Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2019

Notes:
Ajit Doval, a 1968-batch IPS officer & a former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief, has been reappointed as the National Security Adviser (NSA) for a five-year tenure. He has also been given a cabinet rank in recognition of his contribution in the national security domain. This is for the first time that an NSA has been given a cabinet rank. Doval is among the best operational brains within intelligence circles. He had played a key role during the Balakot air strike after the Pulwama terror attack and the cross-border surgical strike. He also drew praise for his role during the 73-day stand-off between India and China at Doklam — situated at a tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan. He was also India’s main negotiator with the hijackers of Indian Airlines plane IC-814 taken to Kandahar in 1999. Doval worked as an intelligence officer for over 33 years during which he served in the North East, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.

Notes:
Namrata Menon, the Panaji-based Yoga instructor and fitness expert, has been appointed as the Goa’s brand ambassador to promote the ancient system of physical and mental practices in the coastal state. The objective of this initiative is to increase awareness about the benefits of yoga and encourage people to inculcate a healthy lifestyle. She has been practicing yoga since the last 17 years and has been instrumental in inspiring many people to take up the ancient practice that involves a range of postures (asanas).

Notes:
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria’s Ambassador to UN, has been elected as President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In accordance with the rules, the President of the 74th session of the General Assembly should be elected from among the African States. Muhammad-Bande was elected by acclamation and he will succeed Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa in September 2019. He assumes charge as the world body gets ready to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its creation next year.

Notes:
The US aircraft maker Boeing co and national airports body Airports Authority of India (AAI) have signed a technical assistance agreement for developing a comprehensive roadmap for modernisation of air traffic services in the country. The air traffic services comprise Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) and Air Traffic Management (ATM). The 10-year modernisation roadmap will be undertaken with a grant from the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA ). The agreement is aimed at developing a roadmap for AAI to use as guidance in the modernisation of the Indian National Airspace System (NAS) based on global and local best practices to optimally utilize airspace capacity, enhance CNS/ATM. Under the agreement, Boeing will analyse current technologies and processes to identify efficiency improvements that can be implemented while maintaining a practical and safe airspace system.

Notes:
Indian-American Congresswoman, Pramila Jayapal has become the first South Asian American woman to preside over the US House of Representatives. She is a Democrat from Washington DC. The 116th Congress broke records with women and lawmakers crossing racial and religious barriers, including an all time high for Asian American lawmakers. A record number of 17 Asian Americans serve in Congress, with 14 in the House and three in the Senate.

Notes:
China has successfully launched a space rocket from sea for the first time and became the third nation to successfully demonstrate the ability to launch satellites into orbit from a floating platform after Russia and United States. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced that a Long March 11 rocket was launched from a floating launch pad in the Yellow Sea just off the coast of Shandong on 5th June 2019. China now spends more than Russia and Japan on its civil and military space programmes. Earlier this year, China became the first nation to land a rover on the far side of the moon. It also unveiled ambitious plans to build a research base on the lunar surface, send a probe to Mars and build a space station in Earth orbit.

Notes:
India has been ranked 95th out of a total 129 countries in the first-ever SDG Gender Index, which measures strides made in achieving gender commitments against internationally set targets. The index has been developed by Equal Measures 2030, which is a partnership among global and regional organisations from the civil society and the development and private sectors. It includes The African Women’s Development and Communication Network, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, International Women’s Health Coalition and Plan International. The overall index scores are based on a scale of 0–100. A score of 100 indicates the achievement of gender equality in relation to the underlying indicators. A score of 50 would indicate that a country is about halfway to meeting its goal. India’s score of 56.2 means that it is among 43 countries that fall in the ‘very poor’ category. Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany, Canada, Ireland, and Australia rank as the top 10 countries in the index.

Notes:
Laldingliana Sailo (76), the former Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIT) news editor, has passed away in Aizawl. Sailo, a senior officer in the Indian Information Service (IIS), was inducted as Field Publicity Officer (FPO) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) in the year 1972. His first posting was in Arunachal Pradesh Tawang. After the stints in AIR, Kohima and Aizawl and News Services Division in New Delhi, he was transferred to Doordarshan Kendra Aizawl with additional charge of RNU, AIR, Aizawl. He retired as Director in the Directorate of Field Publicity for Kohima Region.

Notes:
Justice Dhirubhai Naranbhai Patel was sworn in as new Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. Lt Governor Anil Baijal administered the oath of office to Justice Patel at a function held at Raj Niwas. Earlier, Justice Patel was posted at the Jharkhand High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended his name for the appointment as Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. With an approved strength of 60, the Delhi High Court has a shortage of around 24 judges.

Notes:
The TomTom Traffic Index 2018, carried out by location technology specialist TomTom, covered 403 cities in 56 countries and defined congestion as the extra time added to road travel when traffic doesn’t flow freely. Mumbai topped the list of cities with drivers expecting to spend an average of 65% extra travel time stuck in traffic. New Delhi ranked 4th with a congestion rank of 58%. Bogota (63%) in Colombia and Lima in Peru (58%) were ranked second and third on the list respectively, while the Russian capital Moscow (56%) ranked fifth. The study found that in 2018, the best time to drive in Mumbai was between 2 am and 5 am, when traffic flowed freely.