• Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out a new vaccine (called Men5CV) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), which protects people against five strains of the meningococcus bacteria. The vaccine and emergency vaccination activities are funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which funds the global meningitis vaccine stockpile, and supports lower-income countries with routine vaccination against meningitis.
• Nigeria is one of the 26 meningitis hyper-endemic countries of Africa, situated in the area known as the African Meningitis Belt. Last year, there was a 50% jump in annual meningitis cases reported across Africa.
• Between last October and mid-March this year, 1,742 cases were suspected in the country, with 153 deaths recorded in seven states in Nigeria.

ABOUT MENINGITIS:

• Meningitis is an infection and inflammation of the fluid and membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. These membranes are called meninges.
• The inflammation from meningitis typically triggers symptoms such as headache, fever and a stiff neck.

• This is the first export order for the supersonic cruise missile, a joint venture between India and Russia.
• In January 2022, Philippines concluded a $375-million deal with India for three batteries of shore-based, anti-ship variant of the BrahMos becoming the first export customer for the joint venture missile between India and Russia.

ABOUT BRAHMOS MISSILE SYSTEM

• The BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya.
• It possesses the capability to be deployed from several platforms, including air, sea, and land.
• BrahMos is named after the rivers Brahmaputra and Moskva (Russia).
• One special thing about this missile is that it can also change its path in the air, which makes it difficult to track.
• The speed of the missile handed over to the Philippines is 2.8 times more than the speed of sound.
• Each system of BrahMos has two missile launchers, a radar and a command and control center. Through this, two BrahMos missiles can be fired at the enemy within 10 seconds from submarine, ship, or aircraft.

• Squadron Leader Dalip Singh Majithia, the oldest living pilot of the Indian Air Force, passed away at the age of 103.
• Majithia joined the Indian Air Force volunteer reserve in 1940 during World War II.
• He began his pilot training at the Karachi Flying Club and later continued at the No. 1 Flying Training School in Ambala.
• Throughout his career, Majithia exhibited exceptional skill and dedication, earning recognition such as the best pilot trophy during his training.
• His family had a distinguished history, with his father and grandfather being prominent figures in Punjab during British rule.

• The Centre constituted a six-member committee to examine various issues relating to the queer community.
• The panel will be headed by the Cabinet secretary. The Secretary, Department of Home, Secretary of Ministry of Women and Child Development, Secretary of Department of Health and Family Welfare, Secretary of Legislative Department and Secretary of Department of Social Justice and Empowerment are among other members of the committee.
• The move comes months after the Supreme Court refused to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages asserting the matter should be dealt by the Parliament.
• On October 17, 2023, the apex court directed the Centre to constitute a committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary to examine the issues related to the queer community.
• The committee will suggest measures to ensure that the queer community does not encounter any discrimination in accessing goods and services, social welfare schemes, or face threat of violence among others.

Supriyo Vs Union of India case

• The petitioners challenged the validity of Section 4 (c) of the Special Marriage Act, 1954 on that ground that the provision discriminates against same sex couple by denying them benefits such as adoption, surrogacy, employment and retirement benefits.

About LGBTQIA+ Community:

• The “L, G” and “B” refer to sexual orientation, meaning those to which one is attracted, most often referring to lesbian or gay.
• Bisexual is an attraction to both males and females.
• Transgender refers to one who identifies as a sex other than was named at birth.
• The Q indicates questioning and queer.
• Questioning is a label one might use to convey they are exploring their identity and may not want to label themselves while Queer is often used to identify oneself as a member of the LGBTQIA++ community.
• The “I” speaks to intersex in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male.
• ‘A’ refers to asexual who do not have sexual feelings.
• ‘++’ suggests openness and inclusivity.

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) has announced the 20th edition of its Young Global Leaders Community: The Class of 2024. The list includes nearly 90 individuals under the age of 40 from diverse fields, including politics, business, civil society, the arts, and academia.
• This year, five Indians have been selected for the Young Global Leaders program. They are:
  • Bhumi Pednekar (Art and Culture) – Bollywood actress known for films like “Dum Laga Ke Haisha”, “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha”, and “Badhaai Do”
  • Adwaita Nayar (Business) – Chief Executive Officer, Nyka Fashion
  • Arjun Bhartia (Business) – Director, Jubilant Group
  • Priya Aggarwal Hebbar (Business) – Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Limited
  • Sharad Vivek Sagar (Social Entrepreneurs) – Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dexterity Global

About the Young Global Leaders Program

• The WEF’s Young Global Leaders program was launched in 2005 and aims to identify the future generation of leaders who can contribute to addressing the world’s most pressing challenges. The program includes a three-year leadership development curriculum, executive education courses, learning journeys, and opportunities to collaborate with peers.

The World Economic Forum

• The World Economic Forum is an international non-profit organization headquartered in Cologny, Switzerland. It was established in 1971 by Klaus Schwab with the goal of promoting public-private cooperation to address global issues.

• GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL) has won the prestigious ‘Best Airport Staff in India & South Asia 2024’ award by Skytrax.
• The award was announced at a glittering ceremony held on 17th April at the Passenger Terminal EXPO 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany.
• Hyderabad Airport emerged as the number one airport among all participating airports in India and South Asia.

About Skytrax:

• Skytrax is a global air transport rating organisation, having evaluated airports and airlines worldwide since 1989.
• It assigns star ratings from 1 to 5 stars based on diverse assessments that significantly impact the passenger experience.

• Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with the prestigious third Lata Dinanath Mangeshkar award for his remarkable dedication to the nation, its people, and society.
• Music maestro A R Rahman will receive the Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Puraskar for contribution to Indian music.
• The award will also be presented to non-profit organisation Deepstambh Foundation Manobal for services in the field of social service.
• The Ashtavinayak Prakashit’s “Galib”, produced by Malhar and Vajreshwari, will be recognised as the best drama of the year.
• Marathi writer Manjiri Phadke will receive Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Puraskar (Vagvilasini Puraskar) for contribution to literature, while actor Randeep Hooda will be feted with the Vishesh Puraskar for contribution to cinema.
• Veteran actors Ashok Saraf and Padmini Kolhapure will be honoured with Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Puraskar for their contribution to cinema.
• The recipients also include Roopkumar Rathod for his contribution to the field of music, Bhau Torsekar for editorial services and Atul Parchure for services to theatre and drama.

About Award:

• It was established by the Deenanath Mangeshkar Smriti Pratishthan in memory of the late legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar on February 6, 2022.
• Previous recipients of this esteemed award include Prime Minister Narendra Modi and popular singer Asha Bhosale.

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised India’s growth forecast for 2024-25 to 6.8% from 6.5% on the back of strong domestic demand and a rising working-age population.
• The Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank, estimates the economy to grow at 7% in the current financial year that started on April 1.
• The IMF estimates Asia’s third largest economy’s gross domestic product to grow at 6.5% in the next financial year.
• It projected global output growth in 2024 and 2025 at 3.2%, after bottoming out at at 2.3% at the end of 2022.

• The “Tirangi Barfi” of Kashi, a sweet treat regarded as the “sweet weapon” of freedom fighters during the Quit India Movement, has finally received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
• The GI Registry awarded GI certification not only to the Banaras Tirangi Barfi but also to five other Uttar Pradesh products.
• These include Banaras Metal Casting Craft, Lakhimpur Kheri Tharu Embroidery, Bareilly Cane and Bamboo craft, Bareilly Zardozi Craft, and Pilkhuwa Hand Block Print Textile.
• Uttar Pradesh now retains its position as the state with the most GI-tagged products in India, reaching a total of 75. Tamil Nadu follows behind with 58 GI products.

• The Government has appointed Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, PVSM, AVSM, NM, as the next Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from the afternoon of April 30, 2024.
• The present Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral R Hari Kumar, PVSM, AVSM, VSM retires from service on April 30, 2024.
• The Vice Admiral DK Tripathi has commanded Indian Naval Ships Vinash, Kirch and Trishul. He has also held various important operational and staff appointments which include Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet; Director of Naval Operations; Principal Director, Network Centric Operations and Principal Director, Naval Plans at New Delhi.