Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2019

Notes:
The Supreme Court has recently upheld the constitutional validity of the Karnataka Extension of Consequential Seniority to Government Servants Promoted on the Basis of Reservation (to the Posts in the Civil Services of the State) Act, 2018. The new Karnataka 2018 law grants reservation in promotion and seniority to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) employees in the state. This judgment is significant as Karnataka becomes the first State to gain from a Constitution (5-judge) Bench order of September 2018 that modified a 2006 order requiring the States to show quantifiable data to prove the “backwardness” of a SC/ST community in order to provide quota in promotion in public employment.

Notes:
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who made a mark for India and IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, has been adjudged as International Bowler of the Year during the CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 2019. The ceremony was held in Mumbai in presence of a galaxy of past and present cricketers on May 13. Indian captain Virat Kohli bagged the International Cricketer and Batsman of the Year award. Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan was awarded for outstanding bowling and Australian batsman Aaron Finch for his exceptional performance in T20. Young prodigy Yashasvi Jaiswal, who performed exceptionally over the year was awarded Junior Cricketer of the Year, while chinaman Kuldeep Yadav took the home outstanding performance of the year award. Ashutosh Aman was awarded Domestic Cricketer of the Year. Legendary Mohinder Amarnath, who played a key role in India’s 1983 World Cup triumph, was bestowed with the ‘CCR International Lifetime Achievement Award’.

Notes:
At Paris summit, French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern launched an ambitious new initiative to eliminate terrorist and violent content online. The initiative, “Christchurch Call”, was pushed by Ms Ardern after a white supremacist gunned down 51 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city in March. Participants will be asked to commit to pledges to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content on social media and other online platforms. The political meeting will run in parallel to an initiative launched by Macron called ‘Tech for Good’ which will bring together 80 tech chiefs in Paris to find a way for new technologies to work for the common good. The Paris summit comes as there is a growing realisation that the current abuse of social media by extremists must be countered, after the Christchurch attacker broadcast live footage on Facebook from a head-mounted camera.

Notes:
Justice Madan B Lokur, the Retired Supreme Court judge of India, has been appointed to the Supreme Court of Fiji as a judge of its non-resident panel. He he received the offer from the Chief Justice of the Fiji Supreme Court on the day of his superannuation from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of Fiji has three sessions in a year. Justice Lokur will attend the August session from August 15 to August 30, 2019.

Notes:
The first full-fledged Services Selection Board (SSB) of Indian Navy has been inaugurated by Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba at Diamond Harbour near Kolkata. The SSB (Kolkata) will boost the induction of officers, both men and women, into the Indian Navy. Its location will reduce the travel time and effort for candidates from northern and northeastern parts of the country. This is the fifth SSB of the Indian Navy and will cater for selection of both permanent and short service commission (SSC) officers. The other boards are located in Bhopal, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and Coimbatore. The board can accommodate 160 candidates at a time and has separate facilities and accommodation for men and women candidates. Facilities available at the board include a GTO ground, testing hall, conference room, accommodation for staff and a medical inspection room.

Notes:
The International Day of Families is observed every year on May 15 to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families. The 2019 theme “Families and Climate Action: Focus on SDG 13” focuses on families, family policies and major SDG 13 targets such as improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, and impact reduction and early warning.

Notes:
Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri, the former judge of Supreme Court of India (SCI), has been appointed as the chairperson of News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) by the News Broadcasters Association (NBA). He will succeed Justice (Retd.) R. V. Raveendran, and will assume the office of Chairperson of NBSA on May 26. This is an honorary post and not a government job. Justice Sikri was retired as senior most puisne judge of Supreme Court of India on 6 March 2019. NBSA is an independent body for self-regulation of 24×7 news channels, who are members of the NBA. Its task is to consider and adjudicate upon complaints about broadcasts.

Notes:
The 5th edition of “International Army Scout Masters Competition” will be organized under the aegis of Konark Corps at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan from 24 July to 17 August 2019. This is the first time that India is the venue for the Army Scouts Masters Competition, which is part of International Army Games steered by Russia. It is also for the first time that an Indian team will participate in this competition. The event will witness participation of the Mechanised Infantry Scout Teams of 8 countries including Russia who is the founding member of this format of International Army Games. The competition will be conducted in five stages, which will test the overall skills of Mechanised Infantry Scouts in simulated battle field scenarios. The combat skills will be adjudicated by a panel of international judges and referees. The competition will showcase combat training and promote camaraderie amongst the contestants, facilitate sharing of best practices as well as develop military and technical cooperation between participating nations.

Notes:
Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor has been felicitated by Council of European Chambers of Commerce (CEUCC) in India and an European Union delegation as part of the ‘Europe Day’ celebrations in Mumbai on May 17. He has been felicitated for his decade-long support to promoting the cause of children’s rights and his collaboration with the EU and Plan India in their girls’ rights endeavours. The event also highlighted how Europe has always been a favourite shooting destination for Indian filmmakers for many decades. The Europe Day is celebrated every year on May 9 to mark the formation of the European Union (EU).

Notes:
The World AIDS Vaccine Day (WAVD) is observed every year on 18th May to spread awareness about the urgent need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS. The day is also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. It is also a day to thank volunteers, researchers, scientists, community member, health professionals and everyone else who is working to eradicate the disease and find ways for safe and effective HIV vaccines.