Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2018

Notes:
The International Conference on Status and Protection of Coral Reefs (STAPCOR 2018) was held at Bangaram Island, Lakshadweep with theme “Reef for Life” from October 22-24. It was organised by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in co-ordination with the local administration. The Conference highlighted the importance of coral reefs and the need for its protection, emphasising on converting science into adequate policies for conservation. Around 150 delegates from the US, UK, Kuwait, Italy, France, Maldives and Sri lanka participated in this mega event.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Singapore in June 2018 on the constitution of a Joint Working Group (JWG) on FinTech. As per the pact, both countries will improve their regulatory connect to exchange best practices by sharing experience on policies and regulations related to fintech. The JWG will encourage collaboration of entrepreneurs and startups of both countries and develop fintech solutions for business/financial sectors. The MoU will benefit both countries to excel in the fields of development of Application Programming Interfaces (APls), Regulatory Sandbox, security in payment and digital cash flow. The collaboration will also lead to integration of RuPay-Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS), UPI-FAST payment link, Aadhaar Stack and e-KYC in ASEAN region and cooperation on regulations, solutions for financial markets and insurance sector. It will also encourage cooperation between India and Singapore on digital governance, financial inclusion and partnership in the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN) agenda.

Notes:
The Hindu’s Mumbai-based correspondent Jyoti Shelar has won the first place in the English category of Schizophrenia Research Foundation’s (SCARF) media for mental health reporting award 2018 in Anna Nagar, Chennai. Her report on suicides by farmers and the resultant impact on the mental health of their families won her the award. The other two winners of the award are S Ramanathan of ‘The Newsminute’ and Disha Shetty of ‘The Wire’. In the Tamil category, Usha Narayanan’s interview with a medical professional on addressing issues due to domestic problems and N. Maheswari’s review of a documentary film on autism were chosen for awards.

Notes:
Clara Sosa from Paraguay has been crowned the Miss Grand International 2018 (MGI) at the sixth edition of the pageant held in Myanmar. In it, Meenakshi Chaudhary from India has been crowned the first runner-up & Indonesia’s Nadia Purwoko was declared the second runner-up. Sosa succeeded MGI 2017 Maria Jose Lora of Peru. It is a beauty contest that aims to participate in creating peace and stopping war.

Notes:
India’s Sourav Kothari defeated Peter Gilchrist of Singapore 1134-944 to clinch the 2018 World Billiards Championship title at Leeds in UK. The former national and Asian Billiards champion Kothari was pipped at the post for the coveted World Billiards crown on two occasions in the last two years, including a loss to Gilchrist in the 2016 final in Bengaluru.

Notes:
The researchers at IIT-Madras have designed and booted up India’s first indigenously developed microprocessor that can be used in mobile computing devices, embedded low power wireless systems and networking systems besides reducing reliance on imported microprocessors in communications and defence sectors. The ‘Shakti’ family of processors was fabricated at Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in Chandigarh. Hence, it is claimed that the launch would help reduce reliance on import of microprocessors. The SCL is an autonomous body engaged in research and development in microelectronics to meet strategic needs of the country.

Notes:
IIT Kharagpur has recently organised a science and technology competition ‘Young Innovators Programme YIP 2018’ for students of class 8 to 10 to make the younger generation more oriented towards scientific and technological innovations. The competition was attended by many schools in the country and also from Singapore. The students of different participating teams came up with solutions to problem statements in the areas of Clean Energy, Health and cleanliness, Resource management, Hardware Modelling, Product Designing and Disaster Management in the YIP 2018. The competition was topped by Kaanger Valley Academy of Raipur (Chattisgarh) for devising a low-cost home-made herbal mask to help breathe in a polluted environment. The first runner-up was The Crossword School from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh which developed an electronic device for instantly fixing potholes for smooth and safe surface transport which they named ‘Pothole Warrior’.

Notes:
The 5th National Summit on Good and Replicable Practices and Innovations in Public Health Care System in India has started at Kaziranga in Assam on October 30, 2018. The purpose of the 3-days summit is to share and learn the good practices and innovations being implemented by several states and organizations for the betterment of the health sector. Senior officials, public health experts, representatives of development partners, experts from academic institutions are participating in the summit.

Notes:
On October 29, Justice A.S. Bopanna has recently taken oath as the new Chief Justice of the Guwahati High Court. He took charge from the acting Chief Justice AK Goswami. The Guwahati High Court was established on 1 March 1948 after the Government of India Act 1935 was passed. It has largest jurisdiction in terms of states, with its area covering the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram. The principal seat of the High Court is at Guwahati in Assam.

Notes:
The five states of India – Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh – have recently celebrated their foundation day on November 1. In Kerala, the day marked the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of the state. Organised on linguistic principles, the modern borders of Kerala came into existence in 1956 when Travancore-Cochin state was merged with Malabar district of Madras and Kasaragod taluk of South Canara district. On this day, Karnataka celebrated its Foundation Day (Karnataka Rajyotsav) with pomp and gaiety. The state of Madhya Pradesh was formed on 1 November 1956 by merging the princely state of Bhopal with the neighbouring states. Chhattisgarh was formed on November 1, 2000, by partitioning 16 Chhattisgarh speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh. Haryana, which was formed on a linguistic basis on 1 November 1966, also celebrated its Foundation Day.