Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - October, 2017

Notes:
Girija Devi (88), the veteran Indian classical singer of the Seniya and Banaras gharanas, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on October 24, 2017. She was known as ‘Thumri queen’, who popularised the genre of semi-classical Indian music. She was conferred with all three Padma awards, and was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2016.

Notes:
Chile has been named the best country to visit in 2018 by Lonely Planet in its ‘Best in Travel 2018’ list and is followed by South Korea, Portugal, Djibouti and New Zealand. Apart from this, Belfast and the Causeway coast of Northern Ireland has been named by Lonely Planet as the best region to visit in 2018, while Seville of Spain has been named as best city to visit in 2018.

Notes:
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has been honoured with the prestigious Golden Peacock Award under the category – Global Leadership in Public Service and Economic Transformation for excelling in public services at the 17th London Global Convention by the Institute of Directors for Leadership in Transferring Governance in England. In 1991, the Institute of Directors established the Golden Peacock Awards for the recognition of “corporate excellence”.

Notes:
India and the United States have agreed to implement Helicopter Operations from Ships other Than Aircraft Carriers (HOSTAC) programme to strengthen maritime security. The decision in this regard was taken by Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US Counterpart Jim Mattis during their meeting in Philippines on October 25, 2017 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus.

Notes:
Patna Pirates (PTP) has won the 5th edition of Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) by defeating Gujarat Fortunegiants in the final by 55-38 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It is their third consecutive Pro Kabaddi title. The PTP team is led by Pardeep Narwal and coached by Ram Mehar Singh. The league is organised by Mashal Sports and Star India.

Notes:
Pakistan will host the 2018 Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Emerging Nations Cup in April 2018. The decision to have the Emerging Cup in Pakistan was taken during the meeting of the ACC held in Lahore on October 30, 2017. In it, six ACC teams including five full members will play in the tournament.

Notes:
The world’s first hybrid electric tram powered by hydrogen fuel cells has started running in China to give big boost to green energy in public transport. The tram was put into commercial operation for the first time in Tangshan, north China’s Hebei Province. With water being its only emission, the tram emits no pollutants. No nitrogen oxides will be produced as the temperature of the reaction inside hydrogen fuel cells is controlled under 100 degrees Celsius. The tram, having three carriages with 66 seats, can run for 40 kilometers at a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour after being refilled with 12 kilograms of hydrogen.

Notes:
The National Unity Day (NUD), also known as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (RED), is celebrated every year across India on October 31 to commemorate birth anniversary of the Iron Man of India Sardar Vallabh bhai Patel, one of the founding leaders of Republic of India. The day is observed to foster and reinforce the government’s dedication to preserve and strengthen unity of the nation. This year, in 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the ‘Run For Unity’ in New Delhi to mark the 142nd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. A large number of people, including sports personalities like Sardar Singh, Deepa Karmakar, Suresh Raina and Karnam Malleswari participated in the Run.

Notes:
Roger Federer, a Swiss professional tennis player, has won the 2017 Swiss Indoors men’s singles tennis tournament by defeating Juan Martin del Potro in the fiinal by 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland. With this, he earned his 8th Basel title that led him to achieve his 95th career title. Now, Federer surpassed Ivan Lendl in number of career titles, only trailing Jimmy Connors, who owns 109 trophies.

Notes:
The United Nations’s World Cities Day (WCD) is observed on October 31 to promote the international community’s interest in global urbanization, push forward cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and addressing challenges of urbanization, and contributing to sustainable urban development around the world. This year, in 2017, the United Nations has selected the theme “Innovative Governance, Open Cities” to highlight the important role of urbanization as a source of global development and social inclusion. The general theme of World Cities Day (WCD) is ‘Better City, Better Life’, while each year a different sub-theme is selected, to either promote successes of urbanization, or address specific challenges resulting from urbanization.