Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2019

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:
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.

Notes:
The International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated on every year on 11th of  October to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls’ face. It aims to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. The 2019 theme is “GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable”. The day also reflects the successful emergence of girls and young women as a distinct cohort in development policy, programming, campaigning and research.

Notes:
The 10th edition of the joint military exercise “Vajra Prahar” between India and the United States gas started at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Seattle on October 13 & will last till October 28. It  is a Special Forces joint training exerciseconducted alternately in India and the US.

Notes:
Air India has become the first airline in the world to use a Taxibot on a A-320 aircraft with passengers on board. Taxibot is a robot-used aircraft tractor for taxiing an aircraft from parking bay to runway and vice-versa. Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani flagged off flight AI665 and it was carried to runway using Taxibot at Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport – to Mumbai. It is a pilot controlled semi-robotic towbar-less aircraft tractor used as alternate taxiing equipment.

Notes:
Indian-American Abhijit Banerjee, his wife Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer have jointly won the 2019 Nobel Economics Prize for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty. Mr Banerjee was educated at the University of Calcutta, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D in 1988. He is currently the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Ms Duflo is the 2nd woman to be awarded a Nobel in economics after Elinor Ostrom (2009) and  is also the youngest person-ever to receive the Economics Prize. The prize amount of 9 million Swedish krona will be shared equally between the three Laureates.

Notes:
The Sangam Youth Festival (SYF) has been organized by Indian Army at Bhadarwah in  Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) from 11th to 15th October 2019   in a bid to spread the message of peace, prosperity, communal harmony and national integration. Over 1,500 students from 32 colleges & university participated in the fest.

Notes:
The World Food Day (WFD)  is observed every year on 16th of October  to mark the foundation of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. It is also a day of action dedicated to tackling global hunger. The 2019 theme is “Our Actions Are Our Future, Healthy Diets for A #ZeroHunger World”.

Notes:
In a path-breaking development, the Central Government has recently approved the Kerala Government’s decision to bring teachers and other staff of private educational institutions under the Maternity Benefit Act. When the amendment to the Act comes into force, Kerala would become the first state in India to provide maternity benefits in the private educational sector. The employees covered under the law can avail 26 weeks’ maternity leave with salary. Moreover, an employer has to provide an amount of Rs 1,000 rupees as a medical allowance.

Notes:
A Chinese company “Sam Enterprise Group” has signed a secretive deal with the  government of the Solomon Islands to lease an entire Tulagi island for up to 75 years but the status of the lease remains unclear since it is a non-binding agreement. The deal was signed just a few days after the Solomon Islands abandoned Taiwan and began diplomatically recognizing Chinese aid and investment to flow. The purpose of the deal is to establish a Pacific military base on a strategic gateway to Australia. The island of Tulagi served as a South Pacific headquarters for Britain and then Japan. It is the site of a former Japanese naval base and was the scene of fierce fighting in World War II.