GK & Current Affairs Quiz: April 17, 2018

Notes:
The World Haemophilia Day (WHD) is observed every year on April 17 to increase awareness of haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. It is an opportunity to help people with bleeding disorders live healthier, longer and more productive lives by educating and empowering them through knowledge sharing, information exchanges, education, and training. The 2018 theme is “Sharing Knowledge Makes Us Stronger”.

Notes:
The New York Times and The New Yorker have jointly won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service on April 16 for explosive reporting that brought down Harvey Weinstein and spawned a cultural watershed on the issue of sexual harassment. The prestigious prize was awarded to the Times team led by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey and New Yorker contributor Ronan Farrow, for reports that ruined the career of the Hollywood mogul and sparked movements such as #MeToo and Time’s Up. Apart from this, The Washington Post won the investigative reporting prize for revealing decades-old allegations of sexual misconduct against Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama. The New York Times also shared a second prize with The Washington Post for coverage of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Each winner will receive a certificate and a $15,000 cash award.

Notes:
The India-Wiesbaden Conference 2018 was held in New Delhi on April 16-17. The title of the Conference is ‘Securing Global Supply Chains through Government-Industry Partnerships towards Effective Implementation of UNSC Resolution 1540’. The Conference provided an opportunity to participants to share experiences on their export control systems and to identify legal & technical assistance, action plans & challenges in national implementation of UNSC 1540. It is hosted by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in cooperation with Germany and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). Representatives from the Government and Industry of 39 countries, as well as experts from the UNSC 1540 Committee and UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) participated in the conference.

Notes:
On April 16, the Government of India (GoI) has signed a $48 million loan agreement with the World Bank to support selected communities in Meghalaya to manage their natural resources using a community-led landscape approach. The project is expected to benefit 1,00,000 people in rural Meghalaya besides building the capacity of some 30,000 youth through access to technology. The Meghalaya Community – Led Landscapes Management Project (MCLLMP) is designed to support the State’s three tribal communities – Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia – in managing its forests and natural resources through customary laws. The closing date of the Project is 30th June, 2023.

Notes:
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2018) has started in London, United Kingdom with theme ‘Towards a Common Future’ from April 16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part in the event on 19th and 20th of April. The biennial event has brought together delegates from 53 Commonwealth nations. The focus will be on ensuring that the Commonwealth is responsive to global challenges and delivers a more prosperous, secure, sustainable and fair future for all its citizens, particularly its young people.

Notes:
India has won an election to a crucial non-governmental organisation committee in the United Nations. It topped the election held by the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations in the Asia Pacific States category followed by Pakistan, Bahrain and China to serve a four-year term beginning on January 1, 2019. India got the highest number of votes at 46, followed by Pakistan 43, Bahrain 40 and China 39. The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations is a standing committee of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Its main tasks include consideration of applications for consultative status and requests for reclassification submitted by NGOs and consideration of quadrennial reports submitted by NGOs in General and Special categories.

Notes:
Surendra Nihal Singh (89), the veteran journalist, has passed away in New Delhi on April 16, 2018. He had worked with several leading newspapers including ‘The Indian Express’ as its editor-in-chief, ‘The Statesman’ as chief editor and ‘Khaleej Times’ as editor. He was the founding editor of ‘The Indian Post’ in 1987. He was awarded the prestigious International Editor of the Year Award in New York for opposing the Emergency imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi. He worked as foreign correspondent in Moscow, London, the United States and Indonesia. Singh was the first correspondent allowed to represent an Indian newspaper in Pakistan after the 1965 war, the veteran editor recalled in an interview in 2013. His books include “The Rocky Road to Indian Democracy: Nehru to Narasimha Rao”, “The Yogi and the Bear: Story of Indo-Soviet Relations” and “The Gang and 900 million: A China Diary”.

Notes:
Kendrick Lamar, an American rapper and songwriter, has created history by becoming the first non-classical or jazz artist to win Pulitzer Prize for his album ‘D.A.M.N.’ in the music category. The Pulitzer board stated that the album is a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life. Lamar is known to have had a deep impact on a racially fraught America and has emerged as the bona fide King of Rap. Apart from this, Andrew Sean Greer took home the Pulitzer in Fiction for his comic queer novel “Less”. In Letters and Drama category, Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires won the prestigious award for Biography and Martyna Majok’s acclaimed off-Broadway play ‘Cost of Living’ won the Pulitzer for Drama. Each winner will receive a certificate and a $15,000 cash award.

Notes:
The World Bank has projected India’s growth rate at 7.3% for 2019 and 7.5% for 2020. The bank also noted that Indian economy has recovered from the effects of demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax (GST). The World Bank in its twice-a-year South Asia Economic Focus report in Washington stated that growth is expected to accelerate from 6.7% in 2017 to 7.3% in 2018 and to subsequently stabilise supported by a sustained recovery in private investment and private consumption. In the India section of the report, it said India should strive to accelerate investments and exports to take advantage of the recovery in global growth. World Bank acknowledged that disruptions from demonetisation and events surrounding the implementation of the GST led to a setback in economic activity and a potentially larger negative effect on the poor and vulnerable.

Notes:
Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu has launched FIEO Globallinker in New Delhi on April 17, which is a digital platform for MSME exporters to digitise their businesses and join a global community of growing businesses. FIEO stands for Federation of Indian Export Organisations.