Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2018

Notes:
On November 6, Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has renamed the newly-constructed Ekana International Cricket Stadium after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The stadium will now be known as ‘Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium’ . It has a seating capacity of around 50,000 and will host its first international match on November 6, when the 2nd Twenty-20 match between India and the West Indies will be played in the stadium in Lucknow . Hence, Lucknow will host the first international match after 24 years. The stadium was named after Vajpayee, as the former prime minister was a Member of Parliament from Lucknow for five consecutive times between 1991 and 2009 .

Notes:
The 25th edition of bilateral maritime exercise “SIMBEX-18” has started between the Navies of the Republic of Singapore and India from 10th to 21st November 2018 off Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal. The SIMBEX 2018 will be the largest edition since 1994 in terms of scale and complexity. The initial harbour phase will be held at Port Blair, the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 10 to 12 November followed by Sea Phase from 12 to 16 November in the Andaman Sea. The second harbour phase from 16 to 19 November will be held at Visakhapatnam – ‘the City of Destiny’. The final sea phase would be held in the Bay of Bengal from 19 to 21 November. The 2018 edition marks the Silver Jubilee of Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX). To mark the historical occasion, both navies are undertaking exercises over an extended geography. The 25th edition will witness a diverse range of exercises at sea ranging from live weapon drills including Heavy Weight Torpedo (HWT), advanced Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) exercises, integrated Surface and Anti-Air Warfare (AAW); Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations and Cross Deck Helicopter flying among others.

Notes:
The 33rd edition of ASEAN summit 2018 has started in the city-state of Singapore on November 11 with theme ‘Resilient and innovative Asean’. The main event is being held at Suntec Singapore Convention Centre, wherein the ten ASEAN members will be discussing key issues on economic, security and cultural cooperation. The summit is being chaired by Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Besides the main event, several related meetings like Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), East Asia Summit (EAS) and Fintech Festival are also taking place during the 5-day event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the East Asia Summit and Associated meetings of ASEAN on 14th and 15th November in Singapore. In the biggest of its kind event more than 400 companies from over 100 countries are taking part as exhibitors.

Notes:
The Republic of Palau, an archipelago found in the western Pacific Ocean, has become the world’s first nation to ban the use of sunscreens that have been deemed harmful to coral reefs and ocean life. The ban, which will come into force by 2020, has been signed into law by the Palau government. These sunscreens are made from “reef-toxic” chemicals such as oxybenzone, octinoxate and triclosan. These chemicals causes corals to bleach at lower temperatures, and it reduces their resilience to climate change. Palau is home to just 21,000 people but has a booming tourism and fishing industry. It contains approximately 340 islands, forming the western chain of the Caroline Islands in Micronesia, and has an area of 466 square km.

Notes:
The National Legal Services Day (NLSD) is celebrated every year on 9th of November in India to ensure reasonable fair and justice procedure for all citizens. It was first started by Supreme court of India (SCI) in the year 1995 to provide help and support to poor and weaker sections of the society. The Article 39A of Constitution provides free legal assistance to the poor and weaker sections of the society. It directs the State to ensure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on a basis of equal opportunity and shall, in particular, provide free legal aid by suitable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities. The Right to free legal aid or free legal service is an essential fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. It forms the basis of reasonable, fair and just liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which says, “No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law”.

Notes:
On November 12, The 17th ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council Meeting was held in Singapore as part of the 33rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summit Meetings. Apart from taking stock of regional economic integration efforts during the year, it also reiterated ASEAN’s commitment to free and open trade by deepening the integration of its economies and realising the AEC Blueprint 2025. The blueprint seeks sustained and long-term growth for the ASEAN region. The meeting was attended by the ASEAN Economic Ministers and AEC Ministers. They signed the ASEAN Agreement on e-Commerce, Concluded the ASEAN Trade in Services Agreement (ATISA) and Finalised the 4th Protocol to Amend the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA).

Notes:
On November 14, the 38th India International Trade Fair (IITF) has started at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi with theme – Rural Enterprises in India. The 14-day annual event will continue till 27th of this month. Afghanistan is the Partner Country, while Nepal will be the Focus Country. Jharkhand is participating as a Partner State in the event. Around 800 participants from States and Government Departments, domestic and International companies are taking part to showcase their product. For the general public, the trade fair will open from 18th to 27th of November. During a public holiday, the price of the ticket will be Rs.120 for adult and Rs. 60 for the child. While during working days, the ticket charges will be Rs. 60 for adult and 40 rupees for the child.

Notes:
On November 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated India’s first multi-modal terminal on the Ganga river in his parliamentary constituency in Varanasi and received the country’s first container cargo transported on inland waterways from Kolkata. This is the first of the four multi-modal terminals being constructed on the National Waterway-1 (River Ganga) as part of the World Bank-aided ‘Jal Marg Vikas Project’ of the Inland Waterways Authority of India. The total estimated cost of the project is Rs 5,369.18 crore, which will be equally shared between the Government of India and the World Bank. The aim of the Centre’s Jal Marg Vikas Project is to develope the stretch of the river between Varanasi and Haldia for navigation of large vessels weighing up to 1,500 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes. Its objective is to promote inland waterways as a cheap and an environment-friendly means of transportation, especially for cargo movement. The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the project implementing agency.

Notes:
Delhi Police has recently launched e-learning portal ‘Nipun’ to impart in-service training and provide up to date information to police officers. The purpose of the e-learning portal is to impart online training and information through specialized courses designed by experts. It will benefit the police officers investigating various cases by providing online resource and information on law, standing orders, investigation checklists, forms for case files, latest High Court and Supreme Court rulings. Many of the courses have been developed in-house while others have been made in collaboration with the University Grant Commission (UGC), FICCI, NHRC, NCPCR, and Janaki Devi Memorial College, Delhi University (DU) under the project “The Collaborative Learning and Partnership” (CLAP).

Notes:
South African president Cyril Ramaphosa will be chief guest at the 2019 Republic Day parade of India. With this, Ramaphosa would become 2nd leader from his country to attend the event. Former president Nelson Mandela was the chief guest at the 1995 parade. An anti-apatheid activist and a Mahatma Gandhi follower, Ramaphosa became the 5th president of South Africa after the resignation of Jacob Zuma in December 2017. In April 2018, he led around 5,000 people at the annual ‘Gandhi Walk’ event in Lenasia near Johannesburg, to promote community awareness and fitness. Hence, the move to invite Ramaphosa also coincides with Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary. South Africa is also a key BRICS association partner for India. Generally, chief guests of the parade are heads of states of countries that are strategically important to India, or heads of neighbouring countries.