Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2017

Notes:
At the 8th edition of the Tata Literature festival-2017, the book “Age of Anger: A History of the Present” has won the Book of the Year Award 2017 in the Non–Fiction category. The book was authored by Pankaj Mishra. Apart from this, the fiction top honour was bagged by Easterine Kire’s ‘Son of the Thundercloud’. Tata Trusts’ Big Little Book Awards’ for Author in Bengali Children’s Literature, went to Nabaneeta Dev Sen. Actor-playwright Girish Karnad was conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution in the field of theatre at the Tata Literature Live in Mumbai on November 20, 2017.

Notes:
The 42nd World Congress of the International Committee of Military Medicine (ICMM) has started in New Delhi on November 19, 2017. The 5-day event is organised for the first time in India, and is the largest medical conference ever organised by the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). The theme of this 42nd World Congress is “Military Medicine in Transition: Looking Ahead”. The ICMM is an international inter-governmental organisation created in 1921 with its secretariat at Brussels in Belgium and currently has 112 nations as members. Approx350-400 foreign delegates from 80 countries are participating in the event.

Notes:
The Hyderabad based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in association with the Indian Institute of Rice Research (IIRR) has developed Improved Samba Masuri (ISM) variety rice with low Glycemic Index. Rice with low Glycemic Index is considered suitable for people with diabetics. The new variety is also resistant to bacteria blight. The ISM has lowest Glycemic Index of 50.99 against the normal 53 to 70 in several rice varieties. It has shown better yield and fine grain type enhancing its market potential and profit for farmers. The scientists stated that the new variety is not a transgenic one and they did molecular breeding in CCMB and traditional rice breeding at the rice research institute. The ISM has been grown in 1.3 lakh hectares in 7 states including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The IIRR is a rice research institute located at Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.

Notes:
The sixth edition of India’s premier open water swimming competition ” Swimmathon” will be held at Colva beach in South Goa on December 3, 2017. The event had been accredited by the Swimming Federation of India (SFI) as the national selection trials. This year, the event will have four categories for both men and women. Around 1000 participants are expected to participate in the event across various categories.

Notes:
India and Russia have recently agreed to implement the general declaration for visa free entry of the crew of chartered and scheduled flights between the two countries. A pact on the issue was signed here recently by officials of the two countries. The agreement will facilitate visa-free entry, stay and exit of crew of aircraft of the designated airlines as well as other aircraft companies operating chartered and special flights in the respective territories on reciprocal basis. According to official estimates, around 1,200 scheduled flights ply between India and Russia every year. Moreover, about 1,100 Russian chartered flights arrive in India every year. A majority of them land in Goa with Russian tourists.

Notes:
Sudip Datta Bhowmik (49), the noted journalist was shot dead under mysterious circumstances at a battalion headquarters of Tripura State Rifles (TSR) near Agartala on November 21, 2017. He was working for a vernacular daily ‘Syandan Patrikaand’ and was also contributing to local television channel ‘News Vanguard’.

Notes:
Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, an acclaimed South African Indian-origin AIDS researcher, has been appointed as a UNAIDS Special Ambassador for Adolescents and HIV. Professor Abdool Karim is one of the world’s leading AIDS researchers and has made pioneering contributions to understanding the HIV epidemic among young people, especially among young women. She is a strong advocate for the rights of people living with and affected by HIV. In her new role as a UNAIDS Special Ambassador, Abdool Karim will focus on adolescents and HIV, while also championing the involvement of young women in science.

Notes:
Andhra Bank has launched a new scheme “Pattabhi Sitaramayya — Self Business Group (PS-SBG)” on November 21, 2017 to encourage entrepreneurship. The scheme was launched to commemorate the 138th birth anniversary of its founder Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya, and the Silver Jubilee of the SHG-Bank linkage programme in the country. Under the scheme, maximum financial assistance will be Rs. 25 lakh without collateral security. The Self Help Groups (SHGs), which have had five years of association with Andhra Bank, will be eligible for the scheme. The SHGs should also have completed three credit rotations with good repayment record to be considered eligible. The bank aims to encourage SHGs to Self Business Group model by helping these collectives take up substantial economic activity. Bank will also facilitate capacity building workshops for SHG members.

Notes:
J P Nadda, the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, has inaugurated the 1st World Conference on Access to Medical Products and International Laws for Trade and Health in New Delhi. The Conference is organized by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare with the support of WHO Country Office for India and in partnership with Indian Society of International Law. The purpose of the conference is to exchange knowledge and expand understanding on contemporary issues in international trade laws and research and innovation for access to medical products to achieve SDG 2030 agenda.

Notes:
Ritu Phogat has clinched the silver medal in Under-23 Senior World Wrestling Championship at Poland. She lost against Turkish Wrestler Demirhan in the gold medal bout of women’s 48 kilogram category. In Semifinal, Ritu defeated Chinese Wrestler Jiang Zhu 4-3 points to reach the finals. Ritu had won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in 2016.