DAILY GK: 13 MAY 2021

 DAILY GK: 13 MAY 2021

1.AROUND 219 ENDANGERED SPECIES THREATENED BY ARMED CONFLICT

        According to the report ‘Nature in a Globalised World: Conflict & Conservation’ released by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – Civil unrest and military exercises pose high risk to 219 Endangered Species (out of 30, 178 species assessed as threatened on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species).

        The report is the 1st in IUCN’s Nature in a globalised world report series.

 

2.GOOGLE PAY LAUNCHES INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFERS FOR US USERS

        Google Pay has launched International Money Transfers for its United States (US) users, it has launched the initiative in partnership with remittance firms – Wise and Western Union Co.

        Using the feature, Google Pay users in the US can transfer money to app customers in India & Singapore.

        Google Pay has 150 million users in 40 countries, and this initiative is seen as a step to expand its financial services offering, and increase competition in the digital payments sector.

 

3.INDIA’S GDP TO GROW 7.5% IN 2021, 10.1% IN 2022: UN

        In its mid-year report of the World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP), United Nations(UN) has increased India’s GDP growth forecast for the calendar year 2021 to 7.5 percent, a 0.2 percent increase from its earlier projection (January 2021 projection – 7.3 percent) following a contraction of 6.8 percent (-6.8) in 2020.

        The report forecasted India’s GDP to grow at 10.1 percent in 2022, becoming the fastest-growing major economy in the world.

 

4.WORLD FOOD PRIZE 2021

        Indian Descent Dr Shakuntala Harak singh Thilsted, a native of Trinidad and Tobago and a citizen of Denmark, won the 2021 World Food Prize for her research, insights and innovations in developing holistic, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture and food systems.

        She was born in 1949 on the Caribbean island of Trinidad.

        The award carries a cash prize of 250,000 USD (around Rs 1.8 crore).

        The award was announced by Barbara Stinson, President of the World Food Prize Foundation.

 

5.IREDA WON THE “GREEN URJA AWARD 2021”

        Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) under the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) won the Green Urja Award 2021 for its developmental role towards the Green Energy Financing.

        IREDA won the award for being the Leading Public Institution in Financing Institution for Renewable Energy.

        The award was conferred by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

 

6.NASA SPACECRAFT OSIRIS-REX HEADS FOR EARTH

        National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)’s Spacecraft Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx), started its 2-year long journey towards earth with the samples- rocks and dust -collected from the Asteroid Bennu.

        The Spacecraft will orbit the sun twice before delivering the samples to the Earth in September 2023.

        The Asteroid Bennu is located around 200 million miles (around 1.9 Astronomical Units) away from Earth.

 

7.“SHOOTER DADI” CHANDROTOMAR PASSED AWAY DUE TO COVID-19

        The 89-year-old sharpshooter ChandroTomar passed away in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh after suffering from COVID-19.

        ChandroTomar popularly known as “Shooter Dadi”, started her shooting career in her 60’s and was acclaimed as the World’s Oldest Women Shooter.

        The 2019 movie “Saand Ki Aankh” was based on the biography of ChandroTomar and PrakahiTomar (2nd oldest woman shooter in the world).

        BothChandroTomar and PrakahiTomar belong to Johri village of Uttar Pradesh.

 

8.INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY 2021

        The International Nurses Day (IND) 2021 is annually celebrated across the globe on May 12 to highlight the importance of nurses in healthcare and to appreciate their work towards healthcare.

        The International Nurses Day marks the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

        The theme of IND 2021 is Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare.