Current Affairs Quiz – June 2025

Notes:
Union Jal Shakti Minister recently launched Swachh Survekshan Grameen (SSG) 2025, India’s largest rural sanitation survey. It will cover 21,000 villages across 761 districts in 34 States and Union Territories (UTs). The survey is part of Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) Phase-II to assess sustainability of Open Defecation Free (ODF) Plus outcomes. It is conducted by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti. An independent agency will ensure transparent field verification. The aim is to track sanitation progress, boost public involvement, and reward high-performing areas.

Notes:
China recently launched the Tianwen-2 probe to collect samples from the asteroid 2016HO3 and explore the distant main-belt comet 311P. It was launched using the Long March 3-B rocket. The mission will continue till the end of 2027. Earlier in 2021, China’s Tianwen-1 mission landed on Mars with an orbiter, lander, and the Zhurong rover. Tianwen-3 is planned for launch around 2028 to collect and return samples from Mars. Tianwen-4 is expected to explore Jupiter around 2030.

Notes:
Hawaii became the first U.S. state to introduce a climate impact fee called the Green Fee. The fee applies to hotel stays, short-term rentals, and, for the first time, cruise ship passengers who were previously exempt. The Green Fee aims to fund climate resiliency, environmental protection, invasive species control, wildlife conservation, and sustainable tourism.

Notes:
The Prime Minister participated in the ‘Mahila Sashaktikaran Maha Sammelan’ in Bhopal to mark the 300th birth anniversary of Queen Ahilyabai Holkar. Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar (31 May 1725 – 13 August 1795) ruled the Malwa region as part of the Maratha Confederacy from 1767 to 1795. She first served as regent and then as the ruler of the Holkar dynasty with capitals at Maheshwar and Indore in central India. Her reign is known as the peak period of the Holkar dynasty, bringing peace, prosperity, and cultural growth.

Notes:
Recently, the Birch Glacier in Switzerland collapsed, causing a huge landslide that partly buried Blatten village. The landslide also affected the flow of the Lonza River, increasing local risk. Birch Glacier is located in the Lötschental valley in northern Switzerland. Experts say that climate change played a key role in this disaster. Switzerland, which has the most glaciers in Europe, has lost nearly 40% of its glacial volume since 2000. This incident highlights the urgent impact of global warming on mountain ecosystems.

Notes:
Recently, scientists discovered a new frog species named Amolops shillong, or the Shillong Cascade Frog, right inside the city limits of Shillong, Meghalaya. This frog lives in fast-flowing streams hidden within Shillong’s urban forest areas. It belongs to a group of stream frogs that look very similar and are hard to identify. Genetic studies confirmed that Amolops shillong is part of the Amolops indoburmanensis complex and is closely related to Amolops siju, which was found in Siju Cave by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in 2023.

Notes:
India’s External Affairs Minister recently greeted Samoa on its Independence Day, celebrated every year on 1st June. Samoa is a Polynesian island nation located in the central South Pacific Ocean. It lies about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii and consists of nine islands, with four inhabited. Its capital and main commercial centre is Apia, located on Upolu. Samoa gained independence from New Zealand in 1962 as the first Pacific island nation to do so.

Notes:
China has recently launched the International Organisation for Mediation (IOMed) as a new global body to resolve disputes. It aims to offer an alternative to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Permanent Court of Arbitration by focusing only on mediation. It is the world’s first intergovernmental legal organisation dedicated solely to international dispute resolution through mediation. It will be headquartered in Hong Kong.

Notes:
World Bicycle Day is celebrated annually on June 3rd. The United Nations General Assembly declared June 3 as World Bicycle Day in April 2018. Recently, the 25th edition of Fit India Sundays on Cycle was celebrated with a special Tiranga Rally in India. The rally paid tribute to Operation Sindoor and also marked the occasion of World Bicycle Day. It highlighted cycling as a symbol of unity, health, and sustainability.

Notes:
Recently, Karol Nawrocki won Poland’s presidential election with 50.89% of the votes, narrowly defeating liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski, who got 49.11%. Nawrocki is a right-wing conservative candidate, known both as a historian and a heavyweight boxing champion. He was supported by United States (US) President Donald Trump during the election. Nawrocki previously served as the head of the Institute of National Remembrance, an organisation known for promoting nationalist versions of Polish history.