Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - September, 2017

Notes:
The Shirui National Park (SNP) is located in the state of Manipur. It has dense tropical forests all over and temperate forest in the hilltops. The park is famous for shirui lily (Lilium maclineae) that grows naturally. The main peak of Shirui abounds with flowers during the monsoon and it is a veritable paradise. It is home to tragopan, the tiger, leopard, etc.

Notes:
India’s first Hyperloop project will come up in Andhra Pradesh, which will connect the city centres of Vijayawada and Amaravati. It will supposedly cover the distance of over 35 km only in five minutes. The Andhra Pradesh – Economic Development Board (AP-EDB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) for developing the project. The Hyperloop Technology is a brainchild idea of Tesla founder Elon Musk, who dubs it as the 5th mode of transportation. It is a system of magnetically levitating capsules (pods) that are sent at high speeds through low-pressure tubes.

Notes:
The International Literacy Day (ILD) is observed every year on September 8 to emphasize the importance of literacy to individuals, society and communities. The 2017 theme is ‘Literacy in a Digital World’. The special 2-day event will be organized at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris today, with an overall aim to look at what kind of literacy skills people need to navigate increasingly in the digitally-mediated societies. The 2017 UNESCO International Literacy Prizes awards ceremony will also take place to recognize and reward excellent literacy practices from around the world in connection with 2017 theme.

Notes:
The Bhindawas Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS) is a protected area in Jhajjar district of Haryana and covers an area of 411.55 hectares. The major wildlife supported here are neelgai, geedar, langur and Bandar, blue peafowl, rufous treepie, greater coucal, Indian grey hornbill, coppersmith barbet, etc.

Notes:
The researchers at IIT-Roorkee have developed a low-cost method for treating Osteoarthritis (OA), a disease that causes pain and stiffness in the joints leading to degeneration of the bone cartilage. Under the new method, a nano-material and a polymer are injected around the knee joint followed by a regular heat therapy, which is believed to be far superior to the conventional treatment administered in the form of multiple injections and anti-inflammatory drugs like steroids, which have critical side effects.

Notes:
Unseeded American Sloane Stephens has won the 2017 women’s singles US Open tennis tournament after defeating Madison Keys 6-3, 6-0 in the finals at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, United States. It is her first grand slam title. With this, Stephens became the second unseeded woman in the Open era to win the US Open after Kim Clijsters in 2009.

Notes:
According to a recent study “Manufacturing Excellence and Emergence in India: The state level analysis” conducted by the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM), Karnataka ranks first among states in terms of manufacturing excellence. Kerala stood second despite poor industrial growth over a five-year period from 2009.

Notes:
The World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is observed every year on September 10 to raise awareness about suicide prevention. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) survey, across the world nearly 800,000 commit suicide each year which is one person every 40 seconds. Thus, the day aims to open up the conversations and help those in the darkness. The 2017 theme “Take a minute, change a life” highlights the importance of speaking up, taking the time, and listening.

Notes:
India has clinched the 2nd Under- 16 South Asian Basketball (SABA) Championship by defeating Bhutan by 131-50 in its last league match at Kathmandu in Nepal on September 9, 2017. India remained unbeaten in its all four matches and accumulated 8 points. Bangladesh finished second and host Nepal third. The championship was played on a round robin league format. Now, India has qualified for 2017 International Basketball Federation, FIBA, Under-16 Asian Championship to be played in Malaysia later this year.

Notes:
P.S. Kayal (8) of Lawspet in Puducherry has won a gold medal in the 8th Modern Pentathlon National Championship – 2017 in Pune, Maharashtra. She beat 30 other participants to claim the title. In the competition, the participants had to run 200 metres and swim 50 metres. Kayal is a Class IV student of a private school in The Study school at Kalapet and started to learn swimming from the age of six at the swimming pool on the school campus.