Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

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:
Sara Damnjanovic from Serbia has won the 5th edition of Miss Asia Global Title 2019’  at Gokulam Convention centre in Kochi, Kerala. The title is given to the winner from Asian region.  Nguyen Thi Yen Trang from Vietnam was awarded Miss Asia title i.e. given to the winner from the rest of the world. Samiksha Singh from India won the sub-title of ‘Miss Beautiful Face’ Title. The Next ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2020’ will be held in Malaysia.

Notes:
The World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD) is observed every year on 5th of November to spread awareness about precautionary measures against tsunami and share innovative approaches to risk reduction. In 2019, the day promotes Target (d) of the “Sendai Seven Campaign,” which focuses on reducing disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.

Notes:
The world’s first multi-targeting and carbohydrate-based drug “GV-971” for Alzheimer’s disease is extracted from brown algae. Recently, China has approved this home-grown seaweed-based  drug to potentially cure disease. The drug is the only Alzheimer’s medicine out of more than 320 developed by pharmaceutical companies around the globe to survive clinical trials. The orally taken drug can treat mild to moderate forms of the disease and improve cognition. The Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible and progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory, thinking ability and the capability to carry out simple tasks.

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:
To pay tribute to legendary playwright Mohan Rakesh, the 4-day festival titled “Mohan Rakesh Natya evam Samman Samaroh” is being organized by the Delhi government’s art and culture wing “Sahitya Kala Parishad” held at the Kamani Auditorium from November 11, 2019. The purpose of the event is to provide a platform to the upcoming talents in the field of theatre. Rakesh was widely-known as one of the brains behind the ‘Nai Kahani’ (New Short Story) literary movement of Hindi literature in the 1950s & also wrote the first modern Hindi play titled “Ashadh Ka Ek Din” in 1958.

Notes:
The first-ever ‘BIMSTEC Ports’ Conclave’ is has been inaugurated by Union Shipping Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on  7th November 2019. The 2-day Ports’ conclave of BIMSTEC nations is expected to explore the possibility of increasing economic cooperation by furthering EXIM trade and coastal shipping. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is an International Organization of 7 nations of South Asia and South East Asia. Its member states are Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Nepal. 

Notes:
Stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma has become the first Indian man and second in world cricket to complete 100 T-20 Internationals. He reached the milestone when he led the team in the 2nd match against Bangladesh at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium. Shoaib Malik with 111 games from Pakistan is the only player to have played more than 100 T20 Internationals. Rohit is currently the top-scorer in T20 format with 2452 runs at a strike-rate of 136.67 with 4 hundreds and 17 half-centuries.

Notes:
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) has recently conducted a 2-day rescue exercise, the Regional Level Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise 2019 (ReSAREX- 19) off Goa shore, Panaji. The event was organized by the Coast Guard District Headquarters-11 (Goa) and comprised search and rescue workshops with table top exercises.

Notes:
The UAE Supreme Council has re-elected His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan as President of the UAE for a fourth five-year term. He was first elected President on 3rd November 2004, following the death of his father Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The President of UAE is the head of state of the country.