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:
The Medical & Health Department of Rajasthan government has won the prestigious 2019 World Health Organization (WHO) award in recognition of its achievements in the field of tobacco control. The department’s Additional Chief Secretary, Rohit Kumar Singh, received the award at a function to mark 2019 World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) in New Delhi. The Health Department of the State is the only government body in India which is awarded for its Tobacco-Free Initiatives (TFIs). Beside this, WHO has selected five organisations from the South-East Asian region for the prestigious award. Three other organizations in the South-East Asian region have been selected from Thailand and Indonesia, while the Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute (of New Delhi) is also among the recipients of the award. Every year, WHO recognizes individuals or organizations in each of the six WHO Regions for their accomplishments in the area of tobacco control. This recognition takes the form of WHO Director-General Special Recognition Award and WNTD Awards.

Notes:
In Football, Liverpool FC won the Champions League for the sixth time at Madrid on June 1, 2019. In the final, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-nil after game defining moments at the start and end of the game . Mohamed Salah put Liverpool in front after just two minutes when he converted a penalty following a handball by Moussa Sissoko. Spurs created some chances but were denied by Liverpool keeper Alisson who saved well from Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura and Christian Eriksen. Then, with three minutes left, substitute Divock Origi drove low and powerfully past Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris to ensure that Jurgen Klopp won his first trophy as Liverpool manager.

Notes:
Ruma Guha Thakurta (84), the veteran Bengali actress & singer, has passed away in Kolkata, West Bengal. She was best known for her roles in Satyajit Ray-directed films such as Ganashatru (1989) and Abhijan (1962). She started her career as a dancer before moving to the then Bombay where she married singer Kishore Kumar in the early 1950s but they got divorced in 1958. Their son Amit Kumar is a singer and composer for Bollywood movies. She later married writer-director Arup Guha Thakurta and had two children – singers Sromona and Ayan. Ruma’s major film roles include “Palatak”, “Antony Firingee”, “80 Te Asio Na”, “Balika Badhu”, “Dadar Kirti”, “Bhalobasa Bhalobasa” and “Wheelchair”. “Jwar Bhata” will be remembered for being the debut of both Ruma and acting legend Dilip Kumar. Her other Hindi films were “Mashaal”, “Afsar”, “Raag Rang” and “Paar”. Ruma founded the Calcutta Youth Choir, a song and dance troupe, in 1958, which is known for its performance of folk and mass songs.

Notes:
The researchers at the University of Warwick in the UK have discovered a rogue exoplanet – NGTS-4b – with its own atmosphere in the Neptunian Desert. The Neptunian Desert is the region close to stars where no Neptune-sized planets are found. This area receives strong irradiation from the star, meaning the planets do not retain their gaseous atmosphere as they evaporate leaving just a rocky core. However, NGTS-4b still has its atmosphere of gas. NGTS-4b, nick-named ‘The Forbidden Planet’ is smaller than Neptune but three times the size of Earth. The exoplanet has a mass of 20 Earth masses, a radius 20% smaller than Neptune, and temperature of 1000 degrees Celsius. It orbits around the star in only 1.3 days — the equivalent of Earth’s orbit around the Sun of one year. It is the first exoplanet of its kind to have been found in the Neptunian Desert. The NGTS telescopes are situated at the European Southern Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in the heart of the Atacama Desert, Chile.

Notes:
On 1st June 2019, Ex-President Pratibha Patil has been conferred the “Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca” (Order of the Aztec Eagle) in the MCCIA Bhavan, Pune. It is the highest civilian award of Mexico given to foreigners in recognition of their outstanding services to strengthening the bilateral ties between Mexico and other countries and outstanding services to the Mexican nation or humanity. Patil, India’s first woman President (2007-2012), became only the 2nd Indian head of state to get the award. Earlier, the late President S Radhakrishna had been conferred this honour.

Notes:
The International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression is observed every year on June 4 to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN’s commitment to protect the rights of children.

Notes:
The Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) has jointly carried out a week-long special training exercise “Kharga Prahar-2019” in the plains of Punjab. The exercise, which began on May 27, was undertaken by various units and formations of Army’s Kharga Corps. The exercise setting also incorporated aspects of joint training wherein para drops from Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft were carried out and simulated battlefield air strikes were conducted in support of ground forces. Ambala-based 2-Corpa, popularly called as Kharga Corps, possesses 50% of the Indian Army’s offensive capabilities and has the mandate to launch offensive attack, in case any conflict or war breaks out with neighbouring Pak. Integrated with multiple military formations, Kharga has proved an effective weapon in various wars. In 1971, while positioned in West, it helped in division of Pakistan. The elite force was deployed somewhere in the desert sector during the Kargil conflict. The Kharga Corps has been stationed at Ambala since 1985.

Notes:
Dinyar Contractor (79), the veteran actor and theatre legend, has passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra on June 5, 2019. He was best known for his comic roles in films and was awarded a Padma Shri in 2019. He was appeared in many Bollywood films like Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Khiladi, Badshah, Daraar and 36 China Town. He was also part of many TV shows such as Khichdi and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah.

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.