1) Vesak Day 2021 observed globally on 26 May
•Vesak Day 2021 is observed globally on 26 May. Vesak, the Day of Full Moon is the most sacred day to Buddhists all over the world. On this day, Lord Gautham Buddha attained enlightenment. The Day is commemorated by the United Nations every year.
2) Dr Harsh Vardhan chairs 74th World Health Assembly
•Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Chairman of WHO Executive Board, Dr Harsh Vardhan, chaired the 74th World Health Assembly in virtual mode. According to Dr Harsh Vardhan, the executive board has asked for further efforts which can ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines under COVAX Facility. Director-General of World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros, also participated in the event.
•Board recommended 74th World Health Assembly to consider the report on mental health preparedness and response for the Covid-19 pandemic. It further recommended endorsing updated comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan for 2013 to 2030 and encouraged WHO to work in collaboration with World Organisation for Animal Health and Food & Agriculture Organisation so that source of zoonotic virus can be identified.
3) India-Israel signs 3-year program for Cooperation in Agriculture
•India and Israel have inked a three-year joint work programme which will continue till 2023. A joint work programme was initiated with the aim of enhancing cooperation in agriculture. Under the new work programme, 13 Centres of Excellence (CoEs) were set up to make Indian farmers aware of Israeli farm and water technologies.
•A model ecosystem in agriculture called Villages of Excellence (VoE) will also be created across eight states within 75 villages. The new programme will promote the increase in net income and enhance the livelihood of the individual farmer. India and Israel have completed four similar joint work programmes successfully.
4) David Barnea Appointed as Israel’s Next Mossad Chief
•Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed David Barnea as the new head of the country’s spy agency, the Mossad. Barnea, a former longtime Mossad operative, will succeed Yossi Cohen as head of Israel’s intelligence agency on June 1. Cohen has served as Israel’s spymaster since taking office in 2016.
•Barnea, who is in his 50s, lives in the Sharon region north of Tel Aviv. He did his military service in the elite Sayeret Matkal special operations force. About 30 years ago, he enlisted in the Mossad, where he became a case officer.
5) Collinet Makosso appointed Republic of Congo’s new Prime Minister
•The President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso has appointed Anatole Collinet Makosso as the country’s Prime Minister. He replaced Clement Mouamba, in-office since 2016. Before this appointment, Makosso was the education minister of the Central African country. He was also minister of youth and civic instruction from 2011 to 2016.
•Since 2016, he has held the position of Minister of Primary and Secondary Education in charge of literacy. Mr Collinet Makosso was the deputy campaign manager of candidate Sassou Nguesso during the last presidential election.
6) IPS Subodh Kumar Jaiswal appointed new CBI director
•IPS officer, Subodh Jaiswal has been appointed Director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He was the most senior officer among the three shortlisted for the post of CBI Director. Jaiswal, along with KR Chandra and VS Kaumudi, was short-listed out of 109 officers for the top post by the high-powered committee led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Other members of the committee include Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.
•The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has based on the panel recommended by the Committee, approved the appointment of Shri Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, IPS (MH: 1985) as Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a period of two years from the date of assumption of charge of the office or until further orders whichever is earlier.
7) SpiceHealth wins Gold Stevie Award 2021
•SpiceHealth, a healthcare company founded by the promoters of SpiceJet, has won the Gold Award at the 2021 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards for ‘Most Valuable Medical Innovation’ under Covid19. At a time when Covid-19 was at an all-time excessive in India in November 2020, SpiceHealth, beneath the management of Avani Singh, disrupted the Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing house by providing checks in cell laboratories at ₹499, versus the then-present rate of ₹2,400 in Delhi and helped convey down Covid-19 testing price dramatically throughout the nation.
8) Casper Ruud wins Men’s Singles title at Geneva Open tennis
•Norway’s Casper Ruud has won the ATP Geneva Open final with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 victory over Denis Shapovalov. Victory in Geneva means the Norwegian world number 21 is going to be among the top 16 seeds in Paris. A second career title lifted Ruud’s record to 2-2 in finals, all at clay-court events. The 22-year-old Norwegian’s previous title was at Buenos Aires last year.
