Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Read Current Affairs Today here and stay updated with current news. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this and try the Current Affairs Quiz to test your knowledge level.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
- The UN general Assembly proclaimed 26 June as International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 12 December, 1997 to eradicate torture and the effective functioning of the Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
- The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed annually on 26 June.
- The decision to mark the day was taken on 7 December 1987 via resolution 42/112 of the United Nations General Assembly in order to strengthen global action and cooperation to achieve its aim of making the international society free of drug abuse.
- Theme 2019 – ‘Health for Justice. Justice for Health’
CURRENT AFFAIRS: STATE
Vaishno Devi shrine to have own disaster response force by Sept 2020
- The Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, a religious pilgrimage atop a hilltop that attracts lakhs of devotees from across the world every year, will get a dedicated in-house disaster response force by September next year.
- They are planning to train 180 employees by September next year to prepare a dedicated disaster response force for the shrine.
- The shrine board and the NDRF signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) early this year keeping in mind the hilly terrain and need to impart advanced disaster management training to the shrine board staff in batches to keep them in a state of readiness for effectively and promptly responding to any disaster situation.
32nd ISTA Congress begins in Hyderabad
- International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) set to hold its 32nd Congress in Hyderabad beginning June 26
- Telangana State enjoys 60 per cent share in seed supply market in the country and has been exploring ways to expand its presence in India as well as export seeds to other nations.
- The 32nd ISTA Congress to be held from June 26 to July 3, is expected to help the State to implement its plans into actions.
- The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and the Telangana government are jointly hosting the eight-day conference
| USEFUL INFO |
| Telangana Capital | Hyderabad |
| CM | Chandrasekhar Rao |
| Governor | ESL Narashiman |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL
Pakistan gets $3 billion bailout from Qatar
- Pakistan has secured a bailout package of USD 3 billion from oil-rich Qatar, a day after Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad concluded his visit to Islamabad and agreed to cooperate in the fields of trade, anti-money laundering and curbing terror financing.
- The Gulf state is the fourth nation that has come forward to rescue Pakistan
- Earlier, China gave USD 4.6 billion in shape of deposits and commercial loans and Saudi Arabia provided USD 3 billion cash deposit and USD 3.2 billion oil facility on deferred payments. The United Arab Emirates also provided USD 2 billion cash deposit.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Pakistan’s Capital | Islamabad |
| Currency | Rupee |
| PM | Imran Khan |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION
Krishnaswamy Natarajan appointed as next Director General of Indian Coast Guard
- Krishnaswamy Natarajan was appointed as the next Director General of the Indian Coast Guard replacing Rajendra Singh, who was the first cadre officer to head the force.
- Natarajan, the second Coast Guard officer to lead the force, would take over on June 30.
Amazon’s Amit Agarwal takes over as IAMAI chairman
- Amazon India head Amit Agarwal has been appointed as the new chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).
- He will replace former Google India MD Rajan Anandan. Yatra co-founder and CEO DhruvShringi will take over as the new vice-chairman of IAMAI
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS
Rachna Khaira Bags Redink ‘Journalist Of The Year’ Award For ‘Aadhar’ Expose
- Rachna Khaira, who wrote for The Tribune, has bagged the prestigious RedInk Award for ‘Journalist of the Year’ for her far-reaching expose during Calendar 2018 on the functioning of the Unique Identification Authority of Indian (UIDAI) and its Aadhar data cache.
- The RedInk Awards for Excellence in Journalism has been instituted by Mumbai Press Club to encourage good quality reporting and analysis, fair play and high ethical standards in Indian journalism.
‘Veyil Marangal’ wins big at Shanghai Film Festival
- Veyil Marangal (Trees Under the Sun), directed by Bijukumar Damodaran, won the award for ‘Outstanding Artistic Achievement’ at the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival, becoming the first Indian film to win a major award at the festival.
- The film was one among the 3,964 entries submitted from 112 countries in the prestigious Golden Goblet Award competition.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING
Kerala tops health rankings; UP, Bihar worst performers
- Kerala took the top spot among larger states for overall performance on health indicators in a NITI Aayog report, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, while Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Odisha languish at the bottom.
- The index analyses overall performance and incremental improvement in the States and the Union Territories for the period with 2015-16 as the base year and 2017-18 as the reference year.
- The “Healthy States, Progressive India” report is an annual systematic performance tool to measure the performance of the States and UTs on their year on year incremental change in health outcomes, as well as, their overall performance with respect to each other.
- Among the smaller states, Mizoram ranked first in overall performance, while Tripura and Manipur were the top two states in terms of incremental performance. Sikkim and Arunchal Pradesh had the biggest decrease in overall health index scores.
- Among the UTs, Chandigarh ranked first in overall performance, while Dadra and Nagar Haveli improved the most.
- Haryana, Rajasthan and Jharkhand are the top three ranking states in terms of annual incremental performance
- The report has been prepared by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with technical assistance from the World Bank.
- The Index ranks the States and Union Territories based on 23 health-related indicators
India is cheapest solar energy producer; beats China, UK, US among others
- India is now the forerunner in producing solar power at lowest cost globally and is far ahead of other nations in low average production costs.
- Beating countries like China, which usually is the cheapest manufacturer of everything, India has also left behind the US, UK, Canada and France among others.
- India was estimated to have the lowest total installed costs for new utility-scale solar PV projects that were commissioned in 2018 at USD 793/kW, 27% lower than for projects commissioned in 2017.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE
Air forces of India, France to participate Garuda-VI in joint drill from July 1-12
- The Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in a bilateral exercise with the French Air Force called exercise, Garuda-VI, from July 1-12.
- This is the sixth edition of exercise Garuda and is being planned at French Air Force Base, Mont-de-Marsan in France.
- The last exercise, Garuda V, was held at Air Force Station Jodhpur in June 2014.
- IAF contingent comprises of 120 air-warriors and four Su-30 MKI along with an IL-78 Flight Refueling aircraft, which shall participate during the exercise.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BOOKS AND AUTHORS
MeenakshiLekhi pens Her First Novel ‘The New Delhi Conspiracy’
- BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi has written her debut novel, which talks of undercurrents of Delhi’s political landscape and attempts to lay bare what is influencing the course of the nation’s political trajectory.
- The New Delhi Conspiracy, co-authored with Krishna Kumar and published by Harper Collins India, is slated for release on July 8.
Anupam Kher pens autobiography Lessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly
- Bollywood actor Anupam Kher is coming out with his autobiography, Lessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly that is set to hit stands on 5 August.
- Kher, one of the most prolific actors in the Indian film industry, has over 530 films in several languages, both in India and the West
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS
Milan-Cortina to host 2026 Winter Olympics
- Milan-Cortina has won the right to host the 2026 Winter Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced the decision.
- The announcement marks the Winter Olympics’ return to Europe, with the event having been hosted by Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018 and the Chinese city of Beijing staging the Games in 2022.
- Italy has twice hosted Winter Olympics in the past — Cortina in 1956 and Turin in 2006 — but it will be the first held in Milan.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARY
Freedom fighter Mohan Ranade Passed Away
- Veteran freedom fighter from Goa and Padmashri Mohan Ranade (89) died, after a prolonged illness.
- He also participated in the Goa liberation movement.
Swami Satyamitranand Giri Maharaj passes away
- Swami Satyamitranand Giri Maharaj, a renowned seer, passed away at Dehradun in Uttarakhand after a prolonged illness.
- The famous seer was the founder and head of Bharat Mata Mandir, a famous temple in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.