GK & Current Affairs Quiz: September 17-18, 2018

Notes:
India’s first exclusive and certified ‘Dog Park’ has come up in Hyderabad, which is spread over 1.3 acres. The park has been developed by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) at a cost of Rs. 1.1 crore on a site which was earlier a dump yard. The park has dog training and exercise equipment, splash pool, two lawns, an amphitheatre, loo café, separate enclosures for big and small dogs among other facilities. According to a survey, there are about 2.5 lakh pet owners in the West Zone and the Central Zone limits of the city which are nearer to the park. Public can bring in their pet dogs and use the facilities in the park. The park is certified by Kennel Club of India and would be inaugurated within 10 days.

Notes:
The Ministry of Tourism is organizing the festival of tourism “Paryatan Parv 2018” in collaboration with other Central Ministries, State Governments and Stakeholders at Rajpath Lawns in New Delhi from September 17 and will continue across the country till 27th of this month. The idea behind the festival is to draw focus on the benefits of tourism, showcasing the cultural diversity of the country and reinforcing the principle of Tourism for All. The 2nd edition of Paryatan Parv will have three main components- Dekho Apna Desh, Tourism for All and Tourism and Governance. The 18 theme-based pavilions have been set up by the states. More than three thousand events will be organized in collaboration with other Central Ministries and States during the festival. Crafts Bazaar, food court, classical dance music, handicrafts and handlooms and cuisines from all the states will be the main highlights of the Paryatan Parv.

Notes:
Recently, Indian Mountaineers Satyarup Siddhanta and Mousumi Khatua created history by climbing Asia’s highest volcanic peak Mount Damavand in Iran. The expedition team comprised of 3 members – Siddhanta, Mousumi and Bhaswati Chatterjee. According to a release, the trio left for Iran on 6th September 2018, the team had to scale the summit within a very short span of time to avoid the Sulphur exposure related hazards. Mountain Damavand is known for its Sulphur discharge near its peak which can cause irreparable damage if exposed for a longer duration. This is the 4th volcanic summit for Siddhanta. Now, he is targeting scaling three more volcanic peaks by January 2019. He is now in the last lap of climbing the highest volcanoes of each of the continents known as climbing the 7 volcanic summits. If successful, Siddhanta will be the youngest person to complete all the 7 volcanic summits – Mount Sidley, Mount Giluwe, Mount Damavand, Pico de Orizaba, Mount Elbrus, Mount Kilimanjaro and Ojos del Salado.

Notes:
Sawai Singh Shekhawat, the Jaipur-based poet and writer, will be honoured with Meera Puruskar by Rajasthan Sahitya Academy for his contribution to Hindi literature. The award function will be held in October 2018. He has published seven books of poetry and his first Rajasthani story “Koonpal” was translated in Hindi, Telugu & Dogari. He served as Editor for Bakhat and Rajasthan Vikas magazines.

Notes:
Moutaz Mousa Abdallah has been sworn-in as the new Prime Minister of Sudan at the presidential palace in Khartoum on September 15, 2018. Mousa Abdallah is also holding the finance portfolio in a bid to revive the country’s ailing economy. He succeeded Bakri Hassan Saleh, who will retain the post of first vice president. Sudan has been grappling with an acute foreign exchange shortage and inflation above 65% for several months, which prompted President Omar al-Bashir to sack the previous cabinet to fix the situation.

Notes:
On September 16, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully launched the NovaSAR and S1-4 earth observation satellites of U.K from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) at Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C42 (PSLV) injected the satellites into orbit 17 minutes and 45 seconds after lift off and placed them in a sun synchronous orbit at a height of 583 km from the earth. The satellites, both weighing 889 kg, have been developed by UK-based Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd (SSTL). NovaSAR is intended to be used for forest mapping, land use and ice cover monitoring, flood & disaster monitoring. On the other hand, S1-4 will be used for surveying resources, environment monitoring, urban management and disaster monitoring. The mission is a commercial arrangement between the company and Antrix Corporation Limited, which is the commercial wing of ISRO. This was the 44th flight of the PSLV and the 12th launch of a core-alone version of the PSLV.

Notes:
The Kerala Tourism has bagged two prestigious gold awards of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for its innovative marketing campaigns at Langkawi, Malaysia during PATA Travel Mart 2018. The Kerala Tourism got the first gold for its ‘Yalla Kerala’ travel advertisement print media campaign in the Gulf countries. It showcased the state’s greenery and backwaters. The 2nd gold award came for an innovative poster that Kerala Tourism had developed for the 3rd edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), the biggest contemporary art show in South Asia. The poster featured a colourful boat & fishermen and could be put up straight as well as upside down. The Campaign and Posters were developed and designed by Stark Communications, the Advertising Agency of Kerala Tourism. The PATA Awards are presented to outstanding entries in four principal categories: Marketing; Education and Training; Environment, and Heritage and Culture.

Notes:
Maldives national football team has lifted the 12th edition of men’s South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup at the Bangabandhu Stadium in Dhaka on September 15, 2018. In the final, they defeated defending champions India 2-1. The win for Maldives comes 10 years after their first SAFF Cup title in 2008. 7-time champions India had started as favourites in the summit clash. The Indian team, comprising mostly under-23 players, was the only unbeaten side in the tournament.

Notes:
ISRO chairman Dr. K Sivan has launched an S–band Polarimetry Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota spaceport, Andhra Pradesh on September 16, 2018. This Radar was indigenously developed by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bangalore under Technology Transfer from ISRO. This is the 7th Radar manufactured in the country under “Make in India” Concept. The Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) is used for the observation of the weather system up to a range of 500 km and helps in early warning of severe weather events. The DWR provides detailed information on a storm’s internal wind flow and structure, while conventional radars are able to track and predict cyclones. The polarimetric capability of the DWR will significantly improve the accuracy of rainfall estimation leading to accurate and timely flash flood warnings.

Notes:
Ganpatrao Andalkar (83), the former Asian Games champion wrestler, has passed away in Pune, Maharashtra on September 17, 2018. Andalkar, who took part in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, had bagged the coveted “Hind Kesari” title in 1960. He also went on to clinch Gold and Silver medals in two different weight categories in the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games. He was also a recipient of the Arjuna award (1964) and the Maharashtra government’s ‘Shiv Chhatrapati Award’ in 1982 for his contribution to wrestling.