NATIONAL:
1. The Gyanvapi Mosque-Kashi Vishwanath dispute
Why in news – During a survey at Gyanvapi mosque, the Hindu side claimed to have found a Shivling in the mosque reservoir.
Key Points –
• It is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
• It is claimed temple was constructed by Maharaja Vikramaditya about 2,050 years ago at the spot.
• Saqib Khan's book 'Yasir Alamgiri' mentions that Aurangzeb had demolished the temple in 1669 by ordering Governor Abul Hassan.
• Ahilya Holkar (queen of Indore) built a new Kashi Vishwanath temple in 1780.
• Section 3 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 bars the conversion of places of worship.
2. PM Modi launched 5G Testbed
Why in news – PM Modi inaugurated the country’s first 5G testbed to enable startups and industry players to test and validate their products locally on 17th May 2022.
Key Points –
• Cost of testbed - Rs 220 crore.
• It is a collaborative project of 8 institutes led by IIT Madras.
• India plans to launch 6G telecom services by 2030.
• On 17th May 2022, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) completed 25 years.
3. National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (NCFL)
Why in news – HM Amit Shah inaugurated the NCFL at Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) campus in Hyderabad.
Key Points –
• A NCFL has also been established at CyPAD, Dwarka, New Delhi.
• There are seven CFSL in the country.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Taliban shuts down Human Rights Commission
Why in news – Taliban has dissolved five departments which including the human rights commission.
Key Points –
• Other departments are - Election Commission, Ministry of women's affairs, High council for national reconciliation ministries for peace and Parliamentarian affairs.
• Taliban took over the country on 15th August 2021.
2. Russia jumps to 4th in India oil supply
Why in news – According to Tanker tracking data, Russia became the 4th largest oil supplier to India in April 2022.
Key Points –
• Russia's share rose to 6%, about 277,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April 2022 from about 66,000 bpd in March (10th position).
• India is the world's 3rd largest oil consumer and importer.
• Indian Oil Corp bought its first-ever Russian Arco oil cargo.
• Iraq continues to be the top oil supplier to India followed by Saudi Arabia and UAE.
ECONOMY:
1. IMF raises Chinese yuan's weightage in SDR currency basket
Why in news – The International Monetary Fund has lifted the Chinese yuan's weighting to 12.28% from 10.92%.
Key Points –
• Yuan was included in the IMF currency basket in 2016.
• Weightage of the U.S. dollar raised to 43.38% but that of the Euro, Yen and Pound was decreased to 29.31%t, 7.59% and 7.44% respectively.
• SDR currencies - the US dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen, Pound sterling and the Chinese Renminbi (Yuan).
SECURITY:
1. INS Surat and INS Udaygiri
Why in news – Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched two Indian Navy destroyer warship in Mumbai on 17th May 2022.
Key Points –
• INS Surat and INS Udaygiri was built under the 'Project 15B' and 'Project 17A' frigate program respectively.
• Both 15B and P17A ships have been designed by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND).
• Both built at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), Mumbai.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. National Dengue Day 2022
Why in news – National Dengue Day is observed in the country on 16th May every year.
Key Points –
• It is an initiative of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It is caused by any of four Aedes species mosquitos (main cause - Aedes Aegypti).
• Dengue NS1 serological tests and molecular tests are commonly used to diagnose Dengue.
2. World Hypertension Day 2022
Why in news – It is observed every year on 17th May to educate people about the problems caused due to hypertension.
Key Points –
• Theme for 2022 - ‘Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer’.
• It is a condition of persistently high pressure on the blood vessels. (High BP)
• Hypertension is known as the ‘silent killer’.
APPOINTMENTS:
1. Elisabeth Borne
Why in news – French President Emmanuel Macron picked Elisabeth Borne as his new Prime Minister.
Key Points –
• She is the 2nd woman Prime Minister. (1st - Edith Cresson).
• She would succeed Jean Castex.
SPORTS:
1. Uber Cup 2022
Why in news – South Korea won the Uber Cup (badminton) 2022 defeating China.
Key Points –
• Venue - Bangkok, Thailand.
• Sim Yu-jin (46th-ranked) defeated Wang Zhiyi (15th-ranked).
• It was South Korea's 1st Uber Cup crown in 12 years. (last - 2010)
2. Italian open 2022
Why in news – The 79th edition of the Italian Open (Internazionali BNL d’Italia) concluded in Rome, Itatly.
Key Points –
• Novak Djokovic (Serbia) won title defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece).
• It was his 6th title in Rome and 5th consecutive win against Tsitsipas on clay.
• Complete list of winners -
BIHAR:
1. NCC's ‘Ganga Sparsh’ campaign started
Why in news – A boat expedition was started by Bihar Naval Unit on behalf of NCC Group Patna.
Key Points –
• It was launched from Gandhi Ghat at 7 AM on 17th May 2022.
• It would conclude on 28th May at Bhagalpur Visarjan Ghat.
• 60 cadets of NCC Navy are participating in this campaign.
2. Website from each Gram Panchayat
Why in news – All gram panchayat units would have their own websites to bring accountability and transparency in the rural governance system.
Key Points –
• Panchayati Raj Department has approached Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (BELTRON), National Informatics Center (NIC) to develop websites.
• Website would contain demographic details, places of historical importance, important institutions and details of the elected representatives of the area.
3.Bihar amendment to RTE Act
Why in news – Bihar government has made a big change in rules related to implementation of Right to Education Act 2009.
Key Points –
• Under the Right to Education Act 2009, enrollment of children of socially and economically weaker classes in private schools upto class 8 would be made mandatory.
• It is compulsory for private schools to enroll poor children in 25% reserved seats.
• Annually, Government gives upto Rs 8000 per student to private schools for education of poor children.
POINTERS:
• Which states have topped in terms of GST registration recently - Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
• Who has been named as a member of the Bank of England recently - Dr. Swati Dhingra.
• With which state police will Worldline India and BOI digitize e-challan - Madhya Pradesh.
• The Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has recently launched a pilot project to skill tribal youth in which city - Bhopal.
• Which bank has nominated Rajeev Ranjan and Sitakantha Patnaik as executive directors - Reserve Bank of India.
• With whom has the Ministry of Skill Development partnered for capacity building programs - With Indian School of Business.
• In which state India's first Regional Rapid Transit System train set was completed – Gujarat.
• Which state launched an incentive scheme for farmers opting for direct sowing of paddy -Punjab.
• Who started the investor awareness program of NSDL - Nirmala Sitharaman.
• Which country topped the Global Crypto Adoption Index – USA.