*CURRENT AFFAIRSS (05:04:2014)

1. Malta gets its new president in Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.
- She, the ninth and the 2nd woman president of the country, succeeds
George Abela as such.
- Maltan presidents are just figureheads with no executive powers.
- They serve for five years and can't be re-appointed.
2. Bangladesh concedes transit facility for a 6,000-megawatt Indian
power transmission line.
- A committee has been formed to study feasibility of transmitting
power through Rangia Raota (Assam) to Borakpur (Bihar) via Boro
Pukuria (Northwestern Dinajpur, Bangladesh).
- The two countries also plan to join a proposed regional grid
connectivity also involving Bhutan and Nepal through a new electricity
network.
3. Afghanistan holds presidential election amidst heavy security
against threat of violence by the Taliban.
- Afghans are going to get a new president this time round as
incumbent president Hamid Karzai is not contesting being
constitutionally barred from a third term.
4. The European Union launches Sentinel-1A, the first satellite of its
Copernicus Earth observation project, from Kourou in French Guiana.
- It is meant to monitor Earth for climate change and environmental
damage and help disaster relief operations.
5. Kandla port handles the most iron ores among all ports in the country.
- The port retains its numero uno position by tackling 87.01 million tonnes.
- Its followed in the list by ports of Paradip (68 million), JNPT
(62.35 million) and Mumbai (59.19 million) as per the report of Indian
Ports Association.
6. R Gandhi has been appointed as the Deputy Governor of the RBI for a
3 year term.
- He succeeds Anand Sinha as such.
7. Indian-AmericanSunil Sabharwal named as the Alternate Executive
Director of US at International Monetary Fund.
- He is an independent Indian American investor in the payments sector.
8. Israel unearths a 1400 years old monastery of Byzantine period in
the Negev region of its southern part.
- Byzantine Empire was what remained of Roman Empire after the fall of
its western part.