GK & Current Affairs Quiz: September 13, 2017

Notes:
Halimah binti Yacob, the former Speaker of Parliament, has been declared the President-elect of Singapore, after her nomination papers were found to be in order. She will be Singapore’s first female President and the first Malay head of state in 47 years. On September 13, Yacob was certified by the Presidential Elections Commission as the only eligible candidate, and since she has no opponent, there will be no election. Halimah will be sworn in as country’s 8th President at the Istana on September 14, 2017. The 2017 Presidential Election was reserved for candidates from the Malay community. Under amendments to the Constitution that came into effect in June 2017, applicants had to show that they helmed a company with at least 500 million Singapore dollar in shareholders’ equity. Halimah meets the criteria set out for those in the public sector, having held office for at least three years as Speaker.

Notes:
The 4-day annual Border Security Force (BSF) sports meet has started in Jammu on September 12, 2017 in which about 1,200 personnel would participate in sports such as wrestling, boxing, weight-lifting and Kabbadi. The Inter-Frontier Sports Competition of the BSF is aimed at preparing the jawans for national and international-level championships. The 11 teams participating in the competition are from Gujarat, Guwahati, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Manipal and Cachar, North Bengal, Punjab, Rajasthan, South Bengal and Tripura.

Notes:
The Maharashtra Government and Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Pvt. Ltd have signed a lease agreement to set up a state-of-the-art milk and milk products processing plant. As per the MoU, a dairy development initiative will begin in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions to provide access to milk producers to markets in Nagpur and Mumbai. Apart from transferring the Nagpur dairy on lease and land for setting up a new dairy at Gove Bhiwandi, Maharashtra will provide assistance, including funds, for a coordinated approach to improve productivity through animal breeding, nutrition and health. Mother Dairy is a subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).

Notes:
Abhay Firodia, the Chairman of Force Motors, has been elected as the new president of the automobile industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) for 2017-18. Firodia headed SIAM in 1990-91 and 1991-92 as well. Beside him, Mahindra & Mahindra’s President-Automotive Sector Rajan Wadhera has been elected as the new vice-president of the organization. Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director & CEO Kenichi Ayukawa has taken over as Treasurer for the year 2017-18.

Notes:
Sumit Nagal of India has won the 8th MCC – S R Subramaniam Memorial ITF Futures Men’s tennis championship on September 10, 2017. Nagal defeated Colin van Beem of Netherlands in the singles final by 6-3, 6-0 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Nagal received $2,160 and 18 ITF points for the victory while van Beem received $1272 AND 12 ITF points.

Notes:
Airtel has recently launched ‘Office-In-a-Box’ for start-ups registered under the Karnataka government’s Start-Up Cell initiative. The Office-in-a-Box suite will be available to the over 100 start-ups registered with the Start-Up Cell and will add to their business efficiency. It will offer a range of services to support the business requirements of start-ups and is available on a scale-as-you-grow model with easy payment options. The services include voice and data solutions; audio and web collaboration; cloud services; payments bank services; go-to-market support across SMS, MMS, e-mail, voice, IVR and USSD; GPS and RFID-based tracking of assets.

Notes:
Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, will inaugurate the 2-day National Conference on “Uniformed Women in Prison Administration” in New Delhi on September 14. The Conference is being organised for women officers of the rank of Jailors to Dy. Superintendents of Prisons. This Conference will have Panel Discussions, Deliberations and Syndicate Discussions on 4 themes: a) Are Woman Prison Officers getting mainstream duties?, b) Difficulties in balancing family and work environment of Women Prison Officers, c) Training needs of Woman Prison Officers and Correctional Staff and d) Is there need for change of uniform for Woman Prison Officers? The Conference is expected to benefit the participants being in their impressionable stage of service, by implementation of the knowledge gained through the Conference.

Notes:
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Container Terminal (JNPCT) has won the 2017 Container Terminal of the Year Award at The Gateway Awards 2017 at Mumbai for its proactive strategies to ease congestion, smooth delivery of containers and revamping of infrastructure to support trade amidst adverse conditions. The 10th edition of the Gateway Awards showcased the outstanding achievements and exceptional accomplishments of individuals and organisations in the Indian Maritime industry. The Gateway Award was instituted to recognise and promote best practices, innovation and motivation in the Indian Maritime industry.

Notes:
Peter Thomson, the outgoing president of the General Assembly, has been appointed as the first special envoy for the oceans by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Thomson played a leading role at the first-ever UN conference on oceans in June 2017. The 193 UN member states issued an urgent call for action to reverse the decline in the health and productivity of the world’s oceans.

Notes:
The Udawalawe National Park (UNP) is located in Sabaragamuwa and Uva Provinces of Sri Lanka. The park covers 30,821 hectares and is an important habitat for water birds and Sri Lankan elephants. Other animals reside in the park such as Sri Lankan sambar deer, Sri Lankan axis deer, Indian muntjac, water buffaloGolden jackal, Asian palm civet, toque macaque, tufted grey langur, Indian hare, etc.