Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2019

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:
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:
Enoplotrupes tawangensis is a new species of dung beetle that has been discovered in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The species is shining dark blue in colour and, measuring up to 27 mm, is relatively bigger than most of the dung beetles. The specimens were first collected and studied by two scientists from the Zoological Survey of India: Kailash Chandra and Devanshu Gupta. From India, approximately 65,000 species of insects are known, of them, more than 22,000 species are beetles. Dung beetles belong to the super family scarabaeoidea. They are the one of the fascinating group of insects because of their ability to bury dung deep in the soil and are indicators of the ecological health of an ecosystem, having clubbed antennae and pro-tibiae (pro-legs) modified for burrowing dung inside the soil. Often referred to as little recyclers, these scavenger beetles require mammalian dung to survive.

Notes:
In Bangkok , the 2019 edition of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) was attended by senior officials of India, US, Japan and Australia to hold consultations on their collective efforts for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and to reaffirm their shared commitment to preserving and promoting the rules-based order in the region. The four countries underscored their intent to continue regular consultations on Indo-Pacific engagement and initiatives together and with other interested countries and institutions. The consultations were part of the Quad an informal strategic grouping consisting of India, US, Australia and Japan. China has been trying to expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific which is a biogeographic region. China claims almost all of the South China Sea whereas Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also counter claims over it.

Notes:
Dinyar Contractor (79), the veteran actor and theatre legend, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on June 5, 2019. He was best known for his comic roles in films and was awarded a Padma Shri in 2019. He was appeared in many Bollywood films like Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Khiladi, Badshah, Daraar and 36 China Town. He was also part of many TV shows such as Khichdi and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.

Notes:
Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria’s Ambassador to UN, has been elected as President of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). In accordance with the rules, the President of the 74th session of the General Assembly should be elected from among the African States. Muhammad-Bande was elected by acclamation and he will succeed Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa in September 2019. He assumes charge as the world body gets ready to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its creation next year.

Notes:
The World Environment Day (WED) is observed every year on 5st of June to raise awareness of the environment and specific environmental issues. The theme for 2019 “Beat Air Pollution” is a call to action call to combat this global crisis. To celebrate the 2019 WED, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) of India has launched the song ‘Hawa Aane De’ to spread awareness about Air pollution. The theme song is written by Swanand Kirkire and sung by Shantanu Mukherjee, Kapil Sharma, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shankar Mahadevan. On this Day, the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has launched #SelfiewithSapling campaign to promote awareness about environmental protection. Mr. Javadekar also urged people to plant a sapling and post a selfie with it on the social media.

Notes:
China has successfully launched a space rocket from sea for the first time and became the third nation to successfully demonstrate the ability to launch satellites into orbit from a floating platform after Russia and United States. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced that a Long March 11 rocket was launched from a floating launch pad in the Yellow Sea just off the coast of Shandong on 5th June 2019. China now spends more than Russia and Japan on its civil and military space programmes. Earlier this year, China became the first nation to land a rover on the far side of the moon. It also unveiled ambitious plans to build a research base on the lunar surface, send a probe to Mars and build a space station in Earth orbit.

Notes:
Laldingliana Sailo (76), the former Doordarshan and All India Radio (AIT) news editor, has passed away in Aizawl. Sailo, a senior officer in the Indian Information Service (IIS), was inducted as Field Publicity Officer (FPO) under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) in the year 1972. His first posting was in Arunachal Pradesh Tawang. After the stints in AIR, Kohima and Aizawl and News Services Division in New Delhi, he was transferred to Doordarshan Kendra Aizawl with additional charge of RNU, AIR, Aizawl. He retired as Director in the Directorate of Field Publicity for Kohima Region.

Notes:
Maldives has conferred ‘Nishan Izzuddin’ award on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is the highest award to honour foreign nationals. On June 8, Mr. Modi arrived in Male on the first leg of his two-nation tour to the Maldives and Sri Lanka. This will also be the first bilateral visit to the Maldives of an Indian Prime Minister after 2011. Mr. Modi will have bilateral discussions with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, hold meetings with Vice President Faisal Naseem and Speaker of Majlis and former President Mohamed Nasheed during his visit. He will also address the legislative body of the island nation called the People’s Majlis. Along with President Solih, Prime Minister Modi is likely to inaugurate the Coastal Surveillance System (CSS) and the Comprehensive Training Centre for National Defence Forces of Maldives. The two projects have been developed with Indian Grants. India is likely to announce a few new projects to the Maldives including building a cricket Stadium there and renovating the Friday Mosque by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).