1 Om Birla re-elected Lok Sabha Speaker
Om Birla, BJP MP from Kota – Bundi Lok Sabha constituency has been re- elected as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha . He was declared elected by voice vote. Congress had fielded K Suresh as its candidate for this post . The party did not demand division of votes during the election for the post of Speaker. After being elected as the Speaker, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju took Om Birla to the Speaker’s seat.
2 Paraguay, the 100th country to join the International Solar Alliance as a full member
Paraguay has become the 100th country to join the International Solar Alliance as a full member . The ratification instrument was handed over during a meeting of Paragua’s Ambassador Fleming Raul Duarte with Joint Secretary Abhishek Singh , Head of the Depository in New Delhi , the Ministry of External Affairs said.
3 Decision to appoint outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO
The North Atlantic Council has decided to appoint outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – NATO . NATO said in a statement that Mark Rutte will assume his duties as NATO Secretary General from October 1. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on June 19 officially announced his withdrawal from the race to become NATO Secretary General. Due to this, Mark Rutte got the support of all 32 member countries. Mark Rutte has been serving as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010. Mark Rutte was appointed in place of former Norwegian PM Jens Stoltenberg . Stoltenberg was serving as the Secretary General of NATO since 2014.
4 Srinagar gets the status of ‘World Crafts City’
Recently, Srinagar has become the fourth Indian city to be recognized as a ‘ World Craft City (WCC)’ by the World Craft Council (WCC). Jaipur , Malappuram and Mysore are the other three Indian cities that have been recognized as World Craft Cities earlier. In the year 2021, the city of Srinagar was designated a creative city as part of the UNESCO Creative City Network (UCCN) for crafts and folk arts. Paper pulp, walnut wood carving, carpets, sozni embroidery and pashmina and kani shawls are some of the crafts of Srinagar. The WCC-World Crafts City program was launched in the year 2014 by the World Crafts Council AISBL (WCC-International) to recognize the important role of local authorities, craftsmen and communities in craft development around the world. WCC-International was established in 1964 and Smt. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, being one of the founding members, attended the first WCC General Assembly. Smt. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay established the Indian Crafts Council in 1964 to preserve and enhance India’s craft heritage.
5 DRDO handed over Medium Range-Microwave Obscurant Chaff Rocket to Indian Navy at a ceremony held in New Delhi
Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) handed over the Medium Range Microwave Obscurant Chaff Rocket (MR-MOCR) to the Indian Navy at a ceremony held in New Delhi on June 26, 2024. This Microwave Obscurant Chaff (MOCR) has been developed by DRDO’s Defence Laboratory , Jodhpur . It is a technology that obscures radar signals and creates a microwave shield around platforms and assets and thus reduces the vulnerability of the platforms to radar detection. This medium range chaff rocket uses special type of fibre with a diameter of few microns and unique microwave implantation properties. When this rocket is fired, it creates a microwave obscuring cloud in space spread over a sufficient area for a sufficient duration and thus forms an effective shield against hostile threats that capture radio frequencies.
6 Soborno Isaac Bari became the youngest graduate in the world
On June 26, Bangladeshi – American citizen Suborno Isak Bari became the world’s youngest graduate . 12-year- old Suborno has been awarded a graduation degree from Malvern High School . Soborno Isak Bari is also the world’s youngest professor . He used to solve maths, physics and chemistry problems at the age of 2. At the age of 7, Soborno became a guest professor at Ruia College of Mumbai University. In April 2016, Dr. Lisa Coico, President of City College in New York , nicknamed Bari ‘ the Einstein of our time ‘. In 2021, Bari received an invitation to speak at the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) . In 2021, he won the ‘ Da Vinci Laureate ‘ Award from the Da Vinci Institution of South Africa . Soborno has written the books ‘ The Love (2019) ‘ and ‘ Manish (2021) ‘. Soborno will now study math and physics at New York University.
7 Jayakrishnan R. becomes the new special commissioner of Sabarimala
On June 25, a division bench of the Kerala High Court appointed Special Judge Jayakrishnan R. as the special commissioner of Sabarimala . The appointment was made by a division bench of Justice Anil K. Narendran and Justice Harishankar Menon. Jayakrishnan R. is the Special Judge for SC/ST (POA cases) in Kottarakara. Jayakrishnan R. has been appointed in place of M. Manoj. M. Manoj’s term will end on June 29, 2024. Jayakrishnan R. has been appointed for two years from June 29.
8 Itanagar Women Police Station, has been awarded ISO 9001:2015 certification
Itanagar Women Police Station has been awarded the ISO 9001:2015 certification . Itanagar Superintendent of Police Rohit Rajbir Singh informed about this in a release. He said that this certification highlights the commitment of the station to effectively deal with crimes against women and children. ISO 9001:2015 certification is an international standard that signifies working from a comprehensive quality management system.
9 Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has set a high target of planting 4.5 crore trees in the National Capital Territory of Delhi and adjoining areas
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has set a high target of planting 4 crore 50 lakh trees in the National Capital Region of Delhi and adjoining areas . This work will be done during the financial year 2024-25 . Last year, the target was to plant about three crore 85 lakh saplings across the NCR, out of which about 3 crore 60 lakh saplings were successfully planted this year. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that the Commission is emphasizing on greenery and biodiversity on a large scale in educational institutions, research based organizations and other commercial and industrial units. All road agencies in NCR have been advised to keep greenery on the sides of major roads as well.
10 Kanishka tragedy: Canadian police said the investigation into the bombing of Air India flight number 182 is still on
Recently Canada has said that the investigation into the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 is still “active and ongoing “. On 23 June 1985, Montreal-New Delhi Air India ‘s ‘ Kanishka ‘ Flight 182, flying from Canada to India via London, crashed in an explosion near the Irish coast , killing all 329 people on board , most of them Indians. Another explosion at Tokyo ‘s Narita Airport killed two Japanese baggage handlers while the plane was still in the air. Investigators later said that the bomb was linked to the attack on Flight 182 and was meant for another Air India flight to Bangkok, but it exploded prematurely. The bombing was attributed to Khalistanis in retaliation for ‘ Operation Bluestar ‘ by the Indian Army in 1984. ‘Operation Bluestar’ was a military operation ordered by the Indian government to remove Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar . The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno-religious sovereign state called Khalistan in the Punjab region.
11 Centre amends rules to provide six months’ maternity leave to employees in case of surrogacy
Recently, the government notified amendments to the Central Civil Services (Leave) Rules, 1972 to provide maternity leave and other benefits to government employees in case of babies born through surrogacy . The initiative aims to correct the existing deficiencies in the leave policies for government employees who opt for surrogacy. The amendments provide for 180 days of maternity leave for female government employees who have babies born through surrogacy. This includes both surrogate mothers as well as commissioning mothers (intended mothers) who have less than two living children. The new rules also provide for 15 days of paternity leave for “commissioning fathers” who are government employees and have less than two living children. The leave benefit can be availed within 6 months from the date of birth of the child.
12 New species of striped caecilian discovered
Recently, a limbless amphibian called Striped Caecilian (Ichthyophis spp) has been discovered for the first time during an intensive reptile survey in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve . Reptiles and amphibians are collectively called Herpetofauna. Caecilians belong to the Ichthyophiidae family. It is characterised by its worm-like body. They have limited vision and depend mainly on touch and smell to move around in their environment. They spend most of their time under the soil and are carnivorous. Their presence provides important insights about evolution and intercontinental speciation due to their ancient ancestry. They are indicator species for the environment and play an important role in controlling pests.
13 Kapil Dev became PGTI President
On June 26, former Indian cricket team captain Kapil Dev took over as the President of Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) . Kapil Dev has been appointed in place of H.R. Srinivasan . 65-year-old Kapil was already a member of the PGTI board as Vice President. Kapil Dev played cricket for India from 1978 to 1994. Kapil, one of the greatest all-rounders, has played 131 Tests and 225 ODIs. India won the 1983 ODI World Cup under Kapil’s captaincy. His unbeaten innings of 175 runs in the 1983 World Cup is one of the best innings in the history of cricket. In Test cricket, he scored 5,248 runs with the help of 8 centuries and took 434 wickets. In ODIs, Kapil scored 3,783 runs and took 253 wickets.
14 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
Every year 26 June is celebrated as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. On this occasion, rallies and programs are being organized across the country to raise awareness against drug abuse. The theme this year is, The Evidence is Clear-Invest in Prevention .
15 DLS’s Duckworth passes away
On 25 June, the International Cricket Council (ICC) informed about the death of Frank Duckworth . 84-year-old Frank was the co-inventor of the ‘ Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) ‘ rule. Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis created the Duckworth-Lewis rule for the result in cricket matches affected by rain . It was first applied in international cricket in 1997. In 1999, Professor Steven Stern named this rule as the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern rule. Frank Duckworth was also a statistician from England. Duckworth and Lewis were awarded the ‘ Member of the Order of the British Umpires ‘ (MBE) in June 2010. DLS is used in those situations of the match, when it is impossible to achieve the target of runs in a limited overs match due to rain or other reasons.