Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2018

Notes:
The Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) will form new government in Bhutan after the party winning 30 seats in 47 member National Assembly, the lower house of the parliament. The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) has got remaining 17 seats. This is the first time in Bhutan’s decade old parliamentary democracy that a new party has been chosen to form the government. According to the Election Commission of Bhutan, 71.46% polling was recorded in the third general election. DNT President Dr. Lotay Tshering won from South Thimphu constituency with a huge margin and vowed to work for “nation building” in the country which is battling high foreign debt, mainly owed to India, as well as youth employment, rural poverty and criminal gangs.

Notes:
President Ram Nath Kovind has inaugurated a 3-day ‘Vishwa Shanti Ahimsa Sammelan (VSAS-2018)’ at Mangi Tungi in Nashik district of Maharashtra on October 22. The VSAS, which is also known as World peace and ahimsa conference, has been organised by Bhagwan Rishabhdev Murti Nirmaan Samiti. The President will also give away the first international ‘Bhagwan Rishabhdev Award’ to Teerthanker Mahaveer University based in Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. The award, which carries a cash prize of Rs. 11 lakh, a memento and a citation, will be given to the chancellor of the university, Suresh Jain. President Kovind will also release a book, titled ‘Sarvoccha Digambar Jain Pratima’, on the occasion. Thousands of people from different parts of the country are expected to take part in the conference.

Notes:
The parliamentary standing committee on labour, which is headed by BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, will examine the functioning of retirement fund body Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), its coverage and recovery of arrears. It will review the implementation of labour laws, social security and welfare scheme for workers. The committee has selected a wide range of subjects related to labourers, including the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions binding on India and the measures taken by the government to implement them. It will also look into the working conditions and welfare of mine workers, and review the working of Directorate General of Mines Safety.

Notes:
The book “Nehru and Bose: Parallel Lives” has been authored by Rudrangshu Mukherjee. It brings to light the riveting story of two contrasting personalities – Subhas Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru – who would go on to define modern India. It tracks the growth of these two towering figures against the backdrop of the independence movement, delicately tracing the contours of a friendship that did not quite blossom as political ideologies diverged and delineates the shadow that fell between them for, Gandhi saw Nehru as his chosen heir and Bose as a prodigal son.

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The Sittwe Port is a deepwater port at the mouth of the Kaladan River in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State in Myanmar. The port was constructed by India in 2016. Recently, it in news because India and Myanmar inked a crucial MoU for the appointment of a private Port Operator for the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of Sittwe Port, Paletwa Inland Water Terminal and associated facilities included in the Kaladan Multi Model Transit Transport Project (KMMTTP) in implementation of India’s Act East Policy. That pact will boost connectivity and help in creating local job opportunities as the two sides discussed bilateral issues as well as topics of common interest, including developments in the strife-torn Rakhine state. The Sittwe port will connect India’s landlocked north-east region to the Bay of Bengal through Mizoram. It will also provide an alternate route to Kolkata.

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Japanese-born Marine biologist Osamu Shimomura (90), who won the 2008 Nobel Prize in chemistry, has passed away in Nagasaki, Japan on 19th October 2018. Shimomura and two American scientists shared the 2008 Nobel prize for the discovery and development of a jellyfish protein (or Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)) that later contributed to cancer studies. He was born in northern Kyoto in 1928 and studied in Nagasaki, where he survived the Aug. 9, 1945, U.S. atomic bombing at age 16. In 1960, he moved to Princeton University, where he isolated the protein in samples of thousands of jellyfish taken from the U.S. West Coast. The protein known as GFP lets off a glow when it is illuminated with ultraviolet light and has become a key tool in studying biological processes in cells.

Notes:
The 2018 WETEX (Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition) has started at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Dubai from October 23. It is considered as one of the leading sustainability exhibitions in the Middle East and North Africa region. More than 40 Indian exhibitors having expertise in the field of water, solar and renewable energy, electrical, oil and gas, wire and cables etc. are participating in the three-day exhibition. The India Pavilion at WETX 2018 is in line with the vision and commitment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have sustainable and inclusive growth for all with access to clean water, electricity and housing. The 2018 WETEX shows the latest solutions in conventional and renewable energy, water, sustainability, and conservation.

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The joint military training exercise ‘Druzhba (Friendship)-III’ has started between the armies of Russia and Pakistan in the mountains of northwestern Pakistan, which will continue till November 4. The servicemen from the two countries’ armed forces will perform tasks at the altitude of 1,400 meters above the sea level. The purpose of the 15-days exercise is to boost ties between the two militaries and swap experience, especially in field of counterterrorism. This is third exercise as part of the Pakistan-Russia bilateral training cooperation. The exercise will include the destruction of conditional fighters (terrorists).

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The 15th edition of International Dance Festival “Udbhav Utsav 2018” was held in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh from October 20-25. It was inaugurated by Uzbekistan Ambassador to India Farhod Arziev. The main purpose of the competition-festival is to give opportunity to performers for creative communications, to present new talents and to facilitate acquaintance with pieces of national culture and arts in different countries. The dance troupes from Bulgaria, Turkey and Sri Lanka, apart from 25 teams from India, participated in the event.

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Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Minister for Women and Child Development will inaugurate the 5th edition of the Women of India Organic Festival on October 26 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi to boost organic culture and promote Women Organic Farmers and Entrepreneurs. The 10- Days long Organic festival will have producers and manufacturers of Organic Products from 26 Indian States. Over 500 women entrepreneurs from Leh to Kanyakumari and from Kohima to Kutch, will come together with their organic products including 1,200 varieties of rice, several varieties of millets, cereals, pulses, spices, chilli chocolates, marmalades, chutneys, juices, dry fruits, organic ice creams, ready-to-eat meals and snacks, mushrooms, herbs, cosmetics, water hyacinth crafts, etc. In addition to the organic extravaganza on offer, there will also be cultural performances during the 10-day festival, focusing on folk music and dance. Visitors will be able to enjoy and be a part of soulful Baul music and scintillating performances from the North-East, Punjab and Rajasthan, to name a few. To make the organic movement more accessible to public, the Ministry has changed the venue for the 2018 edition to IGNCA and has kept Entry and Parking Free for All.