24th May, 2022 Current Affairs

Archana Lakkavajula

NATIONAL
Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya addresses 75th session of World Health Assembly in Geneva

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya stressed on the need to build a resilient Global Supply Chain to enable equitable access to vaccines and medicines.
Addressing the 75th session of World Health Assembly in Geneva, the Minister called for streamlining WHO's approval process for vaccines and therapeutics and strengthen WHO to build a more resilient global health security architecture.
Mr. Mandaviya reiterated India's commitment to build more resilient global health security architecture.
The Minister noted that India believes that this year’s theme linking peace and health, is timely and pertinent because there can be no sustainable development and universal health and wellbeing without peace.
At the session, India also raised dismay and concern over WHO’s recent exercise on all cause excess mortality, where country-specific authentic data published by the statutory authority has not been taken into account.

Indian Commonwealth Day 2022

Commonwealth Day is traditionally commemorated on the second Monday of March in most of the 54 countries of the Commonwealth, with the British queen delivering a speech on the radio. However, India and a few other countries celebrate it on May 24.
The theme for Commonwealth Day 2022 is ‘Delivering a Common Future’ – which highlights how the fifty-four member countries in the Commonwealth family are ‘innovating, connecting and transforming’ to help attain goals like fighting climate change, promoting good governance, and improving trade.

INTERNATIONAL
US President Joe Biden says America will intervene militarily if China invades Taiwan

US President Joe Biden has said that the US would intervene militarily if China invades Taiwan.
He said the burden to protect Taiwan is "even stronger" after Russia's action in Ukraine. It was one of the most forceful presidential statements in support of self-governing in decades.
The US traditionally has avoided making such an explicit security guarantee to Taiwan, with which it no longer has a mutual defence treaty.
The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which has governed US relations with the island, does not require the US to step in militarily to defend Taiwan if China invades. However, it mandates America to ensure Taiwan has the resources to defend itself and to prevent any unilateral change of status in Taiwan by Beijing.

ENVIRONEMENT
World Economic Forum launches alliance to supercharge India's climate action

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has launched the India chapter of the Alliance of CEO Climate Action Leaders to supercharge India’s climate action and decarbonization efforts.
Part of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Action Platform, the alliance will continue efforts to achieve the vision outlined in the white paper released last year, ‘Mission 2070: A Green New Deal for a Net Zero India’, on India’s low-carbon transition by 2070.
It will bring together the government, businesses, and other key stakeholders to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious ‘Panchamrit’ pledge, which includes the country’s net-zero target by 2070.
A collaboration between the management consultancy Kearney and the Indian think-tank Observer Research Foundation, the alliance will serve as a high-level platform to support business leaders in planning and implementing plans and programmes to achieve climate targets, including net-zero economic growth.

APPOINTMENTS
Jose Ramos-Horta sworn in as president of East Timor

Former independence fighter and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Jose Ramos-Horta has been sworn in as president of East Timor (Timor-Leste) ahead of celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of independence for Asia’s youngest country.
He defeated incumbent Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres, his fellow independence fighter, in the election.
Ramos-Horta was prime minister from 2006 to 2007 and president from 2007 to 2012. East Timor is marking the 20th anniversary of independence for Asia’s youngest country.

Ex-Chief of Khadi Commission Vinai Kumar Saxena appointed Delhi's new Lt. Governor

Vinai Kumar Saxena has been appointed new Lieutenant Governor of Delhi. President Ram NathKovind has accepted the resignation of Anil Baijal as Lieutenant Governor.
Mr. Saxena is presently the Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission.

SPORTS
Indian teenager R Praggnanandhaa stuns Magnus Carlsen for the 2nd time in 2022

Indian GM Praggnanandhaa posted his second win over world champion Magnus Carlsen in 3 months when he stunned the Norwegian at the Chessable Masters online rapid chess tournament.
16-year-old Praggnanandha beat Magnus Carlsen for the first time in February at Airthings Masters, an online rapid chess tournament.
Praggnandha took his tally to 12 points while Carlsen was 2nd on the leaderboard behind China’s Wei Yi on Day 2 of the tournament. Abhimanyu Mishra, the youngest Grand Master in the world, is also part of the 16-man tournament.
Praggnanandhaa had won with black pieces to end Carlsen’s 3-match winning run at the Airthings Masters in just 19 moves in a Tarrasch variation game.

Manchester City crowned 2021/22 Premier League champions

In Football, Manchester City have been crowned 2021/22 Premier League champions their fourth title success in the last five seasons.
Manchester City’s dramatic 3-2 win over Aston Villa in the final game of the season sealed the title and saw them finish one point ahead of second-place Liverpool at the end of a grueling battle for supremacy. In Manchester City’s 38 league matches this season, they have won 29, drawn six, and lost three, scoring 99 goals in the process.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen wins Spanish Grand Prix

Formula One world champion, Max Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix in a Red Bull to take over at the top from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who retired with an engine failure while leading at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Mexican Sergio Perez finished second, 13 seconds behind but with the consolation of a bonus point for fastest lap, after being told to let his teammate pass for a third victory in a row after Imola and Miami.

10-year-old girl Rhythm Mamania from Maharashtra summits Everest base camp

A little 10-year-old champion skater from Worli, Rhythm Mamania, has become one of the youngest Indian mountaineers to summit the Everest Base Camp (EBC) in the Himalayan ranges in Nepal.
She has joined young Indian climbers to climb the base camp. Rhythm has achieved a rare feat by completing the climb to the base camp at an altitude of 5,364 meters in 11 days.
Rhythm went to base camp with Nepal-based company Satori Adventures. A group of some trekkers from Kutch also accompanied him. The 11-day expedition was organized by Rishi Bhandari of Satori Adventures, Nepal.

Published date : 27 May 2022 01:36PM