Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2019

Notes:
Lakshadweep is an archipelago of 36 islands and scattered over approximately 78,000 square km of the Arabian Sea with population of approximately 65,000. Recently, the team of scientists at CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) carried out first-ever genetic studies on the people of Lakshadweep Islands. The team was was led by Dr. K Thangaraj . The scientist have studied the major islands of Agatti, Andorth, Bitra, Chetlat, Kadmat, Kalpeni, Kiltan and Minicoy of Lakshadweep and demonstrated a close genetic link of Lakshadweep islanders with people from Maldives, Sri Lanka and India. They analyzed DNA samples of 557 individuals from these 8 major islands for mitochondrial DNA and 166 individuals for Y chromosome markers. The paternal and maternal ancestries of the majority of island populations suggest their arrival from distinct sources. They found that the maternal ancestry was closer to South Indian populations, whereas the paternal ancestry is more similar to the Maldives and North India. In conclusion, the first genetic data suggest that the majority of human ancestry in Lakshadweep is largely derived from South Asia with minor influences from East and West Eurasia.

Notes:
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed 17 global figures including Indian actress Dia Mirza and Alibaba chief Jack Ma as the new advocates to drive action and solidify global political will for the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals. The new class of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates are influential public figures committed to raising awareness, inspiring greater ambition and pushing for faster action on the SDGs, which were adopted by world leaders on September 25, 2015. The Advocates represent the universal character of the SDGs, hailing from governments, entertainment, academia, sport, business and activist organizations around the world. The other newly-appointed SDG Advocates include Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Founder, Education Above All Foundation (State of Qatar), British screenwriter, producer and film director Richard Curtis, Nobel Laureate Nadia Murad, Director of Center for Sustainable Development, Columbia University Jeffrey Sachs, Brazilian footballer and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, Forest Whitaker.

Notes:
Iran has recently announced to stop respecting limits on its nuclear activities agreed under a 2015 nuclear deal with major powers until they find a way to bypass renewed US sanctions. The Iran nuclear deal was formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has given an ultimatum of 60 days to remaining signatories – the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia – to implement their promises to protect Iran’s oil and banking sectors from US sanctions. The nuclear deal was designed to curb Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. Under the landmark deal, Iran is required to sell its surplus enriched uranium abroad, rather than keep it, thereby allowing it to generate nuclear power without building nuclear weapons. In it, Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.

Notes:
A team of herpetologists led by Ashok Captain have described a new species of reddish-brown pit viper — a venomous snake with a unique heat-sensing system — from a forest in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. The discovery makes the Arunachal pit viper (Trimeresurus arunachalensis) the second serpent to have been discovered after the non-venomous crying keelback in the State’s Lepa-Rada district in 2018. The new species also makes Arunachal Pradesh the only Indian state to have a pit viper named after it. Before the Arunachal Pradesh discovery, India had four brown pit vipers — Malabar, horseshoe, hump-nosed and Himalayan — which were discovered 70 years ago. The discovery was recently published in the March-April volume of the Russian Journal of Herpetology.

Notes:
Two Indian Navy ships – Guided Missile Destroyer INS Kolkata and Fleet Support Ship INS Shakti carried out a 6-day long exercise ‘Group Sail’ with naval ships of Japan, Philippines and the United States of America (USA) in the disputed South China Sea from 03 May to 09 May 19. The aim of the Group Sail is to deepen the existing partnership and foster mutual understanding among participating navies. The ships undertook various exercises enroute which included formation manoeuvering, underway replenishment runs, cross-deck flying and exchange of Sea Riders. The Group Sail exercise with naval ships of Japan, Philippines and United States showcased India’s commitment towards operating with like-minded nations to ensure safe maritime environment through enhanced interoperability.

Notes:
After United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland has officially become the 2nd country in the world to declare a climate and biodiversity emergency. It happened after the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) report on Climate Action was accepted by the government and opposition parties without a vote. An amendment to a parliamentary report declaring a climate emergency and calling on parliament to examine how the Irish government can improve its response to the issue of biodiversity loss was accepted. Britain’s parliament became the first in the world to declare a climate emergency, passing the largely symbolic motion on May 1. The step followed 11 days of street protests in London by the Extinction Rebellion environmental campaign group.

Notes:
The Indian Army has decided to commemorate 2019 as the ‘Year of Next of Kin’ and plans to reach out to the next of kin of battle casualties, ex-servicemen and serving soldiers to inform them of entitled financial benefits, welfare schemes and help resolve pension related problems. The issue gains importance in light of most next of kin of deceased soldiers being unaware of the financial benefits that are entitled to them. Incorrect and incomplete documentation is a common problem for most of the next of kin, which aggravates their plight. Indian Army plans to overcome these challenges through its formations and regimental centres. It will also seek the involvement of the defence ministry, Nepal Embassy (due to several soldiers being recruited from Nepal), Sainik Boards, banks and welfare agencies such as the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS). The Directorate of Indian Army Veterans will be the nodal agency. Earlier, the Indian Army marked 2018 as the ‘Year of Disabled in the Line of Duty’.

Notes:
The first edition of world’s first exclusive women’s cricket magazine ‘Criczone’ has been released in Jaipur, Rajasthan. In it, Indian team cricket vice-captain Smriti Mandhana has featured as the cover story. The purpose of the magazine is to empower young aspiring women cricketers to take the sport as a profession and able to make a sustainable living. Top international cricketers like Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Smiriti Mandhana along with overseas players like Danielle Wyatt, Sophie Devine attended the event which is held on the sidelines of the inaugural women’s T20 challenge. Yash Lahoti is the publisher of the magazine.

Notes:
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has recently received the first AH-64E (I) – Apache Guardian helicopter at Boeing production facility in Mesa, Arizona in the United States. The AH-64E Apache is a leading multi-role attack helicopter and is flown by the US Army. The IAF had signed a multi-billion dollar contract with the US government and Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. The first batch of these helicopters is scheduled to be shipped to India by July 2019. The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF’s future requirements and would have significant capability in mountainous terrain. The helicopter has the capability to carry out precision attacks at standoff ranges and operate in hostile airspace with threats from ground.

Notes:
The 18 nations ADMM-Plus (Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus) multilateral maritime security field exercise has recently concluded in Singapore on May 13. In it, two Indian Navy ships – Guided Missile Destroyer INS Kolkata and Fleet Support Ship INS Shakti carried out Group Sail with the naval ships of Japan, the Philippines and the U.S. in the disputed South China Sea (SCS). The exercise was jointly organised by Singapore and South Korea, which was started in Busan on April 30. This is the 4th such exercise conducted under the ADMM-Plus grouping. The ADMM-Plus consistes of 10 ASEAN countries along with Australia, China, Japan, India, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.