CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 17th MAY, 2023

CURRENT AFFAIRS OF 17^th MAY, 2023

1. World Telecommunication Day, now called World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, is observed annually on 17 May under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to create awareness about the uses of the internet and other information and communication technologies in societies and economies. The theme for 2023 World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is “Enabling the least developed nations through information and communication technologies”.
2. World Hypertension Day is annually observed across the globe on 17 May to raise awareness about hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, and promote its prevention, detection and control. The theme of 2023 is “Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer”.
3. International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB) is annually observed across the globe on 17 May to raise awareness about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) issues. The theme of 2023 is “Together Always: United in Diversity”.
4. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami inaugurated the National Homoeopathic Convention ‘Homeocon 2023’ at Doon University, Dehradun on 14 May, 2023.
5. In a groundbreaking development, MIT-World Peace University (WPU) has unveiled Asia’s first-ever subsea research lab, the Centre for Subsea Engineering Research (CSER).
6. Educationist Manoj Soni, a former Vice-Chancellor of two universities in Gujarat, took oath as the Chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on 16 May, 2023.  
7. The 3^rd Energy Transitions Working Group (ETWG) meeting under India’s G20 Presidency held in Mumbai from 15-17 May, 2023.
8. One 97 Communications Ltd, the parent company of Paytm, announced the appointment of Bhavesh Gupta as the President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the fintech company.
9. Zomato has collaborated with ICICI Bank to introduce its own Unified Payments Interface (UPI) service called ‘Zomato UPI’ for select users.
10. The documentary ‘Gauri’, directed by Kavitha Lankesh, has received the ‘Best Long Documentary Award’ at the South Asian Film Festival of Montreal 2023. The film is about journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, who was assassinated in 2017, and the current political crisis in India.
11. Uttar Pradesh has secured the second position in the country in terms of having the maximum number of Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged goods.
12. On 3 May 2023, R. Bindu, Minister of Higher Education of Kerala, formally launched the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF), modelled on the lines of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), to assess the quality of higher educational institutions in Kerala. It has become the first state to do so.
13. The Union Minister for Communications, Ashwini Vaishnaw, launched the Sanchar Saathi Portal during a function held in New Delhi which aims to empower mobile phone users by providing essential services, such as tracking and blocking lost mobile phones.
14. On 11 May, 2023, Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 27^th meeting of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) in New Delhi.
15. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on 15 May, 2023 inaugurated a training programme on Legislative Drafting in New Delhi.
16. On 12 May, 2023 Australian tennis player Owen Davidson, who won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles, passed away at the age of 79 in Conroe, Texas, USA.