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:
The 36th edition of National Games of India will be held in Goa from November 4 to 17, 2018. The Games were originally scheduled to be held in November 2016 but the Goa administration requested a postponement at the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)’s annual general meeting based on extraneous factors, mainly the State elections. The delays to the 34th and 35th editions of the Games, which were hosted by Jharkhand and Kerala respectively, affected Goa’s plan to hold the mega-event.

Notes:
England has won their first-ever FIFA Under-17 World Cup by defeating European Champions Spain in the final by 5-2 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on October 28, 2017. England’s goal-machine Rhian Brewster won the ‘Golden Boot’ with 8 goals to his credit.

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:
Gautam Adhikari (67), the chairman and whole time director of the SAB group, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on October 27, 2017. The group is behind the successful SAB TV channel, most popularly known for the show ‘Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’. Adhikari produced and directed several films and television series, including Hello Inspector, Commander, Marshall, Silsila and Waqt ki Raftar.

Notes:
The Anamalai Tiger Reserve, which is earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (IGWLS&NP), is located in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi, Valparai and Udumalpet taluks of Coimbatore District and Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu. It is home to golden jackal, leopard cat, jungle cat, spotted deer, barking deer, mouse deer, wild boar, common langur, bonnet macaque, Asian palm civet, etc. It is also home to 15 of 16 species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats. Over 250 species of birds have been identified in the park such as cormorants, ducks, teal, darter, partridge, quail, etc.

Notes:
N.J.Gangte (IFS:1994) has been appointed as the new High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Zambia. He is presently the Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and is expected to take up his assignment shortly.

Notes:
The Government of India (GoI) and the World Bank (WB) has signed a 200 million Loan Agreement for the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project. The Project will support the Government of Assam to facilitate agri-business investments, increase agriculture productivity and market access, and enable small farm holders produce crops that are resilient to recurrent floods or droughts in the state. The 200 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 7-year grace period, and a maturity of 16.5 years.

Notes:
The 13th session of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) will be hosted by India in 2020. The CMS COP is also known as a Global Wildlife Conference & is held once in three years. It was officially announced at the CMS COP 12, which is held in Manila, Philippines from 23 to 28 October 2017 and was attended by delegates from over 120 countries. The slogan for the CMS COP 12 was “Their Future is Our Future – Sustainable Development for Wildlife & People”. It is first time that the COP was held in Asia. The CMS is the only global and UN-based intergovernmental organization established exclusively for the conservation and management of terrestrial, aquatic and avian migratory species throughout their range.