Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - May, 2018

Notes:
The first meeting of the BIMSTEC Working Group on Customs Cooperation was held in New Delhi, India on 10-11 May 2018. Delegates from all the BIMSTEC Member States, i.e., Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand attended the meeting. The meeting reviewed the progress in matters of BIMSTEC customs cooperation and finalized the draft text of the Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters for BIMSTEC Free Trade Area for submission to the 21st Meeting of the BIMSTEC Trade Negotiating Committee.

Notes:
The Rehala Falls is a tourist attraction on the Leh–Manali Highway in the state of Himachal Pradesh. It is a Cascade and Punchbowl type of a waterfall located 16 km from Manali on the way to Rohtang Pass. The fall is surrounded by dense forest cover. The best time to visit the waterfall is between the months of March and November.

Notes:
Sir William Mark Tully, the veteran British journalist and former BBC India correspondent, has been chosen for 2018 RedInk award for lifetime achievement in journalism. Tully worked with the BBC for 30 years before resigning in July 1994. He held the position of Chief of Bureau, BBC, Delhi, for 20 years. The lifetime achievement award to Tully is the recognition of his long and outstanding contribution to Indian journalism. Meanwhile, Faye D’Souze, the executive editor of Mirror Now channel, has been selected as the winner of the RedInk award for ‘journalist of the year’. Apart from these two awards, the Redink awards for excellence in journalism are given in 13 competitive categories to 32 journalists after a process of selection by a jury appointed for each category. The RedInk awards for excellence in journalism are instituted by the Mumbai Press Club. The awards will be presented to the winners at a ceremony here on May 18 in Mumbai.

Notes:
Balakumaran (71), the veteran Tamil novelist, has passed away in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on May 15, 2018. He was famous for his novels like ‘Mercury Pookal’ and ‘Irumbu Kuthiraigal’ which earned him a good fan following. He created strong women characters, probably cast in the mould of his mother, whom he adored. Balakumaran in a way also liberated women in his works. He had a strained relationship with his father. He also published a number of short stories and later entered Tamil cinema through script and dialogue writing. He had worked with top two stars Rajinkanth (film “Baasha”) and Kamal Haasan (“Nayagan” and “Guna”). Balakumaran was a recipient of a number of awards, including the state government’s ‘Kalaimamani’ honour.

Notes:
In a Cabinet reshuffle, Col Rajyavardhan Rathore has taken charge as the new Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) on May 15, 2018. He replaced Smriti Irani. Mrs Irani will now only hold the portfolio of Minister of Textiles. A communique from the office of President Ram Nath Kovind said, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has been given an additional charge of Ministry of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs till Arun Jaitley, who underwent a kidney surgery recently, recovers from treatment. 

Notes:
The Mahi Bajaj Sagar Dam is located across the Mahi River in Banswara district of Rajasthan. The dam was constructed between 1972 and 1983 for the purposes of hydroelectric power generation and water supply. It is the second largest dam in Rajasthan. It is named after Jamnalal Bajaj. The dam has an installed capacity of 140 MW.

Notes:
On May 16, Chennaiyin FC head coach John Gregory has been honoured with a Special Achievement Award by England’s League Managers’ Association (LMA) in London for becoming the first Englishman to win the Indian Super League (ISL). Chennaiyin FC had beaten Bengaluru FC in the ISL final in March 2018 to claim the trophy. This victory also ensured Chennaiyin FC a place in the 2019 AFC Cup. The LMA is a body in England for English coaches and all managers in English football. The LMA hosts an awards night annually to reward the best performing coaches in English football every season and also recognises efforts of English coaches from around the world.

Notes:
The Gujarat government will launch free treatment scheme for the road accident victims on May 18. Under this scheme, the state government will bear medical expenses of up to Rs 50,000 for each victim of road accident in the state for the first 48 hours. Free treatment includes dressing of wounds, X-ray, blood transfusion, treatment in ICU and MRI, and all other treatment available in a hospital. As per scheme, even people hailing from other states or citizens of other countries will get free treatment regardless of their income if they meet with a road accident and admitted to a government or a private hospital in Gujarat.

Notes:
The Japanese family drama ‘Shoplifters’ has received the coveted award for best film, the Palme d’Or, at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2018. Poland’s Pawel Pawlikowski won the best director award for his love story ‘Cold War’. Little-known Italian actor Marcello Fonte won best actor for his role as a hapless cocaine-dealing dog groomer who faces down a thug in ‘Dogman’. The Best actress award went to Samal Yeslyamova for Kazakh writer-director Sergey Dvortsevoy’s “Ayka.” A special Palme d’Or was awarded to French-Swiss Jean-Luc Godard for the film ‘Image Book’.

Notes:
Rajinder Singh has taken charge as the new President of Hockey India (HI). He succeeded Mariamma Koshy. Prior to this post, Singh was the senior Vice President of HI. He was earlier the Treasurer of HI and currently serves as the Treasurer of Hockey Jammu & Kashmir (J&K).