GK Snapshots on 19 May 2021

World AIDS Vaccine Day 2021 – May 18

World AIDS Vaccine Day is annually observed across the globe on 18th May to create awareness about the requirement of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) vaccines to prevent HIV infection and AIDS.

• The day aims to educate the general public about AIDS, encourage the researchers and ensure the participation of the general public in the vaccination drive.

• The observance is led by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Objective:

• To honour the healthcare workers, scientists, and volunteers who have dedicated their lives to create an effective AIDS vaccine.

• To focus on the importance of vaccines against HIV.

International Museum Day 2021 – May 18

The International Museum Day is annually observed across the globe on 18th May to create awareness on the importance of museums towards the development of society.

The day is annually organised by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Advisory Committee.

The day represents a unique moment for the international museum community.

The theme of the International Museum Day 2021 is “The Future of Museums: Recover and Reimagine”.

Baljeet Kaur and Gunbala Sharma Become the 1st Indian Women to Summit Mount Pumori.

Baljeet Kaur and Gunbala Sharma have become The First Indian Women Mountaineers to Summit Mount Pumori in Nepal.

Key Points:

• The two women are also the first ones to scale a mountain that is a part of the Everest Massif.

• Everest Massif is formed by four peaks- Mount Pumori(7,161m), Mount Nuptse(7,862 m), Mount Lhotse(8,516m) and Mount Everest(8,848.86m) together.

Vandita Kaul Appointed as Nominee Director on Board of Bank of India

The Government of India has appointed Vandita Kaul as government nominee director on the board of directors of Bank of India. i.Vandita Kaul has been working as an Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services. ii.Bank of India has a total of eight members on its board including,

• MD and CEO

• Four executive directors

• One nominee director from the government

• One nominee director from the RBI and

• One from the shareholder directors.

Tribal Affairs Ministry signs MoU with Microsoft for Digital Transformation of Tribal Schools

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) virtually signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft during the virtual event ‘Empowering Youth For Success’ for digital transformation of Tribal schools such as Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS), Ashram Schools, and other schools under MoTA.

Startup ‘Jupitice’ develops World’s 1st Private Digital Court for Dispute Resolution

‘Jupitice Justice Technologies’, an Chandigarh-based startup has developed World’s 1st Private Digital Court (powered by Blockchain & Artificial Intelligence) to resolve disputes under the Private Justice System through Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms (ADR).

• The platform is designed for private justice system arbitration, conciliation, mediation & negotiation.

• It allows parties involved in disputes to conduct arbitration, conciliation or mediation without the help of an administering body.

Indian Navy hosts GMS-21 Virtually;13 Indian Ocean Littoral Countries Participated

Indian Navy hosted ‘GOA MARITIME SYMPOSIUM(GMS)-21’ virtually for 2 days, from 11th & 12th May 2021, it was for the 1st time GMS-21 held virtually. The theme for GMS-21 was focused on “Maritime Security and Emerging Non-Traditional Threats: A Case for Proactive Role for IOR Navies”.

• 13 Indian Ocean Littoral countries (India, Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand) participated in the GMS-21.

More than 70% of Snow Leopard habitat under-researched: WWF Report

According to the report ‘Over 100 Years of Snow Leopard Research’ released by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), More than 70% of the habitat of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) over 12 Asian countries remain under-researched. Only 23% of snow leopard’s 1.7 million sq km habitat have been explored.

• It states that just 4 hotspots of snow leopard research (sites with continued multi-year research) have emerged since 1970.

• The proportion of area within each country covered by research was highest in Nepal (74%), followed by India (40%), Uzbekistan (39%) and China and Russia (25%).

• The report is based on analysis of peer-reviewed published papers on Snow Leopard and its habitat.

• Rishi Kumar Sharma, WWF Global Snow Leopard Lead is one of the lead authors of the report.

India’s WPI Inflation Jumps to 11-year High in April 2021-10.49%

As per the data released by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry on May 17, 2021, India’s annual rate of inflation (YoY), based on monthly WPI (Wholesale Price Index) accelerated to 10.49 percent in April 2021, (the highest since April 2010) from 7.39 percent in March 2021 due to a hike in prices of food items, manufactured goods, fuel, and power.

Note – April 2021’s WPI inflation is the first double digits WPI in almost a decade.

Key points:
i.India’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) based retail inflation eased to a three-month low of 4.29 percent in April 2021.
ii.Core inflation (excluding food and fuel prices) also increased to 8.4 percent in April 2021.

WPI Inflation rate comparison:

Indian Airline-‘GoAir’ Rebranded As ‘Go First’

Wadia Group owned, Indian Airline, ‘GoAir’ was rebranded itself as ‘Go First’ after completing its 15 years of service as GoAir. The Go First as ULCC (ultra-low-cost carrier) would operate single aircraft type across its fleet, which currently has both Airbus A320 and A320Neos (new engine option) planes in operation.It will be the 3rd operational scheduled carrier after SpiceJet and IndiGo once the shares get listed.

Europe’s Jupiter Spacecraft ‘JUICE’ enters Testing Phase

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), an interplanetary spacecraft being developed by European Space Agency (ESA) has entered into a crucial testing phase. It is being tested at ESA’s European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands.

• The Jupiter bound Spacecraft has been assembled by Airbus Friedrichshafen, Germany.

• It is set to be launched in 2022 on an Ariane 5 Rocket & is expected to reach Jupiter in 2029.

• The mission will study 3 of Jupiter’s Galilean moons – Europa, Callisto & Ganymede. It will investigate the conditions necessary for habitability.

Supreme Court Launches App for Journalists to Access Virtual Hearings

Due to Covid-19, the Supreme Court came up with a mobile app to enable journalists to report virtual proceedings without having to visit court premises.In May 2021, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana launched the app virtually and the event was attended by Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, Hemant Gupta, and Supreme Court secretary-general Sanjeev S Kalgaonkar.

• The CJI also launched a new feature in the Supreme Court’s official website called ‘Indicative Notes’, aimed at providing concise summaries of landmark judgments in an easy-to-understand format.

India retain top spot in ICC Test Team rankings after annual update

India remained the number one Test side after the annual update of the ICC team rankings followed by New Zealand & England, Ravichandran Ashwin Remains In Second Position in ICC Test Player Rankings for Bowling, he is the only Indian bowler to feature in the top ten ICC rankings, Australian Bowler Pat Cummins who tops the list.

Arjan Singh Bhullar become first Indian-origin fighter to win MMA world champion

Indo-Canadian Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) Arjan Singh Bhullar defeated Brandon Vera to become the heavyweight world champion at the Singapore-based One Championship and became the first Indian-origin fighter to win an MMA world champion title.

• A former freestyle wrestler, Bhullar had won the 2010 Commonwealth games gold medal in New Delhi representing Canada.

Former IMA President and Padma Shri Awardee Dr.KK Aggarwal Passed Away

Former National President of the Indian Medical Association(IMA) and Padma Shri awardee Dr.Krishan Kumar Aggarwal(KK Aggarwal) has passed away due to Covid-19 in New Delhi.He was born on 5th September 1958 in New Delhi.

News Detail