Daily Current Affairs- 24 May 2024

Daily Current Affairs- 24th May 2024

INTERNATIONAL

Google to tie-up with Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology to manufacture Pixel phones in Tamil Nadu

• Alphabet Inc-owned Google will partner with Taiwan’s Foxconn Technology Group to set up a plant in Tamil Nadu to manufacture Pixel smartphones.
• Tamil Nadu, chief minister MK Stalin on Thursday said that the decision to start its production unit was a result of negotiations initiated by the state government with Google management. 

Maldives to launch India’s RuPay service

• Notwithstanding the turbulence in their bilateral ties, the Maldives will soon launch India’s RuPay service, which a senior minister has said "will bolster the Maldivian Rufiyaa".
• RuPay, a product of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is the first of its global card payment network in India, with wide acceptance at ATMs, POS devices, and e-commerce websites across India. 

NATIONAL

Noise Acquires SocialBoat to Bolster Smart Ring Innovation

• Leading smartwatch and connected lifestyle brand, Noise announced that it has acquired AI-powered women’s wellness platform SocialBoat for an undisclosed amount. This strategic move is part of Noise’s broader strategy to advance innovation in smart rings.
• SocialBoat, a startup with expertise in AI and women’s health, analyzes data from various sources, including wearables, to offer personalized recommendations for nutrition, fitness, menstrual health, and overall well-being. 

SPORTS

Atalanta wins the Europa League ends Bayer Leverkusen's unbeaten run

• The Italian football club Atalanta BC defeated the German football club Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the final of the 2023-24 UEFA Europa League, played at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, on 23 May 2024. The defeat ended Bayer Leverkusen's 51-match unbeaten record.
• First European Trophy for Atalanta Football Club - Serie A Italian football club, Atalanta BC, was playing its first European final. It was Bayer Leverkusen's third European final, having won one and lost two.
• In the final, Ademola Lookman scored twice to give a 2-0 lead to the Atalanta side at half-time and scored his third and final goal of the match in the 75 minutes of the match to seal a historic victory for his side. 

Australia to host AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026

• Australia were confirmed as the hosts of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
• The continental football federation made the announcement after the AFC Executive Committee ratified the AFC Women’s Football Committee’s recommendations at its third meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand on the eve of the 34th AFC Congress. 

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Andhra-Born Lawyer Jaya Badiga Appointed Judge In US County Superior Court

• Indian-American attorney Jaya Badiga a certified family law specialist, has been appointed as a Judge in the Sacramento County Superior Court in the US state of California.
• Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, made the appointment of Badiga, who has earlier served as a Commissioner at the Sacramento County Superior Court since 2022.
• Badiga, born in Vijayawada city of Andhra Pradesh, fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Robert S. Lapham. 

World Economic Forum Founder Klaus Schwab To Step Back From Executive Role

• Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, will be stepping down from his executive role. He will be transitioning to a non-executive role by January 2025, The Forum's governance is also set to change as a consequence of the move and Schwab hasn't yet named a successor.
• The WEF, which the 86-year-old founded in 1971, organises a yearly gathering of world leaders in finance, economy and politics in Davos, Switzerland as well as several smaller events throughout the world. 

IMPORTANT DAYS

International Day of the Markhor: UNGA

• The UN General Assembly proclaimed 24 May the International Day of the Markhor, and we celebrate it for the first time in 2024.
• The markhor (Capra falconeri) is an iconic and ecologically significant species found across the mountainous regions of Central and South Asia, including Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
• The greatest threats to the survival of the markhor are habitat loss, illegal hunting, including poaching, and climate change. 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Indian-Origin US Scientist Shrinivas R Kulkarni Wins Prestigious Shaw Prize in Astronomy

• Shrinivas R Kulkarni, an Indian-origin professor of astronomy from the US will be bestowed the prestigious Shaw Prize in Astronomy for his ground-breaking discoveries about millisecond pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and other variable or transient astronomical objects.
• Apart from Mr Kulkarni, who is the George Ellery Hale Professor of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, the other Shaw Prize awardees are Swee Lay Thein and Stuart Orkin, both from the US, who received the Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine is awarded in equal shares, and Peter Sarnak, another US scientist who received the Shaw Prize in Mathematical Sciences. 

RANKING

Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index: Delhi highest ranked among Indian city

• Delhi has scored the 350th rank in the Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index, which has compared the world's 1000 largest cities on parameters ranging from economics to human capital, The index contains five categories: Economics, Human Capital, Quality of Life, Environment, and Governance, which are aggregated to create an overall score for each city.
• New York ranks first on the index, followed by London, San Jose, Tokyo, Paris, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Melbourne and Zurich.
• In India, Bengaluru is ranked 411, Mumbai 427, Chennai 472, Kochi 521, Kolkata 528, Pune 534, Thrissur 550, Hyderabad 564 and Kozhikode 580, Chandigarh (584), Tiruchirappalli (634), Pondicherry (646), Kottayam (649), Ahmedabad (654), Mysore (667), Coimbatore (669), Jalandhar (672), Thiruvananthapuram (686), Madurai (691), Bhubaneswar (704), Amritsar (717), Vellore (729), Ludhiana (730), Nagpur (744), Dehradun (745), Vasai-Virar (748), Kannur (759), Srinagar (761), Hubli-Dharwad (766), Salem (767), Guwahati (770), Jaipur (772), Belgaum (777), Mangalore (779) and Bhopal (792)