Current Affairs - June 29, 2020 Current Affairs

Senior IAS officer Vini Mahajan assumed charge as Punjab's first woman chief secretary on 26 June 2020. She replaced Karan Avtar Singh. She has become the first Woman Chief Secretary of Punjab.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) plans to establish a permanent military base in the Indian Ocean by March 2021. This was announced by IRGC Navy Commander Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri. The Navy Commander informed that the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has given the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps the task of setting up a permanent base in the waters far away from the country.

The Union States has blocked Pakistan's attempt to proscribe an Indian national as a global terrorist by the UN Security Council (UNSC) 1267 sanctions committee. Pakistan reportedly failed to produce the required evidence against the concerned Indian citizen after which the United States blocked and terminated its proposal, delivering a huge setback to the nation.

Micheal Martin became Ireland's new prime minister replacing Leo Varadkar. The Irish parliament elected Martin, 59, as prime minister in Dublin, four months after a general election failed to produce a clear winner.

Russia's Energia space corporation has announced that it is to take the first tourist on a spacewalk in 2023, under the terms of a new contract with a US partner. Energia has signed a contract with Space Adventures. Under this, two space tourists to the International Space Station (ISS).

President Ram Nath Kovind promulgated the Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. It is in pursuance with the commitment to ensure the safety of depositors across banks. The Ordinance will amend the Banking Regulation Act 1949 as applicable to Cooperative Banks.

The World Health Organization (WHO)-led coalition ACT-Accelerator announced that it needs $31.3 billion over the next 12 months to fight the CVOVID-19 and to develop and roll out tests, treatments and vaccines. As per the report, $3.4 billion had been collected of which $13.7 billion was urgently needed. It leaves the organization with a funding gap of $27.9 billion.

Secretary Department of Science and Technology (DST) Prof Ashutosh Sharma launched the official Logo for the Golden Jubilee Commemoration Year celebration. DST under the Ministry of Science & Technology has announced many activities like special lecture series of 15-20 lectures in the form of webinars and short feature films on each Autonomous Institutions for the year.

Amazon announced that it will acquire Zoox, a self-driving startup founded in 2014 that has raised nearly $1 billion in funding and which aims to develop autonomous driving technology, including vehicles, for the purposes of providing a full-stack solution for ride-hailing.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced the launch of 'Godhan Nyay Yojana' in the state on June 25, 2020. Under the scheme, the state will procure cow dung from livestock owners at a fixed procurement rate to make animal husbandry commercially profitable, prevent open grazing by cattle and solve the problem of stray animals on roads and for environment conservation.

The government of Maharashtra announced the "Maha Parwana" to attract fresh investment in industries, for project execution, this plan will offer incentives and a single window clearance system. The companies with investment proposals for Rs.50 crore or more will get relaxation on getting clearances from multiple departments with assurance letters(Maha Parwana).

Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day is observed globally on 27th June every year since 2017. This day is observed by the United Nations to raise public awareness of their contribution to sustainable development and the global economy.

Malawi's opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera has been declared winner of the southern African country's historic presidential election redo. The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) announced the 65-year-old Chakwera leader of the Malawi Congress Party- MCP and torch-bearer of a nine political party alliance had won an absolute majority by amassing 2.6 million votes or 58.6% of the votes cast on Tuesday June 23. His main rival, incumbent president Peter Mutharika, 79, of the Democratic Progressive Party, came second with 1.7 million votes or 39.4%.

Microsoft Corp said it will close its physical store locations permanently but will continue to invest in a digital storefront that, along with third-party retailers, has driven sales of products such as the Xbox game player and Surface tablets.

United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed annually on June 26th to create awareness to the general public on the global problems caused due to drug abuse and illicit trafficking. The theme of 2020 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is "Better Knowledge for better care" to educate the need for understanding about global drug problems.