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JUNE CURRENT AFFAIRS– 2018 ENGLISH VERSION

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JUNE CA - 2018

 Singapore Airlines (SIA) launched the world‘s longest commercial flight with non-stop services between Singapore and New York. Flights will cover a distance of approximately 9,000nm (16,700km), and travelling time will be up to 18hrs 45min.  China's 49th ocean expedition team has successfully placed ten ocean seismometers in the Indian Ocean which are used to measure earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or the use of explosives.  Denmark's parliament banned the wearing of face coverings in public spaces on May 31, in a move that critics say will criminalize Muslim women who choose to wear the niqab or burqa.  PM Modi launched India's BHIM, RuPay and SBI mobile payment apps in Singapore at a business event aimed at internationalization of the country's digital payment platform.  The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue 2018 was held at Shangri-La Hotel In Singapore. This Shangri-La Dialogue was organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 1, handed over the Padma Shri award, one of India's highest civilian awards, to former Singaporean diplomat Tommy Koh (80).  Pinaka is a multibarrel rocket launch (MBRL) system used by the Indian Army was successfully test-fired from Chandipur in Odisha. It was developed by the developed by the Research Centre, Imarat (RCI), and Hyderabad. This Centre was running under the guidance of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).If its range was 40 kilometres earlier, it is more than 70 kilometer now  Odisha government launched a health insurance scheme for working journalists in the state. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched the scheme called "Gopabandhu Sambadika Swasthya Bima Yojana" on June 01, 2018.In the first phase, as many as 3,233 working journalists will get health insurance coverage up to Rs 2 lakhs a year.  UN observed May 29 as the International Day of UN Peacekeepers. According to the UN, of the 3,737 peacekeepers who have died in the past 70 years, 163 have been from India, the highest total from any troop-contributing country. India is currently the third largest

No: 646, 2nd floor, K.K. Nagar, Madurai – 625020 | 7397150273, 8489228855 No: 81, 2nd floor, South Veli Street, Madurai – 625001 | 9751999264, 0452-4951150/4217492 www.seniasacademy.in 1 JUNE CA - 2018

contributor of military and police personnel to UN peacekeeping, with 6,693 now deployed in Abyei, Cyprus, Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, the Middle East, South Sudan and Western Sahara.  The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government plans to roll out its ambitious project of ―doorstep delivery of key services‖ from the end of July 2018. Once the scheme is in place, residents will be able to access around 40 government services such as birth, death, pension, revenue, caste certificates from eight government departments from the comfort of their homes.  The Union Ministry of Water Resources, on June 1, issued a notification for the Cauvery scheme, nearly three months after the Supreme Court‘s order directing the Centre to do the same. As per the gazette notification, the Scheme involves setting up of a Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRA). Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) – HQ Delhi Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRA) – HQ Bangalore  The Telangana government on July 1 decided to provide insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to farmers in the state to mark the 4th Anniversary of the state (June 2, 2018). The state cabinet, in a meeting presided by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, approved the scheme of life insurance to farmers through Life Insurance Corporation of India. Premium for all will be paid by the government.  Pedro Sanchez was sworn in as Spanish prime minister before King Felipe, his right hand on the constitution — for the first time.  Egyptian president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi has been re-elected for a second term.  President Ram Nath Kovind appointed seven new judges for the Madras High Court on June 1, 2018. The seven new judges are: 1) P T Asha 2) M Nirmal Kumar 3) Subramanium Prasad 4) N Anand Venkatesh 5) G K Ilanthiraiyan 6) Krishnan Ramasamy 7) C Saravanan

 The appointment of additional judges would rise the strength of judges in Madras High Court from 56 to 63 as against the required strength of 75.  The government appointed Mahesh Kumar Jain as the 4thdeputy governor of Reserve Bank of India.  A day after the Centre notified the Cauvery scheme in the gazette, the Tamil Nadu government nominated themembers of the Cauvery Water Management Authority and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee respectively. PWD secretary S K Prabhakar - The Cauvery Water Management Authority PWD Chief Engineer Senthil Kumar - Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.  Governor-chancellor Banwarilal Purohit has appointed V Murugesan, former Anna University professor, as the new Vice Chancellor of Annamalai University.  The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the two-day Conference of Governors on June 4, 2018 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The second session on June 5, 2018 was held only for the Lt. Governors of the Union Territories.  The First biannual IAF Commanders' Conference of 2018 was inaugurated on May 31, 2018 by Hon'ble Raksha Mantri Nirmala Seetharaman at Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan), New Delhi.  Two Sahitya Akademi Prize winner Renowned Tamil writer and scholar M L Thangappa passed away at the age of 84 on May 31, 2018.He was born in 1934 in Kurumbalaperi, Tirunelveli district.  In 2011, Thangappa won the Sahitya Akademi‘s BAL SAHITYA PURASKAR Award for the Cholak Kollai Bommai (Poetry).  In 2012, He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for translation of Sangam era poetry as ―Love Stands Alone‖.  On June 2, 2018 Minister for Animal Husbandry Udumalai Radhakrishnan made some announcements in the assembly. The following announcements are as follows:

 The Livestock and Poultry food technology centre will be setup in Tirunelveli District.  To Monitor and Control of Livestock and Poultry Diseases, A Rural poultry farming and Skill Development center will be set up at Madhavaram in Chennai.  The Livestock and Poultry Research Center will be set up in Alambadi, Dharmapuri district.  The Upper age limit for the aspirants who are applying for the TNPSC exams have been increased and it quotes that ―The Upper age limit is increased from 35 years to 37 years for SC/ST/MBC/BC and DNC category and from 30 years to 32 years for other categories. This will be applicable for Group-1, 1-A and 1-B examinations.‖  The Tamilnadu Fisheries University, Nagapattinam was recently renamed as Tamilnadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University.  The 2018 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy was held from 23 June to 1 July 2018 in Breda, Netherlands. The Indian team was led by ace goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.  Indian weightlifting as two-time Commonwealth Games champion Sanjita Chanu tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid and was provisionally suspended by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). Sanjita, who had won gold in the women's 53kg category in the recent Gold Coast CWG 2018.  Top discus thrower Vikas Gowda (34) retired from the sport. Gowda, who holds the national record of 66.28m in the Discus Throw.  Nepal, Scotland, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have joined the 12 leading ODI nations on the expanded ICC ODI Team Rankings with effect from 1 June 2018.Scotland have been ranked in 13th place while the UAE in 14th position.The Netherlands and Nepal will reflect on the ICC ODI team rankings table after both have played four more ODIs.  Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP)released the Global Peace Index (GPI),or measure of global peacefulness. India has been ranked 137thin the Global Peace Index 2017, which ranks 163

independent states and territories according to their level of peacefulness. Top 5 Peaceful Countries: 1) Iceland 2) New Zealand 3) Portugal 4) Austria 5) Denmark  India successfully test fired its indigenously developed Agni- 5 missile on 3rd June. The missile was launched from Dr Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast. Agni Missile – Ranges: Agni 1 – 700Km Agni 2 – 2000Km Agni 3 – 2500Km Agni 4 – 3500Km Agni 5 – 5000Km  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 5, interacted with the beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) via video conferencing through the NaMo app. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is to provide housing to all by 2022.  The medical device sector hailed Andhra Pradesh's move to use auto- disable syringes for all clinical purposes. Andhra Pradesh would be the first state in the country to use auto-disposable syringes for all clinical purposes, which will be enforced from World Hepatitis Day on July 28.  Tripura state officially declared the ‗Queen‘ variety of pineapple as their state fruit.  The Supreme Court cleared the decks for reservation in promotion to SC/ST employees working in the public sector. According to the Article 16(4A) of the Constitution the reservation was confirmed.  The government nominated central water commission chairman S Masood Hussain as the chief of The Cauvery Management Authority (CMA).  The number of women judges in Madras high court has touched the dozen-mark (12), with the induction of Justice PT Asha. Now the Madras high court has maximum number of women judges in the country.  Shri. D. Jaisankar, IA&AS has taken over charge on 4th June 2018 as Accountant General (A&E) of Tamil Nadu.  The Geo-Intelligence Asia 2018 was held at Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi on June 4-5, 2018.

 The Tamil Nadu government announced that the second edition of the Global Investors‘ Meet will be held in Chennai on January 23 and 24, 2019.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached China's Qingdao and attended the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit which was held on June 9th and 10th, 2018.  The Tamil Nadu government today announced banning the use of plastic items, including non-biodegradable bags, from January 1, 2019 in the interest of the environment and to ―gift a plastic-free‖ state to future generations. The ban is being brought under an environment protection act of 1986.However, plastic sachets used to pack milk, curd and oil, besides those used to wrap medical products, will be exempted from the ban.CMK Palaniswami‘s announcement in the state assembly coincided with International Environment Day(June 5).  Tamil Nadu government now gets ready to train students for Chartered Accountancy (CA) course. The government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU), with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to conduct CA training for government and aided school student.  Tamil Nadu Police Department is proud to launch the Kavalan Dial 100 App and Kavalan SOS App as a part of the Tamil Nadu State Police Master Control Room initiative. It was launched by CM K.Palaniswami.  Kavalan Dial 100 App: The DIAL 100 App as a part of the Tamil Nadu State Police Master Control Room initiative. People of Tamil Nadu can use to seek police assistance instantly in emergency situations  Kavalan SOS App: Citizens of Tamil Nadu especially women, children and old age people, can use the Kavalan App whenever they feel vulnerable or threatened.  CM K Palaniswami opened a Police Public School at Oonamancherry near Vandalur on the Tamil Nadu Police Academy premises. This is the first-of-the-kind school in Tamil Nadu. The State Board School, however, has classes from 1 to 5 only and offers education through English medium.

 After Chennai‘s Central and Egmore railway terminals Tambaram became the Chennai‘s 3rd and new terminal. This was started by Rajen Gohain, Union Minister of State for Railways on June 8, 2018.  Rajen Gohain, Union minister of state for railways, flagged off the Antyodaya Express between Tambaram and Tirunelveli at Tambaram railway station.  Uday Express, a double-decker train between KSR Bengaluru and Coimbatore, started its services from Coimbatore Railway Station. Union Minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain, flagged off the Uday Express.  CM K. Palaniswami gave away ‗Green Awards‘ to various districts in the State and industries for their contribution towards the environment and incorporating best environment-friendly practices.  Tamilnadu Government Green Awards – 2018  Award winning Educational institutions: National Institute of Technology (NIT), Trichy. Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University, Vellore. Gandhigram Rural University, Dindigul.  Award winning Industrial units: ILFS Tamilnadu power company Limited, Cuddalore United Breweries Private Limited, Tiruvallur. Seshasayee Paper and Boards Limited, Namakkal.  Award winning Collectors: Annadurai, Thanjavur district collector. Sundaravalli, Tiruvallur district collector. L. Subramanian, Viluppuram district collector.  Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli's wax statue was unveiled at the Madame Tussauds museum in New Delhi.  India's star woman cricketer Mithali Raj became the first women cricketer to score 2000 runs in Twenty20 Internationals (T20I). BCCI Annual Awards 2018:  The BCCI Awards (Naman) was held in Bengaluru on June 12th, 2018. Award winners for the 2016-17 season:

 C.K. NAYUDU LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Mr. Pankaj Roy (posthumously).  BCCI SPECIAL AWARD - Mr. Abbas Ali Baig& Late Mr. NarenTamhane  POLLY UMRIGAR AWARD - ViratKohli (4th time)  BEST INTERNATIONAL CRICKETER (WOMEN) - Harmanpreet Kaur  BCCI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR WOMEN - Ms. Diana Edulji Award winners for the 2017-18 season:  C.K. NAYUDU LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Mr. Anshuman Gaekwad  BCCI SPECIAL AWARD –Late Mr. Budhi Kunderan  POLLY UMRIGAR AWARD - ViratKohli (5th time)  BEST INTERNATIONAL CRICKETER (WOMEN) – Smriti Mandhana  BCCI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR WOMEN - Ms. Sudha Shah  FIFA Rankings 2018: 1. GERMANY 2. BRAZIL 3. BELGIUM 4. PORTUGAL 5. ARGENTINA 6. SWITZERLAND 7. FRANCE 8. POLAND 9. CHILE 10. SPAIN 97. INDIA  Russia who was hosted the 2018 FIFA WORLD CUP is at the 70th rank.  Canada became the first country in the G-7 Countries to legalize recreational marijuana across the country.  Joint Military Exercise SURYA KIRAN-XIII between India and Nepal was conducted at Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand from 30 May to 12 June 2018. The 2017 SURYA KIRAN Exercise was held at Kathmandu, Nepal.  India‘s new indigenously designed and developed Dhanush 155- millimeter towed howitzer has a new maximum effective range of 38 kilometer in salvo mode. The gun has passed tests under severe cold conditions in Sikkim and Leh and in hot and humid weather in Balasore, Odisha and finally in the desert of Pokhran in Rajasthan.  Internet-beaming balloons will soon provide free Wi-Fi to remote villages in Uttarakhand. To provide internet access to rural areas, the

hill state will use tethered aerostats. The first such aerostat was launched at IT Park in Dehradun on a pilot basis in the presence of chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat. Hydrogen is used to lift the aerostat. The 6-metre-long aerostat can float in the air through remote controls.  Spike in ozone pollution has emerged as a rising threat for the already polluted Delhi and NCR with a new study finding "green areas more vulnerable". Conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).  Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami inaugurated the Amma Master Health Check-Up Centre at the Government Multi Super- Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Estate on Anna Salai, on June 8, 2018.  The 2018 Asian Junior Athletics Championships was held from 7–10 June at Gifu Nagaragawa Stadium in Gifu, Japan.  Medal Details: 1. Jisna Mathew - Women‘s 400m - Gold 2. M. Sreeshankar - Long jump - Bronze 3. Ajay Bhalothia - Shot Put - Silver 4. Abhinaya Sudhakara Shetty - High jump - Bronze 5. Karthick kumar - 10000m - Bronze 6. Durga Pramod - Women‘s 1500m - Bronze  New Zealand women created history after smashing a world record total of 490/4 against Ireland in the opening ODI.  United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) elected South Africa, Indonesia, Dominican Republic, Germany and Belgium as non- permanent members of UN Security Council (UNSC). Five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States  The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was apprised of the agreement signed in connection with release of Joint Stamps between Department of Posts, India and Russia Post (Joint- Stock Company ―MARKA‖ of Russian Federation) to establish postal

cooperation and strive towards mutually beneficial operational excellence in the field of issuance of stamps,‖.  India has registered a significant decline in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) recording a 22% reduction in such deaths since 2013, according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin released. MMR is defined as the proportion of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births. Three states have already met the SDG target for MMR of 70 per 1,00,000. They are Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.  Former NIA chief Sharad Kumar has been appointed vigilance commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission on June 10 for a term of four years or till he attains the age of 65.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached China's Qingdao and attended the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO summit on June 9 & 10 2018.  The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was announced on 15 June 2001 and its headquarters situated in Beijing, China. As of now totally there are 8 member states in this organisation.  Member States are: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan.  The 44th G7 summit was held on 8–9 June 2018, in La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada. The Group of Seven (G7) is a group consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.  The 2018 French Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament held at Paris. Rafael Nadal(Spain)was the defending champion and successfully defended his title, defeating Dominic Thiem(Austrian) in the final, 6–4, 6–3, 6–2. Nadal equaled Margaret Court's all-time record of 11 Grand Slam singles titles won at one major and became the first player to achieve that feat in the Open era.  2018 French Open – Women‘s Singles. World No. 1 Simona Halep (Romania) won her first Grand Slam title, defeating Sloane Stephens (American) in the final, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1.  2018 Intercontinental Cup was a 4-team (India, Kenya, Chinese Taipei, New Zealand) association football tournament held at the

Indian city of Mumbai. India won the tournament by defeating Kenya 2–0 in the final. Indian team Captain Sunil Chhetri got the Man of the Series award.  With a population of just 335,000, Iceland became the smallest country ever to qualify for the World Cup. It was placed at 22nd in the world cup ranking list.  Bangladesh beat India by three wickets in the final to win their first 2018 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup title.  India finished with a tally of 5 gold, 2 silver and 10 bronze medals placed at third with the total of 17 medals at the 2018 Asian Junior Athletics Championships.  Medal Details: 1. Kamalraj Kanagaraj - 5000 m - Gold 2. Ajit Kumar - 5000 m - Gold 3. Women‘s relay squad -4x400m - Silver 4. Anu Kumar -800m - Gold 5. Arpandeep Kaur Pajwa - Discuss Throw - Bronze 6. Jisna Mathew - Women‘s 200m - Bronze  2018 World Cup is the first in history to witness matches in two different continents — Europe and Asia.  The Video Assistant Referee system was used for the first time in World Cup history.  The 2018 World Cup mascot, the representative symbol of the tournament was chosen via online voting. The mascot is a wolf named Zabivaka.  At 45, goalkeeper Essam El-Hadary became the oldest ever player to play in a FIFA World Cup match.  At 19, Australian footballer Daniel Arzani is the youngest player at World Cup 2018.  FIFA World Cup host countries: 2014 – Brazil (Won by Germany) 2018 – Russia (Won by France) 2022 - Qatar

2026 - North America (united bid by Canada, Mexico, and the United States)  FIFA‘s official partner KIA selected Nathania John K from Tamil Nadu along with 10-year-old boy Rishi Tej from Karnataka, for the Official Match Ball Carrier in the FIFA World Cup 2018.  The opening match of FIFA World Cup 2018 was held on June 14, 2018 between the hosting country Russia and Saudi Arabia. Russia thrashed Saiudi Arbia with 5-0.  Russia's Yuri Gazinskiy scores the opening goal of the 2018 World Cup.  Formula 1 Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany won the Canadian Grand Prix.  On 14 June 2018, Afghanistan's cricket team made history when they stepped out on the pitch in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru to face India in their first competitive Test match at the Bengaluru Chinnasamy Stadium.  New Zealand‘s Amelia Kerr hit a world record 232 runs in the Women‘s one-day international.  The 2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters was a 6 nation Kabaddi Masters series which was held in the United Arab Emirates from 22 – 30 June 2018. The tournament featured defending world champions India, Pakistan, Iran, Republic of Korea, Argentina and Kenya.  The summit between US president Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on 12 June 2018 was the first meeting ever. The summit took place at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island in Singapore.  They signed a joint statement, agreeing to security guarantees for North Korea, new peaceful relations, reaffirmation of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, recovery of soldiers' remains, and follow-up negotiations between high-level officials.  North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (abbreviated as DPRK).  The US State Department approved the sale of six Boeing AH-64E Apache helicopters to India. It also approved sale of Hellfire & Stinger

missiles, 14 T700-GE-701D engines; four AN/APG-78 fire control radars; four radar electronic units (REU), sight/pilot night vision sensors.  Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated the first office of leading defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) in Vietnam.  Indian Coast Guard interceptor boat ICGS Charlie-440 commissioned on June 14, 2018 in Chennai.  To harness the power of solar energy and to prevent evaporation from lakes, the government will set up 250 MW floating solar power stations at a cost of Rs. 1,125 crore based on feasibility, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said.  The Rajya Puraskar Award rally was held on 14th June, 2018 at Raj Bhavan, Guindy. Our Honourable Governor of Tamil Nadu, Mr.Banwarilal Purohit presented the awards and certificates to every Scouts and Guides.  Freedom fighter, poet, playwright and drama artiste Tamil Nadaga Chemmal S.S.Viswanatha Das‘s was born in Sivakasi on 16th June 1886.  Tamil Literary Garden hosted the 'Awards Gala 2017' at Canada. 'Lifetime Achievement Award 2017' - Thiru Kalyanasundaram Sivasankaran (Vannadasan)  Fiction Award - Tamilmagan for ‗Vengai Nangoorathin Jeen Kurippukal‘.  Non-Fiction Award - E.Balasundaram ‗Canadavil Ilangai Thamizarin Vaazvum Valamum‘.  Poetry Award  Translation Award(English to Tamil) - : D. I. Aravindan for ‗Balasaraswathi: Her Life and Art  Canada Tamil Literary Garden founded in 2001, the Tamil Literary Garden is a Toronto based charitable organization committed to promoting the development of literature and studies in Tamil internationally.

 The event that takes centre stage is a Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually to a writer, scholar who has made very significant contribution to the growth or study of Tamil literature.  It also has instituted other awards: Awards for Fiction, Non-fiction, Poetry, and Information Technology in Tamil, Translation and Scholarship to an undergraduate enrolled in a Tamil studies program.  The 33-year-old Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in World Cup history against Spain. The goal marked Ronaldo‘s 51st career hat-trick and also the 51st hat- trick in World Cup history.  The first VAR decision at the World Cup came on 16 June in a group stage match between France and Australia. The first ever World Cup final penalty awarded by VAR was given as France. France striker Antoine Griezmann scored from the first-ever penalty awarded by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) at a World Cup.  The fourth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog was held under the chairmanship of the Hon‘ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi on June 17, 2018. NITI - National Institution for Transforming India (01 Jan 2015).  106th Indian Science Congress will be held at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Jalandhar, Punjab from 3-7th January, 2019. Focal Theme - Future India: Science & Technology.  The UK government has caused outrage with its decision to exclude Indian students from a new list of countries considered "low risk" in order to facilitate an easier visa application process to UK universities. The changes, which come into effect on July 6, 2018 aim to make it easier for international students to come to study in the UK.  Electronic-Cigarette, a battery-operated inhaler that emits doses of vaporised nicotine, or non-nicotine solutions, will be banned in Tamil Nadu, Health minister C Vijaya Baskar told the Assembly.  Summit is now the fastest supercomputer in the America and the fastest supercomputer in the world.

 The 28th Plenary Meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), chaired by Ambassador Janis Zlamets of Latvia, was held in Jurmala, Latvia from 14 to 15 June 2018.  The fourth meeting of Niti Aayog's Governing Council began on 17th June 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing the meeting, which is being held at Rashtrapati Bhawan consisting of Chief Ministers, Lt. Governors, Union Ministers and Special Invitees.  The Governing Council is expected to take up issues such as Measures taken to double farmers' income 1) Ayushman Bharat 2) National Nutrition Mission 3) Mission Indradhanush 4) The 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. 5) 'New India 2022'  Manu S Pillai has won the 2017 Sahitya Academy Yuva Puraskar in English Language for his book titled ―The Ivory Throne – Chronicles of the House of Travancore‖, the biography of the last queen of Travancore.  Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in Thiruvananthapuram that the government would put an end to the practice of deploying junior level officials for the personal service of seniors in the police force.  Mehbooba Mufti on June 19, 2018 resigned as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) pulled out of the alliance with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.  2018 Mercedes Cup was held at Stuttgart, Germany. Men‘s Singles Winner up: Roger Federer (Switzerland) Runner up: Milos Raonic (Canada)  The 18th Asian Games 2018 to be held at Indonesia from 18th August to 2nd September 2018.North Korea and South Korea announced that they have agreed to field a unified team for some sports and march

together with a Flag named Korea at the upcoming Asian Games 2018 in Indonesia.  The world's first International Centre for Humanitarian Forensics (ICHF) was launched on 20 June 2018 in Gujarat, India by the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Delegation for India, Bhutan, Nepal and the Maldives.  The United States announced it was withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC-Formed 2006) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The UNHRC has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. The headquarters of UNHRC is in Geneva, Switzerland.  Recreational marijuana use will soon be legal in Canada after the Senate passed a "historic" bill. Canada is only the second country in the world after Uruguay to implement legislation to permit a nationwide marijuana market.  Femina Miss India beauty pageant and was held on 19 June 2018 at, Mumbai. Anukreethy Vas, a 19 year-old college student from Tamil Nadu, has been crowned Femina Miss India 2018. She was crowned by the previous year winner, Manushi Chillar. Anukreethy will represent India at Miss World 2018.  The Union Government on June 19, 2018 constituted a Chief Ministers Subgroup to coordinate policy approaches for Agriculture and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be the Convener of the subgroup.  The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) has set up 10-member committee to review norms related to Insurance Marketing Firms (IMF) with an aim to increase insurance penetration in the country. The committee will be headed by Suresh Mathur (ED- IMF, IRDAI).

 Mehbooba Mufti is an Indian politician who served as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, from 4 April 2016 to 19 June 2018. She was the first woman to hold the office. She resigned on June 19 2018 after BJP withdrew support from the coalition government. This is for the eighth time that Jammu and Kashmir has been placed under the Governor‘s Rule from 1977 onwards.  Haryana Government has launched 7-Star Gram Panchayat Rainbow scheme to give star rankings to its panchayats.  The Union ministry of Housing and Urban Development has recently released the smart cities ranking list. The ministry said this ranking was based on the expenditure, project implementation and performance in the last four years. The progress of various smart cities was assessed. Nagpur and Vadodara have topped the list. The Greater Chennai Corporation has been ranked 37 among the 87 smart cities. The Coimbatore Corporation has been ranked 14 and Vellore and Salem corporations have been ranked 32 and 35 respectively.  Agriculture scientist & 92-year-old geneticist M S Swaminathan was conferred the Doctor of Letters degree by ITM University, Gwalior.  Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya was declared as the 100th smart city of India. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said.  Academy Award winning music composer AR Rahman is all set to serve as the Brand Ambassador of Sikkim. The state government had earlier this year made Rahman its Brand Ambassador of tourism and business.  BB Vyas IPS K Vijay Kumar & Khurshid Ganai, assumed the charge as advisors to Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra after imposition of Governor‘s rule in the state on June 20, 2018.  Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian will be leaving the finance ministry because of "pressing family commitments". Subramanian took charge as the CEA on 2014.  Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Wednesday honoured P Chinnapillai (66) from Madurai district, who has been working for the uplift of rural women for over three decades, by presenting her the Tamil Nadu government‘s Avvaiyar award for the current year. She

received the award which carries 1 lakh, a gold medal, a citation and a shawl. Chinnapillai hails from Pilluserry in Madurai district. She has been leading Kalanjiam SHG for women for a long time.  The Centre has selected Thoppur in Madurai as an ideal location for establishing the new All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Tamil Nadu.  The Tamil Nadu government was looking for a site that could handle international flights and the authorities have finally zeroed in the Cheyyur that is located 100 km south of Chennai. Kancheepuram district administration is planning to acquire around 2000 acres of land from the three villages of Cheyyur taluk and namely and two villages in the neighboring Madurantakam taluk for the proposed second airport.  Colombia midfielder Carlos Sanchez was the first player to be sent off in the tournament when he was shown a straight red card for a deliberate handball in the World Cup match against Japan.  England extended its own record in one-day international cricket by smashing the highest-ever total of 481 against Australia.  The Union government on June 22, 2018 constituted the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee as per the provisions contained in the Cauvery Management Scheme.  After being pulled up by the Supreme Court, the Centre submitted a draft of the scheme. In May, the top court approved the Cauvery Water Management Scheme, framed under Section 6A of the Inter-State River Water Disputes Act of 1956.  Cauvery Water Management Authority 2018: Central Water Commission chairman, S. Masood Hussain will head the CWMA. The committee will have its headquarters in Bengaluru.  Cauvery Water Regulation Committee 2018: The nine-member committee is designed to have representatives from four states of the Cauvery basin - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry. Navin Kumar, Chief Engineer of the Central Water Commission will head the committee. The committee will have its headquarters in Bengaluru.

 Sahitya Akademi, India‘s national academy of letters, announced a list of 23 winners for the Bal Sahitya Puraskar and 21 recipients for the Yuva Puraskar. The Bal Puraskar will be conferred on the winners, with a prize of `50,000, on Children‘s Day. The day for Yuva Puraskar is yet to be decided.  Bal Sahitya Puraskar award 2018: Kriungai Sethupathy (Tamil) won the Bal Sahitya Puraskar for his poems named ‗Siragu Mulaitha Yaanai‘.  Yuva Puraskar awards 2018: Suneel Krishnan (Tamil) won the Yuva Puraskar for his short stories name ‗Ambu Padukkai‘.  In November 2016, when the State government extended the period of maternity leave from six to nine months. The Tamil Nadu government has amended the maternity leave rule in such a way that it will now allow women government employees to seek maternity leave during their second pregnancy even if they had given birth to twins in the first delivery.  America‘s Mercer released the list Cost of Living Survey – Worldwide Ranking 2018. The survey includes the measures of comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods, and entertainment.  Top 10 of Mercer‘s costliest cities 1) Hong Kong 2) Tokyo 3) Zurich 4) Singapore 5) Seoul 6) Luanda 7) Shanghai 8) N‘Djamena 9) Beijing 10) Bern Mumbai (55) is India‘s most expensive city, followed by New Delhi (103), Chennai (144), Kolkata (182) and Bengaluru (170).  England‘s Thomson Reuters Foundation took a survey those dangerous countries for women. In that list India was named as the world‘s most dangerous country for women in a survey of global experts released.  List of the 10 countries: 1) INDIA 2) AFGHANISTAN 3) SYRIA 4) SOMALIA 5) SAUDI ARABIA 6) PAKISTAN

 Researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) in the United States have created the world‘s smallest computer that measures just 0.3 mm x 0.3 mm in size and is completely dwarfed by a grain of rice.The system is very flexible and it could be used for a variety of purposes, such as cancer studies, biochemical process monitoring.  Women in Saudi Arabia will be able to legally drive for the first time on June 24, 2018.  The world‘s largest international maritime warfare exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC-2018) will see participation of 26 countries, including India. The exercise will be held from June 27 to August 2, 2018 in and around Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.  The External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj launched a mobile application, called 'mPassport Seva' available in Android and iOS platforms, that would have the facilities for applying, paying and scheduling appointments for acquiring a passport.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the nation on the 45th edition of the radio programme 'Mann ki Baat'. The Prime Minister highlighted several important and relevant issues in his address on June 24, 2018.  Prime Minister remembered the horrific incident of Jallianwala Bagh massacre which is going to complete 100 years next year on April 13.  He also recalled Guru Nanak 550th birthday will be celebrated on 2019.  The Prime Minister also appreciated the hard work of doctors and extended greetings ahead of Doctor's day on July 1.  The Maharashtra government on March 23, 2018, banned the manufacture, usage, sale, transport, wholesale and retail sale of plastic bags with or without handle, and disposable products made out of plastic and thermocol.  Gujarat government has launched Suryashakti Kisan Yojana (SKY), solar power scheme for farmers enabling them to generate electricity for their captive consumption as well as sell surplus power to grid and earn extra buck.

 Pallavi Durua from Odisha‘s Koraput district was crowned as the India‘s first Tribal Queen.  One of pioneers in rock climbing in India and veteran mountaineer Gautam Kanjilal died of a lung infection at a city hospital here on June 22, 2018.  Dr. Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro will receive the 2018 World Food Prize for their individual and complementary global leadership in elevating maternal and child under nutrition to a central issue within the food security and development dialogue.  Recep Tayyip Erdogan (64) has been sworn in as president of Turkey after his election victory. He previously served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2014. Capital: Ankara Currency: Turkish lira  An International Yoga and Naturopathy Medical Science Centre, which would offer academic and research programmes in addition to medical treatment, will be set up in 50 acres, at a cost of 60 crore on the Chengalpattu Government Medical College campus in Kancheepuram district, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced in the Assembly. The project is being touted as a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.  The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on June 26 passed a resolution to oppose the Dam Safety Bill, 2018 proposed by the Central government. The resolution, introduced in the Assembly by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, was passed unanimously. The resolution contended that the Bill affected the State‘s rights on control and maintenance of dams like Mullaperiyar, Parambikulam, Thoonakkadavu and Peruvaripallam dams located in neighboring States.  Croatian Borna Coric won the biggest title of his career, beating No. 1 Roger Federer 7-6(6), 3-6, 6-2 at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.  The International Cricket Council today announced the schedule for the ICC Women‘s World Twenty20 2018, to be held in the West Indies from 9 to 24 November.

 Ulaanbaatar Cup 2018 was held at Mongolia. India ended the tournament with one gold, four silver, and four bronze medals. Medalists Details: Gold - Mandeep Jangra (69kg) Silver - Sonia Lather (57kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), Himanshu Sharma (49kg) and Etash Khan (56kg).  2018 Archery World Cup was held at Salt Lake City, United States of America. India bagged two medals. Abhishek Verma - Individual Event - Silver Abhishek Verma & Surekha Vennam - Mixed team - Bronze  Singapore National Swimming Championship was held at Singapore. Indian swimmers grab three medalsin this event. Sandeep Sejwal - Men's 50m breaststroke - Gold Virdhawal Khade - 50m freestyle - Silver Arvind Mani - Men's 50m backstroke - Bronze  Mercedes Hamilton wins incident-packed 2018 French Grand Prix Championship.  According to the Swiss National Bank data: In comparison, the total funds held by all foreign clients of Swiss banks rose about 3 per cent to CHF about Rs 100 lakhs crore in 2017. Money parked by Indians in Swiss banks rose over 50% to CHF about Rs 7,000 crore) in 2017.  Lahore‘s Yousuf Saleem, a visually impaired but visionary young lawyer, has broken stereotypes by becoming Pakistan‘s first-ever blind judge.  The University Grants Commission of India (UGC India) is a statutory body set up by the Indian Union government in accordance to the UGC Act 1956. In one of the biggest move towards reforming higher education in India, the central government announced a complete overhaul of the apex higher education regulator- University Grants Commission, repeal of the UGC Act, 1951 and a fresh legislation to set up the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI).  The Maharashtra government today announced a new scheme called 'Kanya Van Samruddhi Yojana', wherein farmers families where girl

children are born, will be given saplings for plantation. The scheme is aimed at empowering women and promoting tree plantation.  The Ministry of Shipping‘s flagship programme for port-led-prosperity ‗Sagarmala‘ received the ‗Gold Award‘ in infrastructure sector in the recently concluded 52nd Skoch Summit 2018 in New Delhi. The Sagarmala Programme also received the ‗Order of Merit‘ at the Summit.  The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved institution of Home Minister‘s Special Operation Medal. It also has instituted three more Medals- Antarik Suraksha Medal, Asadharan Aashuchan Padak, and Utkrisht & Ati-Utkrisht Seva Medal. Police Officers of States/UTs, Central Police Organisations (CPOs), Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Security Organisation involved in Special Operations are eligible for it.  The State Assembly on June 28th adopted two bills to further extend the term of special officers for Tamil Nadu local bodies by six months. This is the fourth extension since October 2016 when the Madras High Court cancelled the State Election Commission‘s notification for elections to local bodies. The term of these officers which was to end by June 30, has now been extended to December 31.  Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that the birth anniversaries of freedom fighter Ramasamy Padayachi (September 16) and actor Sivaji Ganesan (October 1) would be celebrated by the State government from this year. Ramasamy Padaiyachiar was act as the Local Administration Minister of Tamilnadu.  The UZHAVAN App introduced by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on 5th April 2018. The App will provide information about agricultural operation and access to 9 types of services including details of insurance. Tamil Nadu government‘s UZHAVAN mobile app won the 52nd SKOCH silver award.  The Forest Ministry‘s ―Ecotourism Policy 2017‖ book was released by Chief Minister K. Palaniswami.

 The pledge agreement was signed to start a Chair at Tamil Studies at University of Toronto, Canada.  Jinson Johnson smashed legendary Sri ram Singh‘s 42-year-old 800m record, the oldest one in Indian athletics, on the second day of the 58th National Inter State Senior Athletics Championships. Johnson, representing Kerala, clocked 1:45.65 seconds to clinch the gold and to better the earlier record of 1:45.77 in the name of Sri ram set during the 1976 Olympic Games.  Tamil Nadu‘s Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar received an award from Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda in New Delhi. After reducing its Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) (per 1, 00,000 live births) to 66 during 2014-2016, Tamil Nadu has brought it down even further. The latest figure stands at 62.  The Board of Directors of ICICI Bank on Friday appointed Girish Chandra Chaturvedi as non-executive part-time chairman of the bank effective from July 1, 2018.  Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu today launched a mobile application called ReUnite on June 29 which helps to track and trace missing and abandoned children in India. Speaking on this occasion the Minister appreciated the work being done by the NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan & Capgemini for developing this app.  The Cauvery Water Management Authority set up by the Union ministry of water resources to resolve the inter-state water dispute is all set to have its first meeting on July 2. The meeting will take place in Central Water Commission‘s headquarters in New Delhi.

IMPORTANT DAYS – JUNE 2018  World Milk Day - June 1 World Milk Day is a day established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations to recognise the importance of milk as a global food. It has been observed on June 1 each year since 2001. Theme in India: "Drink Move Be Strong".  Global Day of Parents – June1  World Bicycle Day - June3 The first official World bicycle day was celebrated on June 3, 2018 by UN.  World Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression - June 4  World Environment Day - June 5 Theme: Beat Plastic Pollution  Tamil is established as a Classical language – June 6 Tamil was the first Indian language to be declared as a classical language, which the Government of India did in 2004. On June 6, 2004 Tamil is established as a ―classical language" by the President of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, in a joint sitting of the two houses of the Indian Parliament. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the Indian Union Territory of Puducherry. Tamil is an official language in three countries, Malaysia Singapore and Sri Lanka.  World Oceans Day - June 8 Theme: Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean.  World Day against Child Labor - June 12 Theme: Generation Safe & Healthy  International Albinism Awareness Day -June 13 Theme: Shining our light to the world  World Blood Donor Day - June 14 Theme: Be there for someone else. Give blood. Share life.  World Elder Abuse Awareness Day - June 15

Theme: Moving from Awareness to Action through Human Rights based approach  International Integration Day - June 16  International Day of Family Remittances (IDFR) - June 16 Theme: Remittances: One family at a time  World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought - June 17 Theme: Land has true value – invest in it.  International Father‘s Day – June 17 (Third Sunday in June)  International Picnic Day - June 18  International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict – June 19 Theme: The Plight and Rights of Children Born of War.  World Refugee Day - June 20 (Observed from 2001)  World Music Day - June 21  International day of Yoga - June 21. This is the 4th Yoga Day. Theme: Yoga for Peace.  International Olympic Day - June 23  Emergency period enacted day – June 25 in 1975 (43rd Anniversary)  Day of the Seafarer - June 25 Theme: Seafarers wellbeing  National Statistics Day - June 29 Theme: Quality Assurance in Official Statistics  It is celebrated annually on the occasion of Birth anniversary of India‘s eminent statistician Late Prof. Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis. Government of India in 2007, has designated 29th June as the ―Statistics Day‖. Vice President of India released a commemorative coin of Rs 125 and circulation coin of Rs 5 denomination as a mark of respect/homage to Prof. Mahalanobis.  International Day of Parliamentarism - June 30

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