Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2019

Notes:
Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria has been appointed as the new Vice Chief of Indian Air Force (IAF). He succeeded Air Marshal Anil Khosla. Prior to this post, Bhadauria was head of IAF’s Bengaluru-based Training Command. He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Air Force on June 15, 1980 with the Sword of Honour. He went on to hold several important positions such as Commandant of the National Defence Academy (NDA), Senior Air Staff Officer at the Central Air Command and Deputy Chief of the Air Staff from January 2016 to February 28, 2017. Bhadauria served as the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Southern Air Command from March 1, 2017. He took over as the chief of the Bengaluru-based Training Command on August 1, 2018.

Notes:
Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting (WCCL) has acquired the Philippines-based personal care maker Splash Corporation for an undisclosed amount to enter the country which has a consumer base of around 100 million. The acquisition strengthens Wipro’s consumer care portfolio in personal care and strengthens its South-East Asian market footprint. Splash is the largest Filipino personal care player and amongst Top 5 in the Philippines market. Its product categories such as exfoliants and leave-in hair care range are new for WCCL. This is Wipro’s 11th consumer business acquisition, and the 9th in the personal care segment. Other Wipro consumer acquisitions include UK’s Yardley, Singapore-based personal-care company LD Waxson Unza Holdings and China’s Zhongshan and a lot more. The company has made five acquisitions in the Indian market in the consumer line business.

Notes:
Claire Polosak from Australia created history by becoming the first female umpire to stand in a men’s One-Day International (ODI). On 27th April 2019, she has officiated the final of the World Cricket League Division 2, between Oman and Namibia, who both secured ODI status after finishing in the top two positions of the table. In all, Polosak has officiated 15 women’s ODIs, and was part of the team that stood in the 2018 ICC T20 Women’s World Cup, including in the semi-final between England and India. She also officiated in four matches at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017.

Notes:
The International Labour Day (ILD) is celebrated every year on 1st of May to honour the contribution of working men and women. The day aims to pay tribute to workers sacrifices in achieving economic and social rights all over the world. During industrialization at the beginning of the 19th Century, the industrialists used to exploit the labour class and made them work up to 15 hours a day. The workers rose against this exploitation and demanded paid leaves, proper wages and breaks for the workforce. Hence, the day marks the victory of the workers’ movement for eight hours of work. In India, the first Labour day or May Day was celebrated in 1923 in Chennai. The 2019 theme is – Sustainable Pension for all: The Role of Social Partners.

Notes:
Dr. Negasso Gidada (75), the former President of Ethiopia, has passed away in Frankfurt, Germany on April 27, 2019. He was president between 1995 and 2001 and was the first head of state after Ethiopia adopted a new constitution transforming the country into a federal state, with increased autonomy given to the different regions. The role of president in Ethiopia is largely ceremonial, with the prime minister holding most of the power.

Notes:
For the second year in a row, Iraq has become India’s top crude oil supplier in 2018-19 fiscal year and meet more than a fifth of the country’s oil needs. According to official data sourced from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, Iraq sold 46.61 million tonnes (mt) of crude oil to India during April 2018 and March 2019, which is 2% more than 45.74 mt it had supplied in 2017-18 fiscal. Saudi Arabia also maintained its position as the 2nd-largest crude supplier to India during the year followed by Iran and United Arab Emirates (UAE) which toppled Venezuela to become India’s fourth largest crude supplier. Despite US sanctions on Iran, the country’s crude oil supply to India increased 6.24% to 24 MT in 2018-19. India managed to import a sizeable amount of Iranian crude last year primarily due to waivers and winding down period provided by US.

Notes:
The International Jazz Day (IZD) is celebrated around the world on April 30 every year to raise awareness in the international community of the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people. In 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 29 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. The 2019 edition was launched in Melbourne, Australia and celebrated in more than 190 countries around the world.

Notes:
World No. 1 Bajrang Punia won the gold at the 2019 Ali Aliyev wrestling tournament. In the final of men’s 65kg freestyle, he defeated Viktor Rassadin inin Kaspiisk, Russia on May 2. Bajrang got the better of the local favourite 13-8 in his final bout after being down 0-5 at one stage. The 25-year-old Indian grappler had won a gold medal last week at the Asian Championships in Xi’an, China.

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.

Notes:
The 16th Ministerial Meeting of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD-2019) was held in Doha, Qatar from April 30-May 2 with theme “Partners in Progress”. Gen. (Dr) V.K. Singh (Retd), Minister of State for External Affairs led the Indian delegation. In his address, the Minister expressed profound sorrow for April 21 terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka and emphasized the need for the world community to expeditiously adopt the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (UNCCIT). On the basis of 2019 theme, Dr. Singh underlined India’s desire for working cooperatively with all ACD Member States in line with the Government of India’s approach of “Collective Efforts, Inclusive Growth”. He also urged the Member States to join the International Solar Alliance launched in November 2015.