Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2017

Notes:
India will host the 2019 edition of the Commonwealth (Youth, Junior and Senior) Weightlifting Championships. It was decided by the Executive Board of Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation to allot the 2019 edition of the competitions to India at Gold Coast, Australia. The 2018 edition of the tournament is being held at the Gold Coast.

Notes:
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu and K Sanjita Chanu has recently qualified for 2018 Commonwealth Games after winning a gold each in their respective weight categories (48kg & 53kg) at the Commonwealth Senior (men & women) weightlifting championships at Gold Coast in Australia. Mirabai lifted 85kg in snatch and 104kg in clean & jerk for an overall total of 189kg to finish on top of the podium in women’s 48kg weight division. She broke Commonwealth record in snatch event with a lift of 85kg, bettering her own record by one kilogram. Meanwhile, Sanjita also bagged the yellow metal in women’s 53kg with a total effort of 195kg and qualified for the Commonwealth Games which would be held at the same venue next year.

Notes:
The Union Government has recently told Supreme Court that an expert committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of former apex court judge Justice BN Srikrishna to identify key data protection issues in India and recommend methods to address them. The government told the apex court that after the committee’s report is submitted, there is a possibility that the law shall be passed regulating data protection. Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, state that the committee will study various issues and make specific suggestions for consideration of the government on the principles to be considered for data protection. The apex court has fixed the matter for further hearing on November 20, 2017.

Notes:
The Union government has set up an online service facility that can be used by importers and exporters to resolve all foreign trade-related issues. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which comes under Ministry of Commerce, has asked all exporters and importers to use the system – Contact@DGFT – for resolution of their matters. Traders can raise all matters related to the directorate or other agencies of the Centre and States through this facility activated at the DGFT website. Contact@DGFT system has been activated as a single point contact for resolving all foreign trade-related issues. The DGFT notice to all regional authorities, export promotion councils, commodity boards and members of trade and industry has stated that the best efforts will be made for expeditious resolution.

Notes:
The traditional Bonderam festival has started in Divar Island of Goa on September 9, 2017 . The word “Bonderam” originated from the involvement of flags. It is stated that during the Portuguese rule in Goa there were frequent disputes between two sections of the Divar village over property issues. These often led to violence and fights in the village. To find a solution to this problem, the Portuguese introduced a system of demarcation of boundaries with flags. The festival is a memoir to the protest by the local villagers against the Portuguese while trying to resolve the property ownership disputes. This festival starts with a flag which is accompanied by the brass band. Bonderam is a very popular monsoon festival in Goa and it draws huge crowds from all parts of Goa and world over.

Notes:
Konjum Taba has clinched gold in the junior men’s 94 kg category by lifting 317 kg at the 2017 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia. In the senior men’s 94 kg, Vikas Thakur won the bronze medal by lifting 340 kg, while Punam Yadav won silver in the 69 kilogram senior category by lifting 217 kg. In the youth girl 75 kg event, A Anju Devi won the silver medal by lifting 167 kg overall. On day 5 of the championship, India bagged six medals, including two Gold.

Notes:
The researchers at IIT-Roorkee have developed a low-cost method for treating Osteoarthritis (OA), a disease that causes pain and stiffness in the joints leading to degeneration of the bone cartilage. Under the new method, a nano-material and a polymer are injected around the knee joint followed by a regular heat therapy, which is believed to be far superior to the conventional treatment administered in the form of multiple injections and anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids, which have critical side effects.

Notes:
Recently, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is in news because it will constitute a committee to advise the method and process for undertaking large scale community reform program within the Islamic Shariah. A resolution was passed in this connection in the one-day meeting of the Board’s executive body held in Bhopal on September 11, 2017. The committee will also look into the Supreme Court’s verdict on the triple Talaq. The Board reiterated that Talaq-e-biddat or triple Talaq in one-sitting, is sinful but valid. It claimed that it has taken steps to discourage this practice through community reform programmes for a long time. The AIMPLB is a non-government organisation that focuses primarily to defend the Sharia laws from any law or legislation that they consider infringes on it. Syed Mohammad Rabe Hasani is the president of the AIMPLB.

Notes:
Dr Tahir Mahmood, the well-known jurist, has won the prestigious Prof N R Madhava Menon Best Law Teacher Award – 2017 in recognition of his distinguished services to legal education and legal profession during the 9th Teachers’ Day Award Function organized by Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) and Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy Training (MILAT) in New Delhi. Among the institutions, Mar Gregorios College of Law in Thiruvananthapuram bagged 2017 SILF-MILAT Institutional Excellence Award. Among other awardees, Prof V C Vivekanandan received the SILF-MILAT Legal Education Innovation Award and Dr. T.K Vishwanathan was conferred with Prof A.V Rohatgi Jurist Award 2017.

Notes:
India has clinched the 2nd Under- 16 South Asian Basketball (SABA) Championship by defeating Bhutan by 131-50 in its last league match at Kathmandu in Nepal on September 9, 2017. India remained unbeaten in its all four matches and accumulated 8 points. Bangladesh finished second and host Nepal third. The championship was played on a round robin league format. Now, India has qualified for 2017 International Basketball Federation, FIBA, Under-16 Asian Championship to be played in Malaysia later this year.