Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2020

Notes:
India’s first multi-wavelength astronomical observatory named ‘Astrosat’ has recently completed five years of imaging objects in space.
The satellite was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2015. It has successfully carried out over 1000 observations of 800 unique celestial sources. A discovery of a galaxy located at a distance of about 10 billion light-years from Earth has been made using it.

Notes:
The Environment Minister of France has announced that it would impose a gradual ban on using wild animals including bears, tigers, lions and elephants in circuses.
It also includes the ban on keeping dolphins and killer whales in captivity in marine parks and raising mink on fur farms. However, the ban does not apply to wild animals in other permanent shows and in zoos.

Notes:
Assam’s first and only woman Chief Minister Syeda Anwara Taimur has recently passed away in Australia, at 84 years.
She held various important positions including the Education Minister before becoming the Chief Minister from 1980 to 1981. She was also nominated for a Rajya Sabha term in 1988. She served as MLA for four times during his 4 decade-long political career.

Notes:
Mahatma Gandhi founded the organisation named ‘Harijan Sevak Sangh’ in 1932, to work for the upliftment of the Depressed class people.
The Sangh was established to fight untouchability in the country. While establishing the Sangh, Gandhi also started a new weekly paper named ‘the Harijan’. The Sangh is headquartered at New Delhi.

Notes:
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is celebrating the sixth anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U).
To commemorate the event, the Ministry is organising a webinar titled ‘Swachhata Ke 6 Saal, Bemisaal’. The Ministry said that 4,327 urban local bodies have been declared open defecation-free (ODF) so far.

Notes:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020-2030 as the “Decade of Healthy Ageing”. International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 1 every year.
United Nations designated this day to focus on the well-being and special needs of the elderly people. The UN theme of the International Day of Older Persons 2020 is “Pandemics: Do They Change How We Address Age and Ageing?”.

Notes:
European Union has imposed sanctions against Belarus, the land locked eastern European country.
The sanction has been imposed to pressurize the President to hold fresh elections in the country. Earlier, UK and Canada imposed sanctions against Belarus. It has been alleged by various nations that the elections which took place in Belarus on August 9 was not held by fair means.

Notes:
The fourth World Conference on Women was convened by the United Nations during in September 1995 in Beijing, China.
The 25th anniversary of the fourth World Conference on Women was recently organised. Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani participated in the conference. She highlighted about the initiatives undertaken in India including the National Nutrition Mission.

Notes:
According to the official release of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the new emission norms for Tractors will come into force from October 2021.
However, the emission norms of construction equipment vehicles will come into effect from April 2021. A deferment of six months has been provided to the date of implementation of the emission norms.

Notes:
The National Mission for Clean Ganga along with Wildlife Institute of India and the Forest Department launched the ‘My Ganga My Dolphin’ campaign.
This has been launched on the occasion of Ganga River Dolphin Day observed on October 5, 2020. A Dolphin-based ecotourism programme was also launched at various sites along the Ganga River. Under the campaign, Dolphin Census will be conducted and awareness campaigns would be held.