Current Affairs in Short: 14 June 2019

Kimberley Process Intersessional Meeting 2019 in Mumbai

•    The Intersessional meeting of Kimberley Process (KP) is being hosted by India from 17th to 21st June, 2019 in Mumbai.
•    Besides meetings of different Working Groups and Committees of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), two special forums regarding Diamond Terminology and Artisanal Mining – Small Steps to Larger Outcomes, will be held during the Intersessional.
•    Around 300 delegates from the Government of India and other participating countries, industry and civil society will be attending the five-day Meeting.

Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy expands Cabinet

•    Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy expanded his cabinet by inducting two Independent MLAs into the ministry.
•    In the much-awaited expansion, R Shankar and H Nagesh were sworn in as cabinet-rank ministers by Governor Vajubhai Vala who administered them the oath of office and secrecy.
•    Shankar had served as minister during the initial days of the Kumaraswamy government but was dropped from the cabinet during the rejig in December last year.

Cyclone Vayu Changed Course: IMD

•    Cyclone Vayu lay centred over the northeast and adjoining east central Arabian Sea at 3:30 am on June 14, 2019, stated India Meteorological Department (IMD).
•    Cyclone Vayu, which was going to make landfall in Gujarat has changed course and moved towards Oman.
•    However, Gujarat is still on high alert and the evacuation camps will remain until one more day.

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to Retire in 2020

•    NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope will be switched off permanently on January 30, 2020, after nearly 16 years of exploring the cosmos in infrared light.
•    Managed and operated by JPL, Spitzer is a small but transformational observatory. It captures infrared light, which is often emitted by "warm" objects that are not quite hot enough to radiate visible light.
•    Spitzer has lifted the veil on hidden objects in nearly every corner of the universe, from a new ring around Saturn to observations of some of the most distant galaxies known.

Rare Easterly Winds over the Indian Ocean discovered

•    Climate Prediction Centre of the US National Weather Service has said that unusually warm waters in the Arabian Sea have set up a rare band of easterly winds over the Indian Ocean.
•    These winds have significantly delayed the monsoon onset over the Kerala coast. The number of factors has led to a dry spell in India, which is likely to continue throughout June.
•    Its location and strength may play an important role in the development of monsoon over India during the next several weeks.