Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2018

Notes:
The World Pneumonia Day (WPD) is observed every year on 12th of November to promote interventions to protect against, prevent, and treat pneumonia and to highlight proven approaches and solutions in need of additional resources and attention. Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of deaths in children under five years old despite being easily preventable and treatable. Although vaccines and other preventative efforts are decreasing the burden of the disease, much more work is still required. Those living in poor communities are at highest risk of pneumonia. Every child, regardless of where they are born, deserves access to lifesaving vaccines and medicines. The 2018 theme is ‘Stop Pneumonia: Invest in Child Health’.

Notes:
In Himachal Pradesh, the 26th edition of Central and State Statistical Organizations(COCSSO) Conference was held at Dharamshala with theme “Quality Assurance in Official Statistics” on 15th and 16th November 2018. It was organized by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) in collaboration with Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of Himachal Pradesh. The COCSSO is an annual conference which provides a platform for the Central and State statisticians to exchange views and discuss common issues relating to statistical activities.

Notes:
The National Education Day (NED) is celebrated every year in India on 11th of November to commemorate the birth anniversary of great freedom fighter, educationist & social reformer Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. He was also the independent India’s first education minister (served from 1947 to 1958). In 1912, he started a weekly journal in Urdu called Al-Hilal to increase the revolutionary recruits. For his contribution – both as an educationist as a freedom fighter – he was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1992. He is also responsible in establishing most of the major cultural and literary academies including the Sangeet Natak Academy, Lalit Kala Academy, Sahitya Academy as well as the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The first IIT, IISc, School of Planning and Architecture and the University Grants Commission were established under his tenure. The day also observes to strengthen India’s educational institutions and to raising the quality of education.

Notes:
After Maharashtra and Gujarat, Punjab has become the India’s third state to legally ban hookah bars or lounges. The ban was announced through a law after President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 recently. The purpose of bringing the law is to check the use of tobacco in various forms and prevent diseases caused by the use of the tobacco products. As per available data, an hour’s average of hookah includes 20-200 puffs, delivering 50 litres of smoke contain, hazardous and carcinogenic chemicals. The smoking of hookah increases health risks includes exposure to toxic chemicals that are not filtered out by the water, and also the risk of infectious disease like tuberculosis resulting from sharing a hookah.

Notes:
The Kerala Infrastructure and Technology for Education (KITE) has rolled out its Online Open Learning training platform ‘KOOL’. The platform can be used to train teachers, students and the general public. It is a six week course, which includes many features for learners in the form of animated learning assistants, video tutorials and check lists for practicing the activities. The other features includes creation of word documents, spreadsheet, presentation, image editing, video-audio editing, development of digital resources, Malayalam typing, internet, educational applications. KOOL has been designed in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) model. It is compulsory for teachers to successfully complete 45 hours of computer course in order to clear their probation. Teachers who successfully complete the course would be awarded certificates.

Notes:
Kim Jong Yang, a South Korean police officer, has been elected the new President of Interpol for a two-year term. He succeeded Meng Hongwei of China. The decision was taken at the 87th General Assembly of the Agency in Dubai, UAE. The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is the international organization that facilitates international police cooperation. Its’ headquarters is located at Lyo, France. Its work focuses primarily on public safety and battling transnational crimes against humanity, child pornography, cybercrime, drug trafficking, environmental crime, genocide, etc.

Notes:
India has slipped two positions to rank 53rd among 63 nations at the 5th edition of the IMD World Talent Ranking 2018, which is recently released by IMD Business School, Switzerland. The rankings are based on three factors: Investment and Development, Appeal, and Readiness. These factors include indicators that capture the resources invested in developing local talent, the extent to which a country attracts and retains talent, and the quality of skills available in the talent pool. Switzerland has topped the global ranking for the fifth year in a row, it is followed by Denmark, Norway, Austria and the Netherlands in the top-five. At 6th place, Canada is the only non-European nation in the top-ten, which also includes Finland (7th), Sweden (8th), Luxembourg (9th), and Germany (10th).

Notes:
Ustad Imrat Khan, the noted Indian classical musician, has passed away in US. He dedicated his life to propagating the Sitar and the surbahar worldwide. In 2017, he famously turned down the Padma Shri saying the recognition had come too late and diminished his achievements. Imrat Khan toured the world with his music and performed at the Cannes Film Festival in 1970 for a Merchant-Ivory partnership. He was also a regular at various music festivals in India. He belonged to the illustrious Etawa gharana (or the Imdadkhani Gharana), named after his grandfather Ustad Imdad Khan. The gharana is one of the oldest in India with a musical legacy of over 400 years and traces its roots to Agra.

Notes:
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has been honoured with the third Sayaji Ratna Award 2018 at Vadodara for his social contribution to pay off the loans of several farmers from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. He had helped 1,398 farmers from Uttar Pradesh and 350 from Maharashtra through his contribution. The award was established in 2013 to mark the 151st birth anniversary of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the erstwhile ruler of Baroda. This award is given annually to living legends of India.It recognizes the personality of the iconic character and outstanding contribution in the realms of business, sports, arts, humanity, education, governance and medicine.

Notes:
The India Skills Report 2017 on employment scenario presents a quantitative and qualitative analysis of demand and supply in the labour market. The report takes stock of the talent landscape by analysing the employability of youth and the needs and expectations of employers. Currently in its fourth edition, it also captures various initiatives taken by the government and its impact on economic growth. The report is a joint initiative by Confederation of Indian Industry, PeopleStrong, Wheebox, UNDP and AICTE.