Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2019

Notes:
On the occasion of 2019 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on May 31, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has banned production, distribution, advertisement and sale of Electronic-cigarette in the state. The decision will be an important step to curb addiction among youths. According to the health department officials, both online or offline sale, storage, production, distribution and advertisement of e-cigarettes in the state has been banned.

Notes:
The Medical & Health Department of Rajasthan government has won the prestigious 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) award in recognition of its achievements in the field of tobacco control. The department’s Additional Chief Secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh, received the award at a function to mark 2019 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) in New Delhi. The Health Department of the State is the only government body in India which is awarded for its Tobacco-Free Initiatives (TFIs). Beside this, WHO has selected five organisations from the South-East Asian region for the prestigious award. Three other organizations in the South-East Asian region have been selected from Thailand and Indonesia, while the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute (of New Delhi) is also among the recipients of the award. Every year, WHO recognizes individuals or organizations in each of the six WHO Regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. This recognition takes the form of WHO Director-General Special Recognition Award and WNTD Awards.

Notes:
Puerto Williams is the main settlement, port and naval base on Navarino Island in Chile. It faces the Beagle Channel. Recently, Puerto Williams has become the world’s southernmost city after the Chilean authorities upgraded its status from hamlet to city. It took over the title from Ushuaia, the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego. Puerto Williams is the port of entry and major hub for scientific activity linked to Antarctica and the islands south of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego.

Notes:
The 10th edition of National Science Film Festival of India (NSFFl) is scheduled to be held in Agartala, Tripura on January and February 2020. The aim of the fest is to raise awareness about science and environment through films. This the second time the show will be held in a North Eastern city. The film festival is being held with the objective of highlighting science, technology, innovation, energy, environment, agriculture and traditional knowledge in a simple way that would bring science closer to common people through simple ways of explanation. The film festival would include films produced by UNICEF, UNESCO and filmmakers from different countries. It will also include entries from Tripura and other states.

Notes:
Ruma Guha Thakurta (84), the veteran Bengali actress & singer, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. She was best known for her roles in Satyajit Ray-directed films such as Ganashatru (1989) and Abhijan (1962). She started her career as a dancer before moving to the then Bombay where she married singer Kishore Kumar in the early 1950s but they got divorced in 1958. Their son Amit Kumar is a singer and composer for Bollywood movies. She later married writer-director Arup Guha Thakurta and had two children – singers Sromona and Ayan. Ruma’s major film roles include “Palatak”, “Antony Firingee”, “80 Te Asio Na”, “Balika Badhu”, “Dadar Kirti”, “Bhalobasa Bhalobasa” and “Wheelchair”. “Jwar Bhata” will be remembered for being the debut of both Ruma and acting legend Dilip Kumar. Her other Hindi films were “Mashaal”, “Afsar”, “Raag Rang” and “Paar”. Ruma founded the Calcutta Youth Choir, a song and dance troupe, in 1958, which is known for its performance of folk and mass songs.

Notes:
The World Milk Day (WMD) is observed every year on 1st of June to provide an opportunity to focus attention on milk and to publicise activities connected with milk and the milk industry. In 2001, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) selected June 1st as World Milk Day, which celebrates the important contributions of the dairy sector to sustainability, economic development, livelihoods and nutrition. The 2019 theme is “Drink Milk: Today & Everyday”.

Notes:
The researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK have discovered a rogue exoplanet – NGTS-4b – with its own atmosphere in the Neptunian Desert. The Neptunian Desert is the region close to stars where no Neptune-sized planets are found. This area receives strong irradiation from the star, meaning the planets do not retain their gaseous atmosphere as they evaporate leaving just a rocky core. However, NGTS-4b still has its atmosphere of gas. NGTS-4b, nick-named ‘The Forbidden Planet’ is smaller than Neptune but three times the size of Earth. The exoplanet has a mass of 20 Earth masses, a radius 20% smaller than Neptune, and temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius. It orbits around the star in only 1.3 days — the equivalent of Earth’s orbit around the Sun of one year. It is the first exoplanet of its kind to have been found in the Neptunian Desert. The NGTS telescopes are situated at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in the heart of the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Notes:
Namrata Menon, the Panaji-based Yoga instructor and fitness expert, has been appointed as the Goa’s brand ambassador to promote the ancient system of physical and mental practices in the coastal state. The objective of this initiative is to increase awareness about the benefits of yoga and encourage people to inculcate a healthy lifestyle. She has been practicing yoga since the last 17 years and has been instrumental in inspiring many people to take up the ancient practice that involves a range of postures (asanas).

Notes:
Conservative businessman Nayib Bukele has been sworn-in as the new President of El Salvador. His presidency breaks three decades of bipartisanship between the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) and the outgoing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). Hence, Bukele is the first candidate to win the presidency since the end of the Salvadoran Civil War who did not represent either of the major two parties.

Notes:
Jaspal Inder Singh Kalra (71), the celebrated chef and culinary revivalist , has passed away on June 4 in New Delhi. He earned epithets like ‘Czar of Indian Cuisine’ and ‘Taste Maker to the Nation’, and was popularly known as Jiggs Kalra. Kalra was the first Asian to be inducted in the International Food and Beverage Gourmet Hall of Fame. Born on May 21, 1948, Kalra was a pioneering food columnist, author and food consultant. In a career spanning close to five decades, he was instrumental in introducing Indian cuisine to the international audience as well as setting standards of the same. He is also credited with establishing some of the most critically acclaimed and best performing restaurants in the country. He represented India at various international food festivals and summits, apart from having served the likes of British royals Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, apart from former US President Bill Clinton. He was behind the launch of restaurants like Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, Made in Punjab, Farzi Café and Pa Pa Ya.