NATIONAL NEWS

G20 Culture Group (CWG) Meeting

• Second G20 Culture Group meeting, also known as the CWG meeting, took place in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.

• The CWG meeting aims to facilitate discussion and cooperation among G20 member states on cultural issues, heritage conservation, creative industries and cultural diplomacy.

• The meeting addressed the importance of preserving and protecting cultural heritage, including tangible and intangible cultural properties.

• The discussions included topics such as heritage conservation, cultural tourism and promotion of cultural diversity.

• The meeting explored the role of creative industries such as art, design, film, music and fashion in economic growth, job creation and innovation.

National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited 'Jana Shakti Art exhibition' at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Delhi.

• This is an exhibition of wonderful samples of art based on some episodes of Mann Ki Baat.

• Amazing samples of art based on some episodes of Mann Ki Baat have been displayed in the exhibition.

• NGMA aims to preserve, document, and promote modern and contemporary art in India.
• It serves as a platform for showcasing and appreciating various forms of artistic expression.
• NGMA houses an extensive collection of artworks, including paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs and installations.

National Homoeopathic Convention 'Homocon 2023'

• Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the National Homoeopathic Convention 'Homeocon 2023' at Doon University, Dehradun and launched a documentary on Homeopathy.

• Homeopathy has been recognized as the second most practiced system of medicine in the world and its importance has been demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• The commitment of the state government to establish Uttarakhand as a major AYUSH region is due to the economic and effective nature of homeopathy.

Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework

• Higher Education Minister of Kerala Shri R. Bindu formally launched the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF), modelled on the lines of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), to assess the quality of higher education institutions.
• Kerala has become the first in the country to establish a State-specific ranking framework for its higher education institutions by way of the initiative.
• It is to introduce a more democratic and secular approach to the ranking system in kerala.
• The NIRF is a ranking system created by the Indian government in 2015 to evaluate higher education institutions across India.
• The framework will assess the higher educational institutions based on 5 components.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

London Stock Exchange Group to Set Up Technology Centre

• The London Stock Exchange Group PLC (LSEG) will set up a technology centre of excellence (CoE) in Hyderabad, which will create about 1,000 jobs a year.

• The announcement was made after Telangana IT and Industries Minister Shri KT Rama Rao Meeting with LSE Group CIO Anthony McCarthy in London.

• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed by Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of IT and Industries Departments (Govt of Telangana), and McCarthy.

• The CoE will boost the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) ecosystem in the city.

BANKING

Bank of Baroda Launches Electronic Bank Guarantee

• Bank of Baroda (BoB), one of India’s leading public sector banks, has introduced Electronic Bank Guarantee (e-BG) on its BarodaINSTA platform, in partnership with National E-Governance Services Limited (NeSL), a platform that provides for the issuance of inland BGs through electronic mode.

• The new facility will enable the public sector bank to issue inland bank guarantees electronically on its digital platform BarodaINSTA.

• Being entirely digital, the system will reduce the turnaround time in the process and provide a safer and more accessible medium, claims the Bank.

• The beneficiary can view the final digital BG on the NeSL portal immediately upon issuance.
• Such an e-BG eliminates the need for a separate authentication from the BG issuing Bank.

RBI Mandates Rupee-Only Settlement of Fees for Certain Cards

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) stated that certain fees/ charges levied by ‘Authorised Persons’ on International Debit Cards, Store Value Cards, among others, and payable in India have to be denominated and settled in Rupees only.

• This instruction comes in the wake of the RBI coming across a few Authorised Persons (in foreign exchange) levying certain fees/charges, payable in India on such instruments, in foreign currency.

• The instruments also include Charge Cards/Smart Cards or any other instrument that can be used to create a financial liability as ‘currency’.

• Authorised Persons include banks authorised to deal in foreign exchange, full-fledged money changers, etc.

HDFC Bank Partners with Telangana Academy

• HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector bank, and Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK), a not- for-profit organisation under the Department of ITE&C, Government of Telangana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

• It is to promote employment of fresh graduates.

• As per the MoU, HDFC Bank will now be able access a large pool of talent across 700 institutions registered with ‘TASK’.

• The MoU was signed at Hyderabad by Shrikant Sinha, CEO – TASK and Ranga Subramanian, Head – Talent Acquisition, HDFC Bank.
• Under the partnership, TASK will help HDFC Bank hire trained students.
• Logistical support for placement drives and interviews will be provided by TASK.

SPORTS

BFAME Championships in Lahore

• Sumit Mukherjee, a metro employee from Kolkata, won four gold medals at the Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle-East Championship (BFAME) held in Lahore, Pakistan.

• Sumit Mukherjee was the only railway staff member in the 24-member Indian contingent.

• The games were divided into four categories: Open, Women's, Mixed and Senior, and Sumit represented India in the Open category.
• Sumit Mukherjee had earlier won a bronze medal at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and the 4th Asia Cup Bridge Championships to be held in Jakarta in 2022.

APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Director of CBI

• Praveen Sood, a 1986 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Karnataka cadre, has been appointed as the next director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

• Praveen Sood will replace current CBI Director Subodh Jaiswal when his term ends on May 25.

• The Department of Personnel and Training approved the appointment of Sood as CBI Director for a period of two years.

• CBI is the premier investigative agency of India.
• It was established in 1941 as Special Police Establishment and later renamed as Central Bureau of Investigation in 1963.
• Its primary objective is to maintain the integrity and credibility of administration, ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.

DEFENCE

India-Indonesia Exercise ‘Samudra Shakti’

• INS Kavaratti, indigenously designed and built ASW Corvette, arrived at Batam, Indonesia to participate in the 4th edition of India-Indonesia Bilateral exercise Samudra Shakti-23.

• Samudra Shakti-23 will showcase the high degree of interoperability between the two navies and their shared commitment to peace and stability in the region.

• An Indian Navy Dornier maritime patrol aircraft and Chetak helicopter are also participating in the exercise.

• The Indonesian Navy is represented by KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda, CN 235 Maritime Patrol Aircraft and AS565 Panther helicopters.
• The Harbor Phase will include cross deck visits, professional interactions, subject matter expert exchanges and sports fixtures.
• During the sea phase, weapons firing, helicopter operations, anti-submarine warfare and air defense exercises and boarding operations are planned.

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of Families

• International Day of Families is observed every year on 15 May.
• It is celebrated to raise awareness about the importance of families and their role in society.
• It is a global observance observed by countries around the world, including the United States.
• The theme for International Day of Families 2023 is 'Demographic Trends and Families'.
• This day was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993.
• It aims to promote awareness of the importance of families as the basic unit of society and to address issues related to the global family.

OBITUTARY

Mexican Five-Time World Cup Veteran Antonio Carbajal

• Legendary Mexican goalkeeper Antonio Félix ‘Tota’ Carbajal Rodríguez, the first footballer to play in 5 Fédération internationale de football association (FIFA) World Cups, passed away in Leon, Mexico. He was at the age of 93.

• He was also called ‘El Cinco Copas’, in reference to his record of 5 World Cups played.

• He played 47 games for the Mexican national team and appeared in World Cups in Brazil in 1950, Switzerland in 1954, Sweden in 1958, Chile in 1962 and England.