Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2019

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 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.

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The Generalized System of Preference (GSP) is the largest and oldest US trade preference programme and is designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries. Recently, it is in news because a group of 25 influential American lawmakers has urged the US Trade Representative – Robert Lighthizer – not to terminate the GSP programme after the expiry of the 60-day notice on 3rd May 2019. They argued that terminating GSP for India would hurt American companies seeking to expand their exports to India. They also urged to continue negotiating a deal that protects and promotes jobs that rely on trade – both imports and exports – with India. President Donald Trump announced on March 4, the US intends to terminate India’s designations as a beneficiary developing country under the GSP programme.

Notes:
Former ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar has been conferred with France’s highest civilian award – Chevalier de l’Ordre national de la Lgion d’Honneur – for his contribution to India-France space cooperation. Throughout his career at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), including as its chairman from 2015 to 2018, Kumar fostered the historic and ambitious space cooperation between India and France. The Ordre national de la Lgion d’Honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honour) was created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, and is the highest civilian award given by the French for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipient. The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Ordre national de la Lgion d’Honneur.

Notes:
Master Hirannaiah (85), the noted Kannada theatre personality, passed away in Bengaluru, Karnataka on May 2, 2019. He was well known for his caustic barbs on the political class dipped in humour on stage from late 1960s. Hailing from Mysuru, Narasimha Murthy was the son of theatre thespian K. Hirannaiah, who started K. Hirannaiah Mitra Mandali. He took on the stage name Master Hirannaiah after his debut in his childhood. His mega hit play was “Lanchavatara” with which he pioneered a freewheeling style, including a commentary on the day’s politics and making the play new with every staging. His other famous plays include Double Thaali, Kanya Daana, Sanyasi Samsara, Chamachavathara, Haasyadalli Ulta Palta, Kapil Mushti, Nadubidi Narayana, Bhrashtachara and Anaachaara. Based on these successes, he had starred in many Kannada language movies and TV shows.

Notes:
The International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) is observed every year on May 4 to recognize and honour the sacrifices that firefighters make to ensure that our communities and environment are as safe as possible. It was instituted after a proposal was emailed out across the world on January 4, 1999 due to the deaths of five firefighters in tragic circumstances in a bushfire in Australia. The day is dedicated to thanks all firefighters for their extraordinary commitment, exceptional courage and for their selfless service.

Notes:
Common Service Centre’s (CSC) e-Governance Services India Limited has tied up with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur to upscale ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’, which is an initiative of the Ministry of HRD. It aims to find solutions to accelerate sustainable growth in rural India. Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, IIT-Kanpur has brought together 15 leading higher education institutions from Uttar Pradesh. These institutions have agreed to work with CSC for the development of villages under the scheme. IIT Kanpur has adopted five villages — Hridayapur, Baikanthpur, Ishwariganj, Pratappur Hari and Saxupurva — situated on the outskirts of Kanpur for its overall development. The e-Governance Services India is a special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Electronics & IT.

Notes:
Journalist Nileena MS, a reporting fellow with The Caravan, has won the prestigious ACJ Award for Investigative Journalism in print/online category for the year 2018. She won the award for her story titled “Coalgate 2.0: The Adani Group reaps benefits worth thousands of crores of rupees as the coal scam continues under the Modi government”. Her investigative piece revealed how a joint venture between Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited and Adani Enterprises Limited continues to function on the basis of agreements that pre-date a landmark Supreme Court judgement from September 2014. The ACJ award comprises a trophy, citation and a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh. The award is given by the Asian College of Journalism with the support of the Media Development Foundation to recognise and encourage the best works of investigative journalism produced for Indian readers, viewers and audiences in order to promote journalism in the public interest.