Current Affairs Quiz - April, 2019

Notes:
In Kerala, people are celebrating the Malayalam New Year “Vishu” with traditional gaiety and fervor on 15th April 2019. The word Vishu means ‘equal’ in Sanskrit, and it marks the sun’s transit to the Mesha rashi (the first astrological sign in the zodiac). The day begins with people taking Kani darshanam (or Vishu kani) soon after waking up. The elders or women in the family prepare the Vishu Kani a day before by using edible stuff like rice grains, cucumber, pumpkin, coconut, mangoes, betel leaves, flowers, coins and fruits and a metal vessel called “urali” in front of a mirror that reflects the image of their deity. A special yellow flower named Konna is a must in the Kani. Elders gift money ( kaineettam ) to younger members. They also exchange gifts with their loved ones and wear new clothes. On this day, devotees visit temples and offer their prayer to Lord Krishna, who is worshipped on this day. People also visit Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple, Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple or the Kulathupuzha Sree BaalaShastha Temple to have a ‘Vishukkani Kazhcha’viewing in the early hours of the day. And like all other festivals, Vishu is incomplete without an elaborate meal. There will a delicious meal -the Sadya which consists of different varieties of preparations.

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:
Dr SK Shivakumar, the renowned space scientist and former Indian Space Research Organisation Satellite Center (ISAC) director, has passed away in Bengaluru on April 14, 2019. He was part of the team that developed the telemetry system for Chandrayaan-I – India’s first lunar exploration mission. A native of Mysuru, he was responsible for designing deep space communications equipment. He was involved in the development of the 32-metre dish antenna that can communicate with satellites millions of miles away.

Notes:
Jaideep Sarkar, a 1987-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to South Africa. He is currently serving as India’s ambassador in Bhutan and is expected to take up the assignment shortly. He served in Indian Missions in Tokyo, Seoul and Bangladesh as well. The Union government also appointed Suhel Ajaz Khan as next Ambassador to Lebanon.

Notes:
Saudi Arabia will host the 15th edition of G20 summit in its capital Riyadh, which is scheduled to be held on November 21-22, 2020. This would be the first G20 summit to be hosted by an Arab country. The summit’s agenda will include financial, economic and social issues including energy, the environment, climate, the digital economy, trade, agriculture, healthcare, education and labour. The G20 consists of Germany, the US, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Indonesia, France, South Africa, South Korea, India, the UK, Italy, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the European Union.

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.

Notes:
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has formally nominated Benjamin Netanyahu for a fourth consecutive term as prime minister and officially launched a process that is expected to result in a new government dominated by religious and nationalist parties in the coming weeks. Now, Netanyahu has 28 days to form a government, with a possible extension of a further two weeks. The results from the April 9 election put Netanyahu on course to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister later this year, surpassing the state’s founding father David Ben-Gurion. If Netanyahu fails to form a coalition within 42 days, Benny Gantz (leader of the rival centrist Blue and White party) would be given a shot at assembling a government.

Notes:
Malayalam film Bhayanakam (Fear) directed by Jayaraj has won the best cinematography award at the 2019 Beijing International Film Festival (BIFF). The cinematography was done by Nikihil S Praveen. The film had also won the best cinematography award at the 65th National Film Awards. The film portrays the visits of First World War veteran to a small village in the backwaters of Kerala’s Kuttanand as a postman during the World War-II. He shares with the families the good and bad news of the soldiers who took part in the war. According to Jayaraj, about 600 soldiers from Kerala died during the World War-II. The festival also screened five Indian films, including Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali, Apur Sansar, Aparajito, the romantic comedy Love Per Square Foot, the 2018 Indian romantic comedy and the thriller Ittefaq.

Notes:
Ravinder Kumar Passi has been appointed to the post of chairman of the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH). He succeeded O P Prahladka. EPCH is a non-profit organisation, with an objective to promote, support, protect, maintain and increase the export of handicrafts.

Notes:
The UAE Space Agency and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) have recently announced that 85% of the Hope Probe project has been completed. Hope Probe is an ambitious dream project of UAE to send a mission to Mars. Hope Probe is scheduled to be launched in July 2020. With a successful launch, UAE hopes to become the first Arabic and Islamic country to make the Mars Mission dream a reality. The Hope Probe has been developed in accordance with Mars Exploration Programme Analysis Group (MEPAG), the global scientific community which is working on Mars exploration and coordinated with international entities to ensure the best results. The objectives of the Emirates Mars Mission will be to add to the global efforts to explore space and the surrounding planets. For the first time, a Mars exploration project will be able to take a global picture of the Martian atmosphere. It will do so by taking an integrated picture of the atmosphere throughout the day and for a long period of time, helping to create a better understanding of the planet’s atmosphere in different seasons of the year.