GK update 19 & 20 June 2016

1. 20 June : World Refugee Day

i. World Refugee Day was observed on 20 June 2016. 
ii. It is observed annually to draw attention to the plight of refugees, celebrate their courage and resilience and renew commitment to solving refugee problems. It also recognises contributions of the refugees made to the countries that host them.
iii. The UN General Assembly via its resolution 55/76 on 4 December 2000 decided to observe the World Refugee Day on 20 June every year. 

2. PM Narendra Modi, Sri Lankan President inaugurate Duraiappah stadium in Jaffna

i. Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena have inaugurated Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna which was renovated by India. 
ii. Sri Lankan President Sirisena was present at the stadium in Jaffna while PM Narendra Modi joined the event through video-conferencing from New Delhi.
iii. The newly renovated Duraiappah Stadium has been named in honour of a former Mayor of Jaffna late Alfred Thambirajah Duraiappah. The stadium was not in use since 1997 as it was damaged and neglected during the course of the various phases of the Sri Lankan civil war. The Indian government has renovated the stadium at a cost of over 7 crore rupees which has the seating capacity of 1,850. 

3. Union Ministry of AYUSH releases Yog Geet for 2016 International Yoga Day

i. The Union Ministry of AYUSH Ministry has released a Yog Geet (Yoga song) for celebrating the second International Yoga Day on 21 June 2016. 
ii. The Yoga song was selected from the 1,000 entries were received through a national-level competition organised by the AYUSH Ministry.
iii. It is the three-minute-15-seconds song in Hindi short-listed based on the better lyrics. It has been produced and written by Dheeraj Saraswat. Music Director of the song was Sumanto Ray. It has been voiced by Gandhar T. D. Jadhav and Ms. Gatha Jadhav. The song also has backup vocals of Santosh Kshatriya and Sumanto Ray.

4. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's statue unveiled in Malaysia

i. A bronze statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose has been unveiled at the Indian cultural centre premises in Malaysia in the presence of nine Indian National Army (INA) veterans. 
ii. It was announced during the last year visit of PM Modi to Malaysia. At that time, he has also announced the renaming of Indian Cultural Centre as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indian Cultural Centre.
iii. The bust was unveiled by the traditional lighting of the lamp which was sculpted by Ram Sutar and sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. 

5. Kannada film ‘Thithi’ wins best film award in 19th Shanghai International Film Festival

i. ‘Thithi ‘, a Kannada film won the best film award and best script writers award at the Asia New Talent Awards in the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival. 
ii. The director, Raam Reddy made his debut through this film. 
iii. It is the only Indian film that has been selected for screening in the festival of Shanghai.

6. Bipin R Patel appointed as President of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry

i. Businessman Bipin R Patel was appointed as the President of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) for the term 2016-17. 
ii. He succeeds Rohit J Patel.
iii. The decision in this regard was taken during the annual general meeting (AGM) of the GCCI. In another development, Shailesh Patwari was appointed as the Senior Vice-President of the chamber.

7. Former Cricketer Chetan Chauhan as named NIFT Chairman

i. Former BJP MP Chetan Chauhan, who had played Test cricket for India, has been appointed as the Chairman of the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology (FTII). 
ii. NIFT, the premier fashion institute was set up in 1986 and has centres across the country.
iii. It comes under the Union Ministry of Textiles.

8. Renowned Educationalist Jeppiaar passes away

i. Jeppiaar, a renowned politician-turned-educationalist and founder of Jeppiaar Educational Trust has passed away following a brief illness at Chennai. He was 85 years old.
ii. He was originally named as Jesadimai Pangiraj. He was a pioneer in the setting up of private engineering institutions in Tamil Nadu and was the founder chancellor of Sathyabama University.
iii. He started his career as a policeman. He was AIADMK secretary of the Chennai District from 1972 to 1987 and had also produced seven Tamil movies. He was the only non-official member to have occupied the post of chairman of the Madras Water Supply and Sewage Board and later served as Director of Tamil Nadu Fisheries Development Corporation.

9. Sri Lankan pacer Shaminda Eranga suspended by ICC for illegal action

i. International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Sri Lanka’s fast bowler Shaminda Eranga from bowling. 
ii. He was suspended after an assessment of his bowling action. The assessment revealed that all deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.
iii. The test was performed on 6 June 2016 at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough, which is an ICC accredited testing centre.

10. India won Silver medal at Archery World Cup in Antalya

i. The Indian mixed recurve team of Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das has won silver at the Archery World Cup in Antalya, Turkey.
ii. In the final clash at Konyaalti Beach Park, the Indian team lost to South Korea 1-5.
iii. Earlier, the women's recurve team of Deepika Kumari, Bombayla Devi Laishram and Laxmirani Majhi also went down in the bronze medal clash with Italy 1-5.

11. Nico Rosberg wins European Grand Prix 2016

i. Mercedes' German driver Nico Rosberg won the European Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit, tightening his hold on the top spot in the Formula One drivers' standings.
ii. Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany finished second and Mexican Sergio Perez, who drives for Force India, took third place.
iii. Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen took the fourth place while, Rosberg's teammate, Briton Lewis Hamilton, finished in fifth place. 

12. Australia won Hero Hockey Champions Trophy 2016

i. Australia has won the Hero Hockey Champions Trophy 2016 at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London. 
ii. It defeated India 1-0 in a shoot-out.
iii. The game finished with the score locked at 0-0 but later Australia scored a goal in the shoot-out reducing the score to 1-0 and won the final match to win the Gold medal. With this victory, Australia claimed the Champions Trophy title for the 14th time. While, Germany defeated Great Britain to win the bronze medal.