Current Affairs May 15, 2019

In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of May 15, 2019 in Short Notes form for preparation of IBPS, Banking, CLAT, SSC, Railway, UPSC, IAS/PCS, UPPSC, BPSC, MPPSC, RPSC, TNPSC, MPSC, KPSC and all other competitive examinations of India.

1. On 12th May 2019, Top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 6-3, 6-4 to win his third Madrid Open Tennis title. Djokovic lifted the title in Madrid after progressing through the week without losing a set and has now won 33 Masters 1000 titles - the same number as Rafael Nadal and five more than Roger Federer. Djokovic got the decisive break in the 9th game of the set to move 5-4 up and then held his serve to add the 2019 Madrid Open title to those he won in 2011 and 2016.

2. On 12th May 2019, Mumbai Indians became IPL champions for the fourth time after defeating Chennai Super Kings by one run in a thrilling final in Hyderabad. Last ball dismissal of Shardul Thakur by paceman Lasith Malinga registered final win for Mumbai over Chennai. Chasing a victory target of 150 set by Mumbai, Chennai Super Kings were restricted to 148 for 7 in stipulated 20 overs. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the most successful wicket-keeper in the history of IPL by taking his dismissals tally to 132, surpassing his India teammate Dinesh Karthik. David Warner of Sunrisers Hyderabad won the Orange Cap for the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 692 runs. Imran Tahir, of Chennai Super Kings, was awarded the Purple Cap for finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament with 26 wickets. Andre Russell of Kolkata Knight Riders was named Most Valuable Player, also known as Man of the Series, while Shubman Gill also of Kolkata Knight Riders was named the Emerging Player of the Tournament.

3. On 13th May 2019, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ministerial meeting of developing countries has started in New Delhi. The two-day meeting is being held at a time when the multilateral rule-based-trading system is facing serious and grave challenges. The meeting will provide an opportunity for the Ministers to discuss various issues and the way forward. Sixteen developing countries and six Least Developed Countries, LDCs are participating in the meeting. It includes China, South Africa, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh. The Director-General of WTO Roberto Azevedo is also participating in the meeting. In two-day meeting following issues are likely to be discussed: Finding a solution to the ongoing impasse in the Appellate Body on an urgent basis, Issues of importance and priority for developing countries including Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the reform agenda, How to reinvigorate negotiating agenda on issues of critical importance for developing countries?, and How to ensure effective S&D for all developing countries including LDCs?.

4. Hiralal Yadav (93), the Padma Shri awardee Bhojpuri folk singer, has passed away in Chowkaghat, Varanasi on May 12, 2019. The veteran musician was from the 'Birha' genre, which revolves around the separation of a lover from his beloved. Hence, he was famously known as 'Birha Samrat'. Yadav was felicitated with 2019 Padma Shri award, the country's fourth highest civilian award. In 2015, he was honoured with Yash Bharti award by the Uttar Pradesh government for his contribution in the field of music.

5. The first edition of world's first exclusive women's cricket magazine 'Criczone' has been released in Jaipur, Rajasthan. In it, Indian team cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has featured as the cover story. The purpose of the magazine is to empower young aspiring women cricketers to take the sport as a profession and able to make a sustainable living. Top international cricketers like Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smiriti Mandhana along with overseas players like Danielle Wyatt, Sophie Devine attended the event which is held on the sidelines of the inaugural women's T20 challenge. Yash Lahoti is the publisher of the magazine.

6. IPS officer Chhaya Sharma, who led the investigation team of the infamous Nirbhaya gang-rape and murder case, has been awarded the 2019 McCain Institute Award for Courage and Leadership. During her career, Chhaya has led teams in detection and investigation of sensitive criminal cases and protection of human rights. However, solving Nirbhaya's case is considered as the biggest milestone of her career. In 2017, Chhaya performed a crucial role in drafting Standard Operating Procedures and Guidelines to Combat Trafficking of Persons in India. The award is granted to those who manifest courage on behalf of human rights, humanitarian compassion, justice, freedom, and human dignity. Some of the famous awardees are - Malala Yousafzai (2015) and Dikembe Mutombo (2016).

7. Islamic State (IS) has claimed for the first time that it has established a “province” in India, after a clash between militants and security forces in the Kashmir region killed a militant with alleged ties to the group. The new ‘province’ is called “Wilayah of Hind ” by the militant group. IS’s Amaq News Agency also claimed IS inflicted casualties on Indian Army soldiers in the town of Amshipora in the Shopian district of Kashmir. The statement of establishing the new province appears to be designed to bolster its standing after the group was driven from its self-styled “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in April 2019, where at one point it controlled thousands of miles of territory. IS has stepped up hit-and-run raids and suicide attacks, including taking responsibility for the Easter Sunday bombing in Sri Lanka that killed at least 253 people.

8. The International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated around the world on 12 May to highlight the importance of nurses’ role in providing the best healthcare services. The day also observes the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who was also known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’. She was famous as manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War. The theme for 2019 is – "Nurses A Voice to Lead – Health for All".

9. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has recently received the first AH-64E (I) - Apache Guardian helicopter at Boeing production facility in Mesa, Arizona in the United States. The AH-64E Apache is a leading multi-role attack helicopter and is flown by the US Army. The IAF had signed a multi-billion dollar contract with the US government and Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. The first batch of these helicopters is scheduled to be shipped to India by July 2019. The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF’s future requirements and would have significant capability in mountainous terrain. The helicopter has the capability to carry out precision attacks at standoff ranges and operate in hostile airspace with threats from ground.

10. Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka has been sworn-in as the new Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. Karnataka Governor Vajubhai R Vala administered the oath of office to Justice Oka at the Raj Bhavan. He succeeded Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, who was elevated as a Supreme Court judge in January 2019. Justice Oka has given many landmark judgements including those revolving around noise pollution, the rights of atheists and the right to give “no religion” as an option in government application forms, a judgement striking down the beef ban in Maharashtra and encouraging prison reforms, among others.


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