TNPSC Current Affairs May 07, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs May 07, 2020 (07/05/2020)

 

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore

National Gallery of Modern Art will organise the Virtual Tour titled “Gurudev – Journey of the Maestro through his visual vocabulary” from 7th May 2020 to commemorate the 159th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.

About Rabindranath Tagore:

Popularly known as ‘Gurudev’, he was born in an affluent Family. Tagore was primarily known as a writer, poet, playwright, philosopher and aesthetician, music composer and choreographer, founder of a unique educational institution – Visva- Bharati and a painter.

Tagore began writing poetry at the tender age of eight years old and at 16 years of age,Tagore released his first collection of poems under the pen name ‘Bhanusimha’. He had spoken at the World Parliament for Religions in the years 1929 and 1937.

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Topic: International Diary of Events

Currency Change in Iran

Iran’s currency is set to be re-named and re-valued. Long called the rial, Iran’s money will soon likely be called the Toman, and an impressive four zeros will be shaved off all denominations.

What was previously 10,000 rials will become one Toman under the plans.

What’s the issue?

Iran has seen the value of its national currency decline steadily since the Islamic Revolution brought the religious government to power in 1979.

That drop has accelerated in recent years as harsh US sanctions battered the country’s economy.

The currency has been devalued 3,500 times since 1971. It declined steadily since the Iranian Revolution, 1979 brought the religious government to power.

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events

ICUBE report

Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company released its ICUBE 2019 report on digital adoption and usage trends in India.

The annual tracking study; considered to be the currency for digital adoption in the country, gauges the changing digital ecosystem in India, measuring Internet usage by demographic, activity and device segments.

Key findings:

Estimated at 574 million, the number of monthly active Internet users have registered an annual growth of 24% indicating an overall penetration of 41%.

The report projects 11% growth for 2020; estimates 639 million monthly active Internet users.

All monthly active Internet users use a mobile phone as one of the devices to access the Internet.

About 84% of users access the Internet for entertainment purposes.

At 38%, school-going children segment in the age group of 15 years or below has shown a promising growth on internet usage. Access to information and education, social media, gaming and entertainment, especially, Sports, are driving the adoption.

Content is the king and is driving the surge in daily internet usage.

India’s digital revolution continues to be propelled by the rural masses — Rural India registered a 45% growth in the monthly active internet users in 2019. It is now estimated that there are 264 million internet users in rural India, and this is expected to reach 304 million in 2020.

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events, Disaster and its reports

Vizag gas leak: What is styrene gas?

A gas leak, reminiscent of the 1984 Bhopal tragedy, has affected thousands of residents in five villages in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The source of the leak was a styrene plant owned by South Korean electronics giant LG, located at RRV Puram near Gopalapatnam, about 15 kms from the coast city.

What is the news?

A gas leak in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam has killed eight people and reportedly led to the hospitalisation of more than a thousand. The leak occurred early morning May 7, 2020 at a private plastic making plant owned by LG Polymers Pvt Ltd, a part of South Korean conglomerate LG Corp.

The gas was confirmed to be styrene or vinyl benzene. The leak reportedly occurred because of overheating, leading to pipe leaks.

The impact zone has been in the range of 2-3 kilometres around the company.

What is styrene?

It is a flammable liquid that is used in the manufacturing of polystyrene plastics, fiberglass, rubber, and latex. It is also found in vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke, and in natural foods like fruits and vegetables.

What happens when exposed to styrene?

Short-term exposure to the substance can result in respiratory problems, irritation in the eyes, irritation in the mucous membrane, and gastrointestinal issues.

Long-term exposure could drastically affect the central nervous system and lead to other related problems like peripheral neuropathy. It could also lead to cancer and depression in some cases.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms include headache, hearing loss, fatigue, weakness, difficulty in concentrating etc. Animal studies, according to the EPA, have reported effects on the CNS, liver, kidney, and eye and nasal irritation from inhalation exposure to styrene.

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Topic: Latest Diary of Events

Vesak

‘Vesak’, the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is being observed by United Nations on May 7, 2020.

It is also known as Buddha Purnima and Buddha Day. The day commemorates birth, enlightenment and Death (or Parinirvana) of Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, all of which is said to take have taken place on the same day.

Vesak, falls on the full moon day (Purnima) of the month Vaishakha (May), hence the occasion is referred to as Buddha Purnima in India.

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Topic: New Appointments, Persons in News

Iraq new Prime Minister: Mustafa Al Kadhimi

Mustafa Al Kadhimi was chosen as the first Iraq Prime Minister after Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned in November 2019. On May 7, 2020, Iraq parliament voted to choose Mustafa Kadhimi as the new prime minister of Iraq.

Key facts:

In November 2019, Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned due to massive anti-governmental protests. Since then, it is Mustafa who has become the proper Iraq Prime Minister. Along with Kadhimi, 15 cabinet ministers were also approved by the Parliament and five were rejected.