Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

Notes:
India hosted the 2nd International Solar Alliance (ISA) assembly in New Delhi on 30th-31st October 2019. In it, two countries – Eritrea and Saint Kittis and Nevis – have signed the ISA’s Framework Agreement and took the total number of signatories to 83. The ISA was jointly launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then French President Francois Hollande at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in November 2015. It is a major global initiative for contributing to the implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement through rapid and massive deployment of solar energy.  The Saint Kittis and Nevis is an island country in the West Indies, which is the region of the North Atlantic Ocean.

Notes:
On the occasion of World Cities Day (WCD-2019), UNESCO has announced that Mumbai and Hyderabad have been designated as Creative City of Films and Creative City of Gastronomy, respectively. By joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), the cities pledge to share their best practices and develop partnerships involving public and private sectors as well as civil society to strengthen creation, production, distribution and dissemination of cultural activities, goods and services. Beside this, Chennai and Varanasi are designated as UNESCO cities of music while Jaipur is the City of Crafts and Folk Arts.

Notes:
The Spanish capital city of Madrid will host the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 25) from 2nd to 13th December 2019. The decision was taken after Chile withdrew as host for the event due to the ongoing street protests in the South American country. The annual Conference of the Parties (COP) summit is a key event which allows representatives from around 200 nations to monitor and discuss the current situation of the world’s warming climate.   

Notes:
The first-ever India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise titled “Dustlik-2019” has started at Chirchiq Training Area near Tashkent on 4th November. During the 9-day exercise, an Indian Army contingent will train along with Uzbekistan Army. The exercise will enable sharing of best practices and experiences between the Armed Forces of the two countries and will lead to greater operational effectiveness.

Notes:
The 13th edition of the Asia Pacific Golf Summit (APGS) has started in Gurugram at the DLF Golf & Country Club till November 6. It is for the first time  India is hosting the summit with theme “A 5G Mindset For Golf’s Future In Asia”. The summit is supported by the Union Ministry of Tourism & will see international speakers discuss various operational and business aspects of golf in the context of the summit.

Notes:
On 5th November 2019, the 5th edition of India International Science Festival (IISF) inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with theme “RISEN India – Research, Innovation and Science Empowering the Nation” at Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Kolkata through video conference. The prime objective of the 4-day fest is to instil scientific temper among the masses. The event will showcase India’s contribution in the field of science and technology over the years and encourage translation of its benefits to people. It also aims to build a strategy for inclusive advancement of Science and Technology.

Notes:
Noted writer Anand has been selected for the 27th Ezhuthachan Puraskaram for his overall contributions to Malayalam language and Literature. It is the highest literary honour of the Kerala government. The prize is named after Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam language. It consists of a purse of Rs 5 lakh and a citation.    

Notes:
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla represented the Indian parliamentary delegation at the 6th Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit of the G20 Countries in Tokyo, Japan. The purpose of the summit is to strengthen the role of legislatures in global affairs. The Parliamentary summit is unofficially called P20, which is jointly organized by House of Councillors of National Diet of Japan and Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Notes:
The Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) Igniter Complex has recently inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik at High Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) in Pune, Maharashtra. The purpose of the laboratory is to design & develop any kind of ignition systems for key DRDO projects. Ignition is a crucial and highly critical phenomenon in the ignition chain of Rocket motor. The Ignition system for Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Nag, Pinaka, Long Range Surface-to-Air Missile (LRSAM), etc. have been designed and developed in HEMRL. The technology for AKASH, Nag missiles and Pinaka Mk-I Rocket has been transferred to Ordnance Factory, Dehu Road, Pune and private industries.

Notes:
The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has recently launched the  SkillsBuild platform in collaboration with IBM to offer digital learning content from IBM and partners such as CodeDoor, Coorpacademy and Skillsoft. This initiative is part of IBM’s global commitment to create a job-ready workforce and to build the next generation of skills needed for new collar careers.  As part of the programme, a two-year advanced diploma in IT, networking and cloud computing, co-created and designed by IBM, will be offered at the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) & National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).