Current Affairs in English – May 23 2023

May 23, 2023

National Events:

Papua New Guinea and Fiji:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the highest honours of Papua New Guinea and Fiji, an unprecedented acknowledgement of a non-resident in the two Pacific island nations.
• During his maiden visit to Papua New Guinea, Modi hosted a significant summit between India and 14 Pacific island countries to bolster bilateral ties.
• Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, Sir Bob Dadae, awarded Modi with the Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu (GCL), which is the country’s highest civilian award.

IIMK:

• The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) has achieved recognition in the prestigious Financial Times Rankings 2023 (FT Rankings).
• The debut in FT Rankings places IIM Kozhikode at the 72nd position among the top 75 providers of open-enrolment executive programs globally.

Adani-Hindenburg controversy:

• The Supreme Court-appointed Expert Committee recently made a significant announcement regarding the Adani-Hindenburg controversy.
• According to the committee, it is currently unable to determine whether SEBI’s handling of the alleged securities law contravention by the Adani Group or other companies constitutes “regulatory failure”.
• The committee’s goal is to assess the situation and recommend measures to promote investor awareness, strengthen the statutory framework, and ensure compliance with existing regulations.

‘Shasan Aplya Dari’:

• Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde launched the ‘Shasan Aplya Dari’ (government at your doorstep) initiative with an aim to provide benefits of government schemes at one place.
• With an aim to make government schemes available at the doorstep of the common man, the state government will now use a new portal called ‘Mahalabharthi, where all the state schemes will be enlisted.

NVS-01:

• NVS-01 is the first of the second-generation satellites envisaged for the Navic constellation that will be launched by ISRO at the end of May.
• It will be deployed in the Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. The system was developed looking at the growing requirements of the Civil Aviation.
• The system is used in terrestrial, aerial, and marine transportation.

FAME—II:

• The government has reduced the subsidy provided under the FAME-II (Faster Adoption of Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India) scheme applicable on electric two-wheelers registered on or after June 1, 2023.
• The Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles (FAME) India scheme commenced on April 1, 2019.

Jaswant Singh Birdi:

• Punjab born Jaswant Singh Birdi has become UK’s Coventry city’s first turban-wearing Lord Mayor.
• Jaswant Singh Birdi, who was born in Punjab and spent some time as a child in Calcutta in West Bengal, moved to Coventry 60 years ago and has served as a local councillor in the city for 16 years.

Government of India (Ministry of Textiles) and the Government of Madhya Pradesh:

• The program for MoU signing between the Government of India (Ministry of Textiles) and the Government of Madhya Pradesh took place in the Dhar district of MP on 21.05.2023.
• The proposal to set up PM MITRA Park in village Bhensola, Badnawar Tehsil, Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh received formal approval from the Government of India in March 2023.

Ministry of Education:

• The Ministry of Education organised a workshop in New Delhi with the aim of unifying the 60 school examination boards operating in different States and union territories under one umbrella.
• The main component of this plan is PARAKH or the National Assessment Centre which has been set up as an organisation under National Council of Educational Research and Training.

Paytm Money:

• Paytm Money has launched an advanced bonds platform for retail investors in India on 22 May 2023.
• The platform allows retail investors to buy three types of bonds – government, corporate, and tax-free.
• Government of India bonds have a maturity ranging from 16 days to 39 years. The yield on these bonds is currently between 7-7.3% per annum.

Akashvani News:

• Akashvani News, on 22 May 2023, launched a news bulletin in Gondi, a primary dialect of a tribal community in Chhattisgarh.
• The weekly news bulletin in Gondi will be broadcast every Sunday from 6.30 pm. Akashvani News had already started a weekly news bulletin in Halbi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the Halbi news bulletin on March 25th, 2023.

Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Aujla:

• Lt Gen Amardeep Singh Aujla has been appointed as the new Master General Sustenance (MGS) of the Indian Army. The MGS is responsible for maintaining the high state readiness of the force in both peace and war.
• Lt Gen Aujla will be one of the eight principal staff officers of the Chief of Army Staff. Commissioned into the Rajputana Rifles regiment, Aujla joined the forces in December 1987.

AFSPA:

• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on 22 May 2023 that the state aims to withdraw the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) completely by the end of 2023.
• The state was declared a ‘disturbed area’ under AFSPA during the intervening night of November 27-28, 1990, and this was extended every six months since then.

Ministry of Education and the US Department of State:

• Ministry of Education and the US Department of State on 22 May 2023 launched the India-US Working Group on Education and Skill Development.
• It aims to enhance cooperation and collaboration between the two countries in the field of education and skill development.
• Both sides agreed to foster partnerships between educational institutions, and relevant government agencies.

International Events:

Bikita Minerals:

• Bikita Minerals, Zimbabwe’s largest lithium mine, has been ordered to suspend operations after claims of Lithium looting by a local watchdog in May 2023.
• Bikita Minerals holds 11 million tonnes of lithium, the world’s largest-known deposit of the mineral. China’s Sinomine Resource Group took over Bikita Minerals in a USD 180 million deal last year.

32nd Arab League Summit:

• The 32nd Arab League Summit recently concluded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the adoption of the Jeddah Declaration. This declaration, focuses on fostering Arab unity and addressing various regional challenges.
• The declaration emphasizes the need for increased pan-Arab efforts to assist Syria in resolving its ongoing crisis, demonstrating a collective commitment to supporting stability.

LIMA 23:

• An Indian delegation, led by Additional Secretary (Defence Production) Shri T Natarajan, attended the 16th Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA 23), being held at Langkawi, Malaysia between May 22-25, 2023.
• Established in 1991 and held biennially, LIMA is one of the largest maritime & aerospace exhibitions in the Asia-Pacific.

‘Tiger Shark 40’:

• The Joint Bangladesh-US Naval drill Exercise ‘Tiger Shark 40’ started at BNS Nirvik in Chattogram.
• The objective of the exercise is to increase the strategic capabilities of both countries and to acquire mutual technical and procedural knowledge.
• Chattogram Naval Area Commander Rear Admiral Abdullah AL Mamun Chowdhury attended the event as the Chief Guest.

 ISS:

• In a groundbreaking moment for Saudi Arabia, the country’s first astronauts in decades have embarked on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS).
• Sponsored by the Saudi Arabian government, a female stem cell researcher named Rayyanah Barnawi and a Royal Saudi Air Force fighter pilot named Ali al-Qarni joined a crew led by a retired NASA astronaut from Kennedy Space Center.
• The mission was organized by Axiom Space, a Houston-based company, and executed by SpaceX.

International Day to End Obstetric Fistula:

• On May 23, is the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal that can develop when a woman experiences prolonged, obstructed labor without medical intervention.
• It is a devastating childbirth injury that can cause lifelong physical and social problems for women.
• The International Day to End Obstetric Fistula aims to raise awareness about this preventable and treatable condition and to mobilize support for affected women.
• The day provides an opportunity to advocate for increased investment in maternal healthcare, access to quality obstetric care, and the eradication of obstetric fistula.

World Turtle Day:

• World Turtle Day is an annual observance held every May 23rd. It began in 2000 and is sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue.
• The day was created as a yearly observance to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats, as well as to encourage human action to help them survive and thrive.
• The event was first celebrated in 2000, making 2023 the 24th anniversary of the observance.

Nepal:

• Nepal has designated the year 2025 as a “Special tourism year” to support the recovery of the country’s tourism industry.
• The President announced that the decade of the 2080s in the Bikram Samvat calendar would be recognized as ‘the Visit Nepal decade’.
• A special honor the ‘Samarmatha Special Honour’ will be conferred on foreign nationals who contribute to promoting Nepal’s cultural values.

Sports Events:

N.Jayaprakash and Monal D Chokshi:

• Jayaprakash and Monal D Chokshi were re-elected as President and Secretary of the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) on 22 May 2023.
• The SFI will focus on developing grassroots participation in swimming by holding camps and coaches’ clinics at the State-level. SFI plans to propose to four states to set up an academy for a year-long camp where foreign coaches will be brought in.

Neeraj Chopra:

• Tokyo Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra has claimed number one ranking in men’s javelin for the first time.
• Neeraj Chopra has topped the charts with 1455 points, 22 ahead of Grenada’s Anderson Peters.