Current Affairs Quiz , 13 Mar 2019

1) Which of the following Indian satellites has recently discovered a new group of stars in globular cluster NGC 2808?

a) Aditya L1
b) AstroSat
c) CartoSat
d) GSAT 7

Answer: b
• The Indian multi-wavelength space observatory AstroSat, launched in September 2015, continues to yield exciting results. Using this observatory, astronomers from Thiruvananthapuram and Mumbai have identified a new population of ultraviolet stars in the globular cluster NGC 2808.
• Globular clusters are collections of thousands to millions of stars, moving as one unit. These stars are tightly held together by gravity of the cluster itself, and are believed to have formed together at roughly the same time. Some globular clusters could be among the oldest objects in our Milky Way, which hosts over 150 of them.

2) India’s first LGBTQ clinic and HIV treatment centre was recently inaugurated in

a) New Delhi
b) Thiruvananthapuram
c) Mumbai
d) Kolkata

Answer: c
• Around 20 years after the Humsafar Trust started a support group for gay men, male sex workers and transgenders, creating awareness about the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the group inaugurated the country’s first HIV treatment centre and holistic clinic for the for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community.
• Based out of the trust’s office in Mumbai, the centre will give free counselling and provide Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART)

3) According to World Gold Council (WGC), what is India’s place in the list of the world’s largest gold reserve?

a) 1st
b) 5th
c) 11th
d) 15th

Answer: c
• India, which is the world’s largest consumer of gold, has the 11th largest gold reserve, with the current holding pegged at 607 tonnes, as per the latest report by the World Gold Council (WGC).

4) Which of the following products from Erode, Tamil Nadu recently got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Geographical Indication Registry?

a) Turmeric
b) Jaggery
c) Mango
d) Pineapple

Answer: a
• After an eight-year-long process, Erode turmeric finally got a Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the Geographical Indication Registry.
• A Geographical Indication is a name or sign used on certain products that correspond to a specific geographical location or origin.
• Quality parameters of the turmeric included 2.5 to 4.5% of curcumin content, a golden yellow colour and resistance to pests after boiling.

5) Global Influenza Strategy for 2019-2030, its most comprehensive strategy to date against the infectious disease, was launched by

a) Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
b) Partners in Health
c) Global Health Council
d) WHO

Answer: d
• The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched its Global Influenza Strategy for 2019-2030, its most comprehensive strategy to date against the infectious disease.
• It has been estimated there are one billion cases of influenza every year globally, of which between three and five million are severe and up to 650,000 lead to influenza-related deaths.
• The strategy will provide a framework for WHO alongside countries and other partners to work to prevent seasonal influenza, control the spread of the infection from animals to humans and prepare for the next pandemic. A global influenza pandemic was listed as one of the WHO’s top ten threats to global health in 2019.