Daily Current Affairs and GK | 16 and 17 May 2021

Topic: Important Days

1. World Agri Tourism Day: 16 May

• World Agri Tourism Day is observed every year on 16 May.
• It is celebrated to promote agricultural tourism as the potential for stabilizing and diversifying the rural economy.
• It will help in attracting tourists to the rural area, which increases the income of rural people.
• On the occasion of 14^th World Agri-tourism day, the Department of Tourism, Government of Maharashtra is organizing an International Conference on Agri Tourism.
• Government is promoting agro-tourism initiatives for rural economic development.

Topic: Sports

2. Ramesh Powar becomes new head coach of Indian Women’s Cricket Team.

• Ramesh Powar has been appointed as head coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team.
• He has been appointed by the three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of BCCI. Madan Lal, Sulakshana Naik, and RP Singh are members of the Committee.
• Ramesh Powar is a former Indian cricketer. He will replace WV Raman.
• Earlier, he was the coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team in 2018.

Topic: Reports and Indices

3. India gets more than $83 billion in remittances in 2020.

• India has got more than $83 billion in remittances in 2020, as per a World Bank report.
• India’s remittances in 2020 have shown a decline of just 0.2 % from the previous year. In 2019, India had received USD83.3 billion in remittances.
• China received USD59.5 billion in remittances in 2020. It received USD 68.3 billion in 2019.
• China stood at second place in terms of global remittances for 2020. The decline in India’s remittances is mainly due to 17% decline in remittances from UAE.
• In terms of remittances, India and China are followed by Mexico (USD42.8 billion), the Philippines, Egypt, Pakistan (USD26 billion), France and Bangladesh.
• In its latest Migration and Development Brief, World Bank said that remittances remained resilient in 2020 despite Covid-19 outbreak.
• As per the World Bank, remittances outflow from India was USD7 billion in 2020. It was USD7.5 billion in 2019.
• Remittance outflow was the maximum from US (USD68 billion), followed by UAE (USD43 billion), Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Germany, and China.

Topic: Summits/ Conferences/ Meetings

4. 1^st BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting chaired by Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Labour and Employment.

• 1^st BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting was chaired by Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Labour and Employment.
• The Meeting was held on 11-12 May 2021 in Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi, in virtual format. India has taken over BRICS Presidency this year.
• In addition to the representatives of member nations i.e Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the representatives of International Labour Organization (ILO) and International Social Security Agency (ISSA) also participated in Meeting.
• Four major issues were discussed during the meeting. They are given below.
  • Promoting Social Security Agreements amongst BRICS Nations
  • Formalization of labour markets
  • Participation of women in labour force
  • Gig and platform workers – Role in labour market

Topic: Sports

5. Rafael Nadal clinched Italian Open by defeating Novak Djokovic.

• Rafael Nadal has won the Italian Open by defeating Novak Djokovic by 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in the final of men’s singles.
• Now, Rafael Nadal has equaled the record of Novak Djokovic of winning the most number of Masters 1000 titles.
• Rafael Nadal has won this title for the tenth time. Djokovic and Nadal have faced each other for the 57^th time.
• Nadal has won 10 titles at 4 different tournaments, including Roland Garros (13), Barcelona (12), and Monte Carlo (11).
• Italian Open: It is a tennis tournament held in Rome, Italy. It is played on Clay court.

Topic: Important Days

6. Sikkim Statehood Day: 16 May

• Sikkim statehood Day was observed on 16 May.
• Sikkim became the 22^nd state of India through the 36^th Amendment Act in 1975.
• In 2021, it is celebrating its 46^th foundation day.
• Sikkim:
  • It is a state in northeast India, bordering Bhutan, West Bengal, Tibet, and Nepal.
  • It is the least populous state of India.
  • It is the second smallest state of India in terms of area.
  • Its capital is Gangtok.
  • The Chief Minister of the state is Prem Singh Tamang and Governor is Ganga Prasad.
  • The state animal of Sikkim is the Red Panda.
  • Khangchendzonga National Park – a UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in Sikkim.

Topic: Personality in News

7. Professor M. S. Narasimhan passed away.

• Distinguished mathematician M. S. Narasimhan died at the age of 88.
• He will be remembered for his contribution to the field of Mathematics in India. He contributed in many fields of mathematics, including Algebraic Geometry, Differential Geometry, etc.
• He is famous for his Narasimhan-Seshadri theorem.
• He is the only Indian to receive the King Faisal International Prize for Science.
• He also served as Chairman of the National Board of Higher Mathematics of the Government of India.
• He was awarded many Prizes, including Padma Bhushan, TWAS Award for Mathematics, CV Raman Birth Centenary Award, etc.
• Archimedes is known as the Father of Mathematics.

Topic: State News/ Uttarakhand

8. Uttarakhand Police launched ‘Mission Hausla’ for COVID Patients.

• The Uttarakhand Police has launched ‘Mission Hausla’ for helping COVID-19 Patients.
• It has been launched to help people in getting Oxygen, beds, and Plasma for COVID-19 patients.
• Under this mission, Police will also help those Senior citizens who are living alone.
• Every Police station of the state will work as the nodal police station for the mission.
• Uttarakhand:
  • It is located in the northern part of India.
  • It shares its border with Tibet, Nepal, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
  • Chief Minister of Uttarakhand is Tirath Singh Rawat and Governor is Baby Rani Maurya.

Topic: International News

9. China becomes first country to ban All Synthetic Cannabinoid Substances.

• China has become the first country in the world to ban all synthetic cannabinoid substances.
• China has banned synthetic cannabinoid substances to curb the manufacturing and trafficking of the drug.
• Synthetic cannabinoids are man-made substances identical to chemicals found in the cannabis plant. These are cheap and more addictive than Cannabis.
• China will establish standards for assessing the addictive and harmful properties of synthetic cannabinoids.
• Synthetic cannabinoids are also called cannabinoids. These are part of a group of drugs called new psychoactive substances.
• China:
  • It is a country in East Asia.
  • It is the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter.
  • Renminbi is the currency of China and Beijing is the capital of China.
  • Xi Jinping is the President of China.

Topic: Important Days

10. National Dengue Day: 16 May

• Every year May 16 is observed as the National Dengue Day by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It is observed to spread awareness about dengue among people.
• It encourages governments and people to take necessary precautions against dengue.
• Dengue:
  • Dengue is a vector-borne disease.
  • It is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with a dengue virus.
  • Dengue fever is caused by any of four types of dengue virus that are spread by mosquitoes.
  • High fever, Headache, Pain in muscles, bones, and joints are some symptoms of Dengue.

Topic: Miscellaneous

11. GoAir Airlines rebrand itself as ‘Go First’.

• The Wadia group backed GoAir airlines has rebranded itself as ‘Go First’.
• GoAir airlines has taken this step just before issuing an initial public offer (IPO) of Rs 3,600 crore.
• GoAir airlines was launched in 2005 and it currently owns a market share of more than 9.5 percent in India.
• It will now focus on the ultra-low-cost carrier (ULCC) model.
• Kaushik Kohna is the CEO of the Go First.

Topic: Corporates/Companies

12. Google Cloud partnered with SpaceX for providing satellite internet service.

• Google Cloud and SpaceX signed a deal for providing internet service through Starlink satellite.
• Google will provide the Cloud infrastructure for this connectivity Project, while Space X will install ground terminals in Google’s cloud data centers for connecting Starlink satellites.
• It will help in providing fast internet service to the rural areas. This service will be available to customers before the end of 2021.
• The first Starlink terminal will be established in a Google data center in Ohio, United States.
• Earlier, Microsoft has also signed a similar agreement with SpaceX to connect its Azure cloud to Starlink.
• Starlink is a project under which SpaceX aims to send 12,000 satellites to provide space- based internet.