Daily Current Affairs- 19th May 2024

Daily Current Affairs- 19th May 2024

INTERNATIONAL

IIT Delhi - Abu Dhabi campus to commence its first Academic Session in 24-25

• The first international campus of IIT Delhi will commence its first academic session in 2024-25 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Initially, the IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi campus will offer undergraduate courses.
• As part of the central government’s effort to internationalise the Indian education sector, the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has set up two campuses outside India. IIT Madras has set up a campus in Zanzibar, Tanzania, which commenced its academic season in 2023-24 and IIT Delhi Abu Dhabi will start its academic season this year. 

Indian Oil signs second long-term LNG deal with France's TotalEnergies

• Indian Oil signs second long-term LNG deal with France's TotalEnergies. This is the second long-term contract between the two countries within the past one year. In July last year they had signed an agreement for supply of 0.8 mmtpa to IndianOil. 

Jyoti Ratre, 55, becomes oldest Indian woman to conquer Mount Everest

• Jyoti Ratre, an entrepreneur and fitness enthusiast from Madhya Pradesh, has become the oldest Indian woman to conquer Mount Everest. The 55-year-old mountaineer reached the summit at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 19.
• Ratre's accomplishment comes precisely six years after Sangeeta Bahl, at 53, earned the title of ‘India’s oldest woman to climb Mount Everest' on May 19, 2018. This was Ratre's second attempt to summit the highest peak in the world. In 2023, she had to return from 8,160 mt due to harsh weather. 

NATIONAL

L&T Bags Project For Constructing Medical College And Hospital In Kolkata

• Larsen & Toubro has secured a significant order for its Buildings & Factories (B&F) business. The company will construct a Medical College and Hospital Campus at Rajarhat, Kolkata, as part of a project commissioned by the Institute of Neurosciences Kolkata.
• What Happened: L&T announced the news on Friday. The project, to be executed in two phases over 60 months, will include a 605-bed hospital, a medical college with an annual intake capacity of 150 students, and hostels for students, interns, nurses, and residents. The total built-up area will be 1.21 million square feet. The infra giant said that this is a “significant” order valued between ₹1,000 crore to ₹2,500 crore. 

SPORTS

Satwik-Chirag win Thailand Open title

• Star Indian pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty received a major boost ahead of the Paris Olympics as they secured the men's doubles title at the Thailand Open Super 500 badminton tournament with a straight-game win over Chen Bo Yang and Liu Yi of China here on Sunday.
• It was also the second title of the season for the Asian Games champions following their triumph at the French Open Super 750 in March. They had also finished runners-up at Malaysia Super 1000 and India Super 750. 

Nikhat Zareen & Minakshi Clinch Gold Medals at Elorda Cup in Kazakhstan

• In Boxing, India’s reigning world champion, Nikhat Zareen and Minakshi clinched gold medals at the Elorda Cup 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan. Nikhat in the women’s 52 kg category, triumphed over Zhazira Urakbayeva of Kazakhstan with a 5-Nil victory, while Minakshi defeated another Uzbekistan boxer Rahmonova Saidahon, 4-1 in the women’s 48 kg event.
• Meanwhile, Anamika in the 50kg and Manisha in the 60kg suffered losses to end their campaigns with silver medals. Anamika conceded a 1-4 loss against reigning world champion China’s Wu Yu while Manisha faced a nil-5 defeat against Kazakhstan’s Viktoriya Gra
• The Indian pugilists concluded their Elorda Cup 2024 campaign with 12 medals, including two gold, two silver and eight bronze medals. 

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

RBI approves appointment of Pradeep Natarajan as Whole Time Director for IDFC FIRST Bank

• IDFC FIRST Bank announced that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has greenlit the appointment of Pradeep Natarajan as a Whole Time Director on its Board. In a regulatory filing on Thursday, the private sector lender stated, “RBI…has granted approval for the appointment of Pradeep Natarajan as a Whole Time Director, with the title of Executive Director, for a term of three years.”
• The bank assured that it would undertake all necessary procedures to finalise Natarajan’s appointment as an Executive Director. However, it emphasized that shareholder approval is requisite for the appointment. 

IndiaFirst Life Insurance names Rushabh Gandhi as its next MD & CEO

• IndiaFirst Life Insurance’s board has approved the appointment of Rushabh Gandhi as the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) for five years effective July 1, 2024, or the date of regulatory approvals, whichever is earlier.
• Gandhi is the deputy chief executive officer of the insurer. The new appointment is subject to the approval of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), shareholders, and other statutory approvals. After approvals, Gandhi’s date of appointment will be announced. 

SC Approves Appointment Of Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund And Justice Mitali Thakuria As Permanent Judges Of Guwahati HC and more

• The Supreme Court Collegium has approved the proposal for appointment of two Additional Judges, namely Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund and Justice Mitali Thakuria as permanent Judges of the Guwahati High Court.
• The Supreme Court Collegium also approved the proposal for the appointment of Mr Justice Rajesh Sekhri, Additional Judge, High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, for a fresh term of one year with effect from 29 July 2024.
• The recommendation was made by Supreme Court Collegium comprising Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, and Justice BR Gavai. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day for Women in Maritime

• May 18th is observed as the International Day for Women in Maritime, an annual event initiated by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of the United Nations. The purpose of this day is to highlight women's participation in the industry and emphasize the efforts to include more women.
• Theme of this year’s International Day for Women in Maritime is "Safe Horizons: Women Shaping the Future of Maritime Safety", it emphasizes the significant impact women have on maritime safety.