Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - November, 2018

Notes:
India is hosting the 2018 Women’s Boxing World Championships in New Delhi from November 15-24. This 10th edition of the tournament is set to be the biggest ever as more than 300 boxers from 72 countries will be taking part. This time, the 10-member Indian team, led by Mary Kom, is a mix of seasoned and young boxers. Earlier, the tournament was held in India in 2006 and remains the best for the country in terms of performance. India had topped the table with four gold, three silver and one silver and three bronze medals.

Notes:
Induslnd Bank has recently launched the India’s first interactive credit card with buttons called the IndusInd Bank Nexxt Credit Card. The card provides customers with the flexibility of 3 payment options at a Point of Sale (POS) terminal – credit, converting transactions into EMIs with 4 tenure options (6, 12, 18 and 24 months) or using accumulated reward points, by simply pushing a button on the card. The card has been created in partnership with Dynamics Inc, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, USA. It indicates a customer’s desired payment choice using LED lights associated with the three options. With this card, the customer does not need to fill any paperwork, or call their bank, or log in to any banking channel to convert their POS transactions into EMIs, or to redeem their rewards points. It gives customers the freedom to pay the way they want, by giving them payment options like EMI, Rewards and Credit, at the push of a button.

Notes:
Alyque Padamsee (90), the veteran ad film maker and theatre personality, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on November 17, 2018. He was widely called the Brand Father of Indian advertising. During his active years in ad industry, he remained the brain behind several iconic and memorable Indian ad campaigns such as Lalitaji for Surf, Cherry Charlie for Cherry Blossom Shoe Polish, the MRF Muscle Man, the Liril girl in the waterfall, Hamara Bajaj and the TV detective Karamchand. He also created many public service campaigns on topics, including eve-teasing, AIDS and sexual molestation. He served as a social activist for the Citizens for Justice and Peace Committee, the Citizens Action Group, and was also on the advisory council of IIT Bombay. He was also a part of the Prime Minister’s AIDS Task Force. Mr Padamsee was also best known for his role as Muhammad Ali Jinnah in 1982 historcial drama “Gandhi”. For his contributions to the creative field, he was honored with Padmashri in 2000 and was named Advertising Man of the Century by The Advertising Club in Mumbai.

Notes:
In New Delhi, the Government of India (GoI) has signed a $300 million loan agreement with Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support India Infrastructure Finance Company Ltd (IIFCL) that provides long-term finance to infrastructure projects. The move is expected to enhance the availability of long-term finance for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, improve operational capacity of IIFCL, and expand the portfolio of infrastructure financing instruments available to the company. The $300 million ADB loan is expected to help catalyze the financial closing of $2.4 billion in investments. In addition, the attached technical assistance will support IIFCL capacity development and will focus on IIFCL’s financial management and social and environmental safeguards.

Notes:
William Goldman (87), the Oscar-winning screenwriter and novelist, has passed away in New York on November 16, 2018. He was best known for his works such as ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, ‘All the President’s Men’ and ‘The Princess Bride’.

Notes:
On 18th of November 2018, the Ministry of Ayush celebrated its first Naturopathy Day across the country with the aim of promoting the drug-less system of medicine to prevent diseases by altering the diet and lifestyle. The Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy organised health camps, workshops and exhibitions in association with local naturopathy centres and hospitals. More than 1,000 Naturopathy specialist doctors from all over the country participated in the event, which was organised by International Naturopathy Organisation (INO) in association with Ministry of Ayush.

Notes:
Dr. Saroj Suman Gulati, Director of Blue Bells Group of Schools, has been conferred with the coveted Global Education Leaders Award 2018 for her ‘exemplary contribution to K-12 education & promotion of Art & Culture’ during the 2nd India-UAE Partnership Summit-2018 at The Atlantis, Dubai. Dr. Gulati was among the 9 eminent education leaders from India who were awarded for their exemplary contribution in various spheres of education and social development. Other award winners are: Dr. Atul Chauhan, MME Grace Pinto, Dr. M.K. Madan, Prof. (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Dilip Thakore, J.C. Chaudhry, Prateek Bhargava and Prof. Samit Ray. The two day summit was attended by over 400 Delegates from India & UAE comprising of prominent Education Leaders, Chancellor’s & Vice Chancellors, Academicians, Schools Principals, Entrepreneurs and Ed Tech Startups.

Notes:
After Maharashtra and Gujarat, Punjab has become the India’s third state to legally ban hookah bars or lounges. The ban was announced through a law after President Ram Nath Kovind gave assent to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Punjab Amendment) Bill, 2018 recently. The purpose of bringing the law is to check the use of tobacco in various forms and prevent diseases caused by the use of the tobacco products. As per available data, an hour’s average of hookah includes 20-200 puffs, delivering 50 litres of smoke contain, hazardous and carcinogenic chemicals. The smoking of hookah increases health risks includes exposure to toxic chemicals that are not filtered out by the water, and also the risk of infectious disease like tuberculosis resulting from sharing a hookah.

Notes:
In Haryana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recently laid foundation of India’s first Sri Vishwakarma Skill Development University at village Dudhola in Palwal district via remote control . The University would impart skill training to the youth and encourage them to be self employed. It’s campus would be developed over 82.7 acres at a sum of over Rs 1,000 crore. PM Modi also inaugurated the Western Peripheral Expressway (WPE), which is popularly known as Kundali-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) expressway. The six-lane KMP expressway is expected to reduce traffic congestion and pollution in Delhi. It will act as a ring road around Delhi and also could reduce heavy vehicle traffic by diverting up to 50,000 commercial vehicles away from Delhi. KMP will connect National Highway-1 (towards Panipat), near Kundli, with National Highway -10 (Rohtak Road, near Bahadurgarh), NH-8 (Jaipur expressway at Manesar), and NH-2 (Delhi-Agra highway near Palwal).

Notes:
Brigadier (retd) Kuldip Singh Chandpuri (78), who was known for his heroic leadership in the famous Battle of Longewala during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, has passed away in Mohali, Punjab on November 17, 2018. He was decorated with the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) for the heroic stand-off that forced the enemy to retreat. The Battle of Longewala (1971) was one of the first major engagements in the western sector during the Indo-Pak war of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Longewala in the Thar desert of Rajasthan. The 1997 Bollywood war film ‘Border’ was based on the real life events that happened at the Battle of Longewala, with his role played by Sunny Deol.