10 PM Current Affairs Quiz #2 November 2, 2019

Explanation: Union Human Resource Development Minister reviewed the preparations for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2021. PISA is an international survey held every three years. It was first conducted in the year 2000. It is coordinated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The objective of the survey is to assess the quality of education systems across the world by evaluating students in science, mathematics and reading.

Explanation: UNESCO has announced that Mumbai and Hyderabad have been included in its network of UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Mumbai has been designated as Creative City of Films and Hyderabad a Creative City of Gastronomy. Earlier, Chennai and Varanasi were included as UNESCO cities of music while Jaipur was included as the City of Crafts and Folk Arts.

Explanation: Tamil Nadu has become the first State in the country to enact a law on contract farming with President giving assent to the Agricultural Produce and Livestock Contract Farming and Services (Promotion and Facilitation) Act. The act provides for a six-member body called the Tamil Nadu State Contract Farming and Services Authority. The authority would ensure proper implementation of the Act and make suggestions to the State government for promotion and better performance of contract farming. The act safeguards the interests of farmers during times of bumper crop or when market prices fluctuate. The farmers would also be paid a predetermined price which had been arrived at the time of signing agreements with buyers.

Explanation: Recently, it has been reported that WhatsApp was used to spy on journalists and human rights activists in India earlier this year. The surveillance was carried out using a spyware tool called Pegasus. Pegasus is a spyware that can hack any iOS or Android device and steal a variety of data from the infected device. Pegasus works by sending an exploit link and if the target user clicks on the link, the malware or the code that allows the surveillance is installed on the user’s phone. Once Pegasus is installed, the attacker has complete access to the target user’s phone. The spyware was created by NSO Group, an Israeli cyber security firm founded in 2010.

Explanation: The Global Microscope for Financial Inclusion report is produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The report was first published in 2007. The report is a benchmarking index that assesses the enabling environment for financial access in 55 countries. The report assessed countries across four basic enabler’s namely (a) allowing non-banks to issue e-money (b) presence of financial service agents (c) proportionate customer due diligence and (d) effective financial consumer protection. The 2019 Global Microscope report also features 11 new gender focused indicators that measure financial inclusion for both women and men.