Today’s Current Affairs 26th -June-2018 – MyProgressCard

Important Days

1. International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

• In 1987, the UN General Assembly declared 26th June as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
• This day was coined to enhance efforts to achieve an international society free of drug abuse.
• This day aims to create awareness of the problems caused by illicit drugs to the society.

Image Credit: Coimbatore Ayurvedic Centre

• Theme for 2018: Listen First – Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe.

Obituaries

2. South African Indian cinema mogul Moosa passes away

• South African Indian cinema star Moosa Aboobaker Moosa died at 75 due to cardiac arrest.
• Moosa is the longest-serving cinema group executive in the world.
• In 2007, he was awarded the South African Film and Television Industry Lifetime Achievement Award.

Image Credit: Free Press Journal

• He took over the family cinema business of the Avalon Group, started by his father, which is said to be the first and still only Indian-owned cinema group in South Africa.

Awards & Honours

3. World Food Prize 2018 awarded to Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro

• The 2018 World Food Prize 2018 was conferred to Lawrence Haddad and Dr. David Nabarro
• This year’s $250,000 prize will be divided equally between them.
• Lawrence Haddad is a British economist and food policy researcher and Dr. David Nabarro has worked with the World Health Organization.
• Haddad and Nabarro worked for the improvement of nutrition for mothers and children from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday.

Image Credit: Scaling Up Nutrition

• The World Food Prize is awarded to individuals whose breakthrough achievements alleviate hunger and promote global food security globally.

National News

4. India – Most dangerous country for women

• According to Thomson Reuters Foundation survey, India is said to be the world’s most dangerous country for women, the reason being high risk of sexual violence and being forced into slave labour.
• The cases of crime against women rose by 83% between 2007 & 2016 when there were four cases of rape reported every hour.

Image Credit: The Hindu

• The total global crime was worth an estimated $150 billion a year in India.

5. Committee to study for 1000MW floating solar power plant in Ujani Dam: Maharashtra government

• A committee has been set up by the government of Maharashtra to study things pertaining to the development of a 1000MW floating solar power plant at Ujani dam in Solapur district.
• Due to unavailability of large areas of land for solar power plants, a floating solar power plant is suggested.

• The committee is headed by Satish Chavan, Director of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL).

6. Pallavi Durua crowned as first Tribal Queen in India

• In the recently organised Adi Rani Kalinga Tribal Queen competition, Pallavi Durua, a native of Koraput district of Odisha, is crowned as the first “Tribal Queen”.

Image Credit: THE HANS INDIA

• The prime objective of the event is to promote tribal art and culture.

7. President presents National Awards for Outstanding Services in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse

• President Ram Nath Kovind presented the “Fourth National Awards for outstanding services in the field of Prevention of Alcoholism and Substance (Drug) Abuse” to the institutions and individuals on the occasion of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment celebrates 26th June every year as International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
• For the same, the Government instituted a Scheme of the National Awards for outstanding services in the field of prevention of Alcoholism & Substance (Drug) Abuse in 2013.

Image Credit: APN News

• The Scheme is applicable to Institutions and individuals working in the field of Prevention of Drug and Alcoholism Abuse.

8. Suresh Prabhu chairs India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission

• The mnister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation of India, Suresh Prabhu co-chaired the 15th Session of the India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission with the Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Steven Ciobo, in Canberra.
• Both Ministers emphasized the need for growth in two-way trade and investment and also discussed how mutual strengths could contribute to economic modernization.

9. 51 Lakh Houses Sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) in Three Years

• The ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) conducted its 35th Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) meeting of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) – Urban where a total of 3,18,900 houses from 6 States/UTs were approved.
• With this, the PMAY (U) has approved more than 51 Lakhs dwelling units against the estimated demand of 1 crore.
• As the scheme is completing its 3rd year of implementation today, a significant milestone of more than 51 lakh houses approved has been achieved.

Image Credit: YThisNews

• This is a huge jump in comparison to old housing scheme where 12.4 Lakh houses were approved in around 9 years of its implementation.
• Such unprecedented performance is due to innovative architecture of the scheme where flexibility has been given to the States/UTs to approve the projects.

10. Oil India discovered hydrocarbon in KG Basin

• Oil India Limited (OIL), a state-owned PSU has made its second hydrocarbon discovery in Krishna-Godavari (KG) Basin.
• Thanelanka-1 is the first high pressure-high temperature (HP-HT) well drilled by OIL.
• Earlier, the company made a gas discovery at Dangeru-l well in the block.

Image Credit: The Financial Express

• In 2017-18, OIL produced 3.39 metric million tonnes (MMT) of crude oil and 2.93 billion cubic meters (BCM) of gas.

11. Telangana allocates 15 Cr for Bonalu festival

• The Chief Minister of Telangana K. Chandrashekhar Rao instructed officials to release Rs. 15 crore for organising Bonalu festival.

Image Credit: THE HANS INDIA

• Bonalu is an annual festival of Telangana celebrated in twin cities Hyderabad and Secunderabad and other parts of Telangana in the month of Ashada Masam, in July/August.

International News

12. UK Queen approves Brexit Bill, allowing UK to leave European Union

• Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II granted royal assent to Prime Minister Theresa May’s flagship Brexit legislation that will formally end the country’s European Union membership.

Image Credit: www.news.com.au

• The EU withdrawal bill repeals the 1972 European Communities Act through which the UK became a member and transfers decades of European law onto British statute books in a bid to avoid any legal disruption.

13. London is the most desirable city in the world for overseas workers

• According to a survey conducted by the Boston Consulting Group and totaljobs.com. London beat New York, Berlin and Barcelona to take the top spot as the most desirable city in the world for overseas workers.

Image Credit: City AM

• In the meantime, the UK has dropped three places in the country’s overall rankings, falling from 2nd in 2014 to 5th.