Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

Notes:
John Witherspoon, the US actor and comedian, has passed way . He was best known for his role as rapper Ice Cube’s father in the comedy trilogy Friday. He made his film debut in the 1980 ‘The Jazz Singer’ and appeared in Hollywood Shuffle, Boomerang, Vampire in Brooklyn and The Ladies Man

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:
Girija Kir (86), the noted Marathi author, has passed away in Bandra, Maharashtra on 31st October 2019. Kir has written dozens of novels, stories, travelogues and children’s books. She also worked as an assistant editor of ‘Anuradha’ magazine for 10 years from 1968 to 1978. Kir has won several awards for her writings, which largely originated from her on-field experiences in labour colonies, residences of patients suffering from leprosy and tribal areas. Her recent book ‘Janmathep’ was based on her study of inmates at Pune’s Yerawada jail.

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:
Internationally acclaimed sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has been selected for the prestigious Italian Golden Sand Art Award 2019. He will be felicitated during the International Scorrana Sand Nativity in Italy, which is going to held from 13th to 18th Nov.  He will also represent India in this fest.

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:
In Sri Lanka, the biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers’ Conference has recently begun in Colombo under the theme Equal Access to Justice and the Rule of Law. In the 4-day conference participated by Law Ministers and Attorney Generals from Commonwealth countries seeks to address challenges faced by millions of people seeking to resolve legal problems or disputes. Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad isrepresenting India at the conference.

Notes:
The first-of-its-kind-ready-reckoner ‘Red Atlas Action Plan Map’ has been launched by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu along with the ‘Coastal Flood Warning System App (CFLOWS-Chennai). The ‘Red Atlas Map’ is prepared by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences to aid Tamil Nadu government in effective flood mitigation in Chennai which witnessed the worst deluge in 2015. The purpose of the atlas is to  flood mitigation, preparedness, operations and management aspects. The CFLOWS-Chennai is a complete webGIS-based decision support system that can be used both for mitigation planning operations before flooding and in real time to for aspects like relief work.

Notes:
The 15th meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) is being held in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In it, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar is leading the Indian delegation. The SACEP is an inter-governmental organization established in 1982 by the South Asian governments to promote and support protection, management and enhancement of the environment in the region. Its member countries are – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

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.