IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS
OF JUNE 15th & 16th, 2019
IMPORTANT
CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JUNE 15th & 16th, 2019
1.
15th June is observed as ASEAN Dengue Day.
a. ASEAN Dengue
Day Theme 2019 : “End Dengue: Starts With Me”
2.
15th June is also observed as World Elder Abuse
Awareness Day (WEAAD).
a. This day was
launched on June 15, 2006 by the International Network for the Prevention of
Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization at the United Nations.
b. The purpose
of this day is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to
promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising
awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting
elder abuse and neglect.
3.
The month of June is being observed
as LGBTQ pride month to commemorate the anniversary
of Stonewall riots at Stonewall Inn in New York, a
gathering space for LGBTQ community during the 60s.
a. On June 28,
1969, police raided the inn, leading to the gay liberation movement in the US.
4.
An Israeli court today convicted Sara
Netanyahu (wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) of
fraudulently using $100,000 of state funds to order catered meals.
5.
Brazil's Supreme Court has voted to criminalise homophobia and
transphobia in the same way as racism under the country's laws until
the Congress creates a specific law for the subject.
a. Brazil's laws
banning racism were passed in 1989 and provide a jail sentence of up to 5
years.
b. Important
Note : Brazil legalised same-sex marriages in 2013.
6.
The UK has banned advertisements depicting
"harmful gender stereotypes".
a. The ban was
enforced after the UK's advertising watchdog found that gender-stereotypical
imagery "can lead to unequal gender outcomes in public and private aspects
of people's lives".
7.
To celebrate 5th International Day of Yoga,
the Embassy of India in Nepal organised
a special event at Syangboche situated around 13,000 feet in
the lap of Mt Everest.
a. Members from
various NGOs, women and youth groups of Solukhumbu district, officials of
Sagarmatha National Park and a large number of local people enthusiastically
participated in the programme.
b. First time,
the International Day of Yoga celebrations were also held at the base camp of
Mount Everest.
c. India's Mount
Everest climber Bharat Sharma and other mountaineers from various countries
created history by performing Yoga at 17600 feet in the backdrop of mighty
Mount Everest.
8.
Guatemala is set to elect a new President today after a
tumultuous campaign.
a. A total of 19
candidates are vying to succeed outgoing President Jimmy
Morales.
b. Former First
lady and candidate for the centre-left Unity of Hope (UNE), Sandra
Torres, is heading into the elections as a favourite, having built a
clear opinion poll lead over second-placed Alejandro Giammattei of
the conservative Vamos.
9.
The 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi was
celebrated in Dhaka.
a. The High
Commission of India organised a bi-Cycle Rally at the Dhaka University campus
on Saturday morning to mark his birth anniversary.
10. To curb the
rise in road accidents, the Madhya Pradesh government has
issued a directive that mandates buyers of two-wheelers to
purchase two helmets and show the receipt to the
Transport Department to get their vehicle registered.
a. The Transport
Department has also instructed automobile dealers to sell/provide helmets along
with the two-wheelers.
11. According to
the Periodic Labour Force Survey data published by the NSSO, India's Female
Labour Force Participation Rate has fallen to a historic low of 23.3% in
2017-18.
a. This means
over three out of four women over the age of 15 in India are neither working
nor seeking work.
b. Note : Only nine
countries have a lower labour female participation rate than India.
12. A Dinosaur
Museum and Fossil Park has opened in Gujarat’s Mahisagar
district's Raiyoli village.
a. Spread across
72 acres, the park showcases fossilised remains of dinosaurs in the natural
form.
b. Important
Note : This the 1st such facility in our country and third in the
world.
13. The 1st
session of the 17th Lok Sabha will commence tomorrow.
a. The Rajya
Sabha will sit from Thursday.
b. The session
will continue till 26th of next month.
c. Since it is
the first session of the new Lok Sabha, it will mainly be devoted to Oath
taking of newly elected MPs, election of Lok Sabha Speaker, the Motion of
Thanks on the President’s Address and financial business relating to Union
Budget.
d. Note : The Union
Budget will be presented on 5th of next month.
14. Assam Transport
Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary launched the State Transport
Corporation's Chalo app for Guwahati.
a. The app will
help commuters to know about the live arrival time of their bus so they can
plan their travel accordingly.
b. People can
also track the live GPS position of their bus on a map.
c. It will also
ensure safe travel with features such as Emergency SOS.
15. India's
second Moon mission Chandrayaan-2, the nation's 1st attempt
to land spacecraft on the Moon, is being headed by 2 female
scientists Ritu Karidhal and Muthayya
Vanitha.
a. Karidhal, deputy
operations director for Mars mission, is the mission director for Chandrayaan-2
whereas Vanitha, an electronics systems engineer, is the project
director. The mission is scheduled to launch on July 15.
16. The National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced it will
permanently switch off its Spitzer Space Telescope on January
30, 2020, after nearly 16 years of exploring the cosmos in infrared
light.
a. Designed for
a minimum of 2.5 years, the spacecraft will have operated for more than 11
years beyond its prime mission.
b. The telescope
had helped reveal a new ring around Saturn.
17. India has decided
to impose retaliatory tariffs on 28 US products, including almonds,
apples and walnuts, after the US withdrew duty-free benefits for Indian
exporters.
a. India
announced these higher tariffs in June 2018 after the US refused to exempt it
from new steel and aluminium tariffs.
b. Note : India is
the largest buyer of US almonds and second-largest buyer of US apples.
18. The Reserve
Bank of India (RBI) has asked banks to ensure their ATMs are
fixed to a wall, pillar, or floor by September 30, 2019, to enhance their
security.
a. ATMs
installed in high-security premises such as airports, with adequate CCTV
coverage and guards, are exempted from the decision.
b. Additionally,
all ATMs shall be operated for cash replenishment only with digital One Time
Combination locks.
19. State-owned UCO
Bank today declared Yashovardhan Birla as a
wilful defaulter after his company Birla Surya failed to repay
loans of ₹67.65 crore.
a. The Kolkata-based
lender said the Chairman of Yash Birla Group has not repaid the dues owed to
the bank despite several notices.
b. Note : Birla Surya
is already under liquidation through the Bombay High Court's official
liquidator.
20. Rajasthan's Suman
Rao was named Miss
India 2019 at the 56th Femina Miss India 2019.
a. Miss India
2018 Anukreethy Vas crowned Suman, a CA aspirant, who'll go on to represent
India at Miss World 2019.
21. 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.
22. In Slovakia,
anti-corruption campaigner Zuzana Caputova was sworn in
as the new President.
a. With this,
she became the country's 1st female president.
23. India have set a
victory target of massive 337 Runs for Pakistan at Old
Trafford in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Manchester.
a. Rohit
Sharma hit a magnificent 140 off 113 balls.
b. It was his
second century of the tournament and 24th ODI hundred overall.
c. India are
currently fourth in the 10-team points table with five points.
d. Pakistan are
ninth with three points.
24. 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.
25. The Indian
men's recurve team today bagged a silver medal in
the Archery World Championships at Den Bosch in The
Netherlands.
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