Honours & Awards
1. Harrison Ford receives the Palme D’Or Award at Cannes Film Festival 2023
- Actor Harrison Ford was honored with the prestigious Palme D'Or award for lifetime achievement at the 76th Cannes Film Festival 2023.
- He received the award before the premiere of his film 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny'.
- 76th annual Cannes Film Festival:
- It is an annual film festival, held in Cannes France from 16 to 27 May 2023.
- The festival opened with Jeanne du Barry (directed by Maïwenn).
- The festival will close with Elemental directed by Peter Sohn
National Affairs
2. PM Narendra Modi left on a three-nation tour
- PM Narendra Modi embarked on tour to Japan, Papua New Guinea, and Australia on May 19, 2023.
- At first, he will attend G7 Summit in Japan at an inivitation of Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.
- G7 Summit preferences: Nuclear disarmament, economic resilience and security, food and health and development
- Later, he will visit Papua New Guinea to host the third Summit of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation with his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape.
National & International Appointments
3. CJI to administer oath to two new judges
- CJI DY Chandrachud has administered the oath of office to Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and senior advocate Kalpathy Venkataraman Viswanathan as judges of the Supreme Court.
- Current sanctioned strength: 34
- Justice KM Joseph, Justice Ajay Rastogi and Justice V Ramasubramanian will retire in June 2023.
- Currently, Justice PK Mishra is serving the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
- KV Viswanathan is a senior advocate and a former Additional Solicitor General.
National Affairs
4. Centre to launch an ‘Integrative Health policy’
- Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal has inaugurated the National Ayush Mission Conclave in presence of Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya (Minister of Health).
- Minister of Health informed that the Government will launch an ‘Integrative Health Policy’ for the health and wellness of public at large.
- It would be a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Ayush.
- Two ICT initiatives of Ministry of Ayush i.e. E-Learning Management System and AHMIS were launched.
National Affairs
5. India launches ‘Operation Karuna’ to assist cyclone-hit Myanmar
- India launched 'Operation Karuna' to provide humsanitarian assistance for people in Myanmar, which is affected by Cyclone Mocha.
- Three INS (Shivalik, Kamorta, and Savitri) carrying relief material have already reached Yangon, Myanmar.
- The ships are carrying emergency food items, tents, essential medicines, water pumps, portable generators, clothes, sanitary and hygiene items.
- EAM Dr. Jaishankar informed that India continues to be the first responder in the region.
Banking & Finance
6. HDFC Mutual Fund launches India's first defence fund
- HDFC AMC Ltd has launched India's first mutual fund focussed on the defence sector.
- Aim: To provide investors with an opportunity to participate in the growth potential of this space
- The new fund offering (NFO) of HDFC Defence Fund is an open-ended equity scheme, that opened on May 19 and close on June 2, 2023.
- The fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in defence and allied sector companies including stocks forming part of aerospace and defence.
Obituaries
7. Hinduja Group chairman SP Hinduja passes away
- Srichand Parmanand Hinduja, chairman of the Hinduja Group, passed away in London at the age of 87.
- He was a British billionaire businessman, investor, and philanthropist.
- As of August 2022, together with his brother Gopichand, he was the UK's richest man.
- In 1952, he joined his father PD Hinduja (founder of Hinduja Group) in the family business.
- Subsidiaries of Hinduja Group: Ashok Leyland, IndusInd Bank, Gulf Oil International Ltd, Quaker-Houghton, etc.
Honours & Awards
8. WHO Director-General announces Global Health Leaders Awards 2023
- WHO DG, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will present two-lifetime achievement awards to Jean-Jacques Muyembe-Tamfum and Peter Piot at the 76th World Health Assembly held in Geneva on May 21.
- Professor Muyembe-Tamfum from Congo is being recognized for his innovation and contributions to the management and treatment of diseases such as Ebola virus disease.
- Professor Piot from Belgium is being recognized for his leadership in the response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Important Dates
9. National Endangered Species Day 2023: 19 May
- National Endangered Species Day is observed annually on the third Friday in May each year to raise awareness about endangered species and the need for their conservation.
- In 2023, this day is celebrated on May 19.
- 2023 theme: Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act
- In 1973, the Endangered Species Act was passed, which is designed to protect endangered and threatened species in the USA.
- In India, the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, was enacted.
Banking & Finance
10. Irdai forms task force to facilitate ease of doing KYC using Aadhaar
- The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has formed a task force to facilitate ease of doing KYC and allied matters using Aadhaar.
- At present, the UIDAI framework allows insurance companies to identify the customer by using his/her Aadhaar with consent management.
- Besides the simplicity of customer onboarding and avoiding potential fraud, there are problems with providing the services and making claims.
State Affairs
11. UP govt to launch 5G technology training program for youth
- The UP government will launch a 5G technology training program under the Skill Development Mission for the youth.
- Aim: To make the youth skilled in new and future employable technologies
- The state government believes that in the future, youths trained in 5G technology will be needed on a large scale in the telecom sector.
- The 5G technology will transform the entire telecom ecosystem of hardware, software, and services.
Banking & Finance
12. Aditya Birla Capital launches Udyog Plus
- Aditya Birla Capital has launched an MSME-focused portal, Udyog Plus to provide capital and other business solutions to small businesses, including investments and utility services.
- It offers online loans up to Rs 10 lakhs to MSMEs through various product offerings such as supply chain finance.
- Loans up to Rs 2 lakhs are provided without collateral or documentation.
- For loans above Rs 2 lakhs, MSMEs are required to submit financial statements, ITR, and GST returns.
Banking & Finance
13. Credit card spend in forex to come under RBI’s remittance scheme
- As per a Finance Ministry notification, the spending in foreign exchange through international credit cards (ICCs) will be covered under the RBI’s liberalized remittance scheme (LRS).
- Under this scheme, a resident can remit money abroad up to a maximum of USD 2.50 lakh per annum without the authorization of the Reserve Bank.
- Earlier, the usage of ICCs for making payments for fulfilling expenses during travel outside India was not included in the LRS limit.
State Affairs
14. MP cabinet approves ‘Learn and Earn’ scheme for unemployed youth
- Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has informed that the state cabinet has approved a new scheme named ‘Mukhyamantri Sikho Kamao Yojana (Learn and Earn scheme) for unemployed youths.
- Youth who have passed class 12th, ITI, Graduation, and post-graduation are eligible for this scheme.
- A stipend amount will also be given to them for learning skills.
- Youths, who have passed Class 12, would be given a stipend of Rs 8000, and an ITI pass would be given Rs 8,500.
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