Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2017

Notes:
Rafael Nadal, a Spanish professional tennis player, has won the 2017 China Open Tennis tournament by defeating Nick Kyrgios in the final by 6-2, 6-1 in Beijing, China. It is his 6th ATP title of the year. Nadal’s six trophies this year include a record 10th title at the French Open and a third at the US Open.

Notes:
The International conference on “Dialogue of Civilizations – IV” has started from October 8 –15, 2017 at Delhi, Gandhinagar and Dholavira. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Union Ministry of Culture are hosting the conference in collaboration with National Geographic Society (NGS). The purpose of the conference is to encourage scholarly and public discourse about the five ancient, literate civilizations of the world, i.e. Egypt, Mesopotamia, South Asia, China and Mesoamerica and how the study of the past can share our present and future towards the right direction. The present conference is the fourth in this series, with the final dialogue planned in Egypt.

Notes:
IIT-Kharagpur has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Samsung India for the setting up of a digital academy on the institute’s campus. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the institute will host the Samsung Innovation Lab and train students on the Internet of Things (IoT) through Tizen-based operating systems, commonly used by the company for its mobile phones and home appliances. The academy was a part of Samsung’s corporate social initiative that aims at bridging the digital divide in the country by imparting skills to students on cutting-edge technology, Through this partnership with IIT-KGP, the academy planned to train over 100 students in the next three years. The course would be taught over 14 weeks through classroom lectures, assignments, lab room sessions, self-study and mini projects.

Notes:
The Uttarakhand Government and a charitable funding agency ‘Swan Cultural Center and Foundation’ launched ‘Solar Briefcase’ in Kedarnath Dham to provide electricity to far-flung areas in the hill state.

Notes:
M Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President of India, has inaugurated the 3rd International Conference on Yoga in New Delhi with theme “Yoga for Wellness”on October 10, 2017. The 2-day conference is being organized by the Ministry of AYUSH as a part of year long events being organized to celebrate 21st June as International Day of Yoga. The conference consists of seven technical sessions and a panel discussion on different aspects of Yoga and Wellness including recent research trends, Integrated medicine, non communicable diseases, mental health, women health, cancer, pain management and policy making. Around 500 delegates, including those from 44 countries are attending the conference, which will provide a common platform for AYUSH and allopathy practitioners, researchers, academicians, and policy makers and students.

Notes:
The Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF), which markets the Amul brand of milk and milk products, has been recognised as the India’s best Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Company in the food sector by the International Advertising Association (IAA). Amul was presented the 5th IAA Leadership Award for this recognition at Mumbai on October 9, 2017. The prestigious awards instituted by the IAA’s India Chapter recognise excellence towards contribution in marketing, advertising and media sectors as well as celebrate outstanding achievements of individuals and teams.

Notes:
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently released its October 2017 World Economic Outlook. In it, IMF slashed India’s growth forecast by 0.5% points to 6.7% in FY 18 due to the lingering effects of disruption caused by demonetisation and transition costs of GST. Earlier, in April, the IMF had pegged India’s GDP growth at 7.2% for FY18. It has also lowered the growth projection for FY 19 ( 2018-19) to 7.4% from its earlier estimate in April and June of 7.7%. Though, the IMF was more optimistic about medium-term growth prospects for India through gains from the new indirect tax levy. Apart from IMF, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also lowered its growth projection to 6.7% for the current financial year from its earlier estimate of 7.3% due to adverse impact on economic growth by the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Notes:
The International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC) is celebrated every year on October 11 to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. The 2017 theme “ EmPOWER Girls: Before, during and after crises” marks the beginning of a year-long effort to spur global attention and action to the challenges and opportunities girls face before, during, and after crises.

Notes:
Jagdish Mukhi has been sworn-in as the new Governor of Assam. He was administered the oath of office by Guwahati High Court Chief Justice Ajit Singh at a function in the Srimanta Sankardeva International Convention Centre. He succeeded Banwarilal Purohit, who has been appointed as the Governor of Tamil Nadu. Mukhi had also served as a minister in the Delhi government. He had been awarded the Best Finance and Planning Minister by the then Planning Minister, Pranab Mukherjee in 1997.

Notes:
The International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) is observed every year on October 13 to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. The day celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. The 2017 theme “Home Safe Home: Reducing Exposure, Reducing Displacement” seeks to raise global awareness about effective actions, policies and practices taken to reduce exposure to disaster risk at the community level, thereby contributing to saving homes and livelihoods.