Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2018

Notes:
Aretha Franklin (76), the legendary US singer and pianist, has passed away in Michigan, U.S on August 16, 2018. The “Queen of Soul” was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and made her debut in 1961. Her style on such hits as “Respect” and “Natural Woman” attracted fans all over the world. She received the Grammy Award 18 times and was the first female vocalist to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Franklin performed at the inaugurations of three Presidents of the United States — Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

Notes:
Using data from the Chandrayaan-I spacecraft, that was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2008, NASA Scientists have confirmed the presence of frozen water deposits in the darkest and coldest parts of the Moon’s polar regions. Scientists used data from NASA’s Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument aboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft to identify three specific signatures that definitively prove there is water ice at the surface of the Moon. According to the study published in the journal PNAS, the ice deposits are patchily distributed and could possibly be ancient. The study said with enough ice sitting at the surface within the top few millimetres water would possibly be accessible as a resource for future expeditions to explore and even stay on the Moon. Most of the newfound water ice lies in the shadows of craters near the poles, where the warmest temperatures never reach above minus 156 degrees Celsius. Due to the very small tilt of the Moon’s rotation axis, sunlight never reaches these regions.

Notes:
The 2018 International Buddhist Conclave (IBC) will be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind with theme “Buddha Path – The Living Heritage” in New Delhi on August 23. The aim of the conclave is to showcase Buddhist Heritage in India and boost tourism. It is being organized by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the State Governments of Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh at New Delhi and Ajanta (Maharashtra), followed by site visits to Rajgir, Nalanda and Bodhgaya (Bihar) and Sarnath (Uttar Pradesh). The Ministerial level delegation from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka will participate in the conclave along with delegates from the 29 countries participating in the International Buddhist Conclave including US, UK, Russia, Japan, Germany and France. Japan would be the partner Country for the 2018 Buddhist conclave.

Notes:
On August 21, the Chhattisgarh government has decided to re-name state’s new capital city of Naya Raipur as “Atal Nagar” in memory of late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It has also been decided to develop an “Atal Memorial” in an area of five acres at state’s new capital. Besides, many institutions, including Bilaspur University and Rajnandgaon Medical College, will be named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The state government has also decided to name a battalion of state police force as “Pokharan battalion”. The chief minister said it has also been decided to install a statue of former Prime Minister in the state capital and district headquarters of all the 27 districts. The state capital Naya Raipur, a most modern smart city, has been developed at a cost of more than Rs 10,000 crore.

Notes:
The first-ever International Day of Remembrance and tribute to the Victims of Terrorism is observed by United Nations on 21st August 2018 to honour the innocent victims of terror attacks around the world, who will forever remain in our hearts. As per resolution 72/165 (2017), the international day will serve as a reminder to stop and listen to the victims and survivors of terrorism, to raise up their voices and recognize the impact terrorism has on their lives.

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:
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:
Vijay Chavan (63), the veteran Marathi actor who was known for his comic roles, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on August 24, 2018. The actor, who featured in more than 350 films, is best remembered for his comic roles in Marathi films such as ‘Jatra’, ‘Zapatlela’, ‘Pachadlele’, ‘Mumbaicha Dabewala’ and ‘Shrimanta Damodar Panta’, among others. Beside films, he also featured in numerous plays. He is best known for the his role of Mavshi in the famous Marathi Stage drama “Moruchi Mavshi”. This comedy play was penned by Pralhad Keshav Atre.

Notes:
The world’s first blockchain bond “bond-i” has recently launched by World Bank (WB), which is to be created, allocated, transferred and managed through its life cycle using distributed ledger technology. The “bond-I” stands for Blockchain Operated New Debt Instrument and is also has reference to Sydney’s most famous beach ‘Bondi Beach’. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia is the sole arranger of the issuance for the bond. It was the first time that the World Bank bond raised capital from public investors through a legally valid bond issuance that uses blockchain from start to finish. This 2-year maturity bond has successfully raised 110 million Australian dollars (USD 80.48 million). The World Bank, whose bonds hold an AAA rating, regularly uses its borrowing power to help develop new bond markets as well as pioneering new means for selling and trading the securities. The bond-i blockchain platform was built and developed by the CBA Blockchain Centre of Excellence, housed in the Sydney Innovation Lab.

Notes:
On August 24, the National Electoral Transformation (NETA) mobile application has been launched by former President Pranab Mukherjee wherein voters can review and rate their elected representatives (MPs& MLAs) as well as hold them accountable. Apart from this, the application is being seen as an instrument to track voter sentiment across various constituencies in India. The purpose of app is to foster political accountability by being an indicator of the ways in which a leader’s performance is being perceived. To ensure participation, the app requires a combination of mediums like the app itself, IVR calls, SMS and even offline activation leveraging ASHA and anganwadi workers to collate data on evolving political inclinations. The app is the brainchild of an entrepreneur Pratham Mittal and is inspired by the US approval system.