Current Affairs One - Liner : 23rd May 2024

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in India created 11.4% more formal jobs in the fiscal year 2023-24, totaling 15.4 million jobs. The data shows a significant increase in youth and female participation in the organized workforce. The sectors that saw the most growth include computer manufacturing and services, restaurants, accountancy, and food preservation.

Jyoti Ratre, a 55-year-old from Madhya Pradesh, has become the oldest Indian woman to summit Mount Everest on May 19, 2024. This was her second attempt, the first being in 2023 which was unsuccessful due to harsh weather.
In 2024, India has seen a surge in cybercrime, with over 7,000 complaints registered daily. The total complaints lodged so far in 2024 is 7,40,957. Most of these are associated with fake apps and algorithm manipulation. The majority of these cyber fraudsters are believed to be operating from key locations in Southeast Asia.
The Calcutta High Court has ordered the cancellation of around five lakh OBC certificates in West Bengal. The court deemed the reservations granted to several classes since 2010 as illegal. However, those who secured employment using these certificates will not be affected.
Buddha Purnima or Buddha Jayanti is a significant festival celebrated on May 23, 2024, commemorating the birth of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. On this day, devotees visit temples to offer prayers and participate in rituals such as pouring milk over the statue of Baby Buddha.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced that national elections will be held on July 4. This unexpected move has overturned the expectations of an autumn poll. The official five-week election campaign will start after Parliament is formally shut down next week.
Spain has become the 99th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), an action-oriented platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies. India and France jointly launched the ISA, and as of now, 116 countries have signed the ISA Framework Agreement, with 94 having completed the ratification process.

Porter, an on-demand logistics startup, has become India's third unicorn of 2024, reaching a $1 billion valuation. This was achieved through a recent funding round involving investments from friends and family via the company's Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Founded in 2014, Porter operates in over 20 cities across India, providing various delivery services.
SBI General Insurance and Jana Small Finance Bank (JSFB) have partnered to distribute SBI’s non-life insurance products through JSFB’s network. The goal is to expand SBI’s distribution, improve customer access, and reach a wider population segment.
Thomas Cook India launched a new digital service called ‘TCPay’. This service is designed to simplify international money transfers. It provides 24x7 access, enables paperless transactions, features a user-friendly interface, and includes a video KYC verification feature.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to transfer a surplus of Rs 2.11 lakh crore to the Central Government for the accounting year 2023-24. This decision was taken during the 608th meeting of the Central Board of Directors of the RBI on May 22, 2024. This transfer is a 141% increase from the previous year’s dividend.
IDFC First Bank received overwhelming approval from its shareholders to merge with IDFC Limited. The merger was approved during a meeting held in May 2024 by the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

AstroSat, India’s space observatory, observed a black hole system, Swift J1727.8-1613, from September 2 to 14, 2023. It discovered an unusual ‘aperiodic modulation’ in the black hole’s high-energy X-rays during a rare outburst. This led to Quasi-periodic Oscillations (QPOs), whose frequency uniquely changed over a week. The discovery was reported on May 20, 2024.

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) released a report titled “Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists” on May 21, 2024. The report warns about the ‘silent demise’ of rangelands, which cover 54% of all land and are crucial for climate, food security, and the wellbeing of billions.
According to the World Bank’s annual “State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2024” report, global carbon pricing revenues reached a record USD 104 billion in 2023. This milestone highlights the growing global commitment to using economic tools to combat climate change. There are now 75 carbon pricing instruments in operation worldwide, up two from a year ago, covering around 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The Casablanca Chess Tournament 2024 took place from May 18th to May 19th, 2024 at the Mahkama du Pacha in Casablanca, Morocco. Magnus Carlsen won the tournament, Hikaru Nakamura secured the second position, and Viswanathan Anand secured the third position.

The International Day for Women in Maritime was celebrated on May 18, 2024. The theme was “Safe Horizons: Women Shaping the Future of Maritime Safety”. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) hosted events and actions, including a symposium and the presentation of the IMO Gender Equality Award.
World Turtle Day, celebrated annually on May 23, was started by the American Tortoise Rescue to help people celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats. The theme for World Turtle Day 2024 is “Let’s Party”, encouraging everyone to celebrate in a fun way while raising awareness about turtle and tortoise conservation.

Ramesh Babu V. was sworn in as a member of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) on May 21, 2024. He holds an M.Tech in Thermal Engineering and a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering.
On May 22, Vietnam’s parliament elected To Lam, the former Minister of Public Security, as the new president. His election followed a significant anti-corruption campaign and the resignation of his predecessor, Vo Van Thuong.

The novel ‘Kairos’ by German author Jenny Erpenbeck, translated by Michael Hofmann, won the International Booker Prize 2024. The story is set in 1980s East Berlin and intertwines personal and political themes. The £50,000 prize is split equally between the author and translator.
Shrinivas R Kulkarni, an Indian-origin professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), has been awarded the prestigious Shaw Prize in Astronomy for 2024. He has been recognized for his groundbreaking discoveries about millisecond pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and other variable or transient astronomical objects.

Questions:

1. Which country recently became the 99th member of the International Solar Alliance (ISA)?

2. Who is the author of the novel ‘Kairos’?