NATIONAL:
1. Integrated Data Centre
Why in news – Adani group to build India’s first Integrated data centre and tech business park in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Key Points –
• It would connect Vizag to the APAC (Asia-Pacific) IT ecosystem.
• AdaniConneX would host an integrated 300 MW data center facility within the park.
• AdaniConneX is a 50:50 joint venture between Adani Group and EdgeConneX.
2. Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (RRPCL) Project
Why in news – The Maharashtra government has proposed the Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (RRPCL) project.
Key Points –
• It is touted as the world’s largest single location refinery complex.
• Location - Barsu village, Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
• Partners - Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), IOCL, BPCL and HPCL.
3. MV-ITT LION (V-273)Ship
Why in news – Cargo ship MV-ITT LION was flagged off from Kolkata port on a trial run to a facility at Sittwe in Myanmar.
Key Points –
• Sittwe port is funded by India as part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport project (KMTTP).
• Objective of KMTTP - to provide alternative connectivity to the North East region.
• Route - Kolkata Port to Sittwe Port up to Paletwa in Myanmar by waterway and Paletwa to Zorinpui by road in Mizoram.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. King Charles III’s Coronation
Why in news - King Charles III and Queen Camila were formally crowned in Britain's 40th monarch on May 6, 2023.
Key Points –
• Venue - Westminster Abbey church in London.
• King Charles III succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth.
• Oldest British monarch (74-year-old) in Britain's first coronation in 70 years.
• Britain's first coronation since 1952.
• Camilla did not wear Kohinoor in the historic ceremony.
• The Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, placed the 360-year-old St Edward's Crown on Charles' head.
• Indian attendees - Jagdeep Dhankhar, Akshata Murthy, Sonam Kapoor, Sourabh Phadke and Jay Patel.
• Since 1066, 39 coronation ceremonies and 16 royal weddings have taken place in the cathedral.
About Kohinoor –
• Meaning – “Mountain of Light”.
• 105.6-carat colourless diamond.
• First mined in the 13th century, near Guntur in Andhra Pradesh by the Kakatiya dynasty.
• In 1739, Persian invader Nadir Shah took kohinoor to Afghanistan.
• Kohinoor was ceded to Queen Victoria by Punjab kingdom.
2. Ekatha Harbour
Why in news - India and Maldives launched construction of “Ekatha harbour” for the Coast Guard of the Maldives.
Key Points –
• Foundation stone was laid by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
• Location - Sifavaru in Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) atoll.
• At UTF atoll, India is also assisting in the construction of a naval dockyard.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES:
1. BizAmp Program
Why in news - BizAmp, an outreach program, was organized by the Ministry of MSME at Dimapur Nagaland.
Key Points –
• Aim - Empowering MSMEs from the North Eastern States and amplifying their businesses utilizing benefits.
• First outreach programme in the North East Region
• It was done under the Ministry of MSME’s Self Reliant India (SRI) Fund.
About SRI Fund –
• Outlay corpus - Rs 10,006 crore.
• Objective - financing an infusion of capital to MSMEs through Daughter Funds.
• Managed by - NSIC Venture Capital Fund Limited (NVCFL).
• NVCFL is an Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) providing growth capital to MSMEs through equity/quasi-equity/equity-like structured instruments.
ENVIRONMENT:
1. Petersberg Climate Dialogue
Why in news - The Petersberg Dialogue on Climate Change was held in Berlin from May 2-3, 2023.
Key Points –
• Host - Germany and the United Arab Emirates.
• UN secy General Guterres emphasised the need for “cleaning-up our economies — breaking our fossil fuel addiction and driving decarbonisation in every sector”.
• Acceleration Agenda - Coal phaseout by 2030 in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and by 2040 in all others.
• 2023 is the year for the Global Stocktake.
• Global Stocktake - A periodic review of global climate action.
REPORTS & INDICES:
1. International Religious Freedom Report 2023
Why in news - The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2023 Annual Report.
Key Points –
• Recommended 17 countries for designation as Countries of Particular Concern (CPCs).
• 5 additional recommendations in 2023 - Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, Syria, and Vietnam.
• It includes new recommendations of Cuba and Nicaragua as Countries of Particular Concern and Sri Lanka for the Special Watch List.
• USCIRF also releases the Freedom or Religion or Belief (FoRB) Victims List.
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES:
1. “Machine Can See 2023” Summit
Why in news - The UAE government organized the “Machines Can See 2023” summit in Dubai.
Key Points –
• Panel discussion title - “Government, Business and Science”.
• The UAE is the only country with a state-level AI program.
BIHAR:
1. Mission Parivartan
Why in news - Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Prasad Yadav launched ‘Mission Parivartan’.
Key Points –
• Aim - to improve the health of all medical college hospitals including cleanliness and 'May I Help You' desks.
• It is on the lines of “Mission 60 Days” to improve the condition of district hospitals.
POINTERS:
• Which minister launched the trailer of “Love in 90s”, the first film made in Tagin language of Arunachal Pradesh - Kiren Rijiju.
• Uttar Pradesh first Pharma Park to be built in which district at cost of Rs 1560 crore – Lalitpur.
• World Thalassemia Day 2023 is observed on which date - 8 May.
• Which Asian American writer won inaugural $206K Carol Shields Prize for their debut novel 'When We Were Sisters' - Fatimah Asghar.
• Which Indian-American policy expert has been appointed by US President Biden as his Domestic Policy Advisor - Neera Tanden.
• Indian Navy decommissioned which ship at Naval Base in Kochi after 36 Years of Service - INS Magar.
• Buland Bharat exercise conducted at high altitude artillery ranges of Eastern Theatre in which state - Arunachal Pradesh.
• Who became the fastest player to reach 5000 runs in ODI format, breaking Hashim Amla's record of scoring 5000 runs in 101 innings - Babar Azam.
• Which body introduced legal identifier system for issuers with listed NCDs, securitised debt, security receipts – SEBI.
• BharatPe rebranded its loyalty program PAYBACK India to what name – Zillion.