Current Affairs 15 June 2019

Current Affairs 15 June 2019

> No plastic bags in Bahrain from next month

Bahrain has decided to ban the use of plastic bags from next month. A ministerial order with respect to the technical regulations for plastic products will come into effect from the 21st of July. The first phase will focus on single-use plastic bags as well as banning the import of non-biodegradable plastic bags.

> India, Kyrgyzstan to boost bilateral trade

The two nations have prepared a five-year road map to increase the bilateral trade. PM Modi and Kyrgyzstan's President Sooronbay Jeenbekov jointly inaugurated the India-Kyrgyzstan Business Form.

> NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft creates a new record

OSIRIS REx entered its second orbital phase around asteroid Bennu, called Orbital B. It broke its own record for the closest orbit of a planetary body. The spacecraft is on a seven-year journey.

> RBI to pump in Rs. 12,500 cr liquidity on June 20

RBI will infuse this amount into the financial system through bond purchases on June 20. The decision has been taken based on a review of the evolving liquidity conditions and assessment of the durable liquidity needs going forward. Shaktikant Das is the current governor of RBI.

> BharatPe appoints Prateek Agarwal as Chief Business Officer

Digital Payments firm BharatPe has appointed Prateek Agarwal as its Chief Business Officer. Ashneer Grover is the CEO and Co-founder of BharatPe.

> Union Cabinet clears NDIAC Bill

The Union Cabinet has cleared the New Delhi International Arbitration Centre Bill, 2019. The bill provides for setting up of an independent and autonomous body for institutional arbitration. The arbitration will benefit the Government and the parties to a dispute.

> Govt. reduces ESI contribution rate to 4 per cent from 6.5 per cent

The govt. has reduced the contribution under the ESI Act (Employees State Insurance Act) to 4% from 6.5% to increase the takehome salary of workers as well as reduce the financial burden of employers. This includes a reduction of 1.5% in employers' contribution to 3.25% from 4.75%.

> India to impose retaliatory tariffs on 29 US products

India has decided to impose the long-pending retaliatory tariffs on 29 pending US products after Washington withdrew duty-free benefits for Indian exporters. This comes ahead of the meeting between the US president and Indian PM at the sidelines of the G20 meeting. India export products worth $1.5 billion to the US.

> Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi assumes charge as Commandant of Indian Naval Academy

Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has taken over as the Commandant of INA. He is an alumnus of NDA, Khadakvashala. He is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare and has commanded IN ships Vinash, Kirch and Trishul.

> UGC-CARE launched for Journals

The University Grants Commission has launched a Consortium of Academic and Research Ethics. It will identify, continuously monitor and maintain UGC-CARE Reference List of Quality Journals across disciplines.

> CBDT issued new norms

The Central Board of Direct Taxes issued new norms for compounding of offences on 14 June. The new guidelines have exclusion provisions under which offences under the Black Money and Imposition of Act 2015 cannot be compounded in normal cases. Compounding means that the authorities agree to not prosecute offenders in return for a consideration.

> Two women to Chandrayan 2

For the first time, ISRO has 2 woman project directors - Ritu Karidhal and Muthaya Vanitha for its interplanetary mission Chandrayan 2. Chandrayan 2 will launch on July 15. 

> Chalo app launched in Assam

Assam Transport Minister Chander Mohan Patowary launched the State Transport Corporations's Chalo app for Guwahati on June 14. The app will help commuters to know about the live arrival time of their bus so they can plan their travel accordingly.

> Akshaya Patra gets BBC award

The Bengaluru based NGO Akshaya Patra has been awarded the BBC World Service Global Champion Award for the programme.

> Toronto Raptors beat Golden State Warriors to win the NBA finals

Kawhi Leonard was named the NBA finals Most Valuable Player.