Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2019

Notes:
The World Refugee Day (WRD) is observed every year on 20th of June to celebrate the stories and contributions of refugees. The 2019 theme is “#Step with Refugees – Take a Step on World Refugee Day”. According to the latest annual study released by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 70.8 million children, women and men were forcibly displaced at the end of last year. This is the highest number in the organization’s almost 70-year history. The study said wars, violence and persecution have driven record numbers of people from their homes worldwide. Almost two thirds of those uprooted from their homes are internally displaced people who have not left their homelands. About 80% of these refugees live in countries neighbouring their country of origin. On an average, one person is forcibly displaced every two seconds as a result of conflict or persecution and refugees are among the most vulnerable people in the world.

Notes:
The world’s No.3 ODI bowler, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has become the most expensive bowler in ICC World Cup history during their match against hosts England at Old Trafford in Manchester on June 18. He leaked 110 runs off 9 overs as England racked up a gigantic 397 for six after electing to bat. The record earlier belonged to New Zealand’s Martin Snedden, who had conceded 105 runs for two wickets against England in the 1983 World Cup.

Notes:
India has opened its first specialised hydrotherapy treatment center (water clinic) for elephants suffering from arthritis, joint pain and foot ailments on the banks of the Yamuna in Mathura. It is opened near the Wildlife SOS’ Elephant Conservation and Care Centre (ECCC), which currently houses 20 rescued elephants. The new hydrotherapy jumbo pool is 11-foot-deep and has 21 high pressure jet sprays that create water pressure that massage the elephants’ feet and body and help in increasing blood circulation. The center is a joint collaboration of Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and the NGO Wildlife SOS.

Notes:
India’s first solar-powered cruise boat to be rolled out in Alappuzha, Kerala in December 2019. A Rs 3-crore cruise boat that can carry 100 passengers is under construction at a boatyard in Aroor. This is part of an initiative of the State Water Transport Department (SWTD), whose solar ferry Aditya in the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route has proved to be a success. The hybrid vessel will be powered by a motor that can source energy from solar panels, battery, and generator. Its battery will have 80 KWh (kilowatt hour) power backup as compared to 50 KWh backup in Aditya.

Notes:
On June 20, the first-ever International Theatre Festival of Bangladesh inaugurated at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) in Dhaka by the Bangladesh State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid. The week-long festival will feature theatre and puppet shows by eight troupes from seven countries. Rabindranath Tagore’s dance-drama ‘Mayar Khela’ was performed as the inaugural presentation of the festival on Thursday evening. The festival is being organised at the initiative of the Culture Affairs Ministry of Bangladesh. Theatre troupes from India, Bangladesh, Russia, China, France, Vietnam and Nepal are participating in the festival. The festival will also have a dance drama and a seminar on theatre. The Cultural Affairs Ministry has announced that this festival will be organized every other year.

Notes:
In Gymnastics, India’s Pranati Nayak from West Bengal clinched a bronze in vault event at the 8th Senior Asian Artistic Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on June 22, 2019. In the final, she scored a total of 13.384 points to claim the bronze medal. China’s Yu Linmin and Japan’s Ayaka Sakaguchi won the gold and silver medal at the event.

Notes:
Krishnaswamy Natarajan has beenappointed as the new Director General (DG) of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). He will take over the charge after incumbent Rajendra Singh retires on 30th June 2019. An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Natarajan is now serving as Additional Director General and Coast Guard Commander (West) at Mumbai. He was instrumental in giving a fillip to the overall growth of the Coast Guard, post 26/11, in terms of assets and infrastructure development including a dedicated academy.

Notes:
The Union Government has constituted an 18-member working group for the revision of the current series of Wholesale Price Index (WPI) under Chairmanship of Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member of NITI Aayog. The revision of the base year would help in presenting a more realistic picture of the price situation and its impact on people. The Office of Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade will be the nodal office for the Working Group and will process the report and recommendation of the Group for further necessary action. The current series of WPI with 2011-12 as the base year was introduced in May 2017. Since 2011-12, significant structural changes have taken place in the economy. Therefore, it has become necessary to examine the coverage of commodities, weighting diagram and related issues pertaining to the existing series of index numbers of Wholesale Price Index. The Terms of Reference of the Working Group include deciding on the computational methodology to be adopted for monthly WPI and Producer Price Index (PPI) and reviewing the existing system of price collection in particular for the manufacturing sector and suggest changes for improvement.

Notes:
The Rajasthan government has decided to set up Vedic education board and culture board in the state. It was announced by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at the 25th ‘Bhamashah Sammelan’ at Birla Auditorium in Jaipur. The board will help future generations take inspiration from Vedic culture.

Notes:
In Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, tourist’s promotional festival – Ladakh Singhey Khababs Sindhu Festival celebrated on the bank of Indus River at Leh. The festival presents the Indus River as a symbol of the multi-dimensional cultural identity of India that got its name from the Indus River. Folk songs and dances are performed and local handicrafts and ethnic foods are being exhibited before the tourists during the festival.