Current Affairs For 18th MAY 2021
Current Affairs of the morning are here with the top headlines of the morning. Current Affairs are very important for all competitive exams including Banking, SSC, RBI, NABARD, UPSC Based exam, WBCS, State level civil service, et.
01. Who among the following has been appointed as the
UN Humanitarian chief?
a) Martin Griffiths
b) John Holmes
c) Kenzo Oshima
d) Stephen O’Brien
Answer: a.
Explanation: Veteran British diplomat Martin Griffiths has been appointed as the new Chief at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), for a period of five years.
• He will replace Mark Lowcock, a Briton who has served as undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator for four years.
• He is currently serving as the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen.
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) aims to strengthen the international response to complex emergencies and natural disasters.
02. Government of which of the following state constituted high power advisory committee on COVID-19?
a) Rajasthan
b) Odisha
c) Kerala
d) Madhya Pradesh
Answer: b.
Explanation: Odisha government has constituted a high power advisory committee on COVID-19.
• The committee, comprising of eminent doctors and scientists will aid and advise the state
government on vaccination, infrastructure expansion and combat readiness for future covid waves.
• The state government has also floated a global tender to procure 3.8 crore doses of vaccines for universal vaccination against COVID-19.
03. India and which of the following country agreed to work towards increasing COVID-19 vaccine availability and saving lives?
a) United States
b) Russia
c) New Zealand
d) Singapore
Answer: a.
Explanation: Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal held a virtual meeting with US Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai.
• Both the ministers discussed measures to enhance COVID-19 vaccine production.
• The meeting focused on increasing vaccine availability in an inclusive and equitable manner to combat the
global pandemic caused by Covid-19.
• The proposal of India on waiver of certain Trade-Related aspects of Intellectual Property Rights provisions to increase global vaccine production were also discussed.
• Both sides agreed to work towards the common resolve of increasing vaccine availability and saving lives.
04. Paris city council has put forward plan to drastically reduce car traffic in centre of French capital by which year?
a) 2025
b) 2022
c) 2030
d) 2050
Answer: b.
Explanation: A plan to drastically reduce car traffic in the centre of the French capital Paris by 2022 has been put forward by the city council.
• The scheme would ban through traffic in four central districts, giving priority instead to cyclists, pedestrians,
and public transport.
• Low-traffic zones will result in a less polluted, greener, more peaceful and safer city.
• Residents and businesses would still be allowed to drive in the central area, but through traffic would be
banned.
• The scheme followed the example of other cities such as Madrid, Nantes, and Rome.
05. Which among the following country successfully landed its rover Zhu Rong on Mars?
a) Russia
b) United Arab Emirates
c) China
d) Japan
Answer: c.
Explanation: China has successfully landed its rover Zhu Rong on Mars. It successfully landed in the Utopia Plain in southern part of Mars on after seven months of space travel and three months in orbit.
• Zhu Rong is part of China’s first spacecraft for Mars, Tianwen-1, which was launched in July 2020 with
three parts – orbiter, lander and rover.
• The mission is the first step in China’s planetary exploration of the solar system, with the aim of completing orbiting, landing and roving on the red planet in one mission.
06. Sunil Jain, who passed away at the age of 58 years, was a well-known for the which of the following profession?
a) Social activist
b) Journalist
c) Politician
d) Director
Answer: b.
Explanation: Eminent journalist and Managing Editor of Financial Express, Sunil Jain passed away due to Covid- 19 related complications.
• He was the son of former Times of India Editor Girilal Jain.
• He was an alumni of the Delhi School Economics and Hindu College.
• He started his journalism career with India Today as a business editor after a brief tenure at FICCI as an export policy expert.
• He also worked with Business Standard for eight years, before returning to the Express Group with The Financial Express in 2010.
07. National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), located in which State/UT will start month long online summer workshop- NAIMISHA 2021?
a) Chandigarh
b) Goa
c) New-Delhi
d) Uttar Pradesh
Answer: c.
Explanation: National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is the premier art gallery under Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
• The main museum at Jaipur House in New Delhi was established on 29 March 1954 by the Government of India.
• It will start a month long online summer workshop- NAIMISHA 2021.
• This unique art fiesta will provide a platform to create and engage with the arts.
• The workshops have been designed on painting, sculpture, print making and videography and puppeteering and other related arts.
08. Which among the following state observes its ‘Statehood Day’ on
May 16?
a) Assam
b) Himachal Pradesh
c) Rajasthan
d) Sikkim
Answer:d.
Explanation: Sikkim is located in the northeastern part of the country, in the eastern Himalayas and is one of the
smallest states in India.
• Sikkim Foundation Day is observed in India every year to commemorate the day when it became part of the Indian Union.
• On 16 May 1975, Sikkim- one of India’s Seven Sister states, officially became a part of the country abolishing the long rule of monarchy.
• Sikkim was made a part of India under the 35th Constitutional Amendment Act.
09. Who among the following chaired the review meeting to assess preparedness of States and UTs to deal with Cyclone Tauktae?
a) Piyush Goyal
b) Narendra Modi
c) Amit Shah
d) Rajnath Singh
Answer: c.
Explanation: Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a review meeting with the Chief Ministers of Gujarat, Maharashtra & Administrator of Daman & Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli.
• The meeting aimed to assess preparedness of States, UTs and Central Ministries and
Agencies concerned to deal with the situation arising out of Cyclone Tauktae.
• He reviewed the preparedness of all the health facilities especially adequate power
backup arrangements in all COVID hospitals in the areas likely to be impacted by the
cyclone.
10. Who among the following has been appointed as the nominee director on board of Bank of India?
a) Kalpana Morparia
b) Shikha Sharma
c) Narayanan Vaghul
d) Vandita Kaul
Answer: d.
Explanation: Government has appointed Vandita Kaul, additional secretary in the Finance Ministry, as the nominee director on board of Bank of India.
• Bank said it has received the communication from the Finance Ministry about her nomination on May 13, 2021.
• Bank of India has a total of eight members on its board, including the MD and CEO Atanu Kumar Das, its four executive directors, one nominee director each from the government and the RBI and one shareholder director.
