Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2019

Notes:
International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket for Good CC has partnered with UNICEF to organise #OneDayforChildren campaign at the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019. Former England batsman and #OneDay4Children ambassador Nasser Hussain along with all-rounder Chris Woakes launched the tournament-wide campaign focused on bringing the world of cricket together as one team to help build a better world for every child. There will be #OneDay4Children activity throughout all 48 matches of the event, peaking with a day of celebration during the England v India game on 30 June at Edgbaston. The money raised will support UNICEF’s work in cricket playing nations to help children learn to play and be healthy. The tournament will run from 30 May to 14 July. The semi-finals will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester and Edgbaston in Birmingham on 9 and 11 July respectively, while Lord’s will host the final on 14 July. The 10 teams in the tournament will play against each other in a single-league format, with the top four sides after 45 matches to qualify for the two semi-finals.

Notes:
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up an Indo-Pacific division in the foreign office to integrate the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), ASEAN region and the Quad. The new division is a brainchild of foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale and is intended to give a coherent architecture to the Indo-Pacific policy. It is a big step by the Government and it is expected to give thrust to the Indo-Pacific centred policymaking. The Indo-Pacific Wing is currently headed by joint secretary Vikram Doraiswami.

Notes:
The World Haemophilia Day (WHD) is observed every year on April 17 to increase awareness of haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. The 2019 theme ‘Outreach and Identification’, encourages people to meet and connect with other people who have had similar experiences, and what it is like.It will be observed with the slogan – ‘Reaching Out: The First Step to Care’. Haemophilia is an inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body’s ability to form clots. This condition is dangerous as it can cause excessive loss of blood in case of injuries, easy bruising, and also bleeding between joints and in the brain. Haemophilia can only be managed but does not have a cure.

Notes:
The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT), an arm of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has launched a 5G Use Cases Lab for banking and financial sector. The use of 5G will change a range of technologies and applications including point of sale machines in the banking sector which were now using 2G . The 5G lab will develop and domesticate 5G use cases and set up a research and development experience platform for banking and financial services. It will also collaborate with various stakeholders including banks, government and financial institutions for 5G promotion and absorption of best practices.

Notes:
Sri Lanka has launched its first satellite ‘Raavana-1’ into space from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s East Shore. It weights around 1.05 kg and the lifespan of the satellite is around one and a half years. The launch marks Sri Lanka’s entry into the global space age. Under BIRDS project, the satellite was designed and built at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan by two Sri Lankan research engineers. Its camera mission is to capture images of Sri Lanka and its neighbouring countries.

Notes:
Nepal has successfully launched its first satellite NepaliSat-1 into space from Virginia in the United States. The satellite was developed by the Nepalese scientists. NepaliSat-1 is a low orbit satellite which will be in the 400-km distance from the Earth’s surface. It will be stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) for a month and then it will be sent to orbit the earth. The satellite will take photographs on a regular basis to gather geographical information of the country. It weighs 1.3 kilograms, making it a small satellite with limited capability. The Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) initiated the launch of the country’s own satellite under the BIRDS project of the Japanese Kyushu Institute of Technology. The BIRDS project has been designed in association with the United Nations (UN) and aims at helping countries launch their first satellite.

Notes:
The critically endangered ‘Kakapos’ – the world’s fattest species of parrot – have enjoyed a record breaking breeding season, according to New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DOC). This year, 76 chicks have been hatched under the DOC’s conservation scheme, with 60 expected to reach adulthood. This will significantly boost the population which has grown to 147 adults since a small number of the plump green, yellow and black birds were discovered in 1970. The kakapo is an “unusual” parrot as the females control the breeding process and only mate every two to four years when their favourite fruit grows in New Zealand’s Rimu trees – the period is known as a “mast year”. New Zealand’s kakapo recovery programme is so tightly monitored that although they remain in the wild, each one has a radio transmitter attached to its body and there are monitoring systems embedded in their nests. It is claimed that kakapo is probably one of the most intensively managed species in the world.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) have jointly launched a project called “Learning Coin”. It is a private blockchain-based coin and only accessible within IMF and the World Bank to help both multinational agencies learn about the merits of blockchain. The coin project has been launched in order to conduct research and learn more about the core technologies that have been used to implement cryptographic assets such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH).

Notes:
Richard Powers has been honoured with the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in fiction category for his innovative novel ‘The Overstory’, which shows us the world through the perspective of nature.

Notes:
India and France will conduct their largest ever naval exercise ‘Varuna-2019’ off Goa coast and Karwar with an objective of expanding their strategic partnership in the Indian Ocean region (IOR). The exercise will be conducted early May 2019 and will witness the participation of aircraft carriers, destroyers, submarines and fighters. India will deploy its aircraft carrier – INS Vikramaditya with its MiG-29K fighters and French side would be represented by its aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle with its Rafale-M naval jets.