Weekly One Liner Current Affairs May 2024 | 20th May to 26th May

National Affairs

  • Karnataka government has mandated a 33% reservation for women in outsourced government jobs.
  • India initiates Mission ISHAN to unify airspace management, headquartered in Nagpur, promising to modernize air traffic management for improved efficiency and benefits to airlines and passengers.
  • Sixteen-year-old Kaamya Karthikeyan has become the youngest Indian mountaineer to scale the Mt Everest.
  • Kerala had the highest unemployment rate among the 15-29 age group in urban areas for January-March 2024, while Delhi had the lowest, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI).
  • Mukesh Ambani(ranked 12th) and Gautam Adani(ranked 14th) have made it to the top 15 world’s super-rich list of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bettencourt Meyers, owner of the famous L’Oreal company, has become the first woman to achieve a net worth of $100 billion.Bernard Arnault, the founder and CEO of LVMH, continues to lead the world’s richest list. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com Inc. is the second richest person. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, ranks third.
  • The Cabinet approved over Rs 10,300 crore for the IndiaAI Mission, boosting AI innovation through public-private partnerships, expanding infrastructure, supporting startups, and ensuring ethical AI use over five years.
  • DD Kisan celebrates its 9th anniversary on May 26, 2024, unveiling Krish and Bhoomi, India’s first AI anchors.
  • Assam launched the Disaster Reporting and Information Management System (DRIMS) to improve disaster management, aiding quick damage reporting and assessment for faster aid distribution by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA).
  • Scotland cricket team unveiled their T20 World Cup jersey featuring Karnataka Milk Federation's Nandini logo, celebrating a unique partnership between Karnataka's dairy farmers and international cricket.
  • Bank of Maharashtra, a public sector bank, has emerged as a top performer among public sector banks,with remarkable growth in total business and deposits.
  • Mahindra Finance appoints Mahesh Rajaraman as Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of the company.
  • IndiaFirst Life Insurance names Rushabh Gandhi as its next MD & CEO.
  • RBI approves appointment of Pradeep Kumar Sinha as Part-time Chairman of ICICI Bank.
  • Yes Bank has launched premium banking services under the label ‘Yes Grandeur’for affluent, elite customers.
  • SBI General Insurance launches 'Surety Bond Bima' to aid infrastructure development, offering security for projects.
  • In FY24, public sector banks (PSBs) are set to provide the government with around 30% more dividends compared to the previous fiscal year.
  • Ramesh Babu V. sworn in as a Member of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC).
  • Vedanta Aluminium has announced the appointment of its CEO, John Slaven, as the Vice-Chairman of the International Aluminium Institute (IAI).
  • IndiaFirst Life Insurance board approves promotion of Rushabh Gandhi, Deputy CEO, to MD and CEO position.
  • Sanjiv Puri, Chairman and MD of ITC Ltd., elected as Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) President for 2024-25.
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given its nod for the appointment of Pradeep Natarajan as Whole Time Director on the Board of IDFC FIRST Bank.
  • Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India,the largest TV audience measurement organization, appoints Dr. Bikramjit Chaudhuri as Chief of Measurement Science & Analytics.
  • Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services, a major player in India's non-banking finance sector, obtains a corporate agency license from IRDAI.
  • Online food delivery platform Swiggy teams up with SHIELD, a device-first risk AI platform, to strengthen fraud prevention in its online food delivery service, enhancing security.
  • Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan attended the ‘Exercise Cyber Suraksha – 2024’ on May 22, by Defence Cyber Agency aimed at nation’s cyber defence readiness.
  • India rises to 39th in the World Economic Forum's Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024, a notable climb from its 2021 ranking of 54th.
  • Delhi leads Indian cities in the Oxford Economics' Global Cities Index at 350th worldwide. No Indian city made the top 300. The index rates cities from 163 countries across Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance. New York clinches the top spot.
  • Gopi Thotakura, an Indian expatriate, becomes the first Indian to journey beyond Earth's atmosphere aboard the NS-25 mission, part of Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin program, launching from West Texas.
  • Wildlife Institute of India report states over 4000 Gangetic dolphins in the Gangetic River basin, with 2000+ in Uttar Pradesh, mainly in the Chambal River.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

  • Lai Ching-te was sworn in as Taiwan’s new President.
  • Spain has become the 99th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
  • The 10th World Water Forum, themed “Water for Shared Prosperity,” commenced in Bali, Indonesia.
  • Klaus Schwab, World Economic Forum (WEF) founder and executive chairman, will become chairman of the board of trustees by January, transitioning from his current role.
  • Elon Musk's SpaceX launches Starlink internet in Indonesia, targeting better connectivity in remote areas across the country's archipelago.
  • The European Union approved the AI Act, setting historic regulations for AI to ensure trust, transparency, and accountability while promoting innovation across Europe.
  • Venezuela faces a climate crisis milestone, likely becoming the first modern nation to lose all glaciers.
  • Vietnam's National Assembly confirmed former public security minister To Lam as the new president.
  • University of Tokyo has inaugurated the Atacama Observatory (TAO), which has been awarded a Guinness World Record for being the highest observatory in the world.
  • A Japanese consortium revealed a prototype of the world's first high-speed 6G device, promising extremely fast data transfer rates.
  • Iran mourns President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials killed in a helicopter crash amidst rising tensions in West Asia, involving Israel, Gaza & Iran.
  • China sanctioned Boeing and two other US defense companies for selling arms to Taiwan, viewing these actions as violations of its territorial claims.
  • Ireland, Norway, and Spain recognized Palestine as a state amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. Israel recalled its ambassadors to Ireland and Norway, warning Spain in response.

Awards and Honours

  • "SUNFLOWERS WERE THE FIRST ONES TO KNOW," a film by FTII student Chidanand Naik, won the La Cinef Award for Best Short at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in France.
  • Indian filmmaker Payal Kapadia's Malayalam-Hindi film "All We Imagine as Light" won the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, marking India's first victory.
  • German author Jenny Erpenbeck and translator Michael Hofmann have won the prestigious International Booker Prize for their novel “Kairos.”
  • Srinivas R. Kulkarni, an Indian-origin U.S. scientist has been awarded the prestigious Shaw Prize in Astronomy for 2024.
  • UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan awarded the First-Class Medal of Independence to Jose Aguero Avila, Ambassador of the Republic of Paraguay to the UAE.
  • Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar received the first stamp released to commemorate the completion of 200 years of Indian Origin Tamils (IOT) in Sri Lanka.
  • The public sector company NTPC has secured the third rank in the world for the Talent Development category at the prestigious ATD BEST Awards 2024 in New Orleans, United States of America.
  • NHPC, India’s premier hydropower company, conferred with ‘The Economic Times HR World Future Ready Organization Award 2024-25’

SPORTS

  • At the 3rd Elorda Cup 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan, Indian boxers excelled, winning 12 medals: 2 gold, 2 silver, and 8 bronze.
  • India’s Ekta Bhyan secured a gold medal in Women’ F51 Club Throw Competition at World Para Athletic Championships at Kobe in Japan.
  • Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty regained the top spot in the latest Badminton World Federation (BWF)Rankings after winning the Thailand Open Super 500 in Bangkok last week.
  • World’s third-ranked Indian badminton pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty won Thailand Open 2024 men’s doubles title.
  • Kolkata Knight Riders won their third Indian Premier League trophy with an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
  • Indian para-athlete Deepthi Jeevanji won the gold medal in the women’s T20 400m event at the World Para Athletics Championships 2024.
  • Cristiano Ronaldo, has secured the top spot on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid athletes.
  • Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed Australia as the hosts for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026.
  • German tennis star Alexander Zverev wins the Italian Open singles title for the second time.
  • Defending champion Max Verstappen wins Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2024.
  • Brazil was declared the host of the 2027 Women’s World Cup at the FIFA Congress.
  • The International Olympic Committee (IOC)C launches "Let’s Move India" campaign with Reliance Foundation and Abhinav Bindra Foundation to celebrate Paris-bound Olympians and promote physical activity for all.

IMPORTANT DAYS

  • May 20 : World Bee Day ( birth anniversary of Anton Janša, a pioneer in beekeeping)
  • May 21 : International Tea Day
  • May 21 : World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
  • May 21 : Anti-Terrorism Day, commemorate the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
  • May 22 : International Day for Biological Diversity
  • May 23 : World Turtle Day
  • May 23 : Buddha Jayanti or Vesak
  • May 24 : International Day of the Markhor
  • May 25 : World Football Day
  • 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the first global football tournament during the May 25, 1924, Summer Olympics in Paris, featuring teams from all regions.
  • May 25 to May 31 : International Week of Solidarity with Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories