NATIONAL NEWS

First Urban Climate Film Festival

• The first ever Urban Climate Film Festival is going to be held in New Town, Kolkata from 03 June to 05 June to sensitize the audience about the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change on urban settlements.

• The festival will highlight the environmental, social and economic impacts of climate change on urban settlements.

• The audience will be able to see these scenarios through the film.

• It aims to encourage citizens to 'behave environmentally responsible' in line with the call of the Hon'ble Prime Minister through the U-20 Priority Sectors and Lifestyle for Environment (LIFE) Mission.

• The festival will conclude with a special closing ceremony on 05 June, the occasion of World Environment Day.
• The film festival is being organized by the National Institute of Urban Affairs.

Ministry of Civil Aviation Launches UDAN 5.1

• The Ministry of Civil Aviation in India has launched UDAN 5.1 on 24 May, a special edition of the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme, with a special focus on helicopter routes.

• For the first time under Regional Connectivity Scheme RCS-UDAN, this round is designed specifically for helicopter routes.

• There will be an increase in the scope of operations for the operators, which will now also allow routes where one of the origin or destination points is in the priority zone.

• The airfare ceiling has been reduced by 25% to make flying in helicopters more affordable for passengers.
• Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) was launched in 2016 as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• Its objective is to make affordable, economically viable and profitable air travel on regional routes available to the common man even in small towns.

Chhattisgarh Launched 'Hamar Sughghar Laika Abhiyan'

• Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched the 'Hamar Sughar Laik Abhiyan' in the 'Bharose Ka Sammelan' program at Sankra in Durg district.

• The campaign aims to bring 1,800 malnourished children, identified through a survey, into the category of well-nourished children.

• This is the first district level campaign of its kind in the state and focuses on managing the growth of children through hunger testing.

India's First Fully e-Governed State

• Kerala becomes India's first fully e-governed stat.

• The state has achieved this through policy initiatives aimed at transforming it into a digitally empowered society.

• The government focused on setting up a knowledge-based economy and achieving 100% digital literacy.

• Important services across various sectors were digitized to ensure transparency, inclusiveness and accessibility for all citizens.

• E-governance in Kerala has streamlined service delivery, reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks and delays.
• Online portals and mobile applications have been launched for citizens to interact with government departments and access services easily.

BANKING

JCB Partners with NPCI

• Japanese international payment brand, JCB International Co will partner with National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to offer RuPay JCB cardholders 40% cashback on in-store purchases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, Malaysia and

• In-store purchases are in-person point-of-sale (PoS) transactions at a merchant location.

• RuPay and JCB have announced the third phase of a limited-time cashback campaign for all RuPay JCB debit and credit cardholders.

• The offer will be valid from May 15 to August 15 2023.
• The maximum cashback amount per transaction during the promotion period is Rs 3,000 and the total cashback is capped at Rs 15,000 per card.

SPORTS

International Jumping Meeting in Greece

• Indian Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar won gold at the International Jumping Meeting 2023 at Kallithea in Greece.

• Kerala's Murali Sreesankar won the gold medal in the International Jumping Meet with a jump of 8.31 metres.

• This was Murali Sreesankar's third competition of the year and also won the third gold medal.

• Jeswin Aldrin claimed silver with an effort of 7.85m.

RANKS, INDICES & REPORTS

Global Supercomputing List

• The AI Supercomputer ‘AIRAWAT’, installed at C-DAC, Pune has been ranked 75th in the top 500 Global Supercomputing List.

• The announcement was made during the 61st edition of the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC 2023) held in Germany.

• The establishment of 'AIRAWAT' at C-DAC Pune is part of the National Program on AI initiated by the Government of India.

• AIRAWAT is the name for an in-house cloud platform for big data.

• The proposed AIRAWAT system is a 100+ petaflop AI-focused supercomputer.

• This system is a 130-petaflop computer focused on providing compute for AI, ML and big data tasks.
• The National Supercomputing Mission was launched in 2015.
• The aim of the mission was to enhance the research capacities in the country to form a Supercomputing grid.
• It supports the government's vision of 'Digital India' and 'Make in India' initiatives.

AWARDS & PRIZES

International Booker Prize 2023

• Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov won the 2023 International Booker Prize for his novel ‘Time Shelter’.

• The novel was translated into English by Angela Rodel and is the first Bulgarian novel to win the International Booker Prize.

• ‘Time Shelter’ is a captivating and remarkable literary work that explores themes of time, identity and the human experience.

• It is an international literary award held in the United Kingdom.
• The award recognizes outstanding works of fiction translated into English.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

President of Basketball Federation of India

• Dr. Govindraj has been elected as the President of the Basketball Federation of India.
• He is a Congress MLC and holds the position of President of International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Asia and President of Karnataka Olympic Association.
• Dr. Govindaraj is the first Indian to be unanimously nominated as the President of FIBA Asia.
• The nomination was confirmed at the FIBA Asia Congress, making Dr. Govindaraj the first Indian to lead the International Basketball Federation in Asia, which comprises 44 countries.
• He succeeds Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani of Qatar, who served as the head of FIBA Asia for four consecutive terms since 2002.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Thyroid Awareness Day

• World Thyroid Awareness Day is observed every year on 25 May.

• The day aims to spread awareness about thyroid-related disorders, including their symptoms, diagnosis and treatment options.

• It is dedicated to thyroid sufferers and those involved in the study and treatment of thyroid diseases.

• World Thyroid Awareness Day aims to educate people about the importance of maintaining a healthy thyroid gland.

• The day promotes collaboration among health professionals, organisations and individuals in the field of thyroid diseases.
• The day was first proposed in 2007 at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Thyroid Federation International and the meeting decided to celebrate World Thyroid Day on 25 May.

MISCELLANEOUS

INSV Tarini Crew Back Home After 188 Days

• The crew of INSV Tarini, who returned after an inter-continental voyage, were accorded a grand welcome at the flag-in ceremony in Goa.
• The crew returned home after an arduous voyage of 17,000 nautical miles.
• Two women officers, Lt Cdr Dilna K and Lt Cdr Roopa A, were involved in the entire operation.
• Lt Cdr Dilna is a Logistics Officer in the Navy.
• Both Dilna and Roopa are currently posted at INS Mandovi in Goa.
• The historic voyage from Goa to Rio de Janeiro to Cape Town was completed by INSV Tarini in 188 days.
• It reflects an exemplary display of gallantry, courage and tenacity by the crew and highlights the role of the Indian Navy as a pioneer in the country in ocean sailing.