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Update your IQ with the GK Eduwrap Weekly Edition, loaded with GK updates,
Current Affairs and all major happenings across the Globe. With GK Eduwrap you
can now confidently crack the IBPS, SSC’s Current Affairs Section. Good Luck!
National 1. The 4th North East Youth Festival concluded at Majuli in Jorhat district of
Assam.
2. State government of Andhra Pradesh issued orders to bring 16 sectors
under Schedule III of the AP Infrastructure Development Enabling Act (APIDEA),
2001 with an aim to develop infrastructure in public private partnership (PPP)
mode.
3. Nigerian Army launched operations to flush out Boko Haram from Sambisa
Forest.
4. President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to re-promulgation of land
ordinance for third time as per provisions of Article 123 of Indian Constitution.
5. Maharashtra Government has launched Swachhata
Saptapadi scheme on the lines of Union Government’s flagship
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
6. Private insurer Bajaj Allianz on 28 June 2015 launched a weather-based crop
insurance scheme for orange crops in Nagpur, Hingoli and Washim districts of
Maharashtra.
7. Social networking giant Facebook has added 13 million users in six months to
take its user base to 125 million in India, its second-biggest market globally.
8. India and Sweden signed 6 agreements to boost ties and restart the bilateral
strategic dialogue. The agreements were inked in presence of President Pranab
Mukherjee, who is on a state visit to Sweden. Mukherjee is the first ever Indian
head of state to visit Sweden.
9. The Union Government formed a committee under the Chairpersonship of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi to oversee the celebrations of 125th birth
anniversary of Dr. BR Ambedkar, also called Bhim Jayanti which is annually
celebrated on 14th April.
10. The Union Government notified the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign
Income as Assets) and imposition of Tax Act, 2015. The Act will come into effect
from 1st April 2016. The Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of
Tax) Bill, 2015 was introduced in Lok Sabha on 20th March 2015 and was passed
by Parliament on 13th May 2015.
11. Book titled Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Pramukh Swamiji
authored by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and Arun Tiwari was released
on 15 June 2015.
12. The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the Agreement on Coastal and
Maritime Shipping between India and Bangladesh that paves the way for the
commencement of coastal shipping between the two countries.
Some features of the Agreement:
» India and Bangladesh shall render the same treatment to the other
country’s vessels as it would have done to its national vessels used in
international sea transportation.
» It will improve the utilization of port capacities of Indian ports and open
up new opportunity for Indian coastal vessels.
» It will help in decongestion of roads especially at the Land custom
stations or integrated check posts at the Indo-Bangladesh boarder.
» The Indian ports serving as transshipment ports for Bangladesh cargo will
derive benefits by way of enhanced throughput as a result of Indo-
Bangladesh coastal trade.
» The River Sea Vessel (RSV) category of vessel is prescribed for coastal
shipping to lower construction and operation cost without compromising
on the safety of the vessel.
13. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley inaugurated the new Bank Note Paper
Line unit of 6000 metric tonne capacity at Security Paper Mill in Hoshangabad,
Madhya Pradesh. Another such unit will be soon operationalised in Mysore.
With opening of this, India will become self-reliant in producing Bank Note
Paper for big denominations. Earlier, India was considerably dependent on
import of bank note paper for currency of big denominations.
He also flagged off the first consignment of one thousand rupees bank note
paper made indigenously to Currency Note Press Nashik.
14. Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR) in West Bengal: West Bengal Minister for
Forests Benoy Krishna Barman stated in the legislature that the dwindling
population has been caused by the increasing number of hamlets along the
reserve. His reply came against the claims by some conservationists that the
reserve lost all its tigers and no tiger was sighted in it since 2002.
15. The book Super Economies: America, India, China & The Future of The
World written by Raghav Bahl was published in May 2015. He is an Indian
businessman best known for his ownership of several television channels,
including TV18.
» The book explains the vastly changed nature of the world since the Cold
War and predicts what will be the likely changes in the 21st century.
16. Book Ahmedabad: A City in the World authored by Amrita Shah was released.
The book is a biography of India’s seventh-largest city Ahmedabad and it’s all too
frequent complicity in communal violence.
The author in the book has described the six-hundred year old former
textile town in Kaka-style development and sketches Mahatma Gandhi and
his struggle against British rule.
17. Gatimaan Express is the first semi high-speed train service that will be
launched between Delhi and Agra. The train will run at a maximum speed of 160
kmph and is expected to cover the 200-km distance between both destinations in
about 105 minutes.
18. President Pranab Mukherjee has given his assent to re-promulgation of land
ordinance for third time as per provisions of Article 123 of Indian Constitution.
19. Punjab government has announced that year 2015-16 will be will be observed
as development year to give further fillip to the all-round development of the
state. It was announced by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, in Dhuri Assembly
segment of the state.
20. A case was lodged in Barabanki court in Uttar Pradesh against Nestle India
over inadequate safety standards of its product Maggi.
» Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug
Administration (UP FDA) had asked Nestle India to
withdraw a batch of Maggi noodles from the market
after they had found that it contained high level of
lead and Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a taste
enhancer.
21. The Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi
launched the IAP Health Phone Program in New Delhi. The IAP Health Phone
Program is the world’s largest digital mass education program for addressing the
malnutrition in women and children.
» This program was developed by the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) in
partnership with the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development,
UNICEF and is supported by Vodafone India.
» It is a public-partnership initiative that leverages the increasing
penetration of mobile phones in the country to educate over 6 million girls
and women between 13 and 35 years of age and their families on better
health and nutrition practices by 2018. IAP Health Phone Program aims to
tackle the challenge of malnutrition in mothers and children across India.
» Vodafone will enable its customers to view/download the videos free of
data charges and on viewing the 4 videos, the user will receive a talk time
incentive of 10 rupees. Vodafone will send out approximately 300 million
text messages to its subscribers every year to promote the viewing of the
four videos. They will partner with social media giants such as Facebook,
Twitter and Google to use their exponentially growing channels to reach
more-rural and urban-caregivers.
22. The Union Government simplified the defence rules to boost defence
manufacturing in the country and encourage foreign players to explore business
in India.
» In order to provide a level-playing field to private players, the government
withdrew excise and customs duty exemptions enjoyed by the Ordinance
Factory Board and defence Public Sector Undertakings.
» It will encourage more private sector firms to collaborate with foreign
partners such as Boeing, Airbus and Lockheed Martin and enter the defence
equipment manufacturing business.
23. The trial run of Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala direct bus service began on 1st June
2015.
» During its journey, the bus will cross two international checkpoints-
Petrapole between West Bengal and Bangladesh and second is Akhuara on
Tripura-Bangladesh border. With the launch of the Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala
direct bus service, the time taken to reach Agartala from Kolkata will be
reduced to 17 hours. Earlier, the distance was covered in three days.
» Besides, India and Bangladesh will also announce Dhaka-Shillong-
Guwahati service during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to
Bangladesh.
24. For the first time two patients infected by MERS Virus (Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)) died in South Korea. So far, there have been 25
confirmed cases of MERS since a man tested positive following a trip to Saudi
Arabia and became the country’s first MERS patient.
Facts about MERS Virus:
» Source: MERS is a betacoronavirus derived from bats. Camels have shown
to have antibodies to MERS, but the exact source of infection in camels has
not been identified.
» Transmission: It can be transmitted from infected person to others after
close contact via a respiratory route. It spread’s in droplets when an
infected person coughs or sneezes.
» Symptoms: Fever, Breathing problems, Pneumonia and Kidney failure.
» Treatment: Till date there is no vaccine available to prevent it. However
intensive medical care can help patient to breath.
25. Union Government has launched Khoya Paya web platform for people to
directly report, track and upload information on missing children. Khoya Paya is
joint initiative of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD)
and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY).
Khoya Paya website has three sections:
» My child is missing- where citizens can report
missing children.
» I have sighted a child- where citizens can
report sightings and whereabouts of missing
children without wasting much time.
» Search a missing child and the found children
can also be reported on it.
The reporting to the KhoyaPaya site can be done through text,
photographs, videos and other means of transmitting and uploading
information.
26. Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated phase 1A of metro rail
services in Jaipur. With this, the pink city became the sixth city in the country to
have metro service after Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata.
» One most important fact of Jaipur metro service is that six out of 24
Metro train operators, that is, 25 percent of metro drivers, are
women. Jaipur Metro Rail Project has been developed by Jaipur Metro Rail
Corporation Ltd (JMRCL) which was set up as a wholly owned subsidiary by
the Government of Rajasthan.
» In the first phase, the metro will run on 9.6 kilometer stretch covering
nine stations from residential area Mansarovar to business hub in
Chandpole.
27. Fishing ban along the Western Coast became effective from 1st June 2015.
The ban will be in place for 61 days till 31st July 2015 in all the western coast
states except in Kerala.
» Kerala decided to stick to the 47-day ban, as in previous years, and
allowed its fishermen to continue operating till June 15.
28. India and Belarus signed six agreements to enhance bilateral co-operation.
The agreements were signed in presence of President Pranab Mukherjee during
his state visit to Belarus.
The signed agreements are:
» Roadmap for India-Belarus Cooperation for strengthening bilateral
relations and co-operation in the field of trade, culture and other areas.
» Protocol to amendment to amend the agreement between two countries
for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion
with respect to Taxes on Income and on Property (Capital) of September,
1997.
» MoU on Cooperation in the field of Standardization and Information
Support: It was signed between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the
State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus.
» MoU for cooperation on Broadcasting: It was signed between Prasar
Bharati (PB) and the National State Television and Radio Company of the
Republic of Belarus (Belteleradiocompany).
» MoU on Bilateral Cooperation between the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) and the Ministry of Finance of Belarus.
» MoU for Manufacturing and Marketing of Light Industry Goods (concern
Bellegprom): It was signed between the Union Ministry of Textiles of India
and the Belarusian State.
29. India and the United States (US) signed the 2015 Framework for the India-US
Defence Relationship. The framework was signed by the Manohar Parrikar, India’s
Defence Minister and Ashton Carter, US Secretary of Defence. The framework was
signed during the three-day official visit of the Dr. Carter to India.
30. Suresh Kalmadi was conferred with the Asian Athletics Association (AAA)
President’s award. He was awarded for his contribution
towards the development of athletics in Asian
continent. Adille Sumariwala, the President of Athletics
Federation of India received the award on behalf of
Kalmadi at the function held in Wuhan, China ahead of the
start of Asian Athletics Championships.
31. Stempeutics Research Pvt. Ltd. announced that its stem cell drug, Stempeucel,
received Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the European Medicines Agency
(EMA). An orphan drug is a pharmaceutical agent that has been developed
specifically to treat a rare medical condition, the condition itself being referred to
as an orphan disease.
32. India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on
Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI). The declaration to
comply with the provisions of the MCAA was signed in Paris by Mohan Kumar, the
Indian ambassador to France.
33. Jharkhand Cabinet approved Jharkhand Special Courts Ordinance 2015. The
decision was taken during a Cabinet meet chaired by Chief Minister Raghubar
Das. These Special Courts will be established for speedy trail of corruption cases
and will help in creating a corruption-free state. Further these courts will enable
prosecution of individuals responsible for hoarding black money and confiscate
the illegal acquired property of the guilty.
34. World Bank has approved USD 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood
Recovery Project in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The project will be funded by loan
credit from International Development Association (IDA), a World Bank’s
concessionary with a maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period.
35. Around 18 army men were killed and at least 11 injured when militants
ambushed their convoy in Manipur’s Chandel district on 4th June 2015. The
government has asked the army to launch counter-insurgency operations to trace
and eliminate the militants involved in the attack; the Indo-Myanmar border in
Manipur has also been closed to stop the militants from fleeing to the
neighboring country.
36. India’s first of its kind Tier-I Oil Spill Response Centre (OSRC) for Mumbai Port
Trust (MBT), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and ONGC’s facilities at Nhava
and Uran was inaugurated. It was inaugurated by Union Minister of Road
Transport & Highways and Shipping, Nitin Gadkari to tackle pollution and oil spills
in and around Mumbai.
37. India has lost a poultry case against United States at World Trade Organization
(WTO) after WTO’s Dispute Settlement Board (DSB) ruled that India’s ban on
import of poultry meat, eggs and live pigs from US is inconsistent with the
international norms.
38. Union Government has signed a loan and project agreement with World Bank
to provide $400 million to the Tamil Nadu government for its Sustainable Urban
Development Project.
39. Two Indian organizations Indian Army and Indian Railways are among
the world’s biggest employers, together employing around 2.7 million people, as
per a research published by the World Economic Forum on 17 June 2015.
40. Andhra Pradesh government has decided to form a Cabinet sub-committee
named as Krishi Cabinet. This sub-committee will focus on the challenges of the
Primary Sector Mission of state government undertaken to make agriculture and
its allied activities profitable and sustainable for all-round improvement of the
rural economy.
41. Fortune released the 61st edition of list of top 500 companies.
» These Fortune 500 companies account for 12.5 trillion US dollar in
revenues, 945 billion US dollar in profits and 17 trillion US dollar in market
value and employ 26.8 million people worldwide.
42. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated six mechanical road sweepers
on Kalibari Marg, Delhi to effectively control air pollution and keep the city clean.
43. Himachal Pradesh High Court has ruled that the daughters in tribal areas in
the state shall inherit the property in accordance with Hindu Succession Act,
1956. This landmark judgment will help to bring a new resolution in the tribal
society’s inoder to grant equal rights to the girls and bring down gender disparity.
44. India’s first green police station was inaugurated on the occasion of World
Environment Day at Maurice Nagar in north Delhi.
45. Doctors from Texas State of United States have done the world’s first partial
skull and scalp transplant from a human donor. This rare medical feat was
achieved by team of Doctors from Houston Methodist Hospital and MD Anderson
Cancer Center which opens new frontier in transplant surgery.
46. Union Government launched nationwide Jal Kranti Abhiyan. It was launched
by Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejunivetion Uma Bharti in Jaipur, Rajasthan.
47. The Mumbai Metro One, a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure, has tied up
with Domino’s Pizza to introduce “pizza on-the-Go” to commuters, marking one
year of operations.
48. Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) announced USE and GET PAID
scheme, under which people will be paid one rupees for using public toilets. The
announced scheme aims to eradicate the practice of open defecation and will
help to keep the city clean.
49. Jind and Karnal districts of Haryana and Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh were
included in National Capital Region.
» National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) came into being in
1985. The aim of the concept was to develop a metropolitan area around
Delhi, so as to divert increasing pressure of population from the region.
50. Cyclonic storm ASHOBAA developed into a cyclonic storm from only a
depression that formed over the Arabian Sea. The cyclone is centered at 17.9°N
and 67.2°E and is lying about 590 km west-southwest of Mumbai and 470 km
southwest of Veraval, Gujarat.
51. The Mangrove Forest Division (MFD) of Bhitarkanika revealed that
Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary of Odisha is witnessing an alarming denudation in
large tracts of mangrove vegetation. The denudation has been noted among the
Avicennia and Excoecaria species, popularly known as Bani and Guan.
52. Indian Railways has changed the timing for the booking of Tatkal tickets, and
said that customers can get a refund of upto 50% on cancellation for the same.
53. Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Prakash
Javadekar cleared the Coastal Road Project of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
» This project will cover 35.6 km between Nariman Point and Kandivali,
along the western seafront. The project will begin in mid-August 2015. The
project will help in decongesting Mumbai roads and will also create 91
hectares of green space.
54. Delhi Jal Board vice chairman Kapil Mishra has been named as the new Law
Minister of Delhi. Tomar, who quit as Delhi Law Minister, claims to have done his
B.Sc. from RML Avadh University, Faizabad. Police have taken him for spot
verification and questioning of his degree.
55. India and Bangladesh signed the historical 1974 Land Boundary
Agreement (LBA) which would settle the 4096-kilometre-long border dispute
between the two countries.
» Bangladesh took over 111 enclaves (17160 acres of land) from India’s
possession and India received 51 enclaves (7110 acres of land) from
Bangladesh. Enclaves are tiny landlocked territories that each country has
within the borders of the other nation. The enclaves in Assam, West Bengal,
Tripura and Meghalaya come under the bill’s ambit.
56. Indian Institute of Science (IISc) found that the fire on the water of Bellandur
Lake was caused due to industrial effluents in the water. The findings were
published in a study titled, pathetic status of wetlands in Bengaluru: epitome of
inefficient and uncoordinated governance.
57. Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) first-ever Jan Aushadhi Generic Drug
(JAGD) Store was inaugurated at its headquarters in IP Estate, New Delhi. The
store will offer over 118 commonly used drugs at a 10% to 20% lesser price than
market value. The store was launched by the Union Minister of State for
Chemicals and Fertilizers Hansraj Gangaram Ahir.
58. Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga
Rejunivetion Uma Bharti launched nationwide Jal Kranti Abhiyan (campaign) from
Jaipur, Rajasthan.
» Objective: To consolidate water conservation and management in the
country through a holistic and integrated approach involving all
stakeholders, making it a mass movement.
59. Andhra Pradesh (AP) circle of India Post decided to sell River Godavari water
as GOD-JAL (Godavari Pushkaram Jal) during Pushkaram festival season between
14th July and 25th July 2015. 500 ml of purified GOD-JAL will be duly bottled and
purified as per ISI standards and will be delivered at door step for as low a cost as
INR 20 per bottle.
» The GOD-JAL will be sold at post offices across Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh and will be available for citizens who will not be able to take a dip
in the river during the Pushkaram festival. The GOD-JAL will be sold through
95 post offices, 2360 sub post offices and 13611 branch post offices of the
two states.
60. The High Court of Himachal Pradesh asked the state government to establish
separate homes for differently-abled, shelter less, destitute and mentality
challenged people. The state government was asked to complete the work within
a year.
61. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved two road
projects worth Rs. 4721 crore, one in Madhya Pradesh and another in Telangana.
The projects will be executed under the flagship road building programme
National Highways Development Project (NHDP).
62. India, Japan and Australia held their first ever high-level trilateral dialogue in
New Delhi. The talks were attended by Indian foreign secretary S. Jaishankar,
Japanese vice foreign minister Akitaka Saiki and Australian secretary of the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Varghese.
» India accords greater importance to Japan and Australia that is evident
from the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to both the
countries within six months of coming to the office in order to
operationalise his Act East Policy.
63. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued Draft Framework on Issuance of Rupee
linked Bonds Overseas. It is intended to permit Indian corporate and International
Financial Institutions (IFIs) to issue rupee-linked bonds overseas.
64. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar launched a campaign called Badh Chala
Bihar in Patna to collate ideas from the public to produce Bihar@2025. It is a
vision document on state’s development between 2015 and 2025.
65. Union Cabinet meet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved
the signing of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) Motor Vehicle
Agreement. The agreement which is similar to the SAARC Motor Vehicle
Agreement (MVA) seeks to regulate the vehicular traffic of passenger, personal
and cargo amongst BBIN countries. The agreement will be signed at the Transport
Minister’s meeting in Thimpu, Bhutan.
66. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 10th June
2015 gave its approval for the proposal to promulgate the Negotiable Instruments
(Amendment) Ordinance, 2015.
Key Features of Negotiable Instruments:
» Cases of bouncing of cheques can be filed only in a court in whose
jurisdiction the bank branch of the payee (person who receives the cheque)
lies.
» If a complaint against a person issuing a cheque has been filed in the
court with the appropriate jurisdiction, then all subsequent complaints
against that person will be filed in the same court, irrespective of the
relevant jurisdiction area.
» If more than one case is filed against the same person before different
courts, the cases will be transferred to the court with the appropriate
jurisdiction.
» It seeks to amend the definition of cheque in the electronic form. While
the parent act defines it as a cheque containing the exact mirror image of a
paper cheque and generated in a secure system using a digital signature,
the amendment bill re-defines it as a cheque drawn in electronic medium
using any computer resource and which is signed in a secure system with a
digital signature, or electronic system.
67. Amazon, the global e-commerce and cloud services firm opened a Fulfilment
Centre near Hyderabad in Telangana.
68. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore upstaged Panjab University as India’s
number one university, while IISc and IIT Bombay were the
two new entrants in the top 100 of the Times Higher
Education University Asia Rankings 2015.
69. Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman leaded an Indian delegation for the St
Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) 2015 which was held at St
Petersburg between 18th – 20th June.
70. Indian Railways has named Haridwar Mail as Yoga Express with an immediate
effect.
71. State owned telecommunications giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)
has launched free pan India roaming scheme.
72. Union Government has launched an Indian Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP) of
1,500 crore rupees as per the mandatory provision under the Civil Liability for
Nuclear Damage Act (CLND), 2010.
73. Bibek Debroy Committee on the restructuring of Indian Railways has
submitted its final report to the Union Ministry of Railways.
74. Telangana government has unveiled New Industrial Policy 2015 to boost
industrial activity and employment opportunities in the state.
75. Migrant Resource Centre (MRC) was set up in Chennai by the Union Ministry
of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) and Tamil Nadu state government.
76. Bengaluru to host this year’s ATP Challenger. A $50,000 ATP Challenger men’s
tennis tournament is set to be held here in October,
the first for the city in 12 years. Matches will be held at
the KSLTA stadium courts from October 19 to 25, with
India’s top singles players expected to compete. The
tournament is likely to see a few world top-100 players
in action.
77. A book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi titled Modi –Incredible emergence
of a star written in Chinese language by Tarun Vijay was in news on 16 June 2015
as one copy of the book was given to Vice-President M Hamid Ansari.
78. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in June 2015 set up a Micro
Air Vehicle Aerodynamics Research Tunnel (MART) at the CSIR-National
Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) campus, Bengaluru.
79. Ministry of Railways has decided to run Suvidha trains with dynamic fares
from July 2015. The decision to run Suvidha trains was taken to address the rush
during peak travel seasons.
80. Election Commission of India (ECI) has suspended recognition of the PA
Sangma-led National People’s Party (NPP) which was a recognized state party in
Meghalaya.
» The recognition of NPP was suspended under para 16A of the Election
Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968 after the party failed to
file the election expenditure statement incurred in 2014 Lok Sabha
elections.
81. State owned telecommunications giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
(BSNL) has announced to set up 40,000 Wireless Fidelity (Wi-
Fi) hot spots across the country.
» The project will be entailed with an investment of about
6,000 crore rupees and likely to be completed by 2018.
82. Maharashtra Government has given nod to new Information Technology (IT)
and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) policy.
83. A comprehensive book in Dogri language on the Dogri literature of 20th
century entitled ‘Beehmi Sadi Da Dogri Da Gadya Sahitya : Ik Jayzaa ’ was released
in Jammu and Kashmir.
» The book has been written by a noted Dogri language scholar Dr. Vijay
Seth.
» It is based on extensive research work and incorporates five chapters
chronologically covering the development of essays, literary sketches,
travelogue, memoirs, biographic and autobiographical literature in Dogri.
84. As per recently released Global Peace Index (GPI) for year 2015, India was
placed at 143th rank out 162 countries. The report was published by Institute for
Economics and Peace (IEP).
Key facts from Global Peace Index 2015:
» Top 10 peaceful countries
Iceland (1st), Denmark (2nd), Austria (3rd), New Zealand (4th), Switzerland
(5th), Finland (6th), Canada (7th), Japan (8th), Australia (9th) and Czech
Republic (10th).
» Top 10 least peaceful countries
North Korea (153rd), Pakistan (154th), Congo (155), Sudan (156), Somalia
(157), Central Africa (158th), South Sudan (159th), Afghanistan (160th), Iraq
(161st) and Syria (162nd).
» India’s Neighbors
Bhutan (18th), Nepal (62nd), Bangladesh (84th), Sri Lanka (114th), Pakistan
(154th). In 2014, the violent events had cost $14.3 trillion from the global
economy.
» It accounted for 13.4% of global GDP. About 50 million people i.e. 0.75%
of the current world population are displaced.
» In 2014, deaths from terrorism were reported in 69 countries reported.
» It was up from 60 in 2013 highlighting the increasing use of terror tactics.
» In case of India, violence has cost it $341.7 billion i.e. 4.7% of its GDP in
2014 which is the fourth highest cost in the world.
85. Manipur State Forest Department has decided to translocate a section of
critically endangered species of Brow Antlered (Sangai)
deer with an aim to save it from extinction.
86. Union Cabinet approved increasing India’s solar power capacity target under
the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) to 1 Lakh Mega Watt (MW)
by 2022.
87. The Madras High Court (HC) has directed the Tamil Nadu Government to
make wearing of helmets for two-wheelers compulsory from 1 July 2015 onwards.
88. India’s largest IT services company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) launched a
Next-Gen Technology Solutions Center of Excellence (CoE) at its
campus in Hyderabad.
89. The One Rank, One Pension (OROP) scheme for ex-servicemen was recently in
news as the scheme is likely to be rolled out ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls
2015.
90. Union Ministry of Finance formed two committees for facilitating
implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 1st April 2016.
91. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi gave its approval for the Minimum Support Prices (MSPs) for
Kharif Crops of 2015-16 season.
92. Book titled Bikhare Khyalat written by Prof Abdul Haq was presented to Vice-
President M Hamid Ansari. The book is an Urdu translation of Mohammed Iqbal’s
writing in English tilted Stray Reflections.
93. India has been ranked third in Anti-Doping Rule Violations Report for year
2013 released by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
94. Punjab state is celebrating the 350th year of foundation of holy city Sri
Anandpur Sahib.
95. HDFC Bank, India’s second-largest private sector lender has launched a 10-
second paperless instant loan Scheme for its existing
customers.
96. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism, Culture and Civil
Aviation Mahesh Sharma launched the new edition of Atithi Devo
Bhava television (TV) commercials starring Aamir Khan as brand ambassador.
97. The Union Government has released the Draft Outline of Sovereign Gold Bond
Scheme.
98. ISRO has announced to provide navigational support to Indian Railways
through GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system.
99. Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh launched a weather alert
service named NOWCAST to provide alerts on extreme weather conditions like
hailstorm every three hours to over one crore registered farmers on their mobile
phones.
» Besides, a web-portal on crop insurance was also unveiled to create
awareness and encourage more farmers to insure their crops taking
advantage of existing schemes.
100. India has become most attractive investment destination in world after it
was ranked first among 110 countries in a ranking of destinations for
attractiveness to foreign investors.
101. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address elected heads of 500 civic bodies
from across the country.
» PM will inaugurate the three big ticket projects – Smart Cities Mission,
Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
102. India has set two Guinness world records (GWR) in Rajpath yoga event held
on the eve of first International Yoga Day led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Two records are-
» Largest number of participants- 35,985 people had participated in largest
yoga demonstration at a single venue i.e. Rajpath yoga event.
» Most number of nationalities at a single event– People of 84 nationalities
performed yoga at one place.
» The awards were received by Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik
from representatives of Guinness World Records.
103. Haryana Government has launched a Village Mentoring Project (VMP) in a
bid to improve healthcare and education of the villagers with a special emphasis
on girl child.
» The project was launched in Rajjipur village of Panchkula district of state
in collaboration with Indian School of Business (ISB).
104. India and Tanzania have inked various agreements including for cooperation
in the field of statistics, hydrography, agricultural science and tourism.
» These agreements were signed in presence of Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and his counter Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete in New
Delhi.
105. India was placed at 61st position in terms of foreigners’ money in Swiss
banks. This was revealed by latest data released by Swiss National Bank (SNB), the
central bank of Switzerland, in the fourth week of June 2015.
106. The book Beyond Doubt: A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination was compiled
and introduced by Indian civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad and published by
Tulika Books.
» It is a collection of archival documents of the government and translation
of works in Marathi, Guajarati and Hindi related to assassination of
Mahatma Gandhi on 30 June 1948.
107. The book Benazir Bhutto: A Multidimensional Portrait was released on
26th May 2015. It was written by Dr Anna Suvorova of Russia.
» The book is devoted to the life and work of former Pakistani Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto (1953-2007). She was the first female head of
government in a Muslim state.
108. India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF) in the third week of June 2015 released
a report on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) filing in India during 2013-
14. While Maharashtra topped the list of states and Union Territories
(UTs), Bengaluru was the top city in IPR filing.
The top five states and UTs:
» Maharashtra (2892), Karnataka (1639), Tamil Nadu (1436), Delhi (1009)
and Andhra Pradesh (879).
109. Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has notified an order to make
Universal Account Number (UAN) mandatory for all its employers. It will be
mandatory for all employers covered under the Employees Provident Funds and
Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952.
110. Maharashtra has officially declared Blue Mormon species as State butterfly
as part of state symbols.
About Blue Mormon -
» Blue Mormon (Papilio polymnestor) is the second
largest butterfly species in terms of size, after the
southern birdwing (Troides minos).
» Description: Blue Mormon has black, velvet
wings with bright blue spots. The lower ends of its
wings are black. Its body has some red spots on one side.
» Distribution: It is only found in (endemic to) Sri Lanka, Western Ghats of
Maharashtra, South India and coastal belts of the country.
» In case of Maharashtra, it can be occasionally spotted in its mainland
parts of Vidarbha and Western Maharashtra.
111. The Kerala cabinet on Wednesday approved the finalizing of a contract with
German tennis icon Steffi Graf to promote ayurveda in the state’s Visit Kerala
campaign.
112. Book titled Red Tape to Red Carpet and then some authored by Gina
Rinehart was released on 23rd June 2015. The book was released by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in presence of Australian Minister for trade
and investment, Andrew Robb, and former Australian Prime Minister Paul
Keating.
113. India decided to be a partner country in the major Industrial Fair named
INNOPROM 2016 to be held at Yekaterinburg, Russia in July 2016.
114. Rajasthan topped the list of states commissioning grid connected solar
power projects in the country with an installed capacity of 1147 megawatt. The
list was released by the Union ministry of New and Renewable Energy on 4th June
2015.
115. Maharashtra government has decided to evoke Maharashtra Prevention of
Dangerous Activities Act (MPDA), 1981 against those involved in black marketing
of essential commodities and sand mafia.
116. Rajasthan has become number one state in the country in terms of total
installed capacity of solar energy.
117. The Taygan Lions Park and Skazka zoo in Yalta, Crimea signed an animal
exchange agreement with Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram zoo. This agreement
signed in the fourth week of June 2015 will allow them to exchange different
animals with each other.
118. The Union Cabinet approved renaming of Solar Energy Corporation of India
(SECI) as Renewable Energy Corporation of India (RECI).
119. Union Government launched the first modernized Anganwadi centre of India
at Hasanpur village of Sonepat in Haryana. The centre was inaugurated by
Maneka Gandhi, the Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD).
» The centre has been set up as part of Nand-Ghar Yojana of Union
Government which aims at transforming the anganwadi centres.
120. The Union Cabinet gave its approval for signing of a Memorandum of
Cooperation (MoC) between the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion
(DIPP) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
of Japan.
» The MoC is aimed at establishing a framework for bilateral cooperation in
the field of industrial property (IP) with emphasis on capacity building,
human resource development and awareness generation.
121. India today pledged $1 billion in assistance to quake-ravaged Nepal for its
massive reconstruction programme, asserting that it will strongly stand behind
the Nepalese government which is seeking to “wipe the tears” of every Nepali.
122. The Union Cabinet approved setting up of six new Indian Institutes of
Management (IIMs) in the country.
» These new IIMs will be located at Amritsar (Punjab), Bodh Gaya (Bihar),
Nagpur (Maharashtra), Sambalpur (Odisha), Sirmaur (Himachal Pradesh)
and Vishakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).
123. India has become most attractive investment destination in world after it
was ranked first among 110 countries in a ranking of destinations for
attractiveness to foreign investors. The ranking was based on baseline profitability
index (BPI) 2015. In this edition of China was placed at the 65th position and US
was placed at the 50th.
124. India has topped in the regional inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in
South Asia region during year 2014, accounting for 34 billion US dollars
investments.
125. The United States (US) Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across
the nation in a closely divided ruling by a 5 to 4 vote.
126. The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation approved a proposal for setting up a
second international airport at Jewar in the National Capital Region.
127. Union Government requested the Chief Ministers of Bihar, Tamil Nadu and
Rajasthan to encourage supply of free milk in the Mid-Day Meal to school
children.
» Milk Products will be provided with an aim to increase the nutritional
level in the Mid-Day Meal for school children.
128. First phase of Chennai Metro service was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister J Jayalalithaa.
129. India is fourth largest carbon emitter in the world in terms of per capita
emission accounting for 6.6 % of global emissions for the year 2012.
130. Team of British scientists have discovered the first species of Yeti crab from
hydrothermal vent systems in Antarctica. Study in this regard was published in the
journal Plos One.
International 1. United States (US) in a landmark decision has removed Cuba from its list
of State Sponsor of Terrorism.
2. The book titled The China Model: Political Meritocracy and the Limits of
Democracy was written by Daniel A. Bell. The book seeks to understand the ideals
and the reality of Chinese political system. Bell discusses the advantages and
pitfalls of political meritocracy of China; he distinguishes between different ways
of combining meritocracy and democracy, and argues that China has evolved a
model of democratic meritocracy that is morally desirable and politically stable.
3. Muhammadu Buhari assumed the office of President of Nigeria. He became the
5th President of the country by defeating the incumbent President Goodluck
Jonathan in the March 2015 general election. It is the first time in Nigeria’s history
that an incumbent President was defeated in an election by the opposition.
4. Pakistan Paradox: Instability and Resilience by Christrophe Jaffrelot was
published by Vintage Books. Christrophe Jaffrelot is Research Director at CNRS
and teaches South Asian Politics and History at Sciences Po (Paris).
» The 688-pages book is an overview of the contemporary Pakistan which
was born as the creation of elite Urdu-speaking Muslims who sought to
govern a state that would maintain their dominance.
5. Zoomcar co-founder David Back resigned from his post. Back used to head the
company’s marketing and business development
division. He will continue to hold his stake and board
position in US-based Zoomcar Inc, the parent of
Zoomcar India.
6. South Korea and China signed the Korea-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in
Seoul, South Korea. The agreement was signed by the South Korea’s Minister of
Trade, Industry and Energy Yoon Sang-jick and Chinese Commerce Minister Gao
Hucheng.
» It aims to gradually remove tariffs on more than 90% of traded goods
between both the countries within 20 years. The pact will also greatly
contribute to the economic integration of East Asia, the Asia-Pacific region
and the development of the world economy. For this, negotiations for a
trilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) amongChina, South
Korea and Japan were launched in November 2012.
7. US President Barack Obama signed the USA FREEDOM Act 2015 in law. The USA
FREEDOM stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and
Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015. With this, the National
Security Agency (NSA) lost its authority to collect the phone records of millions of
Americans.
8. Amancio Ortega passes Warren Buffett as world’s second richest person in
Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
9. The US-based World Justice Project (WJP) released the Rule of Law Index 2015.
It provides data on how the rule of law is experienced in 102 countries around the
globe.
» India with a score of 0.51 has been placed at 59th position. The index has
been topped by Denmark followed by Norway, Sweden and Finland at
second, third and fourth place respectively. All the four countries have
score above 0.85. On the other hand, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and
Venezuela are placed at bottom of the index with 100, 101 and 102 rank
respectively. All these countries have score of less than 0.37.
10. Chinese cruise ship Eastern Star or Dongfangzhixing capsized in the Jianli
section of the Yangtze River in Hubei province. The ship was headed from the
eastern city of Nanjing to the southwestern city of Chongqing.
11. Travelers from across the globe have ranked Taj Mahal among the top three
landmarks in the world. According to TripAdvisor’s 2015
Travellers Choice Attractions Awards, Taj Mahal was ranked
third in the list of top landmarks. The top two places were
taken by Machu Picchu in Peru and Angkor Wat in
Cambodia respectively.
12. G7 Summit 2015 was held at Schloss Elmau in Bavaria, Germany from 7th June
to 8th June 2015. This was the 41st G7 summit and the theme for the summit
was Think Ahead. Act Together.
» The Summit focused on the global economy as well as on key issues
regarding foreign, security, environment and development policy.
The G7 Summit 2015 deliberated on following issues:
» Protection of the marine environment and resources and marine
governance.
» Antibiotic resistance, neglected and poverty-related diseases and Ebola.
» Retail and supply chain standards.
» Empowerment of women by giving vocational training.
13. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkey led by President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan won Turkey’s parliamentary polls.
14. A study titled Global Population Collapse in a superabundant migratory bird
and illegal trapping in Chinasaid that the population of the migratory songbird
Yellow-Breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) has plunged by 90% since 1980. The
bird is disappearing from Eastern Europe, Japan and parts of Russia.
15. African countries have signed a historic The Tripartite Free Trade Area
(TFTA) that facilitates creation of Africa’s largest free-trade zone. This free-trade
zone will cover 26 countries in an area from southernmost tip of African continent
i.e. Cape Town (South Africa) to Cairo (Egypt) in the north.
16. An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi
to life in prison and confirmed death sentences against 16 others over charges of
conspiring with foreign groups, including the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
17. United Kingdom (UK) celebrated 800 years of signing of Magna Carta on
15th June 2015.
About Magna Carta
» Magna Carta is a Latin word which in English means Great Charter. It is
most important document of England signed on 15 June 1215
at Runnymede alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey.
» It had originated as a peace and truce treaty between King John and a
group of rebellious barons within his kingdom.
» The document had written promises between King John and his subjects
mentioning that the king will govern England and deal with its people
according to the customs of feudal law.
» Magna Carta had laid the first steps towards parliamentary democracy
and the principle supremacy of law i.e. no one is above the law. It also laid
the principle of balance of power between the governed and government.
» Its influence can be seen in other documents across the world including
the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and on US Constitution and
Bill of Rights.
» In case of India, its influence also can be seen on Part III of constitution
which contains fundamental rights, described as the magna carta of India
which has been derived inspiration from Bill of Rights.
18. As per recently released report by British Petroleum (BP) Energy Company,
United States (US) became the world’s largest oil producer in 2014 surpassing
Saudi Arabia.
19. Bangladesh Supreme Court’s appellate bench upheld the death sentence of
war criminal and Jamaat-e-Islami leader Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mujahid.
» Decision in this regard was taken by 4-member bench headed by Chief
Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.
20. Japan has passed a law in which the voting age will be 18 years from its
current 20 years.
21. Asia Pacific region has overtaken Europe as the world’s second richest region
for the first time in terms of global wealth management. It was revealed in
recently released report by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management
consulting firm.
22. Hong Kong lawmakers rejected Beijing-backed election reform package. The
proposal was voted down by 28 votes to eight in the Legislative Council (known as
legco) of 70 members.
23. China and Australia signed the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement
(ChAFTA) at Canberra in Australia.
» The agreement was signed by China’s Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng
and Australia’s Trade Minister Andrew Robb.
24. The world’s first electric passenger aircraft named BX1E was manufactured in
China. The aircraft was designed by Shenyang Aerospace University and Liaoning
General Aviation Academy located in the northeastern Liaoning Province of China.
25. Taliban militants have captured Dasht-e-Archi district of Kunduz province in
northern Afghanistan after heavy fighting with local security forces.
» It is the second district captured by Taliban in the northern Kunduz
province which borders Tajikistan. Earlier on 20th June 2015 the militants
had captured Chardara district of this province.
26. A commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo was
held in Belgium. To mark this occasion several events were in Belgium and United
Kingdom to remember the battle which led to defeat of French in June 1815.
27. Japan’s Softbank Corp is to team up with India’s Bharti Enterprises and
Taiwan’s Foxconn to invest about $20 billion in solar projects in India as the
country steps up efforts to boost the renewable energy sector.
28. To stop human traffickers from bringing migrants across the Mediterranean to
Europe, the European Union (EU) launched a three-phase naval operation named
EU NAVFOR Med (European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Sea).
29. Pitcairn Island, the world’s smallest country by population, legalized same-sex
marriage. The law change was unanimously approved by the local council.
30. The Taliban on Monday launched an attack on the Afghan Parliament, with a
suicide car bomber striking at the entrance and gunmen battling police as
lawmakers were meeting inside to confirm the appointment of defence minister,
police and witnesses said.
» All the six gunmen who attacked Parliament were killed and the gunfire
had stopped, the police said.
31. Sri Lanka, China begin joint military training exercise ‘Silk Route- 2015′.
32. Australia announced that it will join the China-led Asian Infrastructure
Investment Bank (AIIB) as a founding member. It will contribute 930 million
Australian dollars (718.5million US dollars) as paid-in capital to the institution
over five years and will be the sixth largest shareholder.
33. An unmanned American SpaceX rocket dubbed Falcon-9 broke apart in flames
minutes after lifting off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on 28th June 2015. The
accident occurred in only two and half minutes after the launch.
34. Universal’s ” Jurassic World” has become the fastest film to gross $500 million
in North America.
Sports 1. Gurpreet Singh became the 5th Indian to get quota place in shooting for 2016
Rio Olympics.
2. Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman join BCCI advisory committee.
3. Ace Indian archer Deepika Kumari has clinched the bronze
medal in the women’s individual Women’s Recurve event at
Antalya Archery World Cup held in Turkey.
4. Dilawar Singh of Haryana has won ‘Pedal for Kashmir’ cycling competition, held
along the banks of picturesque Dal Lake in Srinagar. During this cycling, Singh
piped local champion Mohammad Akbar Khan who came runner up, followed by
another local cyclist Mohammad Adil Teli.
5. England professional football player – Rio Ferdinand announced his retirement
from football. Ferdinand last played for Queens Park Rangers (QPR) in March
2015. Ferdinand played 81 times for England and was in the squads for the 1998,
2002, 2006 and the 2010 World Cups.
6. Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan won their maiden I-League title in 13 years. In the
final clash at Kanteerva Stadium in Bengaluru, Mohun Bagan managed a 1-1 draw
against the defending champions Bengaluru FC.
7. Barcelona won Copa del Rey also known as Spanish King’s Cup. In the final clash
at the Nou Camp, Barcelona defeated Athletic Bilbao, 3-1. This was the 27th Copa
del Rey title for Barcelona. This was the second title of the season for Barcelona,
earlier; it had won La Liga.
8. Gurpreet Singh won a quota place in shooting for the 2016 Rio Olympics by
finishing fourth in the Men’s 10 meter Air pistol final at the ISSF Shooting World
Cup in Munich. Singh succeeded in getting quota place in shooting for Rio
Olympics after scoring 154 points in the finals.
9. Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports added names of five women for TOP
Scheme who were suspended for anti-doping rule violations between mid-2011
and mid-2013. These five women were named among the 39 athletes who were
added to the list. All these women, namely Priyanka Panwar, Ashwini Akkunji,
Jauna Murmu, Sini Joseand Mandeep Kaur are 400m runners.
10. Former captain Ravi Shastri was retained as Director of the Indian cricket
team for the tour of Bangladesh starting 10th June 2015 as the BCCI continued its
search for a new permanent coach to succeed Duncan Fletcher.
11. Sepp Blatter resigned as President of FIFA amid the corruption scandal that
has engulfed the football’s governing body. Blatter has been serving as president
of world soccer governing body FIFA since 1998.
12. Inderjeet Singh won gold medal in men’s shot put event in the 21st Asian
Athletics Championships. The 21st Asian Athletics Championships is being held at
Wuhan, China. Inderjeet heaved the iron ball to a new championship record of
20.41 meter, which he achieved in his fourth attempt. With this, he became the
eighth Indian shot putter to win a gold medal in the history of Asian
championships.
13. AB de Villiers won as many as five awards, including the South African
Cricketer of the Year for a second consecutive time at a gala function, hosted by
Cricket South Africa (CSA) in Johannesburg.
» He was named the ODI Cricketer of the Year, Cricketers’ Cricketer of the
Year, SA Fan’s Cricketer of the Year and also got the ‘So Good Award’ for
scoring the fastest century in the history of ODI cricket against the West
Indies in December 2014.
14. Indian shuttler Parupalli Kashyap ranked 12th in the world, beat the World
No. 1 Chen Long of China by 14-21, 21-17, 21-14.
15. Eminent Indian umpire Sundaram Ravi, along with Chris Gaffaney of New
Zealand was inducted into the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires for 2015-
Sundaram Ravi becomes the first Indian after S. Venkataraghavan who was
inducted into the elite panel in 2004.
» Both of them were promoted from the Emirates International Panel of
ICC Umpires and replaced New Zealand veteran Billy Bowden and Steve
Davis of Australia.
16. India’s Machettira Raju Poovamma and Liksy Joseph have won silver medal
each in 21st Asian Athletics Championships held in Wuhan, China.
» Quarter-miler Poovamma won silver medal in women’s 400m finals event
by clocking 53.07 secs. China’s Yang Huizhen (52.37 sec) won the gold
medal and Anastasiya Kudinova (53.41 sec) of Kazakhstan won bronze
medal in this event.
17. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner Shah Rukh Khan acquired Carribean
Premier League (CPL) T20 teamTrinidad & Tobago (T&T). Hollywood stars Mark
Wahlberg and Gerard Butler already own CPL franchises. Wahlberg owns reigning
champions Barbados Tridents, led by Kieron Pollard, while Butler owns Jamaica
Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle.
18. The book Sourav Ganguly: Cricket, Captaincy and Controversy was written
by Saptarshi Sarkar and was published by HarperCollins India.
19. Mercedes racing driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain won the 2015 Formula 1
Canada Grand Prix title by winning the final race held in Montreal, Canada.
20. Japanese rising star shuttler Kento Momota and Thailand’s Ratchanok
Intanon won the men’s and women’s singles respectively of the Indonesia Open
Badminton tournament.
21. Rahul Dravid was named as coach of India ‘A’ and Under-19 cricket teams.
22. Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland won his first French Open title of Tennis. In
the final clash played at Roland Garros in Paris, Wawrinka defeated Novak
Djokovic of Serbia 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
23. Cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni is among Forbes magazine’s 100 highest-paid
athletes in the world, the only Indian sportsman on the list that has been topped
again by American boxer Floyd Mayweather and includes golfer Tiger Woods,
tennis star Roger Federer and Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo.
» Dhoni has been ranked 23rd on the Forbes list of The World’s Highest-
Paid Athletes 2015, dropping a notch from his ranking of 22 last year.
Dhoni’s total earnings stood at $ 31 million, including amount from
salary/winnings at $4 million and endorsements worth $27 million.
24. Indian Basketball Players Association (IBPA) started functioning with the
official launch of it at Indian Medical Association, New Delhi.
Following is the organizational strucuture of IBPA:
» President: Sajjan Singh Cheema (Arjuna Awardee).
» General Secretary: Jayasankar Menon (Former Asian All Star Basketball
player)
» Treasurer: Ashok Sharma (National player and FIBA Commissioner)
» Chairman: Abbas Moontaisar
» Vice-Chairmen: Manmohan Singh and Suman Sharma.
25. Indian off-spin cricketer Harbhajan Singh became the ninth all-time highest
Test wicket-takers by claiming 416 wickets in 102 matches.
» In this process, he surpassed Pakistani legend Wasim Akram who stood at
the ninth position with 414 wickets in 104 matches. He achieved the
landmark quicker than Akram. He achieved the feat after dismissing Imrul
Kayes for 72 to reach 415 Test victims, one more than Akram.
26. India’s tennis player Rohan Bopanna along with his Romanian partner Florin
Mergea has won the ATP’s Stuttgart Open final doubles trophy in Germany.
27. Spaniard Rafael Nadal won the singles final of the ATP’s Stuttgart Open.
28. Sunil Chhetri has become the first Indian footballer to score 50 international
goals. He achieved this feat in his 87th match during 2018 World Cup qualifying
match between India and Guam.
29. Veteran leader of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar was re-
elected as the President of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).
30. India’s junior boys and cadet girls won the team championship titles at the
South Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships at the Talkatora
Stadium in New Delhi.
31. India Cricket team captain of One Day International (ODI) Mahendra Singh
Dhoni and Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman were fined for breaching
the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct.
32. World number two Roger Federer has won the Halle Open ATP title in
Germany. In the final match he defeated Andreas Seppi of Italy by 7-6, 6-4 score.
It was Federer’s eighth Halle Open ATP title after he had won in 2003, 2004, 2005,
2006, 2008, 2013 and 2014.
33. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg from Germany has won the Austrian Grand Prix
Formula One (F1) World Championship title.
34. China won the 2015 Nongfu Spring Snooker’s World by defeating Scotland 4-1
in the final match held at Wuxi near Shanghai in China.
35. World number two Roger Federer has won the Halle Open ATP title in
Germany. In the final match he defeated Andreas Seppi of Italy by 7-6, 6-4 score.
It was Federer’s eighth Halle Open ATP title after he had won in 2003, 2004, 2005,
2006, 2008, 2013 and 2014.
36. Jordan Spieth won the US Open at Chambers Bay. The win was his second
straight major title of 2015 after he won the Masters Tournament at Augusta
National, US in April 2015.
37. Star shot putter Inderjeet Singh and half-miler Jinson Johnson bagged a gold
each as Indians won eight medals at the first leg of the Asian Athletics Grand Prix
Series in Bangkok.
38. Bangladesh won the three-match One Day International (ODI) Series against
India 2-1 played in Dhaka. This was Bangladesh’s first series win against India.
39. Inderjeet’s won the shot put event at the Asian Championships in Wuhan,
China.
40. Three Indians won the inaugural Queen’s Young Leaders Award in the UK for
taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference
in their communities.
41. India’s legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been voted the ‘Best Test
player’ of the 21st century in an online poll conducted by Cricket Australia’s
website.
42. India’s tennis hero Leander Paes has added yet another milestone to his
terrific career, which is full of achievements, as the veteran pro has now played
with 100 different partners on the ATP circuit.
43. India’s legendary batsman and Bharat Ratna recipient Sachin Tendulkar has
been voted the ‘Best Test player’ of the 21st century in an online poll. The online
poll was conducted by Cricket Australia’s website for the list of the 100 best Test
players since 2000.
44. Veselin Topalov won the Norway Chess tournament 2015 by leaving behind
Viswanathan Anand into a quick draw. Topalov secured 6½ points while Anand
ended the tournament in second place with 6 points.
45. India’s tennis player Leander Paes on 24 June 2015 became the 47th player to
play with 100 different partners on ATP Circuit.
46. Indian pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwni Ponappa won the women’s doubles
title of the Canada Open Badminton tournament.
47. Satnam Singh Bhamara became the first Indian born basketball player to be
drafted in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was chosen by the Dallas
Mavericks team as the 52nd pick in the NBA Draft. He was selected amongst the
60 young men who will play in the next season of NBA.
48. Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia and Michelle Li of Canada won the men’s and
women’s singles title of the Canada Open Badminton tournament respectively.
49. Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, as well
as ace India cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni have made it to the Forbes annual
Celebrity 100 rankings of the world's highest-paid celebrities.
Both Bachchan and Salman share the 71st rank with earnings of $33.5 million
each, while Akshay with $32.5 million is placed 76th. Dhoni with $31 million is
ranked 82nd.
Awards & Recognition 1. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be conferred with Friends of
Bangladesh Liberation War Award by Bangladesh government.
He will be bestowed this award for his outstanding support for
the Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971 when he
was member of Lok Sabha.
2. Gurnimrat ‘Nimmy’ Sidhu, an Indian-origin teacher has been honored
with ‘University of Oxford Inspirational Teacher Award’. She received her trophy
in Oxford along with 11 other teachers for helping their students get into the
world-famous varsity.
3. Super 30 founder and mathematician Anand Kumar on 29 May 2015 was
honored by Legislature of British Columbia in Canada at Toronto University for his
pioneering work in the field of education.
4. Gautam Banerjee, senior managing director at Blackstone and co-chairman of
its Asia operating committee, as well as chairman of Blackstone Singapore, was
awarded the prestigious Public Service Medal by President Tony Tan Keng Yam on
Saturday.
5. Uttarakhand’s Medical, Health and Family Welfare Minister Surendra Singh
Negi was conferred with the World No Tobacco Day Award 2015 by the World
Health Organsiation (WHO).
6. Super 30 founder and mathematician Anand Kumar was honoured by
Legislature of British Columbia in Canada at Toronto University for his pioneering
work in the field of education.
7. New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum and Coach Mike Hesson were
honoured with Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM). Their names
were listed in the honours list that was released to mark the annual Queen
Elizabeth II Birthday public holiday.
8. Harriette Thompson, a 92 year 65 days old cancer survivor became the oldest
woman to finish a marathon. The previous record holder was Gladys Burrill. She
made the record at the age of 92 years and 19 days at the 2010 Honolulu
Marathon.
9. Edward Snowden, former US security contractor and electronic surveillance
whistleblower has been awarded a Norwegian prize for freedom of expression
(also known as Bjornson Prize). The award was bestowed upon him by the
Norwegian Academy of Literature and Freedom of Expression for his work
protecting privacy and for shining a critical light on US surveillance of its citizens
and others.
10. R. Seetharaman, CEO of Doha Bank, has been conferred with the Lifetime
Achievement Award for his contribution to the industry and his support for the
environment and the business (in Dubai).
11. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) was awarded
the Miniratna (Cateogry -1) statusby the Department of Public Enterprises under
the Union Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises.
12. The Manchester United became the World’s most valuable brand in the World
football with USD 1.2 billion. Also, it became the first club to pass the 1 billion US
dollar mark.
13. Gaurav Pandey, a student of Ryan International School, Noida won the first
ever KenKen International Championship. KenKen is a grid-based numerical
puzzle that uses basic math operations while challenging the logic and problem-
solving skills of participants. It is recognised by NCTM (National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics, USA), an independent authority, as a powerful tool to
build reasoning skills in kids.
14. Eleven Indo-Canadians were honoured with ICCC Annual Awards 2015 for
strengthening bilateral ties and their business achievements besides contributions
to the economy. Each award carried a trophy and citation. The list of awardees
includes Avinash Mehra, Nisha Agnihotri, Prashant Pathak, Neeru Gupta, Manjul
Bhargava, Hargurdeep Singh, Avish Sood, Rajiv Manucha, Asim Ghosh, Jag Parmar
and Venkatesh Mannar.
15. IIFA Awards 2015 held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
List of 2015 IIFA Awards:
» Best Film – Queen
» Best Director –Rajkumar Hirani (PK)
» Best Actor-Shahid Kapoor (Haider)
» Best Actress-Kangana Ranaut (Queen)
» Best Supporting Actor- Riteish Deshmukh (Ek Villain)
» Best Supporting Actress- Tabu (Haider)
» Star Debut of the Year (Male)-Tiger Shroff (Heropanti)
» Star Debut of the Year (Female)-Kriti sanon (Heropanti)
» Best Comedian-Varun Dhawan (Main Tera Hero)
» Best Villain Award-Kay Kay Menon (Haider)
» Best Story-Queen (Vikas Bahl)
» Debutant Director-Sajid Nadiadwala (Kick)
» Best Music Director-Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy (2 States
» Best Lyrics-Manoj Muntashir for Galliyan (Ek Villain)
» Best Male Playback Award-Ankit Tiwari for Galliyan (Ek Villain)
» Best Female Playback Award-Kanika Kapoor for Baby Doll (Raginin MMS2)
» Best Sound Design-Shajith Koyeri (Haider)
» Best Background Score-Vishal Bharadwaj (Haider)
» Award for Outstanding Achievment in International cinema-Subhash Ghai
» Entertainer of the year – Deepika Padukone
16. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was conferred with the prestigious
14th Sant Namdev National Award at a function in Pune, Maharashtra. He was
awarded for promoting peace, communal harmony and universal brotherhood.
17. Major political parties of Nepal reached an agreement on the proposed
framework of national Constitution providing for federal structure, form of
governance, electoral and judicial systems.
» Nepal will be divided into eight federal states whose names and
boundaries will be decided by separate bodies. A new federal commission
will be tasked with drawing up internal borders and submit a proposal for
approval in the Parliament.
18. Eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee C.N.R. Rao was conferred with
Japan’s highest civilian award the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.
19. One of the foremost south Indian classical vocalists, Sanjay Subrahmanyam
has been selected for the ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ award 2015.
About Sangita Kalanidhi award/title
» It is a prestigious award bestowed annually upon an expert of Carnatic
Music by the Madras Music Academy.
» The award’s name has been derived from Sanskrit which means treasure
of Music and art in English.
» This honour is considered one of the highest awards in Carnatic music.
20. Astronomers have named a newly discovered galaxy as CR7 (COSMOS Redshift
7) after Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is famously known as
CR7 after his initials and his jersey number.
21. Eminent Historian-writer Ramachandra Guha has been selected for Japan’s
Fukuoka Prize 2015 in the Academic category.
22. Eminent scientist and Bharat Ratna awardee C.N.R. Rao was conferred with
Japan’s highest civilian award the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. He
was presented with the award by Japanese Ambassador to India, Takeshi Yagi for
his outstanding contributions to science and Indo-Japanese science cooperation.
23. Renowned carnatic vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyam was on 21st June 2015
selected for the Sangitha Kalanidhi award of the Madras Music Academy.
24. A project ‘Toilets for all’ in West Bengal’s Nadia district for improving heath by
providing sanitary toilets and promoting their use has won a first place UN award
for innovative public services.
25. Benni Joseph Mavelil, a UK-based philanthropist has been chosen for the VK
Krishna Menon award in recognition of his outstanding professional and altruistic
achievements, contributions and services to the community and wider
multicultural society.
26. India’s oldest and largest shipping trade union, National Union of Seafarers of
India (NUSI) has been honored with the ‘Best Welfare Organization of the Year –
2015’ award.
27. Uttar Pradesh Government renamed the Lucknow Prani Udyan, popularly
known as Lucknow zoo, as Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Prani Udyan, Lucknow
28. Sahitya Akademi announced Bhasha Samman. Four scholars were selected for
the award for their contribution to classical and medieval literature in various
languages.
29. Sahitya Akademi announced Bal Sahitya Puraskar for the year 2015. The
awards were conferred on five novelists, four writers of short stories and three
authors of poetries, one book of one-act play and eleven writers for their
contribution to children’s literature.
30. Benni Joseph Mavelil, a UK-based philanthropist, was selected for the VK
Krishna Menon Award in recognition of his outstanding professional and altruistic
achievements, contributions and services to the community and wider
multicultural society.
31. Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has been conferred with Colombia’s
highest civilian award.
» He was bestowed with this award for spreading the message of peace in
society, reducing stress, inter-mediation in war and combating violence through
yoga and breathing exercises.
32. Veteran Writer Vishwanath Tripathi was on 27 June 2015 selected for the 28th
Moorti Devi Award for the year 2014 for his book Vyomkesh Darvesh. Vyomkesh
Darvesh is a lifetime story of Acharya Hazari Prasad Dwivedi.
33. President Pranab Mukharjee on 26 June 2015 conferred Punyabhushan Award
on Prataprao Pawar, Chairman of Sakal Media Group (SMG) at Balgandharva
Auditorium in Pune.
34. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Limited (IREDA) was on
awarded the Miniratna (Cateogry -1) status by the Department of Public
Enterprises under the Union Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises.
Mergers & Acquisition 1. Emami Limited acquired ayurvedic hair and scalp care brand Kesh King for 1651
crore rupees.
2. Intel Corporation acquired Altera Corporation for USD 16.7 billion. Altera is an
American based company and it manufactures Programmable Logic Devices
(PLDs).
3. Pizza Hut and Kissan Ketchup jointly marketing a new ketchup and pizza brand
‘Twist‘. Hindustan Unilever (which manufacture Kissan Ketchup) will sell a ketchup
with the new brand, while Pizza Hut will add the brand to its menu in the form of
a new hot and spicy pizza.
4. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (Midhani), a PSU under the ministry of defence,
has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Research and
Development Centre for Iron & Steel (RDCIS), the R&D arm of Steel Authority of
India Limited (SAIL), to jointly undertake R&D work in the iron and steel industry.
5. Harley-Davidson tied up with fashion portal Myntra to sell its casual
merchandise through an exclusive online store. Harley-Davidson will now offer its
casual merchandise on an exclusive online store on Myntra. The online store will
offer Harley-Davidson jackets, denims, shirts, t-shirts, caps, wallets and other
accessories.
6. Kotak Mahindra Bank and ING Bank have inked a memorandum of
understanding (MoU) for exploring opportunities arising from cross-border
business, investment and trade flows across various regions, including Europe.
7. PVR Ltd., India’s largest multiplex chain agreed to acquire DLF’s DT Cinemas for
INR 500 crore.
8. Online marketplace Snapdeal.com acquired Letsgomo Labs, a mobility solutions
company for an undisclosed sum. With this acquisition, Snapdeal will strengthen
its position in mobile commerce as online consumers in India are increasingly
choosing to shop over their phones.
9. Metal and mining giant Vedanta Ltd and its subsidiary oil explorer Cairn India
have announced to merge.
10. PC maker Dell and IT services and distribution company HCL Infosystems on
Tuesday announced a strategic distribution partnership.
» Under the new partnership, HCL Infosystems will leverage its pan-India
network of partners to distribute Dell’s entire hardware and software
products, both the companies’ said in a press release.
11. Aequs Pvt Ltd, a Karnataka-based aerospace component manufacturer
acquired Paris-based aerospace component maker T&K Machine Inc for an
undisclosed amount.
12. Tokyo based online recipe network Cookpad has acquired Cucumbertown, a
Bengaluru-based social network for cooks and chefs for an undisclosed amount.
13. SunEdison Inc, world’s largest renewable energy development company
acquired Singapore-headquartered Continuum Wind Energy Limited for an
undisclosed sum.
14. Japan’s Soft Bank Corp announced that it has set up a joint venture with
Chinese online shopping giant Alibaba and electronics supplier Foxconn
Technology to sell its human-like robot Pepper around the world.
15. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, has inked a deal with defence
PSU and metro car manufacturer BEML LtdBSE 1.01 % to collaborate in areas of
bogie design, propulsion system controls and alternative car body material,
16. Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific (DNAP) today announced acquisition of sports
channel Setanta Sports Asia which primarily broadcasts rugby matches.
17. Japan headquartered telecommunications and Internet major SoftBank Corp,
Bharti Enterprises Limited and Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology Group formed a
Joint Venture (JV) named SBG Cleantech Limited.
18. GMR Airport Developers Limited (GADL) signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with Oman Airport Management Company (OAMC) for
providing aviation training and consultancy services.
19. Volkswagen Group owned, MAN Diesel & Turbo SE a wholly owned subsidiary
of MAN SE has acquired 100 per cent of the shares of Pvt MaxWatt Turbines. Ltd.,
an Indian specialist company for engineering, production and service of steam
turbines for applications in power generation and mechanical drives.
20. Bahrain-based GFH Financial Group signed an agreement with Indian
conglomerate Adani Group for developing aMumbai Economic Development Zone
(MEDZ).
Economics 1. Reliance Communications (RCom) will invest about INR 1,500-2,000 crore in the
current financial year to increase its data business. 2. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) on 29th May 2015 released the provisional
estimates (PE) of national income for the financial year (FY) 2014-15.
3. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on 30th May 2015 inaugurated the
new Bank Note Paper Line unit of 6000 metric tons capacity at Security Paper Mill
in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh.
4. The State Bank of India (SBI) on 29th May 2015 launched an Online Customer
Acquisition Solution (OCAS). It is an online platform to apply for Home Loans, Car
Loans, Education Loans and Personal Loans.
5. Jet fuel price was hiked by a steep 7.5 per cent on Monday and rates of non-
subsidized cooking gas (LPG) by INR 10.50 per cylinder in step with global firming
of rates. Price of aviation turbine fuel (ATF), or jet fuel, in Delhi was raised by Rs
3,744.08 per kilolitre (kl), or 7.54 per cent, to Rs 53,353.92, oil companies
announced on Monday.
6. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed cross holding in long-term
infrastructure bonds. With this, now banks would be able to cross hold these
bonds among themselves for financing infrastructure and affordable housing
loans, which earlier was not permitted.
7. The decision of the Parliament to increase the rate of service tax from 12.36%
to 14% became operational on 1st June 2015. Now, the new tax rate subsumes
the education cesses, including the 2% Education Cess (EC) and 1% Secondary &
Higher Education Cess (SHEC), which were earlier levied separately and calculated
as consolidated service tax at 12.36%.
8. The Reserve Bank of India released the Draft Guidelines on Net Stable Funding
Ratio (NSFR) under Basel III Framework on Liquidity Standards for banks. The
objective of NSFR is to ensure that banks maintain a stable funding profile in
relation to their assets and off-balance sheet activities.
9. RBI cuts interest rate by 0.25% to spur investment and growth; home, auto
loans may become cheaper. RBI cut the repo rate (short-term lending rate) from
7.5% to 7.25%, but left all other policy tools like cash reserve requirement
unchanged at 4% and Statutory Liquidity Ratio (SLR) at 21.5%.
10. Allahabad Bank cut its base rate or minimum lending rate by 0.3% within
hours of RBI lowering key policy rate for the third time this year. The base rate
has been be reduced to 9.95% from 10.25%.
11. Bangladesh has granted permission to India’s state-owned insurance group
Life insurance Corporation (LIC) to do business in the country. LIC will start its
operations in Bangladesh as a joint venture (JV) entity to be called LIC Bangladesh
Ltd. with a paid up capital of one billion Taka.
» LIC will be the second foreign insurance company to operate in
Bangladesh after the US-based MetLife-ALICO. Presently, LIC is worth over
15,000 billion Indian rupees and operates in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Singapore
apart from India.
12. United Bank of India slashed interest rates on fixed deposits by up to 0.5% on
select maturities. PNB and Axis Bank had already reduced fixed deposit rates.
» Allahabad Bank cut base rate by 0.30% to 9.95%, while Dena Bank, Punjab
& Sind Bank reduced their base rate by 0.25% each. Dena Bank and Punjab
& Sind Bank lowered their base rate to 10%.
13. Anil Ambani-led Reliance Power signed an agreement to invest $3 billion in
setting up a mega power plant and a floating LNG import terminal in Bangladesh
which faces acute power shortages.
14. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows into the services sector grew by over
46 per cent to 3.25 billion dollars in 2014-15 fiscal. It was revealed by the
Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP).
15. Lakshmi Vilas Bank raises deposit rates by 1 percentage point up to 6
percentage.
16. Union Government has announced an additional package of 2,437 crore
rupees for reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood-ravaged Jammu and Kashmir
(J&K).
17. India and Poland set trade target of 5 billion US dollars by 2018.
18. The West Bengal (WB) State Assembly on 18 June 2015 passed West Bengal
Tea Plantation Employees Welfare Fund Bill, 2015. The bill is aimed at ensuring
welfare and provision of basic amenities for tea plantation workers in the state.
19. India has emerged as the third largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) source
for United Kingdom (UK) in 2014-15.
20. The third-largest private lender, Axis Bank , on Friday lowered its base rate by
0.10 per cent to 9.85 per cent.
21. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) extended the date to exchange pre-2005 bank
notes till 31 December 2015.
» RBI said that the notes can be exchanged for their full value. It has also
clarified that all such notes continue to remain legal tender.
22. Two local entrepreneurs, namely Satyaki Saikia and Pulak Roy, in fourth week
of June 2015 signed agreements with several civic bodies in Assam to do away
with the plastic hazards under a solid-waste management project.
» Basic objective of the project is to save society from hazards and pollution
created by the huge amount of increasing municipality solid waste.
23. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decided to allow Authorised Dealer Category I
(AD Category-I) Banks to borrow foreign currency from
International/Multinational Financial Institutions (IFIs/MFIs).
24. China’s central bank cut its benchmark lending rates by 25 basis points to
4.85% on Saturday, the fourth reduction since November, as it gears up to lower
borrowing costs and support a slowing economy.
25. The Andhra Pradesh Mining Development Corporation (APMDC) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an Australian firm NSL Mining
Resources India Pvt Ltd for beneficiation of low-grade iron ore in Kurnool and
Kadapa districts.
26. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released the Financial Stability Report (FSR)
June 2015. It is the eleventh issue of its half yearly publication.’
27. India and United States have signed a series of agreements on health in order
to enhance cooperation in health sector. The multiple areas covered under such
agreement include cancer research, medical infrastructure development and
application of new diagnostic technologies.
28. Delhi Budget 2015-16 was presented by the Deputy Chief Minister Manish
Sisodia in the Vidhan Sabha. The budget has been termed as first Swaraj
Budget and is the first participatory budget of India.
Main Highlights
» The 41129 crore rupees budget comprises of 19000 crore rupees Plan
Budget and 22129 crore rupees as Non-Plan Buget
» A Swaraj Fund of 253 crore rupees is proposed to be created with an aim
to prioritize implementation of the programmes selected by the citizens for
the development of their area.
» Proposes to set up a new agency Delhi Urban Development Agency
(DUDA) in each revenue district to execute the works recommended by the
citizens under the Swaraj Fund and Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA)
Fund.
» Proposes to provide a total financial support of 5908 crore rupees to local
bodies in 2015-16 which is 14.4 percent of the total budget.
» Proposes 1690 crore rupees as subsidy for measures like reduction of
electricity bill and supplying free water up to 20000 litres per month.
» Creation of buffer stock of onion and potato to be released during the
scarcity period.
» Proposes to launch free Wi-Fi services in all colleges and rural areas
during 2015-16.
» Doubling the outlay on education by a whopping 106 percent, the budget
proposes to spend 4570 crore rupees on education.
» 50 schools to be developed as Model Schools with modern facilities and
infrastructure and 236 new schools have been planned.
» Proposes to launch a Higher Education and Skill Development Guarantee
Scheme wherein students can get loan up to 10 lakh rupees without any
collateral or margin money.
» Proposes 310 crore rupees for promotion of Vocational education and for
setting up a Skill University for skill development diploma/degree courses.
» Proposes to open three new ITIs in Rahola, Chhatarpur and Bakkarwala,
five new polytechnics one each in North, North East, Central, New Delhi
and West Districts of Delhi.
» Proposes to upgrade Netaji Subhash Institute of Technology into a
University and increasing its strength from 3000 to 12000 over five years.
» Proposes to set up three new hospitals with total bed capacity of 1800 at
Nangloi, Siraspur and Madipur.
» Proposes to set up 500 Mohalla Clinics in all parts of Delhi in 2015-16.
» Proposes to set up an Advance Trauma Care Centre in LN Hospital for
sports injury rehabilitation with 100 trauma beds including ICU and OT
facilities.
» Proposes to provide 1500 rupees subsidy on purchase of e-rickshaw so as
to provide last mile connectivity.
» Proposes to bring 10000 buses of different specifications to meet the
differentiate need of the commuters from the private sector under the PPP
Cluster Scheme.
» Proposes to introduce Passenger Information System to provide the real-
time information.
» Proposes to launch a mobile app for Self Meter Reading and Bill
Generation to provide water and sewer services to citizens in efficient and
friendly manner.
» Proposes to create a Energy Conservation Fund in 2015-16 to finance
energy efficient projects and street lighting, etc.
» A new scheme Jan Jal Prabandhan Yojana will be launched to involve the
community in management of water and sewerage services in a
decentralized manner.
» A new Water Treatment Plant is proposed to be set up at Iradatnagar and
existing water treatment plants at Chandrawal and Wazirabad will be
rehabilitated to increase the water production to meet the demand.
29. India and Thailand signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on double
taxation avoidance treaty (DTAT).
30. South-based private sector lender Lakshmi Vilas Bank cut its minimum rate of
lending by 0.15 per cent to 10.95 per cent, following similar moves by its larger
rivals after RBI cut policy rate earlier this month.
31. The Union Government approved 643 crore rupees drinking water and
sewerage project for Shimla town for World Bank funding. Under the project,
World Bank will provide a loan of 514 crore rupees and remaining 129 crore
rupees will be provided by the state government as counterpart funding over a
project period of three years.
Appointments & Resignations
1. Veena Jain appointed as Director General of Doordarshan News.
2. Pradeep Kumar Sinha appointed as Cabinet Secretary to Union Government.
3. G Satheesh Reddy appointed as Scientific Advisor to Union
Defense Minister.
4. Incumbent FIFA President Joseph Sepp Blatter on 29 May 2015 was re-elected
as President for the fifth term.
5. Eminent scientist Dr. Selvin Christopher has been appointed as the Director
General (DG) of Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) along
with the rank of a secretary.
6. Amit Jain was appointed as the President of US-based taxi hailing app Uber’s
India operations.
7. K. Sivan was appointed as the Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
(VSSC), an organization that works under Indian Space Research Organization in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
8. S. Somanath was appointed as the Director of Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
(LPSC) with immediate effect. LPSC works under the Indian Space Research
Organization (ISRO) and is located at Trivandrum, Kerala.
9. P. Kunhikrishnan was appointed as the Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre
(SDSC) SHAR. He will succeed MYS Prasad, who superannuated in May 2015.
10. Philipose G. Pynumootil was appointed as the Assistant Chief of Naval staff
(Air).
11. The Government of Mauritius designated Ameenah Gurib-Fakim as new
President of Mauritius. Ameenah, an internationally-
renowned scientist and biologist, will be the first woman to
hold the ceremonial position of President of Mauritius.
12. Meena Hemchandra was appointed as the Executive Director (ED) of Reserve
Bank of India (RBI). She will look after Department of Banking Supervision,
Department of Co-operative Banking Supervision and Department of Non-Banking
Supervision.
13. VA Prasanth appointed as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Indian Bank.
Before this appointment, he was serving as the General Manager of the Indian
Bank. Prasanth will succeed K. Srinivasa Raghavan.
14. Air Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, a Kargil war veteran, took over as the Vice
Chief of the Indian Air Force. He succeeds Air Marshal Ravi Kant
Sharma who demitted the office, after 40 years of service in the
IAF.
15. Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was appointed as Governor of
Ukraine’s southern Odessa region. He replaced Ihor Palytsia.
16. Pawan Munjal was on appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director
(CMD) & CEO of Hero MotoCorp Ltd.(HMCL). He succeeded his father Brijmohan
Lall Munjal.
17. Indian-American Punit Renjen was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (Deloitte Global). Renjen succeeded Barry
Salzberg, who retired from Deloitte Global on 31st May 2015.
18. Facebook appoints Munish Seth as Country Manager of connectivity
solutions. Seth will be driving Facebook’s connectivity
products and services in the country, including the
Internet.org initiative.
19. OnePlus has named Karan Sarin as its head of marketing for the Indian
operations. At Flipkart, Karan was responsible for overall business strategy, sales,
and operations of the company’s Gift Cards business.
20. Former Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB) Syed Asif Ibrahim was appointed
as Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Counter Terrorism and Extremism in
National Security Council (NSC) Secretariat.
21. Rohan Narayan Murty will, very soon, be made a member of the Central
Advisory Board of Education (CABE).
22. R Seshasayee was on 5th June 2015 appointed as the Non-Executive Chairman
of Infosys Limited. He succeeded KV Kamath, who resigned to head the proposed
BRICS New Development Bank in China.
23. Volvo Auto India appointed Tom von Bonsdorff as Managing Director.
» He will take over with immediate effect. He succeeded Tomas Ernberg.
Tomas Ernberg is moving back to Sweden in a new role.
24. Twitter appoints Robert Kaiden as chief accounting officer.
25. Former Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, K.V.
Chowdary appointed as the new Central Vigilance Commissioner, while the
senior-most Information Commissioner, Vijai Sharma, is the new Chief
Information Commissioner.
26. ICICI Bank appointed Mahendra Kumar Sharma as the non-executive chairman
for a period of five years. Sharma, a former vice chairman of Hindustan Unilever
Limited (HUL) succeeded KV Kamath.
27. Vijai Sharma was appointed as the Chief Information Commissioner in the
Central Information Commission (CIC), New Delhi.
28. KV Chowdary was appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC).
29. RC Tayal was appointed as the Director General (DG) of National Security
Guard (NSG).
30. John Cryan was named as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Deutsche Bank.
31. Anshu Jain and Juergen Fitschen resigned as Co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
of Deutsche Bank.
32. R. Seshasayee was appointed as the Non-Executive Chairman of Infosys
Limited. He succeeded KV Kamath, who resigned to head the proposed BRICS
New Development Bank in China.
33. Dr. Srivari Chandrasekhar was appointed as the Director of Hyderabad-based
CSIR-Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT). The appointment was made by the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is President of the CSIR (Council of Scientific
and Industrial Research).
34. India-born Padmasree Warrior resigned as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of
Cisco. She resigned after a major restructuring at the top management level
under incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chuck Robbins.
36. Global hospitality chain Accor Hotels has appointed Gaurav Bhushan as Chief
Development Officer.
37. Manish Sabharwal replaces Rohan Narayana Murthy in top education advisory
board.
38. Flipkart appoints Ravi Garikipati as ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’.
39. Dick Costolo is stepping down as CEO of Twitter, under pressure from
investors frustrated by the Internet company’s slow growth
and seemingly constant shake-ups in its upper
ranks. Costolo will be replaced by co-founder Jack Dorsey
on an interim basis.
40. Delhi Law Minister Kapil Mishra is appointed as the Chairman of the Delhi Jal
Board (DJB). He succeeded Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
41. Retail broking firm HDFC Securities has appointed Dhiraj Relli as its Managing
Director and CEO.
» Relli takes over this position from Aseem Dhru, who returns to HDFC Bank
as Group Head – Business Banking, Rural, Commodity and Agri-lending
businesses.
42. Mogens Lykketoft from Denmark was unanimously elected as President of
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
43. Archana Ramasundaram was on 17th June 2015 appointed as the Director of
National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), New Delhi. Ramasundram is an IPS officer
of 1980-batch of Tamil Nadu cadre.
44. Journalist and writer Aakar Patel appointed as Executive Director of Amnesty
International (AI) India on 18 June 2015. He will head AI India’s operations and its
efforts to end human rights abuses in India and worldwide.
45. Britain’s longest-serving Indian-origin MP, Keith Vaz on 18 June 2015 was re-
elected as chairman of Parliaments Home Affairs Select Committee for the third
time.
46. Senior IAS officer G Gurucharan was on 17th June 2015 given additional
charge as Director General, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for three months. He
will hold the additional charge till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until
further orders.
47. Dennis A. Muilenburg to become Boieng’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
48. Kerala government has appointed Tennis Icon Steffanie Graf as Ayurveda
brand ambassador.
49. Zaheer Abbas was named as the President of International Cricket Council
(ICC) on 24 June 2015 during the ICC Annual Conference in
Barbados. He assumed the role of ICC President with
immediate effect for one-year term.
50. Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee was appointed as the acting Chief Justice of
Karnataka High Court. He was the senior-most Judge of the High Court.
51. State Bank of India (SBI) today announced the appointment of Anshula Kant as
its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Kant has been designated
as the Deputy Managing Director and CFO of the bank, SBI
said in a filing on BSE.
52. Ujjwal Batria was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of French
cement maker Lafarge’s India operations.
53. Online directory services and marketplace for small and medium enterprises
(SME), IndiaMart has hired Mudit Khosla as senior vice president for big supplier
initiatives.
54. Data Security Council of India (DSCI) named cybercrime expert Nandkumar
Saravade its Chief Executive Officer.
55. Technology major Lenovo has appointed Rahul Agarwal as the Managing
Director (MD) of its India operations.
56. Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa was sworn-in as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh. He
became the 19th Governor of the state.
57. Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo was appointed as the
new Chancellor of the Nalanda University, Bihar.
Science & Technology 1. China unveiled the world’s first facial recognition ATM which will not allow
users to withdraw cash unless their face matches their IDs. The ATM machine was
created by Tsinghua University and Hangzhou-based technology company
Tzekwan.
2. Advanced version of indigenous Pinaka mark-II rockets were successfully tested
on 30th May 2015 in Pokhran field firing ranges in Rajasthan. They were test-fired
using a multi-barrel rocket launcher (MBRL). In the test six rounds were
successfully tested which had hit the target situated 53 kms from the firing point.
» The MBRL version of Pinaka has high operational mobility, flexibility and
accuracy which is capable of acting as a force multiplier and has been
developed to supplement artillery guns.
3. Maharashtra Cabinet approved a Composite Renewable Energy Policy worth
INR 4156.43 crore which would help attract investment of INR 1 lakh crore. The
policy was approved at a cabinet meet chaired by Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis.
» The policy aims at achieving 14400 MW of installed capacity from the
present 6700 MW over a period of five years, that is, till 2020. The policy
targets to increase the share of renewable energy in total electricity
production in the state to 15% from present 9%.
4. Facebook announced the opening of a new artificial intelligence lab in Paris to
expand a push to make its online social network smarter and more profitable.
5. Delhi Metro received its first driver-less train from Korea-based manufacturer.
The train is equipped with several advanced features and will be operational on
sections of Phase-III of the network, set to be operational by December 2016.
» Due to the absence of cabin for the operator, these train will be able to
accommodate 2280 passengers, which is 240 more than the regular six-
coach Metro train. They would run on the over 58 km-long Majlish Park-
Shiv Vihar and the over 38 km-long Janakpuri (West)-Botanical Garden
corridors of the Phase-III.
6. The Delhi division of the Northern Railway rolled out a non-AC coach lit by solar
panels mounted on its roof. This is the first time in the history of Indian Railways,
that a solar photovoltaic system has been used for power requirements of light
and fan in a broad gauge coach.
7. Scientists at Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), Lucknow
succeeded in whole genome sequencing of Holy basil or Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum).
CIMAP is a frontier plant research laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial
Research (CSIR).
8. Property advisory firm Cushman & Wakefield has launched a new iPhone app
which will enable users to access its research publications from across the globe.
9. Indian-origin scientist Manu Prakash along with his team developed World’s
first water-based computer. They have built a synchronous computer that
operates using the unique physics of moving water droplets. The work combines
Prakash’s expertise in manipulating droplet fluid dynamics with a fundamental
element of computer science – an operating clock.
10. Union Minister for Communications Ravi Shankar Prasad launched half-an-
hour free Wi-Fi Internet facility in the Taj Mahal complex. BSNL has made special
arrangements to introduce the facility with support from Quadgen, a Bengaluru-
based company.
11. Indian mobile handset maker Karbonn announced that it is planning to set up
its first mobile handset manufacturing facility in Hyderabad.
12. Union Government has launched Augmented Reality technology based mobile
application named ‘Sakaar’ to highlight the achievements of the Department of
Space.
About Augmented Reality Technology:
» Augmented Reality (AR) technology is computer-generated 3D models,
animations, videos that augments (or supplements) the live direct view of a
physical, real-world environment. With the help of device’s camera the real
time augmentation and information is overlaying takes place which
enhances user’s current perception. Essentially AR requires three basic
elements for its functioning. They are AR application, AR Markers and
Android OS enabled mobile with back camera.
13. Researchers have created the world’s thinnest light bulb using graphene as
filament.
Features of Bulb
» The bulb uses grapheme, a perfectly crystalline form of carbon as a
filament.
» The filament is attached to metal electrodes and suspended the strips
above the substrate.
» After current is passed through filament it heats up to over 2,500° C and
produces exceptionally bright light.
14. Genomics Applications and Information Technology (Ganit) Labs in the third
week of June announced that it developed a medical test that could predict the
survival chances of tongue cancer patients for as little as 5000 rupees.
» The test is based on a detailed analysis of changing gene patterns in
cancer patients and helps doctors in managing the disease better,
understand the chances of recurrence and also help in the diagnosis of
even other forms of oral cancer.
15. Micromax on 18th June 2015 launched the world’s slimmest and lightest 4-
Generation (4G) phone named as Micromax Canvas Sliver 5.
» As per Micromax, it is the first smartphone to weigh below 100 grams.
16. Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI) has launched ASCI online, a
mobile application in a bid to address misleading advertisements.
17. As per recently published study in the journal Science Advances, humans are
driving Earth to sixth mass extinction. The study was led by team of experts from
Stanford University, Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley
of United states.
Key facts:
» The analysis of study was based on documented extinctions of vertebrate
species such as frogs, tigers, reptiles and from fossil records and other
historical data.
» Researchers had compared the modern rate of species loss to the natural
rates of species disappearance before human activity was dominated.
» As per natural rate of extinction, two species go extinct per 10,000
species in 100 years. However, modern rates of extinction are 8 to 100
times higher.
» For example, 477 vertebrates have gone extinct since 1900, rather than 9
that would be expected at natural rates.
» The average rate of vertebrate species loss in past 100 years is up to 114
times higher than it would had been without human activity.
» Main causes for species loss includes climate change, pollution,
deforestation, habitat loss, over-exploitation for economic gain etc.
» As per International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) around 41
percent of all amphibian species and 26 percent of mammals are
threatened with extinction.
18. Drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences has received approval from the US health
regulator to market generic levofloxacin tablets, used to treat various infections
including pneumonia.
19. Indian Telecom major Bharti Airtel has launched 4th Generation (4G) services
in Mysuru (or Mysore), Karnataka.
20. India and South Africa have renewed an agreement to extend cooperation in
the various fields of science and technology such as astronomy, social innovation,
biotechnology, agriculture and indigenous knowledge systems.
21. University of Central Florida (UCF) developed a nature-inspired technique for
creating the world’s first full-colour, flexible thin-film reflective display.
» This technology can help you switch your dress colour to a different
colour in the blink of an eye, if someone at a wedding reception is wearing
the same dress as yours.
Characteristic features of the display
» The use of Polarization-independent liquid crystals (LC)-plasmonic system
makes LC-plasmonic systems more attractive candidates for display, filter
and other actively tunable optical technologies.
» It does not need its own light source. Rather, it reflects the ambient light
around it. Your camouflage, your clothing, your fashion items- all of that
could change with this innovation.
» This display is only about few microns thick, compared to a 100-micron-
thick human hair. Such an ultra-thin display can be applied to flexible
materials like plastics and synthetic fabrics.
22. A team of British scientists led by Dr Sven Thatje published the discovery of
the first species of Yeti Crab in Antarctica in the journal PLOS ONE.
The species has been named Kiwa tyleri after British deep-sea and polar biologist
Professor Paul Tyler from the University of Southampton.
23. Heart experts, including one of an Indian-origin, have successfully integrated
two common imaging techniques to produce the first 3D anatomic model of a
patient’s heart.
» This is the first time the integration of computed tomography (CT) and 3D
transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) has successfully been used for
printing a hybrid 3D model of heart.
» The study also opens the way for these techniques to be used in
combination with a third tool — magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
24. Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on 29 June 2015 inaugurated the
Integrated Security System (ISS) at four railway stations in Mumbai comprising
Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), Dadar, Kurla and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus
(LTT).
» The ISS was installed with a total cost of 21.72 crore rupees. The ISS is
aimed at improving security on Railway premises, ensuring safety of the
people and averting terror attacks.
Business 1. Fitbit, the San Francisco-based maker of fitness bands such as the Fitbit Flex,
Charge, Charge HR and Surge is finally launching in India next month.
2. The U.S.-based private equity firm Carlyle Group would invest $500 million in
Magna Energy Ltd., an India-focused oil firm founded by Mike Watts, the man
who saw oil in Rajasthan’s Thar desert, where global giant Royal Dutch Shell saw
none.
3. Jurassic World became the fastest film to reach $1 billion worldwide by earning
the money in 17 days.
» In 13 days flat, the film starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and
Irrfan Khan has earned the mammoth amount (approximately INR 6300
crore).
Important Dates 1. The international Day of United Nations Peacekeepers was observed on 29th
May 2015 with the theme Together for Peace.
2. Punjab government has announced that year 2015-16 will be observed as
development year to give further fillip to the all-round development of the state.
3. The World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2015 was observed globally on 31st May
2015. To mark this occasion, the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched a
campaign to stop illicit trade of tobacco products.
4. World Environment Day (WED) was observed globally on 5th June 2015 with
theme Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care.
» The host country for the WED 2015 is Italy and the celebrations will be
organized by Expo Milano 2015 that will run from 1 May to 31 October
2015 and will see the participation of 140 plus countries.
5. World Ocean Day 2015 was celebrated across the world on 8th June 2015 with
the theme Healthy oceans, Healthy planet.
6. World Blood Donor Day is being observed across the world on 14th June to
raise the public awareness about the need for safe blood donation.
7. The first International Yoga Day (IYD) was celebrated across the world on
21st June 2015.
8. Every year June 20 is observed as World Refugee Day to raise awareness of the
situation of refugees throughout the world.
9. Kerala Government has declared June 22 as ‘Snake Bird Day’ in a bid to protect
the endangered species which is also known as Indian darter.
10. The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was on 26 June
2015 observed globally with the theme Let’s Develop our Lives, our Communities,
our identities without Drugs.
11. India on 29 June 2015 observed its ninth National Statistics Day. Theme for
the 9th Statistics Day is Social Development.
Death 1. Hollywood actress Betsy Palmer passed away on 31st May 2015 following a
brief illness. She was 88. Palmer is survived by her daughter Melissa Merendino.
2. Hemant Sonawala, the chairman of Hinditron Group, died on 30th May 2015.
He was 78. Sonawala was one of the founders of India’s Information Technology
(IT) industry. He started Hinditron in 1966 and its computer division in 1971,
which at present is engaged in several fields like Information Technology,
Instrumentation, and Telecommunication products, Video, Broadband and
Software Services.
3. Doris Hart, the number one American tennis player of 1950s, died at the age of
89 on 29th May 2015. Hart as a player had won each Grand Slam tournament at
least once, including three Wimbledon titles in a single day.
4. American Nobel laureate Irwin Rose, a biochemist whose groundbreaking work
helped in the development of treatments for cervical cancer and cystic fibrosis,
died on 2nd June 2015. He was 88.
» Rose won the 2004 Nobel Prize in chemistry, along with Israel Institute of
Technology researchers Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko, for
research into how cells break down and dispose of old and damaged
proteins in plants and animals.
5. New Zealand’s former rugby captain Jerry Collins and his wife have been killed
in a car crash in France. The 34-year-old, who played 48 tests for the All Blacks
and captained them three times, was playing for Narbonne in France’s second
division.
6. Former leader of Britain’s Liberal Democratic Party Charles Kennedy died at his
residence in Scotland. He was 55 years old.
7. Hollywood Actor Hiroshi Koizumi passed away on 31st May 2015 following
pneumonia.
» He was 88. Making debut in 1951 on silver screen, Koizumi appeared in a
string of monster films including Mothra vs Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-
Headed Monster and Dogara, the Space Monster. In 1955, Koizumi
appeared as a pilot in movie Godzilla Raids Again.
» Koizumi also acted in numerous non-monster productions, including the
47 Samurai in 1962, alongside the legendary Toshiro Mifune. During 1970s,
he became the presenter of Fuji TV’s popular Quiz Grand Prix.
» Later, he appeared in The Return of Godzilla in 1984 and in 2003’s
Godzilla.
8. Wrestler Prem Nath, a gold medallist at the 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth
Games, passed away on 1 June 2015. He was 64.
» Prem Nath, a President’s Medal-winning retired Delhi Police official, was
known for his efforts to popularize wrestling in Delhi.
9. Hiroshi Koizumi passed away on 31st May 2015 following pneumonia. He was
88. Making debut in 1951 on silver screen, Koizumi appeared in a string of
monster films including Mothra vs Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
and Dogara, the Space Monster.
10. Wrestler Prem Nath, a gold medallist at the 1974 Christchurch
Commonwealth Games, passed away on 1st June 2015. He was 64. He is survived
by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
11. Former Indian cricketer Hemant Kanitkar died after a prolonged illness on 9th
June 2015 at his residence in Pune, Maharashtra. He was 72.
12. Former Himachal Pradesh governor and ex-union minister Sheila Kaul passed
away in New Delhi. She was 101.
13. India’s greatest contemporary architect Charles Correa passed away in
Mumbai following a brief illness. He was 84.
» He had played a pivotal role in the creation of architecture for post-
Independence India. He was known for his sensitivity to the needs of the
urban poor and use of traditional methods and materials for construction.
14. Former Indian women hockey team captain Shashi Bala passed away at the
age of 45. Shashi was killed in a car accident along with her son in Kahma village
of Punjab.
15. Sister Nirmala Joshi, the former superior general of the Missionaries of
Charity, passes away at 81. Sister Nirmala had replaced Mother Teresa as the
superior general in 1997.
16. James Horner, the two-time Oscar-winning composer died in plane crash in
California, United States. He was 61. He had also composed for the Avatar and
Titanic.
17. Veteran journalist, author, political analyst and anti-nuclear activist Praful
Bidwai passed away in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was 64. He died due to
cardiac arrest after he had choked on his food.
18. Senior Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader and Lok Sabha MP Dileep Singh Bhuria
passed away in Gurgaon, Haryana after a brief illness. He was 71.
19. Patrick Macnee, star of the legendary Avengers TV series, died on 25 June
2015 at his home in Rancho Mirage in California. He was 93.
» Macnee was known for playing the role of secret agent John Steed in the
1960s television series The Avengers.
20. Former Prime minister Yevgeny Primakov passed away in Moscow after a
prolonged illness. He was 85. He had served as PM for just eight months between
September 1998 and May 1999.
22. Chris Squire, the co-founder and longtime bassist of progressive rock band
Yes, has died at his home in Phoenix Arizona after losing battle with leukemia.
