Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

Notes:
The World Science Day for Peace and Development (WSDPD) is celebrated every year on 10 November to highlight the significant role of science in society and the need to engage the wider public in debates on emerging scientific issues.It also underlines the importance and relevance of science in our daily lives. The 2019 theme is “Open science, leaving no one behind”.

Notes:
Iran has recently discovered a new 80m deep oil field in its southwestern province of Khuzestan with over 50 billion barrels of crude.The new oil field stretches nearly 200km from Khuzestan’s border with Iraq to the city of Omidiyeh. It could become Iran’s second-largest field after one containing 65 billion barrels in Ahvaz. Though, out of the amount at the new site, only a tenth – 2.2 billion barrels can be extracted due to technological limitations.

Notes:
According to NASA Scientists, they have detected a massive thermonuclear X-ray explosion from outer space through their Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope on the International Space Station (ISS).The explosion released as much energy in 20 seconds as the Sun does in nearly 10 days. The X-ray burst has came from an object named “J1808” i.e., located about 11,000 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. NASA spotted the burst because it sent out an intense beam of x-rays that got picked up by its  orbital observatory NICER.

Notes:
G Kamala Vardhana Rao, an IAS officer 1990 batch from Kerala Cadre, has been appointed as new CMD of India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC).The ITDC is a hospitality, retail and education company owned by Government of India, under Ministry of Tourism. It came into existence in October 1966 and owns over 17 properties under the Ashok Group of Hotels brand across India.

Notes:
The 9-day humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) exercise code-named ‘Tiger Triumph’ has been started between armed forces of India and United States on the Eastern seaboard (at Visakhapatnam and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh). The aim of the first-ever tri-services exercise is to develop inter-operability between the militaries of the two countries in HADR operations.

Notes:
Gotabaya Rajapakasa, the controversial wartime defence secretary, has been sworn-in as 7th Executive President of Sri Lanka at the Ruwanweli Seya in Anuradhapura on 18th November 2019. He succeeded President Maithripala Sirisena for a 5-year term. Before the ceremony, the newly-elected president worshipped at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, a sacred fig tree in the Mahamewna Gardens and Ruwanweli Seya.

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 Jayakwadi Dam  is located on Godavari river at the site of Jayakwadi village in Paithan taluka of Aurangabad district in Maharashtra. It is in news because the seismometer , piezometer, earth pressure cell, slope meter and several other key instruments installed at the dam have stopped functioning properly. The seismometer was installed at the Jayakwadi dam after the devastating earthquake in Killari in Latur district in 1993. This instrument is powerful as it has a range of 10,000 kms. In the past, it has recorded the epicentres of earthquakes in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Nepal, etc. 

Notes:
The World Children’s Day (WCD) is observed every year on 20th of November across the world to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare. The 2019 theme is “Children of today, our keepers tomorrow”. This year is special as it marks 30 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child – 30 years of child rights that have helped transform children’s lives around the world. 

Notes:
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) hosted the first-ever Counter Terrorism Table Top Exercise (CTTE) for the Quad countries at its headquarters in Delhi on November 21-22, 2019. The Quad countries include the United States (US), India, Australia, and Japan. According to the NIA, the exercise was to assess and validate Counter Terrorism  (CT) response mechanisms in the light of emerging terrorist threats. It also aims to provide opportunities to share the best practices and to explore areas for enhanced cooperation amongst participating countries.