Daily GK and Current Affairs Quiz – 23rd & 24th May 2021

Correct Answer: B. Narinder Batra

Explanation: Narinder Batra has been re-elected as the President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) for the second consecutive term. He was elected during the virtual 47th Congress of FIH, where he beat Marc Coudron, Chief of Belgium Hockey Federation, by just two votes. He will hold the office until 2024 because the FIH has reduced the term from four to three years.The veteran Indian sports administrator is the only Asian to be appointed to the top post in the world body’s 92-year-old history. He is also the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and a Member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Important Points:

• International Hockey Federation (FIH) Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland;
• International Hockey Federation CEO: Thierry Weil;
• International Hockey Federation Founded: 7 January 1924.

Correct Answer: D. 13th

Explanation: Billionaire Gautam Adani has edged past Chinese tycoon Zhong Shanshan to become the second-richest Asian, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. China’s Zhong was the richest Asian till February when he lost the crown to Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest person and chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd. However, while Ambani lost $175.5 million this year, Adani’s wealth surged by $32.7 billion to touch $66.5 billion, against Zhong’s $63.6 billion. Ambani’s total wealth now stands at $76.5 billion, making him the 13th richest in the world, followed by Adani at 14th.

Bloomberg Billionaires Index on May 21, 2021:

 About Bloomberg Billionaires Index

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index comprises a daily ranking of the world’s richest people, based on their net worth.The figures are updated at the close of every trading day in New York.

Correct Answer – D. Shivshankar Menon

Explanation: A book has titled ‘India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present’ is authored by Shivshankar Menon. He was the Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser and Foreign Secretary, is exploring these phases in their historical context to tell the story of how India weathered the many geopolitical storms of the past in his latest book. Menon has taken a different approach to history. He underscores the seriousness of China taking Tibet in 1950, which, according to him, was a pivotal moment in India-China relations, but challenges the argument that India failed to stop the Chinese invasion.

Correct Answer – B. Oman

Explanation:  A category 5 cyclonic storm has been forecasted to make its landfall along the coastline of West Bengal and Odisha between May 26-27. Once formed, the cyclone will be named ‘Yaas’. Yaas will be as deadly as Amphan which was also formed in the Bay of Bengal in May last year. Yaas, named by Oman as such, refers to a Jasmine-like tree that has a good fragrance.A rotational list of the names of cyclones is maintained by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), with the names specific for each tropical zone. If a cyclone is especially deadly then its name is never used and is replaced by another name. The list has a total of 169 names at present which will be used on a rotational basis.

Important Points:

• World Meteorological Organisation Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland;
• World Meteorological Organisation Founded: 23 March 1950;
• World Meteorological Organisation President: David Grimes.

Correct Answer – D. Kotak Mahindra Bank

Explanation: Kotak Mahindra Bank has issued the first-ever foreign portfolio investor (FPI) licence to the GIFT IFSC alternative investment fund (AIF) of True Beacon Global. This is the first FPI licence issued to an AIF incorporated in GIFT IFSC by any custodian bank or designated depository participant (DDP) in the country.AIF is an important business vertical at GIFT IFSC and offers huge benefits and a competitive edge for setting up a fund in IFSC at GIFT City. In partnership with Kotak Mahindra Bank, True Beacon launched its first AIF in GIFT-City with PricewaterhouseCoopers(PWC) as consultants.

Definitions:

Foreign Portfolio Investor: It means the investments made by investors in financial assets, such as stocks and bonds of entities located in another country.Designated Depository Participant: It means a person who has been approved by the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) under FPI Regulations, 2014, to buy, sell or otherwise deal in securities as a foreign portfolio investor.

Alternative Investment Fund: It is a privately pooled investment vehicle that collects funds from sophisticated investors, whether Indian or foreign, for investing it by a defined investment policy for the benefit of its investors. There are 3 Categories in AIFs (Category I AIFs, Category II AIFs, and Category III AIFs).

Important Points:

• Kotak Mahindra Bank is India’s first non-banking finance company which is converted into a bank;
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Establishment: 2003 (Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd. was established in 1985, converted to Kotak Mahindra Bank in 2003);
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Headquarters: Mumbai, Maharashtra;
• Kotak Mahindra Bank MD & CEO: Uday Kotak;
• Kotak Mahindra Bank Tagline: Let’s Make Money Simple.

Correct Answer – B. Atletico Madrid

Explanation: Atletico Madrid won the 2020-21 La Liga title with a 2-1 win over Valladolid.Luis Suárez scored the winner for Atlético as it beat Real Madrid for the title in a wild finish that had plenty of twists with the two remaining title contenders playing at the same time.Atlético’s 11th league title ended a seven-year dominance by Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spain. Since 2014, Barcelona had won the league four times and Madrid twice, including last season.

Correct Answer – D. Journalist

Explanation: Rajkumar Keswani, an acclaimed journalist passed away recently.He had warned about irregularities that led to the Bhopal gas tragedy much before the world’s worst industrial disaster took place in 1984.After starting his career as sub-editor of Sports Times during college days, Keswani went on to be associated with prominent outlets like New York Times, NDTV, Dainik Bhaskar, The Illustrated Weekly of India, Sunday, India Today and The Week.He had penned a book on classic film Mughal-E-Azam and was awarded the prestigious BD Goenka Award (1985) and Prem Bhatia Journalism Award in 2010.

Correct Answer – A. Conor McGregor

Explanation: Forbes released its list of the highest-paid athletes in the world for 2021, marking the very top earners in the sports industry based on their earnings derived from prize money, salaries, bonuses and endorsements during the past 12 months (between May 1, 2020 and May, 2021).This year, MMA fighter Conor McGregor tops the list with US$180 million in total earnings, edging past the two football legends Lionel Messi (#2) and Cristiano Ronaldo (#3) who’ve been topping the charts consistently in the past few years. Read on to discover the full list and find out how much do the superstars make.

Correct Answer – A. P R Sreejesh

Explanation:  India hockey team goalkeeper P R Sreejesh was on Thursday appointed as a member of the FIH Athletes’ Committee.Sreejesh was one of the four new members appointed by the EB which met two days before the 47th FIH Congress.Sreejesh Parattu (IND), Marlena Rybacha (POL), Mohamed Mea (RSA), and Matt Swann (AUS) are now joining the Committee.The 33-year-old Sreejesh is one of the senior-most and decorated players of the Indian team.

Correct Answer – B. Casper Ruud

Explanation: World No. 21 Casper Ruud of Norway won the Men’s Singles title at Geneva Open tennis.He defeated 15th-ranked Denis Shapovalov of Canada.In Geneva, the 22-year-old Ruud dropped only one set en route to the championship match against Shapovalov, who was also seeking his second tour-level title.Ruud improved to an ATP Tour-leading 32 clay-court wins in 2020-21, ahead of Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas (26) and Chile’s Cristian Garin (25).

Correct Answer – B. Tata Consultancy Services

Explanation: Tata Consultancy Services has launched a co-innovation and advanced research centre in Amsterdam.TCS Pace Port Amsterdam has been designed to help customers navigate their growth and transformation journeys and will serve as a hub for TCS teams to co-innovate with European customers.Pace Port Amsterdam is the third co-innovation centre by the company after New York and Tokyo.

Correct Answer – B. Karachi

Explanation: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has inaugurated the country’s first Chinese-assisted 1,100MW nuclear power plant in Karachi.It will be formally known as Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (Kanupp-2 or K-2), which was built with the support of China.The project will produce 1,100 megawatts of clean energy.The construction of the K-2 plant started in November 2013.

Pakistan: 

• Capital – Islamabad.
• Currency – Pakistani rupee.
• National Sport – Field hockey.

Correct Answer – B. Brahmo Sabha

Explanation:  22 May marks the birth anniversary of the great social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy.Raja Ram Mohan Roy, who was born on 22 May 1772 was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a social-religious reform movement in India.Raja Ram Mohan Roy is considered to be the Father of the Bengal Renaissance by many historians.

Correct Answer – A. Pinarayi Vijayan

Explanation: The CPI(M) veteran Pinarayi Vijayan took oath as the Chief Minister of Kerala for the second consecutive term on 20 May 2021.Governor Arif Mohammed Khan administered the oath of office to Pinarayi Vijayan.The Communist Party of India (Marxist) will have 12 ministers in the new Cabinet, while the Communist Party of India (CPI) will have 4 ministers.

Kerala:

• Chief Minister – Pinarayi Vijayan.
• Governor – Arif Mohammad Khan.
• Number of Districts – 14.

Correct Answer – A. Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar

Explanation: Women’s pair of Palak Kohli and Parul Parmar on 21 May 2021 became the 1st Indian para shuttlers to qualify for Tokyo Paralympics.The duo qualified for the SL3-SU5 Women’s Doubles event in para-badminton.The top 6 pairs in BWF ranking have qualified for the event and this pair is currently ranked 6th.Palak is the youngest para-badminton player in the world to qualify for Tokyo Paralympics.

Correct Answer – B. MoooFarm

Explanation: Gurugram based startup MoooFarm’s Co-founders Jitesh Arora, Abhijeet Mittal, and Aashna Singh have secured a place in the most esteemed, Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list.MoooFarm, an award-winning technology start-up for dairy farmers, started its journey in 2019.The MoooFarm provides various services to the users, which include E-dairy Mitra, MoooFarm Saba and the Cattle Trading platform.

Correct Answer – B. 1951

Explanation: International Tibet Mukti Divas is observed globally on 23 May every year.The Chinese government forcibly imposed its 17-point agenda on Tibet on 23 May 1951.This agenda states that there should be no interference with the position of the Dalai Lama, protection of language and culture of Tibet by Tibetans themselves.From then onwards, May 23 was also known as a Black Day for Tibetan community.

Correct Answer – B. Financial Times Stock Exchange

Explanation: FTSE (Financial Times Stock Exchange) has included newly listed stocks Gland Pharma and Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) in its All World index.This is a part of its quarterly rebalancing review.FTSE will also implement the fourth and final tranche of India Foreign Ownership Limit (FOL) changes.All changes will be effective 21 June 2021.

Correct Answer – C. 23 May

Explanation: Every year, United Nations (UN) International Day to End Obstetric Fistula is marked on 23rd May since 2013 to promote action towards treating and preventing obstetric fistula, a condition that affects many girls and women during childbirth in developing countries. The day is being observed to significantly raise awareness and intensify actions towards ending obstetric fistula, as well as urging post-surgery follow-up and tracking of fistula patients. Obstetric fistula is one of the most serious and tragic injuries that can occur during childbirth.

The theme 2021: “Women’s rights are human rights! End fistula now!”.

In 2003 the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and its partners launched the global Campaign to End Fistula, a collaborative initiative to prevent fistula and restore the health of those affected by the condition. The day was officially recognised in 2012.

Important Points:

• United Nations Population Fund Headquarters: New York, United States;
• United Nations Population Fund Head: Natalia Kanem;
• United Nations Population Fund Founded: 1969.