Current Affairs Quiz - June 2022

Notes:
A multinational peacekeeping exercise- Ex Khaan Quest 2022 commenced recently in Mongolia. Military contingents from 16 countries including India are participating in the exercise.
As per India’s Defence Ministry, Indian Army is represented by a contingent from the Ladakh Scouts. The 14-day exercise will enhance the level of defence co-operation among participating countries.

Notes:
The Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife (MSBWL) has approved 12 new conservation reserves and three wildlife sanctuaries.
The new sanctuaries are the extension of the Lonar wildlife sanctuary, Kolamarka sanctuary and Muktai Bhawani sanctuary. These protected areas (PAs) will have an area of 1,000 sq km which is twice the size of Mumbai city. Maharashtra has 6 national parks, 50 sanctuaries, 15 conservation reserves and six tiger projects.

Notes:
Volume-IV of selected speeches of President Ram Nath Kovind named ‘Loktantra Ke Swar’ and ‘Republican Ethics’ was released by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur.
The books have been published by the Publications Division under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Notes:
Union Cabinet approved the transfer of 10 in-orbit communication satellites from the Government of India to NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL).
NSIL, the commercial wing of ISRO, is a Public Sector Enterprise under the administrative control of the Department of Space. The Cabinet has also approved increasing the authorised share capital of NSIL from Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 7,500 crore.

Notes:
The 19th Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), commenced in Singapor, two years after the Covid-19 pandemic
The Shangri-La Annual Dialogue is one among the important Asia’s Defence Summits. It’s a unique meeting where ministers debate the region’s most significant security challenges. It was launched in 2002 by the British think tank IISS with the support of the Singaporean government. The Shangri-La Dialogue is officially known as the Asia Security Summit.

Notes:
Chelonoidis phantasticus meaning ‘fantastic giant tortoise’ has been recently confirmed to belong to a Galápagos species which was believed extinct.
The giant tortoise ‘Fernanda’, which was found alive in 2019, was named after ‘Fernandina Island’, where she was found in. The tortoise is the first of her species, Chelonoidis phantasticus, to be identified in more than a century.

Notes:
China emerged as the top buyer of Indian rice during the pandemic, importing 16.34 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) or 7.7 per cent of India’s total rice export in financial year 2021-22.
In 2021-22, India’s total rice export (both basmati and non-basmati) was 212.10 LMT. Out of China’s total rice import from India, nearly 97 percent was broken rice, which has seen a rise in demand from that country. India used to export broken rice mostly to African countries, earlier.

Notes:
The Union Cabinet has approved a memorandum of association (MoA) by India for the establishment of BIMSTEC Technology Transfer Centre in Colombo.
The MoA was signed by the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation member countries at the 5th BIMSTEC Summit held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in March 2022.

Notes:
Greece and Turkey have made long-standing rival claims over the islands in the Aegean Sea, even finding them on the edge of war in the past.
Recently the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan 9 told the country to demilitarise islands in the Aegean Sea. As per Turkey, building military presence and arming violates certain conditions in the treaties.

Notes:
LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, is set to invest USD 5,00,000  in partnership with UN Women to advance women’s economic empowerment.
The project will launch a pilot in Maharashtra to cultivate the digital and employability skills of 2,000 women. It will also present them with a range of career-building opportunities through job fairs, and mentoring sessions. The three-year regional collaboration will digitally upskill women, providing them greater access to jobs.