Daily Current Affairs and GK | 14 May 2025

Topic: Important Days

1. International Nurses Day: 12 May

• International Nurses Day is observed every year on 12 May.
• This day recognizes contribution of nurses to health care and global health security.
• The theme for the International Nurses Day 2025 is 'Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for nurses strengthens economies.'
• The focus of the theme is on nurses' health and well-being.
• International Nurses Day marks the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who is the founder of modern nursing.
• The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is celebrating this day since 1965.

Topic: Personality in News

2. Justice Sanjiv Khanna retired on 13 May.

• Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna's term ended on May 13 as he retired from the post of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
• He held the position of the 51st Chief Justice of India, having assumed office on November 10, 2024.
• Justice Khanna's term lasted for six months before his scheduled retirement.
• Justice Khanna has formally recommended Justice Bhushan Ramkrishna Gavai, the second most senior judge of the Supreme Court, as his successor.
• The recommendation was sent to the Union Law and Justice Ministry and after being accepted by President Murmu, Justice Gavai will take oath as the 52nd Chief Justice of India.
• Conventionally, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court is recommended for the post.
• Justice Gavai was elevated to the Supreme Court on May 24, 2019.
• At 64, he will hold the top judicial post till November 23, 2025, when he turns 65, the retirement age for Supreme Court judges.
• H. J. Kania was the first Chief Justice of India. He served as the Chief Justice of India from 1950 to 1951.
• The Chief Justice of India is appointed by the President of India.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for expanding proven strategies to speed up India’s efforts to eliminate Tuberculosis (TB).

• He chaired a high-level meeting to review the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP).
• The meeting also covered the recently concluded 100-Day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.
• This campaign focused on high-burden districts.
• During the campaign, 12.97 crore people from vulnerable groups were screened for TB.
• Health teams detected 7.19 lakh TB cases. Out of these, 2.85 lakh were asymptomatic cases.
• Over one lakh new Ni-kshay Mitras joined the campaign.
• The effort was recognized as a successful model of community participation.
• PM Modi stressed the importance of analyzing TB trends based on region and occupation.
• He highlighted the need to focus on workers in high-risk sectors like construction, mining, and textile industries.
• The Prime Minister welcomed the findings of the WHO Global TB Report 2024.
• The report showed an 18% drop in TB cases, from 237 to 195 per lakh population between 2015 and 2023.
• It also reported a 21% decline in TB deaths. Treatment coverage in India has reached 85%.
• Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda attended the meeting. Other senior government officials were also present.
• 100-Day TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan was launched on December 7, 2024, by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda.
• In 2020, the Revised National TB Control Programme was renamed as the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) to emphasize the aim of the Government of India to eliminate TB in India by 2025, five years ahead of the global targets of 2030.

Topic: National News

4. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw inaugurated India’s first advanced 3-nanometer chip design centres.

• These centres are located in Noida and Bengaluru.

• They represent a major step forward in India’s semiconductor capabilities.
• The Noida facility is the first in India to design 3nm chips entirely within the country.
• This development places India among the global leaders in cutting-edge chip design.
• Vaishnaw said the new centres are crucial for building a nationwide semiconductor ecosystem.
• The initiative supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a self-reliant semiconductor industry.
• Designing 3nm chips domestically is a significant technological achievement for India.
• Vaishnaw also launched a new semiconductor learning kit for engineering students.
• The kit is aimed at improving students’ practical skills in hardware design.
• More than 270 academic institutions have already received Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software tools.
• These institutions will now also get the new hardware learning kits.

Topic: International News

5. India has informed the WTO of plans to impose retaliatory tariffs on certain U.S. products.

• This is in response to U.S. tariffs on Indian steel and aluminium.
• India argues that the U.S. actions violate the GATT 1994 and the Agreement on Safeguards.
• The U.S. defends its tariffs, claiming they are based on national security.
• The U.S. says these tariffs should not be considered safeguard measures.
• The proposed tariffs from India are currently under review by the WTO. They have not yet been implemented.
• India is also close to finalizing a new trade agreement with the U.S. administration under Trump.
• WTO estimates show the U.S. tariffs affect $7.6 billion worth of Indian goods.
• The duties are expected to generate $1.91 billion in revenue.
• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 1994 is contained in Annex 1A of the WTO Agreement.
• It incorporates by reference the provisions of the GATT 1947.
• GATT 1947 is a legally distinct international treaty applied provisionally from 1948 to 1995.

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

6. US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman finalized an important economic partnership agreement in Jeddah.

• The deal includes a major arms agreement worth nearly $142 billion.
• It also covers Saudi investments in artificial intelligence, energy, and healthcare.
• Trump started a four-day tour of the Middle East with a visit to Saudi Arabia.
• He emphasized his commitment to advancing the Abraham Accords.
• This initiative aims to strengthen relations between Israel and Arab nations.
• Trump also announced that the U.S. will lift sanctions on Syria.
• These sanctions were imposed during Bashar al-Assad's regime.
• Trump described the decision as a chance for Syria to move toward peace.

Topic: International Appointments

7. Anita Anand has been appointed as Canada’s Foreign Minister.

• Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Anita Anand as Foreign minister.
• He also appointed Maninder Sidhu as the international trade minister.
• He also appointed two others of Indian origin as secretaries of state, the equivalent of ministers of state.
• One of Anand’s missions will be to ensure the reset of India-Canada ties, while maintaining the delicate relations with US President.
• Ruby Sahota, who was the minister of democratic institutions, has been downgraded to a secretary of state and put in charge of combating crime.
• Randeep Sarai is another of the ten Secretaries of State and will deal with international development.
• There are 28 ministers in his cabinet.

Topic: International News

8. USA and UAE sign economic partnership agreements in various sectors.

• The US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a strategic economic partnership agreement at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
• The agreement covers several sectors like energy, mining, and defense.
• It aims to boost economic ties between the United States and Saudi Arabia, with the hope of promoting growth in these key areas.
• US and Saudi Arabia also signed agreement on military cooperation.
• President Trump is on three-Nation tour to West Asia – Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
• West Asia is also known as the Middle East. It is a subregion of Asia that include countries like Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, and various Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Topic: International News

9. In Libya, violent clashes occurred in capital Tripoli.

• Violent clashes have erupted between rival armed factions amid reports of the death of Abdul-Ghani al-Kikli (known as Ghaniwa), who headed the Stability Support Department affiliated with the Presidency Council.
• Local media reported that al-Kikli was killed inside the headquarters of the 444 Brigade, which is affiliated with the Tripoli Military Zone.
• The Tripoli Mitiga International Airport announced the suspension of all flights while schools were suspended in some parts of Tripoli due to the clashes.
• The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called for de-escalation in Tripoli.
• Libya is country in North Africa. It is the fourth largest country in Africa and Arab world. Its capital is Tripoli and currency is Libyan dinar.
• A military coup in 1969, initiated by a coalition led by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, overthrew King Idris I and created a republic. He ruled for 42 years.
• He was overthrown and killed in the 2011 civil war. Ever since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, there has been insecurity and political instability in Libya.
• In March 2022, the House of Representatives stopped recognising the Government of National Unity and proclaimed an alternative government, the Government of National Stability (GNS).
• Both governments have been functioning simultaneously since then, which has led to dual power in Libya.

Topic: International News

10. Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced to lay down its arms.

• The decision has been taken after a call by the group’s jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, in February, for it to disband.
• The PKK initially aimed to create an independent homeland for Kurds, forming 20 percent of Turkey’s population.
• It then focussed on greater autonomy and expanded Kurdish rights.
• PKK was founded in 1978. It led an armed struggle primarily targeting Turkish military infrastructure, seeking greater recognition and independence for Kurdish communities in Turkey’s southeast.
• Kurdistan (land of Kurds) is a roughly defined geo-cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a majority population.
• Kurdistan generally comprises the following four regions:
  • southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan)
  • northern Iraq (Southern Kurdistan)
  • northwestern Iran (Eastern Kurdistan)
  • northern Syria (Western Kurdistan)