Current Affairs Quiz - January, 2020

Notes:
In order to promote road safety and reduce vehicular pollution, Rajasthan Transport department is going to observe a “No Vehicle Day” once a month in 2020. The employees of the transport department are to come to their offices as pedestrians, via bicycles or a public transport.

Notes:
Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge will launch the environmental prize called the Earthshot. The multi-million pound award will be given to five winners each year for the next 10 years, starting from 2021. Its aim is to provide at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest problems by 2030.

Notes:
Palau has banned “reef-toxic” sunscreens. The scientific evidence showed that chemicals found in most sunscreens were toxic to corals. Therefore, from New Year’s Day, any reef-toxic sunscreens that are imported or sold in Palau will be confiscated and the owner will be fined.

Notes:
Tony Whitten was a British conservationist who documented biodiversity in Asia before he died due to cycling crash. A prize fund was set up in his name after his death. One of the recent winners of this prize named a snail in Indonesia after him. These species live in a limestone habitat and are threatened due to quarrying for the cement industry.

Notes:
The 27th edition of National Children’s Science Congress was recently organised in the capital city of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram. The Congress was inaugurated by the Vice President of India, Venkiah Naidu. More than 650 young student scientists from many states and union territories across the country and some students from the Middle East countries participated in the event and exhibited their projects and inventions.

Notes:
Former Prime Minister and Army General of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Cissoko Embalo recently won in the second round of the presidential elections of the country. Jose Mario Vaz is the incumbent President of the country, who failed to win in the first round elections held earlier. Umaro Embalo, served as the Prime Minister under the presidency of Jose Mario Vaz from 2016 to 2018. Guinea-Bissau is a country in West Africa, which gained independence from Portugal in 1974.

Notes:
The birth anniversary of the social reformer and the first female teacher of India, Savitribai Phule was observed across the country on January 3. The Prime Minister of India and various other leaders paid tributes to her on her birth anniversary. Savitribai Phule along with her husband Jyotirao Phule founded the country’s first girls’ school in Pune in 1848. Born in Maharashtra, Phule worked hard to abolish discrimination against women and suppressed classes of people.

Notes:
The 19-year-old Table Tennis player of India, Manav Thakkar is in news as he reached the top position in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) rankings in Under-21 men’s single category. This coveted rank could be achieved after he won the Under-21 men’s singles title at the ITTF Challenge Plus North American Open last year. Manav is only the fourth Indian to become World No.1 in the ITTF rankings.

Notes:
The Central Reserve Police Force organised the 4th edition of the All India Police Judo Cluster Championship in New Delhi. The event will be held from January 4 to January 7, 2020. More than thousand sportspersons across the country are participating in the tournament. The event was inaugurated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai. The previous edition of the championship was organized by the Odisha Police.

Notes:
Australia recently witnessed severe wild fires that killed nearly 25 people and destroyed several homes across the country. More than hundred bush fires were burning in New South Wales and they could not be controlled. Several million animals are also reported to be killed by the severity of bush fires. Scientists have cited Global warming to be the reason of this early and devastating wild fires.