15th-16th & 17th May Daily Current Affairs

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FAMILIES 2022 OBSERVED ON 15TH MAY

• The International Day of Families is observed every year on 15 May to reflect the importance that the international community attaches to families. The significance of families is highlighted on this day.
• The theme for this year ‘Families and Urbanization’ aims to raise awareness about the necessity of family-friendly urban policy.

VESAK DAY OR BUDDHA PURNIMA 2022 CELEBRATES ON 16 MAY 2022

• This year Vesak Day or Buddha Purnima has celebrated on 16 May 2022. “Vesak”, the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions of Buddhists around the world.
• It was on the Day of Vesak two and a half millennia ago, in the year 623 B.C., that the Gautama Buddha was born. It was also on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha attained enlightenment, and it was on the Day of Vesak that the Buddha in his eightieth year passed away.
• The birth of Gautama Buddha is commemorated by Buddhists and Hindus all over the world as the major festival of Buddha Purnima in countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, Thailand, Tibet, China, Korea, Laos, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia and Sri Lanka (where it is called Vesak) but every country celebrates it differently.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIGHT 2022 OBSERVED ON 16TH MAY

• The International Day of Light is celebrated on 16 May each year, the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF LIVING TOGETHER IN PEACE 2022: 16 MAY

• The International Day of Living Together in Peace is held on 16th May every year. The day is celebrated on the 16th of May throughout the world and with its annual observance, it aims to urge people to live together in a united and peaceful way.
• Individuals can attain this by listening to each other and respecting one another despite their differences. The day first came into being after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to declare 16 May as the International Day of Living Together in Peace on 8 December 2017.

WORLD TELECOMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SOCIETY DAY 2022

• The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is observed each year on 17th May to increase awareness of the benefits and opportunities that the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) provide to nations, societies, and economies. It also hopes to raise awareness about how to close the digital divide.
• Digital technologies for older persons and healthy ageing is the theme for World Telecommunication and Information Society Day this year.

WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY 2022: 17TH MAY 2022

• World Hypertension Day is observed every year on 17th May, to raise awareness and encourage hypertension prevention, detection, and treatment. The major risk factor for cardiovascular disease is high blood pressure and hypertension is known as the “Silent Killer”.

INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY 2022 OBSERVED ON 18TH MAY

• International Museum Day (IMD) is celebrated every year on 18 May. This day is observed to highlight the importance of museums in any culture. Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.
• This year, the theme for International Museum Day is ‘The Power of Museums’.

SHEIKH MOHAMED BIN ZAYED AL NAHYAN APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF UAE

• The Supreme Council of the Union elected Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi, as President of the UAE. The Council held a meeting at the Mushrif Palace in Abu Dhabi, headed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He has replaced Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who died at the age of 73.
• Sheikh Mohamed began wielding power in a period when his half-brother Sheikh Khalifa suffered bouts of illness, including a stroke in 2014. Under his low-key direction, the UAE has put a man in space, sent a probe to Mars, and opened its first nuclear reactor.

SKY BRIDGE 721: WORLD’S LONGEST SUSPENSION BRIDGE, BEEN OPENED IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC 

• The world’s largest suspension bridge has opened to travellers in the Czech Republic. The bridge, which had been under construction for nearly two years, was officially opened. Sky Bridge 721 is the name given to it. The promenade promises both beautiful views of the cloud-shrouded Jesenky mountains and an exhilarating, but slightly dangerous experience.
• The cable car can take you to the bridge, which crosses two mountain ranges and hovers 95 metres (312 feet) above a valley. It measures 721 metres (2,365 feet) in length. Tourists will enter at a height of 1,125 metres and depart at a height of 10 metres.
• The Czech Republic Sky Bridge is 154 metres longer than Nepal’s Baglung Parbat Footbridge, which is the world’s longest suspension footbridge.
• Prague, the Czech capital, is about a 2.5-hour journey from Sky Bridge 721.

EMMANUEL MACRON NAMES ELISABETH BORNE AS FRANCE’S NEW PRIME MINISTER

• Elisabeth Borne was appointed France’s new Prime Minister to become the second woman to hold the post in the country. She has served as Labor Minister in Macron’s previous government since 2020.
• Borne is the second woman to hold the position after Edith Cresson, who was Prime Minister from 1991-to 1992 under Socialist President Francois Mitterrand.

SOMALIA ELECTS HASSAN SHEIKH MOHAMUD AS NEW PRESIDENT 

• Somali legislators have elected former leader Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the country’s next president, following a long-overdue election in the troubled Horn of Africa nation.
• Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who served as Somalia’s president between 2012 and 2017, won the contest in the capital, Mogadishu, amid a security lockdown imposed by authorities to prevent deadly rebel attacks. He defeated Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed (also known as Farmajo).

MANIK SAHA NAMED AS NEW CHIEF MINISTER OF TRIPURA

• Rajya Sabha MP and BJP state president Manik Saha is all set to take over as the new Chief Minister of Tripura. Manik Saha, the BJP State unit president and lone Rajya Sabha MP from Tripura, was elected as legislature party leader at a meeting held at the Chief Minister’s official residence.
• The decision was taken at a legislature party meeting following the resignation of CM Biplab Kumar Deb.
• Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has stepped down from his position after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J.P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a two-day trip to New Delhi.
• Mr. Deb made the announcement after submitting his resignation to Governor S.N. Arya at the Raj Bhavan in Agartala. The State is slated to go to Assembly elections in 2023.

AT CFSL IN HYDERABAD, AMIT SHAH INAUGURATES THE NATIONAL CYBER FORENSIC LABORATORY 

• Home Minister Amit Shah launched the National Cyber Forensic Laboratory’ (NCFL) on the premises of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) in Hyderabad. The NCFL plans to expedite the resolution of cybercrime cases in the country. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) approved the establishment of the NCFL for evidentiary purposes in the CFSL, Hyderabad, in December 2021.
• On the final day of the month-long ‘Praja Sangrama Yatra’ Phase-2, which started last month on the anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanthi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will attend a public assembly in Telangana.
• In the first phase, the party campaigned in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Medak, Kamareddy, Sircilla, and Siddipet, covering 19 assembly constituencies in eight districts. The BJP has been projecting its power in Telangana through the yatra.

SITIKANTHA PATTANAIK AND RAJIV RANJAN, NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS BY THE RBI 

• Rajiv Ranjan and Sitikantha Pattanaik have been named executive directors by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Rajiv Ranjan was Adviser-in-Charge of the Monetary Policy Department and Secretary to the Monetary Policy Committee before being appointed to executive director.
• Pattanaik was an adviser at the Department of Economic and Policy Research before being appointed to ED. Rajiv Ranjan will oversee the Monetary Policy Department as Executive Director, while Pattanaik will oversee the Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR).

SUNIL ARORA, INDIA’S FORMER CHIEF EC, HAS BEEN NAMED CHAIRMAN OF GRAM UNNATI 

• Sunil Arora, the former chief election commissioner, has been named as the new non-executive chairman of Gram Unnati’s board. Arora is a retired civil servant (IAS) with over 36 years of experience. He has worked as the secretary of two important ministries, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
• Sunil Arora, the 23rd Chief Election Commissioner of India, was born on April 13, 1956. He also serves as the president of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB). He is a retired Rajasthan cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 1980 batch. He also worked for the Indian government as a secretary in two ministries.

DR KAMAL BAWA ELECTED TO US’ NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 

• The chief of Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Dr Kamal Bawa has been elected to the US National Academy of Sciences.
• The election is the reaffirmation of our important work on the ecology, conservation, and management of tropical forests that are declining all over the world but are critical to humanity’s well-being. He is also an elected fellow of the Royal Society (London) and the American Philosophical Society.

NATIONAL DATA AND ANALYTICS PLATFORM LAUNCHED BY NITI AAYOG

• The National Data & Analytics Platform (NDAP) was launched by NITI Aayog for free public use. By making data accessible, interoperable, interactive, and available on a user-friendly platform, the platform intends to democratise access to public government data.
• It houses basic datasets from a variety of government departments, organises them, and provides analytics and visualisation capabilities. This public debut comes after the platform’s beta release in August 2021, which gave a small number of users access for testing and feedback.

NIDHI CHIBBER NAMED AS CBSE NEW CHIEF 2022

• Senior IAS officer, Nidhi Chibber has been appointed as the chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre.
• Chibber, a 1994 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, is currently Additional Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industries. She has been appointed as chairperson of the CBSE in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the government of India, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry.

INDIAN GOVERNMENT PROHIBITED THE WHEAT EXPORT WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT

• Indian Government has prohibited wheat exports, claiming a threat to food security, partially owing to the conflict in Ukraine and as a blistering heatwave reduced supply and pushed local prices to new highs.
• Despite not being one of the world’s top wheat exporters, India’s prohibition might drive global prices to new highs, putting a strain on impoverished customers in Asia and Africa. The prohibition would not last indefinitely and might be changed, authorities said during a press briefing.
• The Rising food and energy costs have increased India’s annual retail inflation rate to 7.79% in April, a new high. 

FORBES’ GLOBAL 2000 LIST OF PUBLIC COMPANIES WORLDWIDE 2022 ANNOUNCED

• Forbes’ Global 2000 list of public companies worldwide 2022 announced. Forbes Global 2000 ranks the largest companies in the world using four metrics: sales, profits, assets and market value.
• Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd climbed two spots to No. 53 on Forbes’ Global 2000 list of public companies worldwide 2022. Reliance is the top-ranked Indian firm on the list, followed by State Bank of India at No. 105, HDFC Bank at No. 153 and ICICI Bank at No. 204.
• Berkshire Hathaway took the No. 1 spot for the first time since Forbes started publishing the Global 2000 in 2003, dethroning the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which dropped to No. 2 after nine consecutive years at the top of the list. Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) took the 3 Spot.
• Other top 10 Indian firms on the list include state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at 228 ranks, Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC) at No. 268, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at No. 357, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) at No. 384, Tata Steel at No. 407 and Axis Bank at No. 431.

ADANI GROUP TO BUY AMBUJA CEMENTS, ACC FOR $10.5 BN

• Adani Group which belongs to Gautam Adani is set to acquire swiss multinational company Holcim’s stake in Indian companies Ambuja Cements and its subsidiary ACC for $10.5 bn (around Rs 81,361 crore), including the open offers.

KENYAN NURSE ANNA QABALE DUBA CROWNED WORLD’S BEST NURSE

• Anna Qabale Duba, a Kenyan nurse stationed at the Marsabit County Referral Hospital, won the inaugural Aster Guardian Global Nursing Award for endorsing education and campaigning against outdated cultural practices like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in her community.
• Duba, who took home USD 250,000 (approx. Ksh.29 million) in prize money, was feted by Emirates CEO Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum at an award ceremony held in Dubai, which commemorated the International Nurses Day.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2021 SUMMER DEAFLYMPICS

• The 24th edition of 2021 Summer Deaflympics i.e. Caxias 2021, officially called the XXIV Summer Deaflympic Games, was an international multi-sport event held at Festa da Uva, Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
• The International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) is the main governing body responsible for the organisation of the Deaflympics and other World Deaf Championships.
• The Motto of the event is “Sports comes from the our hearts”.
• The mascot of the Deaflympics is the Ring-tailed Coati – Nino, meaning priceless, worthy of appreciation, cheerful, happy, very lucky, and auspicious.

Total Medal Tally:

ITALIAN OPEN 2022: CHECK THE COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS

• World No.1 Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas to win the 79th edition of the Italian Open (Internazionali BNL d’Italia) in Rome and to capture the 38th ATP Masters 1000 crown.
• Novak Djokovic became the fifth man in the Open Era to earn 1,000 match wins after defeating Casper Ruud in the semi-finals. In women’s singles, Iga Swiatek has won the Italian Open title after defeating Ons Jabeur.

Here is the list of winners and runner-ups of the Italian Open finals:

COP15 SESSION ON COMBATING DESERTIFICATION: BHUPENDER YADAV LED THE INDIAN DELEGATION

• The Indian team, led by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav, arrived in Abidjan, Cote D Ivoire, for the UN Convention on Combating Desertification’s 15th Conference of Parties (UNCCD COP15).
• The fourteenth session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was held in New Delhi, and India is the current president of the organisation.
• The fifteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which will take place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, will bring together leaders from governments, the private sector, civil society, and other key stakeholders from around the world to drive progress in future sustainable land management and to explore links between land and other key sustainability issues.

RAMGARH VISHDHARI NOTIFIED AS INDIA’S 52ND TIGER RESERVE 

• Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav has announced that Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan has been notified as Rajasthan’s 4th and the 52nd tiger reserve of India.
• It will help to conserve biodiversity and bring ecotourism and development to the area. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had given in-principle approval to make Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining areas as tiger reserves on July 5 last year.
• Wild animals like Indian wolf, leopard, striped hyena, sloth bear, golden jackal, chinkara, nilgai and fox can be seen in the Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve. According to the “Status of Tigers in India” report released in 2019, there are 2,967 tigers in 20 states across the country.

Other Three Tiger Reserves

• Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Sawai Madhopur
• Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) in Alwar
• Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) in Kota.

THOMAS CUP TITLE: INDIA BEATS INDONESIA 3-0

• India’s men’s badminton team wins the Thomas Cup title for the first time ever with a stunning 3-0 win over powerhouse Indonesia in the final.
• India took on 14-time winners Indonesia in the final of the Thomas Cup in Bangkok, Thailand and lifted the title defeating the defending champions by 3-0.
• India dished out a performance for the ages with World Championships medallist Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and the world number 8 doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy producing memorable performances.
• India was off to a perfect start as Lakshya Sen defeated Anthony Ginting by 8-21, 21-17, 21-16 in a thrilling tie.
• India’s doubles pair Satwik and Chirag defeated Ahsan-Sukamuljo 18-21, 23-21, 21-19, the most sensational victory of their career, to give India a 2-0 lead.
• In the third game, Kidambi Srikanth defeated Jonatan Christie 21-15, 23-21 to make it 3-0. They have done it without losing a match in the final.

PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI ATTENDED THE SHILANYAS CEREMONY

• On the invitation of Nepal’s Prime Minister, Shri Sher Bahadur Deuba, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi conducted an official visit to Lumbini, Nepal, coinciding with the auspicious event of Vaishakha Buddha Purnima. This was Shri Narendra Modi’s fifth visit to Nepal as Prime Minister, and his first to Lumbini.

BRITISH MOUNTAINEER KENTON COOL BECOMES FIRST FOREIGNER TO SCALE EVEREST 16 TIMES

• A British climber Kenton Cool has scaled the world’s highest mountain for the 16th time becoming the first foreign climber to make the most Mt Everest summits.
• Kenton also holds a record of the first British mountaineer who climbed Mt Nuptse, Mt Everest and Mt Lhotse in a season in 2013.
• Last year, Kenton had made it to the top of Mt Lhotse in less than 29 hours after scaling the world’s highest peak. Previously, American climber Dave Hahn has climbed Mt Everest 15 times.

FORMER AUSTRALIA CRICKETER ANDREW SYMONDS DIES IN CAR ACCIDENT

• Former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds has been killed in a car crash. The 46-year-old, who played 26 Tests and 198 one-day internationals for Australia from 1998 to 2009, was involved in a single-car accident outside Townsville in Queensland state.
• Symonds was also a top-rate fielder and was a key part of Australia’s back-to-back 50-over World Cups triumphs in 2003 and 2007.
• Domestically, he played for Queensland for 17 seasons, while appearing for Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire and Surrey in the English County Championship and for Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

Current Affairs of 14^th May: https://blog.o2academia.org/post/14thmay