Current Affairs in English – May 16 2023

National Events:

“Gauri’”:

The documentary “Gauri”, directed by Kavitha Lankesh, has received the “Best Long Documentary Award” at the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal 2023.
The film is about journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, who was assassinated in 2017, and the current political crisis in India.

UPSC:

Educationist Manoj Soni will take oath as the chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
Soni, who joined the Commission as the member on June 28, 2017, has been performing the duties of the UPSC chairman since April 5, 2022. Prior to his appointment in the UPSC, Soni has served three terms as Vice-Chancellor.

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit:

Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit took over as the Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, according to the Minister of Defence. Ashutosh Dixit, an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, was Commissioned in the fighter stream on December 6 in 1986.
Mr Dixit is a qualified flying instructor as well as an experimental test pilot, with over 3,300 hours of flying experience on fighter, trainer and transport aircraft. He participated in operations ‘Safed Sagar’ and ‘Rakshak’.

‘Homeocon 2023’:

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recently inaugurated the National Homoeopathic Convention ‘Homeocon 2023’ at Doon University, Dehradun.
The convention aimed to showcase the significance of homeopathy as the second most practiced system of medicine worldwide, particularly highlighting its role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the commitment of the state government to establish Uttarakhand as a prominent AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) region, the event underscored the economic and effective nature of homeopathic treatments.

MIT-World Peace University:

Pune, India – In a groundbreaking development, MIT-World Peace University (WPU) has unveiled Asia’s first-ever subsea research lab, the Centre for Subsea Engineering Research (CSER).
The state-of-the-art facility, created in collaboration with Aker Solutions, aims to revolutionize training and education for the global oil and gas industry by providing real-world experience and fostering multi-disciplinary talent.

India-EU:

The 1st ministerial level meeting of the India-European Union (EU) trade and technology council (TTC) will take place on 16 May’23 in Brussels, Belgium. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal will co-chair the TTC along with external affairs minister S. Jaishankar.
The formation of the TTC was announced by the PM Modi in April, 2022 with the objective of creating a High-level coordination platform.

NSE:

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) on 15 May 2023, launched the rupee-denominated NYMEX WTI Crude Oil and Natural Gas futures in its commodity derivatives segment.
It will provide effective trading and hedging opportunities to market participants, with the availability of key energy products on a single trading platform. The NSE also signed a data licensing agreement with CME Group.

Bank of Baroda:

The Bank of Baroda has introduced an electronic bank guarantee on its digital platform. The new service will allow customers to issue, modify, and cancel bank guarantees online.
The electronic bank guarantee will reduce the turnaround time and improve efficiency. It will also help customers save time and reduce paperwork. The service is available to both corporate and retail customers.

General Manoj Pande:

General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) has proceeded on a visit to Egypt from 16 to 17 May 2023.
The Army Chief will interact with the Commander-in-Chief of Egyptian Armed Forces and Chief of Staff, Egyptian Armed Forces. Indian and Egyptian Armies conducted the first ever joint exercise named “Ex Cyclone-I” in January 2023.

Integrated Biological Control Laboratory:

The Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurated the Integrated Biological Control Laboratory at National Institute of Plant Health Management (NIPHM) Hyderabad, Telangana.
The Lab will have an Insect Museum, weed museum and Natural Farming Cell. NIPHM promotes sustainable agricultural practices such as Agro Ecosystem Analysis for pest management.

Tamil Nadu Events:

Google & IIT Madras:

Google on 15 May 2023, announced an investment of $1 million in the form of grants to Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ (IIT Madras).
Google has been announced as the inaugural ‘platinum consortium’ member of the IIT Madras newly formed Centre for Responsible Artificial Intelligence (CERAI). It aims to promote use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) through academic curriculum development.

International Events:

Netherlands:

The Netherlands has emerged as India’s third largest export country after the US and UAE by 2022-23, Commerce Ministry data shows.
One of the notable ones is that India’s trade with the Netherlands has increased from USD 8 billion in 2021-22 to USD 13 billion in 2022-23.

International Day of Light:

The International Day of Light is observed on May 16 every year to commemorate Theodore Maiman’s successful operation of the laser in 1960.
This day serves as a reminder to enhance scientific collaboration and leverage its capacity to promote peace and sustainable progress.
The International Day of Light is an annual event that recognizes the crucial significance of light in science, culture, art, education, and sustainable development.

International Day of Living Together in Peace:

The International Day of Living Together in Peace is celebrated annually on May 16 to encourage peace, tolerance, inclusivity, understanding, and solidarity among individuals and communities globally.
Its goal is to emphasize the significance of cultivating peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and harmony among people of different backgrounds.
The International Day of Living Together in Peace is an opportunity for people from all over the world to come together and celebrate peace. It is also a time to reflect on the challenges that we face in building a more peaceful world.

Laos:

Laos is gearing up to host the annual ASEAN Tourism Forum in January 2024, which will take place in the country’s capital city, Vientiane.
The theme for the forum is “Quality and Responsible Tourism — Sustaining ASEAN Future,” which reflects the focus on sustainable and responsible tourism practices.
The forum will include a tourism exhibition and is expected to boost tourism in Laos while encouraging service improvement in associated businesses.
The Lao News Agency quoted Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism Suanesavanh Vignaket, who stated that the event will promote Laos as a nature-based tourism destination.

US Senate:

The US Senate has approved Geeta Rao Gupta, an Indian American, as the Ambassador at Large for Global Women’s Issues in the State Department.
In a tweet, the department expressed its eagerness for Gupta to use her efforts to advance women and girls’ rights through US foreign policy. With a vote of 51 to 47, the US Senate confirmed Gupta earlier this week.

Sports Events:

Gatka:

The traditional game of Gatka is set to receive a major boost on a national level as it has been officially included in the 37th National Games-2023, which are scheduled to take place in Goa in October of this year.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will be organizing competitions for a total of 43 disciplines during this national event, in collaboration with the Government of Goa.

Baseball United:

Baseball United, the first-ever professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, announced that Mumbai will be home to its first-ever franchise.
The franchise will be the first professional baseball team in the history of both India and the broader CCC and South Asian region. The team’s name will be Cobras.