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:
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:
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:
In a strong reaction, the Government of India (GoI) has recently rejected the reference of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in its final communique at the 14th Islamic summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on May 31, 2019. The Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has stated that the OIC has no locus standi in matters relating to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. It is reiterated that OIC should refrain from making such unwarranted references. Earlier, at the 2019 Mecca Summit, the OIC reiterated its support for the legitimate rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and also appointed a special envoy for the state. The OIC is an international organization consisting of 57 member states & 53 of them Muslim-majority nations. It is not for the first time that OIC has made references on J&K, and India has slammed the 57-strong grouping of Muslim countries each time. Pakistan has been behind such anti-India references in the OIC communiqués / resolutions.

Notes:
In Madhya Pradesh, the state Cabinet has passed a resolution to increase reservation quota for Other Backward Classes (OBC) from existing 14% to 27%. The matter will now be taken up in the monsoon session of the state Assembly. The move will lead to reservation in the state breaching the Supreme Court-mandated 50% cap to reach 63%. If implemented, Madhya Pradesh will become the only state in the country to have a 27% quota for OBCs. Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh government passed an Ordinance on March 9 to implement the quota. However, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had stayed the Ordinance on March 19. Now the resolution will be taken in the monsoon session of the state assembly.

Notes:
Jaspal Inder Singh Kalra (71), the celebrated chef and culinary revivalist , has passed away on June 4 in New Delhi. He earned epithets like ‘Czar of Indian Cuisine’ and ‘Taste Maker to the Nation’, and was popularly known as Jiggs Kalra. Kalra was the first Asian to be inducted in the International Food and Beverage Gourmet Hall of Fame. Born on May 21, 1948, Kalra was a pioneering food columnist, author and food consultant. In a career spanning close to five decades, he was instrumental in introducing Indian cuisine to the international audience as well as setting standards of the same. He is also credited with establishing some of the most critically acclaimed and best performing restaurants in the country. He represented India at various international food festivals and summits, apart from having served the likes of British royals Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, apart from former US President Bill Clinton. He was behind the launch of restaurants like Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, Made in Punjab, Farzi Café and Pa Pa Ya.

Notes:
Rajiv Mehrishi, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of Indiam has been elected as external auditor of the World Health Organization (WHO) for four years from 2020 to 2023. He was elected at the 72nd World Health Assembly in Geneva in May 2019. This is the second major international audit assignment for the CAG this year following his selection for the post of External Auditor of Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome earlier this year in March 2019. Currently, Mehrishi is also on the Board of Auditors of the United Nations and Vice-Chair of the UN Panel of External Auditors.

Notes:
Enoplotrupes tawangensis is a new species of dung beetle that has been discovered in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. The species is shining dark blue in colour and, measuring up to 27 mm, is relatively bigger than most of the dung beetles. The specimens were first collected and studied by two scientists from the Zoological Survey of India: Kailash Chandra and Devanshu Gupta. From India, approximately 65,000 species of insects are known, of them, more than 22,000 species are beetles. Dung beetles belong to the super family scarabaeoidea. They are the one of the fascinating group of insects because of their ability to bury dung deep in the soil and are indicators of the ecological health of an ecosystem, having clubbed antennae and pro-tibiae (pro-legs) modified for burrowing dung inside the soil. Often referred to as little recyclers, these scavenger beetles require mammalian dung to survive.

Notes:
In Bangkok , the 2019 edition of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) was attended by senior officials of India, US, Japan and Australia to hold consultations on their collective efforts for a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region and to reaffirm their shared commitment to preserving and promoting the rules-based order in the region. The four countries underscored their intent to continue regular consultations on Indo-Pacific engagement and initiatives together and with other interested countries and institutions. The consultations were part of the Quad an informal strategic grouping consisting of India, US, Australia and Japan. China has been trying to expand its military presence in the Indo-Pacific which is a biogeographic region. China claims almost all of the South China Sea whereas Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have also counter claims over it.

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.