Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 22nd May 2024

National News 

1. Ministry of Home Affairs Warned about the new form of cybercrime 'digital arrest' 

• The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a warning about the increase in 'digital arrest' scams, where cyber criminals take the form of government officials to withdraw money from the victims without thinking. 
• The Cyber Crime Coordination Center of India (i4C) is actively combating this organized online economic crime in collaboration with Microsoft. 
• The scamsters present themselves as personnel of various government agencies including Police, Central Investigation Bureau (CBI), Narcotics Department, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or Enforcement Directorate (ED). 
• The victims receive calls alleging involvement in illegal activities, such as sending or receiving restricted items such as drugs or fake passports. Forces can also demand money to close the "case" in which a loved one is allegedly trapped in criminal activity or accident. 
• Under other circumstances, the victims are asked to be visually available on Skype or any other video conferencing app, called 'Digital Arrest'. 
• The i4C has blocked more than 1,000 Skype accounts involved in intimidation, blackmail, coercion and "digital arrests" by cyber criminals to be presented as government personnel. 

Cyber Crime Coordination Center (i4C):

• It was established by the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide an outline and ecosystem for law enforcement agencies (LEA) to coordinate and deal with cyber crime in New Delhi. 
• MLAT is a bilateral agreement between two or more countries that allow information and evidence exchange to implement criminal or public laws. 

2. 55-year-old Jyoti Ratre becomes the oldest Indian woman to conquer Mount Everest 

• Madhya Pradesh entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast Jyoti Ratre has become the oldest Indian woman to scale Mount Everest. The 55- year-old climber reached the summit on May 19, 2024. 
• Ratre's achievement comes exactly six years after 53-year-old Sangeeta 8. Chinese Ministry of Commerce of Commerce imposed ban on American companies due to selling arms to Taiwan Bahl achieved the title of 'India's oldest woman to climb Mount Everest' on May 19, 2018. 
• This was Ratre's second attempt to climb the world's highest peak. In 2023, they had to return from 8,160 meters due to bad weather. 
• Jyoti Ratre conquered Mount Everest as part of a 15-member expedition team of 8K Expeditions led by Bolivian mountaineer David Hugo Ayaviri Quispe. 
• Jyoti Ratre has conquered the highest peaks of five continents including Island Peak, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Mount Aconcagua and Kosciuszko. 
• Her goal is to summit the highest peaks on all seven continents, including Mount Vinson in Antarctica and Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, in North America. 

16 year old Kamya from Jharkhand conquered Everest 

• 16 year old Kamya from Jharkhand of Tata Steel Adventure Foundation has scaled the peak of Mount Everest. Kamya's father was also with her. The daughter first stepped onto the summit of Everest, leaving her father behind. 
• Kamya has so far conquered five peaks including Africa's highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters), Europe's highest mountain Mount Elbrus (5,642 meters), Australia's highest mountain Mount Kosciusko (2,228 meters). 
• In 2017, she became the second youngest girl in the world to trek to Everest Base Camp. She also became the youngest woman in the world to achieve success on the 20 thousand feet high Mount Stokke. 

3. Swiggy joins hands with device-first risk AI platform SHIELD 

• Online food delivery platform Swiggy has partnered with SHIELD, a device-first risk AI platform, to enhance its fraud prevention and detection capabilities. 
• SHIELD’s Device Intelligence will enable Swiggy to reduce promo abuse and deter fraudulent practices within the Delivery Partner ecosystem. 
• It will enable Swiggy to reduce promo abuse, including the exploitation of platform discounts, sign-up incentives, referral bonuses and monopolisation of limited-time deals to reduce promo abuse and prevent fraudulent practices within the Delivery Partner’s ecosystem. 

International News 

4. Chinese Ministry of Commerce of Commerce imposed ban on American companies due to selling arms to Taiwan 

• The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said that it would prohibit some US companies on imports and export activities related to China, including selling weapons to Taiwan, and would prevent them from making new investment in China. 
• According to a statement, the ministry put General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in its list of its incredible institutions and said that it had sold weapons to Taiwan. It also included General Dynamics Land Systems. Boeing defense, space and security were also placed on the list. 
• The ministry's announs Ubmitted by them will not be approved, reports xinhua news. In April, China seized the properties of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and General Dynamics Land Systems within China. 
• General Dynamics also helps in creating Abrams tank, which is being purchased by Taiwan to change the old armor to prevent or oppose China's invasion. The General Atomics produces a predeater and reaper drone used by the US Army. 

5. Tokyo University inaugurated the world's highest astronomical observatory 'Atacama' 

• The University of Tokyo's Atacama Observatory (TAO) is inaugurated. It is now the highest astronomical observatory in the world (elevation of 18,500 feet), surpassing even the famous Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), which has an altitude of 16,570 feet. 
• TAO is located at an altitude of 5,640 meters on the summit of Cerro Chajnantor, a mountain in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Finally operational after 26 years of planning and construction. Astronomer Yuzuru Yoshii has led the TAO project as principle investigator since 1998. 
• TAO's 6.5-meter telescope is equipped with two science instruments designed for observations of infrared radiation. SWIMS (Simultaneous-Color Widefield Infrared Multi-Object Spectrograph) aims to understand the evolution of galaxies. 
• MIMIZUKU (Mid-Infrared Multifield Imager for Exploring the Unknown Universe): Used to study planet formation and the origin of materials. 
• TAO is built in a location where there is less water vapor in the atmosphere than any other location on Earth. 
• This region of the spectrum is extremely good for studying the atmospheres around stars, including planet-forming regions. 

Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO) 

• The Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO) is an international organization responsible for the construction of the world's largest radio telescope. It is designed to study the evolution of the universe and answer deep questions about dark matter, dark energy and the formation of galaxies. 
• It will be composed of two large telescope arrays deployed in South Africa and Australia. Countries like Britain, Australia, South Africa, Canada, China, France, India, Italy and Germany are involved in its development. India has played an important role in developing telescope manager software. 

6. USA's Duke Human Vaccine Institute successfully tested HIV vaccine 

• In a major step forward for HIV vaccine development, researchers at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute have successfully induced broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against HIV through vaccination for the first time. 
• Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) are antibodies that can recognize and neutralize many strains of HIV. They have been seen as a potential key to an HIV vaccine but are difficult to produce in humans. 
• The investigational vaccine candidate targets the membraneproximal outer region (MPER) on the outer envelope of HIV, a stable region that remains consistent even when the virus mutates, according to the findings published in the journal Cell. 
• In a Phase 1 clinical trial, 20 healthy, HIV-negative individuals received two or three doses of the experimental vaccine developed by Haynes and Dr. S. Munir Alam. 
• Remarkably, after only two vaccinations, the vaccine triggered a 95% serum response rate and 100% blood CD4+ T-cell response rate, indicating strong immune activation. 
• Most importantly, broadly neutralizing antibodies were induced within a few weeks of the initial dose – a process that typically takes years after natural HIV infection. 

7. Elon Musk launches Starlink satellite internet service in Indonesia 

• Elon Musk has launched Starlink satellite internet service in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation. Mr Musk launched the Starlink service with Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali. 
• Indonesia is a vast archipelago of 17,000 islands spread across three time zones with a population of more than 270 million. Mr Musk took a speed test of Starlink internet service with several health workers in remote areas of Indonesia. 
• They also signed an agreement to increase connectivity in the health and education sectors of the country. Details about the agreement between the Indonesian government and Mr Musk's SpaceX, the aerospace company that operates Starlink services, were not provided. 
• During his first personal visit to Bali, Mr Musk is also scheduled to attend the 10th World Water Forum, which seeks to address global water and sanitation challenges. 

Starlink Network 

• This is an important project of SpaceX. Through this, the company started providing space internet facility in the United States and Canada by the year 2020. 
• In the first phase of this project, 12,000 satellites were placed in low Earth orbit (Low Earth Orbit) 550 km above the Earth's surface. After this, there is an intention to install 30,000 satellites in the same category in the second phase. 
• SpaceX's first Starlink mission was launched on May 24, 2019, carrying 60 satellites. 

8. To Lam will be the next President of Vietnam 

• Vietnam's ruling Communist Party has nominated Public Security Minister To Lam as the next president. Nominations are accepted by the party's Central Committee, but will be officially voted on by the National Assembly. 
• Lam, a career police officer, has been minister of public security since 2016 and was admitted to the Politburo in 2021. Mr Lam, who spent more than four decades at the Ministry of Public Security before becoming minister in 2016, has been a key figure in the implementation of anti-corruption measures. 
• Tran Thanh Man, 61, was also named as the new head of Vietnam's National Assembly, becoming one of Vietnam's four most powerful leaders. 
• Former President Vo Van Thuong resigned in March after serving in office for a little more than a year. His predecessor had also resigned in 2023, taking "political responsibility" for corruption scandals during the pandemic. 
• Thuong was the second president to step down in two years amid an anti-corruption crackdown that saw several senior politicians fired and top business leaders prosecuted for fraud and corruption. 

Mohammad Mokhbar – Acting President of Iran 

• Following the tragic death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19, 2024, First Vice President Mokhbar assumed the role of acting President of Iran. 
• His position was confirmed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on May 20, 2024, until new presidential elections are held. 
• On August 8, 2021, President Ebrahim Raisi appointed Mokhbar as the First Vice President of Iran. Mohammad Mokhbar, born on 26 June 1955 in Dezful, Iran, is a prominent figure in Iranian politics. 
• Mokhbar served as an officer in the Medical Corps of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the Iran–Iraq War. 
• In the 1990s, he served as CEO of Dezful Telecom in his hometown and later as deputy governor of Khuzestan Province. Mokhbar held the position of Chairman of the Sina Bank Board for almost a decade. 

9. Australia and Uzbekistan to host AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2026 and 2029 respectively 

• Australia and Uzbekistan have been confirmed as hosts of the 2026 and 2029 editions of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup, respectively, the AFC said. 
• Uzbekistan will become the first Central Asian country to host this tournament. Australia will host the continent's premier women's national team competition for the second time in history, after cohosting the FIFA Women's World Cup last year, having hosted the 2006 edition. 
• The announcement was made by the AFC Executive Committee at its meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand on the eve of the 34th AFC Congress. 
• The 20th edition of the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022, hosted by India, was held from January 20 to February 5 in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Pune. 
• China set out to win the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 for a record ninth title and first since 2006. In the final, they came back from two goals down and defeated South Korea 3-2. 
• The event was first held in 1975. The competition initially took place every two years (in the 1970s, 1990s and 2000s) and moved to a triennial competition for a short period in the 1980s. However, from 2014 onwards it again became a quadrennial event. 

10. India climbs to 39th position in World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 

• India’s rank on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024 has risen to 39th place, with global tourism activities returning to pre-pandemic levels, the annual report showed. 
• While the US topped the list, India is ranked highest in South Asia and among the lower-middle-income economies, the WEF said. 
• India was ranked 54th in the previously published index in 2021, though changes made to the index parameters limit its comparability to earlier years. 
• After the US, Spain, Japan, France and Australia figure among the top five in the 2024 list. Germany was ranked 6th, followed by the UK, China, Italy and Switzerland in the top ten. 
• The biennial index analysed the travel and tourism sectors of 119 countries around a range of factors and policies. 
• The index, prepared in collaboration with the University of Surrey, showed India is highly price-competitive (18th) and boasts competitive Air Transport (26th) and Ground and Port (25th) infrastructure. Country’s overall Travel and Tourism Development Index score is 2.1% below its 2019. 

11. Pakistan’s Sirbaz Khan conquers Mount Everest without Oxygen. 

• A notable mountaineer, Sirbaz Khan scaled Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen, making him only the 2nd Pakistani to achieve this feat. 
• Khan aims to be the 1st Pakistani to climb all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, having already climbed 13, two with oxygen support. 
• Khan had previously scaled the 8849-metre peak using bottled oxygen. The only other person in Pakistan to achieve this feat is mountaineer Sajid Sidpara. 
• He began his mountaineering career in 2016 and has since become a pioneering figure in Pakistani high-altitude climbing. 

12. DAHD & UNDP MoU on Digitalisation of Animal Vaccine Cold Chain Management 

• The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying has signed an MoU with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India on Digitalization of Vaccine Cold Chain Management, Communication Planning and Capacity Building. 
• The agreement was signed by Alka Upadhyay, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying, and Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Resident Representative in India in New Delhi. 
• The MoU will help create a digital future through digitalisation and remote temperature monitoring of cold chains by UNDP India. To maintain their effectiveness, the vaccines will be stored within the prescribed temperature limit of 2-8 degrees Celsius. 
• The partnership will also focus on skill development to improve the technical know-how and capacities of stakeholders in the animal husbandry sector and the extension services. Banking and Financial 

13. Airbus Helicopters, SIDBI sign MoU for helicopter financing in India 

• Airbus Helicopters and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for financing the purchase of Airbus helicopters in India. 
• Under the MoU, Airbus Helicopters and SIDBI would identify potential civil helicopter operators in India interested in financing solutions for purchasing the helicopters. 
• While Airbus would provide the technical and helicopter-industry knowledge, SIDBI would be responsible for evaluating the prospects and financing them exclusively for Airbus. 

Appointment News

14. Sanjeev Puri elected to the post of President of Confederation of Indian Industry for the year 2024-25 

• ITC Chairman and Managing Director, Sanjeev Puri has been elected as the President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) for 2024- 25. Sanjeev Puri will replace TVS Supply Chain Solutions Chairman R Dinesh as CII chairman. 
• Rajeev Memani has been appointed as the new Chairman-designate, and R Mukundan has been elected as the new Vice-Chairman of CII for 2024-25. 
• Sanjeev Puri is an alumnus of IIT, Kanpur and Wharton School of Business, United States. He was appointed Chairman of the Expert Group on Agri-Exports set up by the 15th Finance Commission. He has also been a member of the NITI Aayog Group on 'Farm to TableDriving India's Agriculture Sector Digitally'. 
• Sanjeev Puri was given the 'Best CEO Award' by Business Today in 2024. He was also awarded the 'Transformational Leader Award 2022-23' by the Asian Center for Corporate Governance and Sustainability. 

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) 

• The Confederation of Indian Industry is one of the oldest business lobby groups in India. Its origin is traced to the establishment of the Engineering and Iron Trades Association in Bengal in 1895. In 1992 it assumed its present name, Confederation of Indian Industry. Its headquarters is in New Delhi. 

IDFC FIRST Bank Whole Time Director – Pradeep Natarajan 

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given its approval for the appointment of Pradeep Natarajan as a whole-time director on the board of IDFC FIRST Bank for a tenure of three years. 
• In a regulatory filing on May 16, IDFC FIRST Bank officially announced the approval from RBI, stating that Pradeep Natarajan will assume the role of Executive Director within the bank. 

15. Mahindra Finance appoints Mahesh Rajaraman as CRO 

• Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services has appointed Mahesh Rajaraman as Chief Risk Officer (CRO) of the company with effect from August 1, 2024. 
• He replaces Mallika Mittal. 
• Rajaraman has been associated with various banks namely Yes Bank, HDFC Bank, HSBC Bank and ANZ Grindlays Bank. 
• During his overall banking career, his areas of expertise and specialisation include retail assets, credit cards, agri lending and SMEs in the domains of policy /risk, underwriting, fraud risk management and anti-money laundering across all banking products. 

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector 

• MD & CEO of IndiaFirst Life Insurance – Rushabh Gandhi (replace R.M. Vishakha) 
• Advisor of Mizuho Bank India – Sanjay Nayar 
• Whole Time Director of IDFC FIRST Bank – Pradeep Natarajan 
• ED of RBI – R Lakshmi Kanth Rao 
• Chairman of HDFC Life – Keki Mistry 

16. John Slaven appointed as VC of International Aluminium Institute 

• Vedanta Aluminium has appointed its CEO John Slaven as Vice-Chairman of the International Aluminium Institute (IAI). 
• In this capacity, Slaven will spearhead global initiatives aimed at fostering the sustainable transformation of the aluminium industry and promote the critical role of aluminium in enabling the energy transition to a zero-carbon modern world. 
• Slaven is a global leader with over three decades of rich experience in the metals, mining and modern manufacturing industries. 

About International Aluminium Institute (IAI) 

• Established in 1972, IAI is the sole organisation representing the primary aluminium industry worldwide. 
• It is tasked with enhancing awareness of the industry’s operations, advocating for responsible production, and emphasizing the significant benefits of using aluminium in building greener technologies. 

Sports News

17. Ekta Bhyan secures Gold Medal in Women’ F51 Club Throw Competition at World Para Athletic Championship 

• India’s Ekta Bhyan has secured a gold medal with a season’s best throw of 20.12 metres in the women’s F51 club throw competition at the World Para Athletic Championships at Kobe in Japan. 
• While Kashish Lakra took the silver with an effort of 14.56 metres, Nadjet Boucherf of Algeria won the bronze with a score of 12.70 metres. 
• Deepthi, Para Asian Games gold medallist, had smashed a world record time of 55.07 seconds in the women’s 400 metre T20 category race to win gold medal. 

18.Germany midfielder Tony Kroos to retire after Euro 2024 

• The Real Madrid and Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has announced he will retire after this summer’s European Championship. 
• The 34-year-old is to hang up his boots after a trophy-laden decade at the Bernabéu. 
• Signed from Bayern Munich, Kroos made 463 appearances for Madrid and won 21 trophies including four Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups and four La Liga titles. 

Important day 

19. 22 May – International Day for Biodiversity 

• International Day for Biodiversity is celebrated every year on May 22. 
• Theme 2024 – Be Part of the Plan 
• The International Day for Biological Diversity was established by the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly in 1993. 
• Initially, it was celebrated on December 29 to mark the day the Convention on Biological Diversity came into effect. 
• However, on December 20, 2000, the date was changed to May 22 to commemorate the adoption of the Convention at the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit in 1992 and to avoid the many holidays in late December. 

20. Joint culture in the armed forces is way forward: CDS 

• Stating that jointness and integration are prerequisites to the creation of functional Integrated Theatre Commands (ITC), the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, said on Tuesday that theater commands would lay the foundation for catapulting the armed forces into the next orbit of military preparedness and war fighting. 
• "The creation of such commands will separate the 'operational' functions from the Raise-Train-Sustain (RTS) and other administrative functions, and will allow greater focus of the operational commander to matters of security," Gen. Chauhan said at the 22nd Major General Samir Sinha memorial lecture organized at the United Service Institution of India. 
• Jointness 2.0, which is developing a joint culture in the armed forces, is the way forward, he stressed, calling upon the three Services to create a joint culture as they move towards forming joint operational structures. The CDS said Jointness 1.0 was about better bonhomie and consensus among the Services, and as there were no major differences, there is an impetus to move towards the next level which is Jointness 2.0. 
• Highest common factor "Joint culture, though different from service-specific 
• The ITC would lead to many reforms such as single to multi-domain operations, fusing space and cyberspace into traditional domains, digitisation of battlefield information and visualization, net-centric to data-centric among others, he added. 
• Mandate of CDS The mandate of the CDS is to ensure "jointness" of the three Services in operations, logistics, transport, training, support services, communications, repairs and maintenance and the top priority is the reorganization of the armed force culture, and needs to respect the uniqueness of each Service. We must be able to distill the best of each Service, and incorporate the highest common factor, rather than settle for the least common denominator," Gen. Chauhan said. In this regard, he said the proposed ITCs would not be an end state but the beginning of the next set of reforms. 
• The effort got delayed due to a lack of consensus between the Services and was stalled by the death of the first CDS, Gen. Bipin Rawat, and then the delay in the appointment of his successor. With Gen. Anil Chauhan taking over as the second Chief of Defence Staff, the stalled process is back on track and is in advanced stages. The formation of ITC has also been included by the BJP in its election manifesto.