1. India and Singapore kick off joint naval exercise 

(i) India has dispatched four warships, including the indigenously-built guided missile stealth frigate INS Satpura and the anti-submarine corvette INS Kamrota, to the Indian Ocean and the South China sea for participating in SIMBEX – 15.

(ii) SIMBEX – 15 is a bilateral naval exercise which will be conducted between the Indian and the Singaporean Navy from May 23rd to May 26th, 2015.

(iii) SIMBEX – 15 started in 1999 in consonance with India’s Act East Policy and with the view of achieving maritime security and combating terrorism, among other things.

2. Jayalalitha sworn in as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for the fifth time 

(i) The AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha was administered the oath of office and secrecy, along with her council of ministers, by the Tamil Nadu Governor, K Rosaiah, in a ceremony held at the University of Madras.

(ii) Jayalalitha, who became the 29th Chief Minister of the State, also holds the record of being a five-time CM, matching the record of the DMK leader, M Karunanidhi.

(iii) Jayalalitha was forced to resign in 2014 following corruption charges against her.  

3. 23rd May celebrated as World Turtle day

(i) Each year, 23rd May is celebrated as World Turtle Day with the objective of raising awareness about the welfare and about the increasingly threatened habitat of turtles and tortoises.

(ii) This day was created by the American Tortoise Rescue in 2000. Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson together started this day as per the World Turtle Day Facebook page.Together, they began rehabilitation of reptiles and also law enforcement in retrieving and investigating abused or neglected turtles.

(iii) In India, the UP forest department, along with the Maharashtra forest department and the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), released 335 spotted pond turtles to mark the World Turtle Day.

4. In a referendum, Ireland votes to legalise gay marriages 

(i) In a historic referendum, the Republic of Ireland voted in favour of same-sex marriages, making it the first country to legalise same-sex marriage through popular vote. 

(ii) More than 62% voted in favour of amending the country’s constitution to permit gay and lesbian marriages.

(iii) Same-sex marriages are now legal in 20 countries worldwide, including Ireland, Netherlands, UK, Denmark, Luxembourg, Finland, some parts of Mexico, etc.

5. UN observes International Day for Biological Diversity

(i) The United Nations observed International Day for Biological Diversity on 22nd May, 2015. This year’s theme for this day is ‘Biodiversity for Sustainable Development’. 

(ii) This year’s theme reflects the bigger and very crucial paradigm shift that the world has observed. ‘Development’ and ‘environment’ have become two ends of a spectrum, wherein one has to be compromised to enhance the other. 

(iii) In India, the International day for biological diversity was celebrated all over the country, the main event being held at Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. The Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, emphasised on conserving biodiversity to ensure the future of the present and the future generations.

6. World Bank approves 250 million dollar credit for Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness in Bihar

(i) The World Bank has offered a credit of 250 million dollars to the Government of Bihar to improve its school education programme.

(ii) The loan amount will be used by the Bihar Government to enhance the effectiveness of elementary school teachers. The main hurdle in providing quality elementary education is the lack of trained teachers. 

(iii) At present, the state has the capacity to train 5,000 teachers per year. However, the actual demand in state schools is ten times greater. With the approval of the loan, the Bihar Government aims to develop high quality educational institutions and help with teacher’s management and performance, through continuous professional development of the teachers in service.

7. After eliminating Polio, India set to win battle against tetanus at childbirth

(i) A year ago, India obtained the World Health Organisation (WHO) certification for the elimination of Polio. 

(ii) This year, India is set to achieve yet another milestone by receiving WHO certification for elimination of maternal and neo-natal tetanus in the next two months.

(iii) Maternal and Neo-natal tetanus is known to have claimed the lives of 2 lakh adults and children every year at its peak.

8. ‘Masaan’ wins the prestigious critics prize at the 68th Cannes film festival

(i) Indian filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s ‘Masaan’ has bagged the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) award at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival.

(ii) Masaan was showcased in the Uncertain Regard section at the movie gala. The film received a standing ovation at the end of its screening.

(iii) This film, set in Varanasi, is the debut film of Neeraj Ghaywan and it follows the stories of four people from small towns.

9. ArcelorMittal inks MoU with SAIL 

(i) ArcelorMittal has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India’s leading steel company, Steel Authority of India (SAIL), with the objective of setting up an automotive steel plant.

(ii) The MoU was jointly signed by Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal and C.S. Verma, Chairman of SAIL, in the presence of Rakesh Singh, Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Steel.

(iii)  India is projected to become the fourth largest automobile manufacturing nation by 2020. Therefore, automotive producers are striving to increase their presence in the automobile market as India transforms into a hub for automobile export manufacturing that caters to the international market. 

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