Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 27th May 2024

National News 

1. WB govt plans new AI and ML-focused data centre 

• The West Bengal state government will set up a powerful, high-capacity data centre that will allow 2,300 concurrent users to run artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) applications. 
• This facility will enable the practical application of data science by providing infrastructure to support advanced data analysis. 
• This initiative will unveil at the Data Science 2024 Conference. 

2.Block international spoofed calls, Centre directs telecom firms 

• The government has directed telecom operators to block all incoming international spoofed calls that display Indian mobile numbers, an official statement said on Sunday. 
• It has been reported that fraudsters were making international spoofed calls displaying Indian mobile numbers to Indian citizens and committing cybercrime and financial frauds, the Department of Telecom (DoT) said. 
• Such calls appeared to be originating within India but were being made by cyber criminals from abroad by manipulating the calling line identity, and had been misused in recent cases of fake digital arrests, 'FedEx scams', false claims of drugs or narcotics in courier, impersonations as government and police officials, disconnections of mobile numbers by DoT or Telecom Regulatory Authority of India officials, and so on. 
• "DoT and Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have devised a system to identify and block such international spoofed calls from reaching any Indian telecom subscriber. Now directions have been issued to the TSPs for blocking such incoming international spoofed calls," the statement said. 
• Incoming international spoofed calls with Indian landline numbers were already being blocked by the TSPs, according to the directions issued by the DoT. "Despite best efforts, there may still be some fraudsters who succeed through other means. For such calls, you can help everybody by reporting such suspected fraud communications at the Chakshu facility on Sanchar Saathi," the statement said. 

International News 

3. International Atomic Energy Agency's fourth international conference on nuclear safety was held in Vienna. 

• The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organized the Fourth International Conference on Nuclear Safety (ICONS) in Vienna, Austria from 20 to 24 May. Its objective was to discuss measures to further strengthen global nuclear security and promote knowledge sharing among countries. 
• The IAEA is an intergovernmental organization that promotes the liquid use of nuclear energy and seeks to promote the use of nuclear energy for any military purpose. It was established in 1957 as the world's "Atoms for Peace" organization under the United Nations. 
• It reports to both UNGAV UNSC and is headquartered at the United Nations Office in Vienna, Austria. In the year 2005, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work for a safe and healthy world. IAEA has 178 member countries, India is one of its founding members. 
• Report to the IAEA incidents of nuclear or radioactive fallout being lost, stolen, improperly treated, or tampered with. Various radioactive mirages are used in medical facilities, adherents and collaborators around the world.
• The main concern is the use of radioactive material in "dirty bombs" by extremists, which, while less lethal than nuclear bombs, can cause massive explosions in urban areas. 

4. Russian nuclear agency announced to provide next generation nuclear fuel to India 

• Russia has announced that it will supply next-generation nuclear fuel to its strategic partner this summer. Apart from this, Russia is ready to help India in building high capacity nuclear power units at a new site in addition to the nuclear power project at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. 
• Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation Director General Alexey Likhachev made the offer during a meeting with Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty in Seversk, Russia. 
• Leaders of the nuclear industries of Russia and India visited the site of a pilot demonstration energy complex (PDEC) being built in Seversk, Tomsk Region, as a part of the "Proriv" ("Breakthrough") strategic industry project. During the visit, Likhachev demonstrated the site of the Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (PDEC) in Seversk, Tomsk Region. 
• He described the facility as hosting "the safest nuclear reactor in history" and highlighted Russia's readiness to significantly expand its cooperation with India in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. 
• Likhachev and Mohanty also discussed the progress of the joint Kudankulam nuclear power project being built according to Russian design in Tamil Nadu. Six VVER-1000 reactors at Kudankulam are to be constructed in collaboration with Russian state company Atomstroyexport and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), with an installed capacity of 6,000 MW of power. 
• Two reactors (KKNPP-1 and 2) have been operating since 2013 and 2016 respectively, while two more (KKNPP-3 and 4) are currently under construction. 

New plant of pharmaceutical company Sun Pharma in Bangladesh 

• Private Industry and Investment Advisor to Bangladesh Prime Minister Salman F Rahman and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Prannoy Verma jointly inaugurated Sun Pharma's new plant at Meghna Industrial Economic Zone on the banks of Meghna River in Sonargaon Upazila of Narayanganj district. 
• Sun Pharma is the world's fourth largest specialty generic pharmaceutical company with operations in more than 100 countries. This is the company's second investment in Bangladesh with a production ca0pacity of over 1 billion tablets and capsules per year. 
• This plant is the first pharmaceutical unit in any economic zone of Bangladesh. Earlier, India supplied vaccines to Bangladesh under 'Vaccine Maitri' and Oxygen Express trains, while Bangladesh gifted important medicines to India. 

State News 

5. Uttar Pradesh is the top state in adding transmission lines in the year 2023-24 

• According to the recently released data of Central Electricity Authority, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the number one state in terms of adding transmission lines by state transmission companies in 2023-24. 
• Even in 2022-23, Uttar Pradesh topped the list of state utilities. In 2023-24, state government-owned Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited (UPPTCL) added 1,460 CKM (circuit kilometres) transmission lines of 220kV or above. 
• Gujarat was in second place, with state-run Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Limited (GETCO) adding 898 CKM transmission lines in 2023-24. 
• Tamil Nadu stood third, with state utility Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited (TANTRANSCO) adding 753 CKM transmission lines. 
• Andhra Pradesh stood fourth with its Transmission Corporation of Andhra Pradesh Limited (APTRANSCO) adding 682 CKM transmission lines. 
• In 2023-24, state governmentowned power companies added 6,993 km of transmission lines, about 64 per cent of the target. The target was 11,002 km of transmission lines for all private and state government companies. 
• UPPTCL was the major contributor among state-run power utility companies, accounting for just over 20 percent of the total by the state sector. Gujarat's GETCO, ranked second, contributed about 13 per cent of the total growth by the state sector. 
• Transmission system plays an important role in transmitting the electricity generated in a power plant to the consumers who live in areas very far away from the power plant. 

Defence News

6. Tenure of Army chief General Manoj Pande extended by a month 

• In an unusual move, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Sunday extended the tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), General Manoj Pande, by one month. He was to retire on May 31 on turning 62. 
• Normally, for service chiefs, the term of office is until the age of 62 or three years, whichever is earlier.
• There is only one instance in the past, when in 1975, the then Army chief, General G.G. Bewoor, was given a one-year extension by the Indira Gandhi government. The next in line as per seniority then was Lieutenant-General Prem Bhagat, who retired from service after a few months. General Bewoor served as the Army chief from January 16, 1973 to May 31, 1975, and was succeeded by General T. N. Raina. 
• The Cabinet Committee on Sunday approved the extension in service of General Pande up to June 30 under Rule 16 A (4) of the Army Rules 1954, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. 
• General Pande was appointed the COAS on April 30, 2022. He was commissioned into the Army in December 1982 in the Corps of Engineers (The Bombay Sappers). 
• The current Vice-Chief of the Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Upendra Dwivedi, is the next in line for the top post based on the principle of seniority. 
• He was commissioned into 18 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles in 1984, a unit he later commanded. 
• The senior-most after him is Lieutenant-General Ajay Kumar Singh, currently the Southern Army Commander. 
• He was commissioned into 7/11 Gorkha Rifles in December 1984. 

7. Khelo India Sports Hostel and Army Girls Sports Company's first batch inaugurated in Pune 

• The first batch of Khelo India Sports Hostel and Army Girls Sports Company was inaugurated on 25 May 2024 at the Army Sports Institute in Pune, Maharashtra in the presence of Army Sports Institute, General Manoj Pandey, Director General of Sports Authority of India, Sandeep Pradhan and famous athlete Ms. Anju Bobby George. 
• Khelo India Sports Hostel is a visionary initiative determined and funded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, which has now been integrated into the Army Sports Institute. 
• This state -of -the -art facility is designed to provide world -class facilities and training opportunities for athletes of Khelo India, which aims to raise their performance at both national and international levels. 
• Army Girls Sports Company has been established, dedicated to four major sports subjects: boxing, weightlifting, archery and athletics. This company represents a significant commitment for the nutrition of women's sports talents across India. 
• The recruitment process for the Army Girls Sports Company was widespread, in which more than 1000 young girls from all corners of the country participated in the national level trial. After a careful talent identification process, 24 outstanding candidates were selected for the opening batch. 

Commandant of National Defense Academy -Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh 

• Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh received the appointment of Commandant of National Defense Academy from Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar in Pune, Maharashtra. An alumni of the National Defense Academy (Khadakwasla), they were appointed to the Indian Navy on 1 July 1990. 
• Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh has made several appointments on both water and coast. As an expert on gunny and missiles, he has worked on the Indian Navy ships Ranjit and Prahar. He has the distinction of being part of the commissioning team of three Indian-made warships, such as INS Brahmaputra, INS Shivalik and INS Kochi at different times. 

Appointment News

8. Saudi appoints Syria Ambassador after more than a decade 

• Saudi Arabia named a new Ambassador to Damascus Sunday, state media said, more than a year after the two Arab nations resumed ties following a prolonged rift over Syria's war. 
• The official Saudi Press Agency said the government had appointed Faisal bin Saud Al-Mejfel as its Ambassador to Syria. 
• The newly appointed envoy, according to the report, said he hoped to "serve the Kingdom's interests and strengthen the bilateral bonds between the two brotherly nations". 
• In May 2023, Saudi Arabia reopened its diplomatic mission in Damascus, which had been closed since 2012, after a surprise.
• Relations between Riyadh and Damascus thawed following a China-brokered deal 
• China-brokered rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government. 
• A Syrian Ambassador began working from Riyadh in December, and Saudi Arabia sent a charge d'affaires to Damascus shortly afterwards. 
• The kingdom cut ties with Mr. Assad's government as a crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011 spiraled into a conflict that has since killed more than 5,00,000 people and displaced millions. 

9. Allamaye Halina named new PM of Chad 

• Chad’s newly elected president, Mahamat Idriss Deby, has been sworn in to succeed his late father after three years as an interim leader under military rule in the northcentral African country. 
• Shortly after, the country announced that Allamaye Halina would assume the post of prime minister after Succes Masra announced his resignation from the position this week. 

Newly Appointed Prime Minister & President 

• President of Taiwan – Lai Ching-Te 
• PM of Singapore – Lawrence Wong 
• President of Russia – Vladimir Putin (5th time) 
• Presidential of Panama – Jose Raul Mulino 
• PM of Solomon Islands – Jeremiah Manele 

10. Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh takes Command of NDA 

• Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh assumed the appointment of Commandant, National Defence Academy from Vice Admiral Ajay Kocchar in Pune. 
• An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (Khadakwasla), he was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1st July 1990. 
• Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh has held several appointments, both afloat and ashore. As a specialist in Gunnery and Missiles, he has served onboard Indian Naval Ships Ranjit and Prahar. 

Awards News

11. Payal Kapadia becomes first Indian filmmaker to win Grand Prix award at Cannes Film Festival, 2024 

• Two Indian filmmakers, an actress and a cinematographer, have won top awards at the world's leading film festival at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. FTII alumni like Payal Kapadia, Santosh Sivan, Maisam Ali and Chidanand S Naik have made names for themselves at Cannes. 
• FTII is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India and functions as a Society with financial assistance from the Central Government. 
• Urmimala Borua has become the first Indian pageant director to walk the red carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. Grand Prix category 
• For the first time in 30 years, an Indian film, Payal Kapadia's 'All We Imagine as Light', which focuses on the lives of two nurses, was nominated for the Palme d'Or, the highest award at the festival. 
• Kapadia's film won second place in the Grand Prix category. With this win, FTII alumnus Payal Kapadia became the first Indian to receive this prestigious award. This comes after 30 years when Shaji N Karun's 'Swaham' competed for the top honour. 
• Under the audio-visual treaty signed between India and France, Payal's film was granted official Indo-French co-production status by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Permission to shoot the film in Maharashtra (Ratnagiri and Mumbai) was also given by the ministry. 

Short Film "Sunflowers Are the First Ones to Know" 

• Film and Television Institute of India student Chidanand S Naik won the first prize in the La Cinef section for his 15-minute short film "Sunflowers Are the First Ones to Know", based on a Kannada folklore. 
• The film is directed by Chidanand S Naik, filmed by Sooraj Thakur, edited by Manoj V and soundtrack by Abhishek Kadam. Before joining FTII in 2022, Chidanand S Naik was also selected as one of the 75 Creative Minds at the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI). 
• Also Indian-born Mansi Maheshwari's Bunnyhood, an animated film, won third prize at the La Cinef Selection. 

Shyam Benegal 

• The festival celebrated the work of world renowned director Shyam Benegal. 48 years after its release in India, Benegal's Manthan, preserved in the National Film Archives of India (NFDC-NFAI under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) and restored by the Film Heritage Foundation, was screened in the Classic section at Cannes. 

Pierre Angenieux Tribute Award 

• Renowned cinematographer Santosh Sivan, known for his prolific work in Indian cinema, became the first Asian to be honored with the prestigious Pierre Angénieux Tribute Award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for his "career and exceptional quality of work". 

Best Actress Award 

• Another person who created history at Cannes is Anasuya Sengupta, she became the first Indian to win the Best Actress award in the 'Un Certain Regard' category for her performance in 'The Shameless'. 

Filmmaker Maisam Ali 

• Maisam Ali, another independent filmmaker who shone at Cannes, was also an FTII alumnus. His film "In Retreat" was screened at the ACID Cannes Sidebar program. This was the first time since its inception in 1993 that an Indian film was screened in the section run by the Association for the Diffusion of Independent Cinema. 

Major Award 

• Palme d'Or - Anora, Shawn Baker 
• Grand Prix - All We Imagine as Light, Payal Kapadia 
• Jury Prize – Emilia Pérez 
• Special Award – Mohammed Rasulof, The Seed of the Sacred Fig 
• Best Actor - Jesse Plemons, Kinds of Kindness 
• Best Actress - Ensemble of Emilia Pérez, Carla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz 
• Best Director - Miguel Gomes, Grand Tour 
• Best Screenplay - Coralie Fargit, The Substance 
• Best First Feature (Camera d'Or) – Armand, Halfdan Ullmann Tondel 

Other awards 

• Camera d'Or Special Mention - Mongrel, Chiang Wei Liang, Yu Qiao Yin 
• Short film Palm d'Or - The Man Who Couldn't Remain Silent, Nebojša Slijepević 
• Short Film Special Mention – Bad for a Moment, Daniel Soares 
• Golden Eye Documentary Award – Ernest Cole: Lost and Found and The Brink of Dreams 
• Queer Palm - three kilometers from the end of the world 
• Palm Dog - Cody, Palm Dog 
• FIPRESCI Prize (competition) – The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Mohammed Rasoulof 
• FIPRESCI Prize (United Nations Definitive Honor) – The Story of Souleymane, Boris Lozhkin 
• FIPRESCI Prize (Parallel Section) – Desert of Namibia, Yoko Yamanaka 
• United Nations Definitive Honor Award - Black Dog, Guan Hu 
• Jury Prize – Souleymane, Story by Boris Lozhkin 
• Best Director Award – (ex aequo) The Damned, Roberto Minervini; On becoming a guinea fowl, Rungano Nyoni 
• Performance Award – The Shameless, Anasuya Sengupta; The story of Souleymane, Abu Sangare 
• Youth Awards – Holy Cow! (Vingt Dieux), Louis Courvoisier 
• Special Mention – Nora, Taufiq Alzaidi 
• Grand Prize – Simon of the Mountain, Federico Luis 
• French Touch Award - Blue Sun Palace, Constance Tsang 
• Gan Foundation Award for Distribution - Jour2Fête, Julie Keeps Quiet 
• Lewis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award - Ricardo Teodoro, Baby 
• Liège Cine Discovery Prize (Short Film) – Guille Sela, Montsouris Park 

12. South Kashmir's Muneeb Amin Bhat inducted into NASA's 'Hall of Fame' 

• Kashmiri techie Muneeb Amin Bhat, hailing from Jangalpora village in Kulgam district in South Kashmir, has received the prestigious recognition by entering the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 'Hall of Fame' for his remarkable contribution in detecting data breach vulnerabilities. Is of. 
• Muneeb reported his findings under NASA's Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP), which facilitates awareness of otherwise unknown vulnerabilities to the US agency. Earlier, he was inducted into the 'Hall of Fame' by Apple in 2023. 
• Muneeb's achievement underlines the global importance of cyber security and the vital role individuals play in protecting sensitive information in today's digital landscape. Muneeb is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) through Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). 
• Over the past few years, Muneeb has worked tirelessly and identified vulnerabilities in many organizations, as well as earning rewards worth millions. They have ethically hacked and secured many international organizations like Oracle, McDonald's, Intel, USAA, Indeed and many others. 

Rajinikanth gets golden visa for UAE 

• Actor Rajinikanth received the Golden Visa from the Department of Culture and Tourism of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The actor, who was recently in Abu Dhabi, thanked the UAE government and Lulu Group Chairman and Managing Director MA Yusuf Ali for the honour. 
• Many South Indian stars like Mammootty and Dulquer Salmaan as well as leading Bollywood actors including Sanjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Ranveer Singh have also received this coveted visa. 
• The UAE Golden Visa is a long-term residency program designed to attract foreign talent and investors to live, work and study in the United Arab Emirates. 
• The Golden Visa offers residence permits valid for 5 or 10 years, with the option to renew them. This provides significant stability and eliminates the need for frequent visa renewals. 

13. Chidanand and Anasuya Sengupta create history at Cannes FF 

• Chidanand Naik and Anasuya Sengupta created history at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, which is being held in Cannes, France.
• Chidanand Naik’s film ‘Sunflowers Were the First to Know’ won the La Cinef Award for Best Short Film, while Anasuya Sengupta became the first Indian to win the Best Actress award for her film Shameless. 
• Chidanand Naik’s short film ‘Sunflowers Were the First to Know’ won the La Cinef Award for Best Short at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. 
• Chidanand Naik made the film a part of his coursework at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. 
• The film “Sunflowers Were the First to Know” was a joint collaboration of four students of the FTII’s TV wings 1-year programme as part of their coursework. 
• It was directed by Chidananda S Naik, filmed by Suraj Thakur, edited by Manoj V, and sound by Abhishek Kadam. All these 

Ranks & Reports News 

14. India among top 5 world steel producers records positive growth in April 2024 

• According to the World Steel Association, India is the only country among the world's top five crude steel producing countries to register a positive growth in production during April 2024. India, which is the second largest producer of crude steel in the world, recorded a growth rate of 3.9 percent in April 2024 compared to April 2023. 
• According to World Steel Association data, the world's crude steel production in April 2024 was 155.7 million tons, down 5.0% from April 2023. India produced 12.1 million tonnes of crude steel in April 2024, up 3.9 percent from April 2023. 
• China, the world's largest steel producer, recorded a decline of 7.2 percent in April to 85.9 million tonnes. Japan, the world's thirdlargest steel producer, produced 7.1 million tonnes of steel, a decline of 2.5 percent. 
• The United States, the fourthlargest steel producer, produced 6.7 million tonnes, a decline of 2.8 percent. Russia, the fifth-largest steel producer, recorded a decline of 5.7 percent to 6.2 million tonnes. 
• India is the world's fastest growing major economy and is expected to remain so in 2024-25. The Indian government's push for large infrastructure projects in the rail, road and port sectors has led to huge demand for steel in the country. 
• The foundation of India's present iron and steel industry was laid in 1875 when a blast furnace plant was built at Kulti, near Calcutta (now Kolkata). Currently, the Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO) runs the Kulti plant.
• However, the credit for setting up India's first modern steel plant goes to Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. In 1907 Jamesji Tata established the Tata Iron and Steel Company (now Tata Steel) with a steel plant in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. 
• India is the second largest producer of crude steel in the world after China. India has the distinction of being the largest producer of sponge iron in the world. India is the world's third largest user of finished steel, after China and the United States. 

World Steel Association 

• The World Steel Association, also known as World Steel, is an association of the steel industry in the world. It is a non-profit organization established in 1967 as the International Iron and Steel Institute. 
• On 6 October 2008, its name was changed to World Steel Association. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium. 

Sports News

15. Kolkata Knight Riders became the winner by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final of Indian Premier League 2024. 

• Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captained by Shreyas Iyer became the winner of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kolkata Knight Riders won their third Indian Premier League championship after 10 years by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by 8 wickets. 
• On 26 May 2024, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, also known as Chepauk, Sunrisers Hyderabad were all out for 113 runs under the captaincy of Pat Cummins against Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad has scored the lowest score of the first innings in the IPL final. 
• Earlier, Chennai Super Kings had scored 125/9 against Mumbai Indians in 2013. Kolkata Knight Riders achieved the fastest target of 113 runs in the IPL final with 57 balls remaining against Sunrisers Hyderabad. 
• Andre Russell took three wickets for Kolkata, while Harshit Rana and Mitchell Starc took two wickets each. Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins tried to save his team's innings with the highest score of 24 runs. 
• Kolkata is the third-time winner of the IPL trophy, after its wins in 2012 and 2014. Gautam Gambhir was the captain of KKR during both title-winning seasons. 
• Hyderabad's dream of winning the IPL trophy for the second time, which had won the title for the first time in 2016, was not fulfilled. Deccan Chargers, who represented Hyderabad before Sun Group gained ownership of the Hyderabad city franchise in 2013, won the title in 2009. 
• Deccan Chargers won their only trophy under the captaincy of Adam Gilchrist, while Hyderabad won the cup under the captaincy of David Warner. 

16. PV Sindhu was the runner-up in Malaysia Masters 2024 

• Two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu lost to China's Wang Zhi Yi 21-16, 5-21, 16-21 in the Malaysia Masters final on 26 May 2024. This was Sindhu's first final of 2024. 
• In a match that lasted one hour and 19 minutes, Wang Zi Yi made a spectacular comeback from 11–3 down in the final game and won the match with a score of 16–21. Sindhu was the only Indian in the tournament after defeating world No. 20 Busunan Ongbamrungphan 13-21, 21-16, 21-12 in the semifinals. 
• Sindhu made a great start against Wang and made good use of down the line smashes and body shots in the first game. In the end they won the first game quite easily by 21-16. 
• However, things turned upside down in the second game when Wang completely outclassed the 28-year-old Indian. Sindhu made continuous mistakes while the 24- year-old Chinese player did not let her breathe. Sindhu lost the game 5-21. 
• Fifth-seeded Sindhu, a dual Olympic medallist, last won the Singapore Open and Commonwealth Games in 2022 and was the runner-up at the Madrid Spain Masters in 2023. 
• Interestingly, it was Wang against whom Sindhu won the final during her last BWF title at the Singapore Open. Sindhu has defeated big names like Carolina Marin, Tai Tzu Ying, Chen Yu Fei and Akane Yamaguchi. 

17. India’s Simran Sharma wins Gold Medal at World Para Athletics Championship 

• India’s Simran Sharma has won a Gold medal in the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan. 
• Simran clinched the gold in the women’s 200m T12 event, achieving a personal best time of 24.95 seconds on the competition’s final day. 
• India concluded their World Para Athletics Championships journey with remarkable achievements, securing a total of 17 medals, including six golds, propelling them to the sixth position in the standings. 

18. Dipa Karmakar clinches India’s first-ever Gold Medal in Asian Championships 

• Dipa Karmakar scripted history clinching India’s first-ever gold medal at the Asian Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. 
• The 30-year-old Olympian registered an average score of 13.566 in the women’s Vault final. 
• This is the first time that an Indian gymnast has won a gold medal in any event at the Asian Championships. 
• She is the first female gymnast from India to compete in the Olympics, and at Rio 2016, she put on the best performance of any gymnast competing in the Summer Games, placing fourth in the women’s vault. 
• She also became the first Indian to ever win a gold medal at an international gymnastics competition when she won the women’s vault gold medal at the 2018 FIG World Cup in Mersin, Turkey. 

19. Charles Leclerc wins Monaco Grand Prix 2024 

• Charles Leclerc becoming the first Monegasque driver to win the Monaco Grand Prix since Louis Chiron in 1931. 
• The Ferrari driver’s victory, his first since the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix, came after a chaotic race that saw two standing starts and several first-lap collisions. 
• The 26-year-old driver, who had previously failed to secure a podium finish in six previous attempts at the iconic race, started from pole position and controlled the race from the outset. 
• McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished second, 7.1 seconds behind after a race that saw little overtaking on the narrow street circuit. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz secured third place. 

Recent 2024 Grand Prix Winner 

• Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Netherlands) 
• Miami Grand Prix – McLaren’s Lando Norris (British) 
• Chinese Grand Prix – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Netherlands) 
• Japanese Grand Prix – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Netherlands) 
• Australian Grand Prix – Ferrari’s Carlos Saina (Spain) 
• Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Netherlands) 
• Bahrain Grand Prix 2- Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (Netherlands) 

Important day 

20. 27 May 2024 – National Memorial Day 

• National Memorial Day is observed every year on last Monday of the month of May. This year, National Memorial Day falls on May 27. 
• National Memorial Day is dedicated to the lives and glory of those military personnel who lost their lives in protecting the country. 
• During the Civil War, women began the pattern of decorating the graves of the fallen warriors. 
• Three years after the war finished, on May 5, 1868, the leader of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR); a group of Union veterans declared that annually, a day must be dedicated to the fallen fighters. 

Miscellaneous News 

21. Cyclonic storm 'Remal' hits the Bay of Bengal 

• On 25 May 2024, the deep depression intensified into Cyclonic Storm 'Remal' over northwest and adjoining northeast and eastcentral Bay of Bengal. Named by Oman, Remal, which means sand in Arabic, is the first cyclone over the Bay of Bengal this pre-monsoon season. 
• It will hit between the coasts of West Bengal and Bangladesh. The National Crisis Management Committee, NCMC, held a meeting under the chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba to review the preparedness for the impending cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. 
• Bangladesh and India are bracing for the first cyclone of the year as a storm with winds of up to 120 km per hour (75 mph) hits on May 26, 2024, the India Meteorological Department said. 
• The India Meteorological Department has warned of extremely heavy rainfall over coastal districts of West Bengal and heavy to very heavy rainfall over North Odisha due to the weather system. The IMD said extremely heavy rainfall is also likely over Assam and Meghalaya, and heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over other northeastern states Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura. 
• Eight countries of the Indian Ocean region (Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand) come together to decide the names of the upcoming cyclones. 
• As soon as the cyclone reaches any part of these eight countries, the next or second available name of this cyclone is kept from the list. 
• Due to this process, storms can be easily identified and also help in rescue operations. No names are repeated. The naming governing body is located at the Regional Specialized Meteorological Center (RSMC), New Delhi.