National
1. A book titled A Prime Minister to Remember - Memories of a Military Chief, authored by former Navy Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar recently released highlights the key defence related decisions taken by former Prime Minister of India Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Admiral Kumar served as Navy Chief between 1998 and 2001 and also oversaw Kargil conflict in 1999.
2. A Letter of Intent (LoI) was exchanged between Ahmedabad and Japanese city of Kobe for a sister city partnership. The LoI was exchanged in presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Kobe to address a large Indian diaspora event.
3. A team of scientists from Delhi University (DU) and Wildlife Institute of India (an autonomous institution under Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change), in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Indonesia, have discovered a new species of 'Paddy Frog' from Northeast India, primarily in Assam.
4. A Two-day Yoga Mahotsava which will be a Curtain Raiser for upcoming International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2019 was inaugurated by Shri Rajeev Kumar, Vice-Chairman, NITI AYOG at New Delhi. He also presented theme for IDY 2019 as 'Yoga for Heart'.
5. According to a notice issued by Nepalese Embassy in New Delhi, Nepalese nationals is required to have visa if they are entering India from Pakistan, China, Hong Kong and Macau. As per the Nepal foreign ministry, there are 4 million Nepalese working and studying in India.
6. According to a notification issued by Union Ministry of Culture, Chaukhandi Stupa, an ancient Buddhist site located in Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh (UP) has been declared as 'protected area of national importance' by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
7. According to a study conducted by Randstad Employer Brand Research (REBR), e-commerce player Amazon India has been rated as India's most 'attractive employer brand, followed by Microsoft India which emerged as the runner-up.
8. According to research conducted by scientists from Oxford University in United Kingdom (UK) and University of Copenhagen in Denmark, climate change is adversely affecting production of key crops such as wheat and rice, with some countries faring far worse than others. Their research was published in journal PLOS ONE.
9. According to the World Investment Report 2019, released by United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows to India grew by 6% to USD 42 billion in 2018. India was ranked among the top 20 host economies for FDI inflows in 2017-18.
10. According to United Nations report 'World Population Prospects 2019', India is projected to surpass China as world's most populous country in just eight years i.e. by 2027.
11. Acknowledging that country's telecom industry was under financial stress, Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had constituted a committee chaired by Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan to spell out revival plans for Telecom sector.
12. Admiral Karambir Singh assumes charge as the new Chief of Indian Navy. With this appointment he now becomes 24th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS).
13. After months of speculations and rumours, Facebook has officially announced the details of its new global cryptocurrency called Libra. This Facebook owned cryptocurrency Libra will be launched by social media giant in 2020.
14. Ajit Doval is reappointed as National Security Advisor (NSA) of India for another five year tenure. In recognition of his earlier contribution in the national security domain, he has also been elevated to rank of Cabinet Minister for this term. During his first term 2014-2019 NSA was given rank of Minister of State (MoS).
15. As per a closely-watched review by United Kingdom (UK) based energy giant BP, titled "The BP Statistical Review of World Energy", the global carbon emissions grew by 2.0% in 2018, the highest rate since 2010-2011. BP is a London based, British multinational oil and gas company.
16. At the annual Chamliyal mela 2019, even as devotees thronged Chamliyal border shrine along International Border in Jammu and Kashmir (J & K), there was no traditional exchange of 'chadar' or 'shakkar' (sacred clay) and 'sharbat' (water) between Pakistan rangers and Indian border guarding force for 2nd successive year (earlier in 2018).
17. Author Vinit Goenka released his new co-authored book titled 'Function of Data Sovereignty: The Pursuit of Supremacy'. He is founder member of Centre for Knowledge Sovereignty (CKS), which is an endeavour to acquire knowledge through experts of eminence in respective field.
18. Bollywood actor Anupam Kher is coming out with his autobiography titled-'Lessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly' that is set to release on 5 August 2019. The book is expected to offer a kaleidoscopic peep into life and times of Kher as an actor and entertainer.
19. Bombay High Court (HC) upheld the reservation for Maratha community in government jobs and education constitutional valid but suggested to reduce the quota percentage from present 16% to 12-13%.
20. Denmark's Inger Andersen recently took charge as the new Executive Director (ED) of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). She will hold the designation for period of 4-years.
21. European Space Agency (ESA) recently tested a device called Evacuation System Assembly (or LESA), which is designed to assist in astronaut rescue missions on the surface of Moon. As per ESA, it is world's 1st device aimed to help future incapacitated astronauts.
22. Every year 29 June is observed across the world as International Day of the Tropics, to celebrate extraordinary diversity of tropics while also highlighting unique challenges and opportunities Tropical nations face.
23. Every year World Environment Day is celebrated on 5 June globally. It is celebrated to raise awareness globally about environmental issues and action that has to be taken to tackle them. The day is organized around an annual theme in order to draw attention towards pressing environmental issues.
24. Exporters body Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) has elected Sharad Kumar Saraf as its new president. Saraf will succeed renowned exporter Ganesh Kumar Gupta.
25. For the first time ever India will be hosting the 14th session of Conference of Parties (COP-14) of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September 2019, to address the issue of land degradation and desertification.
26. Google Maps has announced three India-first public transport navigation features with an aim to ease daily commute of users. Starting from 5 June 2019, Google Maps users will be able to see bus travel times from live traffic across ten Indian cities, get live train status for Indian Railways and even get mixed-mode commute suggestions which now combines auto-rickshaw and public transport.
27. Imports from Pakistan to India have declined by 92% amounting to USD 2.84 Million in March 2019 after imposition of 200% customs duties on all products. The strong economic action against Pakistan was taken following Pulwama terror attack.
28. In a significant step, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia increased India's Haj quota by 30,000 thus lifting the figure to 200,000 per year (from 170,000). This move will pave the way for more Indians to go for the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi kingdom.
29. In first-ever SDG Gender Index which measures progress made in achieving gender commitments against internationally set targets, India was ranked 95th out of a total 129 countries. The Index is developed by Equal Measures 2030, a partnership effort of regional and global organisations.
30. In the recently released Global Peace Index (GPI) of Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), India's rank slipped by five places to 141 among 163 countries on GPI 2019 and Iceland was ranked 1st. India was ranked 136 in GPI 2018.
31. India and Portugal will cooperate in setting up of a national maritime heritage museum at ancient Indian site of Lothal in Gujarat. Lothal (literally means the mound of dead) was one of port cities of Indus Valley Civilization (Harappan Civilization).
32. India extended a financial aid of 1.6billion Nepalese Rupees (NPR) to Nepal government for rebuilding earthquake-hit houses in two district that were most hit. This sustained and generous humanitarian support extended by India for post-earthquake reconstruction was appreciated by Nepal.
33. India has been designated as Guest of Honour at 33rd Guadalajara International Book Fair (also called Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara), in Mexico. The book fair, will be organised from 30 November 2019 to 8 December 2019.
34. India now has a state-of-the-art Central Command Centre for Air Traffic Flow Management (C-ATFM) in New Delhi, which will optimise utilisation of resources such as airspace and aircraft at the capacity-constrained Indian airports.
35. India will be celebrating this year the 20th anniversary of Operation Vijay also called Kargil Vijay Diwas for over three days from 25 July to 27 July 2019 at Dras and New Delhi. The day is observed to commemorate victory in Kargil war with pride, honour and inspiration. The day will be celebrated with theme- Remember, Rejoice and Renew.
36. India's Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted maiden test of an indigenously developed Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) from launch pad number-4 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha Coast.
37. India's leading civil services training institution, National Center for Good Governance (NCGG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Maldives Civil Services Commission for capacity building (training) of 1,000 civil servants of Maldives over next five years. This agreement was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Male (Maldives capital).
38. Indian Air Force (IAF) signed Rs.300 crore deal with Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, an Israeli defence firm to procure a batch of SPICE 2000 guided bombs.
39. Indian Air Force's AN-32 transport aircraft goes missing after taking off from Jorhat in Assam. The airborne aircraft had total 13 people on board including eight aircrew and five passengers.
40. Indian Navy launched 'Operation Sankalp' in Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman to reassure safe passage of Indian flagged vessels transiting through area. This deployment is in the wake of following recent maritime incidents in region.
41. International Albinism Awareness Day (IAAD) is observed every year throughout the world on 13 June, with the aim of raising public awareness on albinism and to prevent attacks and discrimination against persons with albinism. Theme for IAAD 2019 was- Still Standing Strong. It calls upon people around the globe to recognize, celebrate and stand in solidarity with all albinism patients.
42. Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the global internet body and and Indian apex body for IT industry NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies) announced collaboration for working in developing standards and identifier technology that will feed into the global consultation for managing Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices and infrastructure using internet.
43. Japan gifted Manipur, one of India's north eastern state a Museum of Peace built on the memories of Battle of Imphal, one of the fiercest battles of 2nd World War (WWII). The inauguration of Imphal Peace Museum marked 75th anniversary of Battle of Imphal.
44. K Natarajan has been appointed as new Director General (DG) of Indian Coast Guard (ICG). He will be succeeding Rajendra Singh, who retires on 30 June 2019.
45. K. Sivan, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) recently announced that the country is planning to launch its own space station and modalities for it will be worked out after Gaganyaan Mission (India's maiden manned mission to space).
46. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) and B. Sriram, former managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI Bank) were appointed part-time members of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).
47. Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, was appointed by Pakistan military as the new Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the military-led powerful spy agency.
48. Maharana Pratap Jayanti is observed every year on 6 June to celebrate birth anniversary of brave Rajput warrior. The year 2019 marks 479th birth anniversary of great warrior.
49. Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana has announced an annual financial health assistance of Rs.5 lakh to loktantra senanis or their spouse for treatment at private or government hospitals.
50. Mata Vaishno Devi shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) will get a dedicated in-house disaster response force by September 2020. For this purpose NDRF and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in early 2019.
51. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) organized a two-day orientation workshop for Population Research Centres (PRCs) to highlight various features of Health Ministry's flagship schemes and for their concurrent monitoring.
52. Mohan Ranade, the Veteran freedom fighter who played a major role in Goa Liberation Movement in 1950s, recently died in Pune at 90 years of age.
53. Mount Sinabung volcano erupted in Sumatra Island of western Indonesia. Eruption resulted in column of thick ash being spread seven km high to southeast and south of crater.
54. Namaste Thailand Film Festival, a two day event was held in Delhi from 15 June to 16 June 2019. This year was the 3rd edition of Thai film extravaganza event that celebrates Thai Culture's Diversity.
55. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently announced its plan to launch Dragonfly drone helicopter to Saturn's largest moon Titan in search of building blocks of life.
56. National Statistics Day is observed every year on 29 June to popularize use of Statistics in everyday life and sensitize public as to how Statistics helps in shaping and framing policies. 2019 is the 13th edition of National Statistics Day.
57. NITI Aayog has released the 2nd edition of report titled "Healthy States, Progressive India: Report on Rank of States and UTs". The report has been prepared in collaboration with Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with technical assistance from World Bank.
58. Odisha has come out with a unique flood hazard atlas aided by satellite imagery, which is expected to help the coastal state manage floods more efficiently. The atlas was released by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State-level Natural Calamity Meeting.
59. On May 31 every year the World Health Organization (WHO) and its global partners celebrate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). Theme for year 2019 was 'tobacco and lung health'.
60. On the eve of World Environment Day, Union Environment Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar launched a people's campaign called #SelfiewithSapling, urging people to advocate the cause on social media.
61. Parliament has passed Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Bill, 2019 to allow trusts to establish units in Special Economic Zone (SEZs). It was first legislation to be passed by newly-constituted 17th Lok Sabha. It replaces Special Economic Zone (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 promulgated March 2019 and amends SEZ Act 2005.
62. Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister for Environment informed the Lok Sabha that India's forest cover has increased by 1% in last one year period and over 24.39% of India's geographical area now constitutes of green cover.
63. Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, along with Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) governor Satyapal Malik distributed Doordarshan (DD) Free Dish Set Top Boxes to people living in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir region in Srinagar.
64. Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the reconstitution of government of India's policy think tank NITI Aayog (or National Institution for Transforming India). The decision was taken ahead of first meeting of NITI Aayog's governing council scheduled on June 15.
65. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led NDA government which stormed back into power for a second term at Centre after recently concluded 17th Lok Sabha eletion, reconstituted eight key cabinet committees. He also reconstituted six previous Cabinet sub-committees and formed two new ones to deal with job creation and economic growth.
66. Puerto Williams in Chile has become world's southernmost city after its status upgraded from hamlet to city. It took over the title from Ushuaia in Argentina which was world's southernmost city till recently.
67. Renowned Author Amish Tripathi has been named as the new director of London's Nehru Centre, under Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
68. Renowned scientist, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra is appointed as Director-General the India Meteorological Department (IMD). His appointment order was issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
69. S Jaishankar, Union Minister of External Affairs flags off the first batch of pilgrims (yatris) from New Delhi, for this years' Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
70. S Jaishankar, Union Minister of External Affairs flags off the first batch of pilgrims(yatris) from New Delhi, for this years' Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. The duration of pilgrimage is 24 days for each batch including 3 days in Delhi for preparatory work. The pilgrimage which started in 1981 now sees participation of thousands of devotees every year.
71. Senior bureaucrat Shefali Juneja was appointed as representative of India (JS Level) in council of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Montreal, Canada.
72. Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister for Food Processing Industries, recently announced that World Food India 2019 will be held at Vigyan Bhawan and Rajpath Lawns in New Delhi from 1st to 4th November 2019.
73. Sri Lanka's first ever satellite 'Raavana-1', designed and developed by two Sri Lankan engineers, was successfully placed into orbit. It was launched from International Space Station (ISS) along with two other BIRDS 3 satellites from Japan and Nepal.
74. Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena gifted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a Samadhi Buddha statue (Buddha in meditation posture), during latter's visit to Island nation.
75. Starting from 16 May 2019, the armies of India and Myanmar carried out a 3-week-long coordinated operation in their respective border areas called 'Operation Sunrise 2' to bust terror camps. The operation was targeted at militant groups operating in Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. This was the 2nd edition of Operation Sunrise.
76. Telangana is hosting the triennial International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) Congress in Hyderabad. ISTA congress is being held for the first time in Asia. The Congress being held from 26 June to 3 July 2019 is expected to help State to implement its plans into actions.
77. Thawarchand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment was recently appointed as Leader of Rajya Sabha (Council of States). The Leader of the Rajya Sabha is appointed by the party in power at Centre.
78. The "Kharga Prahar", a major training exercise conducted by the Indian Army in Punjab from 27 May 2019 concluded on 4 June 2019.
79. The 23rd edition of Sindhu Darshan Utsav 2019 started at Sindhu Ghat Shey in Leh from 24 to 27 June. It was inaugurated by Skyabje Choskyong Palga Rinpoche.
80. The 4th Coast Guard Subordinate Officers Conclave 2019 was inaugurated by Rajendra Singh, Director General of Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The two-day conclave was held at ICG Headquarters in New Delhi.
81. The Anti-ship version of supersonic cruise missile BrahMos was test fired from the launch complex-3 of Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur in Odisha.
82. The Appointment Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved appointment of senior IPS officer Arvind Kumar as Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB) for a fixed tenure of two years. He will succeed Rajiv Jain whose tenure comes to an end on 29 June 2019.
83. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) has approved the extension of Senior bureaucrat Alok Vardhan Chaturvedi by over 3 months, in central deputation as Director General (DG), Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).
84. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved appointment of senior IPS officer Samant Kumar Goel as Director of Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), external intelligence of India. He has been appointed for a fixed tenure of two years. He will take charge from Anil K Dhasmana.
85. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended service of Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha for a further period of three months.
86. The Bharatiya Janta Party's (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) from Madhya Pradesh Dr Virendra Kumar will be the Pro-tem Speaker of 17th Lok Sabha.
87. The Bihar Government recently announced ban on felling of trees in different cities of Bihar, citing increasing pollution as well as a fatal heatwave in the state as reason for the ban.
88. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) of the Central Government of India headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared setting up of new agency called Defence Space Research Agency (DSRO. The DSRO has been entrusted with task of creating space warfare weapon systems and technologies.
89. The Central government has set a target of providing clean drinking water to all by 2024. It includes increasing coverage of piped water to households from current 18 to 100% by 2024.
90. The Centre government has appointed senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer V.S. Kaumudi as Director General of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR & D) by lowering the post to the rank of Additional Director General.
91. The Centre has created a new Ministry called 'Jal Shakti' by merger of Ministries of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation along with Drinking Water and Sanitation. The move will bring all aspects of water management and regulation under one department.
92. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India Rajiv Mehrishi has been elected as external auditor of World Health Organization (WHO) for a period of four years from year 2020 to 2023.
93. The Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM) has granted Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kolhapuris, the ethnic leather chappal (footwear) to four districts in each state of Maharashtra and Karnataka. These 8 districts are- Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur and Satara districts of Maharashtra and Belgaum, Dharwad, Bagalkot and Bijapur districts of Karnataka.
94. The Curiosity Rover of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), an independent federal agency of United States has found the largest amount of methane ever measured during its mission on Red Planet (Mars).
95. The Elephanta Festival of art and culture commenced at the iconic Gateway of India in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The festival was inaugurated by state Tourism Minister Jaykumar Rawal who highlighted government's commitment towards boosting Elephanta island tourism in all possible ways.
96. The Government of India has approved Union Ministry of Defence proposal for restoration of 'ration in kind' to military officers stationed in peace areas. This is one of the first major decisions taken by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh after he assumed the new portfolio role in Modi government's 2nd term.
97. The Himachal Pradesh (HP) government has made it compulsory for trekkers to carry a GPS (Global Positioning System) device to tackle any exigency. This decision was taken at a review meeting on preparedness for the monsoon chaired by Shrikant Baldi, Additional Chief Secretary cum-Pr. Secretary to Jai Ram Thakur, Chief Minister, HP.
98. The Indian Air Force (IAF) commemorated 20 years of Kargil War (held between May-July 1999) by turning Gwalior air base virtually into a 'war theatre' with a dramatic reenactment of some milestones of 1999 operation such as Tiger Hill Attack.
99. The Indian Air Force's (IAF) Flight Lieutenant Mohana Singh became first ever woman pilot to fly by day on Hawk advanced jet aircraft.
100. The Indian Army has commissioned a "Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System" (CAAQMS) at its Eastern Command headquarters in Fort William Military Station, Kolkata in West Bengal. The commission of air quality monitor is part of Army's countrywide 'Go Green' initiative, which was started in April 2019.
101. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommended 'complete' ban on Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes. The recommendation is based on currently available scientific evidence.
102. The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay), has emerged as best-ranked Indian institute globally at 152nd position in QS World University Rankings' 2020. IIT-Bombay has been securing top position among all Indian institutes for past three years and in 2020 edition it has improved its rank by 10 moving up places from 2018 ranking.
103. The Indian Navy is hosting a Maritime Information Sharing Workshop 2019 edition under the aegis of the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) at Gurugram, Harayana. The two-day event was inaugurated by Vice Admiral MS Pawar, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff in 12 June 2019.
104. The Indian Navy recently deployed its P8I surveillance planes for carrying out anti-piracy patrol sorties from Salalah (in Oman) to patrol the Gulf of Aden and other piracy prone areas.
105. The Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) entered into a Tripartite Agreement with French National Railways (SNCF) & AFD, a French development agency in order to support Railway Station Development Program in India.
106. The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed all across the world every year on 26 June to raise awareness against drug abuse and the illegal drug trade.
107. The International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) is observed every year all across the world on 16 June. The day recognizes the contributions made by more than 200 million migrants towards improving the lives of their 800 million family members back home, and also to create a future of hope for their children.
108. The International Day of the Seafarer is an annual and international event day which is celebrated worldwide on 25 June and is coordinated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
109. The Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (MSME) Day was celebrated across the world on 27 June. The theme for MSME Day 2019 was 'Big Money For Small Business: Financing the SDGs'.
110. The National Geographic Society (NGS), a US based non-profit scientific and educational organizations announced successful installation of world's highest operating weather stations on Mount Everest. This installation was part of National Geographic and Rolex's Perpetual Planet Extreme Expedition to Everest.
111. The new state government under newly appointed Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy revoked previous governments' order of barring Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from conducting raids in state without state government permission.
112. The preemptive non military air strike conducted by Indian Air Force (IAF) on a terrorist training camp in Balakot, Pakistan, on 26 February 2019 was code-named Operation Bandar (Monkey).
113. The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC), in cooperation with its India Focal Point, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), began its 12th Capacity Building Workshop from 19 to 21 June 2019, in New Delhi, India. In two-day capacity building workshop 31 International delegates from 19 maritime law enforcement and regulatory authorities from Asia and beyond are participating.
114. The renowned playwright, actor and Jnanpith awardee Girish Karnad died at the age of 81 at his residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka. He succumbed to multiple-organ failure.
115. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of VG Kannan, Chief Executive of Indian Banks' Association (IBA) to review the entire gamut of ATM charges and fees.
116. The second edition of India International Mega Trade fair (IIMTF) was inaugurated on 15 June at Bidhannagar (or Salt Lake) city in Kolkata. It is a 10-day-long event which will continue till June 23.
117. The state government of Goa recently approved an amendment to Factories Act 1948 which will allow deployment of women in night shifts (from 7pm to 6 am) in industries. It is a welcome step taken by Goa government towards women empowerment.
118. The Sustainable Gastronomy Day is observed all across the world every year on 18 June. Gastronomy refers to the study of relationship between food and culture and the commitment to sustainability implies responsibility for production and consumption of food.
119. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the extension of President's rule under article 356(4) of Indian Constitution, in Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) for a period of 6 more months, beginning from 3 July 2019. The decision was based on prevailing situation in state as stated in report of Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Satya Pal Malik.
120. The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has decided to remove requirement of minimum educational qualification (class 8th pass) for transport vehicle drivers in country.
121. The World Bicycle Day was globally celebrated on 3 June 2019 by organising group rides on the event to popularize the use of bicycles in daily life.
122. The World Blood Donor Day (WBDD) was celebrated around the world on 14 June 2019. Theme for 2019 was- Safe blood for all.
123. The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (WDCDD) is being observed globally on 17 June 2019. According to United Nation (UN), Desertification means degradation of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas and that Desertification does not refer to expansion of existing deserts.
124. The World Food Safety Day 2019 was observed on 7 June with the theme- 'Food Safety, everyone's business'. It was first ever World Food Safety Day.
125. The World Refugee Day is observed across the world on 20 June every year. The theme for World Refugee Day 2019 was: Step with Refugees – Take a Step on World Refugee Day.
126. The World Sickle Cell Day is globally observed every year on 19 June, to raise public awareness about the sickle cell disease and its treatment methods. This year is the 40th celebration of World Sickle Cell Day.
127. Theme SME Day 2019 – Big Money For Small Business: Financing the SDGs. It is dedicated towards raising awareness of need for greater investment into small and mid-sized businesses in developing countries and celebrate gigantic contribution which smaller companies make to global economy.
128. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria's Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) was elected as President of 74th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA).
129. Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal during Question Hour informed Rajya Sabha members that Indian Railways is conducting TRI-NETRA (Terrain Imaging for Drivers Infrared, Enhanced, Optical & Radar Assisted) technology for detecting obstructions on tracks.
130. United Nations Secretary-General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres recently appointed Indian-origin Anita Bhatia as Deputy Executive Director of United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships.
131. With commencement of annual festival of Kheer Bhawani Mela on Zeasht Ashtami, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandit devotees prayed at famous Ragnya Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir's (J & K) Ganderbal district.
132. With commencement of annual festival of Kheer Bhawani Mela on Zeasht Ashtami, hundreds of Kashmiri Pandit devotees prayed at famous Ragnya Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir's (J & K) Ganderbal district.
133. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev recently made announcement about releasing his autobiography titled- 'My Life, My Mission'. The book is co-authored with senior journalist Uday Mahurkar.
134. Zonel Sougaijam, a civil engineer from Manipur was included in Facebook Hall of Fame 2019, for detecting a WhatsApp bug that violated privacy of a user.
International
1. India has abstained from voting on United Nation General Assembly (UNGA's) resolution aimed at examining options to end trade in goods which are used for capital punishment and torture. India stated that it is unacceptable to place death penalty on par with torture that it firmly believe that freedom from torture is a human right which must be respected and protected under all circumstances.
2. Mahatma Gandhi Information Technology and Biotechnology Park (MGIT-BP) built with India's assistance was recently inaugurated at Grand-Bassam in Cote d'Ivoire. It was jointly inaugurated by Sailas Thangal, Ambassador of India to Cote d'Ivoire and country's Vice President Daniel Kablan Duccan.
3. A Letter of Intent (LoI) was exchanged between Ahmedabad and Japanese city of Kobe for a sister city partnership. The LoI was exchanged in presence of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who visited Kobe to address a large Indian diaspora event.
4. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at Strasbourg (France) has voted in favour of restoring Russia's voting rights, 5 years after they were revoked over its illegal annexation of Crimean Peninsula.
5. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become 1st country in Gulf to launch new anti-money laundering platform called 'goAML' (Anti-Money Laundering). It is a one-stop solution, launched by UAE to crack down on organised financial crimes.
6. Cash-strapped Pakistan has secured a financial assistance in form of a bailout package of $3 billion from oil-rich Qatar, a day after Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad concluded his visit to Pakistan. Qatar's financial assistance to Pakistan was announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Foreign Minister of Qatar.
7. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently signed a decree for extending Moscow's embargo on food products being imported from the European Union (EU) to the end of 2020. This decision was in continuation of Russia's s retaliation against sanctions over Ukraine.
8. Bong-kil Shin, South Korean Ambassador to India launched Jaipur Foot Korea, a collaborative initiative between South Korea (or Republic of Korea) and Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), a Jaipur-based prosthetic limb non-profit organisation.
9. Saudi Arabia has become 1st Arab country to be granted full membership of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) following FATF's Annual General Meeting held in Orlando, Florida in United States (US).
10. Mauritania, a country in Northwest Africa went to polls for the first time since the African nation gained independence from France nearly 60 years ago. Following the independence the country have mostly been ruled Non-elected military governments.
11. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently launched a global campaign urging governments all across the world to adopt its new online tool called AWaRe (Access, Watch and Reserve), which is aimed at guiding policy-makers and health workers of country to reduce spread of antimicrobial resistance, adverse events and costs.
12. India has for the first time extended $15 Million financial support to Niger as a support for organising African Union (AU) summit scheduled to be held in 7-8 July 2019 in Niamey (Capital of Niger). This will be the 1st time that Niger will be hosting an AU summit.
13. The Asia Media Summit 2019 was organised in Siem Reap province, Cambodia from 12 June to 14 June 2019 to deliberate on many issues pertaining to media & broadcasting industry. The 15th Asia Media Summit (AMS-2018) was hosted by India. This year was 16th edition of summit.
14. India extended a financial aid of 1.6billion Nepalese Rupees (NPR) to Nepal government for rebuilding earthquake-hit houses in two district that were most hit.
15. Interim President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, won the country's snap Presidential elections with nearly 71%. He was also the chosen successor of veteran ruler and former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev.
16. Imports from Pakistan to India have declined by 92% amounting to USD 2.84 Million in March 2019 after imposition of 200% customs duties on all products. The strong economic action against Pakistan was taken following Pulwama terror attack.
17. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Cabinet adopted a National Strategy for Wellbeing 2031 during its meeting at Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi (UAE Capital).
18. G20 Ministerial meeting on Trade and Digital Economy is being held from 8 June- 9 June 2019 in Japanese city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Tsukuba is Japan's one of main academic and research centers.
19. China launched a space rocket named "Long March 11" from a mobile launch platform in Yellow Sea off Shandong province (China) for the first time. With this China became 3rd nation following the U.S. and Russia to successfully demonstrate ability to launch satellites into orbit from a floating platform.
20. The African Union (AU) suspended Sudan until establishment of a civilian-led transition to democracy and also demanded to resolve an entrenched and bloody crisis. The decision was taken at AU's peace and Security Council meet in Addis Ababa, (Ethiopia's capital).
21. SriLankan Airlines, the National Carrier of island nation has been named the 'World's Most Punctual Airline' for second consecutive time.
22. Russia's annual Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) is being held from 6-8 June 2019. It is an annual international forum that discusses key economic issues facing Russia, emerging markets and world at large stage. The Saint Petersburg is Russia's former imperial capital.
23. Russia has launched first Arctic train service running from St. Petersburg station headed to Norway. The inaugural trial journey of first tourist train traveling through Russia's Arctic region and on to Norway will be a 11-day trip with 91 passengers aboard.
24. National Assembly of Thailand (Thailand's Parliament) elected 2014 coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha as Prime Minister after military-backed party that nominated Prayuth won 2nd-highest number of seats in House of Representatives (lower house of Thailand's Parliament) in a general election held in March 2019.
25. The 2nd Global Disability Summit is being held at Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6 June to 8 June 2019. From India a delegation headed by Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawarchand Gehlot, will be participating in Summit. Union Minister also attended '1st Global Disability Summit' held at London, UK in July 2018.
26. Under a new rule, the United States has asked all Visa applicants to must provide information on their social media use and declare their social media profiles going back five years.
27. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) appointed Yousef Aldobeay of Saudi Arabia as its special envoy for Jammu & Kashmir. The decision was taken at the 14th OIC Summit held in the holy city of Makkah, in Saudi Arabia.
28. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue also known as Quad is an informal strategic grouping consisting of India, US, Australia and Japan recently met in Bangkok in Thailand.
29. The 14th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Mecca, Saudi Arabia was hosted by Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud.
30. Europe's Highest Volcano Mount Etna, in southern Italy erupted with burst into life, spews ash, fire, and spitting molten lava high into sky.
31. The United States of America (USA) President Donald Trump terminated India's designation as a beneficiary developing nation under the GSP (Generalized System of Preference) trade program w.e.f. 5 June 2019.
32. Despite resistance from Russia, China and African countries, United Nation Security Council (UNSC) has extended an arms embargo and sanctions on South Sudan for a year.
Business, Economy & Banking
1. Reserve Bank of India recently clarified that all Payment System Operators (PSOs) shall store entire payment data in systems located only in India. It means that the data related to payments must be stored in systems located only in India. This follows a clarification sought by PSOs on issue of data localization.
2. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has permitted Asset Reconstruction Companies (ARCs) to acquire financial assets from peers i.e. other such entities. However, RBI, the apex banking regulator cleared that all such transactions have to be settled in cash.
3. As per the data revealed by Reserve Bank of India (RBI), India's foreign exchange (Forex) reserve rose to a life-time high of $426.42 billion (in week to 21 June 2019) after it surged by $4.215 billion boosted by higher foreign portfolio investments (FPI) and a stable rupee.
4. Central Government has constituted Working Group for the revision of the current series of Wholesale Price Index (Base 2011-12). It will be chaired by Prof. Ramesh Chand, Member, NITI Aayog. Office of Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade will be nodal office for Working Group. It will process report / recommendation of this Working Group for further necessary action.
5. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has launched Complaint Management System (CMS), on its website for facilitating RBI's grievance redressal process.
6. As per a written reply given by Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha, the number of wilful defaulters in nationalised banks has increased by more than 60% to 8,582 in five years to March 2019.
7. Viral Acharya Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has resigned from his position 6 months before the end of his term citing reason as unavoidable personal circumstances.
8. The Indian Public Sector Undertaking's (PSUs) National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC Ltd) and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) have signed an agreement to set up
9. Rivigo, a Gurgaon-based tech-enabled logistics start-up has launched National Freight Index (NFI) that will provide live freight rates for different lanes and vehicles across the country. Rivigo is a technology enabled logistics company, that owns a fleet of over 3,000 trucks, which works on 'Relay Model'.
10. The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the capital markets regulator has set up a panel, to review current framework of margins in the futures and options (F&O) derivative segment.
11. The merger of Induslnd Bank and Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd (BFIL) will be effective from 4 July 2019. This decision to file National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Order on 4 July, by lender IndusInd , BFIL and IFIL with Registrar of Companies was taken by the boards of IndusInd and BFIL.
12. The 20th Meeting of Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was held under the Chairmanship of Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs.
13. The Digital Communications Commission (DCC), the highest decision-making body of Department of Telecom (DoT), has approved levying of penalty on Bharti Airtel Ltd. and Vodafone Idea Ltd. for denial of interconnection to Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. when the latter had entered market in 2016.
14. In a tit-for-tat trade battle between the United States (US) and India, latter imposed higher tariffs on 28 American goods including almonds, apples and walnut in retaliation to US tariffs.
15. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to ensure their ATMs (Automated Teller Machines) are grouted to a structure preferably wall, pillar, or floor by 30 September 2019 in a move to enhance security of cash vending machines.
16. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) committee led by Bimal Jalan (former RBI governor) constituted for considering guidelines for transfer of central bank's surplus funds to government delayed submitting its report after lack of consensus among its members. The panel was originally supposed to submit its report in April 2019.
17. The Indian Railway Station Development Corporation (IRSDC) entered into a Tripartite Agreement with French National Railways (SNCF) & AFD, a French development agency in order to support Railway Station Development Program in India.
18. Krishnamurthy Subramanian, Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) and B. Sriram, former managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI Bank) were appointed part-time members of Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).
19. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has constituted a high-level committee under the chairmanship of VG Kannan, Chief Executive of Indian Banks' Association (IBA) to review the entire gamut of ATM charges and fees.
20. Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs participated in G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors and associated events during 8-9 June 2019 held at southwestern city of Fukuoka, Japan.
21. A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for data exchange between two regulatory organizations and to tighten regulatory oversight.
22. The Reserve bank of India (RBI) in its bi-monthly monetary policy review reduced repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.75% from current 6.0% with immediate effect. This is RBI's third cut this year and has reduced Repo rate at lowest since 2010.
23. Delhi Metro has become first ever project in India to receive power generated from a waste-to-energy plant. The move is in continuation of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) efforts to establish an environment-friendly network.
24. The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare under Union Ministry of Agriculture and farmers Welfare recently released the 3rd Advance Estimates of production of major crops for 2018-19.
25. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) signed a technical assistance agreement with Boeing to develop and modernise India's Air Traffic Management.
26. Sahara Group recently announced its entry into the automobile sector with plans of launching electric vehicles under the brand name 'Sahara Evols'.
27. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) appointed Nandan Nilekani committee has submitted its suggestions on measures to encourage digital payments in India to RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.
28. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) overtook India Oil Corporation (IOC) by regaining crown of being India's most profitable Public Sector Undertakings (PSU).
Government Schemes
1. The Government of India, Government of Kerala and World Bank recently signed a Loan Agreement of $250 Million for First Resilient Kerala Program which seeks to enhance State's resilience against impacts of natural disasters and climate change.
2. Go Tribal campaign, was launched by Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India) in association with Amazon Global.
3. The Higher Education Department of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development has finalized and released a 5-year Vision Plan titled as Education Quality Upgradation and Inclusion Programme (EQUIP).
4. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister Electronics and Information Technology in a written reply in Lok Sabha informed Parliament that all gram panchayats will be provided high speed broadband connections under BharatNet project by March 2020.
5. Union Ministry of Finance recently announced the launch of 11th tranche of electoral bonds sale starting from 1-10 July. This is 1st issuance of electoral bonds after conclusion of 17th general elections and formation of new government.
6. A Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed between the Union Ministry of Shipping and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur for setting up Centre for Inland and Coastal Maritime Technology (CICMT). The MoA will focus on indigenisation of ship designing, building and testing.
7. Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana has announced an annual financial health assistance of Rs.5 lakh to loktantra senanis or their spouse for treatment at private or government hospitals.
8. Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has decided to modify the format of driving licenses to smart card type driving licences so as to follow a standardised format nationwide.
9. Prakash Javadekar, Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, along with Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) governor Satyapal Malik distributed Doordarshan (DD) Free Dish Set Top Boxes to people living in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir region in Srinagar.
10. In bid to boost India's relations with its neighbours, the government has entered into agreements with Bangladesh and South Korea to broadcast DD (Doordarshan) India channel in two countries and their state channels will be shown on DD Free Dish in India.
11. Riva Ganguli Das, High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh visited the ongoing construction of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Bridge 1 (Feni Bridge) and land port (Ramgarh Land Port) in Khagrachhari, Bangladesh.
12. Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs launched DBT Tribal web portal to streamline and expedite the process of releasing scholarship grants directly into bank accounts of beneficiary students.
13. The Central government has set a target of providing clean drinking water to all by 2024. It includes increasing coverage of piped water to households from current 18 to 100% by 2024.
14. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has comprehensively extended ambit of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) to all land holding eligible farmer families who will avail benefits under the scheme (but subject to existing exclusion factor).
15. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Pradhan Mantri Kisan Pension Yojana, a new Central Sector Scheme (CSS), to provide pension cover to farmers. This decision was taken at the first Cabinet meeting after formation of new Government (second term) of Modi Government.
16. Union Cabinet has approved new initiative (scheme) to control Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis to support the livestock rearing farmers and improve the health of animals.
17. After taking charge of his office, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey held a first review meeting with senior officials of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in which the decision was taken to waive off fee for SC/ST candidates joining vocational training under Jan Shikshan Sansthans.
18. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on assuming his office took the very first decision of granting approval to major changes in the 'Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme' under the National Defence Fund. This decision is in line with PM's vision for India's safety, security and well-being of those who protect the nation.
19. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved Rs.3000 monthly pension scheme for small retail traders and shopkeepers after they attain the age of 60 years.
Awards & Honours
1. National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), an Odisha-based Navaratna Company has been selected for President's award for utilisation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund in social development. NALCO was selected for its Aliali Jhia Scheme.
2. Veteran British journalist Sir Mark Tully was conferred with 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at UK-India Awards in London for his contributions to UK-India relationship.
3. Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs was named in 100 Most Influential in UK-India Relations: Celebrating Women list. Besides Sitharaman, list included Penny Mordaunt, Britain's Secretary of State for Defence and Ruchi Ghanashyam, Indian High Commissioner to the UK.
4. Rachna Khaira of The Tribune News Service has bagged prestigious RedInk Award for for Excellence in Indian Journalism 'Journalist of the Year' 2019 for her expose during 2018 on functioning of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and its Aadhaar data cache.
5. The Prime Minister's Awards for outstanding contribution for Promotion and Development of Yoga 2019 were announced by the Ministry of AYUSH (Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy).
6. An Indian engineer named Nitesh Kumar Jangir won 2019 Commonwealth Secretary-General's Innovation for Sustainable Development Award in London, United Kingdom (UK). He won the award in People category, for creating a low-cost breathing support device called 'Saans' for premature babies.
7. 29 journalists from both print and electronic media were felicitated with Matri Shree Media Awards for their contribution towards journalism in New Delhi.
8. Suman Rao from Rajasthan won the Femina Miss India World 2019 beauty pageant during a ceremony held at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Indoor Stadium in Mumbai. She was crowned as Miss India 2019 by her predecessor Miss India 2018, Tamil Nadu's Anukreethy Vas. Suman has now become 56th Miss India.
9. Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters has selected a list of 22 writers as recipients of Bal Sahitya Puraskar and 23 writers for Yuva Puraskar for 2019.
10. Akshaya Patra, a Bengaluru-based non-profit organisation (NGO) running one of the world's largest school meals project in India was awarded BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) World Service Global Champion Award for the programme.
11. Chinese President Xi Jinping was conferred with highest national award of Kyrgyzstan titled Manas Order of the First Degree in Bishkek (capital of Kyrgyzstan). Kyrgyzstan is hosting 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit starting 14 June 2019.
12. Renowned author Amitav Ghosh was felicitated with 54th Jnanpith Award for his outstanding contribution to enrichment of Indian Literature in English. He was presented the award by Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal who was the chief guest at a function held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.
13. Actor Priyanka Chopra will be awarded Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award by United Nations International Children's Fund's (UNICEF) American chapter at their Snowflake Ball in December 2019.
14. An 8 year old Indian origin student named Nia Tony was honoured during 22nd edition of Emirates Recycling Awards in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). She won the award in the paper section in individual category for collecting a total of 14,914 kg of paper waste.
15. Prime Minister Modi was conferred with Maldives' highest honour- 'Order of the Distinguished Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen' in Male, (Maldives capital) during his two-day state visit to the island country.
16. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I & B) has instituted a new award called Antarashtriya Yoga Diwas Media Samman (AYDMS) from year 2019 to recognise contribution made by media in spreading awareness about Yoga and for promotion and commemoration of International Yoga Day, held every year on 21 June.
17. The Women Sangams (groups) of Deccan Development Society (DDS) were honoured with Equator Prize 2019 by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for their contribution to ecology and innovations in rainfed millet cultivation.
18. Eminent historian and writer Romila Thapar has been elected as international member of American Philosophical Society (APS) at its Annual Spring Meeting.
19. Jimmy Carter, Ex-President of United States of America (USA) won the inaugural George H. W. Bush Award for Statesmanship in recognition of his contributions to relations between U.S. and China.
20. The 16-year old climate activist, Greta Thunberg of Sweden won Amnesty International's 'Ambassador of Conscience' Award 2019 for mobilising world public opinion global warming.
21. American novelist Tayari Jones won this year's Women's Prize for Fiction for her fourth novel "An American Marriage". It is one of the biggest international celebrations of women's creativity.
22. Veteran Malayalam actress Sheela was honoured with prestigious J C Daniel Award for her contributions to Malayalam Cinema field. She is only the second woman to win this award after Aranmula Ponnamma (in 2005).
23. Former President of India, Pratibha Patil was conferred Mexico's highest civilian honour for foreigners titled 'Orden Mexicana del Aguila Azteca' (order of the Aztec Eagle).
24. Melba Pria, Mexico's Ambassador to India, presented the award to Pratibha Patil at a special ceremony held in The Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) Bhavan in Pune.
25. The World Health Organisation (WHO) awarded Rajasthan government's Medical & Health Department its Tobacco Control Award for year 2019 in recognition of Rajasthan's achievements in the field of tobacco control.
Sports
1. Narinder Batra, President of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) was elected as a member of International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne, Switzerland. He secured 58 votes out of 62 polled.
2. India captain Virat Kohli (30) became fastest batsman to reach 20,000 international runs, across formats. He achieved this milestone in only his 417th international innings ( comprising 131 in Tests, 223 in ODIs and 62 in T20Is.), surpassing previous record held by Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. Both Tendulkar and Lara scored 20,000 international runs in 453 innings. With this, Kohli became overall 12th batsman and third Indian after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to reach 20,000 international runs.
3. India has proposed to host 2023 International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai, which is expected to choose host city for 2030 Winter Olympics.
4. Coca-Cola and Chinese dairy firm Mengniu have signed a multi-year global Olympic deal to become joint sponsors (beverages and dairy) of Olympic Games starting from 2021 to 2032.
5. On Olympic Games' 125th anniversary, International Olympic Committee (IOC) has formally opened its new headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. The innaugration of new headquarters comes exactly 125 years after Olympic Games were revived.
6. India clinched the women's FIH Series Finals Hockey Tournament by beating hosts Japan 3-1 in summit clash at the Hiroshima Hockey Stadium in Japan.
7. India's Pankaj Advani defeated Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon of Thailand with 6-3 in final to clinch the 35th men's Asian Snooker Championship.
8. Indian Women's Rugby team claimed their 1st ever international women's 15s victory after beating Singapore in the Asian Women Rugby Championship Division 1 in Manila, Philippines.
9. Pranati Nayak of India won bronze medal in vault event held at Senior Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2019 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
10. India's PU Chitra won gold medal in women's 1500m at Folksam Grand Prix 2019 held in Sollentuna, Sweden. She produced the best time of her season so far by clocking 4 minute 12.65 seconds (4:12.65s).
11. In the latest Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings Naomi Osaka of Japan's and Novak Djokovic of Serbia continue to be as World Number 1.
12. At the 33rd Federation Cup Basketball Championship for Men and Women held over the past week in Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida, Punjab Police and Eastern Railway won the men's and women's titles respectively.
13. Multiple times world champion Peter Gilchrist defeated India's Sourav Kothari in final to win the 2019 Pacific International Billiards Championship played at the Yarraville Club in Melbourne, Australia.
14. In the latest FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) World Ranking Indian football team remains static at 101st place and Belgium continued to top.The FIFA Ranking ranks men's national teams in association football.
15. South America's governing body of football CONMEBOL has invited Australia and Qatar to take part in 2020 COPA America. COPA 2020 will be co-hosted by Argentina and Colombia. The final of Copa 2020 will be played in one match and in one host city.
16. Britain's Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes won Formula One Canadian Grand Prix 2019 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This was Hamilton's seventh win on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and now made him equalled Michael Schumacher's record.
17. The 2019 French Open was the 123rd edition of a Grand Slam tennis tournament. It was held from 26 May to 9 June 2019, at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is played on outdoor clay courts. The tournament comprises of singles, doubles and mixed doubles play matches.
18. World athletics' governing body, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) will re-brand itself as World Athletics. The rebranding would be operational from October 2019.
19. China claimed four gold medals at 2019 ITTF World Tour Hong Kong Open, covering both Men's single & doubles and Women's single & doubles.
20. The Social networking giant Facebook launched its first interactive game show, titled "Confetti" in India on 4 June 2019. The launch announcement was made on sidelines of Facebook's Social Entertainment Summit held in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
21. Celebrated cricket broadcaster Ashis Ray released a new book titled 'Cricket World Cup: The Indian Challenge'. It the new book he has Ray penned down the journey of Indian cricket at the World Cups since the inaugural edition of WCs in 1975.
22. Liverpool beats Tottenham Hotspur with 2-0 to win UEFA Champions League football trophy final at Madrid, Spain. This was Tottenham first ever appearance in the Champions League final.
References:
gktoday.in
Join The Discussion