Daily Current Affairs- 23rd May 2024

Daily Current Affairs- 23rd May 2024

INTERNATIONAL

To Lam elected as the New President of Vietnam

• General To Lam was elected as the new president of Vietnam by the Vietnamese parliament on 22 May 2024. To Lam, who was the public security minister, was removed from his post as minister by the Vietnamese parliament before being elected president. The appointment comes after Vietnam’s former President Vo Van Thuong resigned two months back amid a corruption crackdown.
• 66 years old To Lam as head of public security minister played a crucial role in the anti-corruption campaign in the country also known as "blazing furnace". The campaign aimed to root out widespread corruption in the country which saw the resignations of three out of top five leaders of the country. 

Spain Becomes 99th Member Of International Solar Alliance

• Spain has become the 99th member of the International Solar Alliance. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Spain handed over the International Solar Alliance Instrument of Ratification, during the meeting of Ambassador José María Ridao Domínguez of Spain with the Head of Depository, Joint Secretary in the External Affairs Ministry Abhishek Singh in New Delhi.
• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is a collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies as a means for bringing energy access, ensuring energy security, and driving energy transition in its member countries. 

NATIONAL

Swiggy Leverages SHIELD’s Device-First Risk AI Platform to Enhance Fraud Prevention

• Swiggy, India’s leading on-demand convenience platform, today announced its partnership with SHIELD, a device-first risk AI platform, to enhance its Fraud Prevention and Detection capabilities. SHIELD’s Device Intelligence will enable Swiggy to reduce promo abuse and deter fraudulent practices within the Delivery Partner ecosystem.
• Delivery partners can also use malicious tools and techniques to falsify their location and meet targets and unfairly collect incentives they have not earned. These impact Delivery Partners’ perception of platform fairness and hence their experience with the platform. 

First Ever Emergency Medical Response System inaugurated by Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari

• In order to provide expert guidance and definitive care during medical emergencies of serving personnel and their families of the Indian Air Force (IAF) across the nation, an Emergency Medical Response System (EMRS), was inaugurated by Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force at Command Hospital Air Force Bangalore (CHAFB) on 21 May 2024.
• The EMRS is a first of its kind 24/7 telephonic medical helpline for serving IAF personnel and their families across India. The system aims to provide prompt response by a team of medical and paramedical professionals to the caller experiencing the emergency anywhere across the country. 

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Government appoints Shri Ramesh Babu V as Member in Central Electricity Regulatory Commission

• Shri Ramesh Babu V. has taken oath of office and secrecy as Member, Central Electricity Regulatory Commission, on May 21, 2024. The oath of office and secrecy was administered to him, by the Union Minister for Power and New & Renewable Energy Shri R. K. Singh.
• Shri Ramesh Babu V. holds M. Tech Degree in Thermal Engineering and B. Tech degree in Mechanical Engineering. He held the post of Director (Operations), NTPC from May 2020 till his retirement, before which he served in various positions in NTPC. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

Buddha Purnima

• Buddha Purnima also popularly known as Buddha Jayanti or Vesak, is an immensely important festival celebrated by Buddhist followers all around the world. This special day honours the birth of Gautam Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.
• This festival falls on the full moon day of the lunar month of Vesakha, which is usually in the month of May, according to the Buddhist calendar. 

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

VST Tillers Tractors inks MoU with Axis Bank

• Axis Bank, one of the leading private sector banks in India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with VST Tillers Tractors Limited (VST), India's leading farm equipment manufacturer, to offer financial solutions to the farmers for purchasing tractors and farm mechanisation products.
• As per the agreement, Axis Bank will provide financial solutions to VST’s prospective customers through its network of 5370 branches.
• As per the MOU both the companies will also leverage their extensive footprint to reach out to the farmers community to ensure that they have an easy access to credit facility for adapting farm mechanisations. 

India Hosts Inaugural Working Group Discussions on Antarctic Tourism

• India is set to play a pivotal role in facilitating the first-ever focused discussions on regulating tourism in Antarctica at the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP).
• National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa under Ministry of Earth Sciences, and the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat will organize these meetings in Kochi, Kerala, from May 20 to May 30, 2024. The gathering has over 350 participants from nearly 40 nations. 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck wins International Booker prize

• Jenny Erpenbeck and Michael Hofmann have won the 2024 International Booker prize for Erpenbeck’s “personal and political” novel Kairos, translated by Hofmann from German.
• Erpenbeck is the first German writer to win, while Hofmann is the first male translator to win. The £50,000 prize money will be split equally between the pair.
• Erpenbeck and Hofmann were announced as the winners at a ceremony held at the Tate Modern in London, sponsored by the Italian luxury fashion house Maison Valentino. 

NTPC secures 3rd rank at ATD BEST Awards 2024 for Talent Development

• The public sector company NTPC was awarded the third rank in the world for the Talent Development category at the ATD BEST Awards 2024. The award ceremony was held in New Orleans, United States of America, on 21 May 2024, Rachana Singh Bhal, NTPC's chief general manager strategic HR & talent management, accepted the award.
• The Association of Talent Development (ATD), USA, gives the ATD BEST Awards in the field of Learning and Development. The award was instituted in 2003, The award recognises small and large private, public and not-for-profit organisations that use talent development as a strategic business tool and demonstrate enterprise-wide success through effective employee development practices.