Daily Current Affairs Updates: 19 May 2015

1) INS Kavaratti launched in Kolkata:

--> Indian Navy's latest anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvette, the INS Kavaratti was launched on 19 May 2015.

--> Kavaratti is the last of the four anti-submarine warfare class stealth corvettes being built for India under Project 28.

--> The vessel has been named after the capital of Union Territory Lakshadweep.

--> INS Kavaratti has been designed by the Directorate of Naval Design and built by the GRSE Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineers.

--> INS Kavaratti was launched by Manita Singh, wife of the Union Minister of State for Defence, Rao Inderjit Singh.

2) Driest place on earth found in Atacama Desert, Chile:

--> Researchers have discovered the driest location on Earth in the Atacama Desert in Chile - and they were surprised to find some bacteria living there.

--> The site is reported to be as dry as Mars.

--> The site is called Maria Elena South (MES).

--> The team discovered that MES has a mean atmospheric relative humidity (RH) of 17.3 percent and a soil RH of a constant 14 percent at a depth of one meter.

3) Apple acquired mapping company Coherent Navigation:

--> Apple has reportedly acquired Coherent Navigation, a Bay Area firm working on high-accuracy GPS and navigation technologies.

--> The iPhone maker has confirmed the deal, but has refused to divulge more details about the purpose or its future plans.

4) Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai won Man Booker International Prize 2015:

--> Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai has won the biennial Man Booker International Prize 2015.

--> The award ceremony was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on 19 May 2015 and Krasznahorkai was chosen from a list of 10 contenders from around the world.

--> Krasznahorkai, born in 1954, gained considerable recognition with his numerous works, such as "Satantango" and "The Melancholy of Resistance".

5) PM Narendra Modi concluded his three-nation tour to China, Mongolia and South Korea:

--> Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 19 May 2015 returned to India after completing his tour to three nations namely China, Mongolia and South Korea.

6) Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards named England cricketers of the year:

--> Joe Root and Charlotte Edwards on 18 May 2015 were named as England men’s and women’s cricketers of the year 2014-15 respectively