Daily Current Affairs and GK | 19 and 20 January 2020

1. India test-fired K-4 ballistic missile

• India test-fired K-4 nuclear ballistic missile.
• Its range is 3500 Km, and it can be launched from a submarine.
• It has been launched from the Vizag coast in Vishakhapatnam.
• The 3-meter tall missile carries a warhead of over 1 tonne.
• U.S, Russia, and China have submarine-launched ballistic missiles of a range of 3500 Km.
• The missile was developed by DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organization).
• Nuclear triad of India: India has the capability to launch a nuclear strike from land (Prithvi, Agni missile), sea (Arihant submarine) and air (Brahmos missile).

2. Pariksha Pe Charcha to be organized on January 20, 2020

• Pariksha Pe Charcha has been organized on January 20, 2020.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted live with teachers and students.

3. 50^th World Economic Forum to begin on January 21, 2020

• 50^th World Economic Forum will begin in Davos, Switzerland on January 21, 2020.
• There is representation from 117 countries and 53 heads of different countries.
• From the Indian side, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal will participate.
• The theme of the 2020 meet is ‘Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World’

4. Polio drops administration campaign held nationwide on National Immunization day

• Polio administration campaign was held for children below 5 years of age to maintain the ‘NO POLIO’ status of India on National Immunisation Day i.e. 19 January.
• The program was named “Pulse Polio Programme”.
• In Puducherry “Intensified Pulse Polio Immunisation Programme” was launched.

5. Arjun Munda elected as President of suspended Archery Association of India

• Arjun Munda has been elected as the new president of the suspended Archery Association of India.
• He beat his rival BVP Rao.
• The elections were held in the presence of World Archery observer Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chapol. 
• Archery Association of India:
  • It is a national governing body of archery in India.
  • Its headquarters is in New Delhi.

6. 9^th International children Film Festival started in Kolkata

• Hamid movie directed by Aizaz Khan was screened at the start of the 9^th International Children Film Festival in Kolkata.
• About 250 movies from 45 countries will be screened during the week-long festival.
• The festival was inaugurated by National Award winner Children actor, Talha Arsad Rishi.

7. Missile and drone attack in Yemen

• Huthi rebels blamed for the missile and drone attack carried out in central Yemen.
• A mosque in the military camp in Marib, Yemen, was targeted.
• The attack was carried out after the army carried out an operation against Huthis in the Naham region in Yemen.
• Yemen:
  • It is an Arabian Peninsular country with the capital being Sana'a.
  • Its currency is Yemeni rial.

8. Natural Risk Rising Report released by World Economic Forum

• Natural Risk Rising Report has been released by the World Economic Forum.
• According to the report, 25% of the Earth’s assessed biodiversity is threatened.
• 50% of the Earth’s total GDP is dependent on nature and its services.
• China, European Union and the U.S have the highest economic value in nature- dependent industries.
• The three largest dependent industries are Construction, agriculture & food and beverages.

9. India won 7 medals in Rome Ranking Series in Wrestling

• India got back with seven medals in Rome Ranking Series in Wrestling.
• Bajrang Punia claimed a gold medal in 65Kg freestyle category after securing a win against U.S.A Jordan Michael.
• Ravi Kumar Dahiya won gold against Kazakhstan's Nurbolat Abdualiyev in 61Kg category.
• In the women’s category, Vinesh Phogat won gold and Anshu Malik grabbed silver.
• In Greco- Roman style, Gurpreet Singh won a gold in 82 Kg category, Sunil Kumar won silver in the 87-Kg category and Sajan Bhanwal won a bronze in 77 Kg category.

10. Ethiopian National Derrara Hurisa won the Mumbai Marathon

• Ethiopian national Derrara Hurisa won the Mumbai Marathon.
• The second and the third position was taken by Ayele Abshero and Birhanu Teshome.
• In the Indian elite full marathon, Srinu Bugatha and Sudha Singh won in men’s and women’s category respectively.
• In the International Elite Full Marathon Women’s category, Ethiopia's Amane Beriso finished on the top.
• In half- marathon category Parul Chaudhary from Uttar Pradesh got the 1^st position, while 2^nd and 3^rd position was taken over by Mumbai's Aarti Patil and Monica from Nasik respectively.

11. Nripendra Mishra appointed as the chairman of NMML executive council

• Nripendra Mishra has been appointed as the chairman of Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
• Dr. A. Surya Prakash, the chairman of the Prasar Bharti board, will be the vice-chairperson of the council.
• Rajya Sabha members Vinay Sahasrabudhhe and Swapan Dasgupta have been appointed as the eminent members of the council.
• Anil Kumar, the director of the NMML, has been named as a member of the committee.
• 2 senior bureaucrats from culture ministry have been named as the ex-officio members of the committee which has a total of 8 members.
• NMML:
  • Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is the library and the museum located in New Delhi.
  • It was established in 1964 and is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Culture.

12. Conservation of Ganges wetlands begins under Namami Ganga Project

• An initiative to conserve the wetlands of Ganga begins under Namami Ganga Project under National Mission for Clean Ganga.
• The state wetland authorities will identify and prepare the conservation plans.

13. World Gold Outlook 2020 report released by the World Gold Council

• World Gold Council has released the report World Gold Outlook 2020.
• According to the report, the best gold performance has been given in 2019 since 2010.
• RBI has 6.6% of the total foreign exchange reserves as gold, thus totaling 625.2 tones of gold.
• Thus, RBI ranks 6^th among other central banks in terms of gold reserves.
• The top 5 countries are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Poland.
• In 2019 institutional investors’ Exchange Traded Funds were the second-largest gold buyers.
• In 2019 the largest gold sellers were Uzbekistan and Venezuela.
• World Gold Council:
  • It is the market development organization for gold industries, established in 1987.
  • It is headquartered in London, U.K.

14. ELECRAMA 2020 held in Noida

• ELECRAMA 2020 held in Noida to exhibit the achievements of the Indian electrical industry.
• It was organized by Indian Electrical and Electronics Manufacturers’ Association (IEEMA) and supported by renewable energy, power, MSME (Micro Small and Medium Enterprises).

15. Industrial meet “Wings of India” held in Bengaluru

• Civil Aviation event “Wings of India”, the largest industrial meet held in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• The theme of the event is “Flying for all”.

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

1. Which of the following is the correct range of K-4 missile (in km)?

A. 3500

B. 2500

C. 1500

D. 1000

2. World Economic Forum 2020 summit will be organized in which of the following countries?

A. Norway

B. Finland

C. Switzerland

D. Denmark

3. National Immunisation Day 2020 is celebrated every year on-

A. January 15

B. January 17

C. January 19

D. January 20

4. Where is the headquarters of the Archery Association of India located?

A. Gujarat

B. Himachal Pradesh

C. New Delhi

D. Uttar Pradesh

5. 9^th International Children Film Festival is being held at which of the following places?

A. Kolkata

B. Bengaluru

C. Delhi

D. Amritsar

6. Huthi rebel belongs to which of the following countries?

A Yemen

B. Oman

C. Iraq

D. Iran

7. Which of the following institutions release Natural Risk Rising Report?

A. New Development Bank

B. World Bank

C. World Economic Forum

D. International Monetary Fund

8. Ravi Kumar Dahiya belongs to which of the following sports?

A. Boxing

B. Wrestling

C. Shooting

D. Archery

9. ELECMARA- 2020 is held in which of the following places?

A. Noida

B. Delhi

C. Mumbai

D. Punjab

10. Wings of India 2020 event is held in which of the following places?

A. Mumbai

B. Bengaluru

C. Gandhinagar

D. Chandigarh

11. The headquarters of the World Gold Council is located in which of the following countries?

A. Nepal

B. India

C. U.S.A

D. U.K

12. Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is under which of the following ministries?

A. Ministry of Culture

B. Ministry of Defence

C. Jal Shakti Ministry

D. Ministry of Commerce and Industry

13. Derrara Hurisa who won the Mumbai Marathon belongs to which of the following countries?

A. Ethiopia

B. Djibouti

C. Congo

D. Nigeria

Solution:

1. A

2. C

3. C

4. C

5. A

6. A

7. C

8. B

9. A

10. B

11.D

12.A

13.A