TODAY NEWS ON 23 MAY 2022

News Headlines

India, U.S. and 11 countries join new Indo-Pacific trade pact

United States President Joe Biden announced 12 countries have joined a new trade pact that the White House says will help the United States work more closely with Asian economies on issues including supply chains, digital trade, clean energy and anticorruption efforts.

Sri Lanka crisis | President Gotabaya expands Cabinet again without Finance Minister

Embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday, May 23, 2022, expanded the Cabinet with the induction of eight more Ministers but he did not appoint a Finance Minister once again to handle the worst economic crisis facing the island nation. The new Ministers belong to the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and its allies — the SLFP and the EPDP, a Tamil minority party in the north.

India’s GDP likely grew just 3.5% in Q4 of 2021-22: ICRA

India’s GDP growth may have slowed down to 3.5% in the fourth quarter of 2021-22, from 5.4% in the October to December 2021 quarter, rating agency ICRA has projected. The economy’s Gross Value Added (GVA) is expected to rise even slower at 2.7% between January and March 2022 compared to 4.7% in the previous quarter.

IPL Playoffs: Super Over could determine winner in case of disruptions

A Super Over could decide IPL 15’s champions should rain gods play spoilsport and no play is possible in regulation time. If not even an over a side is possible, the league standing will take precedence and will decide the winner, according to an IPL briefing note. This will also apply to the Qualifier 1, Eliminator, Qualifier 2, which do not have reserve days.

Army chief visits forward areas along LoC

Army chief General Manoj Pande visited forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir on Sunday and was briefed on the prevailing security situation. Mr. Pande arrived in Srinagar on Saturday on his maiden visit to Kashmir after taking over as the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) on April 30.

PM Modi headed Inter-State Council reconstituted; Amit Shah Chairman of standing committee

The Inter-State Council, which works to promote and support cooperative federalism in the country, has been reconstituted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Chairman and Chief Ministers of all States and six Union ministers as members.

The heat is on: savage signs of climate change speeding up

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), established in 1875, began by tracking temperature, moisture and rain. Now it is one of the biggest operations in the world that tracks dozens of weather parameters. This information is shared in the public domain. When the IMD came into being, its goal was to “Study systematically the climate and weather in India as a whole and application of the knowledge thus acquired to the issue of storm and other warnings and daily forecasts.”

Tamil Nadu government revives Climate Studio

The State Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department has revived the Climate Studio set up at the Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management (CCCDM) at Anna University. Though the “Climate Studio” was set up in 2019 along with adequate accessories, it was not operationalised till now for various reasons. The department reviewed the functions of this studio and decided to revive its activities.

Tesla cars, smart locks prone to Bluetooth vulnerability hack, report says

Hackers can exploit a new Bluetooth low energy (BLE) vulnerability to unlock digital locks in cars and other smart devices. Vehicles like Tesla, that use Bluetooth-based proximity authentication systems are vulnerable to such hacks, according to cybersecurity firm NCC Group.

Navjot Singh Sidhu brought to Rajindra hospital in Patiala for medical examination

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, lodged in Patiala central prison to serve a one-year jail term in a 1988 road rage death case, was taken to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala under heavy security on Monday morning for medical examination, official sources said.

Pandemic creates new billionaire every 30 hours: Oxfam at Davos

As the rich and powerful from across the globe gather here for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2022, Oxfam International on Monday said the COVID-19 pandemic has seen one new billionaire emerging every 30 hours, while nearly one million people could be pushed into extreme poverty every 33 hours this year.

Winds of change blow across tribal areas in Palnadu

The tribal hamlets in Palnadu present many challenges, including access to potable drinking water, and irrigation facilities, and a lack of access to quality education and health care. The high rate of dropouts in primary and secondary schools has emerged as a major area of concern in the region known for its backwardness and low literacy rate prompting many organisations to focus on awareness campaigns in villages.

Russian soldier sentenced to life at Kyiv war crimes trial

A Ukrainian court sentenced a 21-year-old Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing a Ukrainian civilian, in the first war crimes trial held since Russia’s invasion. Sgt. Vadim Shishimarin was accused of shooting a Ukrainian civilian in the head in a village in the northeastern Sumy region in the early days of the war.