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:
Pungam Kannan (80), the former Indian footballer, has passed away at Kolkata, West Bengal. Born in Vandavasi in Tamil Nadu, Kannan played 14 matches for India & was the former Mohun Bagan & East Bengal forward. He won Santosh Trophy for Bengal twice in a row (1971-73) and was the top-scorer. It was legendary German coach Dettmar Cramer who had given him the best appreciation by calling him ‘Pele of Asia’ in 1968 when he was invited by the AIFF to conduct two-week coaching in Mumbai.

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:
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.

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.

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:
According to latest data released by global think-tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the total world military expenditure rose by 2.6% to 1,822 billion in 2018. As per new data, the United States is the world’s largest spender on defence in 2018, with a military expenditure almost equal to the next eight countries combined. China (250 billion) has acquired 2nd position followed by Saudi Arabia (67.6 billion), India (66.5 billion) and France ($63.8 billion). The study found that the United States increased its military expenditure for the first time since 2010. China’s military spending rose for the 24th consecutive year.

Notes:
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:
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:
In Rajasthan, the 8th Asian Youth Women Handball Championship is scheduled to be held in Jaipur, in which 10 teams, including defending champions South Korea, will be participating. It is the first time that the prestigious tournament would be played in the Pink city from August 21 to 30. Earlier, Delhi had hosted it in 2015 where the hosts India had finished seventh. The tournament has been dominated by South Korea who has emerged champion in the all the 7 editions of the tournament held so far. The previous edition in 2017 was held at Jakarta in Indonesia where South Korea was the champion while Japan and China were placed second and third respectively.