VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 16^th, 2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 16^th, 2019

1.      Saudi Arabia has for the 1st time approved a scheme that gives permanent residency to certain expatriates, allowing them to own property in the country. 

a.       The 'Privileged Iqama' system will be offered to highly skilled foreigners and investors. 

b.       The scheme will attract investors and enhance the economy's competitiveness.

2.      The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) has offered India an 'Observer' status and access to data from the International Monitoring System. 

a.       The CTBT is a legally-binding treaty that aims to ban all nuclear explosions across the world. 

b.       It has been signed by 184 countries but not come into force as eight countries including India have not ratified it.

3.      The Pakistan government has introduced a bill in the lower house of the Parliament to create the new province of South Punjab by bifurcating Punjab. 

a.       South Punjab will comprise Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan Divisions. 

b.       Note : Bifurcating Punjab province to form South Punjab was an electoral promise made by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

4.      US President Donald Trump has declared a National emergency to protect the country against foreign adversaries that are taking advantage of technological vulnerabilities to threaten US communications systems. 

a.       The order bars US companies from using foreign telecoms believed to pose national security risks.

b.       This comes amid US' campaign against Chinese manufacturer Huawei over espionage concerns.

5.      India has joined a major global initiative to combat terrorism and extremism online and secure the internet.

a.       The initiative -- 'Christchurch call to action' --  has been named after the New Zealand city where 51 people were killed in an attack on mosques.

b.       It was launched in Paris by India, France, New Zealand, Canada and several other countries.

6.      US President Donald Trump is going to visit South Korea next month to meet with his counterpart Moon Jae-in over their efforts to persuade North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons arsenal.

a.       The White House said in a statement that President Trump and President Moon will continue their close coordination on efforts to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearisation of Pyongyang.

b.       Note : It will be the second meeting between the two leaders since the collapse of a summit between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi in February after they failed to reach a deal on denuclearisation.

7.      The 3rd round of Foreign Office Consultations between India and Botswana was held in New Delhi yesterday.

a.       The Indian side was led by Joint Secretary, East and Southern Africa in the Ministry of External Affairs Dr. Neena Malhotra.

b.       The Botswana side was headed by Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of International Affairs and Cooperation of Botswana Government, Tapiwa Mongwa.

c.       The deliberations provided an opportunity to review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political, economic, commercial, defence, consular and international cooperation. 

d.       Ways to further strengthen the existing friendly relations by way of expanding cooperation in development projects were also discussed.

8.      (16th May) is Sikkim Day.

a.       It was on this day in the year 1975 that Sikkim, India's least populous state officially became a part of India.

b.       About Sikkim :

                                           i.      Capital : Gangtok

                                         ii.      Districts : 4

                                       iii.      Chief Minister : Pawan Chamling

                                       iv.      Governor : Ganga Prasad

9.      India is going to set up its Military Space Agency headquartered at Bengaluru.

a.       Fighter pilot Air Vice Marshal SP Dharkar is likely to head the agency. 

b.       The space agency is likely to command all space assets of the Army, Air Force and Navy. 

10. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) today revealed that 35 % of India’s Graphite deposits are found in Arunachal Pradesh.

11. India for the first time is going to host and participate in a major army competition involving 8 countries, including China and Russia, in Jaisalmer.

a.       The event called the ‘Army International Scout Masters Competition 2019’ will be held in August this year. It will comprise five main stages which involve simulated battle scenarios of infiltrating behind enemy lines via helicopters, setting up ambushes, driving infantry combat vehicles, surviving in chemica ..

12. The website of the Lokpal (www.lokpal.gov.in) has been launched. 

a.       This website provides basic information about the working and functioning of the anti-corruption ombudsman. 

b.       Note : The Lokpal is the first institution of its kind in India established under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 to inquire and investigate into allegations of the corruption against public functionaries.

13. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released a vision document for ensuring a safe, secure, convenient, quick and affordable e-payment system.

a.       The move comes as the apex bank expects the number of digital transactions to increase more than four times to 8,707 crore in December 2021.

14. According to RBI release the 'Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019 - 2021', with its core theme of 'Empowering Exceptional E-payment Experience', envisages to achieve "a highly digital and cash-lite society" through the goal posts of Competition, Cost-effectiveness, Convenience and Confidence (4Cs).

15. India's second Moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, that's planned for a July launch will have 13 payloads and one passive experiment from American space agency NASA, ISRO announced today. 

a.       The spacecraft with a 3.8-tonne mass has 3 modules - Orbiter, Lander, and Rover. 

b.       8 of the 13 Indian payloads will be on orbiter, 3 will be on lander and 2 on rover.

16. Tamil Nadu swimmer and South Asian Games gold medalist MB Balakrishnan (29) died in a road accident in Chennai.

17. The Maharashtra government today appointed senior IPS officer Deven Bharti as the Chief of the State's Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS).  

a.       Bharti, a 1994-batch IPS officer, has investigated several high-profile cases including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the murder of senior crime journalist J Dey. 

b.       He is also known for his crackdown on terror outfit Indian Mujahideen.

18. In a first, all the 10 participating teams at the upcoming ICC World Cup will have a dedicated anti-corruption officer attached with it to deliver a corruption-free tournament.

a.       The ICC will attach an official with each team starting from warm-up matches till the end of the tournament.

19. The Asian Football Confederation announced that for the 1st time an All-female referee team will take charge of a Men’s continental club cup clash.

20. South Korea have abandoned their bid to stage Asian Cup Football tournament in 2023, leaving the sole other bidders China with a free run to become hosts.