Current Affairs Quiz - June 2022

Notes:
Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced that construction of a cable-stayed bridge across Chambal river on the Kota bypass of East-West corridor in Rajasthan has been completed.
The 1.4-km-long cable stayed bridge across Chambal is built with a total CAPEX of Rs 214 crore. The bridge was part of the Kota bypass and East-West corridor from Porbandar (Gujarat) to Silchar (Assam). The cables of the bridge are aerodynamic in nature and have the ability to be neutral during storms.

Notes:
‘World Sea Turtle Day’ is celebrated on June 16 every year to highlight the importance of sea turtles in the marine system and save this aquatic species from extinction.
Sea turtles graze on sea-grass, preventing the sea-grass beds from becoming overgrown and stimulating new growth. Sea turtles in India are protected by the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which bans consumption of turtle meat and eggs by all except for indigenous tribal communities.

Notes:
India hosted the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (SCO-RATS) Meeting in its capacity as chair of the SCO-RATS.
The meeting aims to deliberate on security challenges, including threats of terrorism. Delegations from China, Pakistan and other member nations of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) attended the meeting in New Delhi. India hosted a meeting of counter-terror experts from the SCO countries in May 2022.

Notes:
According to the quarterly report published by Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIN), Tamil Nadu has displaced West Bengal to emerge as the largest State in terms of the outstanding portfolio of microfinance loans.
The gross loan portfolio (GLP) of Tamil Nadu as of March 31, 2022 stood at ₹36,806 crore while the overall microfinance industry has a total GLP of ₹2,85,441 crore as of March 31, 2022. Banks held the largest share of the portfolio in micro-credit followed by NBFC-MFIs.

Notes:
Germany announced emergency measures including increased use of coal to boost gas storage levels and to phase out imports.
As Germany relies on Russia for most of its gas, it is affected after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which led to cut in deliveries. The new measures include increased reliance on coal-fired power plants and an auction system to incentivise industry to consume less.

Notes:
A 419-million-year-old Chinese Fossil recently proved the evolution of Human Middle Ear from fish gills. Embryonic and fossil evidence proved that the human middle ear evolved from the spiracle of fishes.
As per the study, many important structures of human beings can be traced back to our fish ancestors, such as our teeth, jaws, middle ears.

Notes:
South Korea launched its first domestically built space rocket ‘Nuri’ in the country’s second attempt. Earlier, the country failed to place a payload into orbit.
If the launch is successful, South Korea will become the world’s 10th nation to place a satellite into space with its own technology. The performance verification satellite will also help South Korea launch more satellites.

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UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize or the Use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education was established in 2005 with the help of the Kingdom of Bahrain. It gives recognition to the innovative use of ICT in the education sector.

Notes:
National Chambal Sanctuary was established in 1979 as a riverine sanctuary. It is situated near the tri-point of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. It currently houses the largest population of Gharials in wild.

Notes:
The Russian enclave Kaliningrad is located on the Baltic Sea. It is sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland. It was captured by the USSR from Nazi Germany in April 1945. It became part of the USSR territory as the result of the Potsdam Agreement. It was recently in news because of a row after Lithuania decided to ban goods part of EU sanctions from moving through its territory to reach Kaliningrad.