17th April 2022
National & International Appointments
1. Elisabeth Borne becomes France’s first female prime minister in 30 years
- President of France, Emmanuel Macron has appointed Elisabeth Borne as the nation's new Prime Minister.
- She becomes the second woman to hold this position after Edith Cresson (1991-1992) under President Francois Mitterrand.
- She joined Macron’s centrist party in 2017.
- She is a former Transport, Ecology and Labour minister.
- She has succeeded Jean Castex, who had led the French cabinet since July 2020 and resigned recently.
Honours & Awards
2. Drake wins Billboard Music Awards 2022 in Top Artist category
- Drake has won the Billboard Music Awards 2022 in the top artist, male artist, rap artist, rap male artist and rap album (for Certified Lover Boy) category.
- BTS has also won three awards in the Top Duo/Group, Top Selling Song, and Top Song Sales Artist categories.
- Top New Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
- Top Female Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
- Top Billboard 200 Artist: Taylor Swift
- Top Radio Songs Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
- Top Billboard Global 2022 Artist (New): Olivia Rodrigo
Agreement
3. Adani become India's second-biggest cement maker company
- Adani Group has acquired a controlling stake in Swiss-based Holcim AG's cement businesses in India in a $10.5 billion deal.
- The Group has acquired 63.19% of Ambuja Cements Ltd and its subsidiary ACC in the bidding with companies.
- With this deal, Adani becomes the second biggest cement producer in the country after the Aditya Birla Group-owned UltraTech Cement.
- The divestment of India businesses by Holcim is to reduce its reliance on carbon-intensive cement production.
Sports
4. Sift Kaur Samra clinched Gold at ISSF Junior World Cup in Germany
- India's Sift Kaur Samra won the individual women’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) like Prone, the Standing and the Kneeling positions, event to take India’s gold medal tally to 10 at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2022 in Suhl, Germany.
- She beat Julie Johannessen (Norway) by 17-9 in the final.
- India's Ashi Chouksey has also won bronze in the same event.
- Presently, India leads the tally with 25 medals which include 10 gold, 12 silver and three bronze.
Sports
5. South Korea defeats China to win BWF Uber Cup title
- South Korea has defeated China by 3-2 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) 29th edition of the Uber Cup Final at Impact Arena in Bangkok.
- This is the second Uber Cup title for South Korea after their first victory in 2010 in Kuala Lumpur.
- Thomas and Uber Cup is the biennial international badminton championship contested by the men's and women's national teams of the member associations of Badminton World Federation (BWF).
National & International Appointments
6. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud elected as new president of Somalia
- The former leader of Somalia, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been elected as the new president of the country for four years, after defeating the current president, Mohamed Abudallahi Farmajo.
- Out of 328 MPs, Mohamud has received 214 votes and Farmajo won 110 votes only.
- Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, also served as Somalia's president between 2012 and 2017.
- Somalia Capital: Mogadishu; Currency: Somali shilling
Important Dates
7. World Hypertension Day 2022: May 17
- World Hypertension Day is observed on May 17 every year to raise awareness about the symptoms of hypertension.
- The theme of WHD for 2022 is Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer.
- Hypertension or high blood pressure occurs when the blood pressure rises to an unhealthy level of 140/90.
- Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular disease and premature death worldwide.
- World Hypertension Day was first observed in May 2005.
Defense
8. Rajnath Singh inducts two indigenously built warship into Indian Navy
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the two frontline warships of the Indian Navy at Mazgaon Docks Limited, Mumbai which will mark a significant milestone in their construction.
- The first ship is Surat, which is the fourth and last of the stealth destroyers under the 'Project 15B' programme.
- The second ship is Udaygiri, part of the 'Project 17A' frigate programme. It is the third ship of Project 17A frigates.
National Affairs
9. PM Modi addresses Silver Jubilee celebrations of TRAI
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed Silver Jubilee Celebrations programme of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) through video conferencing.
- During the programme, PM Modi also launched a 5G Test Bed, developed as a multi-institutional collaborative project by a total of eight institutes led by IIT Madras.
- TRAI was established in 1997 through the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.
Important Dates
10. World Telecommunication and Information society Day 2022: May 17
- World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is observed every year on May 17 to raise awareness about the benefit of the Internet and other information and communication technologies to society and economies.
- The 2022 theme for World Telecommunication Day is Digital Technologies For Older Persons And Healthy Ageing.
- The day is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on May 17, 1865.
Banking & Finance
11. RBI imposes monetary penalty on KEB Hana Bank
- RBI has imposed a penalty of Rs 59 lakh on KEB Hana Bank for non-compliance with certain norms related to the interest rates on deposits.
- The bank has been penalised under the "Reserve Bank of India (Interest Rate on Deposits) Directions, 2016".
- The RBI has conducted a statutory inspection for supervisory evaluation of KEB Hana Bank with reference to its financial position as of March 31, 2020.
- KEB Hana Bank HQ: Seoul, South Korea
Banking & Finance
12. WPI inflation at record high of 15.08% in April on price rise of items
- Wholesale price-based inflation has risen to 15.08% in April on rising prices across segments from food to commodities.
- The WPI-based inflation was 14.55% in March 2022 and 10.74% in April 2021.
- Reason: due to the rise in prices of mineral oils, basic metals, crude petroleum & natural gas, food articles, non-food articles, food products etc.
- The WPI inflation has remained double-digit for the 13th consecutive month since April 2021.
National & International Appointments
13. RBI appoints Sitikantha Pattanaik and Rajiv Ranjan as executive directors
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed Sitikantha Pattanaik and Rajiv Ranjan as executive directors with effect from May 1.
- Ranjan will serve as an ex-officio member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) while Pattanaik will serve as the Department of Economic and Policy Research (DEPR).
- Prior to being promoted, Pattanaik was an Adviser in the DEPR and Ranjan served as Adviser-in-Charge of Monetary Policy Department and Secretary to the MPC.
18th April 2022
National & International Appointments
1. Former RBI deputy governor SS Mundra appointed as Chairman of BSE
- Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has approved the appointment of former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor SS Mundra (Public Interest Director) as the Chairman of the board of directors of the company.
- He replaced Justice Vikramajit Sen who is the current chairman.
- Mundra was appointed as Public Interest Director at BSE in January 2018.
- He retired as Deputy Governor of the RBI on July 30, 2017, and also served as Chairman and Managing Director of the Bank of Baroda.
National & International Appointments
2. Naveen Srivastava appointed as new ambassador to Nepal
- Naveen Srivastava, presently working as an additional secretary in the external affairs ministry has been appointed as the next ambassador to Nepal.
- He succeeded Vinay Kwatra, who has recently become the foreign secretary.
- He has played a key role in diplomatic and military talks with China to tackle the military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
- During the recent visit of PM Modi to Nepal, both countries have signed six agreements to strengthen ties.
Sports
3. India won eight gold in the 2021 Deaflympics
- India has won 16 medals (including eight golds, one silver and seven bronze) at the Deaflympics 2021in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
- India has finished in the ninth position in the medal tally.
- India won three gold in shooting, three in Badminton, and each in Golf and Tennis.
- Shooting: Dhanush Srikanth, Abhinav Deshwal, Dhanush Srikanth/Priyesha Deshmukh, Shourya Saini, Vedika Sharma
- Badminton: Jerlin Jayaratchagan, Abhinav Sharma
- Tennis: Prithvi Sekhar/Dhananjay Dubey
Banking & Finance
4. India becomes 4th largest vehicle market
- According to the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles (OICA), India has sold 3,759,398 vehicles in 2021 as compared to 2,973,319 vehicles in Germany. This shows a difference of almost 26%.
- The most number of vehicles were sold in China (sales remained almost stagnant), followed by the US (reported growth of 4%) and Japan (market shrunk compared to both 2020 and 2019.
- OICA Headquarters: Paris, France
Banking & Finance
5. PSBs frauds decline by 51% to Rs 40,295 crore
- According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Public sector banks have reported over a 51% dip in the amount involved in frauds to Rs 40,295.25 crore during the financial year ended March 2022.
- The 12 PSBs had reported frauds worth Rs 81,921.54 crore in the preceding fiscal 2020-21.
- But, the number of fraud cases has fallen slightly as a total of 7,940 frauds were reported by the PSBs in 2021-22, against 9,933 incidents reported in FY21.
Banking & Finance
6. World bank sanctions USD 350 billion to Gujarat' SRESTHA-G project
- The World Bank has approved USD 350 million as financial aid for the Systems Reform Endeavors for Transformed Health Achievement in Gujarat -SRESTHA-G project.
- The project will include transforming key health delivery systems in the state.
- Focus area: Improve the quality, equity, and comprehensiveness of primary healthcare, services for adolescent girls and the capacity of disease surveillance systems.
- Gujarat Governor: Acharya Devvrat; CM: Bhupendra Rajnikant Patel
Banking & Finance
7. Sebi notifies rules to strengthen the regulatory framework for CIS
- Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has enhanced the net worth criteria and track record requirements with an aim to strengthen the regulatory framework for collective investment schemes.
- The SEBI has mandated a minimum of 20 investors and a subscription amount of at least Rs 20 crore for each Collective Investment Scheme (CIS).
- SEBI has put a cap on cross-shareholding in Collective Investment Management Company (CIMC) to 10% to avoid conflict of interest.
Banking & Finance
8. PNB MetLife launches India's first dental health insurance plan
- PNB MetLife India Insurance Company has launched a dental health insurance plan.
- A dental health insurance plan is the first insurance plan in India that covers fixed-benefit outpatient expenses and provides financial assistance with costs related to overall dental health.
- PNB MetLife has tied up with more than 340 dental clinics to help customers to manage their dental health.
- PNB MetLife Chairman: Kishore Ponnavolu; MD& CEO: Ashish Kumar Srivastava
Agreement
9. Emirates Telecom buys 9.8% stake in Vodafone for $4.4 billion
- Emirates Telecommunications Group Company PJSC “e&" (Etisalat Group) has acquired approximately 2,766 million shares in Vodafone Group Plc aggregating to $4.4 billion.
- The shares represent 9.8% of Vodafone's issued share capital.
- The transaction is in process with e&’s ambition to be a global player in telecom and technology.
- Vodafone Headquarters: Berkshire, United Kingdom; Chairman: Jean-Françols van Boxmeer
State Affairs
10. Punjab CM launches 'Lok Milni' for redressal of public grievances
- Punjab CM, Bhagwant Mann has launched the first-of-its-kind public interaction programme Lok Milni to hear the grievances of people and issued directions for their redressal.
- Aim: Providing a single-window platform to the people for redressal of their complaints.
- Previously, the Lok Milni program was named 'janta darbar'.
- This event helps to facilitate the people for resolving their long-pending administrative issues
National Affairs
11. Government announces formation of Cotton Council of India
- The Government has announced the formation of the Cotton Council of India under the Chairmanship of veteran cotton man Suresh Bhai Kotak.
- The first meeting of the proposed council has been scheduled for the 28th of May 2022.
- The council will discuss, deliberate, and prepare a robust action plan for bringing out a tangible improvement in this field.
- The import of cotton will be permitted duty-free till the bill of lading is dated September 30, 2022.
National & International Appointments
12. Gram Unnati appoints former CEC Sunil Arora as non-executive chairman
- Gram Unnati (Agritech startup) has appointed former chief election commissioner Sunil Arora as the new non-executive chairman of its board.
- He is a retired civil servant (IAS) with an experience of over 36 years.
- He has served as secretary in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- Gram Unnati was founded by IIT Kharagpur graduate Aneesh Jain in 2013.
- CEO of Gram Unnati: Aneesh Jain
Important Dates
13. International Museum Day 2022: 18 May
- International Museum Day is observed annually on May 18, it is coordinated by the International Council of Museums.
- The 2022 theme of International Museum Day is "Power of Museums".
- The International Council of Museums has been organizing International Museum Day every year since 1977 for the museum community.
- The National Gallery of Modern Art has also organised special activities and programs to mark the celebration of Museum Day from May 16-20.
19th April 2022
Honours & Awards
1. Ajay Piramal receives Order of the British Empire award
- Chairman of Piramal Group, Ajay Piramal has received the prestigious Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) award from Queen Elizabeth II.
- He has been honoured with this award for his services to the UK-India trade relationship as India Co-Chair of the UK-India CEO Forum.
- President Rolls-Royce India, Kishore Jayaraman, also receives the Honorary Order of the British Empire for his services to International Trade and Investment.
Honours & Awards
2. Cecile Ndjebet wins 2022 Wangari Maathai Forest Champions' Award
- Cameroon activist, Cécile Ndjebet has received the 2022 Wangari Maathai Forest Champions Award in recognition of her contribution to preserving forests and improving the lives of people who depend on them.
- The award has been presented by the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), which is chaired by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
- This award was established in 2012 in memory of Kenyan environmentalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai.
Sports
3. Eintracht Frankfurt beat Rangers to win UEFA Europa League
- Eintracht Frankfurt (German club) has won their first European trophy in 42 years after defeating the Rangers by 5-4 on penalties in Seville, Spain.
- Goalkeeper, Kevin Trapp has saved at the end of extra time and another in the shootout to help give Frankfurt the 5-4 win on penalties.
- Rangers (Scottish club) was also trying to win its first European title since the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1972.
- Man of the Match: Kevin Trapp (Eintracht Frankfurt)
National Affairs
4. PM’s economic advisory panel proposes urban job guarantee scheme
- The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) has proposed the implementation of an urban employment guarantee scheme on the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
- The report on the State of Inequality in India has been released which states that the labour force participation rate in the country was 51.5% in 2019-20.
- Participation of educated till higher secondary from 2017-18 to 2019-20 was low at 40-43%.
Agreement
5. Ministry of Heavy Industries and NRDC sign MoU for Capital Goods Scheme
- Ministry of Heavy Industries has signed an MoU with National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) for the enhancement of competitiveness in the Indian capital goods sector.
- Aim: Evaluation and review of the scheme, management of intellectual property rights, and commercialization support for the products developed under the Capital Goods Scheme.
- Vision: Make India a global hub for the manufacturing of capital goods.
- Heavy Industries Minister: Mahendra Nath Pandey
Summits & Conferences
6. China to host BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting through video conference
- China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has hosted the meeting of the BRICS Ministers of Foreign Affairs on May 19 through video conference.
- The meeting was attended by: S. Jaishankar (India), Naledi Pandor (South Africa), Carlos Alberto Franco França (Brazil) and Sergey Lavrov (Russia).
- India has handed over the BRICS Chairmanship to China from January 2022.
- Theme 2022: Foster High-Quality BRICS Partnership Usher in a New Era for Global Development
Agreement
7. C-DOT and Vodafone Idea sign MoU for cooperation in area of IoT/M2M
- Centre for Development of Telematics(C-DOT) has signed an MoU with Vodafone Idea Limited on the occasion of “World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD)”.
- Aim: To help both the organizations leverage each other’s expertise in their respective domains to develop and deploy IoT/M2M solutions in India.
- C-DOT is a telecom R&D organization under the Ministry of Communications, Government of India.
National & International Appointments
8. Dr. Kamal Bawa elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences
- A conservation biologist and President of the Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research and Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Dr. Kamal Bawa was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
- Election to the 170-year-old Academy is a recognition of the significant contributions to science by its members.
- Dr. Kamal Bawa is also an elected fellow of the Royal Society (London) and the American Philosophical Society.
National & International Appointments
9. B Govindarajan appointed as the new CEO Of Royal Enfield
- Eicher Motors Limited (EML), the parent company of Royal Enfield, has appointed B Govindarajan as the motorcycle brand's Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
- He had been serving as the Executive Director of Royal Enfield since August 2021 and prior to that, he was the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the company since 2013.
- He will also serve as a Wholetime Director on the Board of EML.
- He has spent more than 23 years across Royal Enfield and Eicher Motors.
Defense
10. Indian Navy successfully test-fires naval anti-ship missile
- Defence Research and Development Organisation and Indian Navy successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously-developed Naval Anti-Ship Missile.
- The missile was launched from a Naval Helicopter from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha.
- It is the first indigenous air launched anti-ship missile system for the Indian Navy.
- Recently, Rajnath Singh has launched two frontline warships of the Indian Navy: INS Surat and INS Udaygiri.
State Affairs
11. Tamil Nadu government notified Nanjarayan Tank as 17th bird sanctuary
- The Tamil Nadu government named the Nanjarayan lake as the 17th bird sanctuary in Tiruppur.
- The government also set up an information centre to raise awareness about the bird population in the lake.
- The Nanjarayan Tank also known as Sarkar Periyapalayam Reservoir, is located in Tirupur city near Koolipalayam, Tami Nadu.
- A Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be prepared for setting up another wildlife sanctuary for the endangered Slender Loris in Dindigul and Karur.
Books & Authors
12. Wesley Morgan wins Colby award for ‘The Hardest Place’
- Wesley Morgan (Author and journalist) has won the William E. Colby Award for his military and intelligence writing.
- He was cited for his book “The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan’s Pech Valley."
The Colby Award is presented by Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. - The Colby award was established in 1999 and named for the late CIA director William E. Colby.
- Colby award prize money: $5,000 prize
State Affairs
13. Kerala to launch India's first state-owned OTT Platform
- Kerala government will launch a state-owned over-the-top (OTT) platform named 'CSpace' on November 1.
- Offers: An array of movies, short films and documentaries of their choice.
- This is an initiative of Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) on behalf of the state government through video conferencing at a function in Kalabhavan Theatre.
- The films will be streamed on CSpace only after their theatrical release.
- KSFDC Chairman: Shaji N Karun
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