News

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 *TODAYS TOP NEWS* 

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1.  India Meteorological Department, IMD has predicted heavy rainfall spell over Northeastern states during next five days. 

2. India Meteorological Department has said that this year the southwest monsoon onset over Kerala is likely be slightly delayed than normal date. It is now expected to arrive by 4th June.

3. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a subsidy of Rs 38,000 crore for Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilisers, taking the total outlay for fertiliser subsidies to Rs 1.08 lakh crore for the ongoing Kharif season in order to provide affordable soil nutrients to farmers.

4. Eight major rail projects worth Rs 8,216 crore are slated to be launched by PM Modi on 18 May. The projects include foundation stone laying for redevelopment of Puri and Cuttack stations. 

5. Union Minister, Dr. Jitendra Singh will chair a high level meeting of all the Vice Chancellors of Universities, Directors of institutions and other heads of institutions of Jammu division in Jammu  today. 

6. New Karnataka CM by Thursday, cabinet in 48-72 hours, says Congress. After the multiple rounds of discussions, AICC general secretary in-charge for Karnataka Randeep Surjewala said a decision on the new cabinet will be in place in the next 48-72 hours.

7. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi reportedly told Karnataka party chief and CM prospect DK Shivakumar that his "sacrifices" and "loyalty" will be rewarded, according to reports. Reports also said that Shivakumar has been offered the post of Deputy CM, along with six other portfolios in the cabinet, but he hasn't accepted yet. Shivakumar met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday in Delhi. 

8. The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Manipur government to take steps to foster confidence and ensure peace and tranquillity in the state torn by ethnic violence. 

9. Amid the ongoing fight for control of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), president Vilakshan Singh was expelled from the party by its London-based chief patron Ankit Love who accused him of being a "secret agent" of BJP. 

10. Punjab cabinet approves 18 new I-T dept posts; Rs 95 crore transferred to MC Jalandhar for development. 

11.  Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday flagged off from Rishikesh the first batch of Sikh pilgrims for Hemkund Sahib.

12.  Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has approved a 4% increase in dearness allowance for state government employees from 38% to 42%. According to an official release, the hike will benefit 16 lakh government staffers, teachers, pensioners and those receiving family pensions. 

13. The Balaji Dham Temple in UP's Muzaffarnagar has enforced strict dress code for men and women. It said those wearing short clothes like half pants and mini skirts won't be allowed to have a darshan of the deity. 

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        *CRIME REPORT* 

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1. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is conducting searches at over 100 places across six states (Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and other states) in connection with cases related to narco-terror-gangster nexus. 

2. BJP National vice-president Dilip Ghosh's house in West Bengal's Kharagpur was vandalised on Wednesday allegedly by members of a Kurmi outfit, which has been demanding his apology claiming that he insulted the community. 

3. Social Service branch of Mumbai Police raided a dance bar in Andheri on Monday night, arrested 18 persons and rescued 17 women from the bar. The police seized cash worth ₹1.20 lakh, a laptop, speakers, an amplifier and a memory card.

4. Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday conducted searches at the premises of Sunak Bali, who was an aide of Satya Pal Malik when he was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir, and 11 other locations in Delhi and Rajasthan in the alleged insurance scam case. 

5. Pakistani Hindu migrants protested outside the Jaisalmer District Collectorate after they were allegedly forcibly evicted from their temporary settlements on the orders of the Collector Tina Dabi. The migrants alleged that their homes were set on fire. Dabi defended the eviction saying that the migrants were illegally occupying government land. 

6. A drug manufacturing laboratory allegedly set up by foreign nationals inside a rented house in Greater Noida's Sector Theta 2 has been busted and 46 kg of methamphetamine worth around ₹200 crore has been seized. Raw material which could have been used to produce more methamphetamine worth ₹100 crore has also been seized. 

7.  CBI has summoned ex-NCB officer Sameer Wankhede, who has been booked for allegedly seeking ₹25 crore bribe for not framing actor Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan in the drugs-on-cruise case. He will be questioned by the agency in Mumbai on Thursday. He was Mumbai zonal chief of NCB when raids were conducted on the cruise ship in 2021.

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            *FINANCE* 

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 *USD ₹.82.36* 

💷 *GBP  ₹.102.61* 

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 *GDP rate (2023* ) : 6.15%

 *Inflation rate* : 5.66%

 

1. The government has decided to spend one lakh eight thousand crore rupees towards fertiliser subsidy for the kharif season this year.

2. The government has approved Production Linked Incentive Scheme 2.0 for Information and Technology related hardware with a budgetary outlay of 17,000 crore rupees. 

3. SP Hinduja, the eldest of the four Hinduja brothers and Chairman of the Hinduja Group, died at the age of 87 in London on 17 May (Wednesday) . 

4. SBI Funds Management gets RBI nod to buy 9.99% stake in HDFC Bank. 

5. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken significant actions in the financial sector, canceling the certificate of registration of seven non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) and accepting the surrender permits of 14 NBFCs.   

6. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a ₹17,000 crore production-linked incentive for IT hardware, Union Minister for IT and Telecom Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The tenure of the scheme is six years. 

7.  Billionaire Elon Musk-led electric carmaker Tesla has proposed setting up a factory in India to build electric cars for domestic sale and export. 

××× *ENTERTAINMENT NEWS* ×××

1. Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Dr L Murugan  inaugurated the India Pavilion at Marché du Film at 76th Cannes International Film Festival in France.

2. Members of a Parliamentary panel—Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communication and Technology-- have told executives from OTT platforms including Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Sony LIV, Zee5 and Amazon Prime Video to respect cultural sensitivities of India. The panel further urged these platforms to refrain from showing obscene content on their platforms. 

3. Director Rob Marshall was asked if he would like to work with any Indian actors, 'The Little Mermaid' maker replied "The 'Naatu Naatu' actors" Jr NTR and Ram Charan. He added, "They're just fantastic...they are so physical. They dance so beautifully. They are really incredible. 

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          *DEFENCE* 

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1. Gajraj Corps of the Indian Army conducted a Joint Flood Relief 'Exercise Jal Rahat' at Hagrama Bridge on Manas River, Assam to validate joint drills and coordinate preparedness by multi-agency flood relief columns.

Apart from Indian Army- SSB, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and police representatives took part. 

2. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on May 17 released the official notification for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) II and National Defence Academy (NDA) II exams, marking the commencement of the registration process. Candidates can now apply for the UPSC CDS/NDA 2023 exam by visiting the official website at upsc.gov.in. The online application form can be submitted until June 6, till 6 pm. 

3. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has announced online certification courses in artificial intelligence and cyber security. Both online courses are scheduled to begin on 12 June 2023. The last date to register for these courses is 25 May 2023 and the last date to pay the fee is 5 June 2023.

Both courses are open to students and graduates from any discipline, IT professionals, officers from tri-services, and research and development professionals.  Both online courses are scheduled to begin on 12 June 2023. The last date to register for these courses is 25 May 2023 and the last date to pay the fee is 5 June 2023.

4. Indian Air Force Agniveer Vayu Result 2023, CutOff, Merit List Direct Link at agnipathvayu.cdac.in: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has conducted the Indian Air Force Agniveer Vayu Recruitment Exam from 18th January 2023 to 24th January 2023.

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✈ *INTERNATIONAL NEWS* 

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1. The 3rd Energy Transitions Working Group Meeting, ETWG under India’s G20 Presidency concluded in Mumbai yesterday 17 May. During the three-day meeting, over 100 delegates representing G20 member countries, special invitee countries and international organisations deliberated on priority areas. 

2. The Union Government has approved signing of Project Collaboration Agreement between the Department of Health Research (DHR) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Assistive Technology.

3. Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran was conferred with France's highest civilian honour — "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur". "He was conferred (with) the highest civilian award of France for his contributions to strengthening the trade relationship between India & France. 

4. Go First Airlines has cancelled all its flights till May 26, citing operational reasons. Earlier, the airlines had cancelled flights till May 19. 

5. Bangladesh will no longer provide extra security cover to Indian envoys and other top diplomats from the United States, the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia during their movements in the country. Although the normal security protocols will be in place, the "extra security escort" will be withdrawn.

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🌎 *WORLD NEWS* 🌍

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1. Taliban has appointed Mohammad Abdul Kabir as the interim Prime Minister of Afghanistan following the illness of the current leader Mohammad Hassan Akhund. Blacklisted by the United Nations, Kabir is known to have been an active member of terrorist operations in eastern Afghanistan. He has also been accused of attack on Afghan parliamentarians in 2007 that killed 72 people.

2.  A Sri Lankan court in Colombo on Wednesday ordered the lifting of the overseas travel ban on former president and prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. 

3. Singapore on Wednesday hanged another citizen for trafficking cannabis, the second in three weeks, despite growing calls for it to halt drug-related executions. The 37-year-old was executed after his bid to reopen his case was dismissed by the court without a hearing. 

4. World- renowned Nepalese mountaineer Kami Rita Sherpa scaled Mt Everest for a record 27th time on Wednesday, beating his own record with the highest number of ascends on the world's highest peak. The 53-year-old record-holding mountain guide stood atop the 8,848.86 metres-high peak at 8:30 am on Wednesday. 

5. Taiwan's parliament has passed an amendment allowing same-sex couples to jointly adopt children. Earlier, people in Taiwan were allowed to adopt regardless of their sexual orientation, however, those in same-sex marriages could not both be legal parents unless the child was one partner's biological offspring. Taiwan legalised same-sex marriage in 2019, becoming the first state in Asia to do so.

6. Islamabad HC has granted ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan blanket relief from arrest till May 31. The HC, which earlier granted bail to Khan till May 17 in Al-Qadir Trust case, extended its relief while seeking details of all cases filed against him.

7. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday announced a two-month extension of the Black Sea grain deal under which Ukrainian ships can across the Black Sea.

8. Eight  dead, thousands evacuated as floods batter northern Italy. 

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🚣🚴🏇🏊 *SPORTS* 

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 *INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2023* 

(a)  Punjab Kings vs Delhi Capitals, 64th Match

Delhi Capitals won by 15 runs

DC - 213/2 (20)

PBKS - 198/8 (20)

 

Player of the Match

Rilee Rossouw

(b) Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Atharva Taide has become the second cricketer to be retired out in IPL history. Atharva left the field after the 15th over of PBKS' innings against Delhi Capitals (DC) after scoring 55(42). A batter is considered retired out if he retires his innings without the umpire's permission and cannot resume the innings. 

(C) 18 May, Thursday

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

65th Match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT

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 *MANIPUR* : Imphal

Districts 16

Governr : Anusuiya Uikey

CM : N. Biren Singh (BJP).

On 21st January, 1972, all the three states (Manipur, Meghalaya and Tripura) became full-fledged states under the North Eastern Region. 

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🇮🇳 *FACTS ABOUT INDIA* 🇮🇳

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 *National Disaster Management Authority, (NDMA)* is an apex Body of Govt of India, with a mandate to lay down policies & Guidelines for disaster management like Earthquakes, cyclones, Avalanche, COVID etc. NDMA exercise of powers under Section 6 (2) (i) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Decisions on quarantine, lockdown etc will taken by NDMA.

National Executive Committee (NEC) assist and is responsible for the preparation of the National Disaster Management Plan for the whole country. Decisions on restrictions will be taken by NEC under Home ministry.

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*😀Thought of the day*

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   Learn everything that is good from others, but bring it in, and in your own way adsorb it; do not become others =======================

*JOKE OF THE DAY*

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    *Munna Bhai* - Circuit,bole to ye Ford kya hota hai?

 *Circuit* – Bhai, gaadi hai.

 *Munna Bhai* – To phir, ye Oxford kya hai?

 *Circuit* – Bole to simple hai bhai, Ox ka matlab hai bail,

Ford ka matlab gaadi, isliye Oxford bole to Bailgaadi !!

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*😳WHY❓❓❓*

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  *Why we get dreams while sleeping* 

Dreams are hallucinations that occur during certain stages of sleep. They're strongest during REM sleep, or the rapid eye movement stage, when you may be less likely to recall your dream. Much is known about the role of sleep in regulating our metabolism, blood pressure, brain function, and other aspects of health. A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.

Adults and babies alike dream for around two hours per night. During a typical lifetime, people spend an average of six years dreaming. The average person has three to five dreams per night, and some may have up to seven.

People who are blind from birth do not have visual dreams. Their dream contents are related to other senses like hearing, touch, smell and taste, whichever are present since birth

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*LEARN Sanskrit*🙏🏻

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 उत्तिष्ठतु (Get up)

उपविशतु (Sit down)

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 🤔 *HOW IT WORKS* ⁉ =======================

  *How a crayon is made* 

 *A crayon* (or wax pastel) is a stick of pigmented wax used for writing or drawing. Wax crayons differ from pastels, in which the pigment is mixed with a dry binder such as gum arabic, and from oil pastels, where the binder is a mixture of wax and oil.

The two basic ingredients for a crayon are:

1. Pigment

2. Paraffin wax, stored in heated 17,000 gallon tanks

The mixture is heated until it melts into a liquid. Crayons melt at 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). The mixture is heated to 190 F (82 C). The liquid is poured into a preheated mold full of hundreds of crayon-shaped holes. Cool water (55 F, 13 C) is used to cool the mold, allowing the crayon to be made in 3 to 9 minutes.

A single mold makes 1,200 crayons at a time, weighing a total of about 40 pounds. The operator uses hydraulic pressure to eject the crayons from the mold. Earlier mold designs used a hand crank to push up the crayons. 

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💁🏻‍♂‍ *GK TODAY* 

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  18 May - International Museum Day

International Museum Day is observed on 18 May every year to raise awareness about the museum and its role in society. The International Council of Museums (ICOM) created International Museum Day in 1977. The organisation suggested a proper theme every year which may include globalisation, bridging cultural gaps and care for the environment. 

18 May – World AIDS Vaccine Day

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 *BORN TODAY* 🐣💐

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   Haradanahalli Doddegowda Deve Gowda (born 18 May 1933) is an Indian politician who is the state president of Janata Dal (Secular), Karnataka and who was the 11th Prime Minister of India from 1 June 1996 to 21 April 1997.

He was previously the 14th Chief Minister of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996. 

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 🙏🏻 *IDIOMS & PHRASES* 

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 Let the cat out of the bag

Give away a secret

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  *ANTONYMS* 

 Generous x Mean, Greedy

 *SYNONYMS*

 unbiased ~ impartial

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🛕 *VEDIK GYAN* 

(kindly inform, if given info is differ from actual facts🙏🏻) =======================

  *Markandeya* The great sage Mrikandu rishi and his wife Marudmati worshipped Shiva and sought from him the boon of begetting a son. As a result, he was given the choice of either a righteous son, but with a short life on earth or a child of low intelligence but with a long life. Mrikandu rishi chose the former, and was blessed with Markandeya, an exemplary son, destined to die at the age of 16.

Markandeya grew up to be a great devotee of Shiva and on the day of his destined death he continued his worship of Shiva in his aniconic form of Shivalingam. The messengers of Yama, the god of death were unable to take away his life because of his great devotion and continual worship of Shiva. Yama then came in person to take away Markandeya's life, and sprung his noose around the young sage's neck. By accident or fate the noose mistakenly landed around the Shivalingam, and out of it, Shiva emerged in all his fury attacking Yama for his act of aggression. After defeating Yama in battle to the point of death, Shiva then revived him, under the condition that the devout youth would live forever. For this act, Shiva was thereafter also known as Kalantaka ("Ender of Death").

This event, it is said, took place on the bank of river Gomati in Kaithi, Varanasi. An ancient temple Markandeya Mahadeva Temple is made on this site. It's the place where river Ganga and river Gomati merge so being a Sangam area, its sacredness increases.

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🧬 *HEALTH CARE: HOME REMEDIES*🩺

( *Note* : These home tips followed in villages/ancient traditions, it is up to you to use it or not🙏🏻) =======================

   *Cardamom* may help lower blood pressure, most likely due to its antioxidant and diuretic properties.

Cardamom is often used to treat bad breath and is a component of some chewing gums. This is because cardamom might be able to kill common mouth bacteria and prevent cavities.