Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2017

Notes:
Asim Basu (81), the renowned theatre artiste and director, art director, painter and playwright, has recently passed away in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He was known for his set design work in Ollywood movies and designing Oriya book covers and movie posters. He directed around 200 plays and did stage designing for over 500 plays and was the art director for several Odia films. Some of his major works are Indradhanura Chhai, Dadagiri and apana Banika.

Notes:
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy is a badminton player, who competed at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, winning a gold in the mixed team event, and a silver in the men’s doubles event.

Notes:
The book “Veerappan: Chasing the Brigand” has been authored by K. Vijay Kumar, the Senior Security Adviser in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The book is a source of valuable inspiration offering insight into the tactics that went into the wiping out of the dreaded forest brigand on whom a prize money of Rs. 5 crores had been declared more than a decade back.

Notes:
For the first time, two Indian cagers – Aashay Verma and Priyanka Prabhakara – have been selected in a 67-strong international group of boys and girls for the NBA and FIBA’s third annual Basketball without Borders (BWB) Global Camp in New Orleans, USA. The camp will be held February 17 to 19 as part of NBA All-Star 2017. The BWB Global Camp is a great opportunity for the top male and female prospects from around the world to compete against one another, learn directly from NBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches, and experience the excitement of NBA All-Star. The Basketball without Borders program was founded on the belief that basketball brings young players from different backgrounds together and transcends cultural boundaries.

Notes:
Shand Panesar, an Indian-origin constable with Scotland Yard, has been awarded 2017 United Kingdom’s (UK) Outstanding Bravery of the Year Award for risking his life with a colleague to rescue a couple from a burning building in London in September 2016. Panesar and Craig Nicholson were jointly awarded after the public voted for them in the Total Excellence in Policing Awards, which were presented by Metropolitan Police police commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe.

Notes:
India has been ranked 143rd in the 2017 Economic Freedom Index (EFI). The annual index was released by a conservative US political think tank “the Heritage Foundation”. It measures the degree of economic freedom in the countries of the world. The 2017 index is topped by Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand, respectively. Among South Asian countries, only Afghanistan (163) and Maldives (157) were ranked below India. Nepal (125), Sri Lanka (112), Pakistan (141), Bhutan (107), and Bangladesh (128) surpassed India in economic freedom.

Notes:
Altamas Kabir (68), the former Chief Justice of India (CJI), has recently passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal on February 19, 2017. Justice Kabir was the Chief Justice at Supreme Court for a brief period of nine months in 2012-13. As the Chief Justice, he was part of the Supreme Court Bench which heard the case of the two Italian marines in 2013. He would be remembered for the gentle yet firm nature with which he handled court work as well as his administrative job as the head of India’s judicial system.

Notes:
The book “Every Time It Rains” has been authored by Nikitha Singh. It is the sequel of author’s “Like a Love song” , in which Mahi and Laila were the protagonists with the story from Mahi’s perspective. The book “Every Time It Rains” revolves around Laila’s life, how she picks up the broken pieces of her shattered heart and whether she gives love another chance in her life remains a mystery till the end.

Notes:
The first edition of Gramin Khel Mahotsav (GKM) will be held from March 25th to 31st, 2017 in New Delhi. The games will be held in five sports disciplines Athletics, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Volley Ball and Wrestling. The festival will help participation of rural youth in large numbers in popular sports and encourage them to achieve excellence and adopt healthy life style. The purpose of this fest to promote sports in rural areas across the country and will be replicated in other States and UTs as well.

Notes:
The book “Kohinoor: The Story of the World’s Most Infamous Diamond” has been authored by William Dalrymple, an acclaimed historian and a bestselling and award-winning author. This riveting story of the Kohinoor unearths fascinating new information as it moves from the Mughal court to Persia to Afghanistan, from Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s durbar in Punjab to the Crown of the Queen of England.