Current Affairs and General Knowledge for June 2015. Part-3

1. Indian Railways renamed Haridwar Mail as Yoga Express: Indian Railways renamed Haridwar Mail as Yoga Express. However, there will be no change in the train timings and its composition The government is celebrating ‗International Yoga Day‘ on June 21.

2. Asian Development Bank to increase India lending by 50% to $12 bn by 2018 : Asian Development Bank (ADB) proposes to increase lending to India by almost 50 per cent to USD 12 billion by 2018, ADB President Takehiko Nakao.

3. Britain celebrates 800 years of Magna Carta: The 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, a medieval political truce that inspired protections for some of the world‘s most cherished liberties, recently began in Britain. Magna Carta is seen as the foundation of parliamentary democracy, human rights and the supremacy of law. What is Magna Carta: ‗Magna Carta‘ is a Latin word and means ―Great Charter‖. The Magna Carta was one of the most important documents of Medieval England.

4. Paryavaran Mahotsav begins in Sikkim – june 15: State Paryavaran Mahotsav 2015 began with the flagging off of four sapling-laden trucks at MG Marg by Sikkim Minister for Forest, Environment and Wildlife Management TW Lepcha. The Minister also released garbage collection bags, distributed saplings and signed in the signature campaign board during the programme.

5. Sunil Chhetri becomes first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals: Sunil Chhetri has become the first Indian footballer to score 50 international goals. He achieved this feat in his 87th match i.e. during 2018 World Cup qualifying match between India and Guam.

6. Beno Zephine became first 100% blind officer in IFS: Chennai‘s NL Beno Zephine became the first 100 percent visually-challenged person to be inducted into the Indian Foreign Services (IFS). The 25-year-old, Beno was informed about her induction into the Indian Foreign Services by the External Affairs Ministry.

7. India Ranked 3rd In WADA’s Global Doping Report 2013: India has been ranked third in Anti-Doping Rule Violations Report for year 2013 released by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). As per the report 91 athletes from Indian have been tested positive for banned substances in year 2013. Of these 91 Indians athletes, 20 were women athletes. Russia and Turkey are ahead of India in this list. Russia has maximum number of dope offenders with 212 testing positive for using banned substances. The figures for Turkey and India were 155 and 91 respectively.

8. Bhagavad Gita makes debut in China: Bhagavad Gita, the sacred ancient Indian scripture, has made its debut in China after its Chinese version was released during an international yoga conference being held in the Communist nation. Translated by Prof. Wang Zhu Cheng and Ling Hai of the Zhejiang University in Shanghai and published by the Sichuan People‘s Publications, the book was launched at a function attended by eminent yoga teachers from India who had converged at Dujiangyan in the south-western Sichuan province to attend a yoga festival.

9. SBI launches online forex platform: State Bank of India (SBI), the country‘s largest bank, has launched SBI eforex, an Internet-based platform that enables customers to book their foreign exchange transactions online. This smart platform facilitates the customers of the bank to obtain forex rates without having to physically visit the branch.

10. Union Government launched weather alert service NOWCAST: Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on June 18, launched a free SMS service called ‗NOWCAST‘. The application will provide alerts and updates on extreme weather conditions such as thunder, hailstorms, etc. to over one crore registered farmers on their mobile phones. The free SMS service would be sent in English, Hindi and other regional languages as per farmer‘s choice.

11. China Produces World’s First Electric Plane: The world‘s first electric passenger aircraft named BX1E was manufactured in China.The BX1E has a 14.5-meter wingspan and a maximum payload of 230 kgs. It can fly at an altitude of 3,000 meters.

12. Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International India: Journalist and writer Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty International (AI) India. He will head AI India‘s operations and its efforts to end human rights abuses in India and worldwide.Patel as the organization‘s chief political advisor, strategist and spokesperson will give direction to its goal of being an independent, effective, and deep-rooted organization in India.

13. Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, held its position as the most expensive city in India: Luanda, the capital of Angola, has been rated the world‘s costliest city to live in, for third consecutive year, as per Mercer‘s ‗Cost of Living Survey 2015. India‘s most expensive city, Mumbai (at 74th place), The survey further said that Mumbai is ranked higher and more expensive than cities like Dallas (77), Munich (87), Luxembourg (94), Frankfurt (98) and Vancouver (119).

14. India Forex reserves 2015 hit all-time high of $354 bn: Recently released data show that the country‘s foreign exchange reserves rose to yet another all-time high of $354.29 billion for the week ended June 12, recording a week-on-week rise of $1.57 billion.

15. CR7 Galaxy – Brightest early galaxy named after Ronaldo: Scientists have discovered the brightest galaxy in the early universe that contains the first generation of stars. They have nicknamed it after popular Portuguese football player Cristiano Ronaldo.

16. Jharkhand Government banned sale of thermocol plates: Jharkhand Government has imposed a ban on the sale of thermocol plates in the state. It was announced by Chief Minister Raghuvar Das.

17. Historian-writer Ramachandra Guha selected for Japan’s Fukuoka Prize: Eminent Historian-writer Ramachandra Guha has been selected for Japan‘s Fukuoka Prize 2015 in n the Academic category.

18. Yoga steps into Guinness World Records: The Ministry of AYUSH has been awarded with two Guinness World Records in two different categories on the first International Day of Yoga. Category 1 was for the largest number of participants in a Yoga Lesson at single venue. The earlier record was of 29,973. To beat that record a target of 30,000 was required. The Ministry broke that record as 35,985 participants performed Yoga at Rajpat morning.

19. India’s first air-conditioned DEMU train launched in Kochi: Top Railway officials said the AC coach provides reclining type comfortable cushion seats for 73 passengers similar to air-conditioned chair car of inter-city express trains. Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off India‘s first diesel electric multiple unit (DEMU) train service with an air-conditioned coach in Kochi.

20. June 20: World Refugee Day: Every year June 20 is observed as World Refugee Day to raise awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.The theme for year 2015 is ― With courage let us all combine‖

21. Vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyam Selected For ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ Award 2015: Carnatic vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan has been selected ‗Sangita Kalanidhi award‘ 2015. It will be bestowed upon him when he will preside over the 89th annual conference of the Academy which will be held between December 15, 2015 and January 1, 2016.

22. Former Indian women hockey captain Shashi Bala passes away: Former Indian women hockey team captain Shashi Bala passed away on 21 June 2015. She was 45. Shashi was killed in a car accident along with her son in Kahma village of Punjab.

23. India slips to 61st place on Swiss money list; Pak at 73rd: India has moved down to 61st place in terms of foreigners‘ money in Swiss banks and it now accounts for a meagre 0.123 per cent of the total global wealth worth USD 1.6 trillion in Switzerland‘s banking system. While the UK and the US have retained their top two positions with the largest shares of the foreign clients‘ money with Swiss banks, Pakistan has inched up to 73rd place.

24. ICICI Bank And Alibaba.com tie up for SMEs: ICICI Bank, India‘s largest private sector bank announced its association with Alibaba.com for the launch of the Trade Facilitation Center. This Trade Facilitation center will be a single window facility to provide easier trade finance to the small and medium enterprises in India.

25. EU launched Operation EU NAVFOR Med against migrant-traffickers: To stop human traffickers from bringing migrants across the Mediterranean to Europe, the European Union (EU) launched a three-phase naval operation named EU NAVFOR Med (European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Sea). The first phase of the naval operation was officially launched by EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg.

26. Commemorations of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo concluded: 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo concluded on 20 June 2015.Battle of Waterloo 1815.The anniversary that began on 18 June 2015 concluded with a reenactment of the moment when the news of the allied victory reached London. A horsedrawn chaise post retracted the route taken in 1815 from Old Royal Naval College, in Greenwich, to St James‘s Square, where news from Belgium was delivered to the Prince Regent.

27. NUSI gets Best Welfare Organisation 2015 award : National Union of Seafarers of India, NUSI, India‘s oldest and largest shipping trade union, has been honoured with the ‗Best Welfare Organisation of the Year – 2015‘ award, promoted by the United Kingdom-based International Seafarers‘ Welfare and Assistance Network.

28. General Assembly awards first-ever UN Nelson Mandela Prize to nationals of Namibia and Portugal: The President of the United Nations General Assembly announced the first-ever United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize will be awarded to Dr. Helena Ndume, of Namibia . Jorge Fernando Branco Sampaio, of Portugal.

29. Jordan Spieth won the US Open at Chambers Bay on 21 June 2015: The win was his second straight major title of 2015 after he won the Masters Tournament at Augusta National, US in April 2015.

30. EPFO makes UAN mandatory for all employers under its purview: Retirement fund body EPFO notified an order to make Universal Account Number (UAN) mandatory for all employers covered under the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1952. The government was considering the proposal to make UAN mandatory for availing of benefit of the scheme.The UAN facility was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October last year.

31. SAFAR app to provide air quality forecast, health advisories: Union minister for Science & Technology and Earth Science Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan recently launched SAFAR-Mumbai, a monitoring and forecast system conceived to provide three days weather information with health advisories, levels of UV radiation and pollution among others.

32. Bhuvan Ganga Mobile Application launched to aid National Mission for Clean Ganga: To aid National Mission for Clean Ganga, the Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti launched Bhuvan Ganga mobile application and a web portal. Bhuvan Ganga portal is an exclusive Web portal deployed in Isro Bhuvan‘s geoportal with all geospatial layers related to river Ganga. The app will allow people to upload pictures of pollution sources of river Ganga for further action by the concerned authorities. The application and web portal was launched after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the National Mission for Clean Ganga and the National Remote Sensing Centre (ISRO).

33. Steffi Graf to be Kerala’s Ayurveda Tourism Brand Ambassador: The Kerala Government has decided to appoint former tennis star Steffi Graf as the brand ambassador for its Ayurvedic Tourism promotions. Steffie Maria Graf is a German former World number 1 player who has won 22 Grand Slam single titles.

34. Sri Lanka, China begin joint military training exercise ‘Silk Route- 2015′: Joint military training exercise code named ‗Silk Route- 2015′ between China and Sri Lanka has begun at Buttala in Central Sri Lanka. It is three-week long joint military training exercise will be conducted in three phases.

35. Nepal-India Treaty of Transit amended to facilitate import of vehicles into Nepal: Nepal-India Transit treaty has been amended to facilitate vehicle import into Nepal.Nepal-India Transit treaty amended to facilitate vehicle import into Nepal. The amendment was made as there was no provision under Nepal-India Treaty of Transit allowing import of third country motor vehicles transiting India to be moved on their own power.

36. Union Minister Maneka Gandhi Launches First Modernised Anganwadi Centre In Sonepat: Union Minister Maneka Gandhi on 24 June launched the country‘s first modernised anganwadi centre at Hasanpur village of Sonepat in Haryana.The centre has been set up as part of Nand-Ghar Yojana of Union Government which aims at transforming the anganwadi centres. The Sonepat facility, built in partnership with private mining firm Vedanta at a cost of Rs. 12 lakh, is part of Central government‘s Nand-Ghar Yojna that aims at transforming the anganwadis centers, which accommodate around 50 children in daytime every day, by making them equipped with latest facilities.

37. India pledges $1 billion to quake-hit Nepal: India pledged $1 billion in assistance to quake-ravaged Nepal for its massive reconstruction programme. The announcement was made by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj at the Donors’ Conference in Kathmandu. ―This pledge is over and above our existing bilateral developmental assistance of another one billion US dollars over the next five years, forty per cent of which would be Grant,

38. India among top 10 FDI recipients: After 2008, for the first time, India again broke in to the top 10 recipients of foreign direct investment (FDI) during 2014, the UNCTAD said in its World Investment Report 2015.

39. India retains second spot in ICC Rankings: India managed to retain its second position despite losing the three-match series 1-2 to Bangladesh, who moved a place to seventh in the latest ICC ODI rankings. The 2-1 series win in Mirpur has put Bangladesh on 93 points — five behind sixth-ranked England and five ahead of eighth-ranked West Indies.

40. Zaheer Abbas confirmed as ICC president : Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas was appointed the ICC president, on day three of the apex cricket body‘s Annual Conference week. Mr. Abbas began his one-year term and thanked the ICC Board and the Full Council for confirming his nomination.

41. Government to use socio-economic caste census data to identify root causes of poverty : The government is preparing a blueprint for attacking the root causes of poverty in over 1 lakh villages instead of running piecemeal schemes that do not address the specific challenge of poverty-ridden households .It will use the upcoming socio-economic caste census (SECC) data to identify the exact causes of poverty in each household.

42. India to ship 16.5 million tonnes of iron ore to Japan, South Korea : The government approved the renewal of agreement for supplying up to 16.5 million tonnes (MT) of high grade iron ore to steel plants in Japan and South Korea over three years till March 2018.

43. NUMBER OF WORK DAYS INCREASED UNDER MGNREGA: Union Government has decided to increase the number of work days under MGNREGA in drought hit areas. Union government has decided to increase it from 100 days to 150 days. MGNREGA- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

44. 350TH FOUNDATION DAY OF SHRI ANANDPUR SAHIB CELEBRATED; Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) celebrated the 350th foundation day of Shri Anandpur Sahib. Shri Anandpur Sahib, the holy city of Punjab was founded by the 9th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Teg Bahadur in 1665. Shri Anandpur Sahib is the new name of Chak Nanki.

45. FIFA U-20 WORLD CUP 2015: Serbia won the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2015. Serbia defeated Brazil in the final Match. U-20 FIFA World Cup, 2015 held at New Zealand.

GK TEST

1. Where is the Headquarter of Asian Development Bank?
a. Geneva b. Manilla
c. Singapore d. Bhutan

2. In which state Paryavaran Mahotsav begins?
a. Punjab b. Gujarat
c Sikkim d. UP

3. Which Bank launched Online forex platform?
a. SBI b. PNB
c. ICICI d. HDFC

4. Which service for weather alert was launched by union government?
a. Now Cast b. Sakaar
c. Gagan d. Aakash

5. In which year Battle of water Loo was fought?
a. 1915 b. 1947
c. 1815 d. 1921

6. Which application was launched to aid national mission for clean Ganga?
a. Safar b. Now cast
c. Bhuvan d. Gagan

7. Who is appointed as Kerala’s Ayurveda Tourism Brand Ambassador?
a. Sania Mirza b. Saina Nehwal
c. Steffi Graf d. Sareena William

8. Which country tops in Swiss money list?
a. India b. UK
c. USA d. China

9. Alibaba.com recently tied up with which bank for Small and medium enterprises?
a. ICICI b. HDFC
c. Axis d. SBI

10. Which state banned sale of thermacal plates?
a. Jharkhand b. Punjab
c. Haryana d. UP

11. Which former Indian Woman Hockey captain died recently?
a. Neha b. Shashi Bala
c. Urmila Sharma d. P.T.Usha

12. India has how many forex reserves in 2015?
a. $354 bn b. $650 bn
c. $ 1200 bn d. $ 450bn

13. Which country is the world’s costliest place to live?
a. USA b. UK
c. Angola d. Canada

14. When is World refugee Day observed?
a. 12th June b. 18th May
c. 20th June d. 21st June

15. In which state modernised anganwadi centre is launched?
a. Haryana b. UP
c. Mumbai d. Jharkhand

16. Which country topped in FDI recipient list?
a. USA b. China
c. India d. Dubai

17. Who is appointed as new president of International cricket council?
a. Jagmohan Dalmiya b. Richard Henry
c. Zaheer Abbas d. Chritopher

18. Which Guru founded Shri Anandpur Sahib?
a. Guru Nanak Dev b. Guru Hargobind Singh
c. Guru Teg bahadur d. Guru Arjun Dev

19. India retains which spot in ICC ranking?
a. First b. Second
c. seventh d. Sixth

20. Who won FIFA U-20 world cup 2015?
a. Serbia b.Brazil
c. New Zealand d. India

Answers

1. B
2. C
3. A
4. A
5. C
6. C
7. C
8. B
9. A
10. A
11. B
12. A
13. C
14. C
15. A
16. B
17. C
18. C
19. B
20. A