Current Affairs Quiz - July, 2019

Notes:
The Tata Steel Kalinganagar (TSK) is the first and the only Indian manufacturing plant to be included in the Global Lighthouse Network (GLN) of World Economic Forum (WEF). The lighthouses are chosen for their leadership in applying Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to drive financial and operational impact. The factories were selected based on their success in integrating these technologies to increase efficiency and drive innovation. Tata Steel’s IJmuiden plant at Netherlands is already a member of this network. The TSK steel plant is the largest single-location greenfield steel project in India and is located at Jajpur district in Odisha.

Notes:
In Gujarat, India’s first design development centre ‘Fashionova’ has recently launched in Textile city Surat to provide a platform to apparel business aspirants. It offers scope to fulfil all business needs from co-working space, technicians, expert advice to cognitive workshops and industry exposure. The main objective of this centre is to provide a strong platform to all those who have a flair of the apparel business. It fulfills, on a large scale, all business needs from co-working space, technicians, expert advises to cognitive workshops and exposure to the industry.

Notes:
The International Co-operative Day (ICD) is an annual celebration of the co-operative movement observed on the first Saturday in July since 1923 by the International Co-operative Alliance. The 2019 theme is “COOPS 4 DECENT WORK”. The aim of this celebration is to increase awareness of cooperatives. The event underscores the contributions of the cooperative movement to resolving the major problems addressed by the United Nations and to strengthening and extending the partnerships between the international cooperative movement and other actors.

Notes:
The Asia’s first Six Sigma Institute of Mountain Medicines and High Altitude Rescue will be set up at Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand. It comes after Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat approved the proposal for establishing the mega Rs 750 crore mountain institute in Rudraprayag district of state. The institute will create 1,200 employment, Specialised healthcare, advance education and Rescue Training in the Uttarakhand. The purpose of the institute is to develop all type of research in Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Yoga concerning High Altitude Mountains and to educate professionals in mountain medicines. The institute will also provide consultancy to the central and state government on key issues and help in promoting healthy lifestyle in mountains.

Notes:
Talismanic Indian captain Sunil Chhetri has been named as the AIFF Men’s Footballer of the Year for a record-extending sixth time. He is the most capped player of the country with 109 matches, ahead of former captain Bhaichung Bhutia (107). Chhetri, with 70 goals for India, is also the second-highest active international scorer — only behind Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (149). He currently plays for Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League (ISL). Beside Chhetri, Indian midfielder Abdul Samad was named the AIFF Emerging Men’s Player of the Year. Ace India international Ashalata Devi was named the AIFF Women’s Footballer of the Year 2018-19, while Dangmei Grace was adjudged the AIFF Emerging Women’s Footballer of the Year 2018-19. Earlier, Chhetri won the honour in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2017.

Notes:
The World Population Day (WPD) is observed every year on 11th of July to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues. Unlike every year, this year (2019) there is no specific theme but the day aims to draw attention towards maternal health. This year, the day calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. The landmark conference was attended by 179 governments who recognized that reproductive health and gender equality are essential for achieving sustainable development.

Notes:
On 10th July 2019, the 2nd India-Russia Strategic Economic Dialogue (IRSED) was held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Dr. Rajiv Kumar, Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog. The meeting was focused on six core areas of cooperation viz. Development of Transport Infrastructure and Technologies; Development of Agriculture and Agro-Processing sector; Small and Medium Business support; Digital Transformation and Frontier Technologies; Cooperation in Trade, Banking, Finance, and Industry; and Tourism & Connectivity. The strategic dialogue was established following a bilateral MoU signed between the NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation during the 19th edition of the Annual India-Russia Bilateral Summit, which was held on 5th October 2018 in New Delhi.

Notes:
M J Radhakrishnan (60), the well-known Malayalam cinematographer , has passed away in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on July 12, 2019. Starting his career as a still photographer, Radhakrishnan later worked as an associate of renowned cinematographer-turned-director Shaji N Karun. His well-acclaimed works include: Deshadanam, Karunam and Naalu Pennungal. Radhakrishnan had won three International awards besides being a 7-time winner of the Kerala State Award for Best Cinematography. One of his works, Marana Simhasanam (English: Throne of Death; French: Le Trone de la mort), won Camra d’Or (Golden Camera Award) in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

Notes:
The rare footage of an iconic Marathi film Vande Mataram (1948) has become part of the Pune-based National Film Archives of India (NFAI). A Video Home System (VHS) cassette containing about 35 minute footage of the film is part of the collection that was donated to NFAI by Dinesh Thakur ( nephew of Sunita Deshpande) and film historian Satish Jakatdar, along with U-Matic tapes containing rare footage of Harmonium playing by P.L. Deshpande. The film Vande Mataram is considered a very important as the story was based on India’s freedom movement and struggle. The legendary writer and playwright P L Deshpande played a major role along with his wife Sunita Deshpande. The script, dialogue and lyrics were written by renowned writer G.D. Madgulkar whereas the music was composed by stalwart composer Sudhir Phadke. The iconic film was directed by renowned filmmaker Ram Gabale. The film was released a year after independence and presented narratives woven with patriotism and humanist affection. Songs like “Ved Mantrahun Vandya…” became very popular and are remembered even today. The shooting for the film took place in early 1948 at Shalini Studio in Kolhapur.

Notes:
The researchers in the United States (US) have found that Electronic Cigarettes (ECs) produce a stress response in brain stem cells. They identified the mechanism underlying EC-induced stem cell toxicity as “Stress-Induced Mitochondrial Hyper-fusion (SIMH) using cultured mouse neural stem cells. The study showed that exposure of stem cells to e-liquids, aerosols, or nicotine produces a response that leads to SIMH. Stem cells are present throughout life & become specialized cells with more specific functions, such as brain cells, blood cells, or bone. ECs are nicotine-delivery devices that aerosolize nicotine and flavour chemicals through heating. The high levels of nicotine in ECs lead to a nicotine flooding of special receptors in the neural stem cell membrane. If the nicotine stress persists, SIMH collapses, the neural stem cells get damaged and could eventually die. If that happens, no more specialised cells, astrocytes and neurons, for example, can be produced from stem cells. Then, damaged stem cell mitochondria could accelerate aging and lead to neurodegenerative diseases. Nicotine exposure during prenatal or adolescent development can affect the brain in multiple ways that may impair memory, learning, and cognition