Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2019

Notes:
The National Anti Terrorism Day (NATD) is celebrated every year in India on May 21 to spread the message of global peace and non-violence and stop youngsters from following cult practices and being misguided. The day also honours the sacrifices made by thousands of soldiers who fought against terrorism. It’s a day to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in terrorist attacks. It was on this day in 1991, the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide squad of Liberation of Tamil Tigers Eelam (LTTE), while attending a rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The aim behind the observance of Anti-Terrorism Day is to wean away the people from terrorism and violence.

Notes:
The Delhi High Court has ruled that the United Nations (UN) is not a State under Article 12 of the Constitution of India and is not amenable to its jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution. The judgment was passed by a single-judge Bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait in a petition concerning the immunity enjoyed by the UNO under the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947. The petition was filed by a former UNO employee who was found guilty of misconduct pursuant to the findings of a Procurement Task Force (PTF). Sanjaya Bahel, convicted by a US Federal Court and sentenced to 97 months of imprisonment and two years of mandatory probation, was released and deported to India in May 2014. In his petition, he claimed that due process was not followed in his case.

Notes:
In Germany, the international competition ‘Elsevier Foundation-ISC3 Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge’ was recently held at the 4th Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference. In it, a project idea by Dr. Ankur Patwardhan from Pune has bagged the second prize of €25,000. His project named ‘Butterfly attractant for pollination and ecosystem health’ is about the relation between chemistry and ecosystem. Dr. Patwardhan is currently working as head of the ‘Annasaheb Kulkarni Biodiversity Department’ at Abasaheb Garware College, Pune. He developed the project idea with the help of Tejaswini Pachpor and Dattatray Naik. Patwardhan serves as a member of the Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board. He is also the president of a high-level committee appointed by the Centre on Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani Eco-Sensitive Zone.

Notes:
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:
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.

Notes:
Russia has recently launched the third and final Project 22220 LK-60Ya-class nuclear-powered icebreaker – the Ural – at the Baltic Shipyard in St Petersburg to open up Arctic shipping routes.The ship is one of a trio that when completed will be the largest and most powerful icebreakers in the world. It is part of an ambitious programme to renew and expand its fleet of the vessels in order to improve its ability to tap the Arctic’s commercial potential. The Ural will eventually be handed over to Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom in 2022 after the two other icebreakers in the same series – Arktika (Arctic) and Sibir (Siberia) – enter service. The main task for the Project 22220 icebreakers will be to clear passages for ship traffic on the Northern Sea route, which runs along the Russian Arctic coast from the Kara Sea to the Bering Strait. As per estimated of U.S. Geological Survey, the Arctic holds oil and gas reserves equivalent to 412 billion barrels of oil, about 22% of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas.

Notes:
Ivo Karlovic (40) of Croatia has become the oldest man to win a match at the French Open since 1973, after he defeated the 37-year-old Feliciano Lopez of Spain in a first-round duel of the 2019 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros. This was the oldest men’s match in combined age at Roland Garros during the Open Era, and the 7th-oldest match at a Grand Slam. Karlovic is also the oldest to win a Grand Slam match since 1978. The record for women is held by Elizabeth Ryan, who was 42 when she won the 1934 women’s doubles with Simone Mathieu.

Notes:
To celebrate 2019 World Environment Day (WED), the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) has recently launched the song ‘Hawa Aane De’ to spread awareness about Air pollution. The theme song is written by Swanand Kirkire and sung by Shantanu Mukherjee, Kapil Sharma, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shankar Mahadevan. The film has been directed by Romanchak Arora. Every year, Union Environment Ministry celebrates WED focusing on the theme declared by UNEP and organizes several events. This year, the theme of Environment Day is ‘Air Pollution’. Hence, the events will include launch of film competition on environment, release of several books and three thematic sessions on Air Pollution, Waste Management and Forests: the Green Lungs of cities. It is noteworthy that to combat air pollution, MoEFCC has recently launched the National Clean Air programme (NCAP) which is a mid-term 5 Year Action Plan with targets of 20-30% reduction of PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentration in 102 cities, out of which 84 cities have already submitted their action plan. The main objective of NCAP is to control and abate air pollution across the country. It is a multi sectoral and collaborative approach with mainstreaming and integration.

Notes:
The World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed every year on May 31 to create awareness about the negative impacts of tobacco consumption on human health. The focus theme of 2019 edition of WNTD is on “tobacco and lung health”. The campaign will increase awareness on: the negative impact that tobacco has on people’s lung health, from cancer to chronic respiratory disease, the fundamental role lungs play for the health and well-being of all people. The campaign also serves as a call to action, advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption and engaging stakeholders across multiple sectors in the fight for tobacco control. On the occasion, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India organized a national consultation on tobacco and lung health in New Delhi. The consultation, organized in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO), was aimed at raising awareness about the negative impacts of any form of tobacco consumption on the health of lung and cancer causing micro-elements in it. Theme of the event was “Don’t Let Tobacco Take Your Breath Away – Choose Health Not Tobacco”.

Notes:
In Madhya Pradesh, Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Airport of Indore has been declared as International Airport. It was given the International status as per sub-rule (b) of rule 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Rules, 1950 by the Central Government. The airport, named after Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore, is considered the busiest airport in the region. The Indore airport facilitates round the clock operations and was given its World Standardization Certificate by the UK. An international airport has customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. Such airports are usually larger than domestic airports and often feature longer runways.