Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

Notes:
NASA has recently launched its first all-electric experimental aircraft  (or X-plane). The aircraft has been designated as X-57, and will be known as “Maxwell” for short. The aircraft is expected to take its first test flight by late 2020 from Edwards Air Force Base in the desert of southern California.

Notes:
To honour elephants that passed away due to trafficking & abuse, India’s first elephant memorial has been launched by India-based conservation charity Wildlife SOS in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. The memorial symbolizes the sacrifice of these gentle giants who lost their lives while suffering brutality at the hands of humans. It highlights 5 rescued elephants whose lives represent plight of captive elephants & why it is critical to ensure others do not suffer a similar fate. The memorial has been set up with the support of UP forest department.

Notes:
E-commerce major Amazon has rolled out ‘Project Zero’ in India that will provide brands with additional tools to identify and remove counterfeits from its platform. The Project Zero features three tools viz. ‘automated protections’, ‘self-service counterfeit removal tool’ and ‘product serialization’. The brands will have to sign up for the initiative to access the tools.

Notes:
The 11th BRICS Summit 2019 has been attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Brasilia.During the summit, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accepted Prime Minister Modi’s invitation to be the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in 2020.

Notes:
The Suranga Bawadi is an integral part of the ancient Karez system of supplying water through subterranean tunnels built during Adil Shahi era in Vijayapura, Karnataka. It is in news recently because Bawadi has been selected as the World Monument Watch List for 2020 by the New York-based non-governmental organisation under the category of “Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” along with 24 monuments across the world. Now, the unique underground water system in Vijayapura will receive funds for restoration work. According to historians, the Karez system was built in the 16th century by Ali Adil Shah–I & his successor Ibrahim Adil Shah–II brought in several changes by adding more structures to strengthen it.

Notes:
The Tobacco Board of India (Guntur) has been awarded the Golden Leaf Award at Tab Expo 2019 event in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The award was given in the most impressive public service initiative category for the year 2019 for its efforts to initiate various sustainability (green) initiatives in Flue-Cured Virginia (FCV) tobacco cultivation in India.The Golden Leaf Awards are created to recognise professional excellence and dedication in the tobacco industry by an international magazine Tobacco Reporter.

Notes:
Indian boxer, Laishram Sarita Devi of Manipur has been elected unopposed as a member of the first-ever international boxing body (AIBA) athletes’ commission. She was inspired by Muhammad Ali’s achievements, and turned professional in boxing in the year 2000. She is DSP in Manipur Police. The election of the Athletes Commission members was organized during AIBA Men and Women World Boxing Championships 2019 in Russia. Boxers from all over the world voted for new members – one per continent, except Europe which has two representatives. 

Notes:
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has recently launched a project that will connect 500 government-run secondary schools to virtual classrooms in the state. The virtual classes are attended through video conferences where students can meet the teacher on a real-time basis and ask questions. Approx 1.90 lakh students of these schools will also benefit from the project.

Notes:
The book “The Daughter from a Wishing Tree Unusual Tales about Women in Mythology” has been authored by acclaimed author and Infosys Foundation chairman Sudha Murty. The book will tell numerous untold tales of women in mythology. It will talk about the magic spell that can make a dead person come alive, and the wishing tree that gives the wonderful gift of daughters. It will also answer some very curiosity invoking questions like who the gods turn to for support when they are helpless.

Notes:
The World Toilet Day (WTD) is observed every year on 19th of November to draw attention to those people being left behind without sanitation. The 2019 theme “Leaving No One Behind” aims to tackle the global sanitation crisis. It means that a toilet is not just a toilet. It’s a life-saver, dignity-protector and opportunity-maker. Whoever you are, wherever you are, sanitation is your human right.