Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - August, 2017

Notes:
The 7th Meeting of BRICS Trade Ministers was held in Shanghai, China from August, 1-2, 2017. From India, the 6-member delegation led by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman , along with Ambassador J.S. Deepak, PR to WTO participated in the meeting. The trade ministers of BRICS nations discussed trade facilitation, economic and technological cooperation, capacity building and the multilateral trade system in the meeting. And, adopted the following documents at the conclusion of the meeting: 7th BRICS Trade Ministers’ Joint Statement, BRICS trade in services cooperation roadmap, BRICS e-commerce cooperation initiative, BRICS IPR cooperation guidelines, etc.

Notes:
The 15th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of BIMSTEC countries will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal from August 10-11, 2017. From India, the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will represent India in the meeting and will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the members countries. During the BIMSTEC meeting, progress on several programmes will be discussed.

Notes:
Robert Hard (91), who portrayed the role of Minister of Magic ‘Cornelius Fudge’ in four of the ‘Harry Potter’ films, has passed away in London, England on August 3, 2017. He was also known for his many portrayals of Winston Churchill and as the irascible vet Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. His voice performance as Robin Hood in Tale Spinners For Children, an LP from the 1960s, is considered one of the best Robin Hood renditions.

Notes:
The researchers at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru have developed a low-cost highly sensitive nanometre-scale carbon monoxide sensor by employing an innovative fabrication technique. It is known that Carbon Monoxide (CO) can have adverse effects on the health of people exposed to it. Thus, it becomes necessary to have good, low-cost carbon-monoxide sensors. Typically, a sensor would be a thin, current carrying plate whose resistance changes on exposure to carbon monoxide. This in turn changes the value of the current flowing through it. This change when measured indicates the level of carbon monoxide in the air. The research is published in Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.

Notes:
Amazon India has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Telangana Department of Handloom and Textiles to educate, train and enable weavers and artisans to directly sell their products to Amazon customers across the country. Amazon India will not only provide an online marketplace for marketing but will also engage with weavers and artisans across the state to train them on making the products more attractive, appealing and marketable across the online domain. The partnership also intends to empower and generate livelihood opportunities and income for the artisans and boost their economy

Notes:
The 2017 India – ASEAN Youth summit will be held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh from August 14 to 19, 2017 with theme ‘Shared values, common destiny’. This event is being organized in collaboration with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat and the India Foundation. Over 100 delegates from 10 ASEAN countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam – will participate in the summit. This forum will enhance people-to-people contacts between India and ASEAN countries.

Notes:
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is observed every year on August 9 to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. This event also recognizes the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection.

Notes:
The Keoladeo National Park (KNP) is located in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. It is home to Nilgai, feral cattle, chital deer, wild boar, Indian porcupine, etc. The park is famous avifauna sanctuary that hosts thousands of birds, especially during the winter season. The reserve protects Bharatpur from frequent floods, provides grazing grounds for village cattle, and earlier was primarily used as a waterfowl hunting ground.

Notes:
Rinku Hooda (18) from India has won silver in the F46 javelin throw event at the World U-20 Para Athletics Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland on August 7, 2017. He got disabled as a three-year-old when his left arm got stuck in a paddy-sowing machine. He won his first national level medal in 2013 during a para nationals meet at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Rohtak.

Notes:
M Venkaiah Naidu, the former Union Minister, has been sworn-in as 13th Vice President of India on August 11, 2017. He has been administered the oath of office by President Ram Nath Kovind at a special function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. He was born on 1st July 1949 at Chavatapalem, in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh. Before being elected to the second highest constitutional post of the country, Mr Naidu has held several positions and carried his successful political career during his three decade long public life. He has served as national president of BJP from 2002 to 2004. In the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government, he was the Union Cabinet Minister for Rural Development. In present Narendra Modi led government, Naidu served as the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Parliamentary Affairs and Information and Broadcasting.