Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2024

Notes:
The WHO and STOP released the “Hooking the Next Generation: How the Tobacco Industry Captures Young Customers” report on World No Tobacco Day, May 31. Key findings include that 37 million children aged 13-15 use tobacco globally, and 85% of 15-30-year-olds were exposed to e-cigarette ads. E-cigarettes produce nicotine-laden aerosol, an addictive substance.

Notes:
Naik Dhananjay Kumar Singh, a UN peacekeeper serving in Congo, was posthumously awarded the Dag Hammarskjold medal during the UN’s International Day of Peacekeepers. The medal, established in 1997, honors peacekeepers who sacrificed their lives under the UN’s authority. Named after Dag Hammarskjöld, it’s awarded annually to nations losing peacekeepers. The ceremony takes place at the UN headquarters. Singh’s recognition highlights the dedication of peacekeepers worldwide.

Notes:
A recent study warns that the January 15, 2022, eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai Volcano may lead to unusual weather patterns throughout the decade. Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai is a submarine stratovolcano in the Tongan archipelago in the Southern Pacific Ocean. It’s part of the Tonga-Kermadec Islands volcanic arc, resulting from the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Indo-Australian Plate. Eruptions from this highly active area have occurred regularly over the past few decades.

Notes:
An international study announced the discovery of living shallow-marine stromatolites on Sheybarah Island, Red Sea, Saudi Arabia. Stromatolites, sedimentary formations, are primarily created by photosynthetic microorganisms like cyanobacteria. Their surface layer hosts active microbes, while the underlying build-up resembles lithified remnants of past microbial communities. Stromatolites played a vital role in the Great Oxygenation Event, altering Earth’s atmosphere. The world’s largest living stromatolite system is found in Hamelin Pool.

Notes:
Tanvi Sharma, a promising Indian badminton player, secured victory in the Bonn International tournament by defeating Wang Pei Yu of Chinese Taipei in straight sets. The contest lasted just over half an hour, with Tanvi claiming a 21-19 22-20 win. Ranked 181st globally, the 15-year-old from Punjab showcased her skill, notably overcoming a deficit in the final set.

Notes:
Zupee, India’s leading skill-based Ludo platform, partners with Gurugram Cyber Police for the 11th Cyber Security Summer Internship Program, ‘Cyber Warriors.’ The month-long internship, inaugurated by Commissioner of Police, Gurugram, Vikas Kumar Arora, includes 1,100 interns selected from 15,000 applicants worldwide. Guided by Cyber Security Expert Dr. Rakshit Tandon, candidates receive immersive cyber security training. Some will work directly with Gurugram Cyber Police, tackling real-world challenges to promote cyber safety.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) developed PraVaHa, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software, at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. Parallel RANS Solver for Aerospace Vehicle Aero-thermo-dynamic Analysis (PraVaHa) simulates airflow for launch vehicles, crucial for designing their shape, structure, and thermal protection systems. It is used in the Gaganyaan program for analyzing human-rated launch vehicles. Currently, it simulates airflow for perfect and real gas conditions, with ongoing validations for chemical reactions in scramjet vehicles.

Notes:
India participated in the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum High-Level Event 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland. The WSIS+20 Forum commemorates 20 years since the WSIS, held in Geneva (2003) and Tunis (2005), and is co-organized by ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD. Its aim is to address information and communication technology issues through a multi-stakeholder approach, fostering a people-centric, inclusive, and development-oriented Information Society.

Notes:
World Environment Day, celebrated on June 5th annually, promotes environmental awareness and protection. The 2024 celebration, hosted by Saudi Arabia, coincides with the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Each year features a specific theme addressing current environmental issues. Notably, India hosted the 45th World Environment Day in 2018 with the theme ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’.

Notes:
The “Air of the Anthropocene” project visualizes air pollution in India, Ethiopia, and the UK using light painting, highlighting severe health risks and sparking global discussions on air quality. This initiative combines art and science to produce photographic evidence of air pollution. Particulate matter (PM), a key pollutant, is linked to severe health issues and causes approximately 7 million premature deaths annually, with 99% of the global population affected.