Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2018

Notes:
On August 21, Indian Shooter Sanjeev Rajput clinched a Silver in the men’s 50-metres Rifle 3 Positions event at the 18th Asian Games in Palembang on August 21, 2018. Rajput, who is already an Arjuna Awardee, has been making India proud since the 2006 Asian Games. His consistency and commitment are admirable.

Notes:
On August 22, the 9th edition of Mountain Echoes Literature Festival 2018 has started in Thimphu, Bhutan to serve as a collaborative platform for knowledge sharing, leading to global cultural potpourri of ideas. The 4-day Literature Festival began with a tribute to former Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was remembered at the annual event for his animated style of poetry recitations. It will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan. The 2018 edition will focus on subjects such as Spirituality and Philosophy, Performing Arts, Environmental Conservation, Food, as well as Film and Theatre, among others. The literary festival of Bhutan was established under the patronage of Her Majesty the Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck and is known for bringing together literary stalwarts from across the world in the lap of the Himalayas.

Notes:
Iran has launched its first state-of-the-art domestic fighter jet “Kowsar” at a defense show in Tehran on August 23, 2018. The jet is a fourth-generation fighter, with advanced avionics and multi-purpose radar. It is designed and manufactured by domestic military experts. It is dual-cockpit, single engine jet with single tail fin. It resembles US-made F-5F Tiger (first flew in 1974), which is variant of 1950s-era US Northrop F-5 fighter that is a long-time mainstay of Iranian Air Force. It can be used for short aerial support missions and is equipped with systems that promote precision targeting. The acronym “Kowsar” refers river in paradise in Islam and also the title of a chapter in the Koran.

Notes:
Prof Appa Rao Podile, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad (UoH), has been selected for the prestigious J C Bose Fellowship-2018 of Department of Science and Technology (DoST) by Government of India (GoI). The fellowship is given in recognition of his performance in the area of plant-microbe interactions in general and induced resistance in plants in particular. He has made significant contributions in three closely related areas of research that revolve around the recognition of pathogen-derived molecules by plants that activate defence response and contribute to improved health/yield. The J C Bose Fellow will receive a fellowship amount of Rs 25,000 per month and a research grant of Rs 15 lakh per annum and is provided initially for a period of 5 years. The fellowship can be extended beyond five years based on performance during the first five year tenure.

Notes:
The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched a wind- sensing satellite “Aeolus” into orbit from French Guyana to track global winds. The satellite will be placed at an altitude of 320 Km above the Earth. The launch is part of the Copernicus project, a joint effort by the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA) to track environmental damage and assist disaster relief operations. The “Aeolus” satellite – named after the keeper of the winds in Greek mythology – is designed to enable improved weather forecasting and aid disaster relief operations. It is equipped with a Doppler wind LIDAR – an advanced laser system designed to measure global wind patterns from space. Aeolus, which is built by Airbus, will be the first satellite equipped to perform global wind-component-profile observation on a daily basis in near real-time.

Notes:
On August 23, the International Water Colour Festival 2018 has started at Audrey House in Ranchi, which is organized by the Jharkhand Art Culture and Tourism Department in Audrey House. The aim of the 5-day fest is to bring local artists in touch with the international art and promote the rich art and culture of Jharkhand. During the water colour festival, the visiting artists will interact with school students and local artists on various themes including “nature” and “modern/abstract”. Approx 56 internationally renowned artists — from 24 countries and 25 Indian states are participating in the festival. The list of artists from different countries include names like Anna Massinissa (Fabriano), Zhou Tianya and Mong Sho (China), the Indian art diaspora in the festival will be represented by Milind Mulick, Sailesh Meshram, Nirupam Konwar, Ramesh Jhawar and Praween Karmaker, among others.

Notes:
Renowned aerospace scientist Dr G Satheesh Reddy, who is scientific adviser to the Defence minister, has been appointed new chairman of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) for a period of two years. He will also be secretary in the Department of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D) for the same period. The post of DRDO chief was lying vacant since May 2018 after the then Chief Dr. S. Christopher stepped down. Dr. Reddy is the first defence scientist working in India to receive the Silver Medal of Royal Aeronautical Society, UK, and has also been selected for the first IEI (India) and IEEE (USA) joint award for Engineering Excellence.

Notes:
On August 23, the annual festival at Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil has started in Jaffna, Sri Lanka with the sacred flag hoisting ceremony and is attracting thousands of Hindu pilgrims from within the country and abroad. During the 25-day festival, thousands of Tamil Hindu devotees will attend the rituals in worship of Lord Murugan, Valli and Devanai Amman. The colourful festival includes vibrant chariot processions, rhythmic drumming, dancing and acts of self-mortification. The Ther Thiruvila (chariot festival) is the most popular of all events is very colourful.

Notes:
The multi-nation counter-terror exercise Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2018 has started at Chebarkul, Russia on August 24 to provide an opportunity to the armed forces of SCO nations to train in counter terrorism operations in urban scenario in a multinational and joint environment. The scope of the exercise includes professional interaction, mutual understanding of drills & procedures, establishment of joint command and control structures and elimination of terrorist threat in urban counter terrorist scenario. It will be for the first time since Independence that India and Pakistan will both be part of a military exercise, though the armies of the two nations have worked together in UN peace keeping missions. All 8 SCO member nations – Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan – are participating in this exercise.

Notes:
Prasar Bharati has recently signed MoU with Mizzima Media Group of Myanmar to realize cooperation and collaboration in broadcasting and content sharing. The agreement was signed in the presence of Prasar Bharati CEO, Shashi Shekhar Vempati and Editor-in-chief and MD, Mizzima in New Delhi. The agreement will realize cooperation and collaboration in broadcasting and envisions content-sharing covering a wide range of genres, including culture, entertainment, education, science, news and sports along with other areas of mutual interest.