NATIONAL NEWS

New Domestic Cargo Terminals by 2024-2025

• Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia announced the government will establish 33 new domestic cargo terminals by 2024-2025.
• The main objective is to allow India's cargo sector to flourish and grow.
• He also stressed the need to work on ease of doing business in cargo sector by making processes paperless, adapting automation, and digitalization which can make cargo processing swift.
• It is to focus on transportation of smaller cargo loads from Tier II and III cities to metros to achieve the target of 10 million metric tons in cargo.

Intersolar Europe 2022

• Intersolar Europe 2022 is being organized by the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF) to be held from 11th May to 13th May 2022.

• Union Minister of State for Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Shri Bhagwant Khuba will attend Intersolar Europe 2022 at Munich, Germany.
• The Minister will deliver key note address at the investment promotion event “India’s Solar Energy Market” on 12th May 2022 in Munich.
• Intersolar is the world’s leading exhibition series for the solar industry and its partners.

First Waste-Powered EV Charging Station

• Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray inaugurated India’s first EV charging station powered by bio-gas at Keshavrao Khadye Marg.
• It generates 220 units of energy from household waste.
• This project is a partnership between the municipal government and AeroCare Clean Energy.
• India has successfully established a number of operational public electric vehicle chargers, the majority of which are located in cities like Pune, Surat, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai.

Green Health Alliance (GAL)

• The Catalyst Group, an innovative collaboration with the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Rockefeller Foundation, announced the launch of the Green Health Alliance (GHA) in New Delhi.

• The Alliance is set to focus on identifying and scaling up solutions to help reduce the carbon footprint of the health system.

• It also minimise the negative health impacts of climate change.
• The Green Health Alliance will integrate private and public sector expertise to build strong and resilient health ecosystems through affirmative climate action.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting

• The India-Oman Joint Commission Meeting will be held in New Delhi.

• The meeting will be co-chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion of the Sultanate of Oman Qais bin Mohammed al Yousef.

• The 48 members delegation includes senior officials and business representatives from diverse areas spanning health, mining, tourism, telecommunication, energy, shipping, and real estate.

• The bilateral trade between the two countries has grown by 82 percent to reach 9.94 billion dollars in 2021-2022.
• The visit will provide an excellent opportunity to renew and further strengthen the close and dynamic economic ties between the two countries.

‘Office Yoga’ at SCO Secretariat

• For the International Day of Yoga, Indian Embassy in Beijing organised a yoga session with the theme ‘Office Yoga’ and 'Yoga for All' at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretariat in Beijing, China.

• SCO Secretary General, Zhang Ming and Ambassador Pradeep Rawat along with officials from the SCO and Indian embassy joined in for a rejuvenating and relaxing ‘Office Yoga’ session.

• It is to strengthening cultural cooperation among SCO countries.

World’s Largest Glass Bottom Bridge

• Vietnam launched World’s largest glass-bottomed bridge suspended 150 metres (490 feet) above a lush jungle.

• It is called as Vietnam’s Bach Long pedestrian bridge, which is 632 metres (2, 073 ft) long.

• The floor of the bridge is made from French-produced tempered glass, making it strong enough to support up to 450 people at a time.
• It surpassed a 526-metre structure in Guangdong, China.

BANKING

Xpress Car Loan

• Private sector lender HDFC Bank has launched ‘Xpress Car Loans’ an end-to-end digital new car loan journey for existing customers as well as non-customers.

• This will help simplify the car purchase process and drive car sales across the country including in the semi urban and rural areas.

• Loan amount to get credited in dealers’ accounts in just about half an hour.
• The facility is only available for four wheelers and it will be gradually extended to include two-wheelers loans.
• Xpress Car Loans by HDFC Bank, will be an industry defining automotive lending journey. It will be available across all branches.

Co-Lending Platform to Facilitate NBFC

• Indian lender Bank of Baroda (BOB) has launched an end-to-end digital platform to offer loans in partnership with non-banking financial companies (NBFCs).

• The platform will provide seamless integration between the Bank and multiple NBFC partners to strengthen, accelerate and simplify the co-lending process.

• It supports both non-discretionary and discretionary models of co-lending for secured or unsecured loans.
• BOB will add ten NBFCs to its platform and targets Rs. 100bn ($1.2bn) co-lending loan book in the next two years.

AWARDS & PRIZES

Pulitzer Prize 2022

• Slain photo journalist Danish Siddiqui is among four Indians honoured with the prestigious Pulitzer Prize 2022 in the feature photography category.
• Pulitzer Prize-2022 was announced in the fields of journalism, book, drama and accompaniment.
• Adnan Abidi, Sanna Irshad Mattoo and Amit Dave are the other three members from a news agency won the award.
• Marcus Yam of the Los Angeles Times bagged the award in the Breaking News Photography category.

IMPORTANT DAYS

World Lupus Day

• World Lupus Day is observed annually on 10 May.

• This day is observed with the aim of generating awareness about this autoimmune disease which is also known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

• This day also puts focus on improving the healthcare services and boosting research about the cures and causes of lupus.
• This day was created by Lupus Canada in the year 2004.

International Day of Argania

• International Day of Argania is observed every year on May 10.
• It is to create awareness about the importance of Argan Tree (Argania spinosa), the native species of Morocco.
• It is resilient to a harsh environment under water scarcity, risk of erosion and poor soils.
• The theme for the year 2022 is ‘The Argan tree, symbol of resilience’.
• The theme of this year aims to highlight the role of Argania in reinforcing resilient communities, adapting to climate change and empowering rural women through the support and promotion of cooperatives and agricultural organizations.

OBITUTARY

Santoor Maestro Shivkumar Sharma

• Santoor player and music composer Pandit Shivkumar Sharma passed away in Mumbai due to heart attack. He was 84.

• Sharma, one of India’s most well-known classical musicians.

• He was the first musician to have played Indian classical music on the santoor, a folk instrument from Jammu and Kashmir.
• Sharma was born in Jammu in 1938.
• He is the recipient of Padma Vibhushan award.