Daily Current Affairs Updates: 23 May 2015

1) Jayalalithaa sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister:

--> Ms. Jayalalithaa took oath as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time at a ceremony held at the Centenary Hall of the University of Madras on 23 May 2015.

--> Her return to office comes less than a fortnight after the Karnataka High Court acquitted her and three others of corruption charges in a disproportionate assets case.

--> Governor of Tamil Nadu K. Rosaiah administered the oath of office and secrecy to her.

--> Apart from Jayalalithaa, 28 other ministers also took oath of office and secrecy.

2) Ireland becomes first country in the world to approve same-sex marriage:

--> Republic of Ireland on 23 May 2015 became first country in the world to constitutionally legalise same-sex marriage.

--> The referendum on this issue to amend country’s written constitution was passed with a resounding 62.1 per cent ‘Yes’.

--> Off the total voter turnout of 60.5 per cent, 1,201,607 people voted in favour of same-sex marriage, while 734,300 voted against it.

--> With this passage of same-sex marriage referendum, now Irish constitution gives equal status to marriage between two people of the same sex as compared to a marriage between a man and a woman.

3) India-Singapore bilateral naval exercise began:

--> Bilateral naval exercise SIMBEX-15 between India and Singapore commenced on 23 May 2015 in Singapore.

--> SIMBEX-15 will be held between May 23-26, 2015.

--> Indigenously-built guided missile stealth frigate INS Satpura and anti-submarine corvette INS Kamrota are participating in SIMBEX-15.

--> The annual bilateral exercise SIMBEX started in 1999.

4) Masaan won critics prize at 68th Cannes film festival:

--> debutant director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan won the prestigious critics prize in the Un Certain Regard category, which runs parallel to the competition for the main prize, Palme d’Or, at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI).

--> It stars Vicky Kaushal, Shweta Tripathi along with Richa Chadda and Sanjay Mishra.

--> The film is a narrative set based in Varanasi and its characters connected with the Ganga.