Current Affairs Today 18th May 2019 | Current Affairs News

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Daily Current Affairs PDF of 18th May 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

World AIDS Vaccine Day

• Worlds AIDS Vaccine Day or HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is observed every year on 18 May.
• This day marks the efforts of thousands of researchers, scientists, health professionals who have contributed to the process of finding safe and effective AIDS medicine.
• It is also an opportunity to educate communities about the importance of preventive HIV vaccine research.

International Museum Day

• International Museum Day is observed on 18 May every year to raise awareness about the museum and their role in the society.
• The International Council of Museums (ICOM) created International Museum Day in 1977.
• The organisation suggested a proper theme every year which may include globalisation, bridging cultural gaps and care for the environment.

USEFUL INFO
Theme 2019	Museums as Cultural Hubs: The future of tradition

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL

Taiwan becomes first in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage

• Taiwan has legalised same-sex marriage, the first of any Asian state, with the passage of legislation giving same-sex couples the right to marry.
• Taiwan’s constitutional court had imposed deadline two years ago, which said that excluding same-sex couples from marriage was unconstitutional and the legislature must pass laws allowing same-sex marriage by May 24, 2019, or they would automatically become law.

USEFUL INFO
Taiwan Capital	Taipei
Taiwan Currency	New Taiwan dollar
Taiwan President	Tsai Ing-wen

 

Saudi Arabia approves permanent residency for 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 is 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.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL

Kerala CM rings opening bell at London Stock Exchange as KIIFB lists masala bonds

• Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan rang the opening bell at the London Stock Exchange (LSE) to mark the listing of masala bonds sold by Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
• KIIFB, a state government agency, had raised Rs 2,150 crore through its debut masala bond issue at a fixed interest rate of 9.723% per annum.
• KIIFB plans to raise Rs. 5,000 crore through masala bonds to fund large and critical infrastructure projects in Kerala.
• Indian Rupee denominated overseas bonds are popularly known as masala bonds.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE

HDFC Capital Advisors launches HeART initiative

• HDFC Capital Advisors Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of HDFC, has announced the launch of its new initiative termed ‘HeART’ that seek to promote technologies to make affordable housing more affordable.
• The HDFC Affordable Real Estate and Technology (HeART) programme seeks to mentor, partner and invest in real estate technology companies that drive innovation and efficiencies within the affordable housing ecosystem.
• HeART will support businesses which are innovating and building technology solutions to enhance the supply of affordable housing

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS

Indian YouTuber Ajey Nagar named by Time magazine among Next Generation Leaders’ 2019

• Indian YouTuber Ajey Nagar has been named by Time magazine among its Next Generation Leaders’ 2019.
• A list of only 10 young people from around the world who are forging new paths in politics, music and other spheres.
• Nagar, 19, popularly known as CarryMinati’ has nearly 7 million subscribers for his YouTube channel.
• India overtook the US in 2018 to become the country with the biggest YouTube audience in the world. And with his energetic presentation style and Hindi lyrics, Nagar is now one of the most followed YouTubers in India.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Ujjivan Small Finance Bank appoints Nitin Chugh as MD, CEO from December 1 

• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, a subsidiary of the listed entity Ujjivan Financial Services announced the appointment of Nitin Chugh as its MD and CEO for a period of three years with effect from December 1, 2019.
• This appointment comes at the end of a succession planning process undertaken by the bank as the present tenure of Samit Ghosh as the MD and CEO of the bank will conclude on November 30, 2019.
• Nitin Chugh will take over as the president of the bank from August 2019 and will work closely with Samit Ghosh till November 30, 2019 to ensure a smooth transition.

USEFUL INFO
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank Headquarters	Bangalore
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank MD & CEO	Samit Ghosh

 

Jeffrey Rosen confirmed as US’ next deputy attorney general

• Jeffrey Rosen was confirmed as the United States’ latest deputy attorney general by the US Senate after his predecessor, Rod Rosenstein, left the department.
• Rosenstein oversaw Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigations into Russian collusion in the 2016 Presidential elections, before stepping down from his post in April.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

HDFC Ergo and IBM to jointly setup data lab in India  

• IBM India announced that it has tied-up with HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company, India’s third-largest non-life insurance provider in the private sector, to co-create new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based solutions.
• Teams from HDFC ERGO and IBM Services will work together to develop and test new solutions. This will help to better address customer queries, ensure faster turnaround time and draw deeper customer insights for a better omni-channel experience.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

ICGS Vigraha decommissions at Vizag

• Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Vigraha, a frontline offshore patrol vessel decommissioned on May 15^th. After 29 glorious years of service from 1990 to 2019, the ship was decommissioned at the coast guard jetty.
• ICGS Vigraha was the seventh offshore patrol vessel built by the Mazagaon Dock Limited, Mumbai and it was commissioned on April 12, 1990.
• The ship was later based at Visakhapatnam and has been instrumental in protecting the east coast in general and Andhra Pradesh coast in particular since then.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOBILE APP AND PORTAL

BSE launches ‘BSE StAR MF’ mobile app for its mutual fund platform

• BSE has launched ‘BSE StAR MF’ app to enable more participation and help mutual fund distributors process transactions faster.
• BSE StAR MF mobile app supports real-time client registration and paperless transactions, creates and uploads mandate for SIPs, generates the basket of multiple orders, tracks and allows the distributor to analyse his business at his fingertips
• BSE StAR MF is the exchange’s mutual fund platform which helps distributors purchase and redeem mutual fund units on behalf of their clients

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

ICC Releases Official Song for Cricket World Cup 2019

• The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday released the official song for Cricket World Cup 2019 – ‘Stand By’, a collaboration between new artist LORYN and well-known British band, Rudimental.
• The World Cup is one of the world’s biggest global sporting events. The 10-team tournament will get underway with hosts England facing South Africa at the Kennington Oval, London.
• India will begin their World Cup 2019 campaign against South Africa on June 5 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY

Louvre Pyramid Architect I.M. Pei Passes Away 

• Chinese-American architect Ieoh Ming Pei, passed away on 16 May 2019, at the age of 102.
• I M Pei is regarded as one of the world’s leading designers of civic centers and cultural institutions.
• He is known for the famous glass pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre Palace in Paris as well as landmark 72-story Bank of China tower in Hong Kong among others.

Veteran Telugu actor Rallapalli Venkata Narasimha Rao passes away

• Veteran Telugu actor Rallapalli Venkata Narasimha Rao passed away at a private hospital following a cardiac arrest. He was 74.
• Rallapalli began his acting career in theater at a young age and subsequently entered films. He had also worked as a staff artiste in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.