Daily GK Updates - 27th May, 2019

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Narendra Modi to be sworn in as PM for 2nd term on May 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be administered the oath of office for his second term along with his new council of ministers on 30th May. President Ram Nath Kovind will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the prime minister and other members of the Union Council of Ministers at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan. Modi is the first BJP leader who has been elected for the second time after completion of his five-year tenure. From BJP, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also elected as a prime minister for two consecutive terms, but his first stint had lasted only for one year and seven months.

2. Nation pays homage to first PM Jawaharlal Nehru on his 55th death anniversary: The nation pays homage to first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on his 55th death anniversary on 27th May 2019. Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of India. Jawaharlal Nehru emerged as an eminent leader of the Indian independence movement under the tutelage of Mahatma Gandhi. Nehru held the post from its establishment as an independent nation in 1947 until his death on 27th May 1964. Shantivan is the Samadhi of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

3. 25 states miss the deadline for plan on plastic disposal: Over 25 state governments may have to pay environment compensation of Rs one crore each for not submitting their respective action plans on systematic disposal of plastic waste to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) as the April 30 deadline set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has passed by. The states had to submit action plans by April 30 to the CPCB, failing which they would have to pay the pollution body a compensation at the rate of Rs one crore per month, as per the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order.

4. PS Golay was sworn in as Sikkim Chief Minister: Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) president Prem Singh Tamang, popularly known as PS Golay took oath as the Chief Minister of Sikkim. He was administered the oath by Governor Ganga Prasad at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok. Mr. Golay is not a member of the State Assembly at present as he did not contest the polls. Former Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and senior Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) leaders were conspicuous by their absence at the swearing-in ceremony. The SKM won a slender majority in the 32-member Sikkim Legislative Assembly by bagging 17 seats against 15 won by the SDF.

5. Arunachal CM Pema Khandu tender’s resignation to Governor: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his Council of Ministers resigned to Governor Dr B D Mishra in Itanagar. The Governor accepted the resignation and asked Mr Khandu and the Council of Ministers to continue until the new government is sworn in. BJP for the first time in the state has won 41 seats, JD(U) -7, NPP- 5, IND- 2, INC - 4 and PPA -1 in the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh State Assembly. Assembly elections were held for 57 seats as three BJP candidates were earlier declared elected unopposed.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. Trump becomes the first foreign leader to meet new Japanese emperor Naruhito: US President Donald Trump got the red carpet treatment at Japan’s Imperial Palace where he made history, becoming the first world leader to meet with the new emperor of Japan Naruhito. The US President is on a four-day state visit to Japan. Trump will go to the Japanese state guest house later for meetings and joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

2. Cyril Ramaphosa takes oath as South Africa’s President: Cyril Ramaphosa, the head of the African National Congress, was sworn in for a five-year term as South Africa’s president after being elected unopposed by Parliament following the sixth general elections. He was elected earlier this month with a majority of 57.50%, the smallest since the party came to power 25 years ago. Mr. Ramaphosa initially took over from Jacob Zuma in 2018 after Mr. Zuma was accused of corruption. Mr. Ramaphosa is the country’s fifth democratically elected president since apartheid ended in 1994.

3. NASA unveils schedule for ‘Artemis’ 2024 Moon mission: NASA unveiled the calendar for the “Artemis” program that will return astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century, including eight scheduled launches and a mini-station in lunar orbit by 2024. The original lunar missions were named for Apollo – Artemis was his twin sister in Greek mythology, and the goddess of hunting, wilderness, and the Moon. Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed that Artemis 1 will be an uncrewed mission around the Moon planned for 2020. Next will come Artemis 2, which will orbit Earth’s satellite with a crew around 2022; followed finally by Artemis 3 that will put astronauts on lunar soil in 2024, including the first woman.

4. Sri Lankan navy launches extra vigil over terrorists: Sri Lankan navy has launched extra vigil on its northern seas in wake of media reports that some terrorist elements may have left the country to land on Indian shores. Earlier, several media outlets reported that a group of 15 suspected Islamic State terrorists were fleeing Sri Lanka towards the Kerala Coast. Coastal security has been beefed up across the Kerala coast in wake of reports.

5. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill resigns: Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill (54 years) resigned from his post after weeks of unrest in the government. O'Neill has handed over leadership to Sir Julius Chan, who will become prime minister for the third time. The announcement came after high-profile defections from his Government to the Opposition. Earlier, one of Peter O'Neill's key coalition allies abandoned him and since then, the Opposition bloc has been saying it has 62 MPs in its camp, which would give it a majority in Parliament.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS 

1. Lewis Hamilton wins Monaco Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton won the Monaco Grand Prix to extend his championship lead over Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton struggled with grip in the latter stages and was under constant pressure from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. But Verstappen had earlier picked up a five-second timepenalty. So even though he finished just behind Hamilton, Verstappen was fourth overall behind Bottas in third and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in second.

BANKING AND FINANCE

1. 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. Trade AI Engine will enhance the client experience in trade document processing through increased operational efficiency and strengthened operational control. Traditional documentary trade requires millions of data elements in paper-based, unstructured documents that are often issued by various companies and needs to be reviewed through a largely manual process. With the implementation of the Trade AI Engine powered by IBM, this time-consuming and high-risk process is now significantly automated.

AWARDS AND HONOURS

1. Bong Joon Ho's 'Parasite' strikes gold at Cannes this year: South Korean director Bong Joon Ho's "Parasite" bagged the Palme d'Or at the closing ceremony of 72nd Cannes Film Festival in France. Belgium's Dardenne brothers won the best director award for their story of a radicalised Muslim youth "Young Ahmed". British actress Emily Beecham won the best actress award for psychological chiller "Little Joe". Antonio Banderas named the best actor for his role of a filmmaker in Pedro Almodovar's self-reflexive "Pain and Glory". The Jury Prize was shared by two films -- French-Malian Ladj Ly's "Les Miserables" and the Brazilian entry "Bacurau", directed by Kleber Mendonce Filho and Juliano Dornelles.

OBITUARIES

1. Veteran CPI leader Joshi passes away: Veteran communist leader P.P.C. Joshi (80-years) passed away at his house in Puppalaguda after a prolonged illness. P.P.P. Joshi worked as the general manager (GM) of Visalaandhra Publishing House, treasurer of the CPI Central Committee office and the party’s publication arm People’s Publishing House. His penchant for publishing led him to start Prachee Publications, subsequently handed over to Nava Telangana Publications, which published several books.

2. Action choreographer-filmmaker Veeru Devgan passes away: Bollywood’s most famous stunt and action choreographer, Veeru Devgn passes away in Mumbai. Born in Amritsar, Devgan was behind the fight and action scenes for over 80 Hindi films including ‘Phool Aur Kaante’ (1991), ‘Mr. India’ (1987), and ‘Himmatwala’ (1983) among various others. He even acted in three films and worked as a director on ‘Hindustan Ki Kasam’ (1999).