Important G.K. & Current Affairs Questions – 9th February 2019

Correct Answer – B. India

Explanation: The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme, is going to be hosted by India during 15th to 22^nd February, 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. Representatives from 129 Parties and eminent conservationists and international NGOs working in the field of wildlife conservation are expected to attend the COP. India has been a Party to the CMS since 1983.  The Conference of Parties (COP) is the decision-making organ of this convention.

Correct Answer – D. Jalpaiguri

Explanation:   President Ram Nath Kovind issued order establishing a circuit bench of the Calcutta High Court in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. The order titled Calcutta High Court (Establishment of Circuit Bench At Jalpaiguri) Order 2019 was issued by the President in consultation with the Governor of West Bengal and the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court. It will come into existence from February 7.

Correct Answer – D. New Delhi

Explanation: Housing and Urban Affairs Minister  Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated the National Workshop on Street Vendors in New Delhi. The workshop has been organised as a part of the Shehri Samridhi Utsav. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Puri said, everyone appreciates that street vending as a profession has been in existence in India since times immemorial. He said, it provides a source of self-employment and helps alleviate urban poverty.

Correct Answer – C. 97.85 Cr

Explanation: A dedicated “Asiatic Lion Conservation Project” with a budgetary contribution of Rs 97.85 Cr from Central Government was launched.  With a view to strengthen the conservation initiatives, theUnion Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) approved the project for three financial years: FY 2018-19, FY 2019-20 and FY 2020-21. The Asiatic Lion. endemic to Gir landscape of Gujarat, is one of the 21 critically endangered species identified by the Ministry for taking up recovery programmes. Asiatic Lion, being listed in Schedule-I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, to be accorded the highest degree of protection.

Correct Answer – A. John Dingell

Explanation: Former U.S. Rep. John Dingell, the longest-serving member of Congress in American history who mastered legislative deal-making and was fiercely protective of Detroit’s auto industry, has died. The Michigan Democrat was 92. Dingell, who served in the U.S. House for 59 years before retiring in 2014, died Thursday at his home in Dearborn, said his wife, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell.

Correct Answer – B. 36th

Explanation: India has climbed eight places to rank 36th in the latest annual International Intellectual Property (IP) Index released by the US Chambers of Commerce which said the improvement is a “real accomplishment” but substantial challenges persist, particularly regarding the country’s patenting and IP enforcement environments. The increase in India’s ranking is a result of specific reforms that better align India’s IP environment with the international IP system, including its accession to the WIPO Internet Treaties, the agreement to initiate a Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) with Japan, a dedicated set of IP incentives for small business, and administrative reforms to address the patent backlog, said the report.

Correct Answer – B. Delhi

Explanation: The Delhi government launched its annual road safety action plan rolling out a ”zero fatality corridor” project for reducing the number of fatal incidents on the outer ring road stretch between Burari and Bhalaswa Chowk. Delhi witnessed 1,691 road crash fatalities last year and the government is adopting a new approach to tackle this.

Correct Answer – A. Chennai

Explanation: The app was launched, by the City Police Commissioner Dr. AK Viswanathan in the presence of actor Vijay  Sethupathi, to cut down on mobile theft cases. “The user can also lodge mobile theft complaints using the app and can check if the user’s mobile is in the police list of retrieved mobiles. The user can also know if their stolen two-wheeler had been traced by the police,” a press release from the Commissioner’s office said. According to police, the victim of a mobile theft can register their complaint with the police mentioning IMEI number along with the phone number, so once the buyer of second-hand mobile inserts a SIM card, they will get an SMS stating that the phone had been stolen. The app will also notify the complainant that their mobile had been traced.

Correct Answer – C. 2018

Explanation: NASA scientists announced that the Earth’s average surface temperature in 2018 was the fourth highest in nearly 140 years of record-keeping and a continuation of an unmistakable warming trend. The data means that the five warmest years in recorded history have been the last five, and that 18 of the 19 warmest years have occurred since 2001. The quickly rising temperatures over the past two decades cap a much longer warming trend documented by researchers and correspond with the scientific consensus that climate change is caused by human activity.

Correct Answer  – B. New Delhi

Explanation: The 5th India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Committee Meeting was held in New Delhi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Foreign Affairs Minister of Bangladesh Dr Abdul Momen co-chaired the meeting. The last Joint Consultative Committee Meeting between the two countries was held in October 2017 at Dhaka. Earlier, Mrs Swaraj held a bilateral meeting with Mr Momen.