Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2019

Notes:
Thailand has official declared the Siamese fighting fish as its national aquatic animal to boost conservation efforts and commercial breeding in the country. Known in the West as a betta fish, the underwater brawler is popular in home aquariums for its iridescent body and many-hued tail. It brings up feelings of nostalgia for older generations in Thailand – which changed its name from Siam in 1939. They remember a time when the fish were traded and sparred in childhood games. The Siamese fighting fish is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. Thailand’s official national animal is the elephant.

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The Robert Bosch Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (RBC-DSAI) has recently inaugurated at the IIT Madras with an objective of advance scientific innovation for societal benefit. The RBC-DSAI will undertake foundational research in many areas of AI and Data Science viz. deep learning, reinforcement learning, network analytics, interpretable machine learning, and domain aware AI. The centre is opened by Germany-based Bosch in collaboration with IIT-Madras. Bosch will invest around Rs 20 crore (2.5 million euros) over five years in the centre.

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Weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga from Mizoram has recently clinched silver in men’s 67kg category & fetched India’s second medal in the EGAT’s Cup International Weightlifting Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Lalrinnunga lifted 131kg in the snatch and 157kg in clean and jerk for a total of 288 kg. Earlier, in the on-going event, world champion Saikhom Mirabai Chanu had won a gold in the women’s 48-kilogram category with a total lift of 192 kilograms.

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On 10th of February, the 7th edition of World Government Summit (WGS-2019) was held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, UAE to deliver a road map towards a more prosperous future for all nations. The 3-day event was held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai. The focus of the summit was on 7 key topics: the future of technology, the future of health and quality of life, the environment and climate change, education and the labour market, trade and international co-operation, societies and politics and information and communication between governments and society. More than 4,000 decision-makers from 140 countries – including heads of state, ministers and business leaders – are participating the event. The summit is a knowledge exchange platform at the intersection of government, futurism, technology, and innovation. It functions as a thought leadership platform and networking hub for policymakers, experts and pioneers in human development. It is also showcases innovations, best practices, and smart solutions to inspire creativity to tackle these future challenges.

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On 9th February, the first-ever LAWASIA Human Rights Conference 2019 was held in New Delhi with theme “State Power, Business and Human Rights: Contemporary Challenges”. The 2-day conference was hosted by LAWASIA, in association with the Bar Association of India (BAI). The conference focussed on topics ranging from “Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights” to “Climate Change, Water Conflicts and Human Rights”. It provided a unique opportunity for lawyers and associated professional members to exchange insights and expertise on topics of significance. LAWASIA is a regional association of lawyers, judges, jurists and legal organisations, which advocates for the interests and concerns of the Asia Pacific legal profession.

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On 10th of February, the 72nd British Academy Film Awards 2019 were held at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron’s semi-autobiographical black-and-white drama “Roma” claimed the top prize of best film, alongside director and cinematography honours. “Roma” also won the BAFTA for film not in the English language. “The Favourite” dominated the ceremony with seven wins, including for leading actress (Olivia Colman), supporting actress (Rachel Weisz) and outstanding British film. First-time nominee Rami Malek won the best actor award for his portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”. The highest honour ‘the BAFTA fellowship’ was given to film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, a three-time Oscar winner. The special BAFTA award for outstanding British contribution to cinema was presented to producers Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley of Number 9 Films.

Notes:
India has recently signed a security protection agreement with Sweden that will enable both countries to share classified information with each other. The agreement was signed on during Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to the Nordic country. Sweden has had similar agreements with over 30 countries around the world, as well as with the EU and NATO. The Nordic countries are generally considered to refer to Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, including their associated territories (Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Åland Islands).

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The railway workers union — National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) has recently opposed the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. They asked the government to first prioritize work on existing train routes instead of focusing on the bullet train. Before the bullet train starts running, it is important to undertake repairs and maintenance work of the tracks across the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe had launched the bullet train project in Ahmedabad in September 2017. The ambitious project is expected to be completed by 2022 and will cut travel time between the two cities from 7 hours to less than three. The bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai will run a total length of 508 km, of which 21 km will be covered in a tunnel under the sea. The cost of the tunnel is estimated at Rs 3,500 crores. The cost of the total train project is Rs 1.08 lakh crore. The headquarters of NFIR is located at New Delhi.

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The Union Environment Minister, Dr Harsha Vardhan has recently inaugurated the North Karnataka Agromet Forecasting and Research Centre (NKAFC) at the Farmers’ Knowledge Centre on University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) in Dharwad . It is the first of its kind in India to boost agricultural activities across the country by taking modern technology to farmers. The main purpose of the centre is to give accurate reports on the weather which would enable the farmers to protect the crops and get a good yield. The centre will also forecast on lightning which causes large-scale destruction of livestock and to farmers. About 25 lakhfarmers in the region would be kept updated with information via various platforms like WhatsApp, SMS, social networking sites and community radio stations. The centre has been established by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences and the India Metrological Department (IMD), in association with UAS.

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In badminton, Saina Nehwal won her fourth title at the Yonex-Sunrise 83rd Senior National Badminton Championships 2019 in Guwahati. In the final, she defeated P.V.Sindhu by 21-18, 21-15 in Guwahati. Its her fourth title. Sourabh Verma completed a hat-trick of titles, claiming the men’s singles crown after defeating young Lakshya Sen in straight games of 21-18, 21-13. Earlier, the pair of Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Chirag Shetty outclassed top seed duo Arjun M.R and Shlok Ramachandran in straight games of 21-13, 22-20 to clinch the Men’s Doubles title.