This is the current affairs of 6th May 2023. Here are 10 questions and answers of daily current affairs for better preparation of competitive exams for government jobs.
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1. Who represented India at the coronation ceremony of King Charles?
a. Narendra Modi
b. Draupadi Murmu
c. Jagdeep Dhankhar
d. Rahul Gandhi
Answer: c. Jagdeep Dhankhar
– King Charles III of Britain was officially coronated on May 6th.
– The event was attended by heads of state from 100 countries.
– Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar represented India at the event.
– Dhankhar’s wife, Dr. Sudesh Dhankhar, also accompanied him to London.
– On the occasion of the coronation, the Vice President met with King Charles III, congratulated him, and reaffirmed the commitment to strengthen India-UK comprehensive strategic partnership.
Coronation months after becoming king
– In 2022, Queen Elizabeth passed away on September 8th, at the age of 96.
– After her death, Charles was proclaimed as the King of Britain.
– However, his coronation took place on May 6th, 2023.
– Similar to Charles, Elizabeth was also proclaimed as Queen after the death of her father, King Albert, but her coronation took place sixteen months later in June 1953.
Where was the coronation ceremony held?
– King Charles is now 74 years old.
– The coronation of Britain’s King Charles III took place at the Westminster Abbey in England.
– During the ceremony, his wife Camilla was given the title of Queen Consort of Britain.
– Camilla will be known as Queen Consort, although she will not have any constitutional powers.
– During the coronation, King Charles was seated on the 700-year-old St. Edward’s Chair.
– 12th-century gold spoons and holy oil were used for his anointing.
– After this, King Charles was crowned with St. Edward’s Crown.
Kohinoor Taj has been not used
– King Charles was crowned with the St. Edward’s Crown during the ceremony.
– During this time, the Koh-i-Noor diamond was supposed to be handed over to Queen Camilla, but the British Royal Family decided not to do so.
Britain
– PM: Rishi Sunak
Which countries is King Charles the head of state for?
– King Charles is not only the king of the United Kingdom (UK), but also of fourteen other countries. These fourteen countries are:
– Antigua and Barbuda
– Australia
– The Bahamas
– Belize
– Canada
– Grenada
– Tuvalu
– Jamaica
– New Zealand
– Saint Lucia
– Papua New Guinea
– Solomon Islands
– Saint Kitts and Nevis
– Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Note – In 2021, Barbados removed the current monarch as head of state and declared itself a republic. However, it remains a member of the Commonwealth.
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2. Where was the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held?
a. Delhi
b. Goa
c. Chandigarh
d. Mumbai
Answer: b. Goa
– This meeting was held in Goa on May 6th, 2023.
– Foreign Ministers of SCO member countries participated in it.
– During this, there was also a meeting between India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto.
– After the meeting, when Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto was asked about Zardari, Jaishankar said, “As a foreign minister of a SCO member country, he was treated like other members. But his arguments, which promote terrorism, justify it, and behave like a spokesperson for the terrorism industry (with apologies), were dismissed and this happened during the SCO meeting.”
SCO: Shanghai Cooperation Organization
– Formed in 2001.
– It is a political, economic, and security organization.
– Initially, there were six members in the SCO – Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.
– Later, India and Pakistan joined it.
– Eight members: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
– Four ‘observer countries’: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia
– Dialogue partners: Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Nepal, Egypt, Cambodia, Azerbaijan, Armenia
– In which state the SCO Summit 2023 will be held on July 3-4? – Goa
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3. In which country of Central Asia, a referendum was held to rewrite the constitution and the majority came in its support?
a. Kazakhstan
b. Uzbekistan
c. Kyrgyzstan
d. Turkmenistan
Answer: b. Uzbekistan
About Uzbekistan
– It is a landlocked country.
– It was a part of the Soviet Union.
– President: Shavkat Mirziyoyev
– Capital: Tashkent
– Languages: Russian and Uzbek
– Currency: Uzbek som
– Population: 35 million
– Neighboring countries: Afghanistan, Tajikistan, – Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan
– It is also the region where one can see liberal Islam.
– People are concerned about religious extremism from Afghanistan not spilling over into Uzbekistan.
Referendum
– A public opinion survey was conducted to rewrite the constitution of Uzbekistan.
– It was presented by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
– Approximately 65 percent of the constitution will be changed.
– The new draft constitution expands human rights and the freedom of Uzbekistan’s citizens.
– People were promised greater freedoms in the public opinion survey.
– The presidential term has been extended from five to seven years.
– The current president can remain in office for two more terms.
– This means that the public opinion survey was conducted to give Uzbekistan’s politics a new direction.
– Its result came on May 1, 2023.
– 90.21% of voters supported the changes.
Politics of Uzbekistan and changes from the referendum
– The current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev became president in 2016.
– Prior to him, the president was Islam Karimov, who was a dictator. He ruled from 1990 until 2016.
– During his reign, Uzbekistan, along with many Central Asian countries, was in a state of isolation from the rest of the world.
– Today, Western countries view President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as a reformer. He has made many changes.
– Many changes have been made. The economy has been opened up. Private investments have been made.
– Previously, the economy was quite closed. As a result, consumer spending was low.
Main points of the constitution amendment:
– Three important things have been discussed:
– The foreign policy of Uzbekistan has been explained.
– Now Uzbekistan will maintain good relations with every other country and strive to live peacefully.
– Until a few years ago, the countries in Central Asia were part of the Soviet Union.
– There used to be border disputes among them.
– There has also been a change in mentality. Even today, there is still influence from Russia because they were part of the Soviet Union.
– But since Russia attacked Ukraine, the attitude of Uzbekistan’s people towards Russia has changed.
– People do not like the fact that Russia attacked Ukraine.
– So the current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has given some freedom.
People happy with constitution amendment
– People here are happy with the referendum, especially women and girls who feel that the government is supporting education.
– They are getting job opportunities and financial guarantees as well.
Concerns about the President from the referendum
– There are concerns being raised about President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s term extension through a popular mandate.
– This area has seen many popular mandates in other countries for extending the President’s term in office.
– Under the new constitution, the President’s term has been extended from 5 to 7 years.
– Previously, it was said that a person could only be President twice.
– However, under the new constitution, the previous term limits will be zeroed out, meaning that President Shavkat Mirziyoyev can now serve for two terms again. In other words, he could be President until 2940.
– They are giving people some freedom here, freedom of speech is being granted, and private media is also developing, which was not there before.
Why is there fear about the President?
– People feel that they are getting freedom, but experts believe that if a powerful president stays in power for a long time, he may revert back to authoritarian attitudes.
– Because President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, in fact, was a supporter of former dictator Islam Karimov.
– Today, they have taken a different path from Karimov, but they were prime ministers during Karimov’s reign.
– There are 14 regions here, and governors of two of their regions have also been in Uzbekistan.
– In the coming days, there is concern that the situation may not recur.
Influence of China and India in Uzbekistan
– China has invested a lot here.
– This region is also important for India because it is a landlocked country.
– Since 2016, Uzbekistan has opened its economy to countries around the world, so there are big trade opportunities for India.
– President Mirziyoyev visited India in October 2018 and January 2019.
– A virtual summit was held between PM Narendra Modi and President Mirziyoyev in December 2020.
India-Uzbekistan Bilateral Trade
– According to a report by the Ministry of External Affairs, bilateral trade between India and Uzbekistan was $442.7 million in 2020. India exported $423 million and imported $19.7 million from Uzbekistan.
– India is providing assistance to Uzbekistan in several sectors such as textiles, IT, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, tourism, agriculture, e-governance, space cooperation, solar energy, and oil and gas sector.
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4. Which state/UT has been ranked as the most ‘innovative’ state in the National Manufacturing Innovation Survey (NMIS) 2021-22?
a. Tamil Nadu
b. Karnataka
c. Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu
d. Telangana
Answer: b. Karnataka
– After that, it’s Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu (DNH&DD), Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.
– The aim is to evaluate innovation performance among manufacturing firms in India.
– The study was conducted by the Science and Technology Department and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
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5. Which became the first top district in the country to be declared in the ODF (Open Defecation Free) Plus ranking?
a. Malappuram
b. Wayanad
c. Thiruvananthapuram
d. Kollam
Answer: b. Wayanad (district of Kerala)
– This report was released in May 2023.
What is ODF?
– ODF stands for Open Defecation Free.
– It is a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
– In the ODF Plus ranking under the three-star category of the Swachh Bharat Mission, Wayanad has secured the first position.
– According to The Hindu newspaper, Wayanad has scored 100 points in this ranking.
– Mancherial in Maharashtra has received 90.45 points and Anupur in Madhya Pradesh has received 88.79 points.
– The ODF Plus score was calculated for the panchayats and districts based on the ODF Plus progress report submitted by the villages by October 2022.
Kerala
– Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
– Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan
– Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
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6. Which country’s sprinter and former world champion Tori Bowie passed away on 2 May 2023?
a. America
b. Japan
c. India
d. Pakistan
Answer: a. America
– She passed away at the age of 32.
– Bowie died at her home in Orlando, Florida (USA).
– She won three medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
– Gold in the 400-meter relay
– Silver in the 100-meter relay
– Bronze in the 200-meter sprint
– She also won a gold medal in the 100-meter sprint and the 400-meter relay at the 2017 World Championships.
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7. Who has been elected as the new President of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC)?
a. Mark Nicholas
b. Sachin Tendulkar
c. Colin Cowdrey
d. Ricky Ponting
Answer: a. Mark Nicholas
– They will take the place of current chairman Stephen Fry.
– He will take over the responsibility of this post in October 2023.
– Mark Nicholas’ appointment was announced on May 3 at the MCC’s annual general meeting.
Mark Nicholas:
– He is a former English cricketer and a prominent commentator.
– He has scored more than 25,000 runs and taken 173 wickets in his nearly two-decade-long career.
About the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC):
– The MCC was established 236 years ago in 1787.
– In 1814, Lord’s Cricket Ground in London became its headquarters.
– The MCC creates the rules of cricket and also makes changes to them from time to time.
ICC also follows MCC rules
– Prior to the existence of ICC, cricket matches were played according to MCC rules.
– When ICC was formed in 1909, it also adopted the MCC rules and still applies them today.
– Until 1989, the MCC chairman and president held the top position in ICC as well.
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8. When is World Portuguese Language Day celebrated?
a. 4 May
b. 5 May
c. 2 May
d. 1 May
Answer: b. 5 May
– In the year 2019, the 40th session of the General Conference of UNESCO decided to declare May 5 of each year as “World Portuguese Language Day”.
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9. When was Vesak Day 2023 celebrated?
a. 4 May
b. 5 May
c. 6 May
d. 7 May
Answer: b. 5 May
– The proposal to celebrate the birthday of Lord Buddha as the Vesak Day was passed in the United Nations in 1999.
– It has also been celebrated by the United Nations since 2000.
About Lord Buddha:
– Gautama Buddha was born in Lumbini, near Kapilavastu, the capital of the Shakya kingdom in 563 BC.
– His name was Siddhartha before he renounced his worldly life.
– He married Yasodhara at the age of 16 and had a son named Rahul.
– One day, while encountering a sick person, an old person, and a dead person, Buddha realized the truth of life.
– He renounced his household life and took up asceticism at the age of 29.
– After six years of asceticism, he attained enlightenment under a peepal tree on the full moon night of Vesak in Gaya, Bihar, at the age of 35.
– He became known as Buddha, meaning “the awakened one.”
– The peepal tree under which he attained enlightenment is known as the Bodhi Tree.
– After attaining enlightenment, Buddha gave his first sermon in Sarnath, near Varanasi.
– He passed away at the age of 80 in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.
– The followers of the Buddhist religion refer to his death as Mahaparinirvana.
– Buddha was born on the day of Vesak, attained enlightenment on the same day, and passed away on the same day.
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10. When is World Athletics Day celebrated?
a. 7 May
b. 8 May
c. 9 May
d. 10 May
Answer: a. 7 May
– World Athletics Day started in the year 1996.
– This day is celebrated to encourage a variety of activities and to promote the importance of fitness and health.
world athletics
– Headquarters: Monaco
– Established: July 17, 1912