19-20 May 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Rafael Nadal clinches Italian Open 2019 Tennis title

Spain’s Rafael Nadal (defending Champion) has clinched the Italian Open 2019 Tennis title after beating Serbian Novak Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 in the final in Rome.
This is Nadal's ninth Italian Open title and 81st title in his career.
Nadal also broke a tie with Djokovic by claiming a record 34th ATP Masters 1000 crown.
In Women's single, Czech's Karolina Pliskova registered two straight-set victories against Britain's Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-4 to claim the Italian Open title.

Note:

The 2019 Italian Open (76th edition) was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy from 15 May–21 May 2019.
It was classified as an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event on the 2019 ATP World Tour and a Premier 5 event on the 2019 WTA Tour.

Source: The Hindu

2. 2nd India Open International Boxing Tournament begins today

The India Open International Boxing Tournament (2^nd edition) has begun at Sarusajai stadium in Guwahati, Assam (20-24^th May 2019).
200 players from 16 countries will take place in the event.
The competition will be held in a total of 18 categories, 10 in men and 8 in women.
India will field a strong contingent of 38 men and 37 women in the tournament including Mary Kom in 51-kilogram category.
The gold medallist will get 2500 US dollar and Silver medallist will earn 1000 US dollar.

Source: AIR News

3. BFA launches two new formats of game ‘AirBadminton’ & ‘Triples’

The world body governing Badminton (BFA) has launched two new formats of the game ‘AirBadminton’ and ‘Triples’ with new dimensions of the court and an innovative shuttlecock called 'Airshuttle'.
AirBadmintion will be outdoor sports (Traditional badminton- indoor game).
In Triples format, the match will be played between a team of three players each with the presence of at least one female.
Infrastructure won't be a hindrance for people interested in Airbadminton as it can be played in different environments like grass in parks, on sands in beaches and the streets and bylanes.

Source: AIR News

4. USD 10 million on offer in ICC World Cup, winner to earn 4 million

Ten million US Dollars (more than 70 crore rupees) are on offer in the upcoming ICC men's cricket World Cup.
The 46-day tournament will be played across 11 venues in the United Kingdom from 30th of this month.
Besides a trophy, the World Cup winner will earn a cash award of 4 million US dollars or about 28 crore rupees which is the highest prize money on offer in the history of the tournament.
The runners-up take home 2 million US Dollars or about 14 crore rupees.
The losing semi-finalists will get around 5 crores 60 lakh rupees.
There are six prizes of about 70 lakh rupees each for teams that pass the league stage.
Winners of each league match will get around 28 lakh rupees in what promises to be a competitive tournament with the world's best teams playing each other in a round-robin format.

Source: AIR News

5. ICC releases the official song for World Cup 2019

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released the official song of the 2019 ICC World Cup as the countdown to the tournament enters the final two weeks.
The official song ‘Stand By’ is a collaboration between new artist LORYN and one of the UK’s most successful and influential acts, Rudimental
It will be played in ground and city events across the tournament.

Note:

The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup is the 12th edition of the Cricket World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by England and Wales, from 30 May to 14 July 2019.
It is the fifth time that the Cricket World Cup will be held in England and Wales, following 1975, 1979, 1983 and 1999 World Cups.

Source: DD news

Obituaries

6. Veteran Telugu actor Rallapalli Venkata Narasimha Rao passes away

Veteran Telugu actor Rallapalli Venkata Narasimha Rao (74-years) passed away in Hyderabad.
He had also worked as a staff artist in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Ralapalli acted in more than 800 films and was popular as a comedian and character artiste.
He was a five-time winner of the prestigious Nandi award in undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Source: The Economic Times

National Affairs

7. Govt plans introducing artificial intelligence system in MCA 21 portal

The Union government has planned to introduce artificial intelligence system in the MCA 21 portal as it seeks to make the compliance process easier as well as ensure routine enforcement activities are done round-the-clock on autopilot basis.
MCA 21 is the electronic backbone for the dissemination of information to all stakeholders, including the regulator, corporates and investors.
All filings under the company’s law are submitted to the ministry through this portal.
According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs Secretary Injeti Srinivas, the ministry would like to introduce Artificial Intelligence in MCA 21 when version 3 of the portal is rolled out in about a year's time.

Note:

MCA 21 allows electronic filings of various documents under the Companies Act, 2013 and has fully automated all processes related to enforcement and compliance monitoring under the Act.

Source: AIR News

Science & Defence

8. India-Singapore Naval drill begins in the South China Sea

The Navies of India and Singapore are participating in the annual maritime bilateral exercise ‘SIMBEX-19’ in the South China Sea.
According to the Indian Navy, Various maritime combat exercises such as firing on aerial or surface targets, advanced aerial tracking, coordinated targeting exercises and tactical exercises on the surface or air scenarios is being conducted during the exercise.
Naval ships INS Kolkata and INS Shakti taking part in the bilateral naval exercise, along with long-range maritime patrol aircraft Poseidon-8I.
The Singapore side is being represented by RSN ships Steadfast and Valiant, maritime patrol aircraft Fokker-50 and F-16 fighter aircraft.

Source: The Times of India

9. Indian Navy conducts successful fire trial of MRSAM

The Indian Navy achieved a significant milestone in enhancing its Anti-Air Warfare Capability with the maiden cooperative engagement firing of the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MRSAM).
The firing was undertaken on the Western Seaboard by Indian Naval Ships Kochi and Chennai.
In test, the missiles of both ships were controlled by one ship to intercept different aerial targets at extended ranges.
The firing trial was carried out by the Indian Navy, DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries.
The MRSAM has been manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited.

Source: AIR News

International Affairs

10. Saudi Arabia approves permanent residency for the first time

The Saudi government has approved for the first time a scheme that gives permanent residency to certain expatriates, allowing them to own real estate in the kingdom and reside with their families without a Saudi sponsor.
The decision aimed at attracting long-term investments as the government tries to diversify the economy and boost domestic spending.
The "Privileged Iqama" system will offer a permanent residence scheme and one that can be renewed annually to highly skilled expatriates and owners of capital funds.
The decision will attract more investors and entrepreneurs to Saudi Arabia to help drive private sector growth and expand employment opportunities for Saudis.

Source: Arab week

Appointment

11. Australian PM Scott Morrison wins the federal election

In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Liberal-National Coalition has won the 2019 Australian federal election.
According to the ABC’s Election Calculator, the governing Coalition is on track to win at least 76 seats in the Australian Parliament, while the opposing Labor Party is set to win 65.
Scott Morrison is Australia’s fifth prime minister in almost nine years, owing to rapid successions of party leaders during the period.
Mr Morrison became Leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister in August 2018, winning the party’s leadership vote following Malcolm Turnbull’s resignation.

Note:

The Prime Minister of Australia is the head of government of Australia.
The Prime Minister also has the responsibility of administering the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and is the chair of the National Security Committee and the Council of Australian Governments.

Honours & Awards

12. Dr P.K. Mishra conferred with prestigious Sasakawa Award 2019

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) conferred Sasakawa Award 2019 for Disaster Risk Reduction to Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra (Additional Principal Secretary to Prime Minister of India).
The award was announced at the Award Ceremony during the ongoing 6th Session of Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) 2019 at Geneva.
A total grant of USD 50,000 is distributed among the winners which can be either organizations or individuals.
The theme of the 2019 Sasakawa award was “Building Inclusive and Resilient Societies”.

Note:

The United Nations Sasakawa Award is the most prestigious international award in the area of Disaster Risk Management.

13. Indian short film wins Nespresso Talents award in Cannes

Indian filmmaker Achyutanand Dwivedi's film, "Seed Mother" (three-minute film) has won the third prize in the international section of Nespresso Talents 2019 in Cannes.
The Nespresso 2019 first prize in the international section was won by New Zealand's Josh Morrice for "Subak", about rice cultivation in Bali.
The second prize went to Mexican filmmaker Marco Aurelio Celis' "Ruffo".
The film "Seed Mother" celebrates the exceptional spirit of Rahibai Soma Popere, a woman who champions the use of local seeds and traditional methods of farming in villages of Maharashtra.
This year's theme of Cannes Critics' Week was 'We Are What We Eat', aimed at exploring the world, experiencing diversity.

Source: Economics Times