GK & Current Affairs Quiz: November 30, 2017

Notes:
Raj Shah, who holds a key position in the White House, has become the first Indian-American to hold press gaggle with reporters on board US Presidential chopper Air Force One. Gaggle is the term used for informal briefing by the White House Press Secretary, which is on the record but bars reporters from video-graphing. Mr Shah did so in the capacity of the Principal Deputy Press Secretary. For this position, he was promoted by President Donald Trump in September 2017 as he restructured his press office by making Hope Hicks Director of Communications. He was accompanying Mr Trump as he flew to Missouri to deliver a major speech on middle-class tax relief and business tax relief.

Notes:
The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted the regional level marine oil pollution response exercise ‘Clean Sea-2017’ at sea off Port Blair on November 29. The purpose of the exercise was to ascertain preparedness of the ICG, resource agencies and other stakeholders in responding to a major oil spill in line with the provisions of the National Oil Spill Disaster Contingency Plan (NOS-DCP). The highlight of the exercise was participation of one ICG Pollution Control Vessel and integration of the Indian Coast Guard Dornier/Chetak aircraft into the Oil Spill Disaster Management System for aerial assessment/ delivery of Oil Spill Dispersant for mitigation of the spilled oil. The Indian Coast Guard has established three pollution response centres at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair. It is responsible for marine environment protection in the maritime zones of India and is the coordinating authority for response to oil spills in Indian waters.

Notes:
The annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO-2017) has started in Russian city of Sochi on November 30, 2017. Sushma Swaraj, the Union External Affairs Minister, will represent India in the two-day summit which is likely to discuss regional security scenario, including situations in the Gulf and Afghanistan. On the sidelines of the summit, Ms Swaraj will also have bilateral meetings with several leaders. She also attend the reception to be hosted by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. As a member of the SCO, India is expected to have a bigger say in pressing for concerted action in dealing with terrorism as well as on issues relating to security and defence in the region. In June, India and Pakistan had become full-fledged members of the grouping.

Notes:
Mirabai Chanu from Manipur has become the first Indian in over two decades to claim a gold medal at the International Weightlifting Federation World Weightlifting Championship (IWFWWC) in Anaheim, USA on November 30, 2017. Chanu lifted 85kg in snatch and 109kg in clean and jerk to total an impressive 194kg in the women’s 48kg, in the process setting a new national record. Two decades earlier, Olympic bronze medalist Karnam Malleshwari had won the top prize in worlds twice – in 1994 and 1995.

Notes:
The 7th International Military Sports Council (CISM) Military World Games will be hosted from Oct. 18 to 27, 2019 in Wuhan, capital city of central China’s Hubei Province. The games, which are top sporting gala for military personnel, consist of 329 competitions in 27 categories and are expected to attract around 8,000 participants from more than 100 countries and regions. It will be an international event with great significance and far-reaching influence and it will also be an opportunity for foreign military personnel to learn more about China and its military. The emblem consists of a dove, a star, ribbons and other elements and the mascot is called Bing Bing, the design of which is based on the Chinese sturgeon, a critically endangered fish known as the “panda in water”. The slogan is of the games is “Military glory, world peace”. The games, which were inaugurated in Rome in 1995, is a multi-sport event organized every four years by the CISM.

Notes:
Thodupuzha Vasanthi (65), the veteran Malayalam film and theatre actor, has passed away at Vazhakulam in Kerala on November 28, 2017. She was known for character roles in over 400 Malayalam movies in her four-decade-old acting career. Vasanthi was better known for her roles in God Father, Alolam and Karyam Nissaram.

Notes:
Pandit Narayanrao Bodas (84), the renowned exponent of the Gwalior gharana of Hindustani classical music, has passed away in Pune, Maharashtra on November 28, 2017. He was born in Karachi into a musical aristocracy steeped in the traditions of Indian classical music. Despite his dedication to conserving the heritage of classical vocal music, Pandit Narayanrao devoted a considerable amount of his career to Marathi natya sangeet (enactment of musicals on stage). Though he acted in some films and worked in the television medium, Pandit Narayanrao remained devoted to the uncompromising art of Hindustani classical music — and promoting it in its purest form.

Notes:
The Bhitarkanika National Park (BNP) is located in Kendrapara district of Odisha and is spread over 672 square kilometers. It is in news recently because the national park has registered an impressive rise in mammal population due to adequate conservation measures and vigil by anti-poaching squad of the forest department. According to the latest head count report released by the forest department, the enumerators spotted 7,129 mammals of 14 species in Kendrapara district while the figure stood at 6,122 in 2016. According to wildlife staff, there are couple of factors are contributing to the rising graph. First, the rich and lush-green mangrove forest has turned out to be an ideal habitat for hyenas, boars and deer. Besides, lack of human interference in their habitation corridors has also emerged favourable. There is also imbalance in predator-prey base in Bhitarkanika. Unlike the Sundarbans, Bhitarkanika mangroves are devoid of tigers.

Notes:
India’s first crypto-currency exchange “Coinome” has been launched by Mumbai-based payment gateway Billdesk. Coinome is incorporated under Hatio Innovations Pvt. Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of BillDesk. It will allow users to be on-boarded via Instant e-KYC. It means that users can start transacting in crypto-currencies almost immediately upon registering. The exchange supports instant deposits using payment gateway and instant withdrawals, thereby allowing transactions even on weekends or business holidays. Currently, Coinome offers the trading of Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, but the exchange plans to support 20 mainstream crypto-currencies by 2018.

Notes:
The Odisha government has launched a ‘Fish Pond Yojana’ scheme to boost fish production in the state with a budgetary provision of Rs 96 crore. The scheme was launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, while inaugurating a workshop on ‘Doubling of Farmer Income through Dairy and Allied Farming Practices’ in Bhubaneswar on November 28, 2017. The scheme aims to create additional 2,200 hectare of fresh water aquaculture farming with 50% financial assistance to farmers.