Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2019

Notes:
The first-ever UN’s International Day of Education is observed on January 24 to highlight the role of education for peace and development. Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. The day recognizes the importance of ensuring inclusive quality education & access to lifelong learning opportunities for all. The right to education is enshrined in article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, 262 million children and youth still do not attend school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable. Hence, UNESCO calls on governments and all partners to make universal quality education a leading priority. In India, National Education Day (NED) is observed on November 11 to commemorate the birth anniversary of the first education minister of independent India — Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

Notes:
ISRO has successfully launched a military satellite ‘Microsat-R’ and a student satellite ‘Kalamsat-V2’ into their designated orbits from PSLV-C44 launch vehicle. The launch was the 46th flight of the PSLV which lifted off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. PSLV-C44 is the first flight of PSLV-DL, a new variant of PSLV with two strap-on motors. With this launch, India also becomes the first country to use the fourth stage of a space rocket as an orbital platform for microgravity experiments. The PSLV is a four-stage launch vehicle with alternating solid and liquid stages.

Notes:
Russell Baker (93), the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author , has passed away in Virginia, United States on January 21, 2019. He was the genial, but sharp-witted writer for his humorous columns in The New York Times and a moving autobiography of his impoverished Baltimore childhood and later hosted television’s ‘Masterpiece Theatre’. He won Pulitzers in 1979 for the ‘Observer’, the Times column he wrote for 35 years, and in 1983 for his autobiography ‘Growing Up’. It was the first Pulitzer for commentary awarded to a humorist.

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Kartik Sharma from India has won the New South Wales men’s Amateur Golf Championship in Australia. Kartik notched up a magnificent win over Australia’s Nathan Barberie in the scheduled 36-hole final to emerge as champion. Kartik has been playing for India since the age of 10 as part of the National Squad. He had been selected to represent Indian Golf Union for three events in Australia.

Notes:
The South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH) is a major international research programme to tackle the challenge that nitrogen pollution poses for environment, food security, human health and the economy in South Asia. The SANH will be established with funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under its Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). 18 Indian research institutions are part of a group of 50 which have received £20 million funding from the United Kingdom Government.The SANH will study the impact of the different forms of pollution to form a coherent picture of the nitrogen cycle. In particular, it will look at nitrogen in agriculture in eight countries – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Maldives. The Hub’s recommendations will support cleaner and more profitable farming, as well as industrial recycling of nitrogen, fostering development of a cleaner circular economy for nitrogen.

Notes:
The Indian Railways has named the indigenously manufactured Train 18 as Vande Bharat Express. The train is set to run between Delhi and Varanasi at a maximum speed of 160kmph. The 16-coach train is designed and manufactured by the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory (ICF) at a cost of approx Rs 97 crore. It is regarded as a successor to the 30-year-old Shatabdi Express. Train 18 is also the first locomotive-less train in the country. The fully air-conditioned train will stop at Kanpur and Allahabad and will have two executive chair cars. It has diffused lighting, automatic doors and footsteps besides GPS-based Passenger Information System.

Notes:
Oxford dictionaries has declared “Nari Shakti” as the Hindi word for the year 2018. The announcement was made during a session at the ongoing Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) at the Diggi Palace. According to the Oxford dictionaries, the word has been derived from Sanskrit and is used today to symbolise women “taking charge of their lives”. The word was selected by the Oxford Dictionaries (India) with the help of an advisory panel of language experts, including Namita Gokhale, Randhir Thakur, Kritika Agrawal and Saurabh Dwivedi. Oxford had named ‘Aadhaar’ as its Hindi word for the year 2017.

Notes:
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated Atal Setu — the third Cable bridge across river Mandovi in Panaji, Goa. The new bride is four-lane and 5.1Km long, and is expected to overcome the bottlenecks and curb traffic jams at Panaji Circle and Panaji entrance. It is constructed by the GIDC (Goa Infrastructure Development Corporation) and engineering and construction major Larsen and Toubro. This is the third bridge across Mandovi River. It is named as ATAL SETU in memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpeyee.

Notes:
Insurance regulator IRDAI has constituted a committee that will not only facilitate in identifying the Systemically Important Insurers (SIIs), but also recommend enhanced supervision measures for them. The committee headed by IRDAI member (finance and investment) Pravin Kutumbe will submit its report within six months. The committee would study the methodology followed by International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) for identification of SIIs and those followed by other financial regulators, particularly by RBI for identification of SIFIs. As per the terms of reference, the panel has also to develop a paper on assessment methodology for SIIs in India and recommend enhanced supervision for them.

Notes:
On 26th January 2019, Nepalese batsman Rohit Paudel created history by becoming the youngest player in men’s international cricket to hit a half-century surpassing the likes of batting legends Sachin Tendulkar (in Tests) and Shahid Afridi (in ODIs). He accomplished the feat in the 2nd ODI against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai at the age of 16 years and 146 days. Hence, Paudel overtook the long-standing record held by Tendulkar, who achieved the feat in a Test against Pakistan at the age of 16 years and 213 days. In ODI cricket, the record was held by Shahid Afridi who creamed a maiden 50-over century aged 16 years and 217 days in his maiden international innings against Sri Lanka. Though, the overall record for the youngest player to hit a half-century in international cricket is held by South African female player Johmari Logtenburg who recorded Test and ODI half-centuries at the age of 14.