Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
Indian Army has started its  first-of -its kind biggest ever mountain combat exercise titled ‘Him Vijay’ in Arunachal Pradesh. It is the first-ever such drill that the military is holding in the northeastern state i.e., 100 km away from the Line of Actual Control (LAC).  The exercise is to test mobility, communication and coordination of such huge body of fast-moving troops in difficult terrain. The exercise is to be conducted in two phases. The first phase will be held between 7th to 10th October 2019  and the other phase will be from 20th- 24th October 2019.

Notes:
Bahrain sprinter  Salwa Eid Naser has become the first woman athlete from Asia to win the 400m gold in the ongoing IAAF World Athletics Championships (WAC) Doha 2019.  She clocked 48.14 seconds i.e., the third-fastest lap in history and the fastest in 34 years.

Notes:
Rohit Sharma from India has become the first-ever batsman to score hundreds in each innings of his maiden Test as an opener in Visakhapatnam against South Africa.  He also broke the record for most sixes in a Test with 13 hits over the fence & surpassed Pakistan’s Wasim Akram who smashed 12 in a game against Zimbabwe in 1996. Beside this, Rohit  also became the first Indian batsman to be stumped in both innings of a Test.

Notes:
Pakistan pacer Mohammad Hasnain has become the youngest-ever cricketer to take a hat-trick in T20I. He achieved the feat against Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 international in Lahore.

Notes:
The Nobel Prize 2019 for Physics has jointly been awarded to three scientists – James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz – groundbreaking discoveries about the evolution of the universe and the Earth’s place in the cosmos. One half of the award was given to James Peebles for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology and the other half jointly to Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz for the discovery of an exo-planet orbiting a solar-type star. They will share a 9-million kronor cash award, a gold medal and a diploma. The laureates will receive them at a ceremony in Stockholm on December 10. 

Notes:
Ramesh Pandey, the 1996-batch Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer, has been selected for the prestigious UNEP’s Asia Environmental Enforcement Award for his excellent work in combating transboundary environmental crime. He will receive the award on November 13 at the United Nations Conference Centre (UNCC) in Bangkok.  Pandey is posted as Chief Conservator Forests (CCF) in Lucknow and Secretary of UP State Bio-diversity Board.  He is known for his investigation and intelligence gathering on poachers. The purpose of the Asia Environmental Enforcement Awards is to publicly recognise outstanding achievements by public organisations and individuals in Asia to combat transboundary environmental crime. 

Notes:
The Reliance Mutual Fund has been renamed as Nippon India Mutual Fund (NIMF). The name change came after Nippon Life Insurance of Japan completed the acquisition of 75% stake in Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management from Reliance Capital. Nippon Life is Japan’s largest life insurance company and a global financial services conglomerate. It manages assets worth over $700 billion.

Notes:
India has slipped sharply by 10 places to rank 68th on the 2019 WEF Global Competitiveness Index due to improvements witnessed by several other economies. The index is compiled by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). In the overall competitiveness ranking, Singapore replaced the US to take the first position.

Notes:
The first Government-sponsored and operated day-care cum recreation centre for senior citizens has been inaugurated by Supreme Court judge – Justice S. Abdul Nazeer – in Leh. The centre will be one stop-shop for entertainment, medical services and legal aid for the aged people of the Ladakh region. It will also provide a raft of medical facilities including geriatric care, health consultations and check-ups, physiotherapy as well legal service the senior citizens would require on various legal issues. The premise will also be equipped with computer learning and a library and the aged citizens can entertain themselves with indoor games and recreational activities.

Notes:
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry has recently launched the first-ever website and mobile application “e-Dantseva” on oral health awareness. The digital platform will provide oral health information gathered from authentic scientific resources and connect the people to timely advise for managing any dental emergency or oral health problem. It contains information about the National Oral Health Programme (NOHP), a detailed list of all the dental facility and colleges, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material and a unique feature called the ‘Symptom Checker’. The website also provides GPRS route and satellite images of the facility for easier access to the people.