Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
India’s first e-waste clinic is being set up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. For this noble cause, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have signed pact that would enable segregation, processing and disposal of waste from both household and commercial units. Initially, it will be 3-month pilot project and being successful, it would be replicated elsewhere in the country. The clinic will be formed in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016. 

Notes:
The 5th edition of the World Parliament of Science, Religion and Philosophy has been organized by the MIT World Peace University in Pune on October 2.  The theme of the 5-day event for year 2019 is ‘Role of science, religion and philosophy for world peace and well-being of mankind’.  The aim of the Parliament was to create and promote interfaith and inter-religious movement for World Peace. 

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 World Mental Health Day (WMHD) is observed every year on 10th of October by World Federation for Mental Health to raise awareness of the scale of suicide around the world and the role that each of us can play to help prevent it. The 2019 theme is “Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention”.

Notes:
Polish author Olga Tokarczuk has won the 2018 Nobel Prize in literature for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life. Her first novel, “The Journey of the People of the Book,” was released in 1993. She has also won the Booker International Prize for her 2007 novel “Flights”. She became the 15th woman to have won the prestigious distinction, out of 116 literature laureates honoured since 1901. It must be noted that the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature was announced along with the 2018 Prize as the latter was delayed by a year following a scandal that included allegations of sexual misconduct.

Notes:
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) and Airport Authority of India (AAI) has launched a new satellite-based GEMINI system that will alert deep-sea fishermen of upcoming disasters. The acronym ‘GEMINI’ stands for “GAGAN Enabled Mariner’s Instrument for Navigation and Information”& is works on GAGAN (GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation) satellite system of ISRO & AAI. Through GEMINI, all key alerts and messages would be sent through GAGAN and the designated device would receive and transfer it to a mobile phone through Bluetooth communication. The related mobile application would then decode and display the information to the user. It can be decoded into 9 languages. The technology for the device has been transferred to a Bengaluru-based company ‘Acord’. 

Notes:
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his efforts to end his country’s long-running border conflict with neighboring Eritrea. His peace deal with Eritrea ended a 20-year military stalemate following their 1998-2000 border war.  Abiy was named as the winner of the 100th Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, where he will receive the award in December 2019. The award is seen as a welcome boost for Africa’s youngest leader as he faces worrying inter-community violence ahead of a parliamentary election in May 2020.

Notes:
The book titled “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need” has been authored by founder of Microsoft Corporation and American philanthropist Bill Gates. In the book, Gates will explain why he cares so deeply about climate change and what makes him optimistic that the world can prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis. The book will hit the stands on June 24, 2020.

Notes:
American artistic gymnast Simone Biles broke the all-time record for most medals by any gymnast at the world championships by winning the balance beam competition at the 2019 World Gymnastics Championship in Stuttgart, Germany. She surpassed Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo’s record 23 world medals by winning her 24th and 25th world medals (both gold).

Notes:
Ashleigh Barty has won ‘The Don’ award at the annual Sport Australia Hall of Fame and was recognized as currently the top Australian athlete. She won the 2019 French Open tennis tournament and is currently the top-ranked WTA player in the world. Barty became only the 2nd tennis player to win the prestigious award after  Pat Rafter in 2001. ‘The Don’ award is Australian sport’s highest individual honour.