Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

Notes:
The Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India have jointly launched Youth Co:Lab that aims to accelerate youth-led social entrepreneurship, innovation in India. Through Youth Co:Lab, young entrepreneurs and innovators will get a chance to connect with governments, mentors, incubators and investors, who will help equip them with entrepreneurial skills. It will invite young people in the age group of 18-29 years and start-ups to showcase their proposed ideas and solutions to tackle some of the region’s biggest social challenges.

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Indian women’s cricket captain & right-handed batswoman, Mithali Raj has become the 1st female player to complete 20 yrs in international cricket. She achieved the feat while leading India to an emphatic 8-wicket win over South Africa Women in the first ODI at Vadodara on 10th October 2019. Mithali made her ODI debut against Ireland on 26th June 1999 & completed 20 years and 105 days in the 50-over format. She has played 204 ODIs till now, the most by a female.

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The Nobel Prize 2019 for Chemistry has jointly been awarded to three scientists – John D. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino – for the development of lithium-ion batteries that we use in everyday life from mobile phones to electric vehicles.

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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:
On 11th October 2019, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan  has  launched Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN)  initiative in New Delhi during the 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare.  The aim of the initiative is to assure dignified, respectful and quality health care at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every woman and newborn visiting the public health facility in order to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths. It also provides a positive birth experience to both mother and infant.  

Notes:
The first-ever India International Cooperatives Trade Fair (IICTF) has started at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on 11th October 2019. The 3-day fair is a major platform to promote export of Indian cooperative produce which will lead to enhanced rural and farm prosperity. The event is also packed with exhibitions, B2B/C2C meetings, conferences, cultural programmes etc. The organizations from 36 countries are participating in the Fair.  

Notes:
NASA has recently launched its new Ionospheric Connection Explorer (Icon)  satellite  from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to explore the mysterious, dynamic region where air meets space. The refrigerator-size Icon satellite will study the airglow formed from gases in the ionosphere and also measure the charged environment right around the 360-mile-high (580-kilometer-high) spacecraft. Apart from this, a NASA satellite ‘Gold’ ( launched in 2018) is also studying the upper atmosphere, but from much higher up. 

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:
India and Japan will hold the 2nd edition of joint military exercise ‘DHARMA GUARDIAN-2019’ in Mizoram from 19th of October to 2nd of November 2019. The focus of the 2-week-long exercise will be to increase the interoperability between the two forces and enhance coordination in dealing with various security challenges including counter-terrorism. The scope of this exercise covers platoon-level joint training on counter-terrorism operations in jungle and urban scenario.

Notes:
Noted environmentalist and social activist, Chandi Prasad Bhatt has been awarded the Indira Gandhi award for national integration for the years 2017 and 2018 in recognition for his services in promoting and preserving national integration in the country. This award is consists of a citation and Rs 10 lakh in cash to be given to the awardee by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Bhatt hails from Uttarakhand and was a pioneer of the Chipko movement.