• The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has selected Kristalina Georgieva to serve as IMF Managing Director for a second five-year term starting on October 1, 2024.
• Kristalina Georgieva of Bulgaria has served as the MD of the IMF since 2019.
• She has previously served as World Bank’s CEO from January 2017. She was also interim president for the World Bank Group between February and April, 2019.
• She has also served at the European Commission as Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response along with its Vice President for Budget and Human Resources.

ABOUT IMF:

• The IMF was established in 1944 in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s.
• The IMF was founded by 44-member countries that sought to build a framework for economic cooperation.
• The IMF is governed by and accountable to 190 countries that make up its near-global membership.
• The IMF is able to lend about $1 trillion to its member countries.

• Deity Kala Kameshwar, the presiding deity of Khelkothi of the Seraj area of Mandi district, was installed in a gold chariot.
• Nok Singh Thakur, pradhan of Deity Kala Kameshwar Committee said the followers of the deity had donated wholeheartedly to build the gold chariot. The chariot was prepared at a cost of nearly Rs 4 crore.

• The United Kingdom has taken a historic step in its relationship with India by appointing Lindy Cameron as the first woman High Commissioner to the country. This landmark appointment comes 70 years after India appointed its first High Commissioner to London.
• Cameron is a highly respected figure with an impressive career trajectory. A distinguished graduate of Oxford University, she previously served as the CEO of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, demonstrating her expertise in critical national security matters.

• Delhi airport has been named among the world’s top 10 busiest airports for 2023 in a list topped by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
• The Indira Gandhi International Airport in the national capital is ranked tenth, according to the Airports Council International (ACI)
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is on top and it handled over 10.46 crore passengers last year. It is followed by Dubai International Airport, which saw more than 8.69 crore passengers, and Dallas Forth Worth International Airport. The latter handled over 8.17 crore passengers in 2023.
• Others in the list are London’s Heathrow airport (4th spot), Tokyo’s Haneda airport (5th), Denver International Airport (6th), Istanbul airport (7th), Los Angeles International airport (8th) and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (9th).

• Ahmad Abdullah al-Ahmad al-Sabah has been appointed as New Prime Minister of Kuwait.
• He replaced Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, who resigned in April.

ABOUT KUWAIT

• Kuwait is a sovereign state situated on the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, bordered by Iraq to the north and Saudi Arabia to the south.
• The country is framed by the northwestern part of the Persian Gulf, also known as the Arabian Gulf, and shares maritime boundaries with Kuwait consists of a landmass and several islets, the most prominent of which are Bubiyan, Warbah, and Failaka.

• In a tribute to the historic Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir earlier this year, the Government of India has introduced a limited-edition 50gm colored souvenir silver coin for public sale.
• This release follows Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s unveiling of three commemorative coins in February, including one celebrating the theme of Ram Lalla and the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Ayodhya.
• The inauguration ceremony took place during the 19th foundation day celebration of the state-owned Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India (SPMCIL).
• Along with the coin honoring Ram Lalla, Sitharaman also revealed a bi-metallic clad souvenir coin representing the Enlightenment of Lord Buddha, featuring oxidised images of Buddha and Stupa, as well as a coin featuring the Greater one-horned Rhino, part of the Endangered Animals of India series.

ABOUT SPMCIL:

• The Security Printing & Minting Corporation of India Ltd. (SPMCIL) is a company under the Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance.
• It was incorporated on 13 January 2006 with its registered office at New Delhi.

SPMCIL consists of two currency printing presses: The Currency Note Press (CNP) in Nashik and the Bank Note Press (BNP) in Dewas.

• British-American author Salman Rushdie releases his memoir “Knife”, recounting the harrowing experience of being stabbed at a public event in 2022 and how he overcame the near-fatal ordeal.
• Rushdie lost sight in one eye after the attack by a knife-wielding assailant, who jumped on stage at an arts gathering in New York state.
• The Indian-born author, a naturalized American based in New York, has faced death threats since his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” was declared blasphemous by Iran’s supreme leader.
• Rushdie was born in Mumbai but moved to England as a boy, was propelled into the spotlight with his second novel “Midnight’s Children” in 1981.

• The Nyishi community celebrated Longte festival with traditional fervour in the capital complex.
• The Longte festival is a significant cultural event for the Nyishi tribe in Arunachal Pradesh. It is marked by its unique tradition of abstaining from animal sacrifice, opting instead for symbolic decorations using feathers and bamboo.
• The Longte is one of the oldest and agriculturally significant festivals of the Nyishi tribe.
• It is a harbinger of a new season after which the sowing of seeds begins on cultivated fields.

ABOUT NYISHI TRIBE

• The largest ethnic group in Arunachal Pradesh is the Nyishis community. They have a rich tradition and culture, and are known for their courage and determination. They believe that they are descendants of Abutani, and are part of the Tani group of communities.
• Nyishis practise Jhoom cultivation and grow rice, millet, maize, yams, and different vegetables. They live in longhouses called Namlo, made of mud and locally-sourced cane and bamboo. The houses are built on stilts using bamboo and wooden pillars, with the floor and walls made of split bamboo.

• Senior IPS officer Anurag Kumar has been appointed as Joint Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
• The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment as the Joint Director (JD) in the CBI for a tenure upto February 24, 2027.
• Anurag Kumar, a 2004 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Assam-Meghalaya cadre, is currently working in the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).

ABOUT CBI:

• The CBI was established as the Special Police Establishment in 1941, to investigate cases of corruption in the procurement during the Second World War.
• Later on, it was formalized as an agency of the Government of India to investigate into allegations of corruption in various wings of the Government of India by enacting the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946.
• The CBI is not a statutory body but derives its power to investigate from the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946.
• The establishment of the CBI was recommended by the Santhanam Committee on Prevention of Corruption (1962–1964).

• Admiral R Hari Kumar, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), oversaw a prestigious Naval Investiture Ceremony at INS Hansa, Goa on April 14, 2024.
• During the ceremony, Gallantry and Distinguished Service awards were bestowed upon Naval personnel by the Hon’ble President of India, acknowledging their bravery, leadership, professional accomplishments, and outstanding service to the nation.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS:

• During the ceremony, Admiral R Hari Kumar awarded Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry) to Cdr Manish Singh Karki, Cdr Kaustab Banerjee, Lt Cdr Panneerselvam Vishnu Prasanna, and Lt Cdr Bhaskar.
• Additionally, he presented the Lt VK Jain Memorial Gold Medal for pioneering research in Weapon Improvement and Electrical Engineering, along with the Capt Ravi Dhir Memorial Gold Medal for promoting Flight Safety.
• The CNS Trophy for Best Green Practices 2023 went to Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, and INS Valsura in industrial and non-industrial categories.