PRELIMS BITS
1. World Thyroid Awareness Day 2022 observed on:
--25th May (theme, “It’s not you. It’s your thyroid.”)
2. When is International Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non-Self-Governing Territories observed on:
--May 25 to 31
3. Indian Commonwealth Day 2022 observed on:
--May 24 (theme 2022: is ‘Delivering a Common Future)
4. World Turtle Day 2022 observed on:
--May 23 (theme 2022: “Shellebrate”. The theme asks “everyone to Love and Save Turtles”)
5. International Day of Yoga to be observed in Karnataka on:
--June 21
6. Who was recently sworn in as president of East Timor:
--Jose Ramos-Horta
7. Who will be the new lieutenant governor of Delhi
--Vinai Kumar Saxena
8. Which Indian organization won WHO DG’s Global Health Leaders Awards:
--All-women Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers
9. Winner of the Hockey India Sub-Junior Women’s National Championship:
--Hockey team of Haryana
10. Who won 2021-22 Premier League Football championship:
--Manchester City
11. first country to make quarantine compulsory for monkeypox patients:
--Belgium
12. Who has been appointed as CEO of JSW One Platforms:
--Gaurav Sachdeva
13. Who received Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Her Majesty The Queen, British Deputy High Commission:
--Kishore Jayaraman, President, India and South Asia for Rolls-Royce
14. Who became first player to hit 700 fours in IPL history:
--Shikhar Dhawan(Punjab Kings opening batter)
15. Indian representative who attended the 7th BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting:
--Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, (Minister of State for Culture and External Affairs)
16. Indians who made it to the list of Time’s 100 most influential people 2022:
--Karuna Nundy (Supreme Court lawyer), Gautam Adani (business tycoon) and Khurram Parvez (prominent Kashmiri human rights activist)
NEWS IN DETAIL (FOR U.P. JUDICIARY MAINS + PRELIMS)
17. India joins US Indo-Pacific economic plan
India joins other countries to launch the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), a US-led trade initiative meant to counter China’s aggressive expansion in the region .
Among the 13 countries backing the initiative are Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam, and the members jointly account for 40% of the global GDP.
18. India’s First Indigenous Hyperloop
The Ministry of Railways has announced that it’s going to collaborate with IIT Madras for the development of a made-in-India Hyperloop system.
Hyperloop is a concept of high-speed transportation where pressurised vehicles (or pods) travel through a low-pressure tunnel allowing for movement through the atmosphere at almost no resistance, similar to air travel.
Apart from being extremely quick, it’s also eco-friendly as it consumes less power than an electric train and doesn’t really have any emissions unlike an aircraft or a diesel locomotive.
19. India-Jordan struck an agreement to cooperate in fertilisers sector
A high-level group led by Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya visited Jordan in a first-of-its-kind endeavor with the goal of securing fertilizers and raw materials for the short and long term.
The visit took place against the backdrop of the current global fertilizer crisis.
Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya called Jordan as India’s chosen fertilizer partner during the meetings.
20. India launching Project WARDEC AI-powered wargame centre
The Army Training Command and Gandhinagar-based Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish a Wargame Research and Development Centre in New Delhi.
The project, dubbed ‘WARDEC’ as a prototype, will be India’s first simulation-based training centre, which will use artificial intelligence (AI) to create virtual reality wargames.
Soldiers will put their talents to the test in the metaverse, which will combine virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to imitate their surroundings.
The BSF, CRPF, CISF, ITBP, and SSB, in addition to the armed forces, might benefit from metaverse-enabled simulation exercises for enhanced training.
21. ONGC first Indian exploration and production firm to trade domestic gas
The state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has become the first gas producer to sell domestic gas on the Indian Gas Exchange, exchanging unidentified amounts from the KG-DWN-98/2 block off the coast of India.
ONGC has made history by becoming India’s first exploration and production (E&P) company to trade domestic gas on the Indian Gas Exchange.
ONGC Director (Onshore) & In-charge Marketing Anurag Sharma made the first online trade on India’s first automated national level Gas Exchange, IGX.
22. Quad Summit 2022- Issues and Initiatives
The Quad or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue is a group made of four nations, India, Japan, the US, and Australia.
It is a strategic forum that features semi-regular summits, information exchange, and military drills.
The key focus of the summit is the development of the Indo-Pacific region highlighting the threats like terrorism, disinformation, and territorial disputes.
This year Quad leader summit is held on the 24th of May 2022, in Tokyo.
PM Modi, stated while addressing the Summit "Despite the adverse situation of Covid-19, we’ve increased our coordination for vaccine delivery, climate action, supply chain resilience, disaster response, economic cooperation, and other areas. It has ensured peace, prosperity, and stability in Indo-Pacific.”
23. 4th edition of state-level Shirui Lily Festival 2022 begins in Manipur
In Manipur, the 4th Edition of State-Level Shirui Lily Festival 2022 has begun.
This annual festival is organised by the Department of Tourism, Government of Manipur with an aim to create and raise awareness of the Shirui Lily flower which is also the State Flower of Manipur.
The festival is held around April and May as it is the blooming season of Shirui Lily. The flower is found in the Ukhrul district of Manipur only and cannot be replanted anywhere in the world.
24. Indian Air Force Ranks 3rd World Air Power Index 2022
World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) has released the World Air Powers Ranking of 2022 and the Indian Air Force (IAF) has been placed at the third position.
The Global Air Powers Ranking (2022) report has given the highest TvR score to the United States Air Force (USAF).
25. Sangita Kalanidhi awards 2020-22
Renowned vocalist and guru, Neyveli R Santanagopalan, eminent mridangam artiste and guru, ‘Tiruvarur’ Bhakthavathsalam, and Lalgudi violin duo, G J R Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi were named for the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi awards of the Music Academy for 2020, 2021, and 2022.
The Academy has chosen nagaswaram exponent Kivalur N G Ganesan (2020), vocalist, musicologist, and guru Dr Ritha Rajan (2021), and Vainika and musicologist Dr R S Jayalakshmi (2022).
Noted vocalist and guru Thamarakkad Govindan Namboodri, versatile percussionist Nemani Somayajulu, and noted Kanjra artiste A V Anand will receive the T T K Award for 2020, 2021, and 2022 respectively.
The Musicologist award for 2020 will be presented to Dr V Premalatha for the year 2020. Nritya Kalanidhi will be presented to Bharatanatyam exponents Rama Vaidyanathan (2020) and Narthaki Nataraj (2021). Bragha Bessell, widely respected Abhinaya expert and guru, will be awarded the prize for 2022.
Chief Minister M K Stalin will present the awards.