Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2019

Notes:
India has recently signed the new global anti-terror initiative ‘Christchurch Call to Action’, which is the brainchild of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron to fight terrorism. The document was signed and adopted with participation from 26 nations, including France, New Zealand, European Commission, Ireland, Norway, Senegal, Canada, Jordan, UK, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Japan, Spain, Netherlands and Sweden. The agreement came in the backdrop of the attacks on mosques on 15th March 2019 and is aimed at stopping abuse of the Internet by extremists. The dissemination of such content online has adverse impacts on the human rights of the victims, on collective security and on people all over the world. The meeting held in Paris was attended by representatives of online giants like Microsoft, Google, Twitter, Facebook and Amazon. India was represented by Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary.

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India’s social media platform – Helo has become the official team sponsor of Indian Wheelchair Cricket Association for 2019 Asia Cup, which has started on May 15 in Nepal. This association makes Helo the first social media app to host and promote Indian Wheelchair Cricket on its platform. As part of the association, Helo will now be the official digital media partner for the team during the tournament. In preparation for the tournament, more than 200 Wheelchair Cricket players have joined Helo as part of this campaign to connect with their local communities across India. The Wheelchair Cricket Association is affiliated to the Disabled Sporting Society and has 16 state teams under it. The players are 70-90 per cent physically challenged and will do batting, bowling, fielding and running on wheelchairs only.

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched its newest microwave earth observation satellite RISAT-2B from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota through its trusted workhorse PSLV-C46. The 615-kg RISAT-2B meant for application in fields such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry and disaster management support. It will replace the RISAT-2, which was launched in 2009. The new satellite will enhance India’s all-weather (space-based) capabilities in agriculture, forestry and disaster management. Its X-band synthetic aperture radar can give added details such as size of objects on Earth, structures, movement and change. The information will complement data from the normal optical remote-sensing satellites. Such data are useful for agencies that need ground imageries during cloud, rain and in the dark.

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Priyanka Mohite, the 26-year-old Satara based mountaineer, has become the first Indian woman to successfully scale Mount Makalu — the fifth-highest mountain in the world at 8,481 metres. Earlier, in May 2018, Priyanka managed to scale Mount Lhotse, which is the fourth highest mountain in the world. In 2013, Mohite had become the youngest girl from her state to have conquered the 8,848m Mount Everest — the highest peak in the world — becoming only the third-youngest Indian to do so. Mt Makalu is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas, 19 km south-east of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and China. The first climb on Makalu was made by an American team led by Riley Keegan in 1954.

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Surya Prakash (79), a well-known artist from Telangana, has passed away in Hyderabad on May 21, 2019. Born on 23rd March 1940 in Madhira of Khammam district, the artist known for his abstract landscapes drew heavily on his love for nature. His works were mainly in oils and acrylic, and he was inspired by French impressionists. The best places where his creative paintings stand out in Hyderabad are the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB). He has done nearly 60 solo exhibitions and over a century of groups shows, displaying the breadth and depth of his work. He received ‘Kala Vibhushan’ award and other honours.

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The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) is observed every year on 22 May 2019 to increase understanding and awareness about biodiversity issues on a global scale. The 2019 theme “Our Biodiversity, Our Food, Our Health” is meant to leverage knowledge and spread awareness of the dependency of our food systems, nutrition, and health on biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. The theme also the diversity provided by our natural systems for human existence and well-being on Earth, while contributing to other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including climate change mitigation and adaptation, ecosystems restoration, cleaner water and zero hunger, among others.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially recognized Algeria and Argentina as malaria-free countries, after no new cases of the deadly disease have been reported for at least 3 consecutive years. As per WHO, there were now 38 countries and territories that have been declared free of the disease. Algeria, where the malaria parasite was discovered by French physician Dr. Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran in 1880, is only the second country in Africa to reach this milestone. The other is Mauritius, which was recognized as malaria-free in 1973. Argentina is the 2nd country in 45 years to be officially recognized as malaria-free in the WHO Region of the Americas, after Paraguay in June 2018. Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. The disease is both preventable and treatable.

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Dr. Hema Divakar, a Bengaluru-based medical doctor, has been honoured with the ‘Global Asian of the Year 2018-19’ award in Dubai recently for her yeomen services and contributions to the women’s healthcare ecosystem, in India. Dr. Divakar received the award at the Asian Business & Social Forum 2019 under the ‘In Service of the Society and the Nation’ category from UAE’s Trade Promotion Director Mohammed Naser Hamdan Al Zaabi. The award is conferred on those who stand out for vision, action and ingenuity and represent contemporary ideas to make global impact.

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Sethu FC has clinched their first ever Indian Women’s League trophy after defeating Manipur Police 3-1 at the Guru Nanak Stadium in Ludhiana on May 22, 2019. The Sethu FC is an Indian women’s football club based in Tamil Nadu. The Indian Women’s League is the top division women’s professional football league in India. The 2018-19 season is the third season of the Indian Women’s League. The league is ran by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

Notes:
On May 23, the NewSpace India Ltd. (NSIL) has officially inaugurated in Bengaluru, Karnataka to scale up industry participation in Indian space programmes. It is the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). NSIL will act as an aggregator for all space related activities in industry and develop private entrepreneurship in space related technologies. Specifically, it will be responsible for manufacturing the and production of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) through technology transfer mechanisms. It will also cater to emerging global commercial SSLV market demand, providing satellite building and satellite-based services, including supply of sub-systems for various domestic and international application needs and will enable space technology spin-offs through Indian industry interface.