in Raj Bhavan.

3) V Shanmuganathan sworn in as Meghalaya governor:

--> Senior BJP leader V Shanmuganathan was on 20 May 2015 sworn-in as the Governor of Meghalaya at the Raj Bhavan.

--> Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court Uma Nath Singh administered the oath of office to Shanmuganathan. 

4) Barcelona won Spain's La Liga title:

--> Barcelona won the Spanish La Liga title for the 23rd time as they beat Atletico Madrid over the weekend.

--> Luis Enrique, the man in charge of Barcelona has now won 29 times in his clubs last 32 games.

5) Renault unveiled 800cc Kwid:

--> French auto major Renault on 20 May 2015 unveiled its global entry-level car 800cc Kwid and the model is expected to hit the Indian market around the festive season this year.

--> The Kwid will take on established players like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai in the segment.

6) Economist Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri passed away:

--> Eminent economist, noted academic and policy advisor Mrinal Datta Chaudhuri, who bewitched and inspired generations of students at the Delhi School of Economics with his lively lectures on an ostensibly arid subject, passed away on 20 May 2015.

7) International Day of Families observed:

--> International Day of Families was observed on 15 May 2015 with theme Men in Charge? Gender Equality and Children’s Rights in Contemporary Families.

--> The 2015 theme aims to highlight gender equality and rights of children within families.

8) President Obama's new Twitter account broke a world record:

--> President of the United States (US) Barack Obama on 20 May 2015 entered Guinness Book of World Record for reaching a million followers in a span of mere 5 hours after going live.

--> Barack Obama debuted on Social Media Platform Twitter with @POTUS account.

--> He beat the previous record, which was set in April 2014 by Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr., after the actor reached a million followers in 23 hours and 22 minutes.

9) Mumbai's Siddhivinayak temple gets ISO 9001-2008 certification:

--> Mumbai's famous Siddhivinayak temple has received ISO 9001-2008 certification for best quality practices.

--> The certificate was presented to the Siddhivinayak Trust chief officer Mangesh Shinde by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, at an event held at the temple.