Weekly Current Affairs May 2024 Points to Remember (06th to 12th May, 2024)

 

Current Affairs May 2024

Read this post to know about Weekly Current Affairs in short for the Week May 06th to 12th May, 2024. If you’re getting ready for entrance exams in India, it’s really important to know what’s happening around you. Whether you want to study UPSC, SSC, Bank Exams, Defence Exams or something else, keeping up with current events is a must. The exams often have questions about what’s going on in the world – like news about our country, other countries, or new discoveries. Being aware of these things not only helps you do well in the exams but also makes you smarter in general. It’s like having a wider view of the world, which is good for interviews and discussions too. So, it’s not just about passing the exams but also about being informed and ready for whatever comes your way.

In this post, you can see the headlines of current happenings categorised for your convenience. The categories of weekly current affairs of Week 1 of May are given below:

• Section A: INDIA
• Section B: INDIA & THE WORLD
• Section C: WORLD
• Section D: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• Section E: AWARDS
• Section F: BANKING & FINANCE
• Section G: ECONOMY
• Section H: CORPORATE
• Section I: STATES
• Section J: SPORTS

 

Weekly Current Affairs Update

For the Week: May 6 to 12, 2024

HEADLINES

 

Section A: INDIA

• ICMR issues dietary recommendations for Indians
• Disclosed all information on Covishield’s side effects in 2021, says SII
• Population of Hindus shrank 7.8%, minorities grew during 1950-2015: EAC-PM study
• National Technology Day celebrated on May 11
• notifies Act for armed forces’ control
• Indian Army to get first Hermes-900 drone on June 18
• Army, IAF conduct joint exercise at multiple locations in Punjab
• After CBSE, CISCE also discontinues merit lists for Class 10, 12 exams
• Punjabi poet Surjit Patar passes away at 79
• Urdu writer Salam Bin Razzaq dies at 83

 

Section B: INDIA & THE WORLD

• India participates in 19th Session of UNFF held at UN headquarters
• India, EU hold consultations on Ukraine conflict, South Asia and West Asia developments
• MHA directs CAPFs to adopt BSF’s ‘beehives on border fence’ model across the country
• ICG detains Iranian boat, with six Indians onboard, off Kerala coast
• World Migration Report, 2024
• Maldives says all Indian military personnel replaced by civilians
• India-France Joint Military Exercise
• NSA Doval and UK counterpart meet in New Delhi
• Nepal says it wants to resolve boundary issue with India
• Adani Green signs agreement with Sri Lanka for wind power stations
• India, Ghana agree to operationalise UPI link in 6 months
• India contributes $500,000 to UN Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund
• Arabian Travel Mart 2024 held in Dubai
• Xu Feihong to take over as China’s new Ambassador to India
• Indian envoy to Indonesia meets President-elect

 

Section C: WORLD

• Panama’s next president says he will shut down dense Darien jungle migration route
• UN assembly approves resolution granting Palestine new rights
• Kuwait’s Emir dissolves parliament, suspends some constitution articles
• Ukraine parliament passes bill allowing prisoners to join military
• USA halts bomb shipment to Israel over Rafah concerns
• Thai PM says cannabis to be re-listed as narcotic by end of 2024
• Togo’s leader signs a new constitution that eliminates presidential elections
• Turkish President opens 4th century church in Istanbul as a mosque
• EU adopts its first law tackling violence against women
• Croatia: Andrej Plenkovic appointed as PM for third term
• Scottish parliament names John Swinney as new leader
• French bakers cooked world’s longest baguette at 140.53 metres
• Putin orders nuclear drills with troops near Ukraine
• The EU’s executive decides to end legal standoff with Poland over democracy concerns
• AstraZeneca pulls its COVID-19 vaccine from the European market
• Spain’s Prado Museum confirms rediscovery of lost Caravaggio
• Protest anthem ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ outlawed in city
• Malaysia to introduce orangutan diplomacy
• International Thalassemia Day observed on May 8
• World Athletics Day celebrated on May 7
• World Red Cross Day celebrated on May 8
• International Day of Argania observed on May 10
• Remembrance day for those who lost their lives in WWIII observed
• International Day of Plant Health observed on May 12
• World Migratory Bird Day observed on May 13
• International Nurses Day observed on May 12
• Chad’s military ruler declared winner of presidential election
• North Macedonia elects first woman president
• Russian President reappoints Mikhail Mishustin as PM
• Putin moves to replace Defense Minister Shoigu
• Nepal’s Kami Rita Sherpa climbs Mount Everest for 29th time
• North Korean official whose propaganda helped build the Kim dynasty dies at 94
• Quant Investing pioneer Jim Simons dies at 86
• US man who received first pig kidney transplant dies
• Roger Corman, Hollywood mentor and ‘King of the Bs,’ dies at 98

 

Section D: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• Pakistan’s CubeSat sends first images of Sun and Moon from lunar orbit
• Solar storm hits Earth, producing colorful light shows across Northern Hemisphere

 

Section E: AWARDS

• Winners of Pulitzer Prizes announced
• 68th Eurovision Song Contest
• Lifetime achievement award at San Sebastian film festival

 

Section F: BANKING & FINANCE 

• RBI accepts offers for ₹10,513 cr in G-Sec buyback
• SC hold bank employees’ interest-free loans taxable as fringe benefits
• Household savings dip over Rs 9 lakh cr in 3 years to Rs 14.16 lakh cr in 2022-23
• Bank liable for wrong done by its employees: SC
• RBI asks NBFCs to stick to loan cash payout limit of Rs 20,000
• Parivartan Start-up Grants programme
• RBI appoints R. Lakshmi Kanth Rao as new Executive Director

 

Section G: ECONOMY

• India needs to focus on factor market reforms: ADB Chief Economist
• China overtakes US to become India’s top trading partner in FY24
• Non-life insurance companies post 13% rise in premium collection in FY24
• India’s forex reserves up by $3.66 bn to $641.59 bn as of May 3
• India’s Industrial Production grows 5.8 in 2023-2024
• 16th Finance Commission seeks public opinion on terms of reference
• India overtook Japan to become world’s 3rd largest solar power generator in 2023
• India’s coal import rises 8% to 268 MT in FY24
• India extends free import of yellow peas till October
• Karnataka HC strikes down extension of PF benefits to international workers
• Mumbai and Delhi feature among the World’s Top 50 Wealthiest cities
• Celebs, influencers will be held liable for misleading ads: SC
• MEDITECH STACKATHON 2024 in collaboration with CII
• India allows 14,000 MT non-basmati white rice exports to Mauritius

 

Section H: CORPORATE

• AAI launches ‘Pradipti’ internship program
• Sapphire Media to acquire Big 92.7 FM
• TVS Holdings to acquire Home Credit India Finance
• Mining major Vedanta acquires Japan’s AvanStrate
• Hexaware Technologies acquires Softcrylic
• Apple cofounder Wozniak’s Privateer buys Orbital Insight
• Happiest Minds Technologies to acquire Aureus Tech Systems
• Coast Guard, Hindalco ink MoU for aluminum
• IHCL expands partnership with CG Hospitality
• Infosys collaborates with AEEE, IIHS
• KKR to acquire medical device co Healthium
• VST Tillers, HTC ally to add power tractor
• First woman editor of The Tribune

 

 

 

 

 

Section I: STATES

• Narendra Dabholkar murder case: Pune special court sentences two to life
• Tamil Nadu bans 23 ‘ferocious’ dog breeds including Pitbull terrier
• SC declines permission for mining at Aravalli hills
• West Bengal: SC stays HC order cancelling over 24,000 appointments
• ‘Pirul Lao Paisa Pao Campaign’ by Uttarakhand government to control wild forest fires
• Japan’s Ambassador inaugurates Kohima Peace Memorial And Eco Park with Nagaland CM
• Arvind Kejriwal bail: SC grants Delhi CM interim relief till June 1
• Meghalaya gets its first woman DGP
• ‘Yodha’ director Sangeeth Sivan passes away at 61

 

Section J: SPORTS

• Superbet Rapid and Blitz Chess in Warsaw
• French MotoGP
• Vasiliy Lomachenko wins IBF lightweight crown
• Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis
• Indian tennis
• KM Deeksha shatters women’s 1500m national record
• Poona Club Open 2024 squash
• Neeraj Chopra finishes second in Doha Diamond League
• UN Proclaims May 25 as World Football Day
• World Snooker Championship
• Nikola Jokic named NBA Most Valuable Player for third time

 

Section A: INDIA

 

ICMR issues dietary recommendations for Indians

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) have issued dietary recommendations to address malnutrition and diseases like obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases in the nation, while advocating for healthy eating habits and lifestyles.

 

The guidelines emphasize the importance of consuming a balanced diet and embracing a healthy lifestyle to prevent obesity. They also highlight the significance of regular exercise, reducing the intake of ultra-processed foods, and checking food labels for making informed and healthy choices.

 

According to the guidelines, for a 2000 kcal intake a day, people should eat about 250 grams of cereals, 400 grams of vegetables, 100 grams of fruits, 85 grams of pulses/eggs/flesh foods, 35 grams of nuts and seeds, and 27 grams of fat/oils, as per ICMR.

 

ICMR recommended sourcing macronutrients and micronutrients from a minimum of eight groups of foods. It stated that the intake of cereals should be restricted to 45 percent of the total energy, which is currently as much as 50 to 70 percent.

 

ICMR mentioned that due to the high cost of pulses and meat, Indians rely heavily on cereals, resulting in poor intake of essential micronutrients. It advised eating from a variety of foods as ‘there is no single food item with all essential nutrients’.

 

Vegetarians, ICMR said, should eat n-3 PUFA-rich foods like flax seeds, chia seeds, etc., as there is a challenge for them to get enough B12 and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

 

It said sugar should be less than 5 per cent of total energy intake. ICMR has also called for avoiding protein supplements for building body mass. It said that prolonged intake of large amount of protein powders or consumption of high protein concentrate has been associated with potential dangers, such as bone mineral loss and kidney damage.

 

Disclosed all information on Covishield’s side effects in 2021, says SII

Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) said on May 8, 2024 that safety of vaccines remained “paramount” and that it had disclosed all information about the side effects of its Covishield vaccine against Covid-19 in its packaging insert in 2021 itself. The statement comes days after a group of parents, whose children died during the pandemic after allegedly taking the Covishield vaccine, said that they would file a case against the company. SII manufactured and supplied the vaccine under licence from AstraZeneca. The UK company, which sold the vaccine as Vaxzervria, recently admitted in court that the vaccine could cause a rare side effect.

 

Population of Hindus shrank 7.8%, minorities grew during 1950-2015: EAC-PM study

The share of the majority Hindu population in India decreased by 7.82% between 1950 and 2015 while that of minority population including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists went up during this period, suggesting that the country offers a conducive environment to foster diversity in the society, the Economic Advisory Council to the PM (EAC-PM) said in a working paper.

 

Shamika Ravi, member, EAC-PM, co-authored the paper with Apurv Kumar Mishra, a consultant at EAC-PM and Abraham Jose who is working as a professional at the institutions.

 

According to the paper, the share of the majority Hindu population in India decreased by 7.82% between 1950 and 2015 (from 84.68% to 78.06%,) while the share of Muslim population went up from 9.84% in 1950 to 14.09% in 2015.

 

The share of Christian population rose from 2.24% to 2.36%, the share of Sikh population went up from 1.24% to 1.85% while the share of the Buddhist population witnessed a noticeable increase from 0.05% to 0.81% in the over six decades. The share of Jains in the population of India decreased from 0.45% to 0.36% while the Parsi population went down from 0.03% to 0.004%.

 

National Technology Day celebrated on May 11

The National Technology Day was celebrated on May 11, 2024. The day is celebrated annually on May 11 to commemorate India’s scientific and technological achievements. This day commemorates India’s successful nuclear tests that were conducted on May 11th, 1998, at Pokhran, Rajasthan. On this date, the Government of India presents National Awards to individual scientists, innovators, and entrepreneurs in the domain of science and technology. The National Technology Day theme 2024 is – School to Startups-Igniting Young Minds to Innovate.

 

Govt. notifies Act for armed forces’ control

The government has notified the Inter-Services Organisations (ISOs) (Command, Control, and Discipline) Act through a Gazette notification to be enforced with effect from May 10, 2024. “The Act empowers Commanders-in-Chief and Officers-in-Command of ISOs to exercise control over Service personnel, serving under them, for effective maintenance of discipline and administration, without disturbing the unique service conditions of each individual Service,” the Ministry said. The Act will empower the heads of ISOs and pave the way for expeditious disposal of cases, avoid multiple proceedings and will be a step towards greater integration among the armed forces personnel, it stated.

 

Indian Army to get first Hermes-900 drone on June 18

The Indian Army is set to receive the first Hermes-900 Starliner drone on June 18. The Hermes-900 known as the Drishti-10 drone is being supplied to Indian forces including Indian Army and Navy by AdDefence Systems. The Indian Army is already operating the Heron Mark 1 and Mark 2 drones and has also placed orders for the Drishti-10 or the Hermes-900 drones under the last tranche of the emergency procurements approved by the government for the forces. Adani Defence had signed a deal with the Israeli firm Elbit for the transfer of technology for the drones.

 

Army, IAF conduct joint exercise at multiple locations in Punjab

Indian Army’s Kharga Corps, under the aegis of Army’s Western Command, conducted a three-day joint exercise with the IAF at multiple locations in Punjab. The exercise was named Gagan Strike-II.

 

After CBSE, CISCE also discontinues merit lists for Class 10, 12 exams

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) has decided to discontinue the practice of publishing merit lists for Class 10 and 12 board exams starting this year. This decision aims to prevent unhealthy competition among students. The move follows a similar decision by the CBSE to stop releasing merit lists for these board exams.

NEWSMAKERS

 

Punjabi poet Surjit Patar passes away at 79

Noted Punjabi poet and Padma Shri (2012) recipient Surjit Patar passed away in Ludhiana on May 11, 2024 at the age of 79. His poetic works include Hawa Vich Likhe Harf, Hanere Vich Sulagdi Varanmala, Patjhar Di Pazeb, Lafzaan Di Dargah, and Surzameen. He was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award for ‘Hanere Vich Sulghdi Varnmala Patar’ in 1993 and Saraswati Samman by K.K. Birla foundation in 2009. He retired as a professor of Punjabi from Punjab Agricultural University.

 

Urdu writer Salam Bin Razzaq dies at 83

Shaikh Abdussalam Abdurrazzaq, the renowned Urdu litterateur and academician, popularly known by his pseudonym Salam Bin Razzaq, passed away on May 7, 2024 in Navi Mumbai at the age of 83. He was the recipient of the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu literature in 2004 for his acclaimed short story collection, ‘Shikasta Buton Ke Darmiyan’.

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Section B: INDIA & THE WORLD

 

India participates in 19th Session of UNFF held at UN headquarters

India informed the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) that it has made significant advancements in forest conservation and management, leading to a consistent increase in forest cover over the past 15 years. The country participated in the 19th Session of the UNFF held at the UN headquarters in New York from May 6 to 10, 2024.

 

Globally, India ranks third in the net gain in average annual forest area between 2010 and 2020.

 

During the session, India said it gives high priority to biodiversity and wildlife conservation, having expanded the network of protected areas to over a thousand wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, tiger reserves, biosphere reserves, and other wildlife habitats.

 

The recent celebrations marking 50 years of ‘Project Tiger’ and 30 years of ‘Project Elephant’ underscore India’s commitment to species conservation and habitat protection, the environment ministry said in a statement.

 

India also highlighted the creation of the International Big Cat Alliance, a global initiative aimed at protecting and conserving the seven big cat species worldwide through collaborative efforts.

 

The country also informed the UNFF about the introduction of the ‘Green Credit Program’, a market-based mechanism rewarding voluntary environmental actions by individuals, communities, and the private sector.

 

India, EU hold consultations on Ukraine conflict, South Asia and West Asia developments

The European Union and India held their second consultations on security and defence in New Delhi on May 6, 2024 and exchanged views and respective assessments on international and regional issues in Europe, including Ukraine conflict, as well as developments in South Asia and in West Asia.

 

Furthermore, they discussed security and defence policy developments. The EU informed on the implementation of EU’s Strategic Compass and the Indo-Pacific Strategy, including the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS), as well as new EU operations, such as the EUNAVFOR Aspides.

 

They also discussed and agreed to deepen engagement in existing areas of bilateral cooperation, such as cyber, maritime security and crisis management, including by making full use of the possibilities offered by the EU project Enhancing Cooperation in and with Asia (ESIWA). They also agreed on the need to explore new areas of cooperation, including space security.

 

MHA directs CAPFs to adopt BSF’s ‘beehives on border fence’ model across the country

The Union home ministry has directed all central paramilitary and allied forces to replicate a ‘beehives on border fence’ beekeeping model initiated by a BSF unit in West Bengal to boost employment opportunities for the locals and create goodwill with them for strengthening security.

 

The model devised and implemented by the 32nd battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF) deployed to guard the India-Bangladesh international border in West Bengal’s Nadia district

 

The other border guarding forces, such as the Sashastra Seema Bal (Nepal and Bhutan borders) and the Indo Tibetan Border Police (China LAC), CAPFs like the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and other forces like Assam Rifles, the National Security Guard (NSG) and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) do not have fences to guard but the model can be utilised by them as per their nature of duties

 

Launched in November 2023, the BSF unit in Nadia has installed close to 200 beehives on the India-Bangladesh alloy-made border fence till now, with a multi-pronged aim of stopping border crimes like cattle, gold and narcotics smuggling, fence cutting and engaging the population in productive remuneration-based work.

 

The ‘beehives on fence’ initiative is aimed to engage the locals in producing honey for sale, planting flowering and fruit-bearing plants for the honeybees and also for the purpose of trade and shallow water pisciculture through the fresh ditches being made in this border area to store water

 

ICG detains Iranian boat, with six Indians onboard, off Kerala coast

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) detained an Iranian fishing vessel, with six Indian crew, west of Beypore off the coast of Kerala late on May 5, 2024. The swift sea-air coordinated operation involved the ships and aircraft of the ICG.

 

After intercepting the boat, an ICG team boarded the vessel and thoroughly investigated it to check the involvement of any anti-national activity. Initial investigation revealed that the owner of the boat was an Iranian sponsor who had contracted these Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu, and issued them Iranian Visas for fishing off the Iran coast.

 

The crew alleged that the sponsor ill-treated and deprived them of basic living conditions, besides confiscating their passports. The crew said that they had decided to escape from Iran to India using the same boat.

 

The detained vessel was safely brought to Kochi for further investigation on May 06, 2024.

 

World Migration Report, 2024

India is the origin of the largest number of international migrants — nearly 18 million and it continues its march as the top country receiving remittances from its diaspora: the figure crossed $110 billion in 2022.

 

According to the World Migration Report, 2024, released in Dhaka on May 8, 2024 by the UN’s International Organisation for Migration, India ($111 billion), Mexico ($61 billion) and China ($51 billion) were the top three remittance recipient countries in 2022, followed by the Philippines, France and Pakistan. India is the first country to surpass the $100-billion mark. In 2020, it had received $83 billion.

 

The figure of $831 billion for international remittances globally is an increase from $791 billion in 2021 and significantly more than $717 billion in 2020. US and Saudi Arabia were the top two in the list of those sending remittances overseas, with outflows of $79 billion and $39 billion, respectively, in 2022.

 

Maldives says all Indian military personnel replaced by civilians

Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer on May 11, 2024 said 76 Indian military personnel were replaced by civilian employees of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited which manufactured the helicopters gifted by India. The Indian military personnel, stationed in the Maldives to operate two platforms for helicopters and a Dornier aircraft used primarily for medical evacuations, were repatriated by May 10, as per the May 10 deadline set following an agreement between the two countries in February in New Delhi. That agreement was a result of the demand of pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu made within hours of his assuming office in November.

 

India-France Joint Military Exercise

India and France will conduct the 7th edition of the Joint Military Exercise ‘Shakti’ from May 13-26 in the Umroi region of Meghalaya.

 

NSA Doval and UK counterpart meet in New Delhi

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with NSA Tim Barrow in Delhi and discussed regional and global issues of importance. Jaishankar and Barrow reviewed the progress in bilateral ties.

Nepal says it wants to resolve boundary issue with India

Days after the decision to issue currency notes with a map that depicts disputed territories with India, Nepal Deputy PM and minister for foreign affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha said on May 6, 2024 that Kathmandu was in favour of resolving the row through diplomatic means. Nepal’s decision to print a new ₹100 note with a map that showed the controversial territories of Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura and Kalapani, already termed as “artificial enlargement” and “untenable” by India.

 

Adani Green signs agreement with Sri Lanka for wind power stations

The Sri Lankan government on May 7, 2024 approved a deal with Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s renewable energy wing Adani Green to develop wind power stations in the country. Adani Green Energy will be developing wind power stations in Mannar and Poonerin in Sri Lanka. The renewable energy company got the approval in February 2023 to invest $442 million towards the development of the 484 megawatts wind power plants in the two areas located in Northern Sri Lanka. A power purchase agreement for 20 years has been signed between the two parties. As per the agreement, Adani will be paid 8.26 cents per kilowatt-hours (kWh)

 

India, Ghana agree to operationalise UPI link in 6 months

India and Ghana have agreed to work ‘expeditiously’ towards the operationalisation of India’s instant payment system Unified Payment Interface (UPI) on Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GHIPSS) within six months, the government said on May 6, 2024. The discussion was a part of the Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting held from May 2 and May 3. A seven-member delegation from India met their Ghanaian counterparts in Accra.

 

India contributes $500,000 to UN Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund

India has contributed $500,000 to the UN Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund (CTTF). Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, delivered the contribution to Under Secretary General Vladimir Voronkov on May 7, 2024. This financial support adds to India’s ongoing commitment, totaling $2.55 million, aimed at bolstering multilateral efforts against terrorism. India’s donation to the CTTF will aid in financing crucial programs under the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), particularly the Countering Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (CTTP). These initiatives focus on enhancing the capabilities of member states in eastern and southern Africa to combat terrorism financing and prevent terrorist movements and travel.

 

Arabian Travel Mart 2024 held in Dubai

Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, participated in Arabian Travel Mart 2024, held in Dubai from May 6 to 9, 2024. The event marks a significant step in strengthening India’s presence in the Middle East tourism market.

NEWSMAKERS

 

Xu Feihong to take over as China’s new Ambassador to India

Chinese President Xi Jinping appointed senior diplomat Xu Feihong as the new Ambassador to India after an unusually long delay of 18 months amid frozen relations between the two countries over the eastern Ladakh military stand-off. Xu, 60, will succeed veteran Chinese diplomat Sun Weidong who completed his tenure in India in October 2022.

 

India-China relations

Xu’s appointment which coincides with the ongoing Lok Sabha elections comes amid protracted military and diplomatic negotiations between Beijing and New Delhi to resolve the prolonged military stand-off.

 

Relations between the two countries were frozen except for trade ever since the eastern Ladakh border stand-off erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Tso (lake) area. The eastern Ladakh stand-off has resulted in a freeze of bilateral ties.

 

The two sides have so far held 21 rounds of corps commanders-level talks to resolve the stand-off.

According to the Chinese military, the two sides so far agreed to disengage from four points, namely the Galwan Valley, the Pangong Lake, Hot Springs, and Jianan Daban (Gogra).

 

India is pressing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas, maintaining that there cannot be restoration of normalcy in its relations with China as long as the state of the borders remains abnormal.

 

Indian envoy to Indonesia meets President-elect

Indonesia’s Minister of Defense and President-elect Prabowo Subianto received a courtesy call from the Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, Sandeep Chakravorty on on May 8, 2024. Prabowo congratulated Chakraborty on his appointment as the new Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste.
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Section C: WORLD

 

NEWS ROUND UP

 

Panama’s next president says he will shut down dense Darien jungle migration route

Panama is on the verge of a dramatic change to its immigration policy that could reverberate from the dense Darien jungle to the US border. President-elect Jose Raul Mulino on May 9, 2024 said he will shut down the Darien jungle migration route used by more than 500,000 people in 2023. He will take over as president on July 1.

 

Until now, Panama has helped speedily bus the migrants across its territory so they can continue their journey north.

 

Darien Gap

Much of the discussion over illegal immigration to the U.S. has in recent weeks moved its focus south to the Darien Gap.

 

The Darien Gap is a stretch of densely forested jungle across northern Colombia and southern Panama. Roughly 97 kilometers across, the terrain is muddy, wet and unstable.

 

No paved roads exist in the Darien Gap. Yet despite this, it has become a major route for global human migration.

 

Depending on how much they can pay, people must walk anywhere from four to 10 days up and down mountains, over fast-flowing rivers and through mud, carrying everything they have – and often carrying children who are too young to walk – to make it through the pass. Those who make it through then take buses through most of Central America and make their way north through Mexico to the U.S. border zone.

 

This treacherous route that spans parts of Central and South America has seen an increasing number of people attempting to pass on their way to claiming asylum in the U.S.

 

In 2021, with pressure from the United States, Mexico started requiring Venezuelans traveling to Mexico to carry travel visas. This meant that Venezuelans hoping to seek asylum in the United States could no longer first fly to Mexico as a tourist and then present themselves at the border to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent to express their fear of returning to their home country.

 

Venezuelans had to find another route to move, and for many, that was and continues to be irregular transit through the Darien Gap without travel documents.

 

In 2023, of the 520,085 people who moved through the region, Venezuelans counted for over half at 328,650. But the total also included 56,422 Haitians, 25,565 Chinese, 4,267 Afghans, 2,252 Nepali, 1,636 Cameroonians and 1,124 Angolans.

 

On March 7, 2024, Doctors Without Borders reported that the Panamanian government would no longer permit the organization to provide medical support to those in transit through the Darien Gap. This reduced access to health care will certainly mean a more dangerous passage.

 

UN assembly approves resolution granting Palestine new rights

The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10, 2024 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and called on the Security Council to reconsider Palestine’s request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.

 

The Arab and Palestinian-sponsored resolution got 143 votes in favour, including by India, nine against and 25 abstentions. The United States voted against it, along with Israel, Argentina, Czechia, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Papua New Guinea.

Unlike resolutions in the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the 193-member General Assembly. The resolution required a two-thirds majority of members voting and got significantly more than the 118 vote minimum.

 

While this resolution gives Palestine some new rights and privileges, it reaffirms that it remains a non-member observer state without full U.N. membership and the right to vote in the General Assembly or at any of its conferences.

 

 

The vote reflected the wide global support for full membership of Palestine in the United Nations, with many countries expressing outrage at the escalating death toll in Gaza and fears of a major Israeli offensive in Rafah, a southern city where about 1.3 million Palestinians have sought refuge.

 

It also demonstrated growing support for the Palestinians. A General Assembly resolution on Oct. 27 calling for a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza was approved 120-14 with 45 abstentions. That was just after Israel launched its military offensive in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, which killed 1,200 people.

 

Under the U.N. Charter, prospective members of the United Nations must be “peace-loving” and the UNSC must recommend their admission to the General Assembly for final approval. Palestine became a U.N. non-member observer state in 2012. The U.S. had vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine.

 

In the Security Council vote on April 18, 2024, the Palestinians got much more support for full U.N. membership. The vote was 12 in favor, the United Kingdom and Switzerland abstaining, and the United States voting no and vetoing the resolution.

 

Kuwait’s Emir dissolves parliament, suspends some constitution articles

Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Sabah said in a televised speech on May 10, 2024 that he has dissolved parliament.

 

The Emir also suspended some of the constitutional articles for a period not exceeding four years during which all aspects of the democratic process will be studied.

 

The powers of the National Assembly will be assumed by the Emir and the country’s cabinet.

 

The legislature in Kuwait wields more influence than similar bodies in other Gulf monarchies, and political deadlock has for decades led to cabinet reshuffles and dissolutions of parliament.

 

Ukraine parliament passes bill allowing prisoners to join military

Ukraine’s parliament on May 8, 2024 made a significant decision amidst the nation’s pressing need for military personnel, passing a bill that would allow certain prisoners to enlist in the armed forces. The move comes as Ukrainian forces confront a critical shortage of manpower, exacerbated by ongoing Russian advancements on the battlefield. The bill’s passage through parliament is a pivotal step, awaiting final approval from the chairperson of parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before implementation.

 

USA halts bomb shipment to Israel over Rafah concerns

The United States on May 7, 2024 said it had paused shipment of bombs to Israel recently over fears it would invade the southern Gaza city of Rafah, marking the first time in the conflict that President Joe Biden has squeezed military aid to the key US ally. Washington halted the load of 1,800 2,000-lb (907 kg) bombs and 1,700 500-lb (226 kg) bombs after Israel had not “fully addressed” US concerns about a major ground operation.

 

Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing into Egypt on May 7 brushing aside warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.

The UN warned of a potential collapse of the flow of aid to Palestinians from the closure of Rafah and the other main crossing into Gaza, Kerem Shalom.

 

Thai PM says cannabis to be re-listed as narcotic by end of 2024

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on May 8, 2024 that cannabis would be re-listed as a narcotic by end of 2024, in a U-turn for the country two years after it became the first in the region to decriminalise its recreational use. Cannabis was decriminalised for medical use in 2018 and recreational use in 2022 under a previous government.

 

Togo’s leader signs a new constitution that eliminates presidential elections

Togo’s president has signed a new constitution eliminating presidential elections, his office said in capital Lome on May 6, 2024, a move that opponents say will allow him to extend his family’s six-decade rule. Civil society groups in the West African nation have called for protests. Parliament will now choose the president. The new constitution comes days after the election commission announced that President Faure Gnassingbe’s ruling party had won a majority of parliament seats.

 

The new constitution also increases presidential terms from five to six years and introduces a single-term limit. But the nearly 20 years that Gnassingbe has served in office would not count, and the political opposition, religious leaders and civil society say it’s likely that Gnassingbe will stay in power when his mandate expires in 2025.

 

Togo has been ruled by the same family for 57 years, first by Eyadema Gnassingbe and then by his son. Faure Gnassingbe took office after elections that the opposition described as a sham.

 

Turkish President opens 4th century church in Istanbul as a mosque

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan formally opened a 4th century church in Istanbul as a mosque on May 6. The Church of St. Saviour in Chora was converted into a mosque in 16th century. It became a museum in 1945 and has again become a mosque now.

 

Erdogan had earlier converted Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia church, which was designated as a museum, into a mosque in 2020. Hagia Sophia was built as a church in 360 and converted into a mosque in 1453. It continued as a mosque till 1935 when it became a museum.

 

Both conversions drew praise from Muslim faithful but criticism from Greece and other countries who had urged Turkey to protect the important Byzantine-era monuments. Both are listed as U.N. World Heritage Sites.

 

EU adopts its first law tackling violence against women

European Union countries on May 7, 2024, backed the bloc’s first law devoted to combating violence against women The sweeping law aims to protect women in the 27-nation EU from gender-based violence, forced marriages, female genital mutilation and online harassment. EU nations must now transpose the rules into national law within three years. The law criminalises cyber stalking, cyber harassment and online incitement to hatred or violence across the EU. It sets minimum sentences, ranging from one year to five years in prison, depending on the crime. Under the rules, if the victim is a child, spouse or ex-spouse, the punishment can be more severe.

 

Croatia: Andrej Plenkovic appointed as PM for third term

Croatian conservative leader Andrej Plenkovic was formally appointed prime minister-designate on May 10 2024 for a third consecutive term after he forged an alliance with Homeland Movement party following an inconclusive election.

 

Plenkovic’s ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won the most votes at parliamentary vote held in April 2024, but not enough to stay in power on their own.

 

Plenkovic’s new government will have a slim majority of 78 lawmakers in the 151-member assembly.

The Homeland Movement, or DP, is a relatively new political party in Croatia, made up largely of radical nationalists and social conservatives who had left the center-right HDZ.

 

HDZ has largely held office since Croatia gained independence. The Balkan nation became an EU member in 2013, and joined Europe’s passport-free travel area and the eurozone in 2023.

 

Scottish parliament names John Swinney as new leader

Scotland’s parliament approved John Swinney as the country’s new leader on May 7, 2024, a day after he was named leader of the ruling pro-independence Scottish National Party. Swinney, 60, succeeds Humza Yousaf, who formally resigned from the role earlier in the day, after just over a year in charge. Swinney won the backing of 64 MPs in the vote, with nearest rival Scottish Conservatives leader Douglas Ross picking up 31. Yousaf resigned as he faced a confidence vote in the Scottish parliament that he was set to lose, having ditched his junior coalition partners, the Scottish Green Party, in a row over climate policy.

 

French bakers cooked world’s longest baguette at 140.53 metres

French bakers on May 5, 2024 cooked the world’s longest baguette at 140.53 metres, reclaiming a record that was held by Italy for the past five years. The baguette, which is about 235 times longer than a traditional one, was made in Suresnes in the western suburbs of Paris during an event for the French confederation of bakers and pastry chefs. The previous longest baguette of 132.62 metres was baked in the Italian city of Como in June 2019. The baguette was approved by the Guinness World Records judge.

 

Putin orders nuclear drills with troops near Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin on May 6, 2024, ordered new nuclear weapons drills in the face of Western “threats,” as a Ukrainian drone attack killed six people and wounded over 30 in Russia’s Belgorod border region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the exercises would be held in the “near future” and involve the air force, navy and troops stationed near Ukraine.

 

The EU’s executive decides to end legal standoff with Poland over democracy concerns

The European Union’s executive decided on May 6, 2024 to end its 6-year dispute with member state Poland, saying Prime Minister Donald Tusk has initiated the necessary changes to reverse what the bloc called the previous government’s backsliding on democratic principles.

 

The EU’s decision to withdraw its case over rule of law complaints follows one in February to start releasing billions of euros that it had frozen in the dispute.

 

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, called the breakthrough the result of the country’s determined reform efforts.

 

The EU and Poland had been at odds after the Law and Justice Party came to power in 2015 and implemented reforms that critics said placed Poland’s judiciary under political control. The EU threatened to suspend Poland’s EU voting rights and blocked its access to EU funds.

 

Tusk has worked since taking office in December to overturn the measures.

 

Poland’s pro-European coalition of three center-left parties led by Tusk won parliamentary elections on Oct. 15, succeeding the Law and Justice party that also had introduced changes to reproductive rights and the media that put Poland increasingly on a collision course with the EU.

 

AstraZeneca pulls its COVID-19 vaccine from the European market

Pharma MNC AstraZeneca has requested that the European authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine be pulled, according to the EU medicines regulator.

In an update on the European Medicines Agency’s website on May 8, 2024, the regulator said that the approval for AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria had been withdrawn “at the request of the marketing authorization holder.”

 

AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine was first given the nod by the EMA in January 2021. Within weeks, however, concerns grew about the vaccine’s safety, when several countries suspended the vaccine’s use after unusual but rare blood clots were detected in a small number of immunized people. The EU regulator concluded AstraZeneca’s shot didn’t raise the overall risk of clots, but doubts remained.

 

Spain’s Prado Museum confirms rediscovery of lost Caravaggio

A painting whose auction in Spain was halted in 2021 on suspicion that it might be a Caravaggio has been confirmed as a work by the Italian Baroque master, Spain’s Prado Museum announced on May 6, 2024. The work titled “Ecce Homo” (Latin for Behold The Man), was painted by Italian artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610), around 1605-09. The painting is one of around only 60 known works by Caravaggio in existence.

 

Protest anthem ‘Glory to Hong Kong’ outlawed in city

An appeals court on May 8, 2024 granted the Hong Kong government’s request to ban a popular protest song, overturning an earlier ruling and deepening concerns over the erosion of freedoms in the once-freewheeling global financial hub. “Glory to Hong Kong” was often sung by demonstrators during huge anti-government protests in 2019. The song was later mistakenly played as the city’s anthem at international sporting events, instead of China’s “March of the Volunteers,” in mix-ups that upset city officials. It is the first time a song has been banned in the city since Britain handed the territory back to Chinese rule in 1997.

 

Malaysia to introduce orangutan diplomacy

Malaysia intends to gift orangutans to palm oil-purchasing countries as part of an initiative similar to China’s panda diplomacy.

 

The country’s commodities minister on May 8 said the “orangutan diplomacy” strategy would gift the endangered great apes to palm oil trading nations, especially major importing territories like the EU and India.

 

“By introducing ‘orangutan diplomacy’, it will show to the world, that Malaysia is always committed to biodiversity conservation,” he said.

 

Orangutans are critically endangered, according to the WWF, with habitat loss “due to logging, agricultural expansion, particularly palm oil plantations, and infrastructure development” posing the greatest threat.

 

Palm oil is blamed by environmentalists for fuelling the destruction of rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia, which together produce the majority of global output.

 

International Thalassemia Day observed on May 8

International Thalassemia Day was observed on May 8, 2024. Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that causes a body to have less hemoglobin than normal. Celebrated every year, International Thalassemia Day serves as a crucial platform to emphasize the importance of disease prevention, raise awareness, sensitize stakeholders, promote early detection, and ensure quality care for those affected by thalassemia. This year’s theme, “Empowering Lives, Embracing Progress: Equitable and Accessible Thalassemia Treatment for All,” encapsulates the collective mission toward universal access to comprehensive Thalassemia care.

 

World Athletics Day celebrated on May 7

World Athletics Day was celebrated on May 7, 2024. The day celebrates and promotes maximum participation of people in athletics, including school athletics, running, and social responsibility. The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) was founded on 17 July 1912 in Stockholm (Sweden). The IAAF is the world governing body for the sport of field athletics and track.

 

World Red Cross Day celebrated on May 8

World Red Cross Day was observed on May 8, 2024. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, or simply ICRC. The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a worldwide humanitarian network that offers aid to individuals in need during emergencies, disasters, conflicts, and other critical situations and operates in almost every country across the globe. The theme for World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day 2024 is “I give with joy, and the joy I give is a reward.”

 

International Day of Argania observed on May 10

The International Day of Argania was observed on May 10, 2024. The argan tree (Argania spinosa) is a native species of the sub-Saharan region of Morocco, in the southwest of the country, which grows in arid and semiarid areas. It’s the defining species of a woodland ecosystem, also known as Arganeraie, which is rich in endemic flora. It is resilient to a harsh environment under water scarcity, risk of erosion and poor soils. The argan tree woodlands provide forest products, fruits and fodder. The leaves and the fruits are edible and highly appreciated, as is the undergrowth, and constitute a vital fodder reserve for all herds, even in periods of drought. The trees are also used as fuelwood for cooking and heating. In 2021, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 10 May the International Day of Argania. The resolution, submitted by Morocco, was co-sponsored by 113 member states of the United Nations and adopted by consensus.

 

Remembrance day for those who lost their lives in WWIII observed

Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War was observed by the UN on May 8-9, 2024. By resolution 59/26 in of 22 November 2004, the UN General Assembly declared 8–9 May as a time of remembrance and reconciliation and, while recognizing that Member States may have individual days of victory, liberation and commemoration, invited all Member States, organizations of the United Nations System, NGOs and individuals to observe annually either one or both of these days in an appropriate manner to pay tribute to all victims of WWII.

 

International Day of Plant Health observed on May 12

The International Day of Plant Health was observed on May 12, 2024 with its theme as ‘Plant health, safe trade and digital technology’. The day is observed every year on May 12 to raise awareness and take action to keep our plants healthy and help protect the environment and biodiversity. The United Nations designated 12 May the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment, and boost economic development.

 

World Migratory Bird Day observed on May 13

The World Migratory Bird Day was observed on May 13. The World Migratory Bird Day campaign in 2024 will focus on the importance of insects for migratory birds, and highlight concerns related to decreasing populations of insects.  Due to intensive agriculture and urban development and its effects such as light pollution, the loss of insect populations at breeding sites and along avian migration routes threaten bird survival and well-being. Activities to mark the campaign are being held globally on two days: May 13 and October 14. The two days of World Migratory Bird Day reflect the cyclical nature of bird migration and the fact that there are varying peak migration periods in northern and southern hemispheres.

 

International Nurses Day observed on May 12

The International Nurses Day was observed on May 12, 2024. The day is observed on 12th May every year to commemorate the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, who was born on May 12, 1820. Despite being the backbone of health-care provision, nurses often face financial constraints and their role is frequently undervalued. This year’s international day aims to reshape perceptions of nursing, demonstrating how strategic investment in nursing can bring considerable economic and societal benefits.

NEWSMAKERS

 

Chad’s military ruler declared winner of presidential election

Chad’s military leader, Mahamat Deby Itno, was declared the winner of presidential election held on May 6, according to provisional results released on May 9, 2024. The results were contested by his main rival, Prime Minister Succès Masra. The figures showed Deby Itno won with just over 61% of the vote, with the runner-up Masra falling far behind with over 18.5% of the vote.

 

Deby Itno, also known as Mahamat Idriss Deby, seized power after his father, who spent three decades in power, was killed fighting rebels in 2021.

 

The oil-exporting country of nearly 18 million people hasn’t had a free-and-fair transfer of power since it became independent in 1960 after decades of French colonial rule.

 

North Macedonia elects first woman president

North Macedonia elected its first woman president on May 8, 2024 as the governing Social Democrats suffered historic losses in twin presidential and parliamentary elections.

 

Conservative-backed Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, a 70-year-old law professor, was declared the winner after receiving nearly 65% support with more than two-thirds of the vote counted in a presidential runoff. Incumbent Stevo Pendarovski conceded loss after garnering just over 29% of the vote.

 

Siljanovska-Davkova was backed by the conservative VMRO-DPMNE party, which made sweeping gains on popular discontent over the country’s slow path toward European Union membership and its sluggish economy. A coalition led by VMRO-DPMNE was ahead with nearly 43% in the parliamentary election, while the Social Democrat-led coalition that has held power for the least seven years struggled to hold onto second place with 14.8.% – just ahead of a group of parties led by the ethnic Albanian minority party DUI.

 

Russian President reappoints Mikhail Mishustin as PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reappointed Mikhail Mishustin as prime minister for the lower house’s approval.

 

Putin moves to replace Defense Minister Shoigu

Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 12, 2024 replaced Defense minister Sergei Shoigu in a major shake-up to Russia’s military leadership. Putin proposed economist Andrey Belousov as Shoigu’s replacement, according to a list of the ministerial nominations published by the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament.

 

Nepal’s Kami Rita Sherpa climbs Mount Everest for 29th time

Nepal’s Kami Rita Sherpa (54) on May 12, 2024 broke his record by climbing the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest (8848.86 meters) for the 29th time.

 

North Korean official whose propaganda helped build the Kim dynasty dies at 94

Kim Ki Nam, a North Korean propaganda chief who helped build personality cults around the country’s three dynastic leaders, died at 94 on May 7, 2024. Kim Ki Nam’s role as the country’s chief propagandist earned him notoriety in South Korea, where media nicknamed him the “North Korean Goebbels,” after Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.

 

Quant Investing pioneer Jim Simons dies at 86

Jim Simons, the mathematician-investor who founded Renaissance Technologies, died on May 11, 2024 at the age of 86 in New York City. A onetime code breaker for the US government, Simons produced more than four times the return of the S&P 500 Index in his most famous fund, Medallion. From 1988 through 2023, the fund generated an astounding average annual return of almost 40%, even after hefty fees, turning Simons and as many as three colleagues into billionaires. He was worth an estimated $31.8 billion, making him the 49th-richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

 

US man who received first pig kidney transplant dies

The first man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation, the hospital which carried out the procedure has said. Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, was suffering with end-stage kidney disease before undergoing the operation in March.

 

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) said on May 12, 2024 there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

 

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman was hailed as a historic milestone.

 

In addition to kidney disease, Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

 

Following his pig kidney transplant on 16 March, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

 

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

 

While Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

 

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

 

Roger Corman, Hollywood mentor and ‘King of the Bs,’ dies at 98

Roger Corman, the Oscar-winning “King of the Bs” who helped turn out such low-budget classics as Little Shop of Horrors and Attack of the Crab Monsters and gave many of Hollywood’s most famous actors and directors early breaks, died at the age of 98 on May 9, 2024 in Santa Monica, California,

 

Starting in 1955, Corman helped create hundreds of films as a producer and director, among them Black Scorpion, Bucket of Blood and Bloody Mama. A remarkable judge of talent, he hired such aspiring filmmakers as Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, James Cameron and Martin Scorsese. In 2009, Corman received an honorary Academy Award.

 

The roots of Hollywood’s golden age in the 1970s can be found in Corman’s films. Jack Nicholson made his film debut as the title character in a 1958 Corman quickie, The Cry Baby Killer, and stayed with the company for biker, horror and action films, writing and producing some of them. Other actors whose careers began in Corman’s movies included Robert De Niro, Bruce Dern and Ellen Burstyn.

Top

Section D: SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

 

Pakistan’s CubeSat sends first images of Sun and Moon from lunar orbit

Pakistan’s CubeSat, launched as part of China’s Chang’e-6 mission, sent back its first images of the sun and moon from lunar orbit. The images were unveiled during a ceremony at the China National Space Agency (CNSA).  The CubeSat, one of the international payloads carried by the Chang’e-6 mission, separated from the orbiter near the far side of the moon and captured its first image on May 8.

 

Solar storm hits Earth, producing colorful light shows across Northern Hemisphere

An unusually strong solar storm hitting Earth produced stunning displays of colour in the skies across the Northern Hemisphere on May 11, 2024. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a rare severe geomagnetic storm warning when a solar outburst reached Earth on May 10. The effects of the Northern Lights, which were prominently on display in Britain, were due to last for few days.

Top

Section E: AWARDS

 

Winners of Pulitzer Prizes announced

Winners of the Pulitzer Prizes in journalism and literature were announced on May 6, 2024. The Pulitzers are administered by Columbia University in New York.

 

The Pulitzers honoured the best in journalism from 2023 in 15 categories, as well as eight arts categories focused on books, music and theater. The public service winner receives a gold medal. All other winners receive $15,000.

 

Pulitzer Prizes: 2024 Winners List

The Associated Press won a Pulitzer prize in feature photography for its coverage of global migration through Latin America to the US while the New York Times and Reuters news service each won Pulitzers for their coverage of the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel and its aftermath.

 

The Pulitzers’ prestigious award in public service went to ProPublica for reporting that “pierced the thick wall of secrecy” around the US supreme court to show how billionaires gave gifts and travel to justices.

 

The Pulitzers also issued special citations to journalists and writers covering the war in Gaza, and to the late hip-hop critic Greg Tate. The staff of the New York Times won for its “wide-ranging and revelatory coverage” of Hamas’s 7 October attack on Israel, the intelligence failures by Israel and the country’s response in Gaza.

 

The Times’s Hannah Dreier won a Pulitzer in investigative reporting for her stories on migrant child labor across the United States. The contributing writer Katie Engelhart won the newspaper’s third Pulitzer, in feature writing, for her portrait of a family struggling with a matriarch’s dementia.

 

The Washington Post staff won in national reporting for its “sobering examination” of the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, which came with some gut-wrenching photos. The Post’s David E Hoffman won in editorial writing for a “compelling and well-researched” series on how authoritarian regimes repress dissent in the digital age. Its third award went to contributor Vladimir Kara-Murza, for commentaries written from a Russian prison cell.

 

The public service award honored the ProPublica reporters Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy, Alex Mierjeski and Kirsten Berg, whose stories prompted the supreme court to adopt its first code of conduct.

 

The New Yorker magazine won two Pulitzers. Sarah Stillman won in explanatory reporting for her report on the legal system’s reliance on felony murder charges. Medar de la Cruz, a contributor, won in illustrated reporting and commentary for his story humanizing inmates in the Rikers Island jail in New York City.

 

Jayne Anne Phillips’ Night Watch, a mother-daughter saga set in a West Virginia asylum after the civil war, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The drama prize was awarded to Eboni Booth’s Primary Trust, about a bookstore worker’s unexpected journey after he loses his job.

 

Nathan Thrall’s A Day in the Life of Abed Salama: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy won for general nonfiction, and Jacqueline Jones received the history prize for No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era.

 

Two winners were announced in the biography category: Jonathan Eig for his Martin Luther King biography King: A Life and Ilyon Woo for Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom.

 

Cristina Rivera Garza’s investigation into the murder of her sister, Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice, won for memoir-autobiography, while Brandon Som’s Tripas received the poetry prize.

Tyshawn Sorey’s saxophone concerto Adagio (For Wadada Leo Smith) was the winner for music.

 

68th Eurovision Song Contest

Swiss singer Nemo Mettler (24) won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest held in Malmo, Sweden on May 10, 2024 for the song titled “The Code”. Switzerland’s contestant beat Croatian rocker Baby Lasagna to the title by winning the most points from a combination of national juries and viewers around the world. Nemo bested finalists from 24 other countries, who all performed in front of a live audience. Each contestant had three minutes to meld catchy tunes and eye-popping spectacle into performances capable of winning the hearts of viewers.

 

Lifetime achievement award at San Sebastian film festival

Australian actress Cate Blanchett (54) will receive a lifetime achievement award at Spain’s San Sebastian film festival in September, organisers said in Madrid on May 9, 2024. The San Sebastian film festival is the highest-profile movie event in the Spanish-speaking world, which takes place from September 20 to 28. Blanchett has won two Academy Awards: best actress for her performance in Woody Allen’s 2004 drama ‘Blue Jasmine’ and best supporting actress for her appearance as Katherine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator”. Past recipients of the so-called Donostia award — the festival’s highest honourary award — include actors Meryl Streep, Richard Gere and Robert De Niro.

Top

Section F: BANKING & FINANCE

 

RBI accepts offers for ₹10,513 cr in G-Sec buyback

The Reserve Bank of India accepted offers to buy Government Securities (G-Secs/GS) aggregating only ₹10,513 crore despite receiving offers amounting to 1.33 times the notified amount of ₹40,000 crore at the buyback of these securities on May 9, 2024.

 

Banks would have offered to sell the government securities/GS to the government at a higher price. So, the central bank would have rejected the offers which were out of sync with secondary market prices.

 

The government had on May 3 announced buyback of three short-term securities – 6.18 per cent GS 2024, 9.15 per cent GS 2024 and 6.89 per cent GS 2025. Auction for the same was held on May 9.

 

The central bank rejected all 23 offers it received aggregating ₹7,484.473 crore (face value) at the auction of the 2025 paper.

 

Out of 47 offers that the central bank received aggregating ₹28,464.954 crore at the auction of the 6.18 per cent GS 2024, RBI accepted 10 offers aggregating ₹437.053 crore at a cut-off price of ₹99.59.

 

Out of 20 offers that the central bank received aggregating ₹17,384.552 crore at the auction of the 9.15 per cent GS 2024, RBI accepted four offers aggregating ₹10,075.940 crore at a cut-off price of ₹101.02.

 

SC hold bank employees’ interest-free loans taxable as fringe benefits

Interest-free or concessional loans given by banks to their employees will qualify as “fringe benefits” or “amenities,” thus taxable, the Supreme Court has held, giving a major blow to the bank employees.

 

While upholding the income tax rule in this regard, the apex court said that such benefits enjoyed by bank employees are a “unique” to them and are in the nature of a ‘perquisite,’ hence liable to taxation.

 

Staff unions and officers’ associations of various banks had challenged the constitutionality of Section 17(2)(viii) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 and Rule 3(7)(i) of the Income Tax Rules, 1962. Section 17(2)(viii) defines perquisites and includes “any other fringe benefit or amenity as may be prescribed”. Their stand was that Rule 3(7)(i) was arbitrary and violated Article 14 of the Constitution by treating the prime lending rate of SBI as the benchmark, instead of the actual interest rate charged by the bank from a customer on a loan.

 

A bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said that “perquisite” is a fringe benefit attached to the post held by the employee unlike ‘profit in lieu of salary’, which is a reward or recompense for past or future service. “It is incidental to employment and in excess of or in addition to the salary. It is an advantage or benefit given because of employment, which otherwise would not be available,” it said.

 

According to the apex court, the fixation of SBI’s rate of interest as the benchmark is neither an arbitrary nor unequal exercise of power, as the rule-making authority has not treated unequal as equals.

 

“By fixing a single clear benchmark for computation of the perquisite or fringe benefit, the rule prevents ascertainment of the interest rates being charged by different banks from the customers and, thus, checks unnecessary litigation,” it said.

 

Household savings dip over Rs 9 lakh cr in 3 years to Rs 14.16 lakh cr in 2022-23

Net household savings declined sharply by Rs 9 lakh crore to Rs 14.16 lakh crore in three years to 2022-23, according to the latest National Account Statistics 2024 of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The net household savings peaked at Rs 23.29 lakh crore in 2020-21. These have been on the decline since then, the data showed.

The net household savings declined to Rs 17.12 lakh crore in 2021-22 and dipped further to a five-year low of Rs 14.16 lakh crore in 2022-23.

 

The data showed that the investment in mutual funds almost trebled to Rs 1.79 lakh crore in 2022-23 in three years from Rs 64,084 crore in 2020-21. It was Rs 1.6 lakh crore in 2021-22.

 

The household investment in shares and debentures almost doubled to Rs 2.06 lakh crore in 2022-23 from Rs 1.07 lakh crore in three years from 2020-21. It was Rs 2.14 lakh crore in 2021-22.

 

Bank advances (loans) to households have also doubled in three years to Rs 11.88 lakh crore in 2022-23 from Rs 6.05 lakh crore in 2020-21. It was Rs 7.69 lakh crore in 2021-22.

 

Loans to households by financial corporations and non-banking financial corporations increased also fourfold to Rs 3.33 lakh crore in 2022-23 from Rs 93,723 crore in 2020-21. It was 1.92 lakh crore in 2021-22.

 

Bank liable for wrong done by its employees: SC

In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court has held the District Cooperative Bank in Varanasi accountable for service lapses, affirming its vicarious liability for the actions of its employees. The apex court directed the bank to compensate a man with Rs 25,000 nearly three decades after he was wrongly denied access to his fixed deposit.

 

The court upheld the decision of the district consumer forum from 1997, which had initially granted compensation to the aggrieved individual. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission’s (NCDRC) contrary ruling was overturned by the apex court.

 

The case revolves around the non-release of fixed deposit receipts totaling Rs 1,60,000 by the District Cooperative Bank in Varanasi. The petitioner alleged that the bank had unlawfully prevented him from withdrawing his funds. The district consumer forum, upon review, ordered the bank to refund the amount along with 15% interest, and an additional Rs 25,000 in damages.

 

RBI asks NBFCs to stick to loan cash payout limit of Rs 20,000

The Reserve Bank of India has asked non-bank finance companies (NBFC) to strictly adhere to a cap of 20,000 rupees in cash loans, in a bid to deter cash transactions. “Please refer to provisions of Section 269SS of Income Tax Act, 1961, which stipulates that no individual can receive more than 20,000 rupees as loan amount in cash,” a letter to the NBFCs, said. “Consequently, no NBFC should disburse loan amount in excess of 20,000 rupees in cash.”

 

Parivartan Start-up Grants programme

In a collaborative effort, HDFC Bank and Atal Innovation Mission, under NITI Aayog, providing grants totaling Rs 19.6 crore to social sector startups in India in FY24. This initiative, known as the ‘Parivartan Start-up Grants programme,’ supported 170 startups through 41 incubators, focusing on critical areas such as climate innovation, financial inclusion, agriculture, healthcare, education, livelihood enhancement, and gender diversity.

NEWSMAKERS

 

RBI appoints R. Lakshmi Kanth Rao as new Executive Director

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed R. Lakshmi Kanth Rao as the new Executive Director with effect from May 10. He will take charge over Deposit insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation, Right to information Act (FAA), and Department of Communication.

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Section G: ECONOMY

 

India needs to focus on factor market reforms: ADB Chief Economist

India needs to focus on factor market reforms like land and labour to propel India’s growth to a double-digit trajectory, ADB Chief Economist Albert Park has said. The factor market reforms include land, labour, energy, and access to credit, among others, which are critical factors for production.

 

Labour reforms have been approved by Parliament in 2020, but it has not been implemented. In 2019 and 2020, 29 central labour laws were amalgamated, rationalised and simplified into four labour codes — the Code on Wages, 2019; the Industrial Relations Code, 2020; the Code on Social Security, 2020; and the Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions Code, 2020.

 

Labour is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution. Under the Labour Codes, rules are required to be framed by the central government as well as by the state governments.

 

China overtakes US to become India’s top trading partner in FY24

China has emerged as India’s largest trading partner in the FY 2023-24 with $118.4 billion two-way commerce, narrowly edging past the US, according to the data of economic think tank GTRI. The bilateral trade between India and the US stood at $118.3 billion in 2023-24. Washington was the top trading partner of New Delhi during 2021-22 and 2022-23.

 

India’s exports to China rose by 8.7 per cent to $16.67 billion in the last fiscal. The main sectors which recorded healthy growth in exports to that country include iron ore, cotton yarn/fabrics/madeups, handloom, spices, fruits and vegetables, plastic and linoleum. Imports from the neighbouring country increased by 3.24 per cent to $101.7 billion.

 

Meanwhile, exports to the US dipped by 1.32 per cent to $77.5 billion in 2023-24 as against $78.54 billion in 2022-23, while imports dipped by about 20 per cent to $40.8 billion.

 

The Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said that from fiscal year 2019 to FY2024, India’s trade dynamics with its top 15 trading partners underwent significant transformations, impacting both exports and imports along with the status of trade surplus or deficit across various sectors.

 

Non-life insurance companies post 13% rise in premium collection in FY24

As many as 42 general insurance companies garnered a premium income of Rs 2,89,738 crore in 2023-24, around 13% higher than that of the year ago. Non-Life insurance industry had collected a premium of Rs 2,56,894 crore in the preceding year, according to data posted by General Insurance Council.

 

Of this, 35 general insurance firms reported an increase of 14% in their premium at Rs 2,45,433 crore during the year against Rs 2,14,833 crore in the previous year.

 

Five standalone health insurers together collected a premium of Rs 33,116 crore during the year, up 26% from Rs 26,244 crore a year earlier.

 

The two state-owned specialised PSU insurers – Agricultural Insurance Company of India Ltd and Export Credit Guaranteed Corporation of India – who collected a premium of Rs 11,189 crore in the year was down by 29% from Rs 15,817 crore collected in FY23.

 

India’s forex reserves up by $3.66 bn to $641.59 bn as of May 3

India’s forex reserves rose by $3.66 billion to $641.59 billion as of May 03, latest data published by the Reserve Bank of India showed on May 10, 2024.

According to the Weekly Statistical Supplement released by the RBI, Foreign currency assets (FCAs) surged by $4.45 billion to $564.16 billion. Expressed in dollar terms, the FCAs include the effect of appreciation or depreciation of non-US units like the euro, pound and yen held in the foreign exchange reserves.

 

Gold reserves dropped by $653 million to $54.88 billion, whereas SDRs were up by $2 million to $18.05 billion.

 

Reserve position in the IMF decreased by $140 million to $4.499 billion.

 

It can be noted that for the week ended on April 5, the country’s forex kitty had reached an all-time high of $645.6 billion.

 

India’s Industrial Production grows 5.8 in 2023-2024

India’s industrial production growth slowed marginally to 4.9 per cent month-on-month in March 2024, mainly due to poor show by the mining sector, according to official data released on May 10, 2024. The factory output growth, measured in terms of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), was 5.6 per cent in February 2024. However, it was 1.9 per cent in March 2023. For the fiscal 2023-24, IIP growth touched 5.8 per cent against 5.2 per cent in the preceding financial year.

 

16th Finance Commission seeks public opinion on terms of reference

The 16th Finance Commission on May 8, 2024 invited suggestions from the general public, institutions and organisations on relevant issues for it and those related to its terms of reference.

 

As per Article 280 of the Constitution, the commission is required to make recommendations on the distribution of the net proceeds of taxes between the Centre and the states.

 

The commission also suggests the principles which should govern the grants in aid of the revenues of the states out of the consolidated fund of India.

 

Departing from the practice of giving a detailed set of considerations, the Centre has provided the commission a broad canvas and flexibility to define the scope of its work, approach and methodology.

 

The Centre has just mandated it to recommend measures needed to augment the consolidated fund of a state to supplement the resources of the panchayats and municipalities in the state and to review the present arrangement regarding financing of disaster management.

 

The commission, headed by economist Arvind Panagariya, will make its recommendations available by October 31, 2025, for a period of five years commencing April 1, 2026.

 

India overtook Japan to become world’s 3rd largest solar power generator in 2023

Rapid solar energy deployment in India pushed the country past Japan to become the world’s third-largest solar power generator in 2023, according to a new report. The report by global energy think tank Ember said India ranked ninth in solar energy deployment in 2015.

 

Solar produced a record 5.5 per cent of global electricity in 2023. In line with the global trend, India generated 5.8 per cent of its electricity from solar in 2023, as reported in Ember’s “Global Electricity Review”.

 

Solar maintained its status as the world’s fastest-growing electricity source for the 19th consecutive year, adding more than twice as much new electricity worldwide as coal in 2023.

 

India saw the world’s fourth-largest increase in solar generation in 2023 (+18 terawatt hour or TWh), behind China (+156 TWh), the United States (+33 TWh) and Brazil (+22 TWh). Together, the top four solar growth countries accounted for 75 per cent of growth in 2023.

 

India’s coal import rises 8% to 268 MT in FY24

India’s coal import rose by 7.7 per cent to 268.24 million tonne (MT) in FY24 driven by softness in seaborne prices and likelihood of increase in power demand during summer. The country’s coal import was 249.06 MT in FY23, according to data compiled by B2B e-commerce company mjunction services. The all-India production of coal during 2023-24 was at 997.25 MT, registering a growth of 11.65 per cent over FY23.

 

India extends free import of yellow peas till October

India has extended the free import of yellow peas by four more months until October 2024, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification, adding that the import is permitted without the minimum import price (MIP) and port restriction conditions.

 

In December last, the government allowed duty-free imports of yellow peas until March 2024, which was extended till April and then June.

 

“Import of yellow peas…is free without the MIP condition and without port restriction, subject to registration under online Import Monitoring System, with immediate effect for all import consignments where Bill of Lading (shipped on board) is issued on or before October 31, 2024,” the DGFT said.

 

Import of yellow peas is allowed after registration under the import monitoring system for all consignments where bill of lading (shipped on board) is issued on or before October 31.

 

In April-February FY24, the import of yellow peas was $235.92 million as against $0.14 million in FY23.

 

Karnataka HC strikes down extension of PF benefits to international workers

The Karnataka High Court has struck down provisions in the employees provident fund (EPF) scheme and employee pension scheme (EPS), extending the EPF and EPS benefits to foreign workers working in India, calling the provisions violative under Article 14 of the Constitution, and arbitrary.

 

Justice KS Hemalekha, in her ruling on April 25, while allowing a batch of writ petitions from individual companies, said that while the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act (EPF & MP Act) empowers the Union Government to modify the schemes, the power has to be exercised only to meet the objectives of the law.

 

The Court passed the ruling on a batch of petitions (Stone Hill Education Foundation vs The Union of India) challenging para 83 of the EPF Scheme and para 43A of the EP Scheme that were extended to international workers in 2008.

 

The petitions filed by both employers and employees said the international workers in India work only for a limited period and requiring them to make PF contributions would cause irreparable injury. The petitioners also argued that the foreign workers were a separate class.

 

Mumbai and Delhi feature among the World’s Top 50 Wealthiest cities

Henley and Partners, a consultancy in residence and citizenship planning, recently unveiled a list of the World’s Wealthiest Top 10 cities and Rising Wealth Hubs, highlighting cities that attract high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) with liquid investable wealth of USD 1 million or more.

 

Mumbai and Delhi’s inclusion in the top 50 wealthiest cities underscores India’s economic progress and urban development. On the list they ranked above, Washington, DC the capital city of the World’s richest country. These cities have become magnets for HNWIs, offering a blend of economic opportunities and cosmopolitan lifestyles.

 

Mumbai and Delhi join other global financial hubs, such as New York, London, and Tokyo, in the list of top 50 wealthiest cities. These cities offer upscale living options and serve as centers for trade, commerce, and innovation.

 

New York leads the pack, boasting 349,500 millionaires and a wealth exceeding $3 trillion. The Bay Area tech hub, Tokyo, Singapore, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Beijing complete the top 10. These cities offer diverse opportunities and amenities, attracting affluent individuals and businesses.

 

The 2024 World’s Wealthiest Cities Report highlights a shifting global wealth landscape, with Asia Pacific emerging as a powerhouse. While traditional wealth centers like New York retain dominance, the rise of cities like Bengaluru underscores the changing dynamics of global wealth distribution. As cities compete to attract the world’s affluent, investment migration programs and favorable policies play a crucial role in shaping the future of global wealth hubs.

 

Celebs, influencers will be held liable for misleading ads: SC

The Supreme Court on May 7, 2024 warned that celebrities, social media influencers and advertisers will be equally responsible and liable if they endorse and publish deceptive and misleading ad campaigns or services related to food and health products.

 

It asked the advertisers to submit self-declaration forms confirming their compliance with cable TV rules and advertising codes before airing ads. Besides, television broadcasters must upload these declarations onto the Broadcast Seva Portal prior to airing the ads, it ordered.

 

The ministry concerned has been asked to establish a portal for advertisers to submit self-declarations for print media ads within four weeks.

 

Noting that there are guidelines that call for influencers to be transparent about paid endorsements, the bench said that the government needs to set up a specific procedure to encourage the consumer to lodge a complaint and the same has to be taken to logical conclusion instead of simply being endorsed or marked.

 

The direction came after the counsel informed the SC that since July 2020 to April 2024, the Central Consumer Protection Authority had issued 163 notices for misleading advertisements of which 58 were closed and the rest 105 were stated to be under process.

 

It then directed the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution to file a fresh affidavit on the actions taken by the consumer body against false or misleading ads, particularly in the food and health sectors.

 

MEDITECH STACKATHON 2024 in collaboration with CII

Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers Dr Arunish Chawla, launched the MEDITECH STACKATHON 2024 in collaboration with CII in New Delhi on May 7, 2024. Through close consultation with industry leaders, policymakers, and experts, the STACKATHON aims to address critical challenges, foster domestic manufacturing, and reduce import dependence, thereby positioning India as a global leader in medical technology.

 

India allows 14,000 MT non-basmati white rice exports to Mauritius

India on May 6, 2024 permitted export of 14,000 million tonnes of non-basmati white rice to Mauritius, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. “The export of 14,000 MT of Non-Basmati White Rice to Mauritius has been permitted through National Cooperative Exports Limited (NCEL),” the DGFT said. In July 2023, the government had prohibited the export of non-basmati white rice but it had said exports would be allowed on the basis of permission granted to other countries to meet their food security needs and based on requests from those countries.

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Section H: CORPORATE

 

AAI launches ‘Pradipti’ internship program

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) launched an internship program, ‘Pradipti,’ in May 2024. The formal launch event was organized at the Indian Aviation Academy in New Delhi. This internship program aims to facilitate learning the practical aspects of Airport Infrastructure, Operations, and Air Navigation Services and generate interest in Civil Aviation among youth by reaching out to educational institutes in the vicinity of airports.

 

Sapphire Media to acquire Big 92.7 FM

The Mumbai bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the resolution plan of Sapphire Media for Reliance Broadcast Network’s FM radio business, Big 92.7 FM. As per the plan, Sapphire Media will pay Rs. 261 crore to secured and operational creditors as against the total claims of Rs. 947.5 crore. Big FM, owned by Reliance Broadcast Network, has been going through the insolvency process since February 2023. The Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) was initiated under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code of 2016

 

TVS Holdings to acquire Home Credit India Finance

TVS Holdings Ltd announced its plan to acquire 80.74 per cent of the equity stake in Home Credit India Finance Private Ltd for ₹554 crore. The remaining 19.26 per cent of the equity stake will be purchased by Premji Invest and other associates. Home Credit India, a part of the Home Credit Group, is an international non-banking financial institution founded in 1997 in the Czech Republic and headquartered in the Netherlands. Home Credit entered into India in 2012. Home Credit will operate as a subsidiary of TVS Holdings, maintaining its brand identity and focussing on its unique customer segment, while benefiting from the resources and support of TVS Holdings Group, according to a statement.

 

Mining major Vedanta acquires Japan’s AvanStrate

Mining major Vedanta announced the complete acquisition of Japanese thin-film-transistor and liquid-crystal display glass substrate and display maker AvanStrate. Vedanta already had a 51.63% stake in AvanStrate through its subsidiary Cairn India Holdings, and will now acquire an additional 46.57% stake for not more than 12.2 billion Japanese yen. With the additional stake buy, Vedanta will own a total of 98.20% in the company. Vedanta had bought a controlling stake in the Tokyo-headquartered display panels maker in 2017 for roughly $158 million.

 

Hexaware Technologies acquires Softcrylic

Carlyle Group backed Hexaware Technologies acquired Softcrylic, a Minneapolis based data consulting firm. Hexaware didn’t disclose the financials of the deal. The acquisition would boost its IT firm’s data and analytics capabilities.

 

Apple cofounder Wozniak’s Privateer buys Orbital Insight

Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak’s space data startup, Privateer, acquired the analytics firm Orbital Insight, a merger that will add mapping and intelligence services to Privateer’s space data offerings. Privateer was founded in 2021 to help satellite operators navigate in Earth’s increasingly crowded orbit. Orbital’s TerraScope Earth observation platform, designed to be a vast search engine based on recently captured satellite imagery from other companies, will combine with Privateer’s satellite-tracking software.

 

Happiest Minds Technologies to acquire Aureus Tech Systems

Happiest Minds Technologies announced plans to acquire a 100% stake in Aureus Tech Systems, a US-based digital product engineering company, for $8.5 million or approximately Rs 71 crore by the end of June 2024.

 

Coast Guard, Hindalco ink MoU for aluminum

The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and Hindalco Industries joined hands for manufacturing and supply of indigenous marine-grade aluminium to the country’s public and private shipyards for the construction of ships. ICG and Hindalco Industries inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on May 9, 2024. ICG also inked an MOU with Jindal Steel and Power (JSP) aimed at bolstering the supply of indigenous marine-grade steel for shipbuilding projects.

 

IHCL expands partnership with CG Hospitality

Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) on May 9, 2024 announced a strategic partnership with CG Hospitality with a plan to grow its portfolio in the Indian sub-continent to 25 hotels by 2025. The portfolio of 25 properties by 2025, will include 11 operating hotels with 900 keys and will add another 14, which will be under one platform — ‘Ekyam’ — to pursue opportunities in destinations that offer adventure experiences across the Indian Ocean and Greater Himalayan regions and wildlife escapes.

 

Infosys collaborates with AEEE, IIHS

Infosys along with Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) and Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) on May 9, 2024 launched ‘ASSURE’ (Accelerating Sustainable and Super-efficient Real Estate) to decarbonize India’s commercial building sector and cement the country’s global leadership in climate action and sustainability. The program aims to realize 100 million sq. ft. of commercial buildings in India by 2030. ASSURE is designed as the world’s largest organized effort to implement high-performance buildings at scale. Bringing together experts, innovators, enterprises, and the government, it aims to provide technical assistance to lighthouse projects, ecosystem-wide capacity development, and demonstrate viability drawing inspiration from Infosys’ campuses.

 

KKR to acquire medical device co Healthium

US private equity major KKR will acquire Bengaluru-based medical device player Healthium Medtech, formerly Sutures India, from PE firm Apax Partners in a deal estimated at Rs 7,000 crore. KKR plans to use a special purpose vehicle to buy a controlling stake in Healthium, it said in a joint statement with Healthium and Apax on May 6, 2024.

 

VST Tillers, HTC ally to add power tractor

VST Tillers Tractors, a compact tractors and power tillers maker, announced a joint venture with the Czech Republic’s HTC Investments, the maker of ‘Zetor’ brand tractors. The JV will be known as VST Zetor. VST, which commands 70% share in India’s compact tractor market, had now entered into a new segment of tractors (41-50 HP range) that currently accounts for 59% of the total 8.75 lakh units of tractors sold in India.

NEWSMAKERS

 

First woman editor of The Tribune

Journalist Jyoti Malhotra has become the first woman editor of The Tribune, the 143-year-old newspaper based in Chandigarh.

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Section I: STATES

 

Narendra Dabholkar murder case: Pune special court sentences two to life

A special court in Pune on May 10, 2024 sentenced two people to life sentences in connection with the murder of Dr Narendra Dabholkar – a well-known rationalist who was killed in 2013 – while it acquitted three others.

 

Dabholkar was shot dead while on a morning walk on Omkareshwar Bridge, as the accused were opposed to his crusade against superstition, the prosecution said in its final arguments.

 

Additional sessions judge A A Jadhav of the special court for cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) sentenced Sachin Andhure and Sharad Kalaskar to life imprisonment after hearing from over 20 witnesses.

 

Dabholkar’s murder was initially probed by Pune police, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) taking over the probe in 2014 following a Bombay High Court order. The central agency arrested Dr Virendrasinh Tawade, an ENT surgeon linked to the Hindu right-wing organisation Sanatan Sanstha, in June 2016.

 

Many of the accused are linked to Sanatan Sanstha, a religious organisation that was opposed to the work carried out by Dabholkar’s organisation, the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (Committee for eradication of superstition, Maharashtra), according to the prosecution.

 

Tamil Nadu bans 23 ‘ferocious’ dog breeds including Pitbull terrier

Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry Department has announced a ban on 23 ‘ferocious’ dog breeds including Pitbull terrier and Tosa Inu in the state. The ban came days after a incident in Chennai where a Rottweiler dog bit and injured a child. In the incident a five-year-old girl was grievously injured when two pet Rottweiler dogs ferociously attacked her in a park.

 

SC declines permission for mining at Aravalli hills

The Aravallis have to be protected, the Supreme Court said on May 9, 2024 and directed Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat to not accord final permission for mining activities in the hill range until further orders. The bench said its order shall in no way be construed as prohibiting legal mining activities which are already being carried out in accordance with valid permits and licences.

 

The apex court noted that there were certain issues with regard to illegal mining as well as mining under the permissions granted by the states, and one of the major issues was with regard to different definitions of Aravalli hills and ranges as adopted by different states.

 

It said a report submitted by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has pointed out various illegal mining activities carried out throughout the state of Rajasthan and district-wise details have also been given with regard to the area under illegal mining.

 

“We find that the issue with regard to the mining activities in the Aravalli hills needs to be addressed jointly by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) as well all the four states — Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, state of Rajasthan, state of Haryana and state of Gujarat,” it said.

 

The bench ordered constitution of a committee to arrive at a uniform definition of the Aravalli hills and ranges.

 

West Bengal: SC stays HC order cancelling over 24,000 appointments

The Supreme Court on May 7, 2024 stayed the operation of Calcutta High Court order vide which it cancelled over 24,000 jobs of teaching and non-teaching staff recruited by the West Bengal School Service Commission in 2016.

 

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud called for an expedited hearing of the case and posted the matter for resumed hearing on July 16. The bench, however, clarified that the CBI probe, ordered by the HC, will be allowed to continue though there cannot be any coercive action against West Bengal government officials.

 

The SC ordered that the ad interim protection would continue provided that any person found to have been appointed illegally and has continued as a consequence of the top court’s order shall undertake to refund the salary drawn by them if the case is eventually decided against them.

 

During the resumed hearing on May 7, the bench underlined the need to distinguish between valid and invalid recruitments as several candidates who secured positions based on merit now face job loss. The bench reprimanded the West Bengal government calling it “nothing but a systemic fraud”.

 

The West Bengal government had petitioned the SC against the Calcutta High Court’s decision to cancel about 24,000 appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff made in 2016 by the WBSSC. While holding the recruitment invalid, the HC had in April 2024 ordered the candidates to return the salaries they received after being illegally recruited. Aggrieved by the order, the state government, in its appeal, alleged that the HC on the basis of oral submissions and in absence of any affidavit on record had arbitrarily cancelled the appointments. The appeal read that the same was done in “utter disregard” of the fact that it will lead to a huge vacuum in the schools.

 

‘Pirul Lao Paisa Pao Campaign’ by Uttarakhand government to control wild forest fires

Uttarakhand is currently suffering from uncontrollable wildfires, which have engulfed thousands of hectares of forest land and the biodiversity of the region. Several local communities and tribes have been affected by the disaster, causing significant harm to several people’s livelihoods and residences. On May 8, 2024, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami started a campaign in Rudraprayag in hopes of controlling the wildfires and encouraging locals to participate and aid the forest officials. The ‘Pirul Lao Paisa Le Jao’ (bring pine leaves and get money) campaign is launched by the government of Uttarakhand to control the furious fires and stop them from spreading.

 

Japan’s Ambassador inaugurates Kohima Peace Memorial And Eco Park with Nagaland CM

In Nagaland, ambassador of Japan to India, Hiroshi Suzuki and Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on May 8, 2024 jointly inaugurated the Kohima Peace Memorial and laid the foundation stone of  Eco Park Kohima. The Kohima Peace Memorial and Eco Park holds particular significance as it celebrates the collaborative effort between the Government of Japan and Japanese International Corporation Agency with the Government of Nagaland.  It represents not only a historical significance but also serves as a symbol of peace, reconciliation and hold profound educational value.

NEWSMAKERS

 

Arvind Kejriwal bail: SC grants Delhi CM interim relief till June 1

The Supreme Court on May 10, 2024 gave an interim bail to Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal till June 1, 2024 in the ongoing money laundering probe in the Delhi Excise Policy case.

 

The apex court refused Kejriwal’s request, made through senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, of granting him interim bail June 5. Further, the Delhi Chief Minister has been asked to surrender on June 2.

 

Lok Sabha elections are currently underway and will be completed in seven phases. June 1 would be the last day of voting. Voting across the nation began on April 19 and elections to more than half the total 543 seats were completed with the third phase on May 7. Delhi will vote on May 25.

 

While granting interim relief to Kejriwal, the top court observed that serious accusations have been made against Arvind Kejriwal but he has not been convicted yet. “Arvind Kejriwal does not have any criminal antecedents and he is not a threat to society,” said SC in the bail order.

Kejriwal is currently lodged in the Tihar jail, having been arrested by the ED on March 21. The ED has consistently opposed granting Kejriwal bail in this case, on the fact that he should not be given any special treatment purely because he is a CM.

 

SC sets bail conditions

• Kejriwal is not allowed to visit chief minister’s office and Delhi Secretariat.
• Shall have to furnish bail bonds of Rs 50,000 with one surety of like amount for release from Tihar jail.
• SC says grant of interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal will not be treated as expression of opinion on merits of case against him.
• Arvind Kejriwal will not interact with any witnesses or have access to official files connected with case.

 

Meghalaya gets its first woman DGP

Meghalaya got its first woman police chief with the appointment of Idashisha Nongrang as the new director general of police on May 10, 2024 in Shillong. She is set to take charge from May 20 after the present DGP LR Bishnoi retires on May 19, reports Manosh Das. Governor Phagu Chauhan appointed Nongrang after state govt received the approval from Election Commission as the model code of conduct is in force. Nongrang presently holds the post of director general of civil defence and home guards. She was also SP, East Khasi Hills, some years ago.

 

‘Yodha’ director Sangeeth Sivan passes away at 61

Movie director Sangeeth Sivan passed away in Mumbai on May 5, 2024 in Mumbai. Hhe rose to fame after his directorial debut – the Malayalam crime drama ‘Vyooham’ was a success. His second film – the 1992 fantasy action movie ‘Yodha’ (which starred superstar Mohanlal) was a resounding commercial and critical success. He collaborated with Mohanlal for two more movies – ‘Gandharvam’ and ‘Nirnayam’. Aside from Mollywood, the director has also made Hindi movies such as ‘Kyaa Kool Hai Hum’, ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana 2’, ‘Click’ etc. In 2019, he made his OTT debut with the psychological web series ‘Bhram’.
 
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Section J: SPORTS

 

Superbet Rapid and Blitz Chess in Warsaw

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen (26 points) won the Superbet Rapid and Blitz Chess in Warsaw on May 12, 2024. Wei Yi (25.5 points) of China was second while Duda Jan-Kryzstof of Poland (19.5 points) was third. Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa (19 points) finished fourth.

 

French MotoGP

Spain’s Jorge Martin (Ducati, Ducati Prima Pramac Racing) won the French MotoGP at Le Mans on May 12, 2024. Another Spaniard Marc Marquez (Ducati, Gresini Racing MotoGP) was second while Italy’s Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati, Ducati Lenovo Team) finished third. This was the fifth race of the season. Martin heads the season’s ranking with 129 points, 38 ahead of Bagnaia who moved into second spot.

 

Vasiliy Lomachenko wins IBF lightweight crown

Ukrainian boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko clinched the IBF lightweight World title on May 12, 2024 after producing a supreme performance to stop Australia’s George Kambosos in the 11th round in Perth.

 

Saudi Smash 2024 table tennis

China’s Wang Chuqin and Chen Meng won men’s and women’s singles titles respectively in the inaugural WTT Saudi Smash table tennis tournament in Jeddah on May 11, 2024. Wang won 4-2 (11-2, 11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 10-12, 11-6) against Germany’s Patrick Franziska. Chen Meng beat fellow Chinese Sun Yingsha in the final 4-2 (6-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8) to win women’s singles title.

 

Indian tennis

India’s Rutuja Bhosale and Paige Hourigan beat Haruna Arakawa and Aoi Ito 3-6, 6-3, [10-6] to win women’s doubles title at the $60,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament in Fukuoka, Japan, on May 10, 2024.

 

KM Deeksha shatters women’s 1500m national record

Indian runner KM Deeksha achieved a new national record in the women’s 1500m race at the Track Fest 2024 athletics meet in Los Angeles, USA, on May 11, 2024. The 25-year-old Deeksha clocked 4:04.78 for third place. Harmilan Bains set India’s previous national record of 4:05.39 at the 2021 National Open Championships in Warangal. USA’s Krissy Gear won the women’s 1500m race on Saturday in 4:03.65. Meanwhile, the entry for the Paris 2024 Olympics in the category is 4:02.50.

 

Poona Club Open 2024 squash

Indian squash players Urwashi Joshi and Suraj Kumar Chand won the women’s and men’s titles, respectively, at the Poona Club Open 2024 in Pune, India on May 12, 2024. The 28-year-old Urwashi Joshi beat 16-year-old Diya Yadav 3-1 (11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5). Suraj Kumar Chand defeated Ravindu Laksiri of Sri Lanka 3-1 (12-14, 11-8, 11-6, 12-10) to win the men’s event.

 

Neeraj Chopra finishes second in Doha Diamond League

Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Doha Diamond League meeting javelin throw event with his throw of 88.36m at Doha on May 10, 2024. Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic won gold The with his throw of 88.38m. Two-time world champion Anderson Peters took the third sport with a best throw of 86.62m.

 

UN Proclaims May 25 as World Football Day

The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on May 7, 2024 proclaiming May 25 as World Football Day. The day marks the 100th anniversary of the first international Football tournament in history with the representation of all regions which took place on May 25, 1924 during the summer Olympic games held in Paris, according to the resolution. The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution by consensus with a bang of the gavel by its president, Dennis Francis, to applause from diplomats in the assembly chamber. It was co-sponsored by more than 160 countries.

 

World Snooker Championship

England’s Kyren Wilson defeated Zak Jones of Wales 18-14 in final to win World Snooker Championship at Sheffield on May 6.

 

Nikola Jokic named NBA Most Valuable Player for third time

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was named NBA Most Valuable Player for the third time in four seasons on May 7, 2024. The 29-year-old Serbian star, who won the award in 2021 and 2022, finished runner-up in the voting in 2023 but had the satisfaction of leading the Nuggets to a first NBA title. This season he averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the regular season and beat out Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the award.

 
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