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CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
World Migratory Bird Day
- The World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is celebrated twice in a year since it started in 2006. Firstly it is held on Second Saturday of May and again on Second Saturday of October.
- In 2019, the WMBBD is being held on May 11 and October 12.
- The day is observed to spread awareness for the need to conserve migratory birds and their habitats
| USEFUL INFO |
| Theme 2019 | Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution. |
International Nurses Day
- International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world every May 12, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. ICN commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of the International Nurses’ Day (IND) resources and evidence.
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| Theme 2019 | Nurses: A voice to lead – Health for All |
International Mother’s Day
- Mother’s Day in India 2019 will be celebrated on Sunday, the 12th of May. It falls every year on second Sunday in the month of May.
- Mother’s Day 2019 preparation has started and people across the globe are gearing up for the celebration as they get a day when they can make their mother feel special on the occasion. It is a thanksgiving day when children thank their mother for all the support and care she provides to her children.
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| Theme 2019 | #Balance for Better. |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
Govt to set up panel under DGFT to look at steel availability for engineering exporters
- The government has decided to set up a committee under the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to look into availability of steel at competitive prices for engineering goods exporters.
- The committee will submit its report to steel and commerce ministries within two months. It will suggest measures which will be a win-win situation for both steel producers and engineering exporters.
- The country’s engineering exports rose by 6.36 per cent to USD 83.7 billion in 2018-19 from USD 78.7 billion in 2017-18.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION
Actress Dia Mirza and Alibaba chief Jack Ma appointed as new ‘SDG Advocates’ of UN
- Indian actress Dia Mirza and Alibaba chief Jack Ma are among the 17 global public figures appointed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as the new advocates to drive action and solidify global political will for the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- The new class of ‘SDG Advocates’ are 17 influential public figures “committed to raising awareness, inspiring greater ambition and pushing for faster action on the SDGs,” which were adopted by world leaders on September 25, 2015
- The SDG Advocates will be co-chaired by President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg.
Nigerian professor, Muhammad-Bande, appointed president of UN General Assembly
- TIJJANI Muhammad-Bande, a professor and former vice chancellor of Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, has been appointed president of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the main policy-making organ of the international body.
- Until his appointment, Bande, who hails from Kebbi State, was the permanent representative of Nigeria at UN.
- He will be the second Nigerian to be president of the UN General Assembly.
- The first was Joseph Nanven Garba, who served as president between 1989 and 1990.
Croatia’s Igor Stimac appointed as Indian football team coach
- Former Croatia international and manager Igor Stimac will be appointed as the Indian men’s team coach after the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) technical committee recommended him for the post
- The committee, headed by Shyam Thapa, interviewed the four candidates for the post — Stimac, Albert Roca, Hakan Ericson and Lee
- In his 14-year managerial career, Stimac coached the Croatian national team between 2012 and 2013, and has also worked with clubs like Hajduk Split, Cibalia, NK Zagreb and Zadar,
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS
Actress Anne Hathaway Receives a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Actress Anne Hathaway has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Anne Hathaway is best-known for her performances in films such as Les Miserables and The Princess Diaries,among others
- Hathaway is currently filming the musical series Modern Love, as well as the film The Witches
Hinduja brothers named UK’s wealthiest people for the third time
- The billionaire Hinduja brothers have been named as the wealthiest people in the UK for a third time, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
- The Hinduja Group, a family business, was founded in Mumbai in 1914, and now it has interests around the world including in oil and gas, banking, IT and property.
- Meanwhile, chemicals firm founder Jim Ratcliffe, who topped last year’s list, has slipped to third place. His net worth dropped by 2.9 billion pounds since last year.
Winners of 2019 BAFTA Awards
The 72nd British Academy Film Awards also known as the BAFTA was held on 10 February 2019 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
- BAFTA Fellowship –Thelma Schoonmaker
- Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema –Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley for Number 9 Films
- Best Film-Roma – Alfonso Cuarón and Gabriela Rodríguez
- Best Director – Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
- Best Actor in a Leading Role- Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody as Freddie Mercury
- Best Actress in a Leading Role-Olivia Colman – The Favourite as Queen Anne
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role-Mahershala Ali – Green Book as Don Shirley
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role-Rachel Weisz – The Favourite as Sarah Churchill
- Best Original Screenplay-Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara – The Favourite
- Best Adapted Screenplay-Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel, and Kevin Willmott– BlacKkKlansman
- Best Cinematography-Roma – Alfonso Cuarón
- Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer- Michael Pearce (Writer/Director) and Lauren Dark (Producer) – Beast-
- Outstanding British Film-The Favourite – Yorgos Lanthimos, Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Deborah Davis, and Tony McNamara
- Best Documentary-Free Solo – Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Shannon Dill, and Evan Hayes
- Best Original Music-A Star Is Born – Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, and Lukas Nelson
- Best Sound-Bohemian Rhapsody – John Casali, Tim Cavagin, Nina Hartstone, Paul Massey, and John Warhurst
- Best Production Design-The Favourite – Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton
- Best Special Visual Effects-Black Panther – Geoffrey Baumann, Jesse James Chisholm, Craig Hammack, and Dan Sudick
- Best Costume Design-The Favourite – Sandy Powell
- Best Makeup and Hair-The Favourite – Nadia Stacey
- Best Editing-Vice – Hank Corwin
- Best Film Not in the English Language-Roma – Alfonso Cuarón and Gabriela Rodríguez
- Best Animated Film-Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse – Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Phil Lord
- Best British Short Animation-Roughhouse – Jonathan Hodgson and Richard Van Den Boom
- Best Short Film-73 Cows – Alex Lockwood
- EE Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)-Letitia Wright
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SUMMITS AND CONFERENCE
India Participates in Venice Biennale First Time in 8 Years
- The Venice International Art Exhibition or simply the Venice Biennale is one of the oldest, most important and prestigious international art exhibitions in the world started in 1895.
- The 58th International Art Exhibition is being held from May 11 to November 24, 2019 curated by Ralph Rugoff.
- The theme of the 58th International Art Exhibition ‘May You Live in Interesting Times’
- India is participating at the art world’s oldest Biennale after a gap of 8 years since 2011.
- The India Pavilion has been curated by Roobina Karode of KNMA (Kiran Nadar Museum of Arts) on the titleOur Time for a Future Caring which reflects upon Gandhi’s values of satyagraha (non-violence) and unity & equality.
UN to hold 2020 ocean conference in Lisbon
- United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided to hold its 2020 high-level conference in Portugal’s Lisbon to support the sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources.
- United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development in Lisbon, from June 2 to 6, 2020.
- The theme of the 2020 conference will be- Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Samsung has launched a new sensor for ultra-high resolution mobile photography
- Samsung Electronics Co has introduced the world’s highest-resolution image sensors that will help smartphones capture images at vibrant ultra-high resolution.
- Samsung Electronics has come up with ISOCELL Bright GW1, which is a 64MP image sensor.
- Samsung’s 0.8 micrometer pixel image sensor line up, which is now available from existing 20 megapixel to the new ultra-high 64 megapixel resolutions.
- ISOCELL Bright GM2 is a 48Mp image sensor that also adopts Tetracell technology in low-light environments and a remosaic algorithm in well-lit settings, bringing highly-detailed pictures with natural and vivid colors. GM2, like GW1, adopts DCG as well for added performance and Super PD for fast autofocus.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE
IAF gets first Apache Guardian attack helicopter
- US aerospace major Boeing has handed over first of the 22 Apache Guardian attack helicopters to the Indian Air Force, nearly three-and-half years after a multi-billion dollar deal for the choppers was sealed.
- Air Marshal AS Butola accepted the first Apache on behalf of the Indian Air Force from US Government.
- The first AH-64E (I) – Apache Guardian helicopter was formally handed over to the Indian Air Force at Boeing production facility in Mesa, Arizona, the US.The AH-64E Apache is a leading multi-role attack helicopter and is flown by the US Army.
- The IAF had signed a multi-billion dollar contract with the US government and Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 22 Apache helicopters. The first batch of these helicopters is scheduled to be shipped to India by Jul this year.
Chinese navy launches two new guided missile destroyers
- China has commissioned two more guided missile destroyers taking the total of such warships to 20 with more in the pipeline
- Two Type 052D guided missile destroyers were launched in Dalian, a coastal city,
- Their commissioning marked the 19th and 20th of launches of their kind, the report said and quoted Chinese analysts as saying that plans are afoot to build more guided missile destroyers.
- China now has 20 Type 052Ds either in active service or being fitted out for service soon
- Destroyers are fast, highly manoeuvrable long distance warships which are also used to accompany the aircraft carriers.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS
Inaugural edition of world’s first women’s cricket magazine ‘CRICZONE’
- The inaugural issue of world’s first exclusive women’s cricket magazine ‘Criczone’ was released here with Indian team vie-captain Smriti Mandhana featuring as the cover story.
- The magazine “CRICZONE” was launched on the sidelines of the inaugural women’s T20 challenge event which was attended by international cricketers like Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and overseas player like Danielle Wyatt and Sophie Davine.
- The objective of this magazine is to empower young aspiring women cricketers to take the sport as a profession and able to make sustainable living.
Novak Djokovic wins Madrid Open title
- Novak Djokovic of Serbia beat Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece to win his third Madrid Open title.
- He held his serve to add the 2019 Madrid Open title to those he won in 2011 and 2016.
Mumbai beat Chennai by one run to win record 4th IPL title
- Mumbai Indians became IPL champions for the fourth time after defeating Chennai Super Kings by one run in a thrilling final in Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium Hyderabad.
- Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the most successful wicket-keeper in the history of IPL by taking his dismissals tally to 132, surpassing his India teammate Dinesh Karthik.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY
Bhojpuri folk singer Hiralal Yadav passes away
- Padma Shri awardee Bhojpuri folk singer Hiralal Yadav passed away at the age of 93.
- Yadav, who was famously known as ‘Birha Samrat’.
- He was felicitated with Padma Shri award this year in the month of January, and was also honoured with Yash Bharti award by the Uttar Pradesh government in 2015.
US Actor Peggy Lipton passes away
- Actress Peggy Lipton, known for Mod Squad and Twin Peaks, has died at the age of 72. She was reportedly suffering from colon cancer.
- Lipton was nominated for four Golden Globe awards and won in 1971.
ITC chairman Y.C. Deveshwar passes away
- Chairman of ITC Limited, Y.C. Deveshwar passed away at the age of 72 years.
- He has served as a director in the central board of the Reserve Bank of India and the Air India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2011.