Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - June, 2018

Notes:
The World Day against Child Labour is observed every year on June 12 to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them.. The 2018 theme ‘Generation Safe & Healthy’ points a finger at the hazardous and exploitative working conditions in which millions of children are working tooth, nail and bone for a living. The day shines a spotlight on the global need to improve the safety and health of young workers and end child labour.

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The Dassam Falls is a waterfall located near Taimara village in Bundu police station of Ranchi district of Jharkhand. It is a natural cascade across the Kanchi River, a tributary of the Subarnarekha River. The water falls from a height of 44 metres. The sound of water echoes all around the place. The Dassam Falls is an example of a nick point caused by rejuvenation. Knick point, also called a nick point or simply nick, represents breaks in slopes in the longitudinal profile of a river caused by rejuvenation. The break in channel gradient allows water to fall vertically giving rise to a waterfall.

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The 23rd FIFA World Cup 2026 will be hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. To host the tournament, the two official bids were submitted to FIFA: a joint bid by Canada, Mexico and the United States, and a bid by Morocco. On 13th June 2018, the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, Canada, Mexico and the United States won the final vote. The United Bid received 134 votes, Morocco received 65 votes while one country voted for neither. The tournament will be the first to feature 48 teams, after FIFA approved expansion from 32 teams.

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Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the noted social reformer and founder of Sulabh International, has been honoured with Japan’s prestigious Nikkei Asia Prize for his significant work in tackling poor hygiene and discrimination. The award was given under ‘Culture and Community’ category at the 23rd Nikkei Asia Prize in Tokyo on June 13, 2018. He received the award for the invention of two-pit pour-flush ecological compost toilets that help provide low-cost environment friendly toilets to millions in the developing world. The other two winners of the award are Ma Jun (Economic and Business Innovation), a Chinese environmentalist — for using the power of the internet to promote cleaner industry, and Professor Nguyen Thanh Liem (Science and Technology), a Vietnamese doctor — for bringing cutting-edge medicine for children. Launched in 1996, the award honours people in Asia who have made significant contributions in one of the three areas: regional growth; science, technology and innovation; and culture and community.

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The Maharashtra government has signed pact with Quebec province of Canada to increase economic cooperation and welfare of the tribal community. The key areas of focus are information technology, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and welfare of the tribal community. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is on a week-long tour to the US and Canada, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect with Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard on June 13, 2018.

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As per latest report “Global Economic Outlook”, Fitch Ratings has raised India’s growth forecast for 2018-19 to 7.4% from 7.3%, but cited higher financing costs and rising oil prices as risks to growth. It also said that the rupee has been among the worst performers vis-a-vis Asian currencies this year. For FY20, it estimated the country to grow at 7.5%. However, higher financing costs (stemming from monetary tightening and higher market premiums) and rising oil prices should limit the upside to growth.

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Russia has successfully launched a Glonass- M positioning satellite by using a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Plesetsk space center on June 17, 2018. The Glonass network provides real-time positioning data for surface, sea and airborne objects around the globe, at an accuracy reportedly at par with the U.S. Global Positioning System.

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To negotiate the text of Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), the meeting between the team of specialists from United States and with their counterparts on the Indian side has started in Delhi from June 18-20, 2018. The meeting is a part of preparations for the 2+2 dialogue between the foreign and defence ministers of India and the US in Washington in July 2018. So far, India has signed only one of the foundational agreements, called the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA). The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for Geo-spatial Cooperation (BECA) and COMCASA are the two remaining pacts that were not signed due to severe criticism from within the government. The COMCASA is a “foundational” military communications agreement. It essentially provides a legal framework for the transfer of communication security equipment from the US to India that would facilitate interoperability between Indian and US forces — and potentially with other militaries that use US-origin systems for secure data links.

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Ivan Duque Marquez , the Conservative political newcomer, has been elected as the new President of Colombia and will assume office on August 7, 2018. He won the 2018 presidential election by 54% of the vote on June 17, 2018. His running mate, Marta Lucía Ramirez, will become first female Vice-President of the country.

Notes:
Col Rajyavardhan Rathore, the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), has inaugurated the European Union Film Festival (EUFF) at Siri Fort Auditorium in New Delhi on June 18, 2018. The purpose of the festival is to improve cultural ties between India and European countries. As per official release, 24 latest European movies from 23 European countries will be screened during the festival. The film festival will traverse through eleven cities in the country including, New Delhi, Chennai, Port Blair, Pune, Puducherry, Kolkata, Jaipur, Visakhapatnam, Thrissur, Hyderabad and Goa till 31st of August. The festival is being organized by Directorate of Film Festivals under Ministry of I&B, partnering with the delegation of the European Union and embassies of EU Member States.