GK & Current Affairs Quiz: May 22, 2019

Notes:
Joko Widodo has been officially re-elected to a second term as President of Indonesia. His win is a victory for stability and continuity in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest country and a geopolitical anchor for the region. Widodo and his vice-presidential running mate Ma’ruf Amin won the election by a 55.5% to 44.5% margin over rival Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno. The two rival election campaigns focused on the economy, infrastructure and corruption. Religion was also a core issue. Though Indonesia has no official state religion and the right to practise other faiths is enshrined in the constitution, some 80% of the country is Muslim.

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.

Notes:
On May 17, Taiwan has become the first in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage with the passage of legislation giving gay couples the right to marry. Lawmakers comfortably passed part of a bill that would allow gay couples to enter into exclusive permanent unions and apply for marriage registration with government agencies. The vote allows same-sex couples full legal marriage rights, including in areas such as taxes, insurance, and child custody. Taiwan is a self-governing democracy with a vibrant civil society.

Notes:
An American politician, Nancy Pelosi has been honored with the 2019 John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Award at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. She has been recognized for her efforts to pass former President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law and for helping Democrats reclaim control of the U.S. House during last year’s elections. Pelosi is serving as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since January 2019. First elected to Congress in 1987, she is the only woman to have served as Speaker and is the highest-ranking elected woman in United States history.

Notes:
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has celebrated the 2nd edition of International Day of Light (IDL-2019) on 16th May to mark the role light plays in our daily lives. IDL aims to raise awareness of the critical role light-based technologies play in our lives, elevating science, technology, art, and culture to help achieve the goals of UNESCO – education, equality, and peace. The day marks the anniversary of the first successful operation of the laser beam in 1960 by famous physicist and engineer – Theodore Maiman.