Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2017

Notes:
The Ghughuwa Fossil Park (GFP) is located near Shahpura in Madhya Pradesh and was declared a National Park in 1983. It was founded during the 1970s by Dr. Dharmendra Prasad, in which plant fossils belonging to 31 genera of 18 families have been identified. A eucalyptus fossil found at Ghughua is the oldest fossil of its type ever discovered and this find supports its origins from Gondwana.

Notes:
China has launched the world’s first all-electric ship in Guangzhou in South China’s Guangdong Province, which can travel up to 80km with 2000-tonnes cargo after a two-hour charge. The vessel, manufactured by the Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Ltd, is powered by a 26-tonne lithium battery. It can cruise at the top speed of 12.8 km per hour. As the ship do not use fossil fuels, it has zero emission, including carbon, sulphur and PM2.5 and it could be used as a passenger liner or a working ship.

Notes:
Dr. Subhash Bhamre, the Raksha Rajya Mantri, has represented the Government of India at the ‘UN Peacekeeping Defence Ministerial: Vancouver 2017’, which is held between November 14-15, 2017. It was 2nd time Dr. Bhamre attended the conference. He will be speaking on November 15. Over 500 delegates from more than 70 countries and international organisations gathered at the Defence Ministerial in Vancouver. Along with representatives from the African Union, the European Union, NATO and the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, these delegates discussed improvements to UN peacekeeping operations.

Notes:
The Saudi Arabian government has officially declared Yoga as a ‘Sports Activity’. With this, Yoga is now an official sport practiced under Saudi Ministry of trade and industry. This means that anyone in Saudi Arabia who wants to practice can do so just by getting a license and the person shall not be disapproved or face any consequences for the same. Nouf Al Marwaai is the first Saudi woman teaching yoga and has been recognized as the driving force behind the development of yoga in Saudi Arabia.

Notes:
The 5th edition of Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS-2017) will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on November 23. The main objective of the 2-day conference is to have mutual understanding of latest practices in cyberspace, more coordination and security measures. Over 2000 delegates & representatives from over 100 countries will participate in this conference. The theme of the conference will be “Cyber for all: An Inclusive, Sustainable, Developmental, Safe and Secure Cyberspace”. It is first time that India is hosting such conference. The GCCS is a prestigious international conference that aims at encouraging dialogue among stakeholders of cyberspace.

Notes:
Superstars Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth have been chosen by the Andhra Pradesh government for the prestigious NTR National Film Award for the years 2014 and 2016 respectively. Ace director K. Raghavendra Rao will receive the same award for 2015. The award was instituted in the memory of Telugu film legend and former Chief Minister Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. The award comprises a cash component of Rs 5 lakh and a memento. Beside this, “Baahubali” director S.S. Rajamouli has been chosen for the B.N. Reddy National Film Award for the year 2014 while prominent Telugu film directors, Trivikram Srinivas and Boyapati Srinivas will get the award for 2015 and 2016. Megastar and Rajya Sabha member K. Chiranjeevi and former Union Minister U. Krishnam Raju will be bestowed with the Raghupati Venkaiah Award. The ceremony is expected to take place in January 2018 in Vijayawada, along with the Nandi Awards for best Telugu films.

Notes:
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) has concluded on November 17, 2017 after two weeks of talks in Boon, Germany. Envoys from nearly 200 countries, including delegates from Washington, negotiated on implementing the Paris climate change agreement including a rulebook to be adopted next year and for enacting the global deal reached to cheers and champagne in 2015. The Paris pact commits countries to limiting average global warming to under two degrees Celsius over Industrial Revolution levels, and 1.5 Celcius if possible, to avert worst-case-scenario climate change. The November 6-17 conference is the first of the UN’s climate body since US President Donald Trump announced in June that the US will withdraw from the agreement. Meanwhile, United States again expressed its desire to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.

Notes:
International rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has recently upgraded the Government of India (GoI)’s local and foreign currency issuer ratings to Baa2 from its lowest investment grade (Baa3) and changed the outlook on the rating to stable from positive. Moody’s has also upgraded India’s local currency senior unsecured rating to Baa2 from Baa3 and its short-term local currency rating to P-2 from P-3. The decision to upgrade the ratings is underpinned by Moody’s expectation that continued progress on economic and institutional reforms will enhance India’s high growth potential. Though, the global ratings agency cautioned that high debt burden remains a constraint on the country’s credit profile. Moody’s has revised the sovereign rating of India a notch above investment grade after a long gap of 14 years. Interestingly, the last time the global rating has revised the rating was when the BJP government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was in power.

Notes:
The Telangana government has signed a MoU with the Patanjali group with an aim to set up ‘Food Park’. The Patanjali Group will set up a large food park in Telangana with units for processing edible oil, fruit pulp and spices.

Notes:
The Nameri National Park (NNP) is located in the foothills of the eastern Himalayas in the Sonitpur District of Assam and covers an area of 200 km2. This forest has over 600 species. Some notable species are Gmelina arborea, Michelia champaca, Amari and Bonjolokia. The park is an ideal habitat for a host of other animals including the tiger, leopard, sambar, dhole (the Asiatic wild dog), pygmy hog and Indian wild bison. It is home for orchids like Dendrobium, Cymbidiumand Cypripedioideae.