LIC AAO Mains 2019 Current Affairs Questions | 14th June

The Union Cabinet has cleared the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC) Bill, 2019. The Bill provides for setting up of an independent and autonomous body for institutional arbitration. It also aims to acquire and transfer the undertakings of International Centre For Alternative Dispute Resolution to New Delhi International Arbitration Centre (NDIAC) w.e.f 2nd March 2019.

Jawaharlal Nehru University will confer the distinguished alumni award to Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Executive Council of the University has approved a proposal in this regard. The two ministers will be awarded during the third convocation of JNU to be held in August this year.

According to annual report on internet trends by venture capitalist Mary Meeker, India accounts for 12% world’s internet users. China has the largest base, accounting for 21% of all internet users globally, and the US comes third at 8%.

India successfully conducted a first test flight of the indigenously developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) from a base off the Odisha coast. The only other countries that possess this technology are the US, Russia and China.

The U.S. Embassy organised its fifth annual ‘Student Visa Day’ and launched ‘EducationUSA India’. It is a mobile application to provide Indian students with “current, comprehensive and accurate information about studying in the U.S.”.It was launched by the Embassy in collaboration with the United States-India Educational Foundation.

Virat Kohli, ranked 100th, remains the sole Indian in the Forbes list of world’s highest-paid athletes with estimated annual earnings of $25 million. The list is headed by Barcelona and Argentina football superstar Lionel Messi.

The HSTDV is an unmanned scramjet (allowing supersonic combustion) demonstration vehicle that can cruise up to a speed of mach 6 (or six times the speed of sound) and rise up to an altitude of 32 km in 20 seconds.

Cancer-hit Malaysian badminton star Lee Chong Wei announced his retirement. He spent a total of 348 weeks as world number one but lost six world and Olympic finals in his 19 years career.

According to a report released by brand analytics firm TRA Research, “Dell” has emerged as the most trusted brand in India in 2019. With 31% Brand Trust Index (BTI) difference from Dell, auto brand Jeep makes a dramatic entry in the second spot. LIC and Amazon are ranked on the third and fourth spots and Apple iPhone emerged as India’s fifth most trusted brand.

Renowned author Amitav Ghosh was awarded the 54th Jnanpith Award for his contribution to the enrichment of Indian Literature in English. He was conferred the award by former governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

Priyanka Chopra, a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights is going to be honoured with Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by UNICEF at the UNICEF SNOWFLAKE BALL.

A team of scientists from Delhi University and the Wildlife Institute of India, in collaboration with researchers from Indonesia and the US, have discovered a new species of ‘paddy frog’ from Northeast India, primarily Assam. The frog belongs to the microhylid genus Micryletta, a “group of narrow-mouthed frogs”. The new species has been named ‘aishani’, derived from the Sanskrit word ‘aishani’ or aisani meaning Northeast.

HCL Technologies is all set to roll out “Tech Bee” programme, a company initiative under which it trains and hires students who have completed XII th standard, across several states.

Poet and lyricist Pazhavila Ramesan passed away. He was 83 years old. He was a recipient of Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award and had also penned songs for films like Asamsakalode, Malooty, Uncle Bun, Vasudha and others.

The United Nations Children's Fund, originally known as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, was created by the United Nations General Assembly on 11 December 1946, to provide emergency food and healthcare to children and mothers in countries that had been devastated by World War II. The headquarters of UNICEF is in New York, United States.