Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2019

Notes:
On May 24, the Defence Research and Defence Organisation (DRDO) successfully flight tested a 500 kg class Inertial Guided Bomb (IGB) from Su-30 MKI Aircraft from the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan. The guided bomb achieved the desired range and hit the target with high precision. The weapon system is capable of carrying different warheads. The test firing of the guided bomb came two days after the Indian Air Force (IAF) successfully test fired the aerial version of the supersonic BrahMos cruise missile from a Sukhoi jet at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The 2.5 tonne air-to-surface missile has a range of around 300 km, and it will significantly enhance the IAF’s combat capability. The BrahMos cruise missile travels at a speed of Mach 2.8, nearly three times that of sound.

Notes:
The World Thyroid Day (WTD) is observed every year on May 25 to promote awareness and understanding of thyroid health and the advances made in treating thyroid diseases. The thyroid gland is an important part of the body and is extremely important as it regulates metabolism, affects energy levels, crucial body functions, and heart rate. Abnormalities in the thyroid gland can lead to excess production of the thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism), less production of the thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), thyroid nodules (lumps in the thyroid gland), goitre (enlargement of the thyroid gland), thyroiditis (inflammation of the thyroid gland) and thyroid cancer.

Notes:
Veeru Devgan (85), veteran action choreographer and father of Ajay Devgan, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on May 27, 2019. He choreographed action scenes in more than 80 films such as Hindustan Ki Kasam, Mr. India and Mr. Natwarlal (1993). He also acted in films like Kranti, Saurabh and Singhasan. Recently, he stopped going to film parties, but he was seen at the screening of ‘Total Dhamaal’.

Notes:
In October 2020, Sweden will host an international conference against anti-Semitism in memory of the Holocaust. The conference, which is scheduled to be held in Malmo, will coincide with two significant dates: the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Europe from Nazi rule and the 20th anniversary of the Stockholm Declaration, the founding document of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which assists with the commemoration and study of the Holocaust around the world. Antisemitism is hostility to, prejudice, or discrimination against Jews.

Notes:
The Union government has constituted the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal to adjudicate whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as an unlawful association. The Tribunal is comprised of sitting Judge of Delhi High Court Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal. Earlier, the Home Ministry had issued a notification extending ban on LTTE in India for a further period of five years. LTTE was banned in India after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.

Notes:
Lewis Hamilton, a British racing driver who races in Formula One for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, has won the 2019 Monaco Grand Prix with a perfectly measured drive.

Notes:
On 2019 World Meterology Day, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and National Physical Laboratory (CSIR-NPL) has recently introduced redefined International System of Units for the country. The redefined systems are Kilogram (SI unit of weight), Kelvin (SI unit of temperature), Mole (SI unit of amount of substance), and Ampere (SI unit of current). The purpose of a system of units is to enable world-wide coherence of measurements. CSIR- NPL has also sent the new definitions to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MoHRD) for the engineering course syllabus and to National Council of Educational Research and Training for adoption in schools. It must be noted that the world’s scientific community adopted the resolution to redefine four of the 7 base units during the open session of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) at BIPM in November 2018. Therefore, there is no change in the definition of three other SI units—second, metre and candela — which were defined based on natural constants.

Notes:
Actor Carmine Caridi (85), who is best remembered for playing Carmine Rosato in “The Godfather: Part II,” has passed away in California, United States on May 28, 2019. Besides “The Godfather” series, he also starred in TV shows including Phyllis, Starsky and Hutch, Taxi, NYPD Blue as Detective Vince Gotelli and Fame as Angelo Martelli. Interestingly, in 2004, Caridi became the first person to be expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) after sharing screeners. He was booted out for passing on screeners of movies vying for Oscar attention. He along with Russell Sprague were sued by Sony and Time Warner on civil charges of copyright infringement. Caridi was cleared of wrongdoing.

Notes:
India has been ranked 43rd most competitive economy in the 2019 edition of the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings on the back of its robust economic growth, a large labour force and its huge market size. In the 2019 rankings, India has scored well on several economic parameters and tax policies but has lagged in terms of public finance, societal framework, education infrastructure, health and environment. Singapore has topped the index, followed by Hong Kong SAR and United States. The IMD World Competitiveness Rankings, established in 1989, incorporate 235 indicators from each of the 63 ranked economies to evaluate their ability to foster an environment where enterprises can achieve sustainable growth, generate jobs and increase welfare for its citizens.

Notes:
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will observe 2019 Financial Literacy Week (FLW) across the country from 3rd to 7th of June. The theme this year is – ‘Farmers and how they benefit by being a part of the formal banking system’. The posters and leaflets will be used to spread awareness and spread the message of financial literacy among the farming community. The RBI has advised banks to display the posters and content in their rural bank branches, Financial Literacy Centres, ATMs and websites. It will also undertake a mass media campaign this month on Doordarshan and All India Radio to disseminate essential financial awareness messages to farmers.