Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2019

Notes:
Raheem Sterling, the Manchester City and England forward, has been named the 2019 footballer of the year by the Football Writers’ Association (FWA). He topped the poll of the 400-strong FWA membership as a clear winner, with 62% of the votes.

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The Time 100 Most Influential People 2019 list named the world’s most influential pioneers, leaders, titans, artists and icons of the year. The list includes Indian-American comedian and TV host Hasan Minhaj, US President Donald Trump, Pope Francis, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, iconic golfer Tiger Woods and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Here, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and two women Public Interest Litigators (PIL) Arundhati Katju and Menaka Guruswamy have been featured by TIME magazine in its prestigious list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Arundhati & Menaka led the legal battle for LGBTQ rights in India.

Notes:
Arjuna awardee and star Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar won the ‘Outstanding achievement as a player award’ at the 4th edition of the annual India Golf Industry Association (GIA) awards at the Delhi Golf Club. The GIA awards were held along with the 8th India Golf & Turf Expo (IGTE), South Asia’s largest golf trade show. Bhullar won the 2018 Fiji International, a European Tour event, and also holds the rare distinction of becoming the youngest golfer on the Asian Tour to achieve nine career victories on tour.

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The Government of Nepal has launched an ambitious 45-day ‘Everest Cleaning Campaign’ to bring back tonnes of trash from Mt. Everest from 14th April 2019. The campaign is led by Solukhumbu district’s Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality and aims to collect nearly 10,000 kgs of garbage from Mt. Everest. Every year, hundreds of climbers, Sherpas and high altitude porters make their way to Everest, leaving behind tonnes of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste – including empty oxygen canisters, kitchen waste, beer bottles and faecal matter – on the highest peak, which has lately acquired notoriety as the “world’s highest garbage dump”. The campaign will conclude on May 29, the day marked every year to commemorate the first summit of Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. The collected waste will then be showcased in Namche town, before being ferried down to Kathmandu, where it will once again be showcased on World Environment Day (WED-2019) on June 5. After that, it will finally be sent out for recycling.

Notes:
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has launched an awareness programme on Goods and Services Tax (GST) in collaboration with Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Institute Limited to help small scale businesses. The purpose of the GST programme is to impart basic knowledge and skills required to fulfil various requirements under the GST Act. It would be beneficial to people who are engaged in maintaining accounts and filing of various indirect tax returns. The main objective of the programme is to impart skills to book keeping professionals to file various regular GST returns along with the various compliance requirements. Those who have passed Class 12 are eligible for the course, which will be offered in January and July cycle of admissions.

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The Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) have signed a MoU for cooperation on various projects related to e-mobility. BHEL’s unique strength as technology developer and implementer and ARAI’s advanced facilities and expertise in design, testing and certification of mobility products, will generate synergies in implementing solutions for Electric & Trolley Bus, EV Chargers, Battery & Charger testing, etc. The ARAI is an autonomous body affiliated to the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises (MoHI&PE). The objectives of the Association are Research and Development in automotive engineering for industry, product design and development, evaluation of automotive equipment and ancillaries, standardization, technical information services, execution of advanced courses on the application of modern technology and conduct of specific tests.

Notes:
Ace India goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh has been nominated for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award by Hockey India. While, Midfielder Chinglensana Singh Kangujam and forward Akashdeep Singh and women’s team defender Deepika have been nominated for the Arjuna Award. Hockey India has also nominated R.P. Singh and Sandeep Kaur for Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement, while coaches Baljeet Singh, B.S. Chauhan and Romesh Pathania have been proposed for Dronacharya Award.

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The first part of the Indo-French joint naval exercise – Varuna 19.1 – has started off the Goa coast from 1 to 10 May 2019. The exercise will see the participation of the French Navy’s aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle, two destroyers, FNS Forbin and FNS Provence, the frigate FNS Latouche-Treville, the tanker FNS Marne and a nuclear submarine. From the Indian side, the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, destroyer INS Mumbai, the Teg-class frigate, INS Tarkash, the Shishumar- class submarine, INS Shankul, and the Deepak- class fleet tanker, INS Deepak, are taking part in the exercise. The exercise is being conducted in two phases. The harbour phase at Goa would include cross-visits, professional interactions and discussions and sports events. The sea phase would comprise various exercises across the spectrum of maritime operations. The second part of the exercise – Varuna 19.2 – is scheduled to be held in May end in Djibouti.

Notes:
The former Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara has become the first non-British President of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). He will begin his one-year tenure in October 2019 and will succeed Anthony Wreford. His tenure will include two England test matches against West Indies and Pakistan and the launch of The Hundred competition – the England and Wales Cricket Board’s new 100-ball cricket format. MCC, which owns Lord’s and acts as the guardian of the laws of the game, was founded in 1787 and lists 168 presidents in its history.

Notes:
The World Tuna Day (WTD) is observed every year on May 2 to highlight the importance of sustainably managed fish stocks in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Tuna and tuna-like species are very important economically — to both developed and developing countries — and a significant source of food. They include approximately 40 species occurring in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea. They are remarkable fish. Tuna can jump high out of the water; they travel in huge schools; they are warm-blooded. They have been known to team up with dolphins for protection from sharks. As a result of the amazing qualities of tuna, the fish are threatened by an overwhelming demand. Hence, WTD highlights the importance of reversing the decline in the health of the Ocean to ensure sustainable management of marine life, such as tuna, which we are so dependent on. It is an important step in recognizing the critical role of tuna to sustainable development, food security, economic opportunity, and livelihoods of people around the world.