GK & Current Affairs Quiz: November 16, 2017

Notes:
The Saudi Arabian government has officially declared Yoga as a ‘Sports Activity’. With this, Yoga is now an official sport practiced under Saudi Ministry of trade and industry. This means that anyone in Saudi Arabia who wants to practice can do so just by getting a license and the person shall not be disapproved or face any consequences for the same. Nouf Al Marwaai is the first Saudi woman teaching yoga and has been recognized as the driving force behind the development of yoga in Saudi Arabia.

Notes:
India’s longest expressway from Agra to Lucknow will soon provide free Wi-Fi services on the entire 302-kilometre stretch. As per officials, the UP government has offered to provide space to lay an optical fiber cable (OFC) along the expressway. The plan is to earn revenue to maintain the expressway and gain from the agreement with the private firm by leasing rights to lay the OFCs to offer free WiFi along the entire stretch. this will also help the state to have a world-class advanced traffic management system (ATMS) for convenience and safety. Safety will be assured by the usage of traffic monitoring and event detection along with speed enforcement through a network of CCTV cameras and phone helplines at every two kilometers.

Notes:
Scientist Dr Vijay Prasad Dimri has been appointed as the president of the 36th International Geological Congress (IGC), a global platform for the advancement of earth science, to be held in New Delhi from March 2 -8, 2020. He succeeded Shailesh Nayak. India is hosting the IGC in 2020 after a period of 56 years. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is the nodal agency for organizing this conference with active support of Indian National Science Academy (INSA) and the support of science academies of Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Notes:
Kunwar Narayan (90), the renowned poet in Indian literature, has passed away in New Delhi on November 15, 2017. He was honoured with many awards such as Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi (1995), Jnanpith Award (2005) and Padma Bhushan (2009).

Notes:
RBI Governor Urjit Patel has been appointed as advisory board member of the Financial Stability Institute (FSI) of the Bank of International Settlement (BIS). The FSI assists financial sector authorities worldwide in strengthening their financial systems. The FSI was jointly created in 1998 by the BIS and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. Among other mandates, the FSI seeks to promote cross-sectoral and cross-border supervisory contacts and cooperation. The BIS is an international financial organisation owned by 60 member central banks across the world.

Notes:
Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan will be honoured with personality of the year award at the 2017 International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The award will be given during IFFI which will be held from November 20-November 28. Mr. Bachchan has starred in over 190 Indian films in a career spanning almost five decades. He has won four national awards for best actor and 15 Filmfare Awards. IFFI founded in 1952, is considered to be one of the most prestigious film festivals in Asia.

Notes:
The National Press Day (NPD) is celebrated every year on November 16 as a symbolic of a free and responsible press in India. This was the day on which the Press Council of India (PCI) started functioning as a moral watchdog to ensure that not only did the press maintain the high standards expected from this powerful medium but also that it was not fettered by the influence or threats of any extraneous factors.

Notes:
The 5th edition of Global Conference on Cyberspace (GCCS-2017) will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on November 23. The main objective of the 2-day conference is to have mutual understanding of latest practices in cyberspace, more coordination and security measures. Over 2000 delegates & representatives from over 100 countries will participate in this conference. The theme of the conference will be “Cyber for all: An Inclusive, Sustainable, Developmental, Safe and Secure Cyberspace”. It is first time that India is hosting such conference. The GCCS is a prestigious international conference that aims at encouraging dialogue among stakeholders of cyberspace.

Notes:
Superstars Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth have been chosen by the Andhra Pradesh government for the prestigious NTR National Film Award for the years 2014 and 2016 respectively. Ace director K. Raghavendra Rao will receive the same award for 2015. The award was instituted in the memory of Telugu film legend and former Chief Minister Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao. The award comprises a cash component of Rs 5 lakh and a memento. Beside this, “Baahubali” director S.S. Rajamouli has been chosen for the B.N. Reddy National Film Award for the year 2014 while prominent Telugu film directors, Trivikram Srinivas and Boyapati Srinivas will get the award for 2015 and 2016. Megastar and Rajya Sabha member K. Chiranjeevi and former Union Minister U. Krishnam Raju will be bestowed with the Raghupati Venkaiah Award. The ceremony is expected to take place in January 2018 in Vijayawada, along with the Nandi Awards for best Telugu films.

Notes:
The Gajner Wildlife Sanctuary (GWS) is located at a distance of about 32.0 km from Bikaner in Rajasthan. There is a lake in this sanctuary and a variety of animals come here to quench their thirst in summer. It is a lush green forest which is a haven to the nilgai, chinkara, black buck, wild boar, flocks of imperial sand grouse and many other species of migratory birds that make the sprawling forest their winter home. This is one of the proposed forests for the reintroduction of cheetahs in India.