June 10 News Quiz of the Week: Jubilee, Vader

On June 4, 2022, Queen Elizabeth II appeared in a pre-recorded comic sketch with Paddington Bear ahead of a pop concert outside Buckingham Palace – marking her platinum Jubilee as a queen. Paddington Bear first appeared in October 1958 in the children’s book A Bear Called Paddington and has been featured in over twenty books written by British author Michael Bond.

Rafael Nadal, 36, on June 5, 2022, beat Casper Ruud to win the French Open for the 14th time, making him the oldest man to win the French Open. It’s his 22nd Grand Slam win overall. The previous oldest French Open singles champion record holder was Andrés Gimeno (Spain), who won in 1972 at 34.

By May 4, 2022, 758 Tesla owners have complained to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that their cars have suddenly stopped on roadways for no apparent reason. According to the agency’s website, many feared a rear-end crash on a freeway.

Which Tesla models are affected?

The investigation covers phantom braking in an estimated 416,000 Tesla Models 3 and Y vehicles from the 2021 and 2022 model years. In February, the agency said it had no reports of crashes or injuries.

OpenSea is an eBay-like site where people can browse millions of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), buy the images, and put their own up for sale. Since 2021 OpenSea has become the largest NFT marketplace worldwide. The company has raised more than $400 million from investors, at a value of $13.3 billion.

Troubled waters at OpenSea

NFT sales have dropped about 90 percent since September 2022. According to a June 6 New York Times report, OpenSea has seen a surge of NFTs seized by hackers and plagiarized NFTs, as sellers convert traditional artwork into NFTs and then list the images for sale without compensating the original creator.

Apple Pay Later, built into the Apple Wallet in IOS 16, allows users in the US to split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments spread over six weeks, with no interest and fees. Apple Pay Later is available everywhere Apple Pay is accepted – online or in-app. The service, which will work over the MasterCard network, puts Apple in direct competition with payment providers like Affirm and PayPal. IOS 16 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 8 and later.

According to the Pew Research Center, around 62% of the world’s Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region (from Turkey to Indonesia), and just about 20% live in the Arab world – including the middle-east. The largest Muslim population lives in Indonesia, home to 12.7% of the world’s Muslims, followed by Pakistan (11.1%), India (10.9%), and Bangladesh (9.2%).

The Arab World Vs. India

Qatar. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iran issued official protests against India (Pakistan and Afghanistan also reacted strongly) on June 6, 2022. The protest refers to remarks made on TV and Twitter by two prominent spokespeople from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s governing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. The comments bad-mouthed Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and his wife, Aisha.

How many Muslims live in India?

Muslims comprise 14% (around 200 million) of India’s 1.4 billion people. Anti-Muslim attacks have risen across India amid Modi’s regular silence about such attacks since he was elected in 2014.

“Ms. Marvel,” based on the 2014 comic-book series, tells the story of Kamala Khan, Marvel’s first Muslim superhero, a Jersey City high schooler who admires the Marvel superheroes from afar — until she is granted powers that allow her to fight alongside them. Ms. Marvel started streaming on Disney+ on June 8, 2022.

Fortnite’s Chapter 3: Season 3, which started on June 5, 2022, introduces Darth Vader as a new character for players to unlock. Vader is joining the Obi-Wan Kenobi character made available in the Fortnite Item Shop on May 26. Later in the season, battle pass owners will also be able to unlock Indiana Jones.

What’s the vibe in Fortnite’s new season?

In Fortnite’s Chapter 3: Season 3, titled Vibin’, “the Island is one giant party,” equipped with a rollercoaster and a dance floor, among others, according to the Epic Games website. Watch the new season’s trailer. 

Halloumi is a semi-hard, unripened cheese traditionally made in Cyprus from a mixture of goat’s and sheep’s milk that can be fried or grilled.

Does McDonald’s have halloumi cheese?

McDonald’s UK announced a new Mediterranean-inspired summer menu in June 2022, introducing a halloumi fries side order –  four of which will accompany each burger between July 27 and Sept. 6, 2022. During the summer, McDonald’s in the UK also serves mozzarella dippers, a tiramisu-flavored McFlurry, and a Spanish fruit punch drink.

Many myna species are considered invasive, imitate human voices in captivity, and eat insects and fruit (like many other bird species). The Bali myna, critically endangered and nearly extinct in the wild, is highly distinctive as it is entirely white. By 2001 experts estimated only about six Bali mynas were living in the wild, with thousands in captivity across the globe.

Did we save the Bali Myna?

Since the 1980s, Indonesian breeders can apply for licenses to breed the birds and are allowed to keep 90% of the offspring for private sale. The remaining birds are rehabilitated and released at West Bali National Park, where 420 Bali mynas are currently monitored by park authorities, according to a June 3, 2022, AP report.

Poseidon’s ribbon weed, or Posidonia australis, found in Shark Bay, off the western end of Australia, is the world’s largest plant. The seagrass — not to be confused with seaweed and algae — spreads at least 180 km (77 square miles), about the size of Cincinnati. A new study published on June 1, 2022, in Proceedings of the Royal Society, shows that Shark Bay’s Poseidon’s ribbon weed colony is one giant organism that has been cloning for about 4,500 years, the largest known example of a clone in any environment on Earth.

Is it the largest organism on Earth?

Utah’s Pando, a clonal colony of 40,000 aspen trees connected by their roots, is the former “heaviest known organism.” covering an area of about 500 square meters (0.16 square miles) and weighing 6,000 tonnes. But the Humongous Fungus is probably even more enormous, weaving a web of mycelial tendrils (the root network of mushrooms) covering 3.7 square miles (9.6 square km) of Oregon’s Malheur National Forest. Scientists calculate it could weigh at least 7,500 tons and maybe up to 35,000 tons, making it the world’s most massive living organism.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released a photo showing their daughter Lili (Lilibet Diana) celebrating her first birthday in a backyard picnic on June 4, 2022.