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Current Affairs 12 May 2019
Centre to Form Panel under DGFT to Look at Steel Availability for Engineering Exporters
- The government has decided to set up a committee to be Chaired by the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) that will look into availability of steel at competitive prices for engineering goods exporters.
- The committee will have to submit its report to steel and commerce ministries within two months.
- The decision was taken after engineering goods exporters complained that they should get steel at global prices as domestic rates are higher. However, steel producers state that freight charges and cost of production is high in the country, which push up prices.
Actress Dia Mirza Appointed as SDGs Advocate By UN
- Indian actress Dia Mirza has been named as one of the 17 advocates for the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by United Nations.
- The new group of ‘SDG Advocates’ appointed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be committed to raising awareness, inspiring greater ambition and pushing for faster action on the SDGs, which were adopted by world leaders on September 25, 2015.
- The SDG Advocates will be co-chaired by President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Prime Minister of Norway Erna Solberg.
- Alibaba Group founder and Executive Chairman Jack Ma, has been an SDG Advocate since 2016.
2020 United Nations Ocean Conference to be Held in Lisbon
- The second edition of the United Nations Ocean Conference, to support the sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources, will be held in Lisbon, Portugal in early June 2020.
- The first edition was held in United States in 2017.
- The theme of the 2020 conference will be- Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships and solutions.
India Participates in Venice Biennale First Time in 8 Years
- The Venice International Art Exhibition or simply the Venice Biennale is one of the oldest, most important and prestigious international art exhibitions in the world started in 1895.
- The 58th International Art Exhibition is being held from May 11 to November 24, 2019 curated by Ralph Rugoff.
- The theme of the 58th International Art Exhibition ‘May You Live in Interesting Times’
- India is participating at the art world’s oldest Biennale after a gap of 8 years since 2011.
- The India Pavilion has been curated by Roobina Karode of KNMA (Kiran Nadar Museum of Arts) on the title Our Time for a Future Caring which reflects upon Gandhi’s values of satyagraha (non-violence) and unity & equality.
Japan Tests World’s Fastest Bullet Train With Speed of 400 kmph
- Japan began the testing of the world’s fastest bullet train called ALFA-X on May 10, 2019 and this testing will continue for a period spanning three years.
- The latest version of Shinkansen train is capable of reaching speeds as much as 400 kilometers per hour (249 miles per hour).
- The train is scheduled to go into service in 2030.
- When in operation, ALFA-X will operate at 360 kph (224 mph).
- It will then surpass China’s Fuxing train which is currently the fastest train running at the speed of 350 kph.
Hinduja Brothers Top UK’s Rich List 2019 for Straight Third Time
- The billionaire Hinduja brothers have been named as the wealthiest people in the UK for a third time as per the Sunday Times Rich List 2019
- The UK Rich List 2019 is the 31st edition of the annual survey of the wealthiest people resident in the United Kingdom, published by The Sunday Times on 12 May 2019.
Top 5 Wealthy Persons List
- Sri and Gopi Hinduja (Industry and finance) | £22bn
- David and Simon Reuben (Property and internet) | £18.7bn
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe (Chemicals) | £18.2bn
- Sir Len Blavatnik (Investment, music and media) | £14.4bn
- Sir James Dyson and family (Household goods and technology) | £12.6bn
Winners of 2019 BAFTA Awards
The 72nd British Academy Film Awards also known as the BAFTA was held on 10 February 2019 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
List of Winners
- BAFTA Fellowship –Thelma Schoonmaker
- Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema – Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley for Number 9 Films
- Best Film-Roma – Alfonso Cuarón and Gabriela Rodríguez
- Best Director – Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
- Best Actor in a Leading Role- Rami Malek – Bohemian Rhapsody as Freddie Mercury
- Best Actress in a Leading Role-Olivia Colman – The Favourite as Queen Anne
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role-Mahershala Ali – Green Book as Don Shirley
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role-Rachel Weisz – The Favourite as Sarah Churchill
Bhojpuri Singer & Padma Shri Awardee Hiralal Yadav Passes Away
- The veteran Bhojpuri vocal artist Hiralal Yadav passed away in Varanasi. He was 93.
- Yadav was a well known Bhojpuri folk singer from the ‘Birha’ genre.
- He received the Padma Shri award in January 2019.
- In 2015, he was felicitated with the Yash Bharti award for his contribution in the field of music.
US Actor Peggy Lipton Passes Away at 72
- Renowned American actress and model, Peggy Lipton (Margaret Ann Lipton) passes away at the age of 72.
- She came to fame through her role as flower child Julie Barnes in the ABC counterculture television series The Mod Squad (1968–1973) for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama in 1970.
International Nurses Day: May 12
- International Nurses Day (IND) is observed globally on 12 May to celebrate the contributions that nurses make to society.
- The day marks the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, also known as ‘The Lady with the Lamp’, who was a famous manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War.
- The theme for the International Nurses Day 2019 is ‘Nurses – A Voice to Lead –Health for All’.