General Knowledge & Current Affairs
May 2022 - 9th to 15th
- President appointments Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia, JB Pardiwala as Supreme Court judges
- Centre defends sedition law and requests Supreme Court to reject pleas challenging it
- President inaugurates permanent campus of IIM-Nagpur
- UP: Prominent crossing in Ayodhya to be developed, named after Lata Mangeshkar
- Centre tells SC it will reconsider and re-examine provisions of sedition law
- Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘Asani’: Heavy rain likely to lash AP, Odisha and West Bengal from May 10
- Highest sex ratio at birth in Ladakh (1104); Manipur (880) has lowest, says annual report on Vital Statistics based on 2020 Civil Registration System report
- Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission chaired by Justice (retired) Ranjana Prakash Desai notifies new J&K Assembly constituencies
- Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi visits Panama, Honduras and Chile from April 28 to May 5
- Can sedition cases be kept in abeyance till government completes review of Section 124A: SC asks Central govt
- Taking different stands does not help: SC to Centre on identification of minorities
- Rocket-propelled grenade hits Punjab Police Intelligence wing HQ in Mohali; no injuries
- Santoor player and music composer Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma dies at 84; won Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986, Padma Shri in 1991, and Padma Vibhushan in 2001.
- SC stays 152-year-old sedition law under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code till review by Govt
- Criminalising marital rape: Delhi High Court delivers 1:1 split verdict
- National Technology Day celebrated in India on May 11; marks Pokhran nuclear tests of 1998
- India unanimously elected as new Chair of Association of Asian Election Authorities for 2022-2024
- New envoys: Ambassador of Slovak Republic Robert Maxian, Ambassador of Republic of Sudan Abdalla Omer Bashir Elhusain and Ambassador of Nepal Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma
- Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav delivers national statement at 15th Session of Conference of Parties of UNCCD (United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification)
- Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande speaks to Bangladeshi counterpart Gen SM Shafiuddin Ahmed
- Former union telecom minister, Congress leader Sukh Ram passes away at 95
- India contributes $800,000 for public outreach of UN in Hindi language
- Asani weakens to cyclonic storm; Odisha, West Bengal brace for heavy rain
- Rajiv Kumar appointed new Chief Election Commissioner
- Extended-range (400 kms) BrahMos ALCM (Air Launched Cruise Missile) test fired from Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft
- Finish Mathura-Idgah case hearing within 4 months, orders Allahabad HC
- Gujarat: PM addresses “Utkarsh Samaroh” in Bharuch district
- Prasar Bharati inks MoU with Madagascar counterpart for broadcasting collaboration
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaks to his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud
- India-UK Healthcare Conference held in London
- Chhattisgarh government chopper crashes at Raipur airport; two pilots killed
- ISRO successfully tests large human-rated solid rocket booster for Gaganyaan mission
- IAS officer Nidhi Chibber appointed as Chairperson of CBSE
- 6th Road Safety Conference on “Safer & Sustainable Mobility with Innovations and Technology” held in New Delhi
- BJP’s Biplab Kumar Deb resigns as Tripura CM
- Union Home and Co-operation Minister, Amit Shah inaugurates National Cyber Forensic Laboratory (NCFL) in Hyderabad
- New Delhi: At least 27 people killed in massive fire in a commercial building in Mundka area
- Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav participates in BRICS High-Level Meeting on Climate Change held virtually
- 32 dead after a massive explosion destroys Saratoga Hotel in Havana, Cuba; gas leak is thought to be the cause of the explosion
- Northern Ireland election: Sinn Fein wins 27 seats in the 90-seat Assembly; emerges as the largest party for the first time
- Russian Defense Ministry says civilians’ evacuation from Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine ends
- John Lee Ka-chiu, the sole candidate for Hong Kong’s leadership election, confirmed as city’s next chief executive
- Nepal’s Kami Rita Sherpa climbs Mount Everest for 26th time to set new world record
- World Red Cross Day observed on May 8; is birth anniversary of ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) founder Henri Dunant
- World Thalassemia Day observed on May 8; Thalassemia is blood disorder characterized by abnormal formation of haemoglobin
- UN observes ‘Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War’ on May 8-9
- Sri Lanka: PM Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns
- Russia: President Vladimir Putin addresses annual Victory Day parade in Moscow; marks triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II.
- G7 countries pledge to phase out imports of Russian oil
- UN Office for Project Services chief Grete Faremo resigns after probe into investments
- UAE to introduce unemployment insurance in latest economic reform
- NASA climate scientist Cynthia Rosenzweig wins $2,50,000 World Food Prize
- 4 Indians Danish Siddiqui (posthumously), Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo and Amit Dave win Pulitzer Prize 2022 in the ‘feature photography’ category
- Sri Lanka troops issued shoot-on-sight orders as homes of ruling party politicians vandalised
- Philippines: Ferdinand Marcos Jr elected new President
- France and Germany advocate early ceasefire in Kyiv and Moscow negotiations: President Emmanuel Macron
- Shot Sage Blue Marilyn”, 20th century painting by US artiste Andy Warhol, sells for $195 million in auction
- Apple discontinues iPod after a more than two decade run
- Ukraine halts some Russian gas flows to Europe
- US President Joe Biden convenes 2nd global COVID-19 summit
- FAO celebrates International Day of Plant Health on May 12
- International Nurses Day celebrated on May 12
- AI Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh killed by Israeli troops in Palestine
- Google adds 24 new languages including Bhojpuri & Konkani to its Google Translate platform
- Google launches Pixel 6A smartphone and Pixel Buds Pro wireless earphones
- Cameroon: Small passenger plane crashes in a forest near capital Yaoundé
- Sri Lanka: Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe (73) appointed new PM
- Nepal’s Lakpa Sherpa (48) reaches summit of Mount Everest for record 10th time; highest by any woman
- India abstains in UNHRC resolution on deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine due to Russian aggression
- US scientists for first time grow plants in lunar soil brought back to Earth
- Elon Musk says $44-bn Twitter deal on hold, seeks details on spam accounts
- Shell agrees to sell Russian retail business to Lukoil
- Kenya’s Anna Qabale Duba wins $250,000 global nursing award for fighting FGM (female genital mutilation)
- United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan dies at 73
- World Migratory Bird Day celebrated on May 14; focus: Light pollution and its impact on migratory birds
- UAE: Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan appointed new President
- Indian Embassy in Ukraine to resume operation in Kyiv from 17th May
- DoT abolishes NOCC (network operation and control centre) charges for all telecom licence holders
- Pushp Kumar Joshi takes charge as new CMD of PSU Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL)
- LIC IPO subscribed nearly 3 times; govt raises Rs 21,000 cr
- Shares of Campus Activewear list at premium following successful IPO
- Delhi High Court directs Centre to appoint Chairman, member in Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax Settlement Commission in 6 weeks
- New UK India Industry Taskforce launched to facilitate free trade deal
- Jan Suraksha schemes — Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana and Atal Pension Yojana — bring insurance, pension accessible to common man: FM
- L&T Infotech and Mindtree to merge, cite benefits of scale
- Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bharati Pawar launches Atal Innovation Mission- Prime Playbook that aims to help entrepreneurs grow and scale-up
- Northern Railways introduces ‘Baby Berth’ on a trial basis in few trains
- Country’s foreign exchange reserves declined by USD 28.05 billion to USD 607.31 billion at the end of March 2022: RBI
- Retail inflation in India surges to 8-year high of 7.79% in April
- Tata Sons appoints Campbell Wilson as CEO & MD of Air India
- Sanjiv Bajaj, CMD of Bajaj Finserv, takes over as CII President
- Union environment ministry relaxes expansion of coal mining norms amid supply crunch
- NITI Ayog launches National Data and Analytics Platform to make available easily govt data to public
- India-UAE Economic Partnership Summit organised by CII in Mumbai
- RBI opens banks credit for NBFCs to on-lend continuously to priority sector
- India’s industrial output expanded 1.9% in March
- Reliance Industries Ltd (53) is top-ranked Indian company on Forbes’ latest Global 2000 list of public companies worldwide
- NTPC initiates Girl Empowerment Mission for uplifting lives of underprivileged girls
- PepsiCo-USAID (US Agency for International Development) awards 6 women farmers in Bengal for breaking gender stereotypes
- Swiggy acquires restaurant booking platform Dine-out
- Govt bans wheat export with immediate effect
- India’s forex reserves declined by USD 1.774 billion to USD 595.954 billion for the week ended May 6
- IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw launches GatiShakti Sanchar Portal; says it will help in rollout of 5G network across the country
- SRI LANKA
Mahinda Rajapaksa, elder brother of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, resigned as prime minister of Sri Lanka amid a wave of violence, as the country endures its worst ever economic crisis. Protesters burned down politicians’ houses and a museum dedicated to the Rajapaksas, whom they blame for crippling shortages of food and fuel and for runaway inflation. - PHILIPPINES
Ferdinand Marcos junior, better known as “Bongbong”, won the Philippines’ presidential election. The son of a former dictator, who was overthrown by the “People Power” revolution in 1986, Marcos asked not to be judged by his ancestors but by his actions. Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing president, Rodrigo Duterte, won the vice-presidency. - AFGHANISTAN
The Taliban issued a decree that in effect requires women in Afghanistan to wear a veil in public whenever they leave their homes. HONG KONG
Pro-China John Lee was elected Chief Executive of Hong Kong by a 1,500-member committee packed with Communist Party loyalists. He was the only candidate.- FINLAND
Finland’s president Sauli Niinistö and prime minister Sanna Marin recommended that the country formally join NATO, a potential reversal of 80 years of neutrality. Approval by the country’s parliament is expected to be a formality. - UKRAINE
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, announced no new initiatives in the war in Ukraine in a speech on May 9th to commemorate victory in the second world war. The conflict is becoming more static, with intelligence analysts in America and elsewhere now predicting a stalemate. - US
America’s House of Representatives approved an extra $40bn in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine. There was some resistance from Republicans, which could slow the bill’s passage in the Senate. - UK
In Northern Ireland the nationalist Sinn Fein party took the most seats in assembly elections. It is the first time since Ireland’s partition in 1921 that unionists have not been the biggest party in the province. Sinn Fein represents Catholics who advocate merger with Republic of Ireland while the unionists, who are Protestants, favour remaining with UK. - PALESTINE
Shireen Abu Aqleh, a prominent Palestinian journalist for Al Jazeera, was shot dead while reporting on a clash between Israeli forces and Palestinians in the restive West Bank town of Jenin. Colleagues at the scene blamed the Israeli army, which said she may have been shot by Palestinian gunmen. - COLOMBIA
Colombia sent 2,000 members of the security forces to deal with a spate of violence by the Gulf Clan, a criminal gang, in reprisal for the extradition to America of its leader, Dairo Antonio Usuga, known as Otoniel. President Ivan Duque claims that Otoniel is
the world’s most dangerous drug-trafficker.
- Nobert Kigen (men’s) of Kenya, Bekelech Borecha (women’s) of Ethiopia win Prague Marathon
- Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz wins men’s singles title at Madrid Open tennis
- Boxing: Russia’s Dmitry Bivol retains his WBA light-heavyweight World title
- D. Gukesh wins Chessables Sunway Formentera International chess tournament
- India’s Abhay Singh wins Archi Factory Open squash tournament in France
- Athletics: Avinash Sable breaks national record in men’s 5,000m
- Athletics: Annu Rani breaks her own National mark in women’s javelin throw
- Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins Formula One Miami Grand Prix
- Athletics: Jyothi Yarraji creates new national record in women’s 100 m hurdles
- Priyanka Mohite becomes first Indian woman to climb 5 peaks above 8000 meters
- Thomas Cup Badminton in Bangkok: India reaches final for the first time in 73-year history; to face Indonesia in summit clash on May 15
- China backs out from hosting 2023 AFC Asian Cup: Asian Football Confederation
