Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2020

Notes:
The fossil of Stegodon, a variety of the elephant, was recently discovered near Saharanpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Stegodon is an extinct type of elephant with unique tusks and molars, that was found at an early age in Asia and Africa. The fossil found is claimed to be five to eight million years old and from the Dhok Pathan formation of Siwalik range. More researches are to be carried out in the vicinity of the place.

Notes:
The Chief of World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has recently addressed a virtual press conference.
During the conference, he said that the world is in a new and dangerous phase, as the virus outbreak is accelerating around the world with 1.5 lakh cases a day. The WHO chief also urged all countries to remain extremely vigilant, till the outbreak is contained.

Notes:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has received a patent for its Liquid Cooling and Heating Garment (LCHG).
The special garment is made up of bio-compatible fabrics and a system for circulating temperature controlling fluid into and out of the garments. This would provide a comfortable temperature to the astronauts wearing it in space. The garments can also be used in other military applications, fire-fighting and in extreme environments in industrial areas.

Notes:
Rajinder Goel, who was considered as one of the finest left-arm spinners of the country, passed away recently, at the age of 77
Rajinder Goel took part in about 157 first-class matches, most of them for Haryana. He also holds the record for clinching maximum wickets in Ranji trophy with 637 wickets. The legendary spinner made his debut in the year 1957 and played domestic cricket until the age of 44. He was awarded the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award by BCCI.

Notes:
A Japanese broadcaster had reported that the Ishigaki City assembly in Okinawa, in Japan, had passed a bill to change the name of the administrative area covering the islands to Tonoshiro Senkaku from Tonoshiro.
China has recently said that it reserved the right to respond to the city’s decision to rename the area that includes remote islands claimed by both China and Japan. The disputed islands are known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China. It also warned that Japan should not interfere in Beijing’s internal affairs.

Notes:
The Japanese supercomputer, Fugaku has been recently named the fastest super computer in the Top500 list, which ranks the most powerful benchmarked supercomputers in the world.
It is powered by chipsets from Advanced RISC Machines (ARM). This marks the first time an ARM-based supercomputer to ever top the list. It also marks the first time Japan has taken the top place since 2011. It is followed by IBM’s Summit supercomputer and IBM’s Sierra supercomputer.

Notes:
Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister has approved a scheme for interest subvention of 2% to all Shishu loan accounts under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).
The subvention is applicable to eligible borrowers, for a period of 12 months. The scheme will incentivize people who will make regular repayments of loans. The estimated cost of the Scheme would be approximately Rs. 1542 crore, which would be provided by the Union Government. Loans for activities up to Rs. 50,000 are termed as Shishu loans.

Notes:
The state government of Haryana and Reliance Jio TV have signed an agreement to telecast education material to school children.
The new agreement is done under the Chief Minister’s Distance Education Programme in order to expand education in rural areas. All four channels of the ‘Edusat’ platform will be available on the Jio platform free of cost, which will benefit around 52 lakh school children in rural areas.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has recently approved an ordinance to bring Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) and multi-state cooperative banks (MSCBs) under the supervision of the Reserve Bank of India.
As on date, there are nearly 1,540 UCBs and MSCBs in India with deposits of nearly ₹5 lakh-crore. In February, the Cabinet had approved an amendment to the Banking Regulation Act to strengthen cooperative banks, after the PMC Bank crisis. This step is expected to protect the depositors of the cooperative banks.

Notes:
Washington-headquartered International Monetary Fund releases its flagship report titled ‘World Economic Outlook (WEO)’.
In the recent forecast report, the International Monetary Fund has estimated that the economy is expected to contract by -4.5 per cent, in the fiscal year 2020. IMF has also projected that the Indian economy will bounce back in 2021-22 with a growth rate of around 6%, though it is lower than the 7.4% growth predicted in April.