National News
1. Narendra Modi to be sworn in as PM for 2nd term on May 30
i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be administered the oath of office for his second term along with his new council of ministers on 30th May. President Ram Nath Kovind will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the prime minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan.
ii. Modi is the first BJP leader who has been elected for the second time after completion of his five-year tenure. From BJP, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also elected as a prime minister for two consecutive terms, but his first stint had lasted only for one year and seven months.
Important Takeaways for LIC AAO/ADO Mains-
1. The NDA together has a strength of 353 MPs in the 543-member Lok Sabha out of which the BJP has a majority of 303 MPs.
2. Nation pays homage to first PM Jawaharlal Nehru on his 55th death anniversary
i. The nation pays homage to first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his 55th death anniversary on 27th May 2019. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. Jawaharlal Nehru emerged as an eminent leader of the Indian independence movement under the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi.
ii. Nehru held the post from its establishment as an independent nation in 1947 until his death on 27th May 1964. Shantivan is the Samadhi of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
3. 25 states miss the deadline for plan on plastic disposal
i. Over 25 state governments may have to pay environment compensation of Rs one crore each for not submitting their respective action plans on systematic disposal of plastic waste to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as the April 30 deadline set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has passed by.
ii. The states had to submit action plans by April 30 to the CPCB, failing which they would have to pay the pollution body a compensation at the rate of Rs one crore per month, as per the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order.
4. PS Golay was sworn in as Sikkim Chief Minister
i. Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) president Prem Singh Tamang, popularly known as PS Golay took oath as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. He was administered the oath by Governor Ganga Prasad at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok. Mr. Golay is not a member of the State Assembly at present as he did not contest the polls. The 51-year-old party chief when he was taking the oath in the Nepali language.
ii. Former Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and senior Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) leaders were conspicuous by their absence at the swearing-in ceremony. The SKM won a slender majority in the 32-member Sikkim Legislative Assembly by bagging 17 seats against 15 won by the SDF.
Important Takeaways for SBI PO/Clerk Mains-
1. Gangtok is the capital of Sikkim.
2. The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) was founded in 2013.
3. The PK Chamling government was ousted by the SKM after over 24 years.
5. High-level committee recommends strategy to reduce crude oil imports
i. In a report submitted to the oil ministry, a high-level committee (HLC) of companies has recommended strategies to reduce import dependency. The committee was formed to discuss research-related synergies and tax issues for state-run oil companies.
ii. The committee consisted of Anil Kakodkar (scientist) and Sidharth Pradhan, an expert on financial and tax issues. “They also looked into mergers, acquisitions and consolidation of oil and gas public sector undertakings (PSUs) and the joint ventures”. During 2018, India consumed 204.92 MMT petroleum products and 58.64 billion cubic meters (BCM) natural gas, whereas the domestic production of crude oil and natural gas has almost stagnated.
International News
6. Trump becomes the first foreign leader to meet new Japanese emperor Naruhito
i. US President Donald Trump got the red carpet treatment at Japan’s Imperial Palace where he made history, becoming the first world leader to meet with the new emperor of Japan Naruhito.
ii. The US President is on a four-day state visit to Japan. Trump will go to the Japanese state guest house later for meetings and joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Important Takeaways for LIC AAO/ADO Mains-
1. Japan is an island country in East Asia.
2. Tokyo is the capital city of Japan.
3. The yen is the official currency of Japan.
7. Cyril Ramaphosa takes oath as South Africa’s President
i. Cyril Ramaphosa, the head of the African National Congress, was sworn in for a five-year term as South Africa’s president after being elected unopposed by Parliament following the sixth general elections.
ii. He was elected earlier this month with a majority of 57.50%, the smallest since the party came to power 25 years ago. Mr. Ramaphosa initially took over from Jacob Zuma in 2018 after Mr. Zuma was accused of corruption. Mr. Ramaphosa is the country’s fifth democratically elected president since apartheid ended in 1994.
Important Takeaways for SBI PO/Clerk Mains-
1. Capitals of South Africa: Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein.
2. The rand is the official currency of South Africa.
8. NASA unveils schedule for ‘Artemis’ 2024 Moon mission
i. NASA unveiled the calendar for the “Artemis” program that will return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century, including eight scheduled launches and a mini-station in lunar orbit by 2024. The original lunar missions were named for Apollo – Artemis was his twin sister in Greek mythology, and the goddess of hunting, wilderness, and the Moon.
ii. Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed that Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed mission around the Moon planned for 2020. Next will come Artemis 2, which will orbit Earth’s satellite with a crew around 2022; followed finally by Artemis 3 that will put astronauts on lunar soil in 2024, including the first woman.
9. Sri Lankan navy launches extra vigil over terrorists
i. Sri Lankan navy has launched extra vigil on its northern seas in wake of media reports that some terrorist elements may have left the country to land on Indian shores.
ii. Earlier, several media outlets reported that a group of 15 suspected Islamic State terrorists were fleeing Sri Lanka towards the Kerala Coast. Coastal security has been beefed up across the Kerala coast in wake of reports.
Sports News
10. Lewis Hamilton wins Monaco Grand Prix
i. Lewis Hamilton won the Monaco Grand Prix to extend his championship lead over Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton struggled with grip in the latter stages and was under constant pressure from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
ii. But Verstappen had earlier picked up a five-second time penalty. So even though he finished just behind Hamilton, Verstappen was fourth overall behind Bottas in third and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in second.
11. Apurvi Chandela bags gold medal in 10m Air Rifle in ISSF World Cup
i. Indians had a good day at the year’s third International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle and Pistol tournament in Munich, Germany. Apurvi Chandela grabbed a gold, winning the women’s 10m Air Rifle competition after a closely-fought contest. She shot a score of 251 in the final to outshine Wang Luyao of China, who shot 250.8.
ii. This was Apurvi’s second ISSF World Cup gold of the year followed by a world record score in New Delhi in February. This was also her career’s fourth ISSF medal.
12. China beat Japan to win 2019 Sudirman Cup
i. China won the badminton world mixed-team championship, Sudirman Cup 2019 in Nanning, China. They beat Japan in men’s doubles, women’s singles and men’s singles to clinch the title for the 11th time.
ii. In the latest Men’ singles match, Shi Yuqi stunned world champion Kento Momota 15-21, 21-5,21-11. Japan have never won the Sudirman Cup.
Miscellaneous News
13. Facebook plans to launch ‘GlobalCoin’ cryptocurrency in 2020
i. Facebook is planning to launch its own cryptocurrency in early 2020, allowing users to make digital payments in a dozen countries. The currency, dubbed GlobalCoin, would enable Facebook’s 2.4 billion monthly users to change dollars and other international currencies into its digital coins. The coins could then be used to buy things on the internet and in shops and other outlets or to transfer money without needing a bank account.
ii. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder, and chief executive of Facebook, last month met the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, to discuss the plans.
Obituaries
14. Action choreographer-filmmaker Veeru Devgan passes away
i. Bollywood’s most famous stunt and action choreographer, Veeru Devgn passes away in Mumbai. Born in Amritsar, Devgan was behind the fight and action scenes for over 80 Hindi films including ‘Phool Aur Kaante’ (1991), ‘Mr. India’ (1987), and ‘Himmatwala’ (1983) among various others.
ii. He even acted in three films and worked as a director on ‘Hindustan Ki Kasam’ (1999).
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