Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2018

Notes:
The International Day of Peace is observed every year on 21 September to strengthen the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace. The 2018 theme “The Right to Peace – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70” is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Notes:
Carolina Marin from Spain has won the women’s singles 2018 China Open badminton title. In the final, she defeated Chen Yufei in Changzhou, China. Earlier, in 2018, she won the BWF World Championships for the third time and became the first ever female badminton athlete to have achieved this feat. Apart from this, Indonesia’s Anthony Sinisuka Ginting beat Japan’s Kento Momota to take the 2018 Men’s singles China Open title.

Notes:
Israel has recently set October deadline to evacuate Khan al-Ahmar, a Bedouin village in West Bank. Regarding to this issue, the Israeli military has informed residents of West Bank hamlet that they have until October 1 to leave before their homes face demolition. The Khan al-Ahmar is located between the Israeli settlements of Ma’ale Adumim and Kfar Adumim. It consists of tin and wood shacks built on a desert hillside beside an Israeli highway that runs from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. Israel plans to demolish the village and relocate its 180 Bedouins residents – who scrape a living by raising sheep and goats – to a site 12 away, near the Palestinian village of Abu Dis and adjacent to a landfill site. The move has drawn criticism from Palestinians and some European states, who cite the impact on the community and prospects for peace. Earlier this month, Israel’s Supreme Court rejected a final appeal against the slated demolition of Khan al-Ahmar.

Notes:
Luka Modric, who led Croatia to their first-ever FIFA World Cup final, was named The Best FIFA Men’s Player at the Best FIFA Football Awards in London. Modric won the Champions League for the third time in a row with his club “Real Madrid” in May 2018 before leading Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final, where they lost 4-2 to France. He is the first player other than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to win the FIFA award since Kaka in 2007. Beside Modric, Brazil and Orlando Pride forward Marta was named the FIFA women’s player of the year for the 6th time but the first time since 2010. France’s Didier Deschamps — whose side beat Modric’s Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final — was named best men’s coach. Mohamed Salah won the Puskas award for the best goal for his effort against Everton in the Premier League at Anfield in December 2017.

Notes:
The United Nations (UN) has recently declared the period from 2019 to 2028 as the Nelson Mandela Decade of Peace at the Nelson Mandela Peace Summit in New York on 24 September 2018. UN has called for redoubling efforts to pursue international peace and security, development and human rights. This political declaration was unanimously adopted by nearly 100 nations from around the world to revive the values for which Nelson Mandela stood by emphasising human dignity. A statue of Nelson Mandela has been unveiled at the United Nations to honour the late South African leader’s 100th birth anniversary.

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The Supreme Court of India (SCI) has recently constituted a Committee on Prison Reforms chaired by former apex court judge, Justice Amitava Roy, to examine the various problems plaguing prisons in the country. The committee has been asked to recommend steps for the psycho-social well-being of minor children of women prisoners, including their education and health. It would also probe the reasons for violence in prisons and correctional homes and recommend measures to prevent unnatural deaths and assess the availability of medical facilities in prisons and correctional homes and make recommendations. It would assess the availability and inadequacy of staff in prisons and correctional homes, suggest training and educational modules for the staff and assess the feasibility of establishing open prisons. The court asked the committee to complete the collection of data and information and make submit it in a year.

Notes:
India has been ranked 158th among 195 countries in 2016 for investment in health care and education, according to the first-ever scientific study by University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). The study, which is published in the international medical journal The Lancet, ranked countries for their levels of human capital. It highlighted that when a country’s human capital score increases, its economy grows. The Lancet stated that India’s ranking of 158th in 2016 represents an improvement from its 1990 ranking of 162nd. It showed that India is falling behind in terms of health and education of its workforce, which could potentially have long-term negative effects on the Indian economy. The study is based on analysis of data from sources, including government agencies, schools & health care systems. The study claims that these rankings give us an idea about the number of years a worker can be expected to work at peak productivity levels between the ages of 20 and 64 years.

Notes:
India will organise ‘Gandhi March’ from the iconic Peace Palace at the Hague in Netherlands to Grote Kerk on September 25 to launch the two-year long celebrations of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. According to a statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Hague, the ‘Gandhi March’ will see participation of people of all nationalities and around 20 ambassadors of different countries. On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, marked as International Day of Non-Violence, five other events will be held in The Hague, Amsterdam, Utrecht and Zoetermeer. The Netherlands has a special connection to India and Mahatma Gandhi. There are around thirty streets in the country named after Mahatma Gandhi.

Notes:
On September 27, the joint border conference was held between India and Bangladesh at Aizawl, Mizoram and delegates from both sides expressed their deliberations on the border issues between the two countries. The conference led to a vital discussion on the need for demarcation of the border between the two countries along Mizoram. From the Indian counterpart, Survey of India Director Sanjay Kumar headed the Indian delegation.

Notes:
Recently, Five-time world champion boxer MC Mary Kom has been named as the brand ambassador of Tribes India – an initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs to promote tribal artefacts. Apart from this, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched the “Punch Tantra” collection to promote tribal artefacts. Punch Tantra is an exclusive collection, which comprises a range of ethic and traditional tribal handicrafts and handloom products.