1. Govindraj elected as President of Basketball Federation of India
Tags: Sports Person in news Sports News
Dr. Govindraj has been elected as the President of the Basketball Federation of India.
An Overview of the News
He is a Congress MLC and holds the position of President of International Basketball Federation (FIBA), Asia and President of Karnataka Olympic Association.
Dr. Govindaraj is the first Indian to be unanimously nominated as the President of FIBA Asia.
The nomination was confirmed at the FIBA Asia Congress, making Dr. Govindaraj the first Indian to lead the International Basketball Federation in Asia, which comprises 44 countries.
He succeeds Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani of Qatar, who served as the head of FIBA Asia for four consecutive terms since 2002.
International Basketball Federation (FIBA)
It is a federation of national organisations governing basketball around the world.
It defines the rules of basketball, ensuring consistency and fairness across different countries and competitions.
It hosts international competitions such as the FIBA Basketball World Cup and the Olympic Basketball Tournament.
It consists of 212 national federations organised into five regions: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
Establishment - 18 June 1932
Headquarters - Mies, Switzerland
President - Hamane Niang
2. Hari Buddha Magar conquered Mount Everest with artificial legs
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Hari Budha Magar, a double-amputee ex-British Gurkha soldier from Nepal, scaled Mount Everest with prosthetic legs.
An Overview of the News
Magar acknowledged the collective effort that made his achievement possible, including support from the Government of Nepal and people around the world.
He joined the British Gurkhas in 1999 at the age of 19.
Magar lost both his legs when he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by the Taliban during a mission in Afghanistan in 2010.
Magar participated in Paralympic sporting activities to raise awareness of disability.
In the past decade, he accomplished numerous mountaineering feats, including the ascents of Ben Nevis (1,345 m), Mont Blanc (4,808.72 m), Kilimanjaro (5,895 m), Mera Peak (6,476 m), and Mount Toubkal (4,167 m).
Mount Everest:
Mount Everest is the highest peak of the Greater Himalaya mountain range located on the border of Nepal and China (Tibet) in Asia.
Mount Everest is called Devagiri in Sanskrit, Chomolungma in Tibetan, Chu-mu-long-ma-feng in Chinese and Sagarmatha in Nepali.
On 29 May 1953, Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, an Indian citizen of Nepalese origin, climbed Mount Everest for the first time.
Junko Tabei (Japan) is the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, as well as the first woman to climb the highest peaks on each of the 7 continents.
Bachendri Pal is the first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest in 1984.
Santosh Yadav is the first Indian woman to climb Everest twice in a row.
About Nepal
The kingdom of Nepal was established by the Shah dynasty.
It is a landlocked country in South Asia.
Prime Minister - Pushpa Kamal Dahal
President - Ram Chandra Paudel
Capital - Kathmandu
Currency - Nepalese Rupee
3. Sourav Ganguly named as brand ambassador of Tripura Tourism
Tags: Person in news State News
Former India cricket captain and former BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly has been named as the brand ambassador for Tripura Tourism.
An Overview of the News
The Tripura government believes that Ganguly's popularity and charisma will draw attention to the state's unexplored tourist destinations.
The selection of Ganguly as the brand ambassador is expected to attract more visitors to Tripura and give a boost to the tourism industry.
About Tripura
It is a state in northeastern India and is bounded by Assam and Mizoram in the east and Bangladesh in the north, south and west.
Tripura is divided into 8 districts and 23 sub-divisions and Agartala is the state capital and largest city.
Tripura has 19 different tribal communities with a majority Bengali population and Bengali, English and Kokborok are the official languages of the state.
Tripura became a full-fledged Indian state in 1972 and only one major highway, National Highway 8, connects it to the rest of the country.
Five mountain ranges - Hathai Kotor, Atharamura, Longtharai, Shakhan, and Jampui Hills - run from north to south with intervening valleys.
Capital - Agartala
Governor - Dr. Manik Saha
Chief Minister - Mr. Satyadev Narayan Arya
Tourism Minister - Sushant Chowdhary
4. Shirgaonkar elected as India Taekwondo Chief
Tags: Sports Person in news Sports News
Namdev Shirgaonkar was elected unopposed as the President of the executive committee of India Taekwondoon 23 May.
An overview of the news
The election was held at 2 Hotel Sun City Residency, Andheri (East) in which 25 affiliated State Associations duly participated.
With all the office bearers being elected unopposed, the entire election process was completed without any hitch.
Sharad D Madakare (retd. Deputy Charity Commissioner) along with Bhagwatrao Gaikwad (retd. Judge) served as the Returning Officer.
Namdev Shirgaonkar, President, India Taekwondo, who holds a black belt in Taekwondo, has accepted to be elected unopposed as the head of India Taekwondo.
Kiyarash Bahri (Coordinator - World Taekwondo - WT) and Wanyoung Lee (Observer - Asian Taekwondo Union - ATU) and Prashant Desai(Observer - Paralympic Committee of India - PCI) moderated the election process.
5. Neeraj Chopra makes history, becomes World No 1 in men's javelin throw
Tags: Sports Person in news Sports News
Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Neeraj Chopra on May 22 achieved the number one ranking in men's javelin throw for the first time. This is a major milestone in his career.
An overview of the news
Neeraj Chopra is on top with 1455 points, 22 ahead of Anderson Peters of Granada.
Chopra rose to world No. 2 on August 30, 2022, but has since been overtaken by the defending world champion, Peters.
In 2022, Neeraj won the Diamond League 2022 final in Zurich in September, making him the first Indian athlete to do so.
Tokyo Olympics silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch of Czech Republic was third with 1416 points.
The Indian national record holder in men's javelin throw, took part in the season-opening Doha Diamond League on May 5 and finished first with a throw of 88.67m.
Anderson Peters finished third in Doha with a throw of 85.88m.
Top 5 in Men's javelin throw
1. Neeraj Chopra (India) -1455 points
2. Anderson Peters (Granada) - 1433 points
3. Jakub Vadlejch (Czech Republic)- 1416 points
4. Julian Weber (Germany)- 1385 points
5. Arshad Nadeem (Pakistan) - 1306 points
6. Amy Pope became the first woman Director-General of the United Nations Migration Agency
Tags: Person in news International News
Amy Pope of the United States has been selected as the first female Director-General of the United Nations Migration Agency.
An Overview of the News
She will head the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Pope is currently serving as deputy to Director General Antonio Vitorino.
Her five-year term as director general will begin on October 1, replacing Vitorino.
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
It is an agency of the United Nations and provides services and advice related to migration.
The agency provides assistance to governments and expatriates.
It caters to the needs of diverse groups including internally displaced persons, refugees and migrant workers.
Formation - 6 December 1951
Headquarters - Geneva, Switzerland
Membership (2023) - 175 member states and 8 observer states
7. Congress leader Siddaramaiah sworn in as CM of Karnataka and DK Shivakumar as Deputy CM
Tags: Person in news State News
Congress leader Siddaramaiah was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for his second term and Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister.
An Overview of the News
The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, administered by Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.
Several Congress MLAs including Dr G Parameshwara, KH Muniyappa, KJ George, MB Patil, Satish Jarkiholi, Priyank Kharge, Ramalinga Reddy and BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan took oath as ministers in the state cabinet.
The ceremony was attended by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi and chief ministers of Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, as well as other political leaders.
The Congress government in Karnataka is now officially established.
About Karnataka:
It is a state located in South West India and has coasts of the Arabian Sea.
Formation - 1 November 1956
Governor - Thawar Chand Gehlot
Capital - Bangalore
Rajya Sabha - 12 seats
Lok Sabha - 28 seats
8. Arjun Ram Meghwal appointed as the new Law and Justice Minister
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Arjun Ram Meghwal was appointed as the new Law and Justice Minister and the previous Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju was assigned the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
An Overview of the News
Meghwal will also continue in his current position as Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Culture.
Arjun Ram Meghwal will replace Kiren Rijiju in the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Ministry of Law and Justice:
The Ministry of Law and Justice is a cabinet ministry in the Government of India.
It is responsible for the management of legal affairs, legislative activities and administration of justice in India.
The ministry consists of three departments: Legislative Department, Department of Legal Affairs and Department of Justice.
The Department of Legal Affairs advises various Ministries of the Central Government.
Formed - 1833
Headquarters - Cabinet Secretariat Raisina Hill, New Delhi
9. AK Jain appointed as new chairman of PNGRB by the government
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AK Jain was appointed as the new chairman of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) by the government.
An Overview of the News
The appointment was made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and the post of chairman was lying vacant since December 2020.
AK Jain is replacing former PNGRB chief DK Saraf, who retired on December 3, 2020.
Former coal secretary AK Jain will serve as the chairman of PNGRB for a period of five years.
Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB):
It was established under the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 (No. 19 of 2006).
The purpose of setting up the Board is to protect the interests of consumers and entities involved in activities related to petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas.
PNGRB is responsible for promoting competitive markets and addressing matters related to the petroleum and natural gas sectors.
One of the major objectives of PNGRB is to ensure uninterrupted and adequate supply of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas throughout the country.
10. Dr. Manoj Soni took the Oath of Office and Secrecy as the Chairman of UPSC
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Dr Manoj Soni took the oath of office and secrecy as the Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on 16 May.
An Overview of the News
The oath was administered by Smita Nagraj, the senior-most member of the commission.
Dr. Manoj Soni became the Member of the Commission on June 28, 2017 and was later appointed as the Chairman under Article 316(A) of the Constitution of India on April 5, 2022.
Prior to joining UPSC, Dr. Soni studied Political Science with specialisation in International Relations Studies and holds a Doctorate degree in "Post-Cold War International Systemic Transition and Indo-US Relations" from Sardar Patel University.
He served as Vice-Chancellor of MS University of Baroda for one term and Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, Gujarat for two terms, making him the youngest Vice-Chancellor in independent India.
UPSC:
It is a constitutional body established under Articles 315-323 Part XIV Chapter II of the Constitution of India.
It discharges its duties, functions and obligations assigned under Article 320.
It is responsible for conducting examinations and interviews for the appointment of civil servants in the Central Government.
