Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2018

Notes:
The 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine 2018 has started in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal on November 21. The theme of 4 day congress is “Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Himalayas”. The biennial event mainly focuses on science and research aspects of high altitude medicine. It will also include practical workshops related to trekking, expedition medicine and clinical education. More than 400 participants from 40 countries, including India, China, Japan, USA, England and Italy are attending the congress. The flagship event of the International Society for Mountain Medicine (ISMM) is being held first time in Nepal and hosted by Mountain Medicine Society of Nepal.

Notes:
The first-ever India Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue was held at St. Petersburg in Russia on November 25,2018. The Indian side is being led by NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar, with the Russian delegation headed by Economic Development Minister Maxim Oreshkin. The two-day forum is also expected to bring together key business figures from both countries. The participants will discuss the development of bilateral ties in trade, investment, technology and industry. Some of the key areas of focus are as follows: transport, agriculture and agro-processing, Small and Medium Enterprises, digital transformation and frontier technologies and industrial cooperation.

Notes:
Sameer Verma has clinched the 2018 Syed Modi International Badminton Championships. In the men’s singles final, he defeated China’s Guangzu Lu by 16-21, 21-19, 21-14 against China’s Guangzu Lu to retain the title. With this win, Verma sealed his spot in the BWF World Tour Finals. However, former champion Saina Nehwal lost in straight games to Han Yue of China in women’s singles summit clash. Men’s doubles pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and women’s doubles players Ashwini Ponnappa and Sikki Reddy also settled for silver in their respective finals.

Notes:
Renowned scientist Nageshwara Rao Guntur appointed as Chairperson of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for the period of 3 years. Guntur is the chairman at Project Design Safety Committee, Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and former distinguished scientist Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL). The mission of AERB is to ensure that the use of ionising radiation and nuclear energy in India does not cause undue risk to health and the environment. Its headquarters is located in Mumbai.

Notes:
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (IDEVAW) is observed every year on 25th of November to raise public awareness on issues of violence against women and girls, including how men and boys can play a more active role in eliminating this violence. The day also marks the start of the “16 Days of Activism”. The 2018 UN theme for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence under the UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign is “Orange the World: #HearMeToo”. The aim of #HearMeToo is to bring to the forefront the voices of women and girls who have survived violence, who are defending women’s rights every day and taking action, many of them very far away from the limelight or media headlines.

Notes:
On 26th November, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched a centralized electronic platform ‘PaiSA’ for processing interest subvention on bank loans to beneficiaries under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM). The web platform named “PAiSA – Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention Access”, has been designed and developed by Allahabad Bank which is the Nodal bank. All 35 states / UTs & all Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs), RRBs and Cooperative Banks are expected to be on board the PAiSA portal the year end.

Notes:
The Croatia Davis Cup team has won the 107th edition of the Davis Cup tennis tournament 2018. In the final at Lille’s Stade Pierre Mauroy, Marin Cilic clinched the title by defeating France’s Lucas Pouille 7-6(3) 6-3 6-3 to give his side a decisive 3-1 lead. This is Croatia’s second title. Their maiden victory happened in 2005 when they overcame Slovakia.

Notes:
The West Bengal Assembly has recently passed the West Bengal Green University (Amendment) Bill 2018 to rename the West Bengal Green University as Rani Rashmoni Green University. The decision to rename the university was taken to commemorate the 225th birth anniversary of Lokmata Rani Rashmoni. Rani Rashmoni had played an important role in the spread of education in the state. She was the founder of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Kolkata. Her other construction works include the construction of a road from Subarnarekha River to Puri for the pilgrims, Babughat (also known as Babu Rajchandra Das Ghat), Ahiritola Ghat and Nimtola Ghat for the everyday bathers at the Ganges. She also offered considerable charity to the Imperial Library (now the National Library of India), the Hindu College (now Presidency University).

Notes:
Lijo Jose Pellissery has been conferred the Best Director Award for his 2018 film ‘Ee.Ma.Yau’. The film is a stunning satire on death and how it affects human lives. The Best Director gets the Silver Peacock Award and a cash prize of Rs 1.5 million (Rs 15 lakhs). Beside this, the Best Actor (Male) Award has gone to Chemban Vinod for his portrayal in Ee.Ma.Yau of ‘Eeshi’, a son who tries to arrange a worthy funeral for his father but is met with unpredictable obstacles and reactions from different quarters. Similarly, the Best Actor (Female) Award has gone to Anastasiia Pustovit for her portrayal of a ‘Larysa’, a teenage girl in the Ukrainian film ‘When the Trees Fall’. Both Best Actor (Male) and Best Actor (Female) are honoured with the Silver Peacock Trophy and a cash prize of Rs 1 million (Rs 10 lakhs) each.

Notes:
The 13th edition of G20 summit 2018 will be held at Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina on November 30 under the theme ‘Building Consensus for Fair and Sustainable Development’. The annual meeting is being attended by leaders of the top 20 economies of the world and will cover the entire gamut of economic issues, including the agricultural sector reform, the challenges climate change poses and health-care issues faced by the world. From India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to highlight problems of oil price volatility which has a direct impact on the Indian economy in the G 20 platform. Digital revolution and skill India are also among the issues to be discussed during the summit.