VISION

1)  World AIDS Vaccine Day: 18 May

•World AIDS Vaccine Day, (also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day), is observed annually on May 18 to promote the continued urgent need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.  The first World AIDS Vaccine Day was thus observed on May 18, 1998, to commemorate the anniversary of Clinton’s speech.

•The concept of World AIDS Vaccine Day was proposed on May 18, 1997, during a commencement speech at Morgan State University made by then-President Bill Clinton, which underlined the need for a vaccine to curb the spread of HIV.

2)  International Museum Day: 18 May

•The International Museum Day is celebrated on 18 May, since 1977, to raise awareness about the fact that “Museums are an important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples”. The theme of International Museum Day 2021: “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine”. It is coordinated by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

3)  India loses ONGC-discovered Farzad-B gas field in Iran

•India lost the ONGC Videsh Ltd-discovered Farzad-B gas field in the Persian Gulf after Iran awarded a contract for developing the giant gas field to a local company. The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has signed a contract worth USD 1.78 billion with Petropars Group for the development of Farzad B Gas Field in the Persian Gulf.

•The field holds 23 trillion cubic feet of in-place gas reserves, of which about 60 per cent is recoverable. It also holds gas condensates of about 5,000 barrels per billion cubic feet of gas.

•ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL), the overseas investment arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), had in 2008 discovered a giant gas field in the Farsi offshore exploration block. OVL and its partners had offered to invest up to USD 11 billion for the development of the discovery, which was later named Farzad-B.

4)  Haryana Declares Black Fungus A Notified Disease

•Black Fungus has been categorised as a notified disease in Haryana, making it imperative that government authorities be informed about each case. This will allow in the tracking and management of an outbreak. The COVID-19 pandemic in India has catalysed the spread of black fungus or mucormycosis, which can disfigure people even when it is not fatal. Declaring a disease notifiable helps collate information and lets authorities monitor the disease and set off early warnings.

5)  Manipur CM launches ‘MOMA Market’ for vegetable

•Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has launched a smartphone application “Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA) Market” for home delivery of fresh vegetables to ensure that people get fresh vegetables at their doorsteps during the COVID-19 induced curfew. MOMA a unit of the state horticulture and soil conservation department launched the app under the CM’s supervision to make fresh vegetables available for day-to-day consumption and to reduce the distress sales of farm produce during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.

•MOMA has been assigned to work in the area and channel farm produces to consumers via home delivery in order to prevent vegetable losses and COVID-19 spread. Farmers Producer Companies (FPCs) working with MOMA will harvest vegetables from various farms. It will then be transported to cold storage and warehouses at the department’s complex in Sanjenthong and other locations. Finally, the consumer’s MOMA Market order will be shipped to their doorstep.

6)  IDRBT building National Digital Financial Infrastructure (NADI)

•The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) is building a next-generation Digital Financial Infrastructure named National Digital Financial Infrastructure (NADI). NADI would provide a roadmap and framework for future digital financial services growth in India.

7)  Google Cloud partnered with SpaceX for providing satellite internet service

•Google Cloud and SpaceX signed a deal for providing internet service through Starlink satellite. Google will provide the Cloud infrastructure for this connectivity Project, while Space X will install ground terminals in Google’s cloud data centres for connecting Starlink satellites. It will help in providing fast internet service to the rural areas. This service will be available to customers before the end of 2021.

•The first Starlink terminal will be established in a Google data centre in Ohio, United States. Earlier, Microsoft has also signed a similar agreement with SpaceX to connect its Azure cloud to Starlink. Starlink is a project under which SpaceX aims to send 12,000 satellites to provide space-based internet.

8)  IIT Ropar developed portable eco-friendly mobile cremation system

•IIT Ropar has developed a portable eco-friendly electric cremation system. It is one of its kind of technology that produces no smoke despite using wood for cremation. It is based on wick-stove technology. The cart has been developed in collaboration with the company Cheema Boilers Limited.

•The cart-shaped mobile cremation system has stainless steel insulation on both sides of the cart for reducing heat loss and wood consumption. It takes less time to dispose of the body entirely as compared to normal wood-based cremation. It uses half wood than normal wood-based cremation, so it is an eco-friendly technology.

9)  Satoshi Uchida appointed as Suzuki Motorcycle India’s new Company Head

•Suzuki Motorcycle India has appointed Satoshi Uchida as the new Company Head. He has replaced Koichiro Hirao as part of Suzuki Motor Corporation’s global revamp. Suzuki Motorcycle India registered its highest-ever monthly sales in April 2021, dispatching as many as 77,849 units during the month. Suzuki Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation based in Minami-Ku.

10)  Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank receives ‘International Invincible Gold Medal’

•International Invincible Gold Medal of this year has been conferred on Union Education Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. He has been recognised for his extraordinary commitment and outstanding service to humanity through his writings, social and illustrious public life.

•The decision was made after due deliberations by a high-powered committee duly constituted under the leadership of Dr Tony Nader who is the global head of the Maharshi organisation. This honour will be given by the worldwide Maharishi Organization & its universities.

📰 ‘Job losses bode ill for the economy’

GS SCORE FACT FILE- Economic Important Reports (National and International)PDF

 What is the issue?

• It has been a year  since the news of tensions between Indian and Chinese troops on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh first broke (May-June 2020).
• With this, here is an assessment of the developments so far, the present conditions and the future challenges.

What happened back then?

• The crisis involved Chinese ingressions and violent clash with soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in mid-June 2020.
• It eventually involved seven places: Depsang plains, Galwan, Gogra, Hot Springs, North bank of Pangong Tso, Kailash range and Demchok.
• With agreements to disengage from the Pangong lake area , it was planned to convene meeting of the senior commanders to address and resolve all other remaining issues.

• The last such meeting of commanders was held in April 2021, but the Chinese have refused to even discuss the remaining issues.

• Modi government seemed keen to announce a closure of the border crisis by creating the impression of an honourable solution against a major power.
• But, no such closure is in sight yet.

What is the current situation?

• The PLA troops deny India access to territories it controlled by patrolling.
• With this, the government’s asserted aim of restoring the status quo ante as of April 2020 remains unfulfilled.
• Even on the north bank of Pangong, a new status quo has been created where the patrolling rights are yet to be restored.
• Similarly, the Kailash range has seen neither de-escalation nor de-induction so far.
• So, in all, there have been no further deaths after June 2020 and no firing after early September 2020.
• But, the peace on the border is both unstable and unsustainable.
• Ongoing tensions, with massive deployments on each side, belie any hope of tranquillity.
• Cognisant of the volatility and risk, Indian Army has undertaken a major reorientation of its units and formations towards the China border.
• China-India ties are thus moving into a zone of problems even as New Delhi grapples with pandemic-related issues.

How is COVID-19 and geopolitics playing now?

 Vision IAS Weekly Focus Non-Performing Assets (NPA) From ‘a Crisis’ to ‘a Catalyst’ PDF

1)  National Dengue Day: 16 May

•In India, the National Dengue Day is observed every year on 16 May. The day is an initiative by the Ministry of Healthy and Family Welfare, to raise awareness about dengue and its preventive measures, and preparedness for control of the vector-borne disease before the transmission season begins.

2)  International Day of Light celebrated on 16 May

•The International Day of Light (IDL) is celebrated on 16 May each year to mark the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser in 1960 by physicist and engineer, Theodore Maiman. The day celebrates the role that light plays in science, culture and art, education, and sustainable development, and in fields as diverse as medicine, communications, and energy to help achieve the goals of UNESCO – ‘education, equality, and peace. The message of 2021 International Day of Light is “Trust Science”.

•The celebration of the International Day of Light will enable various sectors of society worldwide to get indulge in activities that display how science, technology, art and culture can help in achieving the goals of UNESCO i.e. building the foundation for peaceful societies.

3)  6th UN Global Road Safety Week: 17-23 May 2021

•The 6th UN Global Traffic Safety Week, which this year is celebrated between 17 and 23 May, call for 30 km/h (20 mph) speed limits to be the norm for cities, towns and villages worldwide. UN Global Road Safety Week (UNGRSW) is a biennial global road safety campaign hosted by WHO.

•Each UNGRSW has an advocacy theme.  The theme for the 6th UNGRSW is Streets for Life, under the tagline #Love30. It brings together individuals, governments, NGOs, corporations, and other organizations from around the world to raise awareness of road safety and make changes that will reduce the number of road deaths.

4)  International Day of Living Together in Peace: 16 May

•The International Day of Living Together in Peace is held on 16th May every year since 2018. The UN General Assembly, declared 16 May the International Day of Living Together in Peace, as a means of regularly mobilizing the efforts of the international community to promote peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity. The Day aims to uphold the desire to live and act together, united in differences and diversity, in order to build a sustainable world of peace, solidarity and harmony.

5)  World Hypertension Day: 17 May

•World Hypertension Day (WHD) is celebrated on 17 May worldwide to promote public awareness of increasing high blood pressure (BP) and to encourage citizens of all countries to prevent and control this silent killer. The day was held for the first time in May 2005.

•World Hypertension Day (WHD) is an initiative of the World Hypertension League (WHL), an affiliated section of the International Society of Hypertension. The theme for World Hypertension Day 2021 is Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer.

6)  World Telecommunication and Information Society Day: 17 May

•The World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) is observed every year on 17 May since 1969, to commemorate the founding of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The theme of 2021 is “Accelerating Digital Transformation in challenging times”.

7)  China’s First Mars Rover ‘ZhuRong’ Successfully Lands on Mars

•China successfully achieved the feat of landing its first Mars Rover ‘Zhu Rong’ on the red planet, on May 15, 2021, becoming the only second nation to do so. Till date, only the United States has successfully landed its rover on Mars. All other countries that have tried have either crashed or lost contact soon after reaching the surface.

•The vehicle used a combination of a protective capsule, a parachute & a rocket platform to make the descent. Zhurong, which means God of Fire, was carried to Mars on the Tianwen-1 orbiter. China’s Mars rover, called Zhurong after an ancient fire god in Chinese mythology, will part ways with the lander by driving down a foldable ramp. Once it has deployed, the rover is expected to spend at least 90 Mars days. 

8)  Cyclone Taukate hits many states

•Cyclone Taukate has obtained its maximum intensity in the wee hours of Sunday and has now become a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (wind speed of 118 to 166 km/hr). The latest cyclone alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that this storm would reach close to Gujarat coast, Maharashtra, Goa. Light to moderate intensity rainfall is expected to continue over coastal Karnataka and Kerala till Monday.

9)  Nagaland conservationist Nuklu Phom gets prestigious Whitley Awards 2021

•An environmentalist from Nagaland’s remote Longleng district, Nuku Phom has won this year’s Whitley Awards 2021, also known as the Green Oscar. Nuku Phom’s name, along with that of five others, was announced recently in a virtual award ceremony organized by the UK-based Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN). Nuku and his team want to offer alternatives that engage communities in conservation using the Amur falcon as a flagship.

•The award recognises Phom’s efforts at establishing a new biodiversity peace corridor changing the fate of Amur Falcons, which come to roost in Nagaland each year, from being hunted by locals. Worth £40,000, the award is for creating a new network of community-owned forests to protect Amur Falcons and increase biodiversity in Nagaland.

10)  Himachal Government launches ‘Ayush Ghar-Dwar’ program

•Himachal Government has launched the ‘Ayush Ghar-Dwar’ program to keep the home isolated Covid-19 positive patients healthy by practising Yoga. This program has been started by the Department of AYUSH in collaboration with the Art of Living organisation. Yoga Bharti’s instructors would provide their services in the program. During the launch, about 80 home isolated Covid positive patients from all over the state were also connected virtually.

•Under the program, approximately 1000 virtual groups on social media platforms like zoom, WhatsApp and Google meet will be formed to connect with COVID positive patients in home isolation. The initiative intends to provide a holistic healthcare approach through AYUSH to ensure not only physical but also mental, social and spiritual wellbeing.

11)  Footwear Brand Bata India appoints Gunjan Shah as new CEO

•Footwear company Bata India has appointed Gunjan Shah as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will join Bata in his new role from 21 June 2021, for a period of five years. Shah replaces Sandeep Kataria, who has been elevated as the Global CEO of Bata Brands in November 2020.

•Prior to this, Shah was the Chief Commercial Officer (COO) at Britannia Industries. Bata Corporation is a multinational footwear and fashion accessory manufacturer and retailer, with its headquarter located in Lausanne, Switzerland and an Indian branch based in Gurugram, Haryana.

12)  Andrea Meza crowned 69th Miss Universe 2020

•Miss Mexico Andrea Meza has been crowned as the 69th Miss Universe 2020. On the other hand, Miss India’s Adline Quadros Castelino made it to the Top 4.  Brazil’s Julia Gama is the first runner-up, Peru’s Janick Maceta is the second runner-up while India’s Adline Castelino and Dominican Republic’s Kimberly Perez are third runner-up and fourth runner-up, respectively.

•This year, the pageant is being held in Miami, Florida’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Hollywood. Zozibini Tunzi of South Africa crowns her successor in the event.

13)  Rafael Nadal wins 10th Italian Open title

•Rafael Nadal beat world number one Novak Djokovic to win a 10th Italian Open title. Second seed Nadal won through 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in 2hr 49min against the defending champion in the 57th career showdown between the pair. The victory also earned Nadal a 36th ATP Masters 1000 crown, equalling Djokovic’s record since the series was established in 1990.

•In the women’s category, Polish teenager Iga Swiatek crushed Czech ninth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0 to win the Italian Open title. Swiatek, ranked 15, claimed her third WTA title.

📰 Artless and heartless: On Central Vista project

📰 186 elephants killed on railway tracks in over 10 years: MoEFCC

1)  WHO classified Indian coronavirus variant as a “global variant of concern”

•The World Health Organization has classified a coronavirus variant found in India as a global “variant of concern”. This variant has been named B.1.617. According to World Health Organization, this variant is already spread to more than 30 countries. It is more transmissible than other variants. This variant is also called the “double mutant variant”. It was 1st identified by the United Kingdom health authorities.

2)  China becomes the world’s first country to ban synthetic cannabinoids

•China will become the world’s first country to ban all synthetic cannabinoid substances. The ban is likely to come into effect on July 1. The move comes as China tries to curb the manufacturing & trafficking of the drug. The synthetic cannabinoids are highly camouflaged, as some are found in e-cigarette oil, and some are found in cut tobacco made from various flower petals, or plant stems and leaves. In Xinjiang, it has a commonly known nickname of “Natasha.”

3)  Uttarakhand Police Launches ‘Mission Hausla’

•The Uttarakhand Police has launched a drive called “Mission Hausla” to help people get oxygen, beds, ventilators, and plasma for Covid-19 patients. Besides these, police will also help the public to get medicines meant for Covid-19 management as part of the mission and rations.

•Delivering medicines, oxygen and ration at the doorsteps of families battling the coronavirus and coordinating between plasma donors and those in need of it will also be some of the activities to be taken up by the police as part of the mission. Police stations will serve as nodal centres for managing crowds in market areas and ensuring COVID- appropriate behaviour by people like wearing masks and social distancing in public places, he said. Stern action will be taken against those who violate the norms.

4)  Sir David Attenborough named COP26 People’s Advocate

•Sir David Attenborough, world-renowned broadcaster & natural historian, has been named COP26 People’s Advocate for the U.K.’s Presidency of UN climate change summit in Glasgow this November. Attenborough has already inspired millions of people in the U.K. & around the world with his passion & knowledge to act on climate change and protect the planet for future generations.

5)  RBI cancels licence of United Co-operative Bank

•Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cancelled the licence of United Co-operative Bank Ltd over inadequate capital, regulatory non-compliance, based in Bagnan, West Bengal. Through an order dated May 10, 2021, the central bank has prohibited the co-operative lender from carrying on banking business, with effect from the close of business on May 13, 2021.

•RBI said it cancelled the licence as United Co-operative Bank did not have adequate capital and earning prospects. “As such, it does not comply with the provisions of section 11(1) and section 22(3)(d) read with section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.