Current Affairs May 24, 2019
In this post, GKToday presents Current Affairs of May 24, 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. South African lawmakers have re-elected Cyril Ramaphosa as the president of the country. The Members of Parliament (MP) from the African National Congress (ANC) have chosen the head of state in the parliament's first post-election sitting. The party won 230 out of 400 seats in the election on May 8. The African National Congress party won the ballot with 57.5% of the vote, its thinnest majority since the end of apartheid.
2. The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is observed every year on May 21 to increase the understanding of issues around cultural diversity and development among governments, non-governmental organizations and the public. The day was created as a result of the destruction of the Buddha statues of Bamiyan in Afghanistan in 2001. This year, in 2019, the UAE has celebrated the day to highlight its efforts in promoting tolerance and cultural diversity. The event will coincide with the country’s declaration of 2019 as the Year for Tolerance and its hosting of many related events. The UAE has cultural relations with many countries and is an active member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
3. Surya Prakash (79), a well-known artist from Telangana, has passed away in Hyderabad on May 21, 2019. Born on 23rd March 1940 in Madhira of Khammam district, the artist known for his abstract landscapes drew heavily on his love for nature. His works were mainly in oils and acrylic, and he was inspired by French impressionists. The best places where his creative paintings stand out in Hyderabad are the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). He has done nearly 60 solo exhibitions and over a century of groups shows, displaying the breadth and depth of his work. He received 'Kala Vibhushan' award and other honours.
4. Vijaya Mulay (98), the renowned filmmaker and film historian, has passed away at her south Delhi residence on May 19, 2019. Born on 16th May 1921, Mulay founded the Delhi Film Society in 1959, and later on became a joint secretary of the Federation of Film Societies. She is best known for her animation film ‘Ek Anek Aur Ekta’ , which was aired on Doordarshan in the 70s and 80s and won the National Film Award for Best Educational Film. Her 7-minute film, aimed at children, messaged the importance of unity in diversity and celebrated its powers and pleasure.
5. The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a strategic partnership with the FMCG arm of The Art of Living — Sri Sri Tattva. Under this partnership, YONO users can avail a discount of 15% on the entire range of products offered by Sri Sri Tattva such as food, personal care, healthcare, homecare, BYOGI apparels and Shankara skincare products. Sri Sri Tattva will make YONO's online marketplace richer with product portfolio in the organic, wellness and Ayurvedic domains, giving SBI customers formidable shopping experience.
6. Late Malawian soldier Chancy Chitete has been posthumously conferred with the UN’s highest peacekeeping award - Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage.- The award will be given during the 2019 International Day of UN Peacekeepers commemorations at UN Headquarters in New York on May 24. In November 2018, Chitete was killed in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during an operation in the eastern part of the country to combat the ADF, an armed force that had been terrorizing civilians and disrupting the UN’s ongoing efforts to treat, and halt, the spread of the deadly Ebola virus. The award was established in 2014 for uniformed and civilian personnel who meet the criteria and is named after the late UN peacekeeper Captain Diagne, who saved hundreds of lives in Rwanda in 1994, before being killed.
7. India has been ranked 117th out of 181 countries in the 2019 KidsRight Index, which ranks countries on the basis of how much they are involved and equipped to improve child rights. Iceland made the top position with an overall score of 0.967, followed by Portugal, and Switzerland. The annual global index is an initiative of Kids Right Foundation in cooperation with Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. They release annual reports every year by pooling data from UNICEF, UNDP and UN Committee on the Rights of the Child by considering individual country reports. The index consists of five categories - Right to Life, Right to Health, Right to Education, Right to Protection, and Enabling Environment for Child Rights.
8. Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth, who belongs to Darbhanga (Bihar), has created history by becoming the India’s first female fighter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to qualify to undertake combat missions for day operations on a fighter aircraft. This comes after she completed her day operational training as a fighter pilot on the MiG-21 Bison aircraft. At present, Bhawana is posted at the Nal base in Bikaner , where she will operate the aircraft with her squadron. The MiG-21 is the oldest frontline combat jet in service with the Indian Air Force, having first entered service in 1964. The jet has been regularly upgraded since then. The MiG-21 "Bison" is the definitive variant of the legacy fighter.
9. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to provide long-term financing of $750 million equivalent in Indian rupees to fund the Railways track electrification project. It is the largest single non-sovereign loan ever committed by ADB to Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) to electrify railway tracks in India. It is part of a broad modernisation programme that will help the railways transition to electric power and move away from dependence on fossil fuels. IRFC will use the loan proceeds to install electric traction equipment along approximately 3,378 km of existing railway lines, which will enable the migration of passenger and freight traffic from diesel to electric traction. The electrification assets will be leased to the Indian Railways under a long-term lease agreement.
10. The World Hypertension Day (WHD) is observed every year on May 17 to spread awareness about the disease that the World Health Organisation (WHO) calls a “silent killer” and “global public health issue”. The 2019 theme "Know your numbers" is meant to raise awareness about high blood pressure in people across the world. The idea is to make sure you check your blood pressure regularly and know your numbers in order to necessary action on time. Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which there is long-term high force of blood against artery walls. The force is high enough to cause numerous health problems like heart disease and stroke. Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood heart pumps and the amount of resistance blood flow in arteries. The more blood your heart pumps, the narrower your arteries and the higher your blood pressure.
