• A meteorologist of  United Arab Emirates (UAE) Dr Abdulla Al Mandous has been elected as the new President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for a four-year term from 2023 to 2027. The WMO is an authoritative body within the UN system that focuses on weather, climate, hydrological, and related environmental fields.
• Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous emerged as the official candidate of the UAE and secured  95 votes out of the representatives from WMO’s 193 member states and territories. The election took place during the 19th session of the World Meteorological Congress (Cg-19) held in Geneva, Switzerland from 22nd  May to 2nd June  He will succeed Prof Gerhard Adrian from the German Meteorological Service, who served as WMO President since June 2019. Under Dr. Al Mandous’ leadership, WMO’s upcoming 77th Executive Council Session (EC-77) will be chaired by the UAE in Geneva from  5th to 6th June.

• World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on 5 June and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It is supported by many non-governmental organizations, businesses, government entities, and represents the primary United Nations outreach day supporting the environment. First held in 1973, it has been a platform for raising awareness on environmental issues as marine pollution, overpopulation, global warming, sustainable development and wildlife crime.
• This year marks the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day, which will focus on solutions to plastic pollution, using the hashtag and slogan #BeatPlasticPollution.

• Kashmiri Pandits celebrated the annual “Kheer Bhawani Mela” in Ganderbal, Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). A convoy of pilgrims from the Kashmir Pandit community reached the Kashmir Valley on May 26, 2023 to participate in the annual Kheer Bhawani fair in the Union Territory of J&K. The annual Kheer Bhawani Mela, celebrated on Zeisht Ashtami, was held on May 28, 2023.
• The Kheer Bhawani fair is organized annually in 5 temples in the Kashmir Valley. These are Ragya Bhagvati Temple at Tulmulla in Ganderbal, Ragya Bhagvati Temple at Manjgam in Kulgam, Tripurasundari Temple at Devsar in Kulgam, Ragani Bhagvati Temple at Logripora in Anantnag and Ragni Bhagvati Temple at Tikkar in Kupwara.

• NIPCCD organized a Refresher Training Programme on Mission Vatsalya from 29- 31 May, 2023 at NIPCCD Regional Centre, Mohali. 33 participants attended the training Programme.
• The programme involved discussions on the following themes: improve functioning of statutory bodies, strengthen service delivery services, upscale institutional care/ services Encourage non-intuitional community based care, Training and Capacity building of duty holders.

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has directed SBI Life Insurance Co Ltd to take over the nearly 200,000 policies of Sahara India Life Insurance Co Ltd in order to protect the interests of policyholders of the defunct insurance arm of the Sahara Group.
• Founded in 2004, Sahara India Life Insurance was a pioneer in the life insurance business in India under the patronage of Subroto Roy, the ambitious founder of the group. But, the once- flourishing conglomerate collapsed after India’s financial regulators caught Roy on charges of defrauding investors with a series of Ponzi schemes.

• Dairy technology provider Stellapps’ fintech arm mooPay Private Limited, in partnership with IBISA Network, HDFC ERGO and Gramcover, has launched a unique heat Index-based insurance plan for The cover provides financial compensation to farmers of mooMark, the dairy supply chain arm of Stellapps, to offset income loss due to a fall in milk productivity during heat waves in summer.
• The cover guarantees insurance benefits for farmers if, over 60 days starting from May 1, 2023 temperatures exceed the specified limits for a predetermined number of days, with region-specific parameters.

• Dennis Francis, a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago (TT), created history by becoming the first TT citizen to be elected as the President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The election took place at the UN headquarters in New York, US, on 1 June.  Francis, who has served in the diplomatic service for over 40 years, was nominated on April 1 and faced no opposition in the election.
• He will serve as the 78th President of the UNGA. He will enforce the rules of procedure, such as opening and closing debates, regulating speaking times for representatives, suspending or adjourning debates, and setting the agenda for the assembly.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken action against Indian Overseas Bank, imposing a monetary penalty of ₹2.20 Crore (Rupees Two Crore and twenty Lakh only). The penalty was imposed for the bank’s failure to comply with certain provisions of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, as well as non-compliance with RBI’s directions on various aspects, including income recognition, asset classification, provisioning norms, interest rates on deposits, and ATM security.
• The penalty was imposed under the authority granted to RBI by the provisions of the Banking Regulation Act. The action is based on the findings of a statutory inspection conducted by RBI, known as ISE 2021, which evaluated the bank’s financial position as of March 31, 2021.

• Amlan Borgohain won two gold medals at the Flanders Cup 2023 AthleticsIndian athlete Amlan Borgohain won two gold medals at the Flanders Cup 2023 Athletics Meet in Merksem, Belgium. Amlan Borgohain secured gold medals in both the men's 100m and 200m races at the Flanders Cup 2023 athletics meet.
• In the men's 100m event, Borgohain emerged as the fastest man with a time of 10.70s. Although this was 0.45s slower than his own national record, it was enough for him to claim the gold. Jamaican athlete Aubrey Allen secured the silver medal in the men's 100m event with a timing of 10.80s. Victor Hofmans from Belgium finished third, clinching the bronze with a time of 11.01s.

• Cine artiste and television personality Kollam Sudhi passed away. The late Malayalam actor was 39. Sudhi was a popular comedian and actor in Malayalam cinema. He made his debut in the 2015 film “Kaanthaari” and went on to star in films such as “Kuttappanayil Ritwik Roshan”, “Kuttanadu Marappa”, “An International Local Story” and “Kesu Evideyo”. He was also a popular face on television, having hosted several shows. Sudhi made his debut in films in 2015 and in a short time was able to make a mark.

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