Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2019

Notes:
Imran Tahir, the leg-spinner of South Africa, has scripted history by becoming the first-ever spinner to bowl the first over in a World Cup during the opening match of the 2019 World Cup against England at the Oval. Tahir (40 years and 64 days) also became the oldest South African to play in a World Cup match. Prior to this, New Zealand great Martin Crowe had surprised everyone in the 1992 cricket World Cup by bringing off-spinner Dipak Patel into the attack in the second over. Patel bowled the second over in his side’s clash with Australia, which the Kiwis won by 37 runs.

Notes:
Flight Lieutenant Mohana Singh has become the first woman fighter pilot to fly by day a Hawk advanced jet aircraft. She achieved the feat at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station in West Bengal. Lt Mohana’s training involved flying both air-to-air combat and air-to-ground missions. She has undertaken many practice missions which involved firing of rockets, guns and dropping high calibre bombs and has also participated in various Air Force level flying exercises. She has a total of over 500 hours of incident-free flying, of which 380 hours are on the Hawk Mk 132 jet. She had, along with two other women pilots, Bhawana Kanth and Avani Chaturvadi, joined the fighter stream in June 2016. Earlier, in May 2019, Flight Lt. Bhawana Kanth became the first daytime woman fighter pilot to fly a MiG-21 Bison.

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 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:
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:
Sheela, the veteran Malayalam actress-director, has been chosen for the prestigious J C Daniel Award for her contributions to the film world. She is only the second woman to get it, after Aranmula Ponnamma in 2005. The award comprising a cash prize of Rs 5 Lakh, a citation and plaque will be given away at a function here on 27th July 2019. It is the Kerala’s highest award in Malayalam cinema. The award is named after J C Daniel, who made the first silent movie in Mollywood. Sheela is popularly called as Sheelamma by her admirers. She had debuted in the tinsel town through the MG Ramachandran-starrer Tamil movie “Paasam” during early 1960s. She was the first recipient of the ‘Best Actress’ award instituted by the Kerala government through the 1969 movie “Kallichellamma”. In 2005, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Malayalam film ‘Akale’. Sheela also holds the Guinness World Record for acting in the largest number of films opposite the same hero- late Prem Nazir- in nearly 130 films.

Notes:
The Indian junior women’s hockey team clinched the 2019 Cantor Fitzgerald U21 International 4-Nations title after beating Ireland 1-0 in the final at Dublin, Ireland on June 4. The win meant India ended the tournament with an unblemished record. With three goals in four games, Mumtaz Khan finished as the highest goal scorer of the tournament.

Notes:
Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, the renowned scientist and cyclone warning specialist, has been appointed as the chief of India Meteorological Department (IMD). Popularly known as the ‘Cyclone man of India’, he will take charge of his new assignment on August 1 for a period of five years. Mohapatra and his team at the Cyclone Warning Division (CWD) of the IMD have earned praise for their accurate forecasts on cyclones, its wind-speed and likely impact on life and property including during the recent cyclone ‘Fani’, when their timely warnings enabled the authorities to ensure early evacuation of millions of people. Over the last six years, the CWD has given accurate forecasts on cyclones including when Phailin (2013), Hudhud (2014) and Titli (2018) hit the eastern coast. The IMD is responsible for weather and climate-related forecasts in the country. It is also mandated to issue warning to people about severe weather phenomenon like cyclones, dust storms, heavy rain and snow, cold and heatwaves, among others.

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:
The book ‘Cricket World Cup: The Indian Challenge’ has been authored by veteran broadcaster and writer Ashis Ray. It is a book on the history of the tournament from an Indian perspective that has been formally unveiled by the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Tom Harrison. The book reviews all tournaments from 1975 to 2015 and also previews the ongoing 2019 World Cup in England and Wales. All matches of India, since the inaugural World Cup 44 years ago, are recorded as well as every semi-final and final regardless of whether India featured in them or not.