Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2019

Notes:
Dr. Negasso Gidada (75), the former President of Ethiopia, has passed away in Frankfurt, Germany on April 27, 2019. He was president between 1995 and 2001 and was the first head of state after Ethiopia adopted a new constitution transforming the country into a federal state, with increased autonomy given to the different regions. The role of president in Ethiopia is largely ceremonial, with the prime minister holding most of the power.

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Archaeologists in Telangana have recently unearthed a rare life-sized stucco sculpture from a Buddhist site at Phanigiri in Suryapet. It is considered to be the biggest stucco sculpture found in the excavations in the country till date. The sculpture is about 1.73 metres in height and 35 cm in width. According to officials of department of heritage, the sculpture represents one of the Bodhisattvas belonging to the Jathaka Chakra. It is believed that a life size stucco Bodhisattva was created nearly 1,700 years ago by craftsmen at Phanigiri at the peak of Ikshavaku dynasty rule. Apart from the life-sized stucco, these excavations brought to light a Mahastupa, apsidal chaitya grihas, votive stupas, pillared congregation halls, viharas, platforms with staircases at various levels, sculptural panels with Brahmi inscriptions, belonging to Satavahana period from first century BC, continued with Mahayana till the end of Ikshuvaka period and others in 3rd – 4th century AD.

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Israel has recently honoured 1971 war hero Lt. Gen. (retd) Jack Farj Rafael (JFR) Jacob with a plaque on Ammunition Hill Wall of Honour in Jerusalem. Lt. Gen. Jacob, who died in 2016 at the age of 92 , negotiated the historic surrender of Pakistani troops in Dhaka after the 1971 Bangladesh’s liberation war,. He was one of the most prominent members of India’s relatively small Jewish community, and also served as a Lieutenant General in the Indian Army and later as a Governor of two Indian states-Goa and Punjab. The Wall of Honour at the Ammunition Hill pays tributes to the heroism and courage of Jewish soldiers who fought in the defence of their countries they lived in implementing values of bravery, loyalty, commitment and dedication to a mission, leadership, creativity, camaraderie and sanctity of life.

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In Meghalaya, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) North Eastern Region (NER) has recently installed two geological display boards at two important geological sites in the State with geo-scientific information which will help in creating awareness among visiting tourists, students and the general public. The boards are unvieled at two important geological sites in the State namely Mawmluh cave and Therriaghat, Sobhar in East Khasi Hill District. The stalagmite in the Mawmluh cave has been tagged a Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP). It makes it first formally ratified marker of a geological time period in India. The Um-Sohryngkew (Wahrew) river section at Therriaghat is known for having the most complete records of Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary transition in India. There is also a high level of iridium metal from the boundary which marks catastrophic event when a giant meteorite hit earth. The Meghalayan Age period began about 4200 years ago experienced an abrupt mega-drought and cooling around the world.

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The World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) is observed every year on 3rd May as an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom, assess the state of press freedom throughout the world, defend the media from attacks on their independence, and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty. The 2019 theme “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation”, discusses current challenges faced by media in elections and its potential in supporting peace and reconciliation processes. The 26th celebration of World Press Freedom Day (WPED-2019) is jointly organized by UNESCO, African Union Commission and the Government of Ethiopia. The main event is being held at the African Union Headquarters at Addis Ababa.

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Mangaluru City Police has launched an all-women police patrol unit ‘Rani Abbakka Force’ for the protection of women and children. The force will cover the malls, beaches, educational institutions, places of religious importance, and public transport system in the city. It will handle issues related to eve-teasing and chain-snatching, among others. The all-women police patrol force has been named after the 16th century warrior of coastal Karnataka, Queen Abbakka of Ullal near Mangaluru, who fought the Portuguese in the 16th century. At present, 50 women policewomen have been deployed in ‘Rani Abbakka Force’ in the city, with each patrol team having five policewomen. The Rani Abbakka Force was also launched by the Udupi district police recently.

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Former ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar has been conferred with France’s highest civilian award – Chevalier de l’Ordre national de la Lgion d’Honneur – for his contribution to India-France space cooperation. Throughout his career at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), including as its chairman from 2015 to 2018, Kumar fostered the historic and ambitious space cooperation between India and France. The Ordre national de la Lgion d’Honneur (National Order of the Legion of Honour) was created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, and is the highest civilian award given by the French for outstanding service to France, regardless of the nationality of the recipient. The President of the French Republic is the Grand Master of the Ordre national de la Lgion d’Honneur.

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After 8 years, India will once again mark its presence at the art world’s oldest Biennale in Venice, Italy that begins on 11th May 2019. The overarching theme at the 58th Venice Biennale 2019 is ‘Our Time for a Future Caring’, and India has decided to showcase Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi to ensure a memorable show at the art event. In it, 16 of the 400 Haripura posters will go up on the walls of the India pavilion with the theme ‘Hundred and Fifty years of Mahatma Gandhi’. This will be the second time India will have a pavilion of its own at one of the biggest art events in the world. The India pavilion is curated by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), and commissioned by the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA). The India Pavilion will revisit through diverse art forms, the indelible memory of Mahatma Gandhi, his philosophical ideas, and the many facets of Gandhi that continue to inspire, provoke and challenge the public, intellectuals and artists alike. In 1938, Mahatma Gandhi commissioned Indian modern artist Nandalal Bose to create paintings portraying different aspects of Indian life to be displayed at the Indian National Congress’ session in Haripura, Gujarat.

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Common Service Centre’s (CSC) e-Governance Services India Limited has tied up with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur to upscale ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’, which is an initiative of the Ministry of HRD. It aims to find solutions to accelerate sustainable growth in rural India. Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, IIT-Kanpur has brought together 15 leading higher education institutions from Uttar Pradesh. These institutions have agreed to work with CSC for the development of villages under the scheme. IIT Kanpur has adopted five villages — Hridayapur, Baikanthpur, Ishwariganj, Pratappur Hari and Saxupurva — situated on the outskirts of Kanpur for its overall development. The e-Governance Services India is a special purpose vehicle under the Ministry of Electronics & IT.

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Journalist Nileena MS, a reporting fellow with The Caravan, has won the prestigious ACJ Award for Investigative Journalism in print/online category for the year 2018. She won the award for her story titled “Coalgate 2.0: The Adani Group reaps benefits worth thousands of crores of rupees as the coal scam continues under the Modi government”. Her investigative piece revealed how a joint venture between Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited and Adani Enterprises Limited continues to function on the basis of agreements that pre-date a landmark Supreme Court judgement from September 2014. The ACJ award comprises a trophy, citation and a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh. The award is given by the Asian College of Journalism with the support of the Media Development Foundation to recognise and encourage the best works of investigative journalism produced for Indian readers, viewers and audiences in order to promote journalism in the public interest.