Q.2199

In Sept 2016, the State Assembly of the US state of California announced it had made a choice for the official 'fabric' of the state. Though tracing the origins of its name to a French city, the fabric has a legendary association with California's history. Which fabric?

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Denim. The word originates from the city of Nimes in France, but has associations with miners in California's Gold Rush. More on this decision.

Q.2195

This city is famous for its white marble. This fact has been cited as the etymological origin of its name, as well as its nickname "ash-Shahabaa" (which means a variant of white). Its old city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site but it's been in the news for all the wrong reasons, especially in 2015.

Which famed ancient city?

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The beleagured Aleppa in Syria, which saw renewed fighting in Sept 2016. More here.

Q.2100

In June 2016, Rodrigo Duterte took over as the President of the Phillipines, after a contoversial tenure as Mayor of Davao City. Duterte was known for his tough tactics against criminals, which allegedly included the use of vigilante groups. He picked up the nickname of 'The Punisher' for this.

Another nickname, derived from a cult film character in a series of the same name has also been used for Duterte. What nickname?

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"Duterte Harry", referring to the Clint Eastwood character 'Dirty Harry'. More here.

Q.2094

In June 2016, Britain voted to leave the European Union in what was a surprise decision. This was dubbed 'BREXIT'. A few days before this decision, another exit in India was dubbed 'RREXIT'. What did this refer to?

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The decision of RBI Governor and noted economist Raghuram Rajan to step down from his post once his term ended later in the year.

Q.2073

In May 2016, a school of Sharks plays a colony of Penguins for a large 'drinking object' which is courtesy of the 16th Earl of Derby.

Explain!

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The Stanley Cup is given to the winner of the North American NHL championship. In 2016, it was played between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the San Jose Sharks. More here.

Q.2069

The ascension of the planet Jupiter into the Leo section of the zodiac gives its name to which major 2016 event in India?

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The Simhastha Kumba Mela, held in Ujjain in 2016.

Q.2068

Vinicius de Moraes was a Brazilian poet and diplomat. Tom Jobin was a composer and writer, famous for 'The Girl from Ipanema'. They famously collaborated on a play called "Orfeu da Conceicao" and on other projects. What in 2016 is named after them?

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The mascots of the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics - Vinicius and Tom respectively. More here.

Q.2060

This word means 'overgrown' in the Lugandan language (spoke in Uganda). Thus, it's an apt name for a forested region in that country.

By 2016, the word has become extremely well-known around the world. What word?

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'Zika'. The Zika Forest in Uganda is where the first signs of what is now called the Zika virus were spotted. More here.

Q.2045

With the launch of the 7th satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System in April 2016 by ISRO, India now has the system to offer its own alternative to the Global Positioning System (GPS).

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the name for this system was chosen in dedication to India's sailors who had been navigating the seas for many years using the sky.

What's the acronym, which literally means a type of 'sailor'?

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NAVIC (short for "Navigation with Indian Constellation"). More here.

Q.1840

This UNESCO World Heritage Site is situated amidst different kinds of palms and its name is said to mean "city of palms". Which place, which has been under severe attack in 2015, is this?

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Palmyra in Syria, which has (or had) several spectacular temples and Roman architectural remains. More here.

This day last year: Q.1475

Q.1828

This 2015 film was originally titled "Nyodda", for the place in which the events of the film are set. Its international release is called "Guilty", for what happens to some of the people in the film.

The name of its mainstream Indian release partly refers to the real-life people that inspired the film.

Which film?

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"Talvar", based on the Aarushi Talwar case that took place in Noida in 2008.

This day last year: Q.1463

Q.1740

In June 2015, the state government of Maharashtra declared the Blue Mormon as the state butterfly of the state, the first such state symbol in India. The butterfly, whose scientific name is Papilio polymnestor, is related to the common Mormon, Papilio polytes.

Why are these called Mormons?

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Because the males of these butterflies were thought to practice polygamy; the Mormon church is famous for its polygamy.

This day last year: Q.1375

Q.1737

What portmanteau word coined by Citigroup economist Ebrahim Rahbari in 2012 has been in most business headlines in mid-2015 and is easily the most commonly used word from something called the "Grexicon"?

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"Grexit" referring to the potential exit of Greece from the Eurozone. Other words include "Graccident" and "Grimbo". More here.

This day last year: Q1372.

Q.1736

"Inside Out" is Pixar's 2015 film release, about a 11-year old and her 5 key emotions, personified by various characters. Each emotion's character, according to the film's director, was conceptualised based on a shape: if Sadness was based on a teardrop, and Anger by a brick, Disgust was partly based on a stalk of which vegetable?

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Broccoli. More here.

This day last year: Q1371.

Q.1673

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft was launched in 2004 to study a planet, which it did so until crashing into the planet in Apr 2015. Which planet did it study, hinted by its name?

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Mercury - MESSENGER stands for "MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging", and also refers to Mercury, the Roman Messenger God. More here.

This day last year: Q.1308

Q.1664

Lawyer Raphael Jemkin coined this term partly based on events involving Armenians during World War I in Apr 1915. 2015 marks the centenary of this terrible time in 20th century history. Turkey still denies the application of this word to that time, while Pope Francis annoyed them by repeating this word in public.

What word?
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"Genocide". More on the Armenian Genocide here.

This day last year: Q.1299

Q.1648

Based on a suggestion by Ali Ranalvi | contribute questions

The Minor Planet Center is responsible for keeping track of space objects such as asteroids, minor planets, and comets. A staff member, Michael Rudenko, was charged with finding a name for minor planet no. 4538.

Being a chess enthusiast, Rudenko picked the name of which player, known to be an avid astronomy buff himself, who became a grandmaster in 1988, coincidentally, the year in which this space object was discovered?

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Vishwanathan Anand. More here.

This day last year: Q.1283

Q.1580

What name, that was at the centre of an event that held the world's attention for several days in Jan 2015, gets its name from the lead character of a popular comic series and a shortened form of the French word for 'weekly'?

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"Charlie Hebdo", the French magazine attacked in Jan 2015. More here on this name.

This day last year: Q.1215

Q.1547

"LP1" was a highly acclaimed 2014 R&B album by the artist 'FKA twigs'. Her name in real life is Tahliah Barnett, and she adopted this moniker as her stage name.

What does "FKA" stand for, the same expansion being part of a name adopted by the performer Prince, sometimes abbreviated as "TAFKAP" .

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"Formerly Known As". More here.

This day last year: Q.1182

Q.1546

"Transparent" is an American series that began in 2014. It features the actor Jeffrey Tambor playing the role of "Maura Pfefferman" and is about the effect of a certain revelation he makes to them.

What's the central idea of the show, which is reflected in a pun in the title?

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"Maura" was once "Mort", and the show is about a father who actually has a gender identity of a woman, hence 'Trans Parent'. More here.

This day last year: Q.1181