Morning Digest | Ron DeSantis launches 2024 presidential bid to challenge Donald Trump; GDP growth may cross 7% in 2022-23: RBI Governor, and more

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
| Photo Credit: ANI

2024 U.S. presidential campaign | Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launches bid to challenge Donald Trump

Florida Guv. Ron DeSantis entered the 2024 presidential race on May 24, stepping into a crowded Republican primary contest that will test both his national appeal as an outspoken cultural conservative and the GOP’s willingness to move on from former President Donald Trump.

‘Queen of rock ‘n’ roll’ Tina Turner dies at 83

Tina Turner, the American-born singer who left a hardscrabble farming community and abusive relationship to become one of the top recording artists of all time, died on May 24 at the age of 83.

NDA condemns Opposition boycott of new Parliament opening

In a statement signed by 13 political parties of the NDA, the alliance has condemned the decision by 19 Opposition parties to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28.

New Parliament building opening | How a letter to PMO set off a search for the  Sengol

A letter to the Prime Minister’s Office by noted danseuse Padma Subrahmanyam set off meticulous research into the Sengol, which would lead to the installation of the golden sceptre in the new Parliament building when it is inaugurated on May 28.

GDP growth may cross 7% in 2022-23: RBI Governor

India’s GDP growth in 2022-23 may well surpass the 7% estimate, while retail inflation is likely to go below the 4.7% mark this month, and gross non-performing assets in the banking system have likely dipped further in the January to March 2023 quarter, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Wednesday.

U.N.-recognised Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions keeps NHRC waiting over ‘political meddling’

For the second time in a decade, the U.N.-recognised Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) deferred the accreditation of the National Human Rights Commission, India (NHRC-India) citing objections like political interference in appointments, involving the police in probes into human rights violations, and poor cooperation with civil society.

ED conducts searches against foreign-registered online gaming companies in five States

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches against foreign-registered online gaming companies and websites at 25 locations in Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh for suspected violations under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), involving about ₹4,000 crore.

Uttarakhand and Northeast to receive a Vande Bharat each

Uttarakhand and Northeast India will have their first Vande Bharat trains flagged off in the last week of May. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually flag off the Delhi to Dehradun Vande Bharat on May 25, and bookings for passengers will likely be accepted from May 29. 

Dahod mosque demolition | Gujarat High Court directs  status quo

The Gujarat High Court has directed local authorities in Dahod district to maintain  status quo on the land where the local municipality razed a decades-old Nagina mosque on May 20. 

India set to triple speed of fastest supercomputers

India is set to dramatically scale up its super-computing prowess and install an 18-petaflop system over the course of this year, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) Minister Kiren Rijiju said on May 24. Flops (floating point operations per second) are an indicator of computers processing speed and a petaflop refers to a 1,000 trillion flops. Processing power to such a degree greatly eases complex mathematical calculations required, for among other things, forecasting how the weather will be over the next few days all the way up to two-three months ahead.

G20 delegates tour Srinagar city in a bid to see ‘changed Kashmir situation’

From the famous Mughal Gardens to the popular Royal Spring Golf Course to the all-pedestrian Polo View Market in commercial hub Lal Chowk, the foreign delegates, who attended the third G20 tourism working group meeting in Srinagar, were allowed to have the flavour of the city on Wednesday, in a bid by the authorities to showcase the “changing ground situation” in Kashmir.

INSV Tarini returns to Goa after 188-day voyage

Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini with a six-member crew entered Goa harbour on Tuesday, reaching India after successfully completing a 17,000 NM (nautical mile) trans-ocean inter-continental voyage after 188 days.

Mob vandalises Manipur Minister’s house

A mob on May 24 evening vandalised the house of Manipur PWD Minister Konthoujam Govindas in Bishnupur for the State government’s alleged failure to take steps to protect locals from armed tribal extremists.

₹2000 note withdrawal won’t disrupt the economy: Shaktikanta Das

Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das asserted on Wednesday that there will be no disruption to the economy owing to the ₹2000 currency note’s withdrawal, and said high denomination currencies lingering in the economy can create “collateral issues”.

China appoints new envoy to U.S. in sign of thaw

China’s new Ambassador to the United States finally landed in Washington on Tuesday, filling a post that unusually remained vacant for close to five months and heralding what some observers see as a possible sign of a limited thaw in recently frosty relations.

Bulgarian writer wins International Booker Prize for darkly comic memory novel

Bulgarian writer Georgi Gospodinov and translator Angela Rodel won the International Booker Prize on Tuesday for  Time Shelter, a darkly comic novel about the dangerous appeal of nostalgia.

IPL 2023 eliminator | Akash Madhwal ‘engineers’ Lucknow Super Giants elimination, takes Mumbai Indians closer to summit clash

Little-known Uttarakhand engineer Akash Madhwal bowled a dream spell as his five-wicket haul took five-time champions Mumbai Indians one step closer to a summit clash after thrashing Lucknow Super Giants by 81 runs in IPL Eliminator, in Chennai on May 24.