19th May 2019 Current Affairs

1) The Website of the Lokpal was inaugurated by the Chairperson, Justice Shri Pinaki Chandra Ghose. His oath was administered by President Ram Nath Kovind. All the Members of Lokpal attended it. The Government has also appointed 4 Judicial and 4 non-Judicial Members. The Website with (Uniform Resource Locator) URLhttp://lokpal.gov.in was developed by NIC (National Information Commission) and provides the basic information w.r.t. (with respect to) the working and functioning of the Lokpal. The Lokpal or the anti-corruption Ombudsman is the first institution of its kind established in India under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.

2) Indian Ambassador to Afghanistan, Vinay Kumar made the hand-over of the first pair of replacement Mi-24 attack helicopters to Afghanistan Defence Minister, Asadullah Khalid at the Kabul Air Force base with the main objective of strengthening the Afghan air force as it battles Taliban insurgency against the fact of US’ lookout for exiting Afghanistan after a 17-year stay. The choppers were purchased from Belarus. In December 2015, India had first delivered the Mi-24 Helicopters to Afghanistan. The Mi-24 is a large helicopter gunship and can be used for assault and transport missions. The Mi-24 can ferry up to 8 people.

3) The Indian Navy has achieved a significant milestone in enhancing its anti-air warfare capability by successfully test-firing a Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM) on the western seaboard. The test-firing was carried out by Indian naval ships Kochi and Chennai. The MRSAM has been manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

4) The Indian Navy has achieved a significant milestone in enhancing its anti-air warfare capability by successfully test-firing a Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM). The missile has the ability to destroy the hostile aircraft, missiles, and drones at a range of 70 km. The test-firing of the missile was collaboratively undertaken by the Indian Navy, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). The DRDO had partnered with Israel Aerospace Industries and developed the missile.

5) On May 17, 2019, Germany’s Double Olympic biathlon champion Laura Dahlmeier announced the retirement at the age of 25 after struggling with health issues. Laura Dahlmeier has won 7 world championship gold medals. She had won the world titles in 2015 and 2016 and took the overall biathlon World Cup in 2017. In the Winter Olympics 2018, commonly called Pyeongchang 2018, she became the first female biathlete to win sprint as well as the pursuit at the same Olympics. She had also won a bronze in the individual event in Pyeongchang. In 2012, fellow German biathlete Magdalena Neuner, a double Olympic champion, had also retired aged 25.

6) The winners of the upcoming World Cup in England will receive a record $4 million for lifting the trophy, the International Cricket Council. In all, a total of $10 million is on offer during the showpiece men’s one-day international tournament, which starts later this month and lasts 46 days. CC CWC 2019 — Prize Money: Winners (1) $4,000,000; Runners-Up (1) $2,000,000; Losing Semi-Finalists (2) $800,000 each; Winners of each league stage match (45): $40,000 each; Teams that do pass the league stage (6) $100,000 each. Tournament hosts and favorites England, bidding to win the trophy for the first time, will open the World Cup when they face South Africa at The Oval in south London on 30 May.

7) Naik Narayan Singh, one among the 18 members of Indian Army Mountaineering Expedition team to Mt Makalu (8485m) passed away recently. He died while descending from the summit point to Camp IV (first camp during the descent). He had earlier took part in mountaineering expeditions. Last year he had successfully summited Mt Kamet. He had joined the Army in 2002 and hailed from Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand. The Expedition team has earlier spotted mysterious footprints of mythical creature ‘Yeti’.

8) Ieoh Ming Pei, world-famous Chinese-American architect who designed Louvre Pyramid, the main entrance to the Louvre Museum which houses the Mona Lisa among other historical works of art passed away at the age of 102 in New York. He was born in Guangzhou, the Republic of China. He is one of the most notable architects of the 20th century.

9) Initiated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Dengue Day is observed annually on May 16 to raise awareness about the viral disease dengue and its preventive measures. In India, Directorate of National Vector Borne Disease Control Program (NVBDCP) is the nodal center for the surveillance and prevention of dengue. In 2016, The GOI has launched a mobile app “India Fights Dengue”. In 2017 maximum numbers of dengue cases were reported from Tamil Nadu. As per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report, globally, 400 million people get infected with this virus annually.

10) Since 2006, World Hypertension Day (WHD) 2019 is observed annually on May 17 to raise awareness about the high blood pressure (HBP). It is a situation where blood pressure in the arteries is persistently raised. The day also works towards the prevention and control of this silent killer. The theme for WHD 2019 was “Know Your Numbers”. The day was initiated by the World Hypertension League (WHL) on May 14, 2005. This year, WHL in collaboration with the International Society of Hypertension (ISH) also promoted May Measurement Month (MMM), under which, volunteers around the world measure the blood pressure of people in cities, towns, and villages. MMM was initiated in 2017 by ISH.

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