Monthly Current Affairs Capsule & Quiz May 2019

Benjamin Netanyahu sworn-in as 's PM

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was among the 120 newly-elected members who were sworn-into country's new Parliament. Labour Day: 1 May • He was sworn in three weeks after his victory in the national election. • His Likud party won 35 seats in the election, the same as his main opponent from the centrist Blue and White alliance, led by former military chief Benny Gantz. • Support from smaller right-wing parties allied to Likud led to a majority of 65 parliament members supporting Benjamin Netanyahu.

May Day is also called Workers' Day or International UN designates Masood Azhar as a global terrorist Workers' Day is observed every year on 1 May. The United Nations designated -based Jaish- • The day celebrates the struggle, dedication e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a "global and commitment of the working class. terrorist". • Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement in the United States in the 19th • The decision came after lifted its hold century when the industrialists used to exploit on a proposal to blacklist him. the labour class and made them work up to 15 • A "global terrorist" designation will subject hours a day. Azhar to an assets freeze, travel ban and an • The theme of Labour Day 2019 is 'Uniting arms embargo. Workers for Social and Economic • , US and UK had moved a fresh Advancement'. proposal to declare Azhar as a global terrorist at the UN in the wake of the Pulwama terror Japan's new Emperor Naruhito ascends the attack. throne • Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility for the attack. China had put a Japan's new emperor, Naruhito, has formally technical hold on the proposal, blocking it for ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne, replacing his the fourth time to designate Azhar. father, Akihito. Press Freedom Day: 3 May • Emperor Akihito abdicated thanking the people for their support over the last three World Press Freedom Day is celebrated every year decades and expressing hope for a peaceful on 3 May. future. • In a ceremony at the Imperial Palace in • This day was proclaimed by the UN General Tokyo, Naruhito became the 126th Emperor Assembly in December 1993, following the of Japan. recommendation of UNESCO's General • The emperor in Japan holds no political Conference. power but serves as a national symbol.

• The theme of World Press Freedom Day this • The last coronation was held in 1950 for the year is ‘Media for Democracy: Journalism king's father Bhumibol Adulyadej. and Elections in Times of Disinformation’. • has been run by an arch-royalist • The 26th celebration of World Press Freedom junta since 201 The monarchy takes primacy Day is jointly organized by UNESCO, in the country but it is buttressed by the army. African Union Commission and the Government of Ethiopia. Points to remember • The main event is being held at the African Union Headquarters at Addis Ababa. • Capital: Bangkok • Currency: Thai Baht The UK becomes the first parliament to declare a climate emergency World Laughter Day: 5 May 2019

World Laughter Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of May and this year it falls on May

• The first time this day was celebrated on May 10, 1998, by Madan Kataria in Mumbai. • This day is marked to spread laughter all around as it helps to cure many problems that could be emotional or physical. • Laughters is the best medicine and can cure anything. The UK is the first national government to declare an First Japanese Commercial Rocket Launched, environmental and climate emergency. Reaches Orbit

• The decision marks a renewed sense of A Japanese aerospace startup funded by a former urgency in tackling climate change. internet maverick successfully launched a small • Eleven days of protests by the Extinction rocket into space. Rebellion activist group caused major disruptions in central London in recent • It is the first commercially developed weeks. Japanese rocket to reach orbit. • There is no single definition of what that • Interstellar Technology Inc. said the means climate emergency but many local unmanned MOMO-3 rocket exceeded 100 areas say they want to be carbon-neutral by kilometres in altitude before falling into the 2030. Pacific Ocean • Founded in 2013 by Horie, former Livedoor King Maha Vajiralongkorn crowned Rama of Co. president, Interstellar Technology aims Thailand to develop low-cost commercial rockets to carry satellites to space. Thailand has crowned its new King Maha Vajiralongkorn, marking the first ascension of a new World Asthma Day: 7 May 2019 monarch in seven decades. World Asthma Day (WAD) is organized by the • King Vajiralongkorn is the tenth monarch of Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) towards the Chakri dynasty, which has reigned since increasing awareness about asthma and its 178 management across the world.

• It is observed every year on the first Tuesday remembering their contribution to helping of May. people in need. • On this day activities are carried out • 2019 Theme: #love throughout the world to motivate asthma patients to keep their asthma under control. Points to remember • The theme for WAD 2019 is ‘STOP for Asthma’: where STOP stands for Symptom • International Committee of the Red Cross Evaluation, Test Response, Observe and Headquarters: Geneva, Assess, and Proceed to Adjust Treatment. NASA to crash spacecraft into an asteroid in 2022 to attend G-7 meet in France The US space agency NASA revealed its plan to hit a small moonlet target in a double asteroid system with a spacecraft in 202

• It is its first mission to demonstrate a planetary defence technique. • The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) will get one chance to hit its target. • The asteroid, called Didymoon or Didymos B, is a moon asteroid around 150 meters tall orbiting a larger body Didymos A.

India signs protocol for export of chilli meal to India will be attending the Group of 7 industrialised Chinese markets nations meet organised by France in Biarritz in August along with , and .

• The invitation to Australia, France and Chile besides India reflects the French emphasis on the Indian Ocean and the Pacific region. • The G-7 groups together the US, Britain, France, , Canada, Japan and .

World Red Cross Day: 8 May

Every year the 8th of May is celebrated as World Red India and China signed a protocol for the export of Cross and Red Crescent Day. Indian chilli meal to China.

• The day is celebrated as it marks the birth • This is the fourth protocol signed between the anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of two nations over the past year allowing the the Red Cross and International Committee export of farm commodities from India. of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the first • Chilli meal is the residue left after oil is recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. extracted from chillies. • World Red Cross Day commemorates the • It is widely used as an industry input in principles of “International Red Cross and manufacturing chilli sauce and other similar Red Crescent Movement”. products. • It is celebrated on May 8 to pay tribute to the • India is the world's largest producer, people participated in the event as well as consumer and exporter of chillies.

Ireland becomes the second country to declare a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided climate emergency to hold its 2020 high-level conference early June in 's Lisbon. Ireland has declared a climate emergency in their country, to be the second country after Britain to do • The conference aims to support t he sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine so. resources. • The UNGA decides that the theme of the • An amendment to a parliamentary report conference shall be ‘scaling up ocean action declaring a climate emergency and calling on based on science and innovation for the parliament to examine how the Irish implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, government can improve its response to the partnerships and solutions.’ issue of biodiversity loss was accepted. • Britain's parliament became the first in the International Day of Families: 15 May world to declare a climate emergency, passing the largely symbolic motion on May The International Day of Families is observed on the The US approves dengue vaccine Dengvaxia 15th of May every year.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has • The day aims to provide an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to approved the first vaccine for dengue, Dengvaxia. families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes • FDA has also placed significant restrictions affecting them. on its use because the vaccine has been • The day was proclaimed by the UN General shown to put some people at heightened risk. Assembly in 199 • It can be only given to the people aged 9 to • IDF 2019 theme: ‘Families and Climate 16 who live in areas where dengue is endemic Action: Focus on SDG 13’. and who are shown by lab testing already to have been infected with the disease. City declares environmental emergency • The , which became the first country to approve it in 2016, was also the and postpones football semi-final first to ban it in February this year over safety concerns. Mexico City has declared an environmental • Dengvaxia is produced by the French emergency. pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur.

• It ordered vehicles off the road and UN to hold the 2020 ocean conference in Lisbon postponing the semi-finals of the first- division football league as a blanket of smog enveloped in the capital. • A series of wildfires on the city's outskirts have combined with stagnant weather conditions to cloak the metropolitan area of more than 20 million people in a grey cloud.

• It had decided to postpone the first leg of the • The proposals significantly increase the first-division semi-final between Leon and quota for skilled workers from the existing Mexico City club America. nearly 12 per cent to 57 per cent. • Besides, immigrants will be required to learn China blocks all language editions of Wikipedia English and pass a civics exam prior to admission.

Israel proposes India to be the focus country in Jerusalem Film Festival, 2020

Israel proposes India to be the focus country in Jerusalem Film Festival, 2020 at Cannes Film Festival.

• Indian delegation met Ms Eti Cohen, Director China has broadened its block of online encyclopedia of Film Department and Council, Israel who Wikipedia to include all language editions. announced the recommendation. • Israel also proposed the idea of making concept-based films in India, with a focus on • According to a report by the Open regional and small budget films. Observatory of Network Interference (OONI) • Also, India has been positioned prominently China has started blocking all language on the Pocket Guide of Marche Du Film, editions of Wikipedia last month. Cannes Film Market, which celebrates Indian • Previously, most editions of Wikipedia cinema as the world’s largest film industry. besides the Chinese language version were available. • China's online censorship apparatus 'Great World Telecommunication and Information Firewall' blocks a large number of foreign Society Day: 17th May sites in the country, such as Google, Facebook and The New York Times. World Telecommunication & Information Society Day is observed all over the world on 17th May. Trump unveils merit-based immigration system

• The purpose of WTISD is to help raise US President Donald Trump has rolled out a merit- awareness of the possibilities that the use of based immigration system. the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) can bring • Foreigners, including hundreds and to societies and economies, as well as of ways thousands of Indian professionals and skilled to bridge the digital divide. workers, waiting to get Green Cards or • The theme for World Telecommunication & permanent legal residency will be benefited Information Society Day 2019 is ‘Bridging from this scheme. the Standardization Gap’. • President Trump said under the proposed system permanent legal residency would be World Hypertension Day 2019: 17 May given based on points for their age, knowledge, job opportunities and civic sense.

private sector growth and expand employment opportunities for Saudis.

Saudi Arabia calls an emergency meeting of GCC in Makkah on May 30

Saudi Arabia has called the leaders of the Gulf Co- operation Council (GCC) member states as well as

the heads of state of Arab League to convene two World Hypertension Day is celebrated on May 17 emergency summits in Makkah on the 30th of this every year. month.

• The main aim of the day is to educate the • The emergency meetings called by Saudi public and increase awareness of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to look hypertension, which is also commonly into the recent acts of sabotage against known as high blood pressure. commercial vessels off the UAE waters and • Hypertension is a major cause of a range of the terror attacks on two Saudi pumping health problems such as strokes, heart attacks stations, and their consequences on the and kidney disease, and can also contribute to region. dementia. • UAE and Bahrain have welcomed Saudi's • The theme for this year is 'Know Your call. Numbers'. Points to Remember Saudi Arabia approves permanent residency for the first time • Gulf Cooperation Council HQ: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia • Arab League HQ: Cairo, The Saudi government has approved for the first time a scheme that gives permanent residency to certain Australian PM Scott Morrison wins federal expatriates, allowing them to own real estate in the elections kingdom and reside with their families without a Saudi sponsor. In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Liberal-National Coalition won the federal elections. • The decision aimed at attracting long-term investments as the government tries to • Prime Minister Morrison has declared victory diversify the economy and boost domestic after his coalition defied opinion polls and spending. secured a surprise win over the opposition • The "Privileged Iqama" system will offer a Labor Party. permanent residence scheme and one that can • Opposition Labor Party leader Bill Shorten be renewed annually to highly skilled has announced that he is resigning after expatriates and owners of capital funds. accepting defeat. • The decision will attract more investors and • The final result of the elections is yet to be entrepreneurs to Saudi Arabia to help drive announced, however, with more than 70 per

cent of votes counted the Coalition is ahead • The Indian Naval ships INS Kolkata and INS in 74 seats in its quest for a 76-seat majority. Shakti are taking part in the bilateral naval exercise, along with long-range maritime World Bee Day: 20 May 2019 patrol aircraft Poseidon-8I.

World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development: 21 May

On 21st May, the UAE celebrated World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development to highlight its efforts in promoting tolerance and cultural diversity.

• The event coincides with the country’s declaration of 2019 as the Year for Tolerance. United Nations General Assembly has declared 20 • The day provides an opportunity to help May as World Bee Day. communities understand the value of cultural diversity and learn how to live together in • Every year on May 20, World Bee Day is harmony. celebrated in order to bring the attention of the global public towards the significance of CSIR-NPL introduce Redefined International preserving bees as well as other pollinators. System of Units • The day marks the birth anniversary of Anton Janša, who in the 18th century pioneered Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and modern beekeeping techniques in his native National Physical Laboratory, CSIR-NPL introduced Slovenia and praised the bees for their ability redefined International System of Units for the to work so hard while needing so little country. attention. • Bees play a crucial role as pollinators to • The redefined systems are Kilogram, Kelvin, provide food, food security and nutrition, Mole and Ampere. sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, climate • The new SI is being implemented worldwide change mitigation and a healthy environment. from 20th May 2019 i.e. the World Metrology Day. India-Singapore Naval drill, SIMBEX begins in • The purpose of a system of units is to enable the South China Sea world-wide coherence of measurements.

The Navies of India and Singapore are participating 8th Indo- Coordinated Patrol Exercise in the annual maritime bilateral exercise SIMBEX in the South China Sea. Myanmar Navy Ship UMS King TabinShweHtee (773) and UMS Inlay (OPV-54) have arrived Port • The sea phase of the bilateral naval drill Blair on 20 May for the ‘Opening Ceremony’ of the started and will continue till 22 May 201 8th Indo-Myanmar coordinated patrol (IMCOR), at • The various maritime combat exercises such Andaman and Nicobar Command. as firing on aerial or surface targets, advanced aerial tracking, coordinated targeting • The CORPAT initiative between the two exercises and tactical exercises on the surface navies is meant to address issues of terrorism, or air scenarios are being conducted during illegal fishing, drug trafficking, human the exercise. trafficking, poaching and other illegal

activities inimical to the interest of both UAE launches 'Golden Card' scheme nations. • Started in Mar 2013, the CORPAT series has enhanced the mutual understanding and fostered improved professional interaction between the two navies. • The ships would patrol along the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) between the two countries covering a distance of approximately 725 Kms over a period of four days.

International Day for Biological Diversity: 22 The launched a permanent May residency scheme to woo wealthy individuals and exceptional talents. According to the United Nations, May 22 is celebrated as the International Day for Biological • The "Golden Card" programme is open to Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and investors and "exceptional talents" such as awareness of biodiversity issues. doctors, engineers, scientists, students and artists. • In December 2000, the UN General • This move is expected to attract more Indian Assembly adopted 22 May as IDB, to professionals and businessmen to the Gulf commemorate the adoption of the text of the nation. Convention on 22 May 199 • The first group of 6,800 investors from over • 2019 Theme: Our Biodiversity, Our Food, 70 countries with investments totalling 100 Our Health billion dirhams (USD 27 billion) were being given permanent residency. Facebook Registers New Fintech Firm in Switzerland Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected as president of South Africa

South African lawmakers have re-elected Cyril Ramaphosa as the president of the country.

• Members of Parliament from the African National Congress have chosen the head of state in the parliament's first post-election sitting. • The party won 230 out of 400 seats in the election on May • The African National Congress party won the Facebook has set up a new financial technology ballot with 55 per cent of the vote, its thinnest company in Switzerland focusing on blockchain and majority since the end of apartheid. payments as well as data analytics and investing. Points to remember • Libra Networks, with Facebook Global Holdings as a stakeholder, was registered in • Capitals: Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein Geneva on May • Currency: South African Rand

International Commonwealth Day: 24 May malaria-free, after Mauritius, which was certified in 197 • Argentina is the second country in the WHO Region of the Americas to be certified after Paraguay in June 201

Points to Remember

• Capital: Algiers • Argentina Capital: Buenos Aires

India stopped importing oil from after US On 24th May 2019, people in Commonwealth waivers expired countries in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe observe India has stopped importing oil from Iran after Commonwealth Day. American waivers granted to eight buyers expired early this month. • The 53 members of the Commonwealth span the entire globe. • India depends heavily on West Asia for its • It is observed in countries that were once part energy needs and is against any further of the British Empire. escalation of tension in the region. • The Theme of this year's Commonwealth • India has joined , Italy, Taiwan and Day is "A Connected Commonwealth". to become the latest country to comply with the US sanctions on Tehran over Points to Remember its nuclear programme. • The US reimposed sanctions on Iran in • Canada, , South Africa, and November after pulling out of a 2015 nuclear Australia are the oldest-standing members of accord between Tehran and six world the Commonwealth; they all joined in 193 powers. • Canada is the largest member at nearly 10 • To reduce Iran's crude oil export to zero, the million sq.km. US on the 2nd of this month ended the • India is the most populous member with over waivers that had allowed the top buyers of one billion inhabitants while Nauru is the Iranian oil, including India, to continue their smallest member, with a mere 13,000 people. imports for six months.

WHO declares Algeria, Argentina malaria-free Africa Day: 25 May

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared 25 May is observed as Africa Day every year. Algeria and Argentina as malaria-free, with no recorded cases of indigenous transmission of the • It commemorates the foundation of the disease since 2013 and 2010 respectively. Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on 25 May 1963, which is now known as the • Contracted through the bite of an infected African Union. mosquito, malaria remains one of the world’s • May 25, 2019, will mark 56 years since leading killers. Africa Day was conceived in Addis Ababa, • Algeria is the second country in the WHO Ethiopia. African Region to be officially recognized as Points to remember

• African Union HQ: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia • Members: 55

British PM Theresa May announces the resignation

British Prime Minister, Theresa May announced that she is quitting as UK Conservative leader on June 7 in the best interests of the country.

• She is paving the way for a contest to decide US President Donald Trump got the red carpet the new Prime Minister after she failed to win treatment at Japan's Imperial Palace where he made over her ministers with a revised strategy to history, becoming the first world leader to meet with withdraw Britain from the European Union. the new emperor of Japan. • She had kept Queen Elizabeth II informed of her exit timetable, meaning she would be • Emperor Naruhito ascended to the throne on presiding over US President Donald Trump's May 1, opening what is called the era of state visit to the UK in early June. "Reiwa," or "beautiful harmony." • The US President is on a four-day state visit NASA unveils schedule for 'Artemis' 2024 Moon to Japan. mission Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill NASA unveiled the calendar for the "Artemis" resigns program that will return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill resigned from his post after weeks of unrest in the • It also includes eight scheduled launches and government. a mini-station in lunar orbit by 202 • The original lunar missions were named for • The announcement came after high-profile Apollo - Artemis was his twin sister in Greek defections from his Government to the mythology, and the goddess of hunting, opposition. wilderness and the Moon. • O'Neill has handed over leadership to Sir • Artemis 1: It is planned for 2020. It will be an Julius Chan, who will become prime minister uncrewed flight test mission around Moon. for the third time. • The mission will last up to Artemis 3 that will • Earlier this month, Mr O'Neill staved off an put astronauts on lunar soil in 2024, including attack on his leadership by adjourning the the first woman. country's Parliament for three weeks ahead of a planned vote of no confidence in him. Trump becomes the first foreign leader to meet new Japanese emperor Points to Remeber

• Capital: Port Moresby • Currency: Papua New Guinean kina

International Day of UN Peacekeepers observed

Singapore, Malaysia, and among others.

Saudi Arabia lifts the export ban on fruits and vegetable from Kerala

Kerala's fruits and vegetable exporters have heaved a sigh of relief following the lifting of the export ban by Saudi Arabia after the Nipah virus attack last year.

• Kerala has received a communication in this The International Day of United Nations regard from the Saudi Arabian authorities Peacekeepers was observed on 29 May 201 that has led to the commencement of direct exports from the state. • The objective is to pay tribute to the • With the lifting of the embargo, Kozhikode invaluable contribution by the uniformed and airport was alone handling 20 tonnes of fruits civilian personnel and to honour more than and vegetables per day valued at $50,000 to 3,800 peacekeepers who have lost their lives various destinations in Saudi. while rendering peacekeeping services. • A similar proportion has also been moving • The theme this year is “Protecting Civilians, from the other two airports of Kochi and Protecting Peace”. to Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah airports. International Everest Day: 29th May World No-Tobacco Day: 31st May International Everest Day was observed on 29 May. Every year, on 31 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) and global partners celebrate • Nepalese Tenzing Norgay and New Zealand's World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). Edmund Hillary had climbed the Mt Everest • The annual campaign is an opportunity to raise on this day in 1953, as the first humans to awareness on the harmful and deadly effects of achieve the feat. tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, • Nepal decided to observe the day as and to discourage the use of tobacco in any International Everest Day since 2008 when form. the legendary climber Hillary passed away. • The focus of World No Tobacco Day 2019 is • The day is celebrated with memorial events, on "tobacco and lung health." processions, and special events in 2. Trump announces tariffs on all Mexico goods Kathmandu and the Everest region. US President Donald Trump has announced tariffs on all goods coming from Mexico in a bid to curb The US removes India, Switzerland from its illegal immigration. currency monitoring list • From 10 June a five per cent tariff would be imposed and slowly raised until the Illegal The Trump administration removed India from its Immigration problem is remedied. currency monitoring list of major trading partners, • President Trump has declared a national citing certain developments and steps being taken by emergency to tackle what he claims is a crisis addressing some of its major concerns. at the US southern border. 3. Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari sworn in for the • Switzerland is the other nation that has been second term as president removed from the list. • However, the list includes China, Japan, , Germany, Italy, Ireland,

threats in the cyber domain and will also have the elements of DRDO working in it.

Gujarat and Maharashtra celebrate their foundation day

Gujarat and Maharashtra Day is annually celebrated on May 1 to mark region attaining statehood on May 1, 1960.

Muhammadu Buhari has been sworn in for a second term as Nigeria's president. • Gujarat is also known as the 'Jewel of • The 76-year-old leader was sworn in amid tight Western India'. security in the Nigerian capital Abuja. • Gujarat was formed along with Maharashtra • He did not make a speech during the low- after it was divided from Bombay state. profile event attended by members of the • However, there is no official celebration this diplomatic community. year due to the model code of conduct. • Buhari, a former military ruler, won 56 per cent of the votes to defeat his main challenger, IGNOU to launch a course on GST former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP). The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will launch an awareness programme on Goods and Services Tax (GST).

• The program will be launched in collaboration with the Bombay Stock Exchange India will have Defence Cyber Agency soon • The programme, which will be launched by IGNOU's School of Management Studies aims to impart the basic knowledge and skills required to fulfil various requirements under the GST Act. • Those who have passed Class 12 are eligible for the course, which will be offered in January and July cycle of admissions.

Indo-French joint naval exercise Varuna 11 begins off Goa coast

The first part of the Indo-French joint naval exercise, In a bid to bolster its capabilities to tackle threats Varuna 11 is being held off the Goa coast from 1 to emanating from hackers, mostly from China and 10 May 201 Pakistan, India is all set to have Defence Cyber Agency (DCA). • The exercise is being conducted in two phases. • Senior Navy officer Rear Admiral Mohit • The harbour phase at Goa would include Gupta will be the first head of the DCA. cross-visits, professional interactions and • The DCA will include a lot of existing discussions and sports events. capability with the armed forces for tackling

• Varuna 12, the second part of the exercise, is BHEL successfully commissions two units of a lift scheduled to be held in May end in Djibouti. irrigation project in Telangana

Chandrayaan-2 to be launched in July The Central Public Sector undertaking Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has successfully commissioned two motor - pump set units for the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (LIS) in Telangana.

• Under the scheme, 89 cubic metres per second of water will be lifted to a height of 106 metres from the Sripada Yellampalli reservoir to Medaram reservoir and will be used for irrigation and water supply in nearby drought-prone areas. • In Telangana, BHEL has so far India's second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 will be commissioned 27 pump-motor projects launched on a day between 9 and 16 July 201 totalling to 753 MW.

• The Indian Space Research Organisation said Points to Remember that the Chandrayaan-2’s lander will touch down near the Moon's south pole on 6th • BHEL Headquarters: New Delhi September. • CEO: Atul Sobti • Chandrayaan-2 will have three modules in it, • Founded: 1964 an orbiter, a lander named Vikram and a rover known as Pragyan. Government and IIT-Delhi to set up a Centre of • Chandrayaan-2 will be launched using India's Excellence for Waste to Wealth Technologies most powerful rocket GSLV-Mark- To commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of VP Venkaiah Naidu releases postage stamp to Mahatma Gandhi, the Office of the Principal commemorate the 750th birth anniversary of Sri Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India Vedanta Desikan and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) have come together to bring the best of science and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu released a postage technology to implement waste management in stamp to commemorate the 750th birth anniversary India. of Sri Vedanta Desikan in New Delhi. • The Govt of India and IIT Delhi have signed • Mr Naidu said the textbooks must throw light a Memorandum of Understanding in New on the lives of great saints and spiritual icons Delhi for setting up a Centre of Excellence such as Sri Vedanta Desikan. for Waste to Wealth Technologies • Sri Vedanta Desikan was a Sri Vaishnava • The partnership will provide an effective guru/philosopher and one of the most brilliant platform for stakeholders to bring together stalwarts of Sri Vaishnavism in the post- integrated approaches for effective recycling, Ramanuja period. reuse and resource recovery of waste. • He was a poet, devotee, philosopher and master-teacher (desikan). Cyclone Fani makes landfall in Odisha's Puri

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore enters in the top 50 Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings.

• It has yet again pipped its older peers like IIT Bombay, Delhi, and Madras to be the only IIT to rank. • The latest rankings, however, have seen the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru maintain its lead position at 29th, same as last year. The landfall process of extremely severe Cyclone • On the other hand, IIT Bombay which ranked Fani began nearly at 8 am on 3 May 2019, close to 44 last year, fell 10 places to be ranked at 54th Puri in Odisha position this year.

• The area recorded a wind speed of 145 Asia-Pacific economies are set to grow steadily at kilometres per hour. 7 per cent: ADB • The process of landfall will continue for the next three hours. According to the bank’s Asian Development Outlook • The area along Puri is witnessing winds with 2019 report released in April, developing Asia is a speed of 145 kilometres per hour that could projected to grow by 7 per cent this year. reach up to 180-200 kmph. • A cyclone making a landfall implies that the • Mr. Nakao said that consumer and investor first arm of the cyclone has reached the land. behaviour could be undermined by trade tensions between countries. Green number plates are now mandatory for all- • The bank’s lending grew to a record $26 electric vehicles billion in 2018, 10% higher compared to 201

The Indian government had earlier proposed a Points to Remember special green-coloured number plate for all-electric vehicles in the country. • Headquarters: Mandaluyong, Philippines • Founded: 19 December 1966 • The Central government has now asked the • Membership: 68 countries state transport departments to make it mandatory for all EVs to use the green Defence ministry approves Navy's Rs 3,600-crore number plates. deal with for 10 Kamov-31 helicopters • The special number plate is supposed to have the vehicle number spelt out in white colour on a green background. • The new mandate is supposed to help provide preferential treatment to the vehicles with no carbon emissions.

IIT Indore pips older peers to feature in top 50 Asia University Rankings

The defence ministry has approved the procurement Common Service Centre’s (CSC) e-Governance of 10 Kamov Ka-31 Airborne Early Warning and Services India Limited has tied up with Indian Control helicopters for the Indian Navy. Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur to upscale ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’. • The cost of the deal would be around Rs 3,600 crore. • ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’ is an initiative of the • The 10 helicopters would be deployed on the Ministry of HRD. It aims to find solutions to aircraft carriers and warships of the Navy accelerate sustainable growth in rural India. including the INS Vikrant and Grigorovich- • Under the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, IIT- class frigates. Kanpur has brought together 15 leading • The Navy has a fleet of Russian Kamov-28 higher education institutions from Uttar choppers which were procured in the 1980s Pradesh. and need to be upgraded for future • These institutes will adopt gram panchayats operations. and equip them with all citizen-centric services through CSCs. Indian Navy’s frontline missile destroyer INS Ranjit to be decommissioned Indian Navy launches fourth Scorpene class submarine INS Ranjit, the Indian Navy’s frontline missile destroyer, will be decommissioned at the naval dockyard in Visakhapatnam on May

• It had served the Indian Navy for 36 years. • INS Ranjit was the third of the five Kashin- class destroyers built by erstwhile USSR and was commissioned in 198 • INS Ranjit was at the forefront of keeping the nation secure and participated in a number of operations.

LIC HFL launches Udyam centre The fourth of Indian Navy’s stealth Scorpene class LIC Housing Finance (LIC HFL) has launched Submarines of Project 75 was launched at the ‘Udyam’, a skill centre in Bengaluru. Mazagon Dock Limited at Mumbai in Maharashtra.

• It was launched in association with Lok • The submarine has been named ‘Vela’ after Bharti Education Society. an earlier submarine. • The Centres of Excellence will provide • The steel cutting for this submarine training to marginalised youth in the BFSI, commenced in July 200 The submarine has retail, and IT/ ITES sectors. completed joining of all its sections. • The submarines are being built at Mazagon Points to remember Dock Limited, with the main collaborator being M/s Naval group, France. • Headquarters: Maharashtra • CEO: Vinay Sah CEA included in finance panel’s advisory council e-Governance Services India ties up with IIT- Chief Economic Advisor Krishnamurthy Kanpur to upscale Unnat Bharat Abhiyan Subramanian has been included in the Advisory

Council of the 15th Finance Commission as its • It is intended to be the second aircraft carrier member. to be built in India after INS Vikrant (IAC-1), and the first supercarrier to be built in India. • The Advisory Council was set up in April 2018 to advise the commission on any issue Microsoft unveils its own blockchain-based or subject related to the terms of reference service (ToR) of the commission. • In December 2018, the government Microsoft has unveiled fully-managed Azure appointed Subramanian of Indian School of Blockchain Service. Business (ISB), Hyderabad as the chief economic advisor in the finance ministry for • It would simplify the formation, management three years. and governance so that businesses can focus on workflow logic and application Points to Remember development. • Instead of supporting cryptocurrency • The 15th Finance Commission was transactions, Azure Blockchain Service will constituted in November 201 let businesses develop their applications on • The role of Commission is to give its Cloud-based platform. recommendations for devolution of taxes and • Microsoft has also announced a partnership other fiscal matters to the central government with J.P. Morgan to make ‘Quorum’ the first for 5 years, commencing from April 1, 2020. ledger available in Azure Blockchain • Chairman: N.K. Singh Service.

India and UK in talks to build copycat Naval NIOS, NHMPH ink MoU in Mumbai supercarrier

The National Institute of Open Schooling Ministry of Human Resources Development and National Health Mission of Public Health Department of Government of Maharashtra signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Mumbai. The UK is in talks with the Indian government on building a new state-of-the-art aircraft carrier along • The MOU focused on offering Vocational the lines of Britain's HMS Queen Elizabeth. programmes to the Health Service Providers of National Health Mission (NHM) through • The talks are underway for the Indian Navy National Institute of Open Schooling. to buy detailed plans for the 65,000-ton • It aims to impart uniform structured and British warship to build a so-called "copycat quality training to Multipurpose Health supercarrier" and will be named INS Vishal Workers, Class Ill Male Health Workers and in 202 Community Health Workers followed by their assessment evaluation and certification.

India re-elected as an observer to inter- governmental forum Arctic Council

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

• The Arctic Council promotes cooperation, coordination and interaction among Arctic states on common issues, particularly on sustainable development and environmental protection. • At the 11th Arctic Council ministerial Border Roads Organisation (BRO) celebrated its meeting at Rovaniemi, and India re- 59th Raising Day on 7 May 201 elected as Observer of the Arctic Council. • It was formed on 7 May 1960. India, to jointly produce a movie on • BRO is a leading road construction agency life, works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur under the Ministry of Defence with a primary Rahman role of providing road connectivity in border areas. • It executes road construction and maintenance works along the Northern and Western frontiers primarily to meet the strategic requirements of the Army. • It is responsible for over 53,000 Km roads.

Points to remember

• BRO Director General: Lt. Gen.Harpal Singh • Parent organisation: Ministry of Defence

MNRE holds ‘Chintan Baithak’ with the stakeholders of Renewable Energy (RE) sector India and Bangladesh will co-produce a film on the life and works of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) held Rahman and a documentary on Bangladesh a ‘Chintan Baithak’ with the stakeholders of the Liberation War. Renewable Energy sector in New Delhi.

• The co-production was earlier announced by • The ‘Baithak’ (meet) was chaired by the Prime Ministers of both the countries. Secretary, MNRE, Shri Anand Kumar. • The movie will be directed by acclaimed • The meeting deliberated upon various issues filmmaker Shyam Benegal, along with the pertaining to the RE sector viz. solar, wind, writer Atul Tiwari. bio-energy, small-hydro, regulatory issues, • Co-production of a documentary on bidding & pricing, demand forecasting, Bangladesh Liberation War was also financing of RE projects, energy storage, discussed. Make in India, skilling India’s RE workforce etc. 59th BRO Raising Day • Various policy interventions were suggested for the sector by the stakeholders at ‘Chintan

Baithak’ and MNRE will consider these • The visit is expected to enhance India’s suggestions. comprehensive strategic partnership with the Southeast Asian nation. Drug firm Merck Ltd renamed as Procter & • Apart from holding one-on-one talks with the Gamble Health Ltd leaders of Vietnam, the Vice President will participate in the 16th United Nations Day of Vesak at Tam Chuc pagoda in Vietnam

Points to remember

• Vietnam Capital: Hanoi • Currency: Vietnamese Dong

Chhattisgarh cops deploy first ever anti-Naxal women's commando unit

Drug firm Merck Ltd has been renamed as Procter & Gamble Health Ltd.

• The name has been changed following P&G's global acquisition of the consumer health business of Merck KGaA, Germany. • The company has received approval from the Registrar of Companies, Mumbai,

Maharashtra, for change of name from Merck Ltd to Procter & Gamble Health Ltd. The Chhattisgarh police for the first time has inducted women commandos in the District Reserve Desert Storm 2019 started Guard in its frontline anti-Naxal force.

Desert Storm 2019, touted to be the longest Cross- • These women commandos were part of the Country Rally in India started. security forces' "short action teams" that eliminated three Naxal "commanders" in the • The four-day-long Rally will see over 100 past one month. teams competing in high temperatures, dune • The specially-raised squad, christened crossings and fast technical gravel straights. 'Danteshwari Ladake', or fighters of Goddess • It comprises 600 km of extremely harsh Danteshwari, was inducted in the state's Special Stages in addition to over 900 km of Naxal-hit Dantewada district. Transport Stages. • Of the 30 recruits, 10 are surrendered women • The first stage, covering a distance of 158 Naxals, while 10 others are assistant km, is starting from Bikaner in Rajasthan. constables who were part of the erstwhile Salwa Judum (anti-Naxal militia) movement. Vice President Naidu to embark on 4-day visit to Vietnam 158th birth anniversary of Tagore

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu will embark on a The 158th birth anniversary of Rabindra Nath Tagore four-day official visit to Vietnam. is being celebrated all over West Bengal.

• According to the Bengali calendar, Tagore Telecom major Bharti Airtel and Hughes was born on the 25th day of Boishakh month. Communications India Ltd (HCIL) announced the Subsequently, West Bengal celebrates merger of their VSAT (Very Small Aperture Tagore’s birthday as per the Bengali Terminal) satellite communications operations in calendar, which overlaps with either May 8 India. or May 9 on the Gregorian calendar. • However, in other states, Rabindranath • The companies did not disclose the financial Tagore Jayanti is observed as per the details of the transaction, which is subject to Gregorian calendar on May approvals by relevant authorities. • Hughes will have majority ownership in the Points to Remember combined entity and Sunil Mittal-led Airtel will have a significant shareholding. • He is the only known person to have written • HCIL, a subsidiary of Hughes Network the national anthems for two different Systems, is one of the leading broadband countries. Jana Gana Mana, the national satellite service operators in India. anthem for India, and Amar Sonar Bangla, the national anthem for Bangladesh. INS Kolkata and Shakti undertake Group Sail • He won Nobel Prize for Literature in 191 with Japan, Philippines, US naval ships

Max Life Insurance to mark 6th of every month as Protection Day

Two Indian Navy ships Kolkata and Shakti carried out 'Group Sail' with naval ships of Japan, Max Life Insurance Co Ltd announced that it will Philippines and the USA in the South China Sea from dedicate the 6th day of every calendar month as May 3 to May 'Protection Day'. • The 'Group Sail' was aimed to deepen the • The day aims to increase awareness around existing partnership and foster mutual the concept of financial protection. understanding among participating navies. • As a part of this initiative, a wide range of • At Qingdao in China, both the ships had initiatives will be rolled out across Max Life's participated in the International Fleet Review network. (IFR) as part of the 70th Anniversary • The Company will also drive a "Super Celebration of People's Liberation Army Customer Week", where customers across PLA (Navy). the board will be educated about various aspects of financial protection. CBIC organises a meeting of regional heads of Customs Administration of Asia Pacific Region of Airtel and Hughes to merge their VSAT the WCO in Kochi operations in India

Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) • It has been chosen before the social media organised a meeting of the Regional Heads of giant launches its digital payments service on Customs Administration of Asia Pacific Region of the mobile messaging platform in India. the World Customs Organisation (WCO) in Kochi • Facebook said it chose the UK, where from 08th to 10th May 201 WhatsApp is far more popular than the US because it attracts a multicultural workforce • India is hosting this meeting in its capacity as from many of the countries where WhatsApp Vice Chair of the Asia Pacific region that it is widely used, such as India. assumed on 1st July 2018 for a two-year • Out of WhatsApp user base of 5 billion period. people, more than 200 million people are in • The meeting will take stock of the progress India. being made in carrying forward the programmes and initiatives of WCO. 5th United Nations Global Road Safety Week • This meeting is being chaired by Mr Pranab Kumar Das, Chairman, CBIC. The Fifth United Nations Global Road Safety Week Reliance Industries' subsidiary acquires iconic is taking place from May 6 to 1 British toy retailer Hamleys • 2019 theme: ‘Leadership for road safety’ Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries has • This major worldwide campaign was announced it will acquire iconic British toy-maker requested by the United Nations General Hamleys for 696 million pounds (around Rs 620 Assembly in April 2018 on improving global crore) in an all-cash deal. road safety. • The Global status report on road safety 2018 • Founded in 1760, Hamleys is the oldest and shows that road traffic crashes claim largest toy shop in the world with 167 stores approximately 35 million lives across the in 18 countries. world every year. • It is currently owned by Chinese fashion conglomerate C Banner International, which had acquired it for 100 million pounds in 201 National technology day: 11 May 2019

Facebook chooses London as a base for National Technology Day is observed every year on WhatsApp payments the 11th of May in India.

• It acts as a reminder of the anniversary of mission Shakti. • Shakti is the Pokhran nuclear test which was held on the 11th of May, 199 • The day highlights the important role of Science in our daily lives and encourages students to embrace Science as a career option. • Hansa 3, India’s first indigenous aircraft was first tested on the same day in 1998 in Bangalore. Facebook has chosen London as the centre for the • Successful test firing of Trishul, a short-range missile made in India, was also done on the global roll-out of WhatsApp pay. same day.

WTO Ministerial Meeting of Developing • This year, the occasion falls on May 1 Countries in New Delhi Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reveals mock-up of new lunar lander spacecraft

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos showcased a mock-up of a new lunar lander spacecraft.

• He said that the spacecraft will be able to take equipment and humans to the moon by 202 • The spacecraft was built by his Blue Origin rocket company and is called Blue Moon. • Blue Moon is planned to be capable of A WTO Ministerial meeting of developing countries delivering 4,500 kg (9,900 lb) to the surface of the Moon and can also be used as a cargo is being hosted by India in New Delhi on 13-14 May vehicle to support NASA’s outer space 201 activities.

• Sixteen developing countries, Six Least ISRO to launch RISAT-2B from Sriharikota on Developed Countries (LDC) (Argentina, May 22 Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, , Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, China, Egypt, Guatemala, Guyana, Indonesia, Indian Space Research Organization ISRO is Jamaica, , Malawi, Malaysia, scheduled to launch the nation’s latest radar Nigeria, Oman, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, imaging satellite RISAT-2B on 22nd May. Turkey, )and DG, WTO are participating in the meeting. • The two-day meeting will be interactive in • It will be lifted off by the workhorse rocket order to provide an opportunity for the PSLV-C46 in its 48th flight. Ministers to discuss various issues and the • It will zoom into space from the First Launch way forward. Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre at • This meeting at New Delhi is an effort to Sriharikota, 90 km north of Chennai. bring together the developing countries and • RISAT-2B is a modern radar imaging earth Least Developed Countries on a platform for observation satellite. It will be placed in an sharing common concerns. orbit of 555 km from the earth.

Mother’s Day: 12 May 2019 Indian Air Force gets first Apache Helicopter from the US Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of every May to honour motherhood and pay homage to mothers who have and continue to inspire us all.

• It is believed that the bond between a mother and her child is the strongest, and Mother’s Day appreciates the same.

The first Apache Helicopter AH-64E(I) was formally • The Camp is being held under the 'India For Humanity' program in the context of the handed over to the Indian Air Force, IAF at Boeing 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. production facility in Mesa, Arizona, USA. • The iconic Jaipur Foot is lighter than all the other artificial limbs and has transformed the • The IAF had signed a contract with the US lives of thousands and helped them lead a life Government and Boeing Company in of dignity. September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. • The first batch of the helicopters is scheduled I&B Secretary Amit Khare leads Indian to be shipped to India by July this year. Delegation to Cannes Film Festival • These helicopters will provide a significant edge in any future joint operations in support. India Pavilion is set to be inaugurated at Cannes Film World’s 1st parent-wise genome for buffaloes Festival, which will be held from 14th to 25th May developed 2019 in Cannes, France.

The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) • The Pavilion will showcase Indian cinema across linguistic, cultural and regional has developed the world’s first complete parent-wise diversity, with the aim of forging genome assembly called “NDDB_ABRO_Murrah” international partnerships in distribution, of riverine buffaloes. production, filming in India. • The Indian Delegation this year will be led by • This comes after the successful launch of Shri Amit Khare, Secretary, Ministry of INDUSCHIP, a customized genotyping chip Information & Broadcasting for indigenous cattle and their crosses. • The Film Delegation would consist of Shri • Buffaloes contribute more than 50% to the Prasoon Joshi, Chairman, CBFC and total milk production in India which is the acclaimed filmmakers Shri Rahul Rawail, world’s largest milk producer. Shri Shaji N. Karun and Shri Madhur • The development of genome assembly will Bhandarkar. help in improving genetics of the buffaloes and enhancing their productivity further. Central teams arrive in Odisha to assess the damage by cyclone Fani Vice President inaugurates 'Jaipur Foot Artificial Limb' fitment camp A nine-member central team reached Odisha to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Fani that On the 3rd day of his Vietnam visit, Vice President ravaged the state's coastal districts on May 3 and left M. Venkaiah Naidu presented the artificial limb 64 dead. fitments to the beneficiaries at the Embassy of India in Hanoi under India for Humanity initiative. • The inter-ministerial team is being led by Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home • Naidu inaugurated the Jaipur Foot Artificial Affairs Vivek Bharadwaj. Limb Fitment Camp in Hanoi during his four- • Before beginning the on-the-spot assessment day official visit to Vietnam. in the affected areas, the team members will be briefed by Special Relief Commissioner B P Sethi.

• The team will be split into two groups. They • LTTE was a Tamil militant and political will visit Puri and Khurda districts, the worst organization that was based in northeastern affected by the cyclone, on May 13 and 1 Sri Lanka. • It was founded in May 1976 by Velupillai Spectacular Thrissur Pooram festival begins in Prabhakaran. Kerala DRDO conducts a successful flight test of ABHYAS

The 2019 edition of the Thrissur Pooram is an extravagant temple festival in Kerala. Defence Research and Development Organisation • It is held at the Vadakkunnathan Temple in (DRDO) conducted a successful flight test of Thrissur every year on the Pooram day - the day when the moon rises with the Pooram ABHYAS - High-speed Expendable Aerial Target star. (HEAT) from Interim Test Range, Chandipur in • A 54-year-old elephant ‘Thechikottukavu Odisha. Ramachandran’ also participated in the festival. • The flight test was tracked by various • It was banned after it killed two people earlier RADARS and Electro Optic Systems and this year. proved its performance in a fully autonomous • Ramachandran, the tallest elephant of the waypoint navigation mode. state, pushed open the southern entrance of • The configuration of ABHYAS is designed the shrine amid thunderous cheers of the on an in-line small gas turbine engine and people gathered on the temple ground. uses indigenously developed MEMS-based navigation system for its navigation and Central government extends the ban on LTTE for guidance. five years • The performance of the system was as per simulations carried out and demonstrated the capability of ABHYAS to meet the mission The Central Government has extended the ban on the requirement for a cost-effective High-speed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for Expendable Aerial Target. another five years. Young Scientist Programme 'Yuvika2019' • The ban has been extended under sub- inaugurated sections (1) and (3) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 with immediate effect.

• According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation data released, the inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was 86 per cent in the previous month and 58 per cent in April last. • According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) data the inflation in the food basket was 1 per cent last month, up from 0.3 per cent in March this year. • CPI-based inflation data is an important The Young Scientist Programme ‘Yuvika2019’ has indicator of the economy as the Reserve Bank of India mainly factors in it while arriving at been inaugurated by Indian Space Research its monetary policy. Organisation, ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan. HDFC ERGO launches 'Mosquito Disease • The two-week residential summer vacation Protection Policy' programme spread over four ISRO centres in Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad and Shillong are attended by 110 students. • The programme will help in inculcating scientific temper in the students. • The participants will be visiting the spaceport of India, Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Shriharikota during this programme.

Indonesian Coast Guard ship arrives in Port Blair

Indonesian Coast Guard ship ‘Tanjung Datu’ arrived HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company in Port Blair along with a high-level delegation led announced the launch of 'Mosquito Disease by First Admiral Eko Murwanto. Protection Policy'.

• The aim of this goodwill visit is to enhance • This new policy will cover an individual bilateral cooperation between the Coast against common mosquito-borne diseases Guards of two countries. like Dengue Fever, Malaria, Chikungunya, • The ship ‘KN Tanjung Datu’ is a Patrol Japanese Encephalitis, Kala-azar, Lymphatic Vessel. The ship has a complement of 25 Filariasis and Zika Virus. officers and 40 sailors. • According to the report published by • During her stay in Port Blair, various National Health Profile 2018, there has been professional exchanges including Table Top an alarming rise in dengue cases in India, an exercise and Sea Exercise will be conducted. increase of 300 per cent between 2009-201 • These diseases also lead to hospitalisation adding burden on expense or affecting the No India's retail inflation picks up to 92% in April Claim Bonus of any standard Health Insurance. Retail inflation rose marginally to 92 per cent in April this year, mainly due to the rise in food prices.

Kami Rita Sherpa scales Mt. Everest for record • It is is a grant-funding mechanism, managed by the World Bank, that supports disaster risk 23rd time management projects worldwide.

The 49-year-old Sherpa climber Kami Rita scaled Exercise Bull Strike at Teressa Island, Andaman Mount Everest for the 23rd time. The military drill named as Exercise Bull strike was • He broke his own record of the most conducted to showcase joint operations capability of successful ascents of the world's highest peak. the armed forces. • The Sherpa climber, who hails from Thame village in Solukhumbu district, first scaled • During the exercise, the army personnel got the Mount Everest on May 13, 199 the chance to display their prowess by • He has already climbed most of the peaks undertaking company level airborne above 8,000 m including K2, Cho-Oyu, operation at Teressa island, Andaman Lhoste, and Annapurna among others. Nicobar. • The route taken by him was pioneered by • 170 troops from three services carried out New Zealand's Sir Edmund Hillary and para drop operations in a Combat Free Fall Sherpa Tenzing Norgay when they became and Static Line mode. the first climbers to reach the summit in 195 Jaisalmer gets Ready to Host International Army India to co-chair Consultative Group (CG) of Scout Masters Competition 2019 Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) International Army Scout Masters Competition as a part of International Army Games will be organised under the aegis of Konark Corps at Jaisalmer from 24 July to 17 August 201

• The event will witness the participation of the Mechanised Infantry Scout Teams of eight countries including Russia who is the India has been unanimously chosen as co-chair of the founding member of this format of Consultative Group (CG) of Global Facility for International Army Games. • The International Army Scout Masters Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) for the Competition will be conducted in five stages. fiscal year 2020. • It will test the overall skills of Mechanised Infantry Scouts in simulated battlefield • The decision was taken during the meeting of scenarios. GFDRR held in Geneva, Switzerland. • GFDRR is a global partnership that helps Indian Navy’s Service Selection Board developing countries better understand and Inaugurated At Kolkata reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change.

Workshop on Artificial Bio Organs held in Visakhapatnam

Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) has recently organized a one-day workshop on Organ Bio Printing at the Kalam Convention Center, AMTZ Campus in Visakhapatnam.

• The workshop aims to strengthen Indo- Admiral Sunil Lanba, the Chief of Naval Staff Australian Cooperation and achieve the inaugurated Indian Navy’s first full-fledged Service development of the 3D printing industry in both countries. Selection Board (SSB) at Diamond Harbour, near • The workshop explored 3D printing, an Kolkata. innovative technology that covers all medical disciplines and offers new opportunities in • SSB (Kolkata) is located approximately 55 diagnostics and therapy. km away from central Kolkata. • This is the fifth Service Selection Board of India signs ‘Christchurch Call’ to action to the Indian Navy and caters for selection of combat online extremism both Permanent and Short Service Commission officers. • The other Boards are located in Bhopal, To combat online extremism, India has decided to Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and Coimbatore. sign an international call initiated by the • SSB (Kolkata) has the capacity to screen governments of France and New Zealand along with approximately 5000 officer-candidates annually. top social media companies after the Christchurch attacks. MoU signed for Plantation of Rudraksha Trees in Uttarakhand • The document called "Christchurch Call To Action" was signed and adopted on with participation from 26 nations. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed • Participants were asked to pledge to eliminate between National Mission for Clean Ganga, HCL terrorist and violent extremist content on Foundation and INTACH for taking up a project of social media and other online platforms. Plantation of Rudraksha Trees in Uttarakhand. Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube resigns with

• Trees will be planted as a part of CSR immediate effect initiative under the Namami Gange Programme. • The project aims at planting 10 thousand Rudraksha trees in the catchment area of river Ganga in Uttarakhand in association with the local community and other stakeholders. • It will also help in generating income for people residing in those areas.

Jet Airways Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dube civil and commercial matters and extending the longer duration of e-Visa for each other resigned from the company with immediate effect on nationals on reciprocity. citing "personal reasons". • The meeting provided an opportunity to review the status of ongoing cooperation in • He is the fifth top-level official to quit the consular and visa related issues. company after its deputy CEO and Chief • It also discusses ways and means to further Financial Officer Amit Agarwal and expand people to people contacts and company's Chief People Officer (CPO) Rahul promote friendly exchanges between India Taneja put in their resignation papers. and Iran. • The airline ceased operations temporarily around mid-April due to the acute liquidity Lokpal website launched crisis. • Most of the airline's board members have also quit in the last month. • Former Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had also resigned from the Jet Airways board as its Non-Executive and Non- Independent Director citing time constraints and personal reasons.

NSG commandos summit Mt Everest in maiden attempt

The website of the Lokpal has been launched. Commandos of the National Security Guard, NSG, scaled the Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, • The website, www.lokpal.gov.in, was in their maiden attempt. inaugurated by Chairperson Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose in presence of all the • The NSG team led by Lt Col J P Kumar Members of Lokpal in New Delhi. successfully unfurled the Indian flag at the • It provides basic information about the 8,848-metre tall peak. working and functioning of the anti- • The 12-member team was flagged off by corruption ombudsman. Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on March 29 • The Lokpal is the first institution of its kind from in New Delhi. in India established under the Lokpal and • Five other members of the team are likely to Lokayuktas Act, 2013 to inquire and summit the peak on May 22 as per schedule. investigate into allegations of the corruption against public functionaries. 11th Joint Consular Committee meet between Points to remember India, Iran held in Delhi

• Chairperson of Lokpal is Pinaki Chandra The 11th Joint Consular Committee meeting between Ghose India and Iran took place in New Delhi. Sikkim Statehood Day: 16th May • Both sides discussed the early conclusion of Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance on

Sikkim celebrated its 43rd statehood day on 16 May Centre has issued a drought advisory to Maharashtra, 201 Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. • It was on this day in 1975 that Sikkim had officially become the 22nd state under the • It also asked them to use water judiciously as Union of India. water storage in dams dropping to a critical • In 1975 Kazi Lhendup Dorjee became its first level. chief minister. • The drought advisory is issued to states when • Points to remember the water level in reservoirs is 20 per cent less • Governor: Ganga Prasad than the average of live water storage figures • Chief Minister: Pawan Chamling of the past 10 years. • Rajya Sabha seats: 1 • Central Water Commission monitors water • Lok Sabha seats: 1 storage available in 91 major reservoirs across the country. Indian Navy conducts successful fire trial of • According to the report the total water MRSAM storage available is 22 per cent of the total storage capacity of these reservoirs.

Spanish Naval ship on Mumbai visit from May 18 to 23

The Indian Navy achieved a significant milestone in enhancing its Anti-Air Warfare Capability with the maiden cooperative engagement firing of the

Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM).

Spanish Navy ship 'Mendez Nunez' with a crew of 30 • The firing was undertaken on the Western Seaboard by Indian Naval Ships Kochi and officers and 135 sailors is on Mumbai visit from May Chennai. 18 to 2 • In test the missiles of both ships were controlled by one ship to intercept different • The ship is on Overseas Deployment and is aerial targets at extended ranges. docked at the Mumbai Port Trust. • The firing trial was carried out by the Indian • 'Mendez Nunez' will interact with Rear Navy, DRDO and Israel Aerospace Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Industries. Commanding, Maharashtra Naval Area, • The MRSAM has been manufactured by during its stay. Bharat Dynamics Limited. • The visit by the Spanish Navy ship to Mumbai would further strengthen the Centre issues drought advisory to 6 states, asks existing bonds between the two navies. them to use water judiciously

Elections for 17th Lok Sabha conclude • Along with India, Pakistan was also granted successfully SCO membership in 201

Kerala first Indian state to tap into masala bond market

The Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board’s (KIIFB) celebrated its debut Masala Bond listing on the London Stock Exchange with a special market open ceremony.

• Kerala is the first Indian state to tap into the market for masala bonds. Elections for the 17th Lok Sabha concluded • KIIFB, a state government agency, had raised successfully. Rs 2,150 crore through its debut masala bond issue. • The election for 542 seats was held in seven • KIIFB plans to raise Rs 5,000 crore through phases. masala bonds to fund large and critical • Overall around 70 per cent polling was infrastructure projects in Kerala. recorded in all the phases. • Indian Rupee denominated overseas bonds • That this year's general elections were more are popularly known as masala bonds. peaceful as compared to the 2014 edition. • With the completion of the polling process, ISRO successfully launches earth observation the fate of 8,049 candidates, who were in the satellite RISAT-2B fray for 542 Lok Sabha seats has been sealed into the EVMs. Indian Space Research Organisation has successfully • Counting of votes for Lok Sabha and launched its earth observation satellite RISAT-2B assembly elections will be done on 23rd May. from Sriharikota.

Sushma Swaraj to attend SCO foreign ministers • ISRO's trusted launcher PSLV-C46 carrying meet in Bishkek from May 21 RISAT-2B blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will attend • RISAT-2B meant for application in fields a two-day meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry and Organisation (SCO) in capital Bishkek disaster management support. • It will replace the RISAT-2, which was • During the meeting, several pressing issues launched in 200 including a thread of terrorism are expected • The RISAT-2B is equipped with a synthetic to be discussed. aperture radar that can take pictures of the • The Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will earth during day and night, and also under exchange views on topical issues of cloudy conditions. international and regional importance, besides reviewing the preparation for the Telangana city offers last rites for poor at Rs 1 SCO Summit in Bishkek from June 13-1 • The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, and .

• The report says that the Indian economy expanded by 2 per cent in 201 • The report said, strong domestic consumption and investment will continue to support growth, which is projected at 0 per cent in 2019 and 1 per cent in 2020.

IAF successfully fires BrahMos air version missile from frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft

Seeking to ensure a decent funeral for the poor, the civic body in Karimnagar city of Telangana will launch a scheme next month under which last rites can be performed for just one rupee.

• The 'Antim Yatra Aakhri Safar' would be launched on June 15 and Rs 10 crore had already been allotted for the initiative, which would take care of the funeral as per the Indian Air Force successfully fired the BrahMos air religious customs of the deceased. version missile from its frontline Su-30 MKI fighter • The middle and low-income group people aircraft. can avail the facility by paying only Rs 1 as charges for cremation. • The BrahMos is a medium-range ramjet • The scheme will be extended to all, supersonic cruise missile that can be irrespective of caste and religion. launched from submarine, ships, aircraft, or • Under the scheme, the municipal corporation land. of the town will provide wood, pieces of • It is the fastest supersonic cruise missile in sandalwood and kerosene to the family of the the world. deceased for performing the last rites. • It is a joint venture between Russia and India. India to grow at 1% in FY'20: United Nations' India performs poorly in kids right index, ranks report 117

India stands in a lowly 117th position out of 181 countries in the Kids Right Index.

• It is an annual global index which ranks how countries adhere to and are equipped to improve child rights. • Countries are judged on five indicators: the right to life, right to education, right to health, right to protection and enabling environment for child rights. A report by the United Nations says India's economy • Iceland secured the top position in the index is projected to grow at 1 per cent in the fiscal year followed by Portugal. 2020.

Affiliation of ICG ship Shaurya with 3rd (Naga Former PepsiCo chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi was Hills) battalion of Assam Rifles presented with an honorary degree by the prestigious Yale University. An Affiliation Charter has been signed between 3rd (Naga Hills) Battalion of Assam Rifles and Indian • She recieved the award in recognition of her Coast Guard Ship ‘Shaurya’ at Shillong. achievements in business and for being a global role model who encouraged women • The affiliation has been signed as an effort to and girls to see themselves as top corporate enhance inter Armed Forces Cooperation and executives. utilise each other’s assets for training and • In 2006, Nooyi became the first woman to sports. helm the global food and beverage giant • Assam Rifles is the oldest Para Military PepsiCo. She stepped down in October 2 last Force of India with a rich history of valour, year as PepsiCo's CEO. courage and tradition. • Assam Rifles have 46 Battalions manning the Jagan Mohan Reddy to be sworn in as CM of Indo-Myanmar border and countering the Andhra Pradesh on May 30 insurgency in the northeast states. • On the contrary, the ICG, with 142 ships & In Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress Chief Jagan 62 aircraft is one of the youngest Armed Mohan Reddy will be sworn in as chief minister of Force under Ministry of Defence. Andhra Pradesh on 30 May at Vijayawada.

Bhawana Kanth becomes the 1st fighter pilot to • Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced this qualify to undertake combat missions following his party achieving inching towards a landslide victory in the legislative elections for Andhra Pradesh Legislative assembly held on April 11th.

Points to remember

• Governor: E. S. L. Narasimhan • Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly seats:

175 Indian Air Force officer Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth has become the first day-time Indian woman 5th Smart Cities India 2019 expo inaugurated fighter pilot.

• This comes after she completed her day operational syllabus as a fighter pilot on the MiG-21 Bison aircraft. • Officials said the next woman fighter pilot to undertake missions by day is Flight Lieutenant Avani Chaturvedi.

Indra Nooyi receives an honorary degree from Yale University The 5th Smart Cities India 2019 expo, including Transport India, Solar India, Buildings India and Water India expos, was inaugurated by Durga

Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Commissioner along with Election Urban Affairs, Government of India, at the Pragati Commissioners. Maidan, New Delhi. BJP led NDA set to form new govt at Centre • It was organised by India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) and Exhibitions India Group. • The event builds upon Government of India's 'Smart Cities Mission' through a display of a vast array of products and solutions relevant to building smart cities in India.

Sahara - A Hostel for the Veer Naris

Hon'ble Lt Governor of Delhi Shri Anil Baijal inaugurated the Sahara Naval Hostel for the ‘Veer Naris’ at Vasant Kunj, New Delhi. The BJP has surpassed its previous record of 282 Lok Sabha seats in 2014, winning 303 constituencies and • The unique project steered by the Indian leading in one in the 543 member house. Navy for ‘Naval Veer Naris’ has been built in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) • Elections were held in 542 constituencies. All partnership with National Buildings the results have come in except Arunachal Construction Corporation (NBCC). West. • The hostel addresses a long term need felt • The Congress failed to make a mark and the towards the rehabilitation of Naval ‘Veer party could hardly improve its tally of 44 in Naris’ and provide them with a safe and the previous Lok Sabha and secured 52 seats secure environment which will help them in 2019 elections. rebuild their lives. • The DMK gets third positions winning 23 seats followed by Trinamool Congress and Cabinet passes a resolution recommending YSR Congress 22 each. dissolution of 16th Lok Sabha • Two-time BJP MP C R Patil came close to surpassing the all-time victory margin in Lok The Union Cabinet has passed a resolution Sabha polls as he won the Navsari seat in recommending the dissolution of the 16th Lok Gujarat by garnering 89 lakh more votes than Sabha. his rival - the highest margin in 2019 polls.

• The Cabinet met in New Delhi under the Pawan Chamling era ends in Sikkim after over chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra 24 years Modi and took a decision in this regard. Now, Mr Modi will meet President Five-time Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling's Ram Nath Kovind. era ended in Sikkim after over 24 years in power as • After the Cabinet's recommendation, the his party SDF lost the state elections. President will dissolve the present Lok Sabha. The term of the 16th Lok Sabha will • While Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) got end on the 3rd June and the 17th Lok Sabha 15 seats in the hill state, Sikkim Krantikari has to be constituted before that date. Morcha, which came into being in 2013, • The process to form a new House will be bagged 17 seats, one more than required for a initiated when the Chief Election majority in the 32-member Assembly.

• He was the country’s longest-serving Chief Defence Research and Development Organisation Minister. (DRDO) successfully test fired the Akash-1S surface to air defence missile system. Pak successfully tests ballistic missile Shaheen-II • Akash-1S is a new version of the missile Pakistan successfully test-fired surface-to-surface which is fitted with an indigenous seeker. ballistic missile Shaheen-II. • In the last two days, this is the second successful test of the missile by the DRDO. • It is capable of hitting targets as far as 1,500 • The Akash-1S is capable of striking down kilometres away, bringing major Indian cities enemy fighter jets and drones very under its range. effectively. • Shaheen-II is a highly capable missile that fully meets Pakistan’s strategic needs India invites BIMSTEC leaders for the swearing- towards the maintenance of desired in ceremony of PM Modi deterrence stability in the region. India has invited the leaders of the BIMSTEC Isro's new commercial arm NewSpace India Member States for the swearing-in ceremony of officially inaugurated Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial • President of the Kyrgyz Republic, who is the arm of Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), current Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation was officially inaugurated in Bengaluru. Organization, and the Prime Minister of Mauritius, who was the Chief Guest at this • NSIL's main objective is to scale up industry year's Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, have also been participation in Indian space programmes. invited. • Specifically, it will be responsible for • Prime Minister Modi will take oath for the manufacturing the and production of Small second term on 30 May. Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and Polar • President Ram Nath Kovind will administer Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) through the Oath of Office and Secrecy to Mr Modi technology transfer mechanisms. and other members of Union Council of Ministers at a function in Rashtrapati Naveen Patnaik all set for record fifth term as Bhavan. Odisha CM Points to remember Naveen Patnaik is all set to take oath as chief minister of the State for a record fifth term in a row. • BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic • BJD headed by him has won a decisive Cooperation. victory in the assembly polls bagging 112 of • Member States: Bangladesh, India, the 146 assembly seats, polls for which were Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and held along with the Lok Sabha elections. . • The 15th Odisha Legislative Assembly which was formed on June 12, 2014, will complete India's first all-women medium-lift chopper crew its term on June 11, 201 flies the battle mission

DRDO successfully test fires Akash-1S surface to air defence missile system

Lieutenant General Frank Kamanzi of Rwanda who will complete his assignment. • Mr Tinaikar will command over 16,000 peacekeepers, about 2,400 from India, in UNMI.

Four new Delhi High Court judges take the oath

Three women officers of the Indian Air Force made history as they became the country's first 'All Women Crew' to fly a Medium Lift Helicopter.

• They flew a Mi-17 V5 helicopter for a Battle Inoculation Training mission. • Flight Lt Parul Bhardwaj (Captain), Flying Officer Aman Nidhi (Co-pilot) and Flight Lieutenant Hina Jaiswal (Flight Engineer) have become country's first 'All Women Crew' to fly a Medium Lift Helicopter. Four new Delhi High Court judges, including a • A Mi-17 V5 helicopter for a Battle woman judge, were sworn in, taking the working Inoculation Training mission taking off and strength of the court to 40. landing from restricted areas at a forward airbase in South Western Air Command. • Justices Talwant Singh, Rajnish Bhatnagar, Asha Menon and Brijesh Sethi were P S Golay sworn-in as Sikkim Chief Minister administered the oath by Delhi High Court along with 11 Cabinet ministers Chief Justice Rajendra Menon. • The Delhi High Court has an approved Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, SKM President Prem strength of 60 and faces a shortage of 20 Singh Golay (Tamang) took oath as the New Chief judges. Minister of Sikkim. • Including Justice Menon, there are eight woman judges in the Delhi High Court. • Governor Ganga Prasad administered the oath of office and secrecy to Mr. Golay and Scientists break the record for highest- his council of ministers at Paljor Stadium in temperature superconductor Gangtok. • Along with Mr Golay, 11 cabinet ministers were also administered the oath.

Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar, to head UN peacekeeping operation in South

The commandant of the Indian Army Infantry School, Lieutenant General Shailesh Tinaikar, has been appointed the commander of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the second biggest Scientists have discovered superconductivity at the peacekeeping operation. highest temperatures ever recorded.

• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres • The researchers at the University of Chicago announced that Mr Tinaikar will succeed in the US studied a class of materials in which

they observed superconductivity at • The tribunal also directed to sensitise public temperatures of about minus 23 degrees about the ill effects of demineralised water. Celsius. • Superconductivity is the ability to conduct Points to remember electricity perfectly. • The material offers zero resistance to • Reverse Osmosis (RO) is a water treatment electrical current and cannot be penetrated by process that removes contaminants from magnetic fields. water by using pressure to force molecules • However, scientists have previously only through a semipermeable membrane. been able to create superconducting materials when they are cooled to extremely cold Chennai gets a unique tree ambulance temperatures initially, minus 240 degrees Celsius and more recently about minus 73 degrees Celsius. • Since such cooling is expensive, it has limited their applications in the world at large.

NSIC signs MOU with Ministry of MSME for the Year 2018-19

The National Small Industries Corporation Limited, NSIC signed an MoU with Ministry of Micro, Small Chennai has launched a unique tree ambulance on the and Medium Enterprises for the year 2019-20. occasion of International Day for Biological Diversity. • The MoU envisages provision of enhanced services by NSIC under its marketing, • The tree ambulance initiative is the brainchild financial, technology and other support of Green man of India, Dr K Abdul Ghani and services schemes for MSMEs in the country. the project is being sponsored by the SASA • The Corporation projects to increase revenue Group. from operation by 22 per cent. • It provides services like first-aid treatment • The Corporation also plans to enhance its are uprooted tree planting, seed bank, seed activities in the areas of imparting ball distribution, plant distribution, aiding entrepreneurship and skill development tree plantation, shifting trees, a survey of training by targeting 45 per cent growth in the trees and removal of dead trees. number of trainees. • The ambulance has helpers and a plant expert, who carry gardening tools, water, NGT directed the government to ban ROs where manure, and pesticide with them. dissolved solids in the water below 500 mg/litre Hindi version of Digital Dilemma launched by The National Green Tribunal, NGT, has directed the Oscar academy President John Bailey government to ban water purifiers where total dissolved solids (TDS) in water are below 500 mg President of Oscar Academy, John Bailey e-launched per litre. the Hindi translation of an Academy Publication, "Digital Dilemma", at a function in Delhi. • A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel passed the order after • The translation of the Academy publication perusing a report of a committee formed by into Hindi is important in order to reach out it. to film fraternity in India.

• This book will help filmmakers in • This programme will provide a unique micro- understanding and planning the storage of gravity platform in space for conducting born-digital material. experiments and test for future technologies. • National Film Archive of India had signed an MoU with the Academy to translate the India Moves up to rank 43 in competitiveness publication into Hindi so that it can benefit various stakeholders in the country. India has moved up one place to rank 43rd most competitive economy in the world on the back of its Record 78 women MPs elected to 17th Lok robust economic growth. Sabha • Singapore has toppled the US to grab the top position. • Singapore has moved up to the top, from the third position last year, while the US has slipped to the third place in the 2019 edition of the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings.

Goa celebrates its statehood day

Record 78 women candidates have been elected to the Lok Sabha in the recently held general elections.

• According to the Election Commission, the number has grown from the previous 62 women who were elected to the 16th Lok Sabha in 201 • In the country's first general elections in 1951, twenty-four women were elected to the Lower House, and since then, the number has been increasing. Goa celebrates its statehood day on 30 May.

IAF signs MoU with ISRO for crew selection, • It was on this day in 1987 Goa became the training for Gaganyaan Programme 25th state of the Indian Union. • Before this, Goa, along with Daman and Diu, Indian Air Force has signed an MoU with ISRO for was a union territory. crew selection and training for the prestigious Gaganyaan Programme. Points to Remember

• • Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Capital: Panaji Independence Day address last year, had • Rajya Sabha seats: 1 announced the launch of Gaganyaan - India's • Lok Sabha seats: 2 maiden human spaceflight programme by 202 Narendra Modi takes oath as PM for the second term

The country's median GDP is forecast at 7.1 per cent for FY20 and 7.2 per cent for FY 21. • The industry body FICCI's economic outlook survey said that the minimum and maximum growth estimate stood at 6.8 per cent and 7.3 per cent, for 2019-20. • The survey was conducted in May 2019 among economists belonging to the industry, banking and financial services National Democratic Alliance leader Narendra Modi sectors. was sworn in as Prime Minister for the second • Inflation is expected to remain moderate and consecutive term. the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based • President Ram Nath Kovind administered the inflation rate is projected at 3.1 per cent in oath of Office and Secrecy to him and a team 2019-20. of 57 ministers. • The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based • Besides 24 Cabinet ministers including Amit inflation has a median forecast of 4 per cent Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, for 2019-20. Nitin Gadkari, Smriti Irani, and Piyush Goyal, nine were sworn in as Minister of State with Independent charge and another 24 as Minister of State. • The new Modi Government has the maximum representation of 10 faces from Uttar Pradesh, followed by seven from Maharashtra, six from SEBI bars NSE from the securities market for 6 Bihar and four from Madhya Pradesh. months

5. Health Ministry organises a national workshop Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of for Population Research Centres (PRCs) India (SEBI) on April 30 directed the National Stock Exchange to return Rs 625 crore with 12 per cent per Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is organizing annum interest in the co-location case. a two-day orientation workshop for Population • The regulator has also barred the exchange Research Centres (PRCs) in New Delhi from the securities market for six months. • This workshop was organised to highlight the • This means the NSE cannot access the capital market in terms of IPO for six months. various features of the flagship schemes of the Health Ministry for concurrent India's eight core industries grow 7% in March 2019 monitoring. • Inaugurating the national workshop at New India's eight core industries grew 7 per cent in March 201 Delhi, Ms. Preeti Sudan, Secretary (HFW) stated there is an urgent need for PRCs to • The eight core sectors include coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilizers, reinvent themselves to become more steel, cement, and electricity. relevant. • On a year-on-year basis, the FY19 core industries growth remained unchanged at 3 6. FICCI survey forecasts India's GDP growth at per cent. 7.1% for FY20

• The crude oil sector continued its contraction high last month of Rs 06 lakh crore, up from in March, contracting 2% compared with a Rs 97,247 crore in the previous month. contraction of 1% in the previous month. • The total number of GSTR 3B Returns filed for the month of March up to 30th April 2019 State Bank of India links interest rates to RBI's is 713 lakh. repo rate RBI penalizes PhonePe, Vodafone m-pesa for State Bank of India has moved to a new interest rate regulatory non-compliance regime on large savings account deposits as well as short-term loans. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has slapped penalties on five Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) • In March, SBI had announced that it will link issuers and two remittance service providers for non- its interest rate on savings account with a compliance of regulatory norms. balance above ₹1 lakh and short-term loans like overdraft and cash credit facility to • The banking regulator imposed a penalty of Reserve Bank of India's repo rate, effective 1 Rs 05 crore on Vodafone m-pesa and Rs 1 May 201 crore each on PPIs like Phonepe, GI • The interest rates on large SBI savings Technology and My Mobile Payments. account deposits and interest rate on some • A penalty of Rs 5 lakh was also levied on Y- short-term loans will automatically change as Cash Software Solutions. and when RBI changes its repo rate. • Remittance service providers like Western • This will help in better transmission of RBI's Union Financial Services and MoneyGram policy rates into the banking system. Payment Systems were penalized for Rs 267 lakh and Rs 12 lakh, respectively. Goods and Services Tax collection at an all-time high London top choice for Indian investors with record investments in 2018

London emerged as the top choice for Indian investors ahead of other cities such as Dubai and Singapore.

• The investments by Indian companies in the British capital reaching an all-time high last year. • The UK emerged as the topmost country to attract Indian FDI with 52 projects, ahead of

the US (51) and the UAE (32), in 201 Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection scales • Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from India record high of Rs 13 lakh crore in April, highest ever into London increased by 255 per cent from collection since GST implementation. 2017 to 201

• The GST collections in April jumped to its Vodafone Idea signs multi-million dollar IT deal highest level of Rs 1,13,865 crore since its with IBM rollout in 201 • While collections have been gradually increasing since August, they hit a record

Yes Bank has acquired eight crore shares in electric equipment maker CG Power and Industrial Solutions.

• The acquired shares represent 179 per cent ownership in the company

Points to remember

• Headquarters: Mumbai • MD & CEO: Ravneet Gill India's largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea Ltd announced a five-year multi-million-dollar IT BharatPe launches India’s first UPI Bahi Khata outsourcing deal with tech giant IBM. for merchants • The collaboration will contribute to Vodafone Idea’s merger synergy objectives BharatPe - India's first Fintech start-up enabling by decreasing its IT-related costs. payments for merchants through interoperable UPI • This partnership will offer Vodafone Idea with a hybrid cloud based digital platform to QR codes, has announced its foray into merchant enable engagement with its 387 million services with a new app. subscribers. • The app allows merchants to record their SBI Card raises ₹700 crore from banks cash/credit (Udhar) sales customer wise, request accounts receivable from customers SBI Card raised ₹700 crore from several financial via SMS payment links, and keep track of institutions including its parent State Bank of India accounts payable to suppliers, among other (SBI). services. • The BharatPe app also serves as a networking • It aims to grow above the industry average. platform for merchants to connect with other • SBI Cards and Payment Services Pvt. Ltd BharatPe merchants near them. (SBI Card) raised ₹100 crore from ICICI Securities Primary Dealership Ltd, ₹250 RBI releases vision document for e-payment crore from State Bank of India and ₹50 crore each from Canara Bank and Axis Bank by system issuing non-convertible debentures (NCDs) at 15% coupon. Reserve Bank of India has released a vision document for ensuring a safe, secure, convenient, Yes Bank acquires 179% stake in CG Power quick and affordable e-payment system.

• The document has been named as ‘Payment and Settlement Systems in India: Vision 2019 – 2021’. • It said that the bank will implement the approach outlined in this Vision during the period 2019 - 202

• The 'no-compromise' approach towards its 36 stores in prime locations in Mumbai, safety and security of payment systems Pune and Bangalore. remains a hallmark of the vision. • Natures Basket Limited (NBL), a 100 per cent subsidiary of Godrej Industries and India’s overall exports registered positive growth reported turnover of Rs 3328 crore for the year 2018-1 of 34% in April • The company sells various food products and beverages through its retail stores and online India’s overall exports, combining Merchandise and platform. Services, in April this year is estimated to be around BSNL Partners With Google to Expand WiFi 44 billion US dollars. Footprint

• It showed positive growth of 34 per cent over On the occasion of World Telecom Day, state-run April last year. telecom major BSNL has partnered with Google to • Overall imports in last month are estimated to increase access to its WiFi footprint in the country. be around 53 billion dollars with a positive growth of 5 per cent over the corresponding • With the launch of this service, people across period of last year. the country will be able to enjoy BSNL's free • Taking merchandise and services together, WiFi services. the overall trade deficit for last month is • This initiative will allow customers to use estimated at around nine billion dollars as BSNL's high-speed internet services on compared to around seven billion dollars in WiFi. the same period last year. • BSNL is also taking steps to increase the rural WiFi footprint, promoting the government's Spencer's Retail to acquire Nature's Basket for 'Digital India' initiative. Rs 300 cr Points to remember

• BSNL CEO: Anupam Shrivastava • Headquarters: New Delhi

SBI ties up with FMCG arm of The Art of Living

The State Bank of India (SBI) has announced a strategic partnership with the FMCG arm of The Art of Living - Sri Sri Tattva.

• YONO users can avail a discount of 15 per cent on the entire range of products offered. Sanjiv Goenka Group's Spencer's Retail will acquire • The products offered by Sri Sri Tattva Godrej Industries' grocery chain Nature's Basket for includes food, personal care, healthcare, homecare, BYOGI apparels and Shankara Rs 300 crore. skincare products. • Sri Sri Tattva will make YONO's online • Natures Basket's acquisition will make marketplace richer with product portfolio in Spencer's Retail a national player, giving it the organic, wellness and Ayurvedic access to the western parts of India through

domains, giving SBI customers formidable through in this planned structure, and will shopping experience. likely give them a 10% stake in the combined entity. Reliance beats Indian Oil Corp to become the • If the deal materializes, it will herald a big biggest Indian company by revenue consolidation move in the long-tail e- commerce market, which has largely catered to small-town customers, away from the core audience of established e-commerce companies Amazon and Flipkart.

ADB to provide $750 mn loans to India for railway track electrification project

Multilateral funding agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed an agreement to provide $750 million long-term financing to electrify railway tracks in India. Richest Indian Mukesh Ambani's oil-to-telecom • It is the largest single non-sovereign loan conglomerate Reliance Industries has toppled state- ever committed by ADB to Indian Railway owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) to become the Finance Corporation (IRFC) to fund the country's biggest company by revenue. railways track electrification project. • As part of a broad modernisation programme • Reliance in the 2018-19 fiscal year that ended that will help India's railway sector transition March 31, reported a turnover of Rs 23 lakh to electric power and away from dependence crore. on fossil fuels • In comparison, IOC posted a turnover of Rs 17 lakh crore for the fiscal, according to Points to remember regulatory filings by the two companies. • It was also the most profitable company in the • ADB Headquarters: Mandaluyong, country with a net profit of more than double Philippines that of IOC in FY201 • President: Takehiko Nakao • Membership: 68 countries Snapdeal close to acquiring ShopClues HDFC group overtakes Tata group as India’s most valuable

The HDFC group has overtaken the 151-year-old Tata group to emerge as India's most valuable by way of market capitalization (m-cap).

• According to a report the combined market value of the five listed companies of the Online marketplace Snapdeal is close to buying its HDFC group - HDFC, HDFC Bank, HDFC nearest rival ShopClues in an all-stock deal. Life, HDFC Asset Management and Gruh Finance - stood at Rs 166 lakh crore as on • The deal is likely to see ShopClues investors May 20, 201 get one Snapdeal share if the merger goes

• The combined m-cap of 29 Tata group companies stood at Rs 164 lakh crore, about Rs 2,000 crore less than that of the HDFC group.

Standard Chartered partners with IBM to launch Trade AI Engine

Standard Chartered has officially launched the Trade AI Engine, a joint solution developed in partnership with IBM. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) has launched ‘Bank on Wheels’ facility in 14 of its lead districts in Tamil • It has been launched to enhance the client Nadu and Kerala, besides Vijayawada. experience in trade document processing through increased operational efficiency and • The mobile van facility will enable the strengthened operational control. public, especially senior citizens, • Traditional documentary trade requires conveniently get door-step banking facility millions of data elements in paper-based, available at identified locations of the lead unstructured documents that are often issued districts. by various companies and needs to be • A dedicated banking correspondent will reviewed through a largely manual process. accompany the vehicle with a micro-ATM • With the implementation of the Trade AI inside the van to take care of services such as Engine powered by IBM, this time- account opening, enrollment of customers in consuming and high-risk process is now Social Security Scheme, passbook printing, significantly automated. and other financial inclusion activities.

Corporation Bank launches ‘Corp SME Suvidha’ Points to Remember for MSMEs • Indian Overseas Bank Headquarters: Corporation Bank has launched ‘Corp SME Chennai Suvidha’, a product for GST-registered MSMEs. • CEO: R. Subramaniakumar

• The product has been designed as part of the RBI extends RTGS timings from 4:30 pm to 6 pm bank’s efforts to provide the best products to the MSME sector. To facilitate high-value fund transfers, the Reserve • PV Bharathi, Managing Director and Chief Bank of India (RBI) has announced an extension of Executive Officer of the Corporation bank, timings for customer transactions through Real Time launched the product in Mangaluru. Gross Settlement (RTGS) by one and half hours from 4:30 PM to 06 PM. Indian Overseas Bank launches ‘Bank on Wheels’ facility • The new timing will be effective from 1st June. • The RTGS is an online fund transfer system, supported by the RBI, which enables money transaction on a real-time basis.

Points to remember

• The minimum amount for the transaction • Sangakkara's nomination was announced by under this system is Rs 2 lakh. the MCC's current President Anthony • There is no upper limit on the value of funds Wreford, at the MCC Annual General that can be transferred via the RTGS system. Meeting at Lord's Cricket Ground. • MCC was founded in 1787 and has been RBI sets up a task force on secondary market based at Lord’s, which it owns, since 181 • It is the guardian of the Laws of the game. development in corporate loans The RBI has constituted a task force to suggest policy Points to Remember and regulatory interventions required for the • The Laws of Cricket is a code which specifies development of the secondary market in corporate the rules of the game of cricket worldwide. Since 1788, it has been owned and loans. maintained by its custodian, the Marylebone • The six-member body will be headed by Cricket Club (MCC) in London. Canara Bank Chairman T N Manoharan. Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria • It has been set up to review the existing state takes over as Vice Chief of Air Staff of the market for loan sale/transfer in India Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria took as well as the international experience in over as Vice Chief of the Air Staff. loan trading. • An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Air Marshal Bhadauria was commissioned in the fighter stream of Indian Air Force in 1980. • He won the coveted ‘Sword of Honour’ for standing first in the overall order of merit. • Prior to assuming the present appointment, he Kumar Sangakkara announced as first non- was the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of British President of MCC Training Command. • During his illustrious career, he was commended by the Chief of Air Staff and has been awarded Param Vishist Seva Medal, Ati Vishist Seva Medal and Vayu Sena Medal.

Bombay Stock Exchange appoints first independent woman Director

BSE, formerly known as the Bombay Stock Exchange has appointed its first independent woman director Jayshree Vyas. Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was announced as the first non-British President of • She is a qualified chartered accountant. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). • She was working as Managing Director of Shree Mahila Sewa Sahakari Bank, • He will take up his one-year post on October Ahmedabad, since 198 1, 201

• She played a pivotal role in the launching of • Chhattisgarh Governor: Anandiben Patel the first financial literacy programme in Sewa • Chief Minister: Bhupesh Baghel Bank in 200 • Rajya Sabha seats: 5 • Lok Sabha seats:11 Points to remember India's Jagjit Pavadia re-elected to International • BSE Founded: 9 July 1875 Narcotics Control Board • Chairman: S. Ravi India's Jagjit Pavadia was re-elected to the Myntra appoints Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) for as first brand ambassadors another term.

Walmart-owned Myntra has appointed Indian • Ms Pavadia has been a member of the INCB captain Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka since 2015 and her current term is set to Sharma as the online fashion company’s first official expire in 2020. brand ambassadors. • Jagjit Pavadia has been re-elected for a five- year term beginning 2nd March 2020. • The duo would help the company launch a • The victory added to India's successful record brand campaign for shopping on the firm’s e- of winning crucial elections at the UN and to commerce platform. the world organisation's subsidiary bodies. • This is the largest ever brand campaign for Myntra where it is targeting to reach over 100 Gates Foundation names Hari Menon as Country million potential customers. Director in India

Justice PR Ramachandra Menon sworn in as chief justice of the Chhattisgarh HC

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation named M Hari

Menon as the Country Director in India effective Justice PR Nair Ramachandra Menon has been from May 2 appointed as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh High Court. • Menon will replace Nachiket Mor, who held this position for the past three years and • He is presently serving as a Judge of the resigned last month. Kerala High Court. • With an endowment of $50.7 billion, Gates • Governor Anandiben Patel administered him Foundation is the world’s largest private the oath of office philanthropic organisation and has offices in Delhi and Patna. Points to remember • It plays an influential role in India in public policy, funding research and providing aid

and grants towards rolling out projects in • The appointment is for a period of two years public health, sanitation, digital financial with effect from May 14, 2019, to May 13, inclusion, agriculture, and gender equality. 202 • Gandhi was RBI Deputy Governor during Actress Dia Mirza, Alibaba chief among 17 new April 2014 and April 201 SDG Advocates of UN India's GS Lakshmi became the first woman on ICC international panel of match referees The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed 17 global figures as the new advocates to drive action and solidify global political will for the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals.

• These include Indian actress Dia Mirza and Alibaba chief Jack Ma. • The new class of Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, Advocates are influential public figures committed to raising awareness, inspiring greater ambition and pushing for faster action on the SDGs. India's G.S. Lakshmi has become the first woman to be appointed to ICC's international panel of match Dinesh Pangtey appointed as CEO of LIC referees. Mutual Fund • She will be eligible to officiate in international games with immediate effect. Dinesh Pangtey has been appointed as Chief • Lakshmi, who first officiated as a match Executive Officer of LIC Mutual Fund. referee in domestic women's cricket in 2008- 09, has overseen three women's ODI matches • He started his career as a direct recruit officer and three women's T20 International with LIC of India in 1984 and has risen matches. through the ranks to this senior position. • Claire Polosak had become the first ever • Prior to taking over as CEO of LIC Mutual woman umpire to stand in a men's ODI, Fund, Dinesh Pangtey was Director and earlier this month. Chief Executive Officer at LIC HFL AMC. Sanjiv Puri appointed ITC's new Chairman Former RBI Deputy Governor R Gandhi appointed an additional director on Yes Bank FMCG major ITC Ltd has appointed company board Managing Director Sanjiv Puri as its Chairman with immediate effect. Former Reserve Bank Deputy Governor R Gandhi has been appointed as an additional director on the • He has been appointed following the demise of Y. C. Deveshwar who was serving as the board of Yes Bank. Chairman and Non-Executive Director.

• Puri has been a director on the board of the • The bank has received the approval of its company since 2015 and was appointed the application for Chugh's appointment, from Chief Executive Officer in February 201 the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on May 14, • He had led ITC Infotech India Ltd, a wholly 201 owned subsidiary of the company as its • Nitin Chugh will join the bank by August Managing Director from May 2006 to August 2019 as President and will work closely with 200 Samit Ghosh, existing MD and CEO to ensure a smooth transition. Croatian World Cupper Igor Stimac appointed • He will take over as the MD and CEO from December 1, 2019, upon the Samit Ghosh's Indian football team coach retirement.

Croatian World Cupper Igor Stimac has been Volodymyr Zelenskiy takes oath as 's appointed Indian football team head coach for a two- new President year term.

• The national team has been without a coach Volodymyr Zelenskiy took oath as new President of since the departure of Stephen Constantine in Ukraine, announcing snap parliamentary elections at January 201 the same ceremony. • The appointment was made by the All India Football Federation's Executive Committee. • Jelensky has no experience of politics before, • The 51-year-old Stimac was part of 's but she won a huge victory in the presidential 1998 World Cup squad and has over 18 years election last month. of coaching experience. • Zelinskiy became Ukraine's youngest post- Soviet President after he scored a landslide Jeffrey Rosen confirmed as US deputy attorney election victory against incumbent Petro general Poroshenko. Points to Remember The United States Senate has voted to confirm Jeffrey Rosen as deputy attorney general. • Capital: Kyiv • Currency: Ukrainian hryvnia • He will be the second-ranking official at the Justice Department. Pakistan appoints Mueen Ul Haq as High Commissioner to India • Rosen replaces Rod Rosenstein, who left the department last week. Pakistan has appointed career diplomat Mueenul Haq as the High Commissioner to India. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank appoints Nitin Chugh as next MD and CEO • Prime Minister Imran Khan approved appointments of over two dozen ambassadors Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Limited has appointed in various countries including India, China and Japan. Nitin Chugh as its next Managing Director and Chief • Haq, the current ambassador to France, has Executive Officer (CEO) from December 1, 201 previously served as chief of protocol at the Foreign Office.

• The post of High Commissioner to India fell vacant after Sohail Mehmood was appointed Pakistan's new foreign secretary.

Joko Widodo elected President of Indonesia for the second term

Indonesia's Joko Widodo has been re-elected as president of the country. Scott Morrison has been sworn in as Australia's Prime Minister, 11 days after retaining the position • The elections commission has said Widodo in the country's general election. won the election by a 55 per cent to 45 per cent margin over Prabowo Subbiano. • He was sworn in by Queen Elizabeth's • 57-year-old Widodo had been widely official representative in Australia, predicted to win according to unofficial Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, at a results. ceremony in the capital, Canberra. • Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack Points to Remember was also sworn in. • Morrison's revamped Cabinet, which • Capital: Jakarta includes a record seven women. • Currency: Indonesian rupiah Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal sworn in as Chief Anton Aditya Subowo re-elected as President of Justice of Meghalaya HC Badminton Asia

Indonesia's Anton Aditya Subowo was re-elected as the President of Badminton Asia on.

• As a result, he will continue as the President for another four years. • There were seven other people who were selected as the vice-presidents of Badminton Asia. • The Badminton Association of India's president Himanta Biswa Sarma has also been elected as the vice-president. Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal has been sworn in as the • Badminton Asia also got in a new Secretary- Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court. General in Moosa Nashid from the Maldives. • Governor Tathagata Roy administered him Scott Morrison sworn in as Australia's Prime the oath of office in a ceremony at Raj Minister Bhavan, Shillong. • Justice AK Mittal was appointed as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court by the President of India on May 22nd 201 • The Office of the Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court fell vacant upon the retirement of Justice MY Mir.

• Justice AK Mittal was the judge of the Punjab Dr P.K. Mishra conferred with prestigious and Haryana High Court before his Sasakawa Award 2019 appointment as the Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court.

Ex-ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar Awarded France's Highest Civilian Honour United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction Former ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar was (UNDRR) conferred Sasakawa Award 2019 for conferred with France's highest civilian award - Disaster Risk Reduction to Dr Pramod Kumar Chevalier de l'Ordre national de la Lgion d'Honneur. Mishra, Additional Principal Secretary to Prime

• He was awarded for his contribution to India- Minister of India. France space cooperation. • Kumar was the chairman of the Indian Space • The award was announced at the Award Research Organisation (ISRO) from 2015 to Ceremony during the ongoing 6th Session of 2018 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction • Created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, the (GPDRR) 2019 at Geneva. Ordre national de la Lgion d'Honneur • The United Nations Sasakawa Award is the (National Order of the Legion of Honour) is most prestigious international award in the the highest civilian award given by the area of Disaster Risk Management. French for outstanding service to France. • A total grant of USD 50,000 is distributed among the winners which can be either Points to Remember organizations or individuals. • The theme of the 2019 Sasakawa award was • ISRO Headquarters: Bengaluru “Building Inclusive and Resilient Societies”. • Founder: Vikram Sarabhai • Founded: 15 August 1969 Indian short film wins Nespresso Talents award • Director: Kailasavadivoo Sivan in Cannes Donald Trump awards highest US civilian honour to Tiger Woods Indian filmmaker, Achyutanand Dwivedi's film, "Seed Mother", won the third prize in the US President Donald Trump on bestowed Tiger international section of Nespresso Talents 2019 in Woods with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour. Cannes.

• He described the golfer as "one of the greatest • The three-minute film celebrates the athletes in the history of sports." exceptional spirit of Rahibai Soma Popere, a • Woods is only the fourth and the youngest woman who champions the use of local seeds golfer ever to have received the highest and traditional methods of farming in villages American civilian award. of Maharashtra.

• Held annually as part of the Cannes Critics' • Jokha Alharthi, the first Arabic-language Week to encourage new perspectives in writer to take the prize, will split the 50,000 filmmaking. pounds or 64,000 US dollar purse with her • This year's theme was 'We Are What We Eat', UK-based translator, Marilyn Booth. aimed at exploring the world, experiencing • "Celestial Bodies" beat five other finalists diversity. from Europe and South America, including last year's winner, Poland's Olga Tokarczuk. Kapil Sharma is the Most Viewed Stand-up • The prize is a counterpart to the Man Booker Comedian in India and Abroad Prize for English-language novels and is open to books in any language that has been translated into English.

Indian peacekeeper to be honoured posthumously by UN

An Indian peacekeeper is among the 119 military, police and civilian personnel will be honoured with a prestigious UN medal this year for courage and sacrifice in the line of duty.

• Police Officer Jitender Kumar made the supreme sacrifice while serving in the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission Comedian-actor Kapil Sharma has been in the Central African country of Congo. acknowledged as the most viewed stand-up • He will be honoured posthumously with the comedian in India and abroad by the World book of Dag Hammarskjold Medal. Records London. • He will be honoured on 29 May as the world organisation observes the International Day • He started his career as a stand-up comedian, of UN Peacekeepers. Kapil initially performed on several comedy • India's Permanent Representative to the UN shows. Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin would collect • But it was his separate show Comedy Nights the medal on behalf of the fallen Indian With Kapil which brought him immense peacekeeper. fame. • Not only comedy, but Kapil also tried his Sunny Pawar wins 'Best Child Actor' at DFW hand at acting with Bollywood films like Kis South Asian Film Festival Kisko Pyaar Karoon and Firangi. • The 38-year-old is currently hosting The Kapil Sharma Show on television.

Oman author Jokha Alharthi wins Booker International Prize

An author from Oman has won the prestigious Man Booker International Prize for "Celestial Bodies".

• It is the story of three sisters of a desert country confronting its slave-owning past and a complex modern world.

After a big win at the New York Indian Film Festival, • For the first time, UNSDG felicitated 'Lion' fame Sunny Pawar won the 'Best Child Actor' renowned people from across the world in the award for 'Chippa' at the 5th DFW South Asian Film health sector. Festival. Points to remember • The festival focuses on a wide range of films promoting the perspectives and voices of the • Patanjali Ayurved is a company producing South Asian community. range Ayurvedic medicinal and personal care • The 11-year-old boy Sunny shot to fame with products, among other consumer items. Australian director Garth Davis' acclaimed • Popular yoga guru Baba Ramdev co-founded 2016 film 'Lion' for which he won an the company along with Balkshrina. AACTA award. • Written and directed by Safdar Rahman, 'Chippa' is a coming of age film about a 10- year-old boy who on the eve of his tenth birthday receives a letter from his long-absent father. He then decides to leave his pavement abode to find his father. Indian para-athletes clinch medals at Asian Road Para-cycling championships Artist Nalini Malani wins Joan Miró prize Indian para-athletes came up with a brilliant Artist Nalini Malani has won the seventh edition of performance to secure a silver and two bronze the Joan Miró Prize. medals at the Asian Road Para-cycling championships. • Miro international award is considered one of the most prestigious art awards in the world. • The championship held at Tashkent, • The recipient gets prize money of 70,000- Uzbekistan. Euro ($78,000) cash prize. • Divij Shah clinched silver while Asian Para • Malani (born in Karachi in 1946) is a film, Games bronze medallist Gurlal Singh and photography, installation, video art and Hand cyclist Sudhakar Marathe claimed performance artist. bronze.

Acharya Balkrishna receives 'UNSDG 10 Most attains world number one spot Influential People in Healthcare Award' in women's 10 m air rifle event

Acharya Balkrishna, the managing director and chief executive officer of Patanjali Ayurveda, was felicitated with ‘UNSDG 10 Most Influential People in Healthcare Award’ at UN Headquarters in Geneva.

• The United Nations had chosen Acharya Balkrishna, among the 10 most influential people in healthcare. Indian shooting ace Apurvi Chandela attained the • He has been invited to Geneva on May 25 to world number one position in the women's 10m air deliver a talk among other speakers from rifle event. UNICEF and WHO.

• Her compatriot Anjum Moudgil rose to India retained its top position in the ICC Test number two after consistent performances in rankings. recent years. • She is among the five Indian shooters to have • Also, England remained the number one ODI already secured 2020 Olympics quotas for the side in the latest annual rankings released in country. Dubai. • Among men, Divyansh Singh Panwar's • India also moved two points in the second World Cup exploits in helped him position in the ODI rankings behind England. reach world number four spot in 10 metres air • India with 260 points has dropped three rifle category. places to fifth in the latest list of men's Twenty20 International team rankings. Bajrang Punia bags gold in Ali Aliyev wrestling tournament Indian boxers win six medals at 36th Feliks Stamm International Boxing

Indian boxers finished with a rich haul of six medals, including two gold at the 36th Feliks Stamm International Boxing Tournament in Warsaw, Poland.

• Gaurav Solanki and Manish Kaushik bagged one gold each. • Indian boxers also clinched a silver and three World number one Bajrang Punia won the gold bronze. medal in the Ali Aliyev wrestling tournament in • The 22-year-old Solanki out-punched Kaspiisk, Russia. England's William Cawley 5-0 in 52- kilogram category. • He defeated Viktor Rassadin in the finals of • In the 60-kilogram weight category, Kaushik men's 65kg freestyle. beat 's Mohamed Hamout 4- • The 25-year-old had won a gold medal last week at the Asian Championships in Xi'an, Saurav Ghoshal & Joshna Chinappa win Asian China. Individual Squash Championship titles

Jaipur to host Asian youth Women Handball Championship

Jaipur will host the 8th Asian Youth Women Handball Championship.

• In this event 10 teams, including defending champions South Korea will participate. • It is the first time that the prestigious tournament would be played in the city from Ace Indian squash players Saurav Ghoshal and August 21 to 30. Joshna Chinappa won their respective Asian Individual Squash Championship titles in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. India retain top spot in Tests, England No. 1 in ODIs • Saurav Ghoshal defeated Leo Au Chun Ming of Hong Kong

• Joshna Chinappa, on the other hand, retained • Barbara Strycova and Hsieh Su-Wei won the her title as she beat top seed Annie Au of women's doubles title, beating Dabrowski Hong Kong, 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 11-6 in the and Xu Yifan 6-3, 6-1 in the final. women's final event. • Ghoshal who had become the first Indian Mumbai beat Chennai by one run to win record male player to reach the top ten of the world 4th IPL title rankings is the finalist of the previous edition.

Amul to be the principal sponsor of Afghanistan cricket team at ICC World Cup

Mumbai Indians became IPL champions for the fourth time after defeating Chennai Super Kings by one run in a thrilling final in Hyderabad. Dairy major Amul will be the principal sponsor of • Last ball dismissal of Shardul Thakur by the Afghanistan cricket team for the upcoming ICC paceman Lasith Malinga registered a final World Cup hosted by England and Wales. win for Mumbai over Chennai. • Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the • This is the third time that Amul is sponsoring most successful wicket-keeper in the history a cricket team in the World Cup. of IPL by taking his dismissals tally to 132, • The company had associated with New surpassing his India teammate Dinesh Zealand and Holland teams in earlier World Karthik. Cup tournaments. • Orange cap: David Warner • The logo of brand Amul will appear on the • Purple cap: Imran Tahir leading arm of the Afghanistan team playing jerseys as well as on the training kits throughout the showpiece event. Novak Djokovic wins Madrid Open title

Kiki Bertens beats Simona Halep to win Madrid Top seed Novak Djokovic of beat Stefanos Open Tsitsipas of Greece 6-3, 6-4 to win his third Madrid Open title. Kiki Bertens beat two-time Madrid Open champion Simona Halep 6-4, 6-4 to take the women's title. • Djokovic lifted the title in Madrid after progressing through the week without losing a set and has now won 33 Masters titles - the • The seventh-ranked Dutch became the first same number as Rafael Nadal and five more woman to win the Madrid title without than Roger Federer. dropping a set. • Djokovic and Nadal will now attempt to • In the men's competition, Novak Djokovic claim a 34th Masters title in Rome this week. will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in men's final.

Lewis Hamilton wins Spanish Grand Prix Pakistan's Sana Mir became the most successful ODI spinner in the world. Lewis Hamilton won the Spanish Grand Prix for a third consecutive year after overtaking Mercedes • She gained this title after dismissing Sune Luus of South Africa in the third match of the teammate Valtteri Bottas at the first turn in ICC Women's Championship. Barcelona. • Sana, who made her debut in 2005, is presently the third-ranked bowler. • Red Bull's Max Verstappen clinched the 3rd • She had become the first Pakistan bowler to spot and was voted as the F1 driver of the day. top the ICC rankings in October last year. • Hamilton's win at the Spanish Grand Prix • Currently, Mir is placed on the third position brings his tally to 76 F1 victories in all. in the ICC’s ODI bowling ranking, which is topped by Indian pacer Jhulan Goswami. Virat Kohli bags International batsman and cricketer of the year China to host the 2023 Asian Cup after Korea withdraws a bid

India captain Virat Kohli bagged the International Cricketer and Batsman of the Year award during the CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 201 South Korea has abandoned its bid to stage Asian Cup Football tournament in 2023, leaving the sole • Pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who made a mark for other bidders China with a free run to become hosts. India and IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, was adjudged as International Bowler of the Year. • The KFA announced the joint bid in March, • Young prodigy Yashasvi Jaiswal, who but diplomatic contacts between Pyongyang performed exceptionally over the year was and Seoul have since dwindled with North awarded Junior Cricketer of the Year. Korea-US nuclear talks deadlocked. • Legendary Mohinder Amarnath, who played • Thailand and Indonesia had also previously a key role in India's 1983 World Cup triumph, expressed interest in hosting the 2023 event, was bestowed with the 'CCR International but dropped their bids earlier. Lifetime Achievement Award'.

USD 10 million on offer in ICC World Cup Sana Mir becomes the highest wicket-taking spinner in ODIs

Ten million US Dollars or a little more than 70 crore The Second India Open International Boxing rupees are on offer in the upcoming ICC men's tournament will be held in Guwahati from 20 to 24th cricket World Cup. July.

• The 46-day tournament will be played across • 200 players from 16 countries will take place 11 venues in the from 30th in the event. of this month. • Besides a trophy, the World Cup winner will • India will field a strong contingent of 38 men earn a cash award of 4 million US dollars or and 37 women in the tournament including about 28 crore rupees which are the highest Mary Kom in 51-kilogram category. prize money on offer in the history of the • The competition will be held in a total of 18 tournament. categories, 10 in men and 8 in women. • The runners-up take home 2 million US • The gold medalist will get 2500 US dollar Dollars or about 14 crore rupees. and Silver medalist will earn 1000 US dollar. • The losing semifinalists will get around 5 crores 60 lakh rupees. BFA launches two new formats of the game - • There are six prizes of about 70 lakh rupees AirBadminton & Triples each for teams that pass the league stage.

Official 2019 ICC World Cup song released

The world body governing Badminton, BFA, has

launched two new formats of the game - AirBadminton and Triples. The ICC released the official song of the 2019 Men’s World Cup - ‘Stand By’ with LORYN and • The new formats will have new dimensions Rudimental across all streaming platforms. of the court and an innovative shuttlecock called Air shuttle. • Traditional competitive badminton has been • ‘Stand By’- a collaboration between new an indoor game. artist LORYN and one of the UK’s most • AirBadmintion will be outdoor sports. successful and influential acts, Rudimental - • In Triples format, the match will be played will be played in ground and city events between a team of three players each with the across the tournament. presence of at least one female. • It is the fifth time that the Cricket World Cup will be held in England and Wales, following Rafael Nadal clinches Italian Open 2019 title 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999 World Cups. In Tennis, defending champion Rafael Nadal of 2nd India Open International Boxing has clinched the Italian Open 2019 title after Tournament to be held in Guwahati beating Novak Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 in the final.

• This is Nadal's ninth Italian Open title and is • Deepak defeated Govind Kumar in 49 kg the 81st title of Nadal's career. final while in 52 kg category, Amit Panghal • Nadal also broke a tie with Djokovic by defeated Sachin. claiming a record 34th ATP Masters 1000 • In women's 54 kg, local favourite Jamuna crown. Boro defeated Sandhyarani and also qualified • In Women's single Czech's Karolina Pliskova for the World Championship. registered two straight-set victories against • In 56 kg, Kavinder Singh Bisht lost to Britain's Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-4 to claim the Thailand's opponent in the final. Italian Open title. • Matches are being held in 18 categories.

Ashish to lead 3-member Indian gymnastics team Bong Joon Ho's 'Parasite' strikes gold at Cannes in World Challenge Cup this year

A three-member team led by 2010 bronze medallist Ashish Kumar will represent India at the second World Challenge Cup Series gymnastics tournament in Osijek, Croatia from May 23 to 2

• Besides Ashish, the Indian contingent will also have Rakesh Kumar Patra and Shraddha Talekar. • The World Challenge Cup is a major FIG event with broader participation of 110 South Korean director Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" gymnasts from 30 different countries. bagged the Palme d'Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in France. Sethu FC crowned as Indian Women's League champions • Bong Joon Ho received the festival's coveted top prize from French cinema icon Catherine Sethu FC beat Manipur Police by SC 3-1 to win the Deneuve at a closing ceremony. Indian Women's League trophy. • Belgium's Dardenne brothers won the best director award for their story of a radicalised • Sethu FC from Madurai emerged champions Muslim youth "Young Ahmed". of the third edition of the Indian Women's • British actress Emily Beecham won the best League at the Guru Nanak Stadium in actress award for psychological chiller "Little Ludhiana. Joe". • Trailing 0-1 in the first half, Sethu FC made • Antonio Banderas named the best actor for a stunning comeback back to defeat Manipur his role of a filmmaker in Pedro Almodovar's Police SC 3-1 in the final. self-reflexive "Pain and Glory".

3 Indian boxers win Gold medal in 2nd India ISSF World Cup begins in Germany open International Boxing tournament International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) 3 Indian boxers have won Gold medal so far in the World Cup will begin at in Germany. second India open International Boxing tournament in Guwahati. • Indian shooters Apurvi Chandela, Anjum Moudgil and Elavenil Valarivan will be vying for top honours at the event.

• The opening day of the competition will see Apurvi Chandela bags gold medal in 10m Air women's 10 metres Air Rifle final. Rifle in ISSF World Cup • A total of 919 athletes from 98 countries will be competing for the 17 Tokyo Olympics Indians had a good day at the year's third quota places available, besides a coveted International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) ISSF World Cup medal. World Cup Rifle and Pistol tournament in Munich, • India already has five quota places in Rifle Germany. and Pistol competitions and it can pick up a maximum of 12 further quota places from • Apurvi Chandela grabbed a gold, winning the Munich. women's 10m Air Rifle competition after a closely-fought contest. India bags 57 medals at India Open International • She shot a score of 251 in the final to outshine tournament Wang Luyao of China, who shot 250. • This was Apurvi's second ISSF World Cup India bags a total of 57 medals including 12 Gold, 18 gold of the year followed by a world record Silver and 27 Bronze at India Open International score in New Delhi in February. Boxing tournament in Guwahati. • This was also her career's fourth ISSF medal.

• MC Mary Kom, Shiva Thapa, L Sarita Devi India's Mahesh Mangaonkar wins Sekisui Open and Naman Tanwar won gold in their respective finals. In squash, India's Mahesh Mangaonkar triumphed • This was Mary's second gold in the for the second time in the Sekisui Open in Kriens, tournament, having won in 48 kg last year in Switerzland. the capital. • Sekisui Open is a Challenger tour event of the Men's compound team wins bronze in Archery Professional Squash Association (PSA), the World Cup world body which governs the sports. • Top-seeded Mahesh beat third seed Bernat The men's compound team of Rajat Chauhan, Jaume of Spain in four games 11-9, 3-11, 11- Abhishek Verma and Aman Saini earned India a 5, 11-5 to win his 8th PSA title. solitary bronze medal in the Archery World Cup Stage III at Antalya in Turkey. China beat Japan to win the 2019 Sudirman Cup

• The trio put up a solid performance to edge out higher seeded Russian team of Anton Bulaev, Alexander Dambaev and Pavel Krylov 235-230 in the bronze medal play-off. • The Women's compound team of Jyoti Surekha Vennam, Muskan Kirar and Swati Dudhwal lost to Great Britain's Layla Annison, Ella Gibson and Lucy Mason by two points in the contention for a bronze medal. • The third stage of the World Cup is the last China won the badminton world mixed-team meet before the World Championships in the championship, Sudirman Cup 2019 in Nanning, Netherlands. China.

• They beat Japan in men's doubles, women's • England won the first match of the singles and men's singles to clinch the title for tournament at The Oval in London when they the 11th time. defeated South Africa. • In the latest Men' singles match, Shi Yuqi • This year’s world cup is being played as a stunned world champion Kento Momota 15- round-robin tournament similar to how the 21, 21-5,21-1 1992 World Cup. • Japan have never won the Sudirman Cup. 9. India concludes best ever ISSF WC performance in Munich Saurabh Chaudhary wins 10m Air Pistol after India produced their best ever show at the ISSF beating his own World record World Cup with a total tally of five gold medals in Munich, Germany. • India topped the medals tally with five golds and a silver. • Second-placed China bagged nine medals - two gold, two silver and five bronze medals. • India gold medallists included Apurvi Chandela in the Women's 10 metres Air Rifle, Rahi Sarnobat in the Women's 25m Pistol and Saurabh Chaudhary in the men's 10m Air Pistol. • The pair of Anjum Moudgil and Divyansh In ISSF shooting World Cup, in Munich Germany, Singh Panwar first won the 10m Air Rifle India's Saurabh Chaudhary has won 10m Air Pistol mixed team gold. Gold beating his own World Record. • Teenage pair of and Saurabh Chaudhary backed them up with the 10m Air • The 17-year-old Chaudhary scored 243 Pistol mixed team title. bettering his previous best of 245 points that were set in New Delhi World Cup Shooting in February this year. • Chaudhury has already secured a berth for the Tokyo Olympics.

• Also, India's Rahi Sarnobat won the gold in 25m pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Last captive white tiger Bajirao dies at 18 Munich. • She also sealed a quota place for India in the event for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

8. ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 begins

Bajirao, the last captive white tiger at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai died at the age of 1

The 12th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 • The tiger had been suffering from chronic began in England and Wales. ankylosis on the left shoulder and chronic

senile generalised arthritis for the last four years. • Bajirao was born at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in 200

Former billiards player Derek Sippy dies

Former billiards player, coach and administrator Derek Sippy died in Mumbai.

• The news of Sippy's death was confirmed to PTI by Manav Panchal, Honorary Secretary of the Billiards and Snooker Association of Noted novelist and Sahitya Akademi awardee Maharashtra (BSAM). Thoppil Mohamed Meeran passed away. • Sippy was in his 60s and died following a massive heart attack. • He served the BSAM in various capacities • Saaivu Naarkkaali (The Reclining Chair), and was its secretary for several years. released in 1995, bagged him the prestigious • He was the Indian team's coach at recently Sahitya Akademi Award in 199 concluded Asian Under-21 Boys Snooker • In recognition, he received 8 awards and Asian Women Snooker tournament in including the Sahitya Akademi Award and Chandigarh. Tamil Nadu Kalai Ilakkiya Perumantram Award in 199 NR Madhava Menon, the father of modern legal education, passes away Bhojpuri folk singer Hiralal Yadav passed away

Prof NR Madhava Menon, an educationist, scholar Padma Shri awardee Bhojpuri folk singer Hiralal and the pioneering spirit behind modern legal education in India, passed away. Yadav died at the age of 9

• Menon was the founder director of the • The veteran musician passed away after a National Law School of India University prolonged illness. (NLSIU) Bangalore and headed it for 12 • Yadav was famously known as 'Birha years. Samrat'. • He established West Bengal National • Yadav was felicitated with Padma Shri award University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) in this year in January 2019 and was also 1998 and later presided as the founder honoured with Yash Bharti award by the director of Judicial Academy (NJS), Bhopal, Uttar Pradesh government in 201 till 200 • He authored several books on Indian legal Three-time Formula 1 World Champion, Niki education, the legal profession and judicial Lauda dies aged 70 training.

Sahitya Akademi awardee Thoppil Mohamed Meeran passed away

The former Formula One driver and three-time world champion Niki Lauda has died at the age of 70.

• Niki Lauda, who won titles in 1975, 1977 and 1984, was hugely admired, respected and liked within F1 community. • He competed in 171 races and won 2 • Post his racing career, he became an airline entrepreneur. • Recently he was working as a non-executive chairman for the Formula 1 Mercedes team with British driver Lewis Hamilton.

Ajay Devgn's father Veeru Devgan passes away Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi releases his biography, Game Changer.

• The book is co-authored by Afridi and journalist Wajahat S Khan. • When Afridi smashed a 37-ball century against Sri Lanka in 1996, he not only registered the fastest-ever one-day ton, he also became the youngest player to score 100 runs in an international.

Ajay Devgn's father, Veeru Devgan passed away due Quiz May 2019 to cardiac arrest in Mumbai.

• The late director was suffering from Q. Labour Day is celebrated every year on breathing problems after which he was immediately admitted to the Surya Hospital, ______. Santa Cruz. • The veteran director choreographed action scenes in more than 80 Hindi films including 30 April 'Hindustan Ki Kasam' where his son played the lead against Amitabh Bachchan. 1 May

29 April

2 May

Shahid Afridi released his autobiography: 3 May ‘Game Changer’

Q. Which of the following country is the host 6 Months of Asian Road Para-cycling championships 8 Months 2019? 1 Year China

Laos Q. Which of the following is not a part of 8 Indonesia core industries in India? Uzbekistan Coal Tajikistan Fertilizers

Natural gas Q. Naruhito became the 126th Emperor of Clothing which of the following country? Cement

Japan Q. In March 2019, India's eight core UK industries grow at a growth rate of ______. Netherlands 2.5% Finland 4.7%

7.6% Q. Securities and Exchange Board of India 3.1% (SEBI) bars NSE from the securities market 8.1% for ______because of co-location case.

2 Months Q. Which of the following state is also known 4 Months as ‘Jewel of Western India’?

Punjab

Rajasthan Q. Who among the following will be the first head of Defence Cyber Agency? Maharashtra Mohit Gupta Gujarat Rahul Jaiswal Karnataka Sachin Singh

Amit Mishra Q. The state of Maharashtra gained its statehood day on ______. Ankur Trivedi

1 April 1950

1 April 1957 Q. Varuna is a joint military exercise between India and ______. 1 April 1960 Russia 1 May 1960 Iran 1 May 1957 France

USA Q. Benjamin Netanyahu has been sworn in as the Prime Minister of which of the following Bangladesh country?

Iran Q. The joint military exercise Varuna is being

Iraq conducted in 2 stages, the First stage 19.1 has been started in Goa and the second stage 19.2, Israel will be conducted in ______. Ethiopia Oman Uzbekistan

Sri Lanka Q. Which of the following country used its veto for four times to ban Masood Azhar to Indonesia designate as a global terrorist? Djibouti France Madagascar UK

Germany Q. Who among the following took over as China Vice Chief of Air Staff? USA Anil Khosla

Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria Q. Who among the following gained world Balakrishnan Suresh number one spot in women's 10 m air rifle Jasbir Walia event? Shyam Bihari Prasad Sinha Mehuli Ghosh Q. UN designated Masood Azhar as a global Apurvi Chandela terrorist, he was the chief of which of the Anjum Moudgil following terrorist organisation? Heena Sidhu Jaish-e-Mohammed Manu Bhaker Lashkar-e-Taiba

Al-Qaeda Q. Which of the following statement is not ISIS true with reference to Chandrayaan-2? Al-Nusra Front Chandrayaan-2 will be launched between 9

and 16 July 2019.

It will touch down near the Moon's south pole Rs .96 lakh crore on 6th September.

Chandrayaan-2 will have three modules an Q. Who among the following is the custodian orbiter, a lander and a rover. of the ‘Laws of Cricket’? It will be launched using PSLV-XL Northamptonshire County Cricket Club All are correct. Hampshire County Cricket Club

Marylebone Cricket Club Q. Which of the following bank links interest Sussex County Cricket Club rates to RBI's repo rate? None of these Punjab National bank

State Bank of India Q. AS Kiran Kumar has been awarded Indian Bank France's Highest Civilian Honour. He was the Canara Bank former chief of which of the following organisation? ICICI Bank Defence Research and Development

Organisation Q. Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has crossed a mark of ______in April 2019. Indian Space Research Organisation

Rs Rs 1 lakh crore Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

Rs 1.26 lakh crore None of these

Rs1.13 lakh crore

1.41 lakh crore

Q. Who among the following won gold in Ali 750 Aliyev wrestling tournament? 1000 Bajrang Punia

Yogeshwar Dutt Q. Which of the following parliament Sushil Kumar becomes the first parliament to declare a climate emergency? Narsingh Pancham Yadav USA Parveen Rana China

UK Q. World Press Freedom Day is observed every year on ______. France

1 May Russia

2 May

3 May Q. Sripada Yellampalli reservoir and Medaram reservoir are located in which of 4 May the following Indian state? 5 May Karnataka

Maharashtra Q. Vice president released special stamps on Telangana the birth ______anniversary of Sri Vedanta Desikan? Tamil Nadu

100 Madhya Pradesh

200

500

Q. Who among the following is the Chairman Tamil Nadu and मद्रासanaging director of Bharat Heavy Maharashtra Electricals Limited? Odisha Pawan Munjal Karnataka Atul Sobti

Aditya Puri Q. Indian Space Research Organisation was Nikesh Arora founded in the year ______.

Shyam Srinivasan 1988

1969

Q. Which of the following institute will help 1948 the Indian government to set up a Centre of 1925 Excellence for Waste to Wealth Technologies? 1954

IIT Mumbai

IIT Kanpur Q. Which of the following city will host Asian youth Women Handball IISC Bangalore Championship? IIT Kharagpur Pune IIT Delhi Jaipur

New Delhi Q. Cyclone Fani makes landfall in which of Gandhinagar the following Indian state? Indore West Bengal

Q What is the base colour for the number 3 plates of electric vehicles? 4 Black 5 Blue

Green Q. RBI has imposed a fine of Rs ______on Yellow Vodafone m-pesa for the non-compliance of regulatory norms? Orange Rs 1.23 crore

Rs 2.54 crore Q. Which of the following Indian university topped Times Higher Education (THE) Asia Rs 3.05 crore

University Rankings? Rs 11.85 crore

IIT Delhi Rs 9.45 crore

IISC Banglore Q. In May 2019, which of the following IIT Kharagpur Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) has not been fined by the RBI? IIT Indore Phonepe IIT Mumbai GI Technology

My Mobile Payments Q. According to the latest ranking released by Oxigen ICC, What is India’s rank in the Test matches? Vodafone m-pesa

1

2

Q. Who among the following has been Paris appointed as the first independent woman Amsterdam Director of Bombay Stock Exchange?

Rajni Prajapati Q. In May 2019, What is India’s current rank Sunita Singhal in men's Twenty20 International? Jayshree Vyas 1 Mohini Sharma 2 None of these 3

4 Q. Bombay Stock Exchange was founded in 5 the year ______.

1875 Q. King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been 1920 crowned as the King of which of the 1855 following country?

1929 Japan

1945 Thailand

China

Q. Which of the following city has emerged as the top choice for Indian investors? Cambodia Dubai

London

Moscow

Q. Indian Navy will buy 10 Kamov-31 5 May helicopters from which of the following 4 April country? 19 April China

Russia Q. Asian Development Bank has predicted France the growth rate of the Asia Pacific region at USA ______.

Israel 5.7%

4.8%

Q. LIC Housing Finance (LIC HFL) has 2.9% launched ‘Udyam’, a skill centre in which of 7.6% the following city? 6.8% New Delhi

Bangalore Q. Asian development bank was founded in Gandhinagar the year ______. Guwahati 1992 Pune 1966

1973 Q. The 2019 World Laughter Day was 1982 celebrated on ______. 1957 30 April

2 May Q. What is the currency of Thailand?

Rubel Adobe

Bhat

Kyat Q. Who among the following is the CEO of LIC HFL? Dollar Vighnesh Shahane Yen Sanjeev Nautiyal

Vinay Sah Q. Indian Navy will decommission its frontline missile destroyer named as N.S. Kannan ______. Vibha Padalkar INS Daga

INS Ranjit Q. Recently Who among the following has INS Rajput been included in the Advisory Council of the 15th Finance Commission as its member? INS Rana Comptroller and Auditor General INS Ranvijay Chief Economic Advisor

Chairman of UPSC Q. Vodafone Idea signs multi-million dollar IT deal with which of the following Chief Justice of India company? Chief Election Commissioner HCL

IBM Q. Who among the following is the Chairman TCS of the 15th Finance commission?

Microsoft Ajay Narayan Jha

N.K. Singh

Arvind Subramanian Q. What is the name of the first Commercial Rocket launched by Japan? Rajiv Mehrishi Falcon 9 R. K. Singh Dream Chaser Cargo System

MOMO-3 Q. e-Governance Services India ties up with IIT-Kanpur and other 15 institutes in India to The Colt I scale up ______. Dragon 2 Unnat Bharat Abhiyan

Smart Cities Mission Q. The 36th Feliks Stamm International Digital India Boxing Championship took place at which of the following location? Mission Indradhanush China Skill India Poland

Austria Q. Who among the following has been appointed as the first brand ambassadors of France

Myntra? Australia

Aamir Khan

Virat Kohli Q. Who among the following won the gold medal at Feliks Stamm International Boxing Anushka Sharma Championship? M.S Dhoni Gaurav Solanki Both B & C

Manish Kaushik Q. What is the name recently launched fourth Scorpene class submarine? Naman Tanwar Shakti Both 1&2 Vela 1, 2 & 3 Triveni

Veena Q. Saurav Ghoshal is associated with which of the following sports? None of These

Golf

Squash Q. World Asthma Day 2019 is celebrated on ______. Badminton 5 May 2019 Shooting 6 May 2019 Chess 7 May 2019

8 May 2019 Q. What was the name of last captive white tiger that died at the Sanjay Gandhi National 9 May 2019 Park?

Shera Q. What is the theme of the 2019 World Bholu Asthma Day?

Bajirao Allergy and Asthma

Bahadur STOP for Asthma

Lakshay Better air better breathing

You Can Control Your Asthma

Unite to overcome asthma IBM

Microsoft

Q. Which of the following country is not a Adobe part of the G7 group? Facebook South Africa Apple France

Italy Q. In May 2019 SBI Card raised Canada ______crore from various financial institutions including its parent State Bank of Japan India (SBI).

₹200 crore Q. Which of the following country will ₹700 crore participate in the 55th G7 summit on the invitation of France? ₹500 crore

Australia ₹1000 crore

India ₹1300 crore

Chile

South Africa Q. Who among the following has been conferred with the Presidential Medal of All of these Freedom by the USA?

Serena Williams Q. In May 2019, which of the following Tiger Woods company has unveiled its own blockchain- based service? Michael Phelps

Muhammad Ali Q. India is in talks with which of the following nation to build ’s first Chris Evert supercarrier named as ‘INS Vishal’?

Russia Q. Recently Derek Sippy died. He was France associated with which of the following sports? UK

Golf Germany

Chess USA

Billiards

Shooting Q. World Red Cross Day is celebrated every year on ______. Table Tennis 5 May

6 May Q. Game Changer is the autobiography of which of the following cricketer? 7 May

Imran Khan 8 May

Sahid Afridi 9 May

VVS Laxman

Shane Warne Q. What is the theme of the 2019 World Red Cross Day? Sanath Jayasuriya #Love

Less known Red Cross stories

Memorable smiles from around the world

#Gettogether

Everywhere for Everyone Q. In May 2019, Which of the following country has been re-elected as an observer to

inter-governmental forum Arctic Council? Q. The headquarters of International China Committee of the Red Cross is located in which of the following country? India

Austria Australia

France France

Switzerland

Italy

Belgium Q. India will produce a film on the works of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with the partnership

of which of the following country? Q. National Institute of Open Schooling Oman signed an MoU with the National Health Mission of Public Health Department of Bangladesh which of the following state for offering Myanmar Vocational programmes? Saudi Arabia Jharkhand UAE Madhya Pradesh

Maharashtra Q. Border Roads Organisation was formed in Telangana the year ______. Andhra Pradesh 1981

1971 Q. Drug firm Merck Ltd has been renamed as ______after P&G's global acquisition. 1960 Lupin Limited 1992 Procter & Gamble Health Ltd 1996 Aurobindo Pharma

Pfizer Q. Which of the following is the parent organisation for Border Roads Organisation? Merck & Co.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

National Highways Authority of India Q. Justice PR Ramachandra Menon has been appointed as the Chief justice of which of the Ministry of Defence following courts? Ministry of Rural Development Madras High Court Ministry of Shipping Kerala High Court

Delhi High Court Q. Recently organised ‘Chintan Baithak’ is Chhattisgarh High Court related to which of the following sector? Punjab High Court Nuclear power

Renewable Energy

Steel industry Q. What is the capital of Vietnam?

Crude oil Manila

None of these Hanoi

Phnom Penh

Bangkok Q. Hughes, a satellite communications company will merge with which of the

following telecom company? Q. Chhattisgarh cops deploy first ever anti- Bharti Airtel Naxal women's commando unit named as_____. Idea Vodafone

Veer Bhawani BSNL

Danteshwari Veer Jio

Danteshwari Ladake None of these

Danteshwari Sipahi

Danteshwari Sena Q. Which of the following insurance company has decided to mark 6th of every

month as Protection Day? Q. Rabindranath Tagore is the only known HDFC Life person to have written the national anthems for two different countries. They are India ICICI Prudential and ______. Max Life Insurance

Nepal Life Insurance Corporation

Bangladesh Tata AIA

Sri Lanka Pakistan Q. Which of the following bank has acquired Bhutan 12.79% stake in CG Power?

ICICI Bank

Axis Bank

Yes Bank Q. Who among the following is the current MD and CEO of Yes bank? Canara Bank Shikha Sharma HDFC Bank Vikram Pandit

Ravneet Gill Q. Recently, NR Madhava Menon passed away he was also known as ______. Uday Kotak

Father of Indian Rubber Industry Deepak Parekh

Father of modern legal education

Father of Modern Genetics in India Q. Which of the following city hosted a meeting of the regional heads of Customs Father of Coal development in India Administration of Asia Pacific Region of the Father of modern Madhubani art (WCO)?

Chennai

What is the number of Rajya Sabha seats in Pune Chhattisgarh? Banglore 12 Kochi 3 Gandhinagar 5

9 Q. In May 2019, India signs protocol for 16 export of which of the following product to

Chinese markets? Grapes

Chilli Meal

Basmati rice Q. Who among the following has been named as the country director of India for the Bill & Fish oil Melinda Gates Foundation? Mango Rahul Prajapati

Hari Shyam Singh Q. INS Kolkata and Shakti undertake Hari Menon participated in ‘Group Sail’ exercise with which of the following countries? Anuj Tripathi

Japan Akshar Gill

Philippines

USA Q. NASA plans to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid in the year ______. A and B 2020 A, B and C 2021

2022 Q. Who among the following has been re- elected to the International Narcotics Control 2023 Board (INCB)? 2024 Jagjit Pavadia

Roshni Sinha Q. In terms of space technology, DART Uma Bhaskar stands for ______.

Reena Pal Data Augmentation Reaction Test

None of these Double Asteroid Redirection Test

Data Astronaut Reaction Test Q. Which of the following country is the world's largest producer, consumer and Dynamic Astroid Reaction Test exporter of chillies? None of these India

China Q. Amul will sponsor which of the following South Africa cricket team at 2019 ICC World Cup? Brazil Australia Chile Bangladesh

Afghanistan Q. The United Nations has appointed how Pakistan many global figures as the new Sustainable Development Goals advocates? Sri Lanka 14 17 Q. Which of the following group of industries 21 has acquired iconic British toy retailer 26 Hamleys? 22

Aditya Birla Group Q. Who among the following Indian is a part Reliance Industries of new Sustainable Development Goals Tata Group advocates od the United Nations? Virat Kohli ITC Limited Deepika Padukone Wipro Dia Mirza Priyanka Chopra Akshay Kumar

Q. Which of the following is the first country to declare a climate emergency on 1 May Q. National technology day is observed every 2019? year on which of the following day? Britain 10 May Germany 11 May Switzerland 9 May Norway 13 May Denmark 8 May

Q. Which of the following city will host Q. Which of the following event took place WTO Ministerial Meeting of Developing on National Technology Day? Countries? Pokhran nuclear test Pune The final test of Trishul missile New Delhi Test flight of indigenous aircraft, Hansa 3 Chennai A and B Kolkata A, B and C Patna

Q. Which of the following becomes the Q. Which of the following city has been second country to declare a climate chosen as a base for WhatsApp payments by emergency? Facebook? China Moscow Germany Rome France Shanghai Italy London Ireland Vienna

Q. What is the theme for 5th United Nations Q. What is the name new lunar lander Global Road Safety Week? spacecraft showcased by Amazon? Leadership for road safety Falcon9 Come together for road safety Drive slow, drive safe Bits Safe roads, safe nation Blue moon None of these High moon

Drive moon Q. Which of the following start-up launched India’s first UPI Bahi Khata for merchants? MyPe Q. What is the name of the recently approved BharatPe dengue vaccine by the US? QuickPe SwiftPe Dengflow KhataPe Dengtide

Dengvaxia

Q. Mothers Day is celebrated every year on Denguplosum ______. None of these 1st Tuesday of May

2nd Saturday of April Q. Which of the following statement is not 2nd Sunday of May true with reference to RISAT-2B? 1st Monday of May Indian Space Research Organization ISRO 3rd Monday of May will launch RISAT-2B on 22nd May.

It will be lifted off by PSLV-C46 in its 48th flight.

It will be launched from Satish Dhawan General Dynamics Space Centre at Sriharikota

RISAT-2B is a modern radar imaging earth Q. Which of the following country is the observation satellite. largest producer of milk in the world? All are correct China

India Q. Indian Air Force has received the first USA Apache helicopter from which of the Canada following country? Brazil Russia

USA

France Q. Who among the following won Madrid Open women’s title? Germany Simona Halep Italy Maria Sharapova

Kiki Bertens Q. Which of the following company is the Venus Williams manufacturer of Apache Helicopter AH- 64E(I)? Caroline Garcia

Boeing

Lockheed Martin Q. Recently, Thoppil Mohamed Meeran

Northrop Grumman passed away. He was a famous ______.

BAE Systems Singer

Economist Bern

Flute player

Writer Q. Vice President, inaugurated the Jaipur

Film director Foot Artificial Limb Fitment Camp in which of the following country?

Laos Q. NDDB has developed the world’s first Vietnam complete parent-wise genome assembly called “NDDB_ABRO_Murrah” of riverine Bangladesh buffaloes. NDDB stands for ______. Indonesia New Delhi Development Board Sri Lanka New Dairy Development Board

National Department of Development Board Q. Who among the following leads Indian National Dairy Development Board Delegation to Cannes Film Festival?

None of these P. Upendra

Amit Khare

Q. The United Nation will hold the 2020 Shashi S. Vempati ocean conference in which of the following A. Surya Prakash city? Supriya Sahu London

Paris Q. Which of the following country hosts Lisbon Cannes Film Festival? Geneva Poland

Denmark Q. Which of the following team won the 2019 VIVO IPL? France Chennai Super Kings Italy Royal Challengers Bangalore Switzerland Delhi Capitals Q. Who among the following leads the team deployed to Odisha to assess the damage by Mumbai Indians cyclone Fani? Kolkata Knight Riders Vivek Bharadwaj

Rahul Prajapati Q. Who among the following won the Orange Akash Shridhar Cap in the 2019 VIVO IPL?

Ajay Jaiswal KL Rahul

None of these Shikhar Dhawan

David Warner

Q. The Thrissur Pooram festival is celebrated Chris Gayle in which of the following Indian state? Rishabh Pant Nagaland

Kerala Q. Who among the following won Madrid Madhya Pradesh Open men’s title?

Jharkhand Novak Djokovic

Karnataka Roger Federer

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Andy Murray

Dominic Thiem ShikshitDesh2019

Pathshala2019

Q. Recently, Hiralal Yadav passed away. He Yuvika2019 was a famous ______. YoungIndia2019

Writer Singer Q. In May 2019, ‘KN Tanjung Datu’ arrived Poet in Port Blair. It is the Coast Guard ship of which of the following country? Director China Journalist Japan

Indonesia Q. In terms of defence technology HEAT stands for ______. Vietnam

High-arm Expendable Air Technology Myanmar

High-altitude Exponential Aerial Target

High-speed Expendable Aerial Target Q. In April 2019, India's retail inflation stands at ______. High-speed Encoded Aerial Technology 1.62% None of these 2.11%

2.92% Q. What is the name given to the Young Scientist program inaugurated by Indian 3.96%

Space Research Organisation in May 2019? 3.67% MisssionYuva2019

Q. Sana Mir becomes the highest wicket- taking spinner in ODIs. She plays Q. Who among the following won International cricket from which of the International Cricketer and Batsman of the following country? Year at CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 2019? India

MS Dhoni Bangladesh

Virat Kohli Afghanistan

Rishabh Pant Sri Lanka

Shikhar Dhawan Pakistan

K L Rahul

Q. Which of the following general insurance company announced the launch of 'Mosquito Q. Who among the following won Disease Protection Policy'? International Bowler of the Year at CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards ICICI Lombard

2019? HDFC ERGO

Jasprit Bumrah Bajaj Allianz General Insurance

Bhuvneshwar Kumar Iffco Tokio

Ishant Sharma New India Assurance

Imran Tahir Rashid Khan Q. Who among the following won 2019 Spanish Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen

Lewis Hamilton Q. Which of the following city has declared an environmental emergency and postpones Valtteri Bottas football semi-final?

Daniel Ricciardo Paris Dubai Sebastian Vettel Shanghai Mexico City

Q. Central government extends the ban on New York LTTE for five years. LTTE stands for ______. Q. Who among the following became the first woman on ICC international panel of match Liberal Tigers of Tamil Eelam referees?

Liberation Team of Tamil Eelam Sune Luus G.S. Lakshmi Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Claire Polosak Liberation Tigers of Telangana Eelam Ranjani Sinha None of these None of these

Q. Which of the following country will co- Q. Who among the following had become the chair Consultative Group (CG) of Global first ever woman umpire to stand in a men's Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery ODI? (GFDRR)? Sarah Taylor Russia Claire Polosak USA Anya Shrubsole France Alyssa Healy India None of these Indonesia

Q. In May 2019, Who among the following Q. Recently Indian Navy has inaugurated a holds the world record for scaling Mt. Everest Service Selection Board at ______. for a record 23 times? Chennai Lhakpa Sherpa Kolkata Kami Rita Sherpa Mangalore Phurba Tashi Pune Apa Sherpa Kandla Jordan Romero

Q. Which of the following is not a Service Q. Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Selection Board of Indian Navy? Norgay became the first climbers to reach the Bhopal summit of Mt. Everest in which of the following year? Bengaluru 1972 Visakhapatnam 1985 Coimbatore 1999 Gandhinagar 1953 1967 Q. International Day of Families is observed every year on ______.

14 May Q. Former RBI Deputy Governor R Gandhi appointed as an additional director of which 11 May of the following bank? 15 May ICICI Bank 13 May Yes Bank 9 May HDFC Bank

Syndicate Bank Q. NMCG, HCL Foundation and INTACH Bandhan Bank inked MoU for Rudraksha Plantation in

which of the following Indian state?

Himachal Pradesh Japan

Uttarakhand

Uttar Pradesh Q. Recently, Which of the following country

Bihar has blocked all language editions of Wikipedia? Jammu and Kashmir Japan

USA Q. A one-day workshop on Artificial Organ Bio Printing was held at ______. China

Kochi South Korea

Visakhapatnam Sri Lanka

Lucknow

New Delhi Q. What is the name given to the RBI’s vision document for e-payment system? Chennai Payment and Settlement Systems in India:

Vision 2019 - 2021 Q. Igor Stimac has been appointed as the Ensuring Digital Payments in India: Vision Indian football team coach. He was part of 2019 - 2021 which of the following country’s football team? Digital Payments, Need of the hour: Vision 2019 - 2021 France E-Payment, a Boon to Economy: Vision 2019 Russia - 2021 Ukraine None of these Croatia

Nestle India

Q. ‘Christchurch Call To Action’ is an Bajaj Allianz General Insurance initiative of which of the following country? France Q. The document Christchurch Call is an New Zealand initiative to ______.

Sri Lanka Protect the ozone layer

A and B To combat online extremism

A, B and C To eliminate Tuberculosis from the world

To decrease dependency on fossil fuels

Q. India’s overall exports registered positive To protect the Christian community growth of ______in April 2019?

2.37% Q. Who among the following has been 1.99% appointed as the new chairman of ITC Ltd?

1.71% Rahul Dixit

1.34% Sachin Karnwal

2.72% Sandeep Puri

Ankur Pathak

Q. Vinay Dube has resigned from the post of Ajay Joshi CEO of which of the following company?

Air India Q. In May 2019, Which of the following Britannia Industries Ltd country has unveiled a merit-based

Jet Airways immigration system?

China Kochi

Russia

USA Q. Who among the following is the

France chairperson of Lokpal in India?

Germany Anil R. Dave

Pinaki Chandra Ghose Arun Kumar Mishra Q. Which of the following division of Indian Armed forces scaled the Mount Everest in its Ranjan Gogoi maiden attempt? Pinaki Misra National Security Guard

Assam Rifles Q. The statehood day of Sikkim is celebrated Indo-Tibetan Border Police on ______.

National Disaster Response Force 18 May

Sashastra Seema Bal 17 May

16 May

Q. 11th Joint Consular Committee meet 15 May between India, Iran had been conducted at 14 May ______.

Pune Q. Who among the following is the current Kolkata governor of Sikkim? New Delhi B. D. Mishra Mumbai

Lalji Tandon

Mridula Sinha Q. Prestigious Sasakawa Award is related to

Ganga Prasad ______.

Kaptan Singh Solanki Protection of biodiversity hot spots

Disaster Risk Management Environmental Protection Q. Which of the following country will be the focus country in Jerusalem Film Festival, Providing basic education to children 2020? None of these USA

Oman Q. Which of the following country will host India the 2023 Asian Cup?

China Indonesia

Germany Bangladesh

India

Q. Who among the following has been China conferred with prestigious Sasakawa Award South Korea 2019?

N.D Thakur Q. Indian Navy conducts successful fire trial Rahul Prajapati of MRSAM. MRSAM stands for ______. P. K. Mishra Movable Radar Surface to Air Missile Amit Kumat Yadav Movable Region Surface to Air Missile C.P Sinha

Medium Range Surface to Air Missile Q. Sanjiv Goenka Group's Spencer's Retail will acquire ______for Rs 300 crore. Moderate Radioactive Surface to Air Missile Grofers None of These Bigbasket

Nature's Basket Q. What prize money will be awarded to the winner of ICC World Cup 2019? Spar

1 Million US dollars Infibeam

2 Million US dollars

3 Million US dollars Q. In May 2019, Which of the following country has approved permanent residency 4 Million US dollars for the first time? 5 Million US dollars UAE

Oman Q. World Telecommunication and Saudi Arabia Information Society Day is celebrated every year on ______. Qatar

11 May

16 May

19 May Q. Who among the following has been

17 May confirmed as US deputy attorney general?

21 May William Barr

Elaine Chao Jeffrey Rosen

Dave Cortese Reduce tension stay relaxed

Laurie Smith Reduce salt consumption

Know Your Numbers

Q. Who among the following has been Know yourself appointed as the MD and CEO of Ujjivan None of these Small Finance Bank?

Rahul Sinha Q. What is the total prize money offered in K. L Bajaj 2019 ICC World Cup? Nitin Chugh 5 Million US dollars Amit Pal 10 Million US dollars Ajay Dhingra 15 Million US dollars

12 Million US dollars

Q. World Hypertension Day is celebrated 20 Million US dollars every year on ______.

12 May Q. Which of the following country called for 18 May an emergency meeting of Gulf Co-operation 17 May Council member countries on May 30?

14 May Oman

19 May UAE

Kuwait Saudi Arabia Q. What is the theme of World Hypertension Day? Bahrain

Raden Eddy Martadinata

Q. The headquarters of the Arab League is Sindurala located in which of the following country? Vanguard

Turkey Victory

Jordan

Egypt Q. Who among the following won Australian Iran federal elections?

Saudi Arabia Bill Shorten

Jacinda Ardern Scott Morrison Q. Centre issues drought advisory to 6 states, asks them to use water judiciously. Which of Simon Bridges the following sate is not one of them? None of these Maharashtra

Gujarat Q. Which of the following Indian short film Uttar Pradesh won Nespresso Talents award at Cannes Karnataka 2019?

Andhra Pradesh Ahalya

Seed Mother Chutney Q. What is the name of the Spanish Naval ship that is on a visit to Mumbai from May 18 Taandav to 23? Kriti Mendez Nunez

Q. What was the theme of Nespresso Talents Ranchi awards at Cannes 2019? Chennai Encourage all

We Are What We Eat Q. The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 will be It all starts with a home hosted by England and Wales for the

In search of food ______time?

None of these 3

4 5 Q. The official song of the 2019 Men’s World Cup titles as ______. 6

It is Better 7

Stand By

Paly well Q. World Bee Day is celebrated every year on ______. It is important 17 May Now or never 20 May

16 May Q. Which of the following city will host 2nd India Open International Boxing 19 May Tournament? 21 May Guwahati

Pune

Chandigarh

Q. The foreign ministers of the Shanghai Strait of Malacca Cooperation Organisation are scheduled to Sunda Strait meet at ______in May 2019.

Tashkent Q. The 2019 election took place for the Bishkek formation of ______Lok Sabha. Dushanbe 17th Moscow 18th Ashgabat 15th

11th

Q. SIMBEX is a joint military exercise 19th between India and ______.

France Q. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections total voting Indonesia took place for about ______candidates 7 Australia phases.

Sri Lanka 5,733

Singapore 5,836

8,049

Q. The SIMBEX 19 is taking place at which 9,125 of the following location? 4,745

Java Sea

Andaman Sea Q. Which of the following became the first South China Sea Indian state to tap into masala bond market?

Telangana

Madhya Pradesh Q. Which of the following statement is not

Andhra Pradesh correct in reference to the new announcement made by Badminton World Federation? Kerala BFA has launched two new formats of the Gujarat game, AirBadminton and Triples.

The new formats will have new dimensions Q. BSNL partners with which of the of the court following company to expand WiFi AirBadmintion will be indoor sports. footprint? In Triples format, the match will be played Facebook between a team of three players each with the TCS presence of at least one female.

Google All are correct

IBM

Microsoft Q. World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development is celebrated every year on ______. 20 May Q. Who among the following is the CEO of 21 May BSNL? 22 May Rakesh Mukherjee 19 May Adesh Mishra 18 May

Nayan Das Q. CSIR and National Physical Laboratory Anupam Shrivastava have redefined some International System of Pankaj Taneja

Units for the country. Which one of the Mueen ul Haq following is unit is not a part of them? Sohail Mahmood Kilogram Naghmana Hashmi Kelvin Ghulam Dastgir Coulomb Shah Mahmood Qureshi Mole

Ampere Q. Who among the following has been re- elected as president of Indonesia? Q. 8th Indo - Myanmar Coordinated Patrol Sandiaga Uno exercise is scheduled to take place at Joko Widodo ______. Amien Rais Daman and Diu Abdul Somad Bora Bora Fahri Hamzah Goa

Andaman and Nicobar Maldives Q. According to the World book of Records London, Who among the following has been acknowledged as the most viewed stand-up Q. Who among the following took oath as the comedian in India and abroad? new president of Ukraine? Zakir Khan Petro Poroshenko Sunil Grover Igor Kolomoisky Ali Asgar Volodymyr Zelenskiy Johnny Lever Yuriy Boyko Kapil Sharma Nadiya Savchenko Q. Which of the following country will host Q. Who among the following has been World Challenge Cup Series gymnastics appointed as Pakistan’s High Commissioner tournament? to India? Italy

Serbia 24 May Croatia 25 May Belgium France Q. The recently launched earth observation satellite RISAT-2B has been launched using

______launcher. Q. Recently, Niki Lauda has died. He was PSLV-C11 associated with which of the following sports? RLV-TD Golf GSLV Mk III Baseball PSLV-C46 Basketball LVM-3 Badminton Formula One Racing Q. Jokha Alharthi wins Booker International Prize for her novel ______.

The Years Q. The World Metrology Day is observed every year on ______. Celestial Bodies 20 May The Pine Islands 21 May The Remainder 22 May The Shape Of The Ruins 19 May 18 May Q. International Day of UN Peacekeepers is observed every year on which of the

following day? Q. International Day for Biological Diversity 23 May is observed every year on ______. 29 May 21 May 22 May 22 May 27 May 23 May 25 May

Q. Who among the following is an Indian Q. Which of the following become the peacekeeper to be honoured posthumously biggest Indian company by revenue? with the Dag Hammarskjold Medal? Indian Oil Corporation Rashul Shridhar Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited Jitender Kumar Reliance Industries Ltd Pankaj Singh NTPC Limited Ankit Pal Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Vikrant Joshi

Q. Which of the following city will start Q. According to the latest United Nations' 'Antim Yatra Aakhri Safar' scheme to offers report, the Indian economy is expected to last rites for poor at Rs 1? grow at ______in the fiscal year 2020. Nizamabad 7.2 Hyderabad 6.9 Karnal 7.1 Karimnagar 6.8 Sonipat 7.6

Q. Who among the following won the 'Best Q. Which of the following bank has Child Actor' award at DFW South Asian Film announced a strategic partnership with the Festival? FMCG arm of The Art of Living - Sri Sri Priyanka Bose Tattva? Sunny Pawar Punjab National Bank Abhishek Bharata State Bank of India Dev Joshi ICICI Bank Shruti Bisht Axis Bank

Bandhan Bank

Q. Brahmos is a joint venture between India Flipkart and ______. Myntra Japan Snapdeal Russia Paytm America

China Q. An Affiliation Charter has been signed France between Indian Coast Guard Ship ‘Shaurya’ and which of the following paramilitary

force? Q. Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected as Border Security Force the president of which of the following countries? Central Industrial Security Force Ghana Indo-Tibetan Border Police Morocco National Security Guards South Africa Assam Rifles Kenya Nigeria Q. Recently Indra Nooyi receives an honorary degree from Yale University. She is

the former CEO of ______. Q. Which among the following countries Google have launched the 'Golden Card' scheme? Nestlé France PepsiCo UAE Unilever USA Procter and Gamble India Japan Q. Which of the following country has topped in Kids Right Index? Q. Which among the following companies is planning to buy Shopclues? Germany Amazon Iceland

France Denmark Q. What is the currency of South Africa? Norway Yen Rand Q. What is India’s rank in the recently Euro published Kids Right Index? Dollar 110 Pound 124

117 94 Q. International Commonwealth Day is celebrated every year on ______. 77 22 May

Q. What is the name given to the new Fintech 23 May firm registered by Facebook in Switzerland? 24 May Blue moon Libra Networks 25 May

Data Networks 26 May Elite technologies

None of these Q. What is the theme of the 2019 Q. Who among the following has become the International Commonwealth Day? first day-time Indian woman fighter pilot? A Connected Commonwealth Bhawana Kanth Towards a Common Future Avani Chaturvedi Shubhangi Swaroop Commonwealth for Future

Divya Ajith Kumar The idea of a new commonwealth Mohana Singh None of these

UAE

Q. What is the number of members of Iran Commonwealth Nations? Oman 32 Saudi Arabia 53

48 Q. Who among the following will be sworn 62 in as the be sworn in as Chief Minister of

39 Andhra Pradesh?

N. Chandrababu Naidu K. Chandrashekar Rao Q. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared which of the following Jagan Mohan Reddy country/countries as Malaria free? Pawan Kalyan Algeria N. T. Rama Rao Argentina

Indonesia Q. What is the total number of seats in A and B Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly?

A, B and C 113

175

Q. India has stopped importing oil from 221 which of the following country after US 197 waivers expired? 154 Iraq

Aditya Birla Group

Q. 5th Smart Cities India 2019 expo has been HDFC Group inaugurated in which of the following city? Essar Group

Pune State Bank of India

Mumbai ITC Limited

New Delhi Chennai Q. Africa Day is celebrated every year on Gandhinagar ______.

23 May

Q. In May 2019, Asian Development Bank 24 May has signed an agreement to provide ______25 May loan to India for railway track electrification 26 May projects. 27 May $250 mn

$1200 mn

$500 mn Q. What is the number of countries in the African Union? $1000 mn 28 $750 mn 33

48 Q. Which of the following has overtook Tata 55 group as India’s most valuable by way of market capitalization (m-cap)? 64

Badminton

Q. Recently, Theresa May announced her Chess resignation. She is the Prime Minister of Boxing which of the following country? Table tennis Germany Football France

Britain Q. The second India open International Poland Boxing tournament is being held at ______.

Mumbai

Q. What is the name given to the recently New Delhi inaugurated hostel for the Indian Navy for Patna ‘Naval Veer Naris’ New Delhi? Guwahati Sahara Pune Shakti

Avni Q. What is the total number of seats won by Veer BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections? Shaurya 298

300

Q. Amit Panghal, who has recently won a 303 gold medal, is related to which of the 306 following sports? 310

Afghanistan

Q. Standard Chartered has partnered with Sri Lanka which of the following company to launch Pakistan Trade Engine in India? Myanmar Facebook

IBM Q. Naveen Patnaik will take oath as chief Google minister of ______for the 5th time? Amazon Arunachal Pradesh Apple Sikkim

Odisha Q. Who among the following served as Andhra Pradesh longest-serving Chief Minister of any state in Jharkhand India?

Pema Khandu

Naveen Patnaik Q. Which of the following country will host International Shooting Sport Federation N. Biren Singh (ISSF) World Cup 2019? Pawan Chamling France Pramod Sawant South Korea

Germany Q. Which of the following country has tested China ballistic missile Shaheen-II? Italy Bangladesh

Silver

Q. Apurvi Chandela is related to which of the Bronze following sports? None of these

Badminton Both A and B

Boxing

Shooting Q. Which of the following movie has bagged Short Put the Palme d'Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in France? Long Jump The Wild Goose Lake

A Hidden Life Q. India bags a total of ______medals at Parasite India Open International tournament in Guwahati. Young Ahmed

48 Sorry We Missed You

22

84 Q. Who among the following won the best 57 actor award at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in France? 65 George Clooney

Antonio Banderas Q. The Indian team has won ______Don Johnson medal/medals at Archery World Cup Stage III at Antalya in Turkey? Eddie Murphy

Gold Danny Trejo

Explorer

Q. Which of the following bank has launched Day time

Corp SME Suvidha’ for MSMEs? Lander

Bandhan Bank Canara Bank Q. Who among the following became the first Indian Bank foreign leader to meet new Japanese emperor? Corporation Bank Xi Jinping IDBI Bank Donald Trump

Naomi Osaka Q. What is the name given to the commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organisation? Kim Jong-un

New Space India Limited Vladimir Putin

Space India Limited

Bharat Space Limited Q. Who among the following has resigned as the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea? New India Limited Peter O'Neill None of these James Marape

Don Polye Q. NASA has unveiled a schedule for a project named as______2024 Moon Charles Abel mission? Julius Chan

Blue moon Artemis

Q. What is the capital of Papua New Guinea?

Port Vila Q. Who among the following has been re-

Wellington elected as President of Badminton Asia?

Canberra Anton Aditya Subowo

Port Moresby Jassem Kanso

Suva Tirta Juwana Darmadji

Ali Almarri Himanta Biswa Sarma Q. Who among the following has won the seventh edition of the Joan Miró Prize?

Jitish Kallat Q. Apurvi Chandela bags ______in 10m

Arpita Singh Air Rifle in ISSF World Cup?

Bhupen Khakhar Gold medal

Atul Dodiya Silver medal

Nalini Malani Bronze medal

None of these Both A and B Q. Miró prize is given in the field of ______.

Literature Q. Sekisui Open is related to which of the Arts following sports? Music Badminton Dance Squash Journalism Tennis

Volleyball Surface to Surface

Handball Air to Air

Surface to Air and Surface

Q. Which of the following country won the None of these

2019 Sudirman Cup?

Japan Q. India has invited the leaders of ______India group for the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi? China ASEAN France SAARC Russia G20

G7 Q. Who among the following won the Sekisui BIMSTEC Open?

Saurav Ghosal

Tom Richards Q. Which of the following country is not a member of BIMSTEC? James Willstrop Bangladesh Mahesh Mangaonkar Myanmar Ramit Tandon Sri Lanka

Pakistan Q. Akash-1S is an ______missile system to destroy targets. Thailand

Surface to Air

Q. Who among the following is a part of Jagdish Mukhi India’s first ‘All Women Crew' to fly a Ganga Prasad Medium Lift Helicopter?

Parul Bhardwaj Q. Who among the following will head UN Aman Nidhi peacekeeping operation in South Sudan? Hina Jaiswal I.S. Ghuman A and B Anil Kumar Bhatt A, B and C Shailesh Tinaikar

S K Upadhyay Q. Who among the following has been sworn Gopal R in as the Chief Minister of Sikkim?

Sarbanda Sonowal Q. After the appointment of 4 new judges, the Prem Singh Golay number of Delhi High Court judges has been Pema Khandu increased to ______.

Bhupesh Baghel 22

Vijay Rupani 16

40

Q. Who among the following is the governor 31 of Sikkim? 57 Lalji Tandon

Mridula Sinha Q. Rahi Sarnobat is related to which of the Najma Heptulla following sports?

Chess

Boxing Q. Which of the following organisation

Shooting signed an MoU with Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to enhanced Badminton services for the year 2019-20? Basketball National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

Q. Recently, Veeru Devgan passed away. He Small Industries Development Bank of India was a famous ______. MMTC Ltd Poet Khadi and Village Industries Commission Music composer National Small Industries Corporation Movie director Limited

Journalist

Cricketer Q. National Green Tribunal has directed the

government to ban water purifiers where Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in water are Q. The researchers at the University of below______. Chicago managed to gain superconductivity at ______. 200 mg/litre

-23℃ 300 mg/litre

-11℃ 1000 mg/litre

-53℃ 500 mg/litre

-82℃ 800 mg/litre

-67℃

Q. Scott Morrison has been sworn in as the IDBI Bank Prime Minister of which of the following Bandhan Bank country? Indian Overseas Bank Germany

Austria Q. According to the recent announcement by Australia RBI, the Real Time Gross Settlement Belgium (RTGS) facility is available up to ______.

New Zealand 05:00 PM

05:30 PM

Q. Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal has been sworn 06:00 PM in as the Chief Justice of which of the 06:30 PM following High Court? 07:00 PM Meghalaya High Court

Punjab High Court Q. What is the minimum limit of RTGS Delhi High Court transaction? Haryana High Court Rs 20,000 None of these Rs 50,000

Rs 1,00,000

Q. Which of the following bank has launched Rs 2,00,000 the ‘Bank on Wheels’ facility? Rs 5,00,000 Indian Bank

Canara Bank

Q. Recently, Oscar Academy has announced 30 May the Hindi translation of it's of an Academy 31 May Publication named as ______.

ACES Q. What is the theme of the 2019 Spectral Similarity Index (SSI) International Day of UN Peacekeepers? Digital Dilemma 70 Years of Service and Sacrifice Gravity Protecting Civilians, Protecting Peace Like Magic Investing in Peace around the world

Maintaining peace all around the world Q. The Indian Overseas Bank is None of these headquartered at ______.

Mumbai Q. International Everest Day is observed Banglore every year on ______. Pune 27 May Kolkata 28 May Chennai 29 May

30 May Q. International Day of UN Peacekeepers is 31 May observed every year on ______.

27 May Q. Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary had 28 May climbed the Mt Everest in the year ______. 29 May

1963

1953 Q. How many women MPs were elected in

1983 the 17th Lok Sabha?

1974 64

1942 71

78 82 Q. The US has removed ______and ______from its currency monitoring list. 91

India and Switzerland

India and China Q. ISRO has signed an MOU for crew selection, training of Gaganyaan Bangladesh and Australia Programme? Iran and India Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Turkey and Iran Air India

Bharat Dynamics Limited Q. Saudi Arabia has lifted the export ban on Indian Coast Guard fruits and vegetable from which of the following Indian country? Indian Air Force

Gujarat Q. India ranked ______on 2019 IMD World Competitiveness Rankings? Uttarakhand 56 Madhya Pradesh 43 Kerala 22 Uttar Pradesh

35 12%

76 15%

Q. Goa became the ______state of the Q. Muhammadu Buhari has been sworn in Indian Union in the year 1987. as the president of which of the following country for the second term? 23th Mali 24th Nigeria 25th Ghana 26th Kenya 27th Ethiopia Q. World No-Tobacco Day is observed every year on ______. Q. Along with Narendra Modi how many Cabinet ministers took oath for the Office 30 May and Secrecy? 31 May 24 1 June 18 2 June 32 3 June 11 Q. Donald Trump has announced ______35 tariff on all goods coming from Mexico in a bid to curb illegal immigration? Q. Which of the following city hosted a 2- day workshop on Population Research 2% Centres (PRCs)? 5% Kanpur 10%

New Delhi Round-Robin tournament

Chennai Knock Out tournament

Mumbai Single Elimination

Pune Double Elimination

Q. Who among the following is the head of Pyramid tournament a task force set up by RBI for corporate Q. Which of the following country has loans? topped the 2019 ISSF World Cup in C. P. Gurnani Munich, Germany?

Vineet Nayyar China

T N Manoharan Germany

Samit Ghosh India

Parvez Ahmad France

Q. FICCI forecasts India's GDP growth at Germany ______for FY20. Q. Anjum Moudgil is associated with which 7.3% of the following sports?

7.2% Chess

7.1% Hockey

6.9% Long Jump

6.8% Badminton

Q. ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is being Shooting played as a ______which similar to the 1992 World Cup.