GK & Current Affairs Quiz: June 18, 2019

Notes:
The South American Football Confederation (SAFC) has invited Australia and Qatar as guests at 2020 Copa America. Both the nations will join 10 South American nations in the 2020 tournament, which for the first time will be held jointly in two countries — Colombia and Argentina. Qatar, which is the current champion of 2019 AFC Asian Cup and also host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is making its debut at the 2019 edition of Copa America.

Notes:
As per a report released by the Australian think tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), India’s ranking in 2019 Global Peace Index (GPI) has slipped five places to 141st among 163 countries. In 2018, India ranked at 136th among 163 countries. IEP ranks countries according to their level of peacefulness based on three thematic domains — the level of societal safety and security, the extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict and the degree of militarization. The report covers 99.7 per cent of the world’s population and uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from highly respected sources to compile the index. As per index, Iceland remains the most peaceful country and Afghanistan the least peaceful nation. In South Asian countries, Bhutan topped the index with 15th rank, followed by Sri Lanka 72nd, Nepal 76th and Bangladesh 101st. Terror-ridden Pakistan has been ranked 153rd on the index. The GPI was founded by Steve Killelea, an Australian technology entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Notes:
Bengaluru-based NGO Akshaya Patra has been awarded the 2019 BBC World Service Global Champion Award for its school meal project programme at the BBC Food and Farming Awards in Bristol, United Kingdom. The award recognizes a person or project that is changing the way the world produces, processes, consumes or thinks about food for the better. NGO Akshay Patra is a non-profit organisation running one of the world’s largest school meals project in India.

Notes:
The World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is observed on the 15th of June every year to voice opposition to the abuse and suffering inflicted on elderly people. According to the United Nations (UN), around 1 in 6 older people experience some form of abuse. It is predicted to rise as population’s age worldwide. Elder abuse can lead to serious physical injuries and long-term psychological consequences. It is a global social issue which affects the health and human rights of millions of older persons around the world. It is predicted to increase as many countries are experiencing rapidly ageing populations. The global population of people aged 60 years and older will more than double, from 900 million in 2015 to about 2 billion in 2050.

Notes:
Ahmedabad-based Adani group has recently got final approval for controversy-hit Carmichael coal mine project in Australia, after Queensland State authorities approved its groundwater management plan. The final approval for the Adani group’s long-delayed billion-dollar mega coal mine project came only weeks after a surprise election win of Australia’s pro-coal ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The approval potentially paves the way for half a dozen new thermal coal mines to come on line in Australia by opening up Queensland’s remote Galilee basin with rail infrastructure to the coast 320 km away at Abbot Point. Earlier, the Gautam Adani-led Adani Group got the first approval from the Queensland state government to protect the endangered black-throated finch bird population as part of its crucial environmental plan at the site of its mine project. It is set to become the largest coal mine in Australia, with approval to produce up to 60 million tonnes of coal annually, and 2.3 billion tonnes over the life of the mine.