Daily Current Affairs 16th May, 2022

Daily Current Affairs 16 May 2022 for Banking/Insurance/SSC and other related exams.

NATIONAL NEWS

Skill India International Centre to be set up at Varanasi to prepare skilled workforce for mobility to UAE
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged between NSDC International (NSDCI) and the Indian unit of DP World, Hindustan Ports Private Limited to develop Skill India International Centre at Varanasi and to skill Indian youth for pursuing overseas employment opportunities in logistics, port operations and allied areas.

• Skill India International Centre at Varanasi will impart skilling as per international standards, preparing the candidates for global markets.
• This Memorandum of Understanding will further strengthen the relationship between UAE and India and help enhance workforce productivity.

Prime Minister participates in the 2nd Global COVID-19 Virtual Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a reform of the UN health authority and a review of its vaccine approval processes a week after the government challenged the WHO’s numbers for mortality during the Covid outbreak.

• Mr. Modi also called for the World Trade Organization to be more flexible on the issue of patent waivers, where a joint India-South Africa proposal made in 2020 has yet to be adopted, speaking at the second global Covid summit, which was virtually addressed by US President Joseph Biden and a number of other leaders including from the African Union, European Union, Canada, Germany, South Africa, Japan, and South Korea.
• Taiwan was invited to the meeting by the US and other hosts, but China and Russia declined.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Bhupender Yadav leads Indian delegation at COP15 summit on combating desertification
The Indian team, led by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav, arrived in Abidjan, Cote D Ivoire, for the UN Convention on Combating Desertification’s 15th Conference of Parties (UNCCD COP15).

• The fourteenth session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification was held in New Delhi, and India is the current president of the organisation.
• Despite the covid outbreak, India made major contributions to bringing nations together to achieve the global aim of preventing and reversing land degradation during its presidency.
• During India’s presidency, G-20 leaders, recognising the importance of countering land degradation and developing new carbon sinks, set an aspirational goal of planting 1 trillion trees collectively by 2030, urging other countries to join forces with the G20 to achieve this global goal.

BANKING & FINANCE

World Bank approves 350 million dollars aid for Systems Reform Endeavors for Transformed Health Achievement in Gujarat -SRESTHA-G project
The World Bank has approved 350 million dollars aid for the Systems Reform Endeavors for Transformed Health Achievement in Gujarat -SRESTHA-G project.

• According to official sources, the SRESTHA-G project will be a 500 million dollars project with 350 million dollars support coming from the World Bank. The project will include transforming key health delivery systems in the state.
• The programme will focus on four key result areas to improve quality, equity, and comprehensiveness of primary healthcare, services for adolescent girls and the capacity of disease surveillance systems.

PAN, Aadhaar mandatory for cash deposits or withdrawals above ₹20 lakh
People who deposit or withdraw cash more than Rs 20 lakh from the bank account, including co-operative banks and post offices, in a financial year will now have to quote their permanent account number (PAN) or Aadhaar number.

• The requirement has been made mandatory from May 26 with the new rules coming into effect. The rules will also apply to the opening of a current account.
• According to the notification, the PAN or Aadhaar number, along with demographic information or biometric information of an individual, will be submitted to the official concerned for the purposes of authentication.

SpiceJet and Axis Bank launch co-branded credit card
SpiceJet and Axis Bank has partnered to launch the most rewarding cobranded credit card, powered by Visa that will offer a host of privileges and benefits to customers.

• The card comes in two variants C SpiceJet Axis Bank Voyage and Voyage Black, and is aimed at facilitating a superlative travel experience for flyers through SpiceClub, the first frequent flyer program by a low cost carrier in India.

SPORTS

Italian Open: Novak defeats Stefanos Tsitsipas to capture record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000
In Tennis, World No.1 Novak Djokovic capped a historic week at the Italian Open in Rome, where he overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas to capture a record-extending 38th ATP Masters 1000 crown.

• The Serbian became the fifth man in the Open Era to earn 1,000 match wins when he defeated Casper Ruud in the semi-finals and he backed that up with a hard-fought display against Tsitsipas to win his first title of the season.
• The top seed, who will spend a record-extending 370th week at No 1 in the ATP Rankings from, has defeated Tsitsipas in consecutive years in Rome, having overcome the fourth seed in the quarter-finals in 2021.

Indian shooters clean-sweep women’s 25m pistol at Suhl Junior World Cup
Indian shooters made a clean sweep of the women’s 25m pistol competition at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, to consolidate their lead at the top of the medal tally. India was on top of the medals table with nine gold, 10 silver and a bronze.

• Rhythm Sangwan won gold, Manu Bhaker silver and Naamaa Kapoor bronze, as India completely dominated the event . Rhythm topped the round with a score of 588 while Manu was second with 584 and Naamya third with 583.
• India also swept all the three medals in the 25-metre sports pistol for junior men,  through Shiva Narwal, Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu and Sameer.

Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties to win FA Cup title
Liverpool has won the English FA Cup for the eighth time defeating Chelsea on penalties. After the game ended goalless in regular time, Liverpool prevailed 6-5 in a penalty shootout at the Wembley stadium.

• Liverpool is now most successful club as Manchester United trophies compared after FA Cup win. After their latest Wembley triumph, Liverpool’s haul now consists of 19 league titles, eight FA Cups and nine League Cups on the domestic front.

Chennai to host WTA-250 Tennis Championship in September
Chennai is set to come back on the global tennis map as the city is to host the WTA-250 Tennis Championship from 26th September this year.

• The State Sports Minister Siva V. Meyyanathan told reporters in Chennai that the event will be held till the 10th of October.
• For men, the city has been hosting the ATP Chennai Open Tennis events for a long time till 2016. After a hiatus, international tennis has made a comeback to the city in the form of the WTA women’s event.

India beats Indonesia 3-0 to win maiden Thomas Cup title
Dishing out a performance for the ages, India’s men’s badminton team lifted the Thomas Cup title with a commanding 3-0 win over powerhouse Indonesia, a historic triumph that will enhance country’s status in the sport.

• World Championships medallist Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and doubles players Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy delivered when it mattered the most as they stunned the 14-time champions to win the prestigious team championship for first time ever.

APPOINTMENTS

Devasahayam Pillai Becomes 1st Indian Layman to Be Declared Saint by Pope
Devasahayam Pillai, who embraced Christianity in the 18th century, was declared a saint by Pope Francis at the Vatican, becoming the first Indian layman to be canonised.

• Devasahayam was recommended for the process of Beatification by the Vatican in 2004, at the request of the Kottar diocese, Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council and the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India.

Nidhi Chibber appointed CBSE chief
Senior IAS officer Nidhi Chibber has been appointed as the chairperson of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in a top-level bureaucratic reshuffle affected by the Centre.

• She has been appointed as chairperson, CBSE in the rank and pay of Additional Secretary to the government of India, an order issued by the Personnel Ministry said.

Vivek Kumar Dewangen appointed CMD of REC Ltd
The Government of India Vivek Kumar Dewangan, Additional Secretary in the Union Power Ministry, as the chairman and managing director of power sector lender REC Ltd, formerly known as Rural Electrification Corporation.

• Vivek Kumar Dewangen is a 1993 batch IAS officer of the Manipur cadre.He had earlier served as the Joint Secretary in the Power Ministry.

AWARDS

Kasturi Savekar from Maharashtra scales Mount Everest
Kasturi Savekar from Kolhapur in Maharashtra has successfully scaled the world’s highest mountain Mount Everest.

• She has conquered two 8000 meters plus mountains Mt Annapurna-I and Mt Everest in the ‘Gratitude Month’ being conducted to pay tribute to Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj.

Reliance Industries is top Indian company in Forbes Global 2000 list
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd climbed two spots to No. 53 on Forbes’ latest Global 2000 list of public companies worldwide. Reliance is the top-ranked Indian firm on the list, followed by State Bank of India at No. 105, HDFC Bank at No. 153 and ICICI Bank at No. 204.

• Forbes Global 2000 ranks the largest companies in the world using four metrics: sales, profits, assets and market value, Forbes said releasing the 2022 ranking of the world’s top 2,000 companies.
• Other top 10 Indian firms on the list include state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at 228 rank, Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC) at No. 268, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at No.357, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) at No. 384, Tata Steel at No. 407 and Axis Bank at No. 431.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

EKA unveils its first electric bus EKA E9 
EKA, an electric vehicle manufacturing & technology company, and a subsidiary of Pinnacle Industries, has launched its newest 9-metre pure electric & zero-emission bus, EKA E9.

• The E9, EKA’s first battery-electric bus, features a new streamlined vehicle design, maximized power & range due to its monocoque stainless steel chassis and complete composite structure.
• With a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) lower than existing Internal Combustion engine powered buses, EKA E9 promises to deliver sustainability and profitability to all stakeholders.

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launches Gatishakti Sanchar Portal in New Delhi
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that legal backing for right of way (RoW) for telecom infrastructure projects will be put in place by December this year, as he launched the GatiShakti Sanchar portal that aims to accelerate approvals for laying of fibre and tower installations, ahead of the 5G roll-out in the country.

• The GatiShakti Sanchar portal will enable centralised right of way (RoW) approvals for telecom infrastructure projects and can be used by industry players to apply for RoW approvals, including for 5G services.
• The portal has been adopted by all central ministries, state governments and union territories, the Telecom Minister said.

NAL successfully validates digital anti-skid brake management system developed for SARAS Mark II- 19 seat Light Transport aircraft
The National Aerospace Laboratories, NAL based in Bengaluru has successfully validated the digital anti-skid brake management system developed for SARAS Mark 2- 19 seat Light Transport aircraft.

• The state-of-the-art brake by wire electro-hydraulic braking system is developed for the first time in India for civil aircrafts by NAL which is part of CSIR labs.
• The taxi trial of the anti-skid brake system was conducted at the speed of about 30 knots and the results were highly satisfactory. Digital Anti-Skid Braking System integration on SARAS Mark 2 will benefit operation from airfields with short runways to boost regional air connectivity.

OBITUARIES

Former Australian cricketer Andrew Symonds passes away
Former Australia cricketer and two-time World Cup winner Andrew Symonds died in a car crash. The 46-year-old was the sole passenger in the crash just outside of Townsville in his home state of Queensland, police confirmed.

• Symonds averaged 40.61 with the bat from 26 Tests for his country but was perhaps more well known for his exploits in white-ball cricket.
• He featured in 198 ODIs — scoring six centuries and 30 half-centuries — while also contributing 133 wickets with his more than handy off-spin and medium pace.

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