Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

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 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:
The documentary on Real Kashmir Football Club has bagged the prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) and Scotland Awards 2019 at a glittering ceremony in Glasgow, Scotland. The documentary narrates the journey of former Rangers ace David Robertson as the coach of Real Kashmir FC, which is currently India’s second tier football league. The hour-long film won in the ‘Single Documentary’ category.

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:
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has recently launched two new IT Initiatives – ICEDASH and ATITHI – for improved monitoring and pace of customs clearance of imported goods and facilitating arriving international passengers. ICEDASH is an Ease of Doing Business (EODB) monitoring dashboard of the Indian Customs that allows public see and compare import clearance times at all ports and airports across India.  The ATITHI app will facilitate hassle-free and faster clearance by Indian Customs at the airports and increase the experience of international tourists and other visitors at the airports. 

Notes:
The 2nd phase of the biggest US- Bangladesh Navy exercise titled ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT)- 2019’ is conducted in Chattogram from 4 to 7 November with different subject-based training and exercise. The exercise provides an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the operational activities of the Navies of two countries and to get acquainted with advanced technology through various theoretical and practical trainings.

Notes:
The Government of Bangladesh has banned the Islamist outfit ‘Allar Dol’ because it poses threat to public safety and security. It is the 9th Islamist group to be banned for extremism and militancy in Bangladesh.The Allah’r Dol was formed in 1995 with the aim to establish Caliphate through armed struggle. In 2004, it merged with banned militant organisation Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). After arrest of leaders of JMB following serial blasts of 2005, some of its leaders left it to re-organise Allar Dol. 

Notes:
In Moscow, the 19th India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation (IRIGC-M&MTC) meeting has been co-chaired by Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and Russian Defence Minister General Sergey Shoigu. Both sides agree to constitute specific working groups for after-sales support of key defence platforms. The Russian Defence Minister assured robust Russian participation in DefExpo 2020 i.e. scheduled to be held in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow between February 5-8. Russia also assures full support in increasing India’s defence capabilities under ‘Make in India’ initiative.

Notes:
In order to exclusively categorize Khadi products in exports, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued a Harmonized System (HS) code to separate Khadi from the general textile products in India. The HS code is a 6-digit identification code developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and is used by customs officers to allow products to cross international borders. It is an international nomenclature for the classification of products. It allows participating countries to classify traded goods on a common basis for customs purposes. The code follows from the Kyoto Convention of 1974 and is used by over 200 countries. 

Notes:
Sanjay Gupta, the former Star and Disney India managing director, has been appointed new country manager and vice-president of sales and operations for Google India. He will take his new role in 2020 and will be based in Mumbai. At Star and Disney, Gupta played an important role in making it the India’s largest media company and increased its digital footprint with Hotstar, which is India’s largest OTT platform. He also built Star’s sports business through acquisitions of cricketing properties and launch of the Pro-Kabaddi League (PKL) and football league – Indian Super League (ISL).