Weekly Current Affairs (27th May 2019 – 01st June 2019)

National

• Nirmala Sitharaman is all set to step into Arun Jaitley’s shoes as she takes charge of the finance portfolio in Modi’s Cabinet 2.0.
• The Centre has decided to bear the entire cost of Rs 13,343 crore under an existing scheme that seeks to control livestock diseases, especially foot and mouth disease (FMD) and brucellosis, in the next five years.
• The Centre has approved a new scheme, which assures a minimum monthly pension of Rs 3,000 to all shopkeepers, retail traders and self-employed persons after attaining the age of 60 years.
• The Union government has constituted the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal to adjudicate whether/ not there is enough cause for declaring the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as an unlawful association.
• India has invited the leaders of the BIMSTEC Member States for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30th May 2019 (Thursday) evening.
• The newly created anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal, has launched a competition for its logo and motto.
• The five-member panel examining the sub-categorisation of OBCs has been given an extension of two more months till July 31 by President Ram Nath Kovind.
• Union Environment Ministry on 29th May launched the song ‘Hawa Aane De’ to spread awareness about Air pollution.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take the oath of Office and Secrecy along with a new Council of Ministers for his second consecutive term.

International

• Indore’s Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar airport declared as an international airport.
• Scott Morrison has been sworn in as Australia’s Prime Minister.
• India has been elected to the Executive Board of the first UN-Habitat Assembly.
• James Marape, a former finance minister and critic of a major global gas development deal, has been elected by parliament as the prime minister of Papua New Guinea (PNG).
• Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari took the reins of leadership for another term on Wednesday, against a tense backdrop of insecurity and economic uncertainty.
• A California hospital on May 29 disclosed the birth of the world’s smallest baby ever to survive, weighing a mere 245 gm when she was born.
• In an unprecedented development, Israeli lawmakers have voted to dissolve Parliament after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government before the May 29 deadline, triggering a fresh general election to be held on September 17.

Economy and Business

• International rating agency Fitch Ratings affirmed long-term issuer default ratings (IDRs) of six banks including State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank at ‘BBB-‘, with a stable outlook.
• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the full Budget for 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha on July 5.
• The country’s median GDP is forecast at 7.1 per cent for FY20 and 7.2 per cent for FY 21.

Sports

• India’s Apurvi Chandela has won the gold medal in women’s 10 m Air Rifle competition at the year’s third International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle and Pistol tournament in Munich, Germany.
• China has won the badminton world mixed-team championship, Sudirman Cup 2019 (16th edition) in Nanning, China.
• Lewis Hamilton won the Monaco Grand Prix 2019 in a triumphant tribute to his Mercedes team’s late Formula One great Niki Lauda.
• The men’s compound team of Rajat Chauhan, Abhishek Verma and Aman Saini earned India a solitary bronze medal in the Archery World Cup Stage III at Antalya in Turkey.
• In squash, India’s Mahesh Mangaonkar triumphed for the second time in the Sekisui Open 2019 in Kriens, Switerzland.
• Croatia’s Ivo Karlovic became the oldest man to win a match at the French Open for 46 years, as he beat Spain’s fellow veteran Feliciano Lopez in a first-round duel.
• India’s Saurabh Chaudhary (17-year) has won 10m Air Pistol Gold beating his own World Record in ISSF shooting World Cup, in Munich, Germany.
• Indian shooter Rahi Sarnobat won the gold in 25m Pistol event at the ISSF World Cup 2019 in Munich.
• Indian shooter Manu Bhaker (17-year) secured India its seventh Olympic quota with a fourth-place finish in the women’s 10-meter air pistol event of the ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany.

Awards

• South Korean director Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” bagged the Palme d’Or at the closing ceremony of 72nd Cannes Film Festival in France.
• Artist Nalini Malani has won the seventh edition of the Joan Miró Prize.
• Indian playwright and journalist Annie Zaidi was announced the winner of the 2019 Nine Dots Prize for her essay Bread, Cement, Cactus.
• The Google CEO hasn’t received an equity award in more than two years.

Appointments

• Arun Kumar, a member of the prestigious IAS cadre, has been given the additional charge of DGCA.
• Sachin Bansal, Flipkart ex-CEO and BAC Acquisitions co-founder, has joined Ujjivan Small Finance Bank’s board as an independent director.
• Today, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) President Prem Singh Golay (51-years) has sworn-in as the new Chief Minister of Sikkim.
• Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his Council of Ministers resigned to Governor Dr B D Mishra in Itanagar.
• Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill (54 years) resigned from his post after weeks of unrest in the government.
• Suresh Kumar’s appointment comes as Walmart is undertaking major investments in its e-commerce business.
• Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa received the baton of Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee from outgoing Chairman COSC.
• Indonesia’s Anton Aditya Subowo was re-elected as the President of Badminton Asia for another four years.
• Jefferies has appointed Christopher Wood as global head of equity strategy.
• Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal has been sworn in as the Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court.

Important Days

• The first UN peacekeeping mission was established on 29th May 1948.
• May 31 is observed as World No Tobacco Day.

Science and Tech

• For the first time since the 1970s, NASA is planning to to send equipment to the surface of the Moon in 2020 and 2021, in anticipation of a crewed lunar mission in 2024.
• A fungus genetically modified to produce spider toxin can rapidly kill more than 99 per cent of the mosquitoes that spread malaria, a study has found.
• Pakistan successfully test-fired surface-to-surface medium-range guided ballistic missile ‘Shaheen-II’.

Defence

• Admiral Karambir Singh took charge as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff.
• Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa (Chief of the Air Staff) led a four aircraft, MiG-21 ‘Missing Man’ formation flypast at Air Force Station Bhisiana in Bhatinda, Punjab to honour the valour and supreme sacrifice of men killed in action during Operation Safed Sagar at Kargil.
• The first Rafale combat aircraft would be inducted into the Indian Air Force’s ‘Golden Arrows’ 17 Squadron which was commanded by Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa during the Kargil war in 1999.
• Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain takes over as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command from Vice Admiral Karambir Singh.

Obituaries

• Nobel laureate and American physicist, Murray Gell-Mann (89-years) passed away at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
• Bollywood’s most famous stunt and action choreographer, Veeru Devgn (77-years) passes away in Mumbai.
• Carmine Caridi, who was best known for his roles in two Godfather films, has died at the age of 85.
• Renowned artist Benu Mishra passed away in Guwahati on Wednesday at the age of 80.

States

• The architectural heritage of Orchha town in Madhya Pradesh has been included in UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage sites following a proposal sent by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to the U.N. body.
• S. Jaganmohan Reddy, who led his YSR Congress Party to a thumping victory in the Assembly election, was sworn in on May 30 as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.
• Pema Khandu, who pitchforked into politics after the death of his father in a helicopter crash eight years ago, was on Wednesday sworn in as the first Chief Minister of an elected Bharatiya Janata Party government in Arunachal Pradesh.

Miscellaneous

• John Bailey, President of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (popularly known as Oscar Academy), e-launched the Hindi translation of an Academy Publication, “Digital Dilemma”, in Delhi.
• The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on May 29 approved the setting up of a new sewage treatment plant (STP) in Okhla which, it claimed, will be the largest such plant in India.

Agreements

• Sri Lankan Government has signed a tripartite agreement with India and Japan for development of eastern terminal of Colombo port.