Current Affairs Quiz- November, 2019

Notes:
Sara Damnjanovic from Serbia has won the 5th edition of Miss Asia Global Title 2019’  at Gokulam Convention centre in Kochi, Kerala. The title is given to the winner from Asian region.  Nguyen Thi Yen Trang from Vietnam was awarded Miss Asia title i.e. given to the winner from the rest of the world. Samiksha Singh from India won the sub-title of ‘Miss Beautiful Face’ Title. The Next ‘Miss Asia Global Title 2020’ will be held in Malaysia.

Notes:
The World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD) is observed every year on 5th of November to spread awareness about precautionary measures against tsunami and share innovative approaches to risk reduction. In 2019, the day promotes Target (d) of the “Sendai Seven Campaign,” which focuses on reducing disaster damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services.

Notes:
The Danakil Depression is the northern part of the Afar Triangle or Afar Depression in Ethiopia. It is one of the world’s hottest as well as lowest places on Earth (100 m below sea level). The hot springs in Danakil Depression offer a research opportunity for studying extremophile microbes. It is in news recently because according to new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, active and naturally occurring life cannot be sustained at Danakil. It identifies two barriers: a) magnesium-dominated brines that cause cells to break down; and b) an environment having simultaneously very low pH and high salt. Hence, the combination of both  barriers makes adaptation highly difficult.

Notes:
The Government of Bangladesh has banned the Islamist outfit ‘Allar Dol’ because it poses threat to public safety and security. It is the 9th Islamist group to be banned for extremism and militancy in Bangladesh.The Allah’r Dol was formed in 1995 with the aim to establish Caliphate through armed struggle. In 2004, it merged with banned militant organisation Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB). After arrest of leaders of JMB following serial blasts of 2005, some of its leaders left it to re-organise Allar Dol. 

Notes:
In order to exclusively categorize Khadi products in exports, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued a Harmonized System (HS) code to separate Khadi from the general textile products in India. The HS code is a 6-digit identification code developed by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and is used by customs officers to allow products to cross international borders. It is an international nomenclature for the classification of products. It allows participating countries to classify traded goods on a common basis for customs purposes. The code follows from the Kyoto Convention of 1974 and is used by over 200 countries. 

Notes:
The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has partnered with Central Bank of India (CBI) for payment related services. Through this partnership, CBI will be able to offer an array of services including transfer of funds through GeM Pool Accounts (GPA), advising of electronic Performance Bank Guarantees (e-PBG) and Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) to the registered users on the portal. The GeM is an initiative of the Government of India which offers a one stop platform for facilitating online procurement of goods and services by Central and State government organizations. It provides tools for Direct Purchase, bidding and reverse auction for ensuring transparent and efficient procurement.

Notes:
India will host the 2023 Men’s Hockey World Cup from 13th to 29th of January. While, Spain and the Netherlands have been named as the co-hosts of the 2022 Women’s World Cup scheduled to be held from 1st to 22nd of July.The decisions were made during FIH’s Executive Board Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on 9th November 2019.

Notes:
India will host the 3rd edition of the conference of the “No Money For Terror” in 2020, which is the ministerial-level grouping of 70 countries that focuses on countering terror financing, terror and radicalisation. The decision was announced during the 2nd ‘No Money For Terror’ Conference in Melbourne on 7th November 2019. The conference is organised by Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of over 100 countries, jointly called The Egmont Group. The group was set up in 2018 & is a much smaller version of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) that has a single-point agenda to crack down on terror financing.

Notes:
Iran has recently restarted enriching uranium to 5% at its Fordow underground mountain nuclear plant  in a new departure from its commitments under a landmark international 2015 nuclear pact. Iran’s latest move comes after the passing of a deadline it set for the remaining parties to the 2015 pact to come up with a mechanism that would allow foreign firms to continue doing business with Iran without incurring US penalties.

Notes:
In Switzerland, the 50th anniversary of the World Economic Forum (WEF)  Annual Meeting is being held in Davos in January. Over 100 Indian CEOs, several political leaders and many Bollywood stars are expected to participate in the meeting. The annual meeting of rich and powerful from across the world is expected to be even a bigger affair this time because it would be its 50th anniversary.