Current Affairs 23rd May 2019

Defence News 

1. Brahmos Air Missile Successfully Launched From Su-30 MKI Aircraft

i. Indian Air Force successfully fired the BrahMos air version missile from its frontline Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft. 

ii. The air-launched BrahMos missile is a 2.5-ton supersonic air to surface cruise missilewith ranges of close to 300 km, designed and developed by BAPL. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important For LIC AAO Mains 2019:

• Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa is the present Chief of Air Staff of Indian Army.

2. Lt Bhawana Kanth, 1st Woman To Qualify To Go To Day Missions On Fighter Jet

i. Flight Lieutenant Bhawana Kanth became the first woman pilot of the Indian Air Force to qualify to undertake missions by day on a fighter aircraft. 

ii. She completed the Day Operational syllabus on MiG-21 Bison. Bhawana joined the fighter squadron in 2017 and flew the first solo on MiG-21 Bison in 2018.

3. Tech Mahindra Signs Rs300 crore Defence Contract With Indian Navy

i. Tech Mahindra announced its biggest defence order worth over Rs 300 crore with the Indian Navy. As part of the ‘Armed Forces Secure Access Card’ (AFSAC) Project, Tech Mahindra will implement RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) based Access Control System across all naval bases and ships.

ii. The new AFSAC Card will replace the existing paper-based Identity Card for all Navy personnel including dependents and ex-servicemen. 

Miscellaneous News

4. 5th Smart Cities India 2019 Expo Inaugurated In New Delhi

i. The 5th Smart Cities India 2019 expo, including Transport India, Solar India, Buildings India and Water India expos, was inaugurated by Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoUHUA) at the Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.

ii. Organised by India Trade Promotion Organization (ITPO) and Exhibitions India Group, the event builds upon Government of India's 'Smart Cities Mission' through a display of a vast array of products and solutions relevant to building smart cities in India.

International News

5. WHO Declares Algeria, Argentina Malaria-Free

i. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Algeria and Argentina as malaria-free, with no recorded cases of indigenous transmission of the disease since 2013 and 2010 respectively.

ii. It accounted for an estimated 219 million cases from 87 countries and over 400,000 related deaths in 2017, according to WHO's World malaria report 2018.

Static/Current Takeaways Important For LIC AAO Mains 2019:

• Malaria parasite was first discovered in Algeria by French physician Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran in 1880.
• Algeria Capital: Algiers, Currency: Algerian dinar.
• Argentina Capital: Buenos Aires, Currency: Argentine peso.

6. US, Japan, South Korea, Australia Hold 1st Naval Drills In Western Pacific

i. U.S. Navy ships conducted joint drills with warships from allies Japan, Australia and South Korea in their first combined exercise in the Western Pacific.

ii. The Pacific Vanguard exercise near the U.S. island of Guam takes place ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to Japan, as Washington looks to allies in Asia to help counter China’s military might in the region.

Business News

7. HDFC Group Overtakes Tata Group As India’s Most Valuable

i. The HDFC group has overtaken the 151-year-old Tata group to emerge as India's most valuable by way of market capitalization (m-cap). 

ii. The combined market value of the five listed companies of the HDFC group - HDFC, HDFC Bank, HDFC Life, HDFC Asset Management and Gruh Finance stood at Rs 11.66 lakh crore while the combined m-cap of 29 Tata group companies stood at Rs 11.64 lakh crore, about Rs 2,000 crore less than that of the HDFC group.

Ranks and Reports

8. Kids Right Index 2019: India Ranks 117, Iceland Tops

i. India stands in a lowly 117th position out of 181 countries in the KidsRight Index, the annual global index which ranks how countries adhere to and are equipped to improve child rights. Iceland secured the top position in the index followed by Portugal.

ii. Countries are judged on five indicators: right to life, right to education, right to health, right to protection and enabling environment for child rights.

Awards

9. Insurer Bharti AXA Bags Claims Excellence Award

i. Bharti AXA Life Insurance, a private life insurer, has been conferred with the FICCI Claims Excellence Award. 

ii. The insurer improved its individual claim settlement ratio, the number of claims paid to the number of claims received, to 96.85% in the financial year 2017-18. 

Business News

10. Shyam Saran To Be Conferred With Japan's 'Order of the Rising Sun' Award

i. Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran will be conferred with Japan's second highest national award, 'Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star'. 
ii. He will be conferred with this award for his contributions to strengthen the strategic ties and enhancing mutual understanding between India and Japan. 

Static/Current Takeaways Important For LIC AAO Mains 2019:

• 'The Order of the Rising Sun' is a Japanese government honour established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji.

Sports News

11. Sethu FC Crowned As Indian Women's League Champions

i. Sethu FC turned around a first-half deficit to clinch their first ever Indian Women's League trophy after defeating Manipur Police at the Guru Nanak Stadium, in Ludhiana, Punjab.

Obituaries

12. Renowned Filmmaker & Film Historian Vijaya Mulay Passes Away

i. Renowned filmmaker, film historian, researcher and educationist Vijaya Mulaypassed away at the age of 98 in New Delhi. 

ii. The film was entered into the Manheim Film Festival. She is most famously known for her 1974 film Ek Anek Aur Ekta, which was awarded the National Film Award for Best Educational Film.