Current Affairs Quiz | 12 August 2017

The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS) is located in Virudhunagar and Madurai districts of Tamil Nadu and covers an area 485.2 sq Kms. Over 240+ species of birds are seen in this sanctuary including 14 species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats, such as the critically endangered Oriental white-backed vulture and the long-billed vulture. In addition to grizzled giant squirrels, the sanctuary is home to numerous animals such as barking deer, bonnet macaque, common langur, elephants, flying squirrels, gaur, Indian giant squirrel, leopard, lion-tailed macaques, mouse deer, Nilgiri langur and Nilgiri Tahrs. There are over 220 species of butterflies including many rare and endemic species. Some of the rare butterflies spotted here include Eversheds ace , Silver royal , Orange awlet , Hampsons hedge blue , etc.

Dr Ruth Pfau (87), a German doctor and nun who dedicated her life to eradicating leprosy in Pakistan, has passed in Karachi, Pakistan on August 10, 2017. She was hailed as Pakistan’s “Mother Teresa” after her work towards helping people displaced by the 2010 Pakistan floods. Dr. Pfau trained Pakistani doctors and attracted foreign donations, founded Pakistan’s National Leprosy Control Programme and the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre, which has a presence in every Pakistani province. She received numerous awards in Pakistan and Germany including the Hilal-e-Imtiaz – Pakistan’s second highest civilian award – in 1979, the Hilal-e-Pakistan in 1989 and the German Staufer Medal in 2015. She wrote four books in German about her work in Pakistan, including To Light A Candle, which has been translated into English.

Nitish Kumar, the Chief Minister of Bihar, has recently flagged off mobile therapy vans which would provide basic medical assistance to elderly people, widows and other section who requires social security. The therapy vans will be equipped with basic medical apparatus and accompanied by a technical team. The van is an outcome of a joint project of the World Bank and the Bihar government which is run by Social Welfare department.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, has launched a nationwide campaign “Gaj Yatra” in New Delhi to protect elephants on the occasion of World Elephant Day (WED). The campaign is planned to cover 12 elephant range states. The World Elephant Day (WED) is celebrated every year on August 12 to focus the attention of various stakeholders in supporting various conservation policies to protect elephants, including improving enforcement policies to prevent illegal poaching and trade in ivory.

Gerish Khemani and Akshat Nigam have won The Hindu Playwright Award 2017 for their play ‘In Search of Dariya Sagar’ at the 13th edition of The Hindu Theatre Fest in Mumbai. ‘In Search of Dariya Sagar’ is a play that brings together public events and private lives, political history and personal memory, in a manner that resonates both the real and the magical. The Rs 2 lakh award, instituted in 2008 to reward the best new unpublished and unperformed play-script in English.

Prasoon Joshi, the famous lyricist, has been appointment as the new chief of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for a period of three years. He succeeded Pahlaj Nihalani, who has been accused of autocratic conduct and of morally policing films. Joshi is known for putting forth his opinion on contemporary issues. He became more prominent after penning songs for films like Fanaa, Rang De Basanti, Black, Delhi 6 and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. He twice won the National Award for Best Lyricist – first in 2008 for ‘Maa’ (Taare Zameen Par) and then in 2013 for ‘Bolo Na’ in Chittagong. He also wrote the lyrics for the anthem of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Milkha Singh, the legendary athlete, has been appointed as the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for physical activity in the South-East Asia Region (SEAR). As goodwill ambassador, he will promote WHO SEAR’s Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) prevention and control action plan which seeks to reduce the level of insufficient physical activity by 10% and NCDs by 25% by 2025. Milkha Singh, also known as ‘the Flying Sikh’, is a Padma Shri awardee and had won medals in athletics in Commonwealth and Asian games.

The International Youth Day (IYD) is observed every year on August 12 to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The 2017 theme is “Youth Building Peace”, which recognizes the contributions of young people to preventing conflict, supporting inclusion, social justice, and sustainable peace.

Indian Shooter Maheshwari Chauhan has won a bronze at the 7th Asian Shotgun Championship to earn India’s first women’s skeet individual medal in Astana, Kazakhstanon on August 11, 2017. Before that, Maheshwari also led India to the team silver alongside compatriots Rashmmi Rathore and Saniya Sheikh in the tournament. Besides Maheshwari , Indian shooter Ankur Mittal clinched the individual as well as the team gold medal in men’s double trap in the championship. And, Kynan Chenai from Hyderabad won a bronze in men’s trap event as well as also won bronze in mixed team trap event with partner Shreyasi Singh in the championship. Now, India’s tally stands at two gold, silver and three bronze medals.

Uhuru Kenyatta, the current President of Kenya, has officially declared the winner of the 2017 Kenya Presidential election amid allegations of voting fraud by the opposition. According to official figures released by the country’s electoral commission, Kenyatta secured 54.27% of the ballots cast, while his rival, Raila Odinga, won 44.74%.