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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PCT Humanity, a charity run by an Indian in the UAE, has set the new Guinness Book of World Records for its hunger relief efforts during the holy month of Ramzan in Abu Dhabi. Joginder Singh Salaria, founder of Pehal charitable Trust (PCT), said the efforts were in continuation to the vegetarian iftar held daily at the premises of his company Pehal International, Dubai Industrial Park. The charity set the new Guinness World Records for “Longest Line of Hunger Relief Package” in Abu Dhabi. Besides the record, the main aim of charity is to feed people pure vegetarian food to stay healthy and fit and also save animals.

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The International Museum Day (IMD) is observed every year on May 18 to raise awareness about the importance of museums as means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples. The 2019 theme is ‘Museums as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition’.

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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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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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Vijaya Mulay (98), the renowned filmmaker and film historian, has passed away at her south Delhi residence on May 19, 2019. Born on 16th May 1921, Mulay founded the Delhi Film Society in 1959, and later on became a joint secretary of the Federation of Film Societies. She is best known for her animation film ‘Ek Anek Aur Ekta’ , which was aired on Doordarshan in the 70s and 80s and won the National Film Award for Best Educational Film. Her 7-minute film, aimed at children, messaged the importance of unity in diversity and celebrated its powers and pleasure.

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German payments company Wirecard has teamed up with India to simplify the process of issuing tax identity cards required to open bank accounts, transfer money or complete business transactions. The deal, with state company UTI Infrastructure Technology and Financial Services, seeks to widen the distribution of so-called PAN cards in the country of 1.3 billion where most people still live and work in the informal economy. Munich-based Wirecard, founded in 1999, runs a digital payments platform that handles payments for merchants and issues real and ‘virtual’ payment cards to consumers. It mainly operates under arrangements that allow their partners to rebrand their products. Wirecard is already has a presence in India and its network of 15,000 retail agents in 350 cities would help collect and scan in the documents that people need to apply for a PAN card.

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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.

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Bangladesh-based terror outfit — the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) — was banned by the Government of India (GoI) under the anti-terror law UAPA. The terror out fit is also called as Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen India or Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Hindustan. The Union Home Ministry stated that the outfit has committed acts of terrorism, promoted acts of terrorism and has been engaged in radicalization and recruitment of youths for terrorist activities in India. Therefore, the JMB and all its manifestations have been inserted in the First Schedule to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) of 1967. The listing under the First Schedule of the UAPA means the outfit is now a banned organisation in India.

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The 2nd edition of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Mass Media Forum was held at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from 23-26 May, 2019. A delegation from I&B Ministry represented India at the Forum. The Forum was inaugurated by the President of Kyrgyz Republic Mr. S. Jeenbeko. The President in his inaugural address highlighted the importance of Mass Media organizations of SCO countries in accomplishing the SCO objectives of mutual trust, friendly relations with neighbors and regional security in line with the “Shanghai Spirit”. The Forum aims to strengthen the exchange and cooperation in the field of mass media amongst SCO countries. It offers a unique platform for active work through mass media to create an objective vision of the organization and strengthen its positive image in the global information space.