Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2018

Notes:
UNESCO has included the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (KBR) in the list of World Network of Biosphere Reserve (WNBR) at the 30th Session of the Man and Biosphere International Coordinating Council (ICC) in Palembang, Indonesia. With this, KBR has now become the India’s 11th internationally designated WNBR and joined the list of other biospheres such as Nandadevi, Simlipal, Sunderbans, Nokrek , Pachmarhi and Nilgiri. The reserve, which is located in Sikkim, includes a range of ecoclines varying from subtropical to arctic, as well as vast natural forests in different biomes that support an immensely rich diversity of forest types and habitats resulting in high species diversity and endemism. The core zone of the biosphere alone has over 150 glaciers and 73 glacial lakes, the prominent one being the famous 26-km-long Zemu glacier. It is home to a number of globally threatened fauna including musk deer, snow leopard, red panda and Himalayan Tahr and many ethnic communities including Lepcha, Nepalese, and Bhutia.

Notes:
The 4th edition of National Handloom Day (NHD-2018) is celebrated every year in India on August 7 to honour Indian handloom weavers and celebrate the rich cultural legacy of handlooms in the country. The handloom industry is one of the largest cottage industries in India. It provides direct and indirect employment to thousands of people across regions. The 7th of August has been chosen to celebrate the day due to its special significance in India’s history. It was on this day that the Swadeshi Movement was launched in 1905. The movement involved revival of domestic products and production processes.

Notes:
NDA candidate Harivansh Narayan Singh has been elected as the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha after defeating opposition nominee B K Hariprasad on 9th August 2018. Mr Harivansh, a veteran journalist, represents the state of Bihar in the House as a JD(U) member. He polled 125 votes as against 105 by Hariprasad in a division of voting in the House.The post of Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman was lying vacant since the retirement of P J Kurien on July 1, 2018.

Notes:
Mathrubhumi, the leading media group of Kerala, has launched its new venture ‘Mathrubhumi Media School’ in Kochi on August 8, 2018. The purpose of the school is to promote excellence in the field of media, and to infuse broad knowledge, integrity and social commitment. It offers several comprehensive courses for an aspiring journalist, with a distinguished faculty dedicated to training the next generation of focused journalists in the state -of- the – art facilities the Group has within its media network and at other media establishments. The year-long programme includes hands-on media exposure, projects and assignments specially focused on experiential learning through field experience, collaboration with leading media houses for training and 2 months internship for students. Mathrubhumi, which is a Malayalam newspaper, was founded in 1922 by K P Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British.

Notes:
The Wipro Consumer Care & Lighting will offer 3-year Santoor women’s scholarship for higher education to girls from economically weaker families in the three southern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Approx 900 girls from the 3 states will be given Santoor scholarship, with Rs 24,000 for each of them per annum to do under-graduation.. The students can apply for the scholarship on “www.santoorscholarships.com” till September 15 or in state-run colleges across the three states. The scholarship is an attempt to empower women to change their life and the world. Enrollment ratio of women pursuing higher education in the country is low and many give up higher study due to lack of financial support. Santoor is the leading brand name of Wipro’s toilet soap.

Notes:
The Nepal-India Literature Festival 2018 was held in Birgunj, Nepal on August 12 to strengthen Indo-Nepal ties. On this occasion, the renowned writers from both the countries were also felicitated. Approx 250 participants from India and Nepal attended the two day festival. The event was organized by Nepal India Co-operation Forum.

Notes:
The Indian Army has launched the major rescue and relief operation “Operation Sahyog” at Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Idukki after incessant rain and landslides hit various northern districts of Kerala. The army constructed temporary bridges for the evacuations of the stranded people from the isolated villages. Apart from the Army, the Southern Naval Command of Indian Navy has also launched ‘Operation Madad’ to assist the state administration and undertake disaster relief operations due to unprecedented flooding in many parts of Kerala following incessant rainfall and release of excess water from Idukki and other dams. Naval helicopters are also deployed for ferrying divers, power tools, axes and relief material to the flooded areas to augment ongoing relief operations.

Notes:
On August 12, the US space agency NASA has successfully launched the Parker Solar Probe mission to send a satellite closer to the Sun than any before. The rocket carrying the Parker Solar Probe lifted off from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida in the US. It is the world’s first mission to touch the Sun that will unlock the mysteries of star’s fiery outer atmosphere and its effects on space weather during the 7-year long journey. The car-sized spacecraft will travel directly into the Sun’s atmosphere, about four million miles from its surface and more than 7 times closer than any spacecraft has come before. The US $1.5 billion mission will perform the closest-ever observations of a star when it travels through the Sun’s outer atmosphere, called the corona. It is the first space craft to be named after a living person – astrophysicist Eugene Parker (91), who first described solar wind in 1958.

Notes:
Somnath Chatterjee (89), the former Lok Sabha Speaker & veteran leader, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on August 13, 2018. Mr. Chatterjee was the Speaker in the first five-year term (2004-2009) of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and was elected to the Parliament’s Lower House ten times since 1971. He joined Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) in 1968 and was a member till his expulsion in 2008. He was expelled from CPI-M in July 2008 for refusing to resign as Speaker after CPI-M withdrew support from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. After that, he was independent in the last decade of his life.

Notes:
The World Organ Donation Day (WODD) is observed every year on August 13 to encourage people to donate their precious organs. Every year, about 5 lakh people die awaiting organ transplants due to non-availability of organs. There is a wide gap between the number of transplants awaited and the organs available. Organ donation is a process where an organ is transferred from the body of the one who is giving the organ (donor) to the one who needs the organ (recipient). The donor can be living or deceased. Organs that can be donated are kidney, lungs, heart, eye, liver, pancreas, cornea, small intestine, skin tissues, bone tissues, heart valves and veins.