Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2019

Notes:
Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen has appointed Su Tseng-chang as the island’s new Prime Minister, during a Cabinet reshuffle following the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)’s heavy losses in local elections. Su’s appointment follows the widely-expected resignation of William Lai, the second premier to quit since Tsai took office in 2016, in line with a practice of leaders quitting when their party loses a major election. Su is a former premier appointed in 2006 by then-President Chen Shui-bian and was a chairman of Tsai’s DPP for two terms.

Notes:
The 29th biennial Indian Paint Conference has started in Agra, Uttar Pradesh from 11th January 2019. It is organized by the Indian Paint Association (IPA), the apex body of the country’s paint industry. This would be the largest trade show of the estimated Rs. 500 billion (50,000 Crore) Indian Paints & Coatings industry. The 3-day Conference will witness knowledge sharing sessions from leading paint industry stalwarts and subject matter experts from India and abroad.

Notes:
On the occasion of National Youth Day (NYD- 2019), Union minister Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (Retd) launched the National Youth Parliament Festival 2019. It is organised on the theme of “Be The Voice of New India” and “Find solutions and contribute to policy”. Youth in the age bracket of 18-25 years are invited to participate in the District Youth Parliaments. This is done in order to hear the voice of youth in this age bracket who are allowed to vote but cannot contest in elections. The fest will be conducted at three levels: District, State and National. The best three speakers at the National Youth Parliament will be awarded Rs. 2 Lakhs, Rs. 1.50 Lakhs and Rs. 1 Lakh respectively by the Prime Minister. The festival will also encourage the youth to engage with public issues, understand the common man’s point of view, form their opinion and express these in an articulate manner. Relevant and effective voices on Vision of New India in 2022 would be captured and documented to make these available to policy makers and implementers to take it forward.

Notes:
The 71st Army Day is celebrated across the country on 15th January 2019 to commemorate the day when Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) Kodandera M. Carriappa (C-in-C) took over the command of Army from General Sir FRR Bucher, the last British Commander-in-Chief in 1949 and became the first Commander-in-Chief of Indian Army post Independence. KM Cariappa is one of only two Indian Army officers to hold the five-star rank of field marshal; the other being Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. The day also remembers the glory of Indian Army and to salute the valiant soldiers, who have sacrificed their lives for the Nation.

Notes:
Bengaluru Raptors have won their first-ever Premier Badminton League (PBL) title at Bengaluru on 13th January 2019. In the title clash played, Bengaluru edged out Mumbai Rockets, with a 4-3 win. Star player Kidambi Srikanth, Vu Ji Trang and the Men’s Doubles pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Satiawan won their matches for Bengaluru guiding them to victory.

Notes:
Detained Chinese lawyer, Yu Wensheng has won the Franco-German Human Rights Award for his exceptional contribution to the protection and promotion of human rights. His wife, Madam Xu Yan, received the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law on her husband’s behalf from the French and German ambassadors to China at an event organised by the German embassy in Beijing on January 14, 2019. Wensheng is best known for suing the Beijing government over the city’s once chronic pollution – was detained in January 2018 and charged with “inciting subversion of state power”. Prior to his arrest, he had circulated an open letter calling for five reforms to China’s constitution, including the institution of multi-candidate presidential elections.

Notes:
The 10th edition of the India Rubber Expo (IRE-2019) has been inaugurated by Union Minister Suresh Prabhu at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre in Mumbai on January 17. The IRE will showcase the latest technological developments in rubber industry and also talk about the current market status, facilities and services on R&D and quality control. It provides a platform for the Indian companies to meet and collaborate with overseas companies. The 3-day event offers a unique opportunity for Indian companies to meet and collaborate with overseas companies. The India Rubber Expo is Asia’s largest rubber expo.

Notes:
Ace Indian female wrestler Vinesh Phogat from Haryana has become the first Indian athlete to receive a nomination in the prestigious Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award. Vinesh made a sensational comeback after battling a long injury lay-off to win a gold medal at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and Jakarta Asian Games. She has been nominated alongside US Tour Championship winner Tiger Woods, who won his first tournament in five years. The Awards will be presented in Monaco on the 18th of February 2019. Monaco is a tiny independent city-state on France’s Mediterranean coastline.

Notes:
Prabhat Singh, a 1988 batch IPS officer of Jharkhand cadre, has been appointed as new Director General (Investigation) in the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Singh is at present Special Director in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). He has been appointed to the post for a period up to April 30, 2020, the date of his superannuation. The NHRC is an autonomous public body constituted on 12th October 1993 under the Protection of Human Rights Ordinance of 28 September 1993. It was given a statutory basis by the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 (TPHRA). Apart from him, S N Pradhan has been appointed Director General of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).

Notes:
The Union Ministry of Finance has started ‘Know Your Budget’ fortnight series on its Twitter handle to educate general public about the budgetary process. The series would explain the importance of Union Budget and its making, and would continue for about a fortnight. In the first series of tweets, the Ministry explained the terms – Union Budget and Vote on Account. These are as follows: The Budget is the most comprehensive report of the government’s finances in which revenues from all sources and outlays for all activities are consolidated. The Budget also contains estimates of the government’s accounts for the next fiscal year called Budget estimates. The Vote on Account is defined as a grant made in advance by Parliament for expenditure for a part of the next financial year.