Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared victory  on May 28  in a historic runoff vote that posed the biggest challenge to his 20 years of transformative but divisive rule.

The 69-year-old leader overcame Turkey's biggest economic crisis in generations and the most powerful opposition alliance to ever face his Islamic-rooted party to take an unassailable lead.

Near complete results showed him leading secular opposition rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu by four percentage points.

.Turkey's longest-serving leader was tested like never before in what was widely seen as the country's most consequential election in its 100-year history as a post-Ottoman republic.

Kilicdaroglu cobbled together a powerful coalition that grouped Erdogan's disenchanted former allies with secular nationalists and religious conservatives.

He pushed Erdogan into Turkey's first runoff on May 14 and narrowed the margin further in the second round.

Opposition supporters viewed it as a do-or-die chance to save Turkey from being turned into an autocracy by a man whose consolidation of power rivals that of Ottoman sultans.

Kilicdaroglu re-emerged as a transformed man after the first round.

The former civil servant's message of social unity and freedoms gave way to desk-thumping speeches about the need to immediately expel migrants and fight terrorism.

His right-wing turn was targeted at nationalists who emerged as the big winners of the parallel parliamentary elections.

The 74-year-old had always adhered to the firm nationalist principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk —  a revered military commander who formed Turkey and Kilicdaroglu's secular CHP party.

But these had played a secondary role to his promotion of socially liberal values practised by younger voters and big-city residents.

Imran Ismail, the former Sindh governor and his close aide parted ways with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party on May 27, hours after an anti-terrorism court in Karachi ordered his release from prison.

Earlier, an anti-terrorism court in Karachi ordered Ismail's release after furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000.

Over 70 lawyers and leaders from the party have parted ways with Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) over the May 9 mayhem.

Top PTI leaders --- including the party's Secretary General Asad Umar, former information minister Fawad Chaudhry and former minister for human rights Shireen Mazari -- have resigned.

The board of ICICI Bank has decided to increase its shareholding in ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Limited by 4% in multiple tranches, and make the general insurance company its subsidiary.

The Bank Board, which met onMay 28 , decided to acquire at least a 2.5% stake out of the 4% before 9 September 2024, the deadline for divesting the bank’s shareholding in ICICI Lombard General Insurance to less than 30% of the company’s paid-up capital.

As per the banking rules, no bank should hold shares in any company exceeding 30% of the paid-up share capital of that company unless the company is a subsidiary of the bank. ICICI Bank currently holds 48.02% in ICICI Lombard. A 2.5% increase in holding before 9 September 2024 would take the bank’s shareholding in the company above 50%, a condition for a firm to become a subsidiary of another.

ICICI Bank had a 55.86% stake in the general insurance company as of 31 March 2020. However, it divested its stake in tranches in the next three years bringing it down to 48.02%. This necessitated the bank to follow Section 19(2) of the Banking Regulation Act, limiting its exposure in the company to 30%. 

Growing at a steady pace, UPI transactions are likely to reach 1 billion per day by 2026-27, accounting for 90 per cent of the retail digital payments in the country, said a PwC India report.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which is driving the digital payments revolution, accounted for about 75 per cent of the total transaction volume in the retail segment during 2022-23, said the PwC report titled "The Indian Payments Handbook - 2022-27".

The Indian digital payments market saw steady growth at a CAGR of 50 per cent (volume-wise) and is expected to reach 411 billion transactions in FY 2026-27 from 103 billion in FY 2022-23, the report said.

It further said the credit card segment continues to grow at a healthy rate, as card (both debit and credit) payment is one of the most used instruments for retail digital payments after UPI.

The volume of transactions in credit cards is expected to surpass debit cards by FY 2024-2025.

While credit card issuance is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR of 21 per cent in the next five years, debit card issuance is expected to have a stagnant growth with a CAGR of 3 per cent in the same period, the report said.

The scenes and their shrill cries sent shock waves across the sporting world. Olympic and world medallists were dragged and detained by Delhi police just a few kilometres away from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was inaugurating the new Parliament building in the national capital on May 28  morning.

Country's top wrestlers including Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Bajrang Punia, Rio Olympic bronze medallist Sakshi Malik and two-time World Championships medallist Vinesh Phogat were trying to march towards the new Parliament to organise 'Mahila Samman Mahapanchayat' when they were stopped midway and were being forcibly taken to separate locations from Jantar Mantar where they had pitched in their tents for the protest that ran into Day 36. There was quite a commotion while removing Sakshi, Vinesh and Sangeeta Phogat.

Q1. The battle of Wandiwas was fought between

1. British and French companies
2. British and Dutch companies
3. Dutch and Portuguese companies
4. French and Dutch companies

Q2. Which article is related to Special Address by the President?

1. Article 84
2. Article 85
3. Article 86
4. Article 87

Q3. Great Barrier Reef' is situated near

1. Africa
2. Europe
3. America
4. Australia

Q4. Which of the following elements does not spread pollution?

1. Copper
2. Cadmium
3. Arsenic
4. Nickel

Q5. FICCI expands to….

1. Federation of Indian Companies of Commerce and Instrumentation
2. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries
3. Federation of International Chambers of Commerce and Industries
4. Federation of Indian Conglomerate of Commerce and Industries

Answers 

1---------------1   British and French companies

2----------------4  Article 87

3----------------4     Australia

4----------------1   Copper

5-----------------2  Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries

Amid boycott by around 20 opposition parties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on MAY 28 inaugurated the new Parliament building at a grand ceremony that included a havan, multi-faith prayers and the installation of the Sengol in a special enclosure in the Lok Sabha chamber.

Delivering his maiden speech from the new House, Modi said the new Parliament building marks the dawn of a self-reliant and developed India, which will also inspire the progress of other nations. On the Opposition’s criticism of the government’s decision to construct the new building, Modi said it was becoming difficult for everyone to do their work in the old building due to various technological and space constraints. Also, the PM said the number of MPs is likely to increase in the coming years. They will have to be accommodated.

The new Parliament is a reflection of aspirations and dreams of 140 crore Indians. This is a temple of our democracy that gives a message of India’s resolve to the world. There are a few moments in every nation’s history that are immortalised. Some dates become the indelible signature on the face of time. May 28, 2023 is one such day,” the PM added.

About 25 parties attended the event while 20 Opposition parties boycotted it, accusing the PM of ‘sidelining’ President Droupadi Murmu, a charge vehemently rejected by the government. The Congress alleged the new Parliament was inaugurated in a grand fashion by a “self-glorifying authoritarian PM with utter disdain for Parliamentary procedures”. Democracy does not run from the buildings but through the voices of the people, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal was most stinging in its criticism of the project as it likened the new Parliament building’s triangular shape to a coffin, drawing a sharp response from the BJP.

64,500 sq metres

The new Parliament building, built by Tata Projects, has a built-up area of 64,500 sq metres. Inside it, there is a grand Constitution Hall to showcase India’s democratic heritage, a lounge for MPs and a library to list a few of the amenities 

India is continuing to strengthen its relationships with African nations, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh scheduled to visit Nigeria between May 28-30.

Rajnath will attend the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29. He will also meet the outgoing Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari during a reception hosted by him on May 28.

This will be the first-ever visit of an Indian Defence Minister to Nigeria

Considering the growing defence cooperation between India and Nigeria, senior officers of the MoD and top leaders of important defence PSUs will accompany Rajnath.

Nigeria has an estimated 50,000 members of the Indian community. Rajnath will address the Indian diaspora at Abuja during the visit.

India has been taking initiatives to strengthen India-Africa ties. It hosted the first nine-day India-African Chiefs Conclave in Pune in March in which chiefs of over 20 African armies took part.

The inaugural Africa-India Field Training Exercise-2019 was also held in Pune, with 20 African nations participating. Continuing with India’s focus on strengthening the defence ties, a similar conclave was held on the sidelines of the DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow. The Lucknow Declaration was issued that laid down the future path of cooperation between India and African nations in the defence sphere. Building on the Lucknow declaration, the India-Africa defence dialogue was started at Gandhinagar on the sidelines of DefExpo 2022.

Fifty African countries, including 20 Defence Ministers, seven CDS/service chiefs and eight permanent secretaries participated in the dialogue attesting to the high priority accorded to India-Africa engagement in defence and security.