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Current Affairs 19 May 2019
World Bank and CommBank Australia Launch First Blockchain-Based Bond
- World Bank has partnered with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank) to enable recording of blockchain-based secondary market trading for its bond-i.
- The bond will be the world first bond to be both issued and traded via the use of distributed ledger technologies.
- The two entities conducted the successful trading activity on a distributed ledger technologies (DLT) of Blockchain Operated New Debt Instrument (bond-i) enabling capital markets to leverage distributed ledger technologies for faster, more efficient, and more secure transactions.
- Bond-i was first issued by the World Bank in August 2018 which was the first bond in the world to be created, allocated, transferred and managed through its entire lifecycle via DLT.
India Registers Trade Deficit with 11 RCEP Members in FY 2018-19
- India’s recorded trade deficit with 11 out of 16 Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) bloc members in the financial year 2018-19, as per the provisional trade data available.
- Trade deficit is the difference between imports and exports of a country, where the imports exceeds its exports.
- RCEP is a bloc comprising of 10 ASEAN members (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their six FTA partners (India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand).
- India only had trade surplus with Cambodia, Philippines and Myanmar in 2018-19 while it did not carry out any trade with Laos in that fiscal.
- India has no free trade agreement with China.
Sculptor Anish Kapoor Tops Maiden Hurun India Art List
- Indian-origin British contemporary sculptor, Anish Kapoor, has topped the first edition of the Hurun India Art List 2019, in which 24% of artists listed were women.
- The Hurun Research Institute released the list in association with ArtPrice.com which ranks top 50 Indian artists alive, based on the sales of their works at public auctions from April 2018 to March 2019.
- Of the total 605 lots sold, 102 lots belonged to Anish Kapoor alone which were sold for Rs 168.25 crore.
- Anish was followed by Akbar Padamsee and Krishen Khanna, whose works were sold at Rs 45.84 crore and Rs. 9.48 crore respectively.
Rafael Nadal and Karolina Pliskova Wins 2019 Italian Open
- The 2019 Italian Open, also known as the Rome Masters, was held from May 13-19, 2019.
- Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6–0, 4–6, 6–1 in the final to claim his ninth Italian Open title.
The Winners list is as follows:
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Event
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Winner
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Runner Up
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Men’s Single
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Rafael Nadal
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Novak Djokovic
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Women’s Single
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Karolina Pliskova
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Johanna Konta
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Men’s Double
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Juan Sebastián Cabal / Robert Farah
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Raven Klaasen / Michael Venus,
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Women’s Double
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Victoria Azarenka / Ashleigh Barty
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Anna-Lena Grönefeld / Demi Schuurs
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BWF Launches 2 New Formats of Game, AirBadminton & Triples
- The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has launched two new formats of the game namely AirBadminton and Triples.
- The main difference between the traditional badminton and the two new formats will be the shuttlecock and the design and dimensions of the court.
- Unlike the traditional badminton games which are indoors, AirBadmintion will be outdoor sports.
- The Triples format match will be played between a team of three players each with at least one female.
- The innovative shuttlecock used in the new format will be called Airshuttle.
World’s First Living Organism Created With 100% Synthetic DNA
- Researchers at Cambridge University have created the world’s first living organism with a fully synthetic DNA structure.
- The microbe created is a strain of bacteria normally found in the soil and living in human intestines and requires much smaller set of genetic instructions as compared to natural microbes of its type.
- The main purpose of such creation was to show that life can survive with less genetic coding than it naturally occurs with.
Whitathon Run Launched in Hyderabad To Raise Awareness on Eye Cancer
- The second edition of the Whitathon Run was organised in Hyderabad, Telangana by LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) on May 19 to raise awareness on early detection of eye cancer in children known as Retinoblastoma (White Reflex)
- Former cricketer VVS Laxman was the brand ambassador at the event.
- The Funds through the Whitathon Run will be used to provide free treatment poor children suffering from Retinoblastoma and to provide resources for future research to explore new treatment options for this alarming disease.
World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week 2019
The Whitathon Run was organised as a part of annual World Retinoblastoma Awareness Week which was observed from May 13 to 19, 2019.
National Dengue Day: May 16
- India observes the National Dengue Day on May 16 as recommended by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
- The day aims to create awareness about dengue and take preventive measures to control the disease before it starts transmitting.
International Museum Day: 18 May
- International Museum Day (IMD) is held every year on 18 May to raise awareness about the importance of museums as means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.
- The theme for 2019 IMD is Museums as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition
Veteran Comedian Sammy Shore Passes Away at 92
- The legendary stand-up comedian Sammy Shore, passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA ending his 70-year-long career. He was 92.
- Shore was the co-founder of the world-famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles along with his writing partner Rudy De Luca in 1972.