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IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 5^th, 6^th & 7^th2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF MAY 5^th, 6^th & 7^th 2019

1.      5th May 2019 is observed as International Midwives Day.

a.       This internationally recognised day is observed by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) to highlight the work of midwives.

b.       ICM established the idea of the 'International Day of the Midwife' following suggestions and discussion among Midwives Associations in the late 1980s, then launched the initiative formally in 1992.

c.       Theme of International Day of the Midwife 2019 : "Midwives: Defenders of Women's Rights"

d.       Note : Meaning of Midwife = a nurse whose job is to look after women when they are giving birth to a baby

2.      6th May 2019 is International No Diet Day.

a.       This day  is an annual celebration of body acceptance, including fat acceptance and body shape diversity. 

b.       Note : The  symbol of International No Diet Day is a light blue ribbon.

3.      India has been re-elected as an observer to inter-governmental forum Arctic Council. 

a.       The decision was made at the 11th Arctic Council ministerial meeting held at Rovaniemi, Finlan.

b.       The Arctic Council promotes cooperation, coordination and interaction among Arctic states on common issues, particularly on sustainable development and environmental protection.

4.      India has sought the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the UN. 

a.       CCIT aims to arrive at a universal definition of terrorism, ban all terror groups and make cross-border terrorism an extraditable offence, among others. 

b.       India's call comes after Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar was designated as a global terrorist at the United Nations Security Council.

5.      The US city of Los Angeles has renamed a nearly 4-mile stretch of road from 'Rodeo Road' to 'President Barack Obama Boulevard', in honour of the country's first African-American President.

6.      The Sri Lankan Police has asked the public to hand over sharp-edged weapons including swords, daggers as well as clothing resembling military uniforms, by Sunday. 

a.       This comes as several people, including politicians, were arrested after such weapons were discovered during searches in the aftermath of the Easter Sunday suicide blasts that killed 257 people.

7.      India is going to attend the G7 meet organised by France in Biarritz in August along with Australia, Chile and South Africa. 

a.       The group consists of US, UK, France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Germany. 

8.      India and Bangladesh are going to co-produce a film on the life and works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (will be directed by Shyam Benegal) and a documentary on Bangladesh Liberation War.

9.      The Trump administration is proposing a hike in the H-1B visa application fee.  

a.       Labour Secretary Alexander Acosta proposed the hike while testifying before a Congressional committee on annual budget of the Department of Labour for the fiscal year 2020 beginning October 1, 2019. 

b.       Important Points to Note : 

i)       The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. 

ii)     The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

10.  In Mali, the president has named a new government after its predecessor resigned last month.

a.       President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced the new executive of 37 members under Prime Minister Boubou Cisse. 

b.       He was appointed on April 22 to oversee the formation of a broad-based government.

11.  The fasting month of Ramzan began across the country on 7th May 2019.

a.       The worshippers thronged to mosques last night, to offer special night prayers called "Taraweeh", which will continue throughout the month.

b.       Ramzan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. 

c.       Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated at the culmination of this month.

12.  Border Road Organisation's (BRO) 59th raising day observed on 7th May 2019.

a.       Formed on May 7, 1960, the BRO maintains road networks in the country, helps in meeting the strategic needs of the armed forces and plays an important role in socio economic development through its large scale contribution to infrastructure development.

b.       Important Points to know about Border Road Organization (BRO)

i)       Headquarters - New Delhi

ii)     Formed on - 7th May 1960

iii)   Motto - Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam ("Everything is Achievable through Hard Work")

iv)   Parent organisation - Ministry of Defence

v)     Director General - Lt. Gen.Harpal Singh

13.  Nobel laureate, genius poet and the man behind composing India’s national anthem, Rabindranath Tagore's 158th Birth Anniversary is being observed on 7th May 2019..

14.  The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) distributed more than one lakh bee-boxes among farmers and unemployed youths across India in less than two years under its ‘Honey Mission’ initiative. 

a.       This is the 1st time such mass scale distribution of honey bee boxes has taken place in country.

15.  In addition to ₹381 crore released last week, PM Narendra Modi has announced additional ₹1,000 crore assistance for cyclone Fani hit Odisha. 

a.       The PM further praised state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for handling the state's situation during the cyclone. 

16.  Purple frog (Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis) could be soon designated as Kerala’s state amphibian.

a.       The proposal for this is being mooted by Kerela’s leading Herpetologists (a specialist in study of reptiles and amphibians).

17.  The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed a monetary penalty on 5 Pre-Paid Payment Instrument (PPI) issuers which include Vodafone’s m-pesa and Phonepe, for violating its regulatory guidelines under provisions of Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007. 

a.       Other facing Penalty includes, Western Union Financial Services Inc., MoneyGram Payment Systems Inc, (both are US firms) for for compounding of contravention and non-compliance of RBI guidelines and on Mobile Payments and Private and GI Technology.

18.  India has warned the World Trade Organisation (WTO) against the proposal made by the European Union to create new e-commerce rules. 

a.       India said the high standards being proposed could affect the goods and services tariff rules under the WTO, impacting the country's domestic industry and job creation. 

b.       Most developing countries are not ready for binding rules in e-commerce, it added.

19.  Ratan Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, has invested an undisclosed amount in Ola's newly-formed company Ola Electric Mobility as part of its Series A round of funding. 

a.       Tata is also an early investor in ANI Technologies, Ola's parent company. 

20.  Pakistan's government has fired Tariq Bajwa, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, and Federal Board of Revenue Chairman Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan because of their "performance". 

a.       The removal comes amid the nation's bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

b.       Note : Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umar was asked to step down just two weeks ago.

21.  ‘Gujarat Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2019’ came into force from May 1. 

a.       This act allows that shops, commercial establishments and businesses running in state can now remain open round the clock (24X7). 

22.  INS Ranjit, a Rajput class destroyer was decommissioned at a solemn grand ceremony at Naval Dockyard at  Visakhapatnam.

a.       The Decommissioning Ceremony was graced by 16 officers and 10 sailors from the commissioning crew and 23 erstwhile Commanding Officers.

b.       The ship commissioned on 15 September 1983 by Captain Vishnu Bhagwat in erstwhile USSR has rendered yeoman service to the nation for 36 years. 

c.       The ship since her commissioning has sailed for 2190 days covering a distance of over 7,43,000 nautical miles.

23.  The Indian Navy launched fourth Stealth Scorpene-Class submarine ‘INS Vela’ at state owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 

a.       This is fourth submarine that was launched by MDL after it entered into contract with French collaborator Ms Naval Group (earlier known as DCNS) for construction and transfer of technology for six Scorpene class submarines under Project 75.

b.       Note : It is named ‘Vela’ after erstwhile ‘INS Vela’ (second batch of Foxtrot class submarines taken by India from erstwhile USSR) which was first commissioned in Indian Naval service on 31 August 1973 and continued in service for 37 years. 

c.       It was India’s oldest submarine when it was decommissioned on 25 June 2010.

24.  The US Air Force in a test has successfully shot down air-launched missiles in flight with a ground-based laser system titled Self-Protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD), it's intended to eventually be mounted on an aircraft. 

25.  North Korea has conducted a "strike drill" for multiple launchers, firing tactical guided weapons in a military drill supervised by leader Kim Jong-un. 

a.       Kim said the drill was carried out to "increase North Korea's combat ability". 

b.       Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Kim realises his country's "great economic potential" and "will do nothing to interfere or end it".

26.  Japanese aerospace startup Interstellar Technologies has successfully launched the country's 1st commercial rocket into space. 

a.       The flight lasted about 10 minutes, wherein the MOMO-3 rocket reached 100-km altitude before splashing in the Pacific Ocean.

27.  Iran will restart part of its Nuclear programme it had halted under the 2015 nuclear deal with other world powers.

a.       Iran's move is in response to the US' withdrawal from the deal last year. 

b.       Iran had agreed to restrictions on its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions under the deal.

28.  American multinational technology company Microsoft has unveiled a free open-source software development kit, 'ElectionGuard', which can be incorporated into voting systems, aimed at making voting more secure. 

a.       It enables end-to-end election verification, opens results to third-party organisations for validation, and lets voters confirm their votes were correctly counted. 

b.       It'll be ready for testing during the 2020 elections in the US.

29.  Microsoft has also unveiled its own fully-managed blockchain service Azure Blockchain Service that allows for consortium blockchain networks' formation, management and governance. 

a.       Unrelated to cryptocurrency, it'll let businesses build applications on top of blockchain technology. 

30.  The UK is in talks with the Indian government on building a new state-of-the-art aircraft carrier along the lines of Britain's HMS Queen Elizabeth as part of the ongoing 'Make in India' negotations.

a.       The talks are under way for the Indian Navy to buy detailed plans for the 65,000-ton British warship to build a so-called "copycat supercarrier" to be named INS Vishal in 2022.

31.  For the first time in history, Black women are holding all 3 major US pageant titlessimultaneously. 

a.       Last week, Cheslie Kryst won the Miss USA contest, and Kaliegh Garris won Miss Teen USA. 

b.       They joined 25-year-old Nia Franklin who was crowned as the 2019 Miss America in September last year.

32.  An Indian police officer Jitender Kumar deployed to the UN mission in Congo and a consultant Shikha Garg with the UN development programme, killed in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash, are among 115 UN peacekeepers and staff honoured by the global organisation for their sacrifice. 

a.       They lost their lives in the service of peace between January 2018 and March 2019.

b.       UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres,  along with top UN officials and Peacekeeping personnel paid tribute to 115 peacekeepers  from 43 different nations, who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty at the solemn ceremony yesterday.

33.  The last captive white tiger named Bajirao (18) died recently at Sanjay Gandhi National Park, in Borivali (Mumbai suburb). 

34.  Panama’s Electoral Court declared the centre-left candidate Laurentino Cortizo as winner of Panama’s presidential election.

a.        Cortizo is candidate for Panama’s Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD),which won 33% of 95% of votes counted.

35.  Justice PR Ramachandra Menon was sworn in as Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court. 

a.       He now becomes 13th Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh HC. 

b.       His oath of office and secrecy was administered by state Governor Anandiben Patel at Raj Bhawan, Raipur.

36.  Thailand has crowned its new King Maha Vajiralongkorn, marking the 1st ascension of a new monarch in seven decades.

a.       King Vajiralongkorn is the 10th monarch of the Chakri dynasty, which has reigned since 1782. 

b.       The last coronation was held in 1950 for the king's father Bhumibol Adulyadej.

37.  Pakistan has named International Monetary Fund (IMF) economist Reza Baqir as the new Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan.  

38.  Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has released the team's new jersey for the upcoming World Cup 2019. 

a.       The jerseys have been made from recycled ocean plastic and waste plastic recovered from the beaches of Sri Lanka.

39.  Indian Men's Hockey team left for Australia to play two matches each against the Australian national team and Australia A and a lone game against the Western Australia Thundersticks club. 

a.       The first match will be played on Wednesday.

b.       The tour, marked as a preparation for next month's FIH men's Hockey Series Final in Bhubaneswar, will be newly-appointed chief coach Graham Reid's maiden assignment with the team.

c.       India captain : Manpreet Singh 

d.       Note : India began its season with a silver medal at the 28th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia and will hope to keep up the good show.

40.  Ace Indian squash players Saurav Ghoshal and  Joshna Chinappa won their respective Asian Individual Squash Championship titles in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.