Daily Current Affairs and GK | 15 June 2021

Topic: International News

1. Naftali Bennett sworn-in as new Prime Minister of Israel.

• Naftali Bennett was elected as the new Prime Minister of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu's term ended after 12 years.
• Naftali Bennett wins the confidence vote with a margin of one vote. He secured 60 votes in the 120-member house while Benjamin Netanyahu got 59 votes.
• Naftali Bennett is the leader of the right-wing Yamina party. He took oath as 13^th Prime Minister of Israel.
• The government has 27 ministers, 9 of them are women. The government has been formed by an alliance of eight parties.
• Naftali Bennett will be Prime Minister until September 2023 after that he will hand over power to Yair Lapid.
• The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of government. He is appointed by the President.
• Israel:
  • It is a Middle Eastern country located on the Mediterranean Sea.
  • Its capital is Jerusalem and the currency is the Israeli shekel.
  • Reuven Rivlin is the current President of Israel.
  • The government of Israel is based on parliamentary democracy.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: Books and Authors

2. 'Home in the World'- Amartya Sen's memoir to be released in July.

• Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has written his memoir 'Home in the World'.
• It will be published by Penguin Random House in July.
• In this book, he has shared details from his life from childhood.
• He has written that how Rabindranath Tagore gave him the name Amartya.
• He has written about his education and Bengali culture.
• Some of Amartya Sen's notable books are 'The Argumentative Indian' and 'The Idea of Justice'.
• Dr. Amartya Sen’s best-known work is ‘Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation (1981)’. He was conferred Nobel Prize in Economics in 1998.

Topic: Important Days

3. World Elder Abuse Awareness Day: 15 June.

• World Elder Abuse Awareness Day is observed annually on 15 June.
• In 2017, 1 in 6 older persons were abused. 2021-2030 is the Decade of Healthy Ageing.
• The theme for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2021 is ‘Access to Justice’.
• The day was officially recognized by UN General Assembly in a resolution in December 2011 after the request of the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.
• International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse first started World Elder Abuse Awareness Day in 2006.

Topic: Science and Technology

4. India’s first power-free CPAP device ‘Jivan Vayu’ developed by IIT Ropar.

• India’s first power-free Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device ‘Jivan Vayu’ has been developed by IIT Ropar.
• The device called ‘Jivan Vayu’ can be used as a substitute for CPAP machine. It functions even without electricity.
• Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a treatment method used for patients with breathing problems during sleep called sleep apnea.
• This device uses mild air pressure to keep airways open for easy breathing. The device is also used to treat infants whose lungs have not fully developed.
• CPAP treatment is necessary during the early stages of the Covid-19 infection. It reduces lung damage and allows patients to recover from the inflammatory effects.
• The device has been manufactured using 3D printing and has also been tested mechanically.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

5. NHPC signed an MoU with Bihar State Hydroelectric Power Corporation (BSHPC) to implement Dagmara HE Project.

• NHPC and Bihar State Hydroelectric Power Corporation (BSHPC) have signed an MoU for implementing the 130.1 MW Dagmara HE Project in Supaul.
• It was signed by Shri Biswajit Basu, Director (Projects), NHPC and Alok Kumar, Managing Director, BSHPC.
• The Dagmara Project will help in the progress and development of the state. It will be a landmark project in the field of green power.
• The execution of will foster the socio-economic and infrastructure development in the area and will create job opportunities.
• Dagmara HE Project: It is the largest hydropower project in Bihar. It will be implemented by NHPC.
• NHPC Limited:
  • It is a Scheduled ‘A’ Mini Ratna Public Sector Enterprise.
  • It was established in 1975 and headquartered in Faridabad, Haryana.
  • Abhay Kumar Singh is the Chairman and Managing Director of NHPC Ltd.

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

6. Government launched ‘Namaste Yoga’ mobile App.

• Ayush Ministry launched the ‘Namaste Yoga’ mobile App during an event for the 7th International Day of Yoga (IDY).
• It will help in spreading awareness about yoga and make it more reachable to common people.
• An event for the 7th International Day of Yoga was organized by the Ministry of Ayush in collaboration with the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.
• On this occasion, Ayush Ministry also launched a 10-episode series on Common Yoga Protocol.
• Ayush Ministry will organize series of five webinars under the theme of “Be with Yoga, Be at Home” as part of the celebration of International Yoga Day.
• International Day of Yoga (IDY) is celebrated every year on 21 June. This year it will be celebrated under the theme “Yoga at home and Yoga with Family”.
• Ministry of AYUSH:
  • It was established in 2014.
  • It is responsible for the education, research, and propagation of indigenous alternative medicine systems in India.

Topic: Sports

7. Wrestler Vinesh Phogat clinched gold medal in Poland open.

• Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the gold medal in the 53 kg category at the Poland Open. It is her third title of the season.
• Earlier, She had won gold at the Matteo Pellicone event (March) and Asian Championship (April).
• She defeated Ukraine's Khrystyna Bereza in the final. Khrystyna Bereza won the silver medal at the Poland Open.
• Earlier, Indian wrestler Anshu Malik pulled out of the 57kg competition due to fever.

Topic: Agriculture

8. GI-certified Jardalu mangoes exported from Bihar to United Kingdom.

• Bihar exported the first consignment of GI certified Jardalu mangoes from Bhagalpur to London.
• The Jardalu mangoes were exported by the Bihar government in collaboration with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
• Jardalu mangoes are grown mainly grown in the Bhagalpur, Munger and Banka districts of Bihar. It has got GI certification in 2018.
• Recently, Bihar has also exported a consignment of Muzaffarpur’s GI tagged shahi litchi to the United Kingdom.
• APEDA has taken various initiatives to boost the export of mango from the non-traditional regions. It has organized mango festivals in Germany and Japan.
• Geographical Indication (GI) Tag is a form of intellectual property, a certification or sign or name given to certain goods/products that are unique to a particular geographical region or location.

Topic: Important Days

9. Global Wind Day 2021: 15 June

• Every year Global Wind Day is observed on 15 June.
• It is observed to promote the use of Wind energy and to aware people of the benefits of Wind energy.
• Global Wind Day was first observed as Wind Day in 2007. Later, it was renamed Global Wind Day in 2009.
• Global Wind Day is organized by WindEurope and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC).
• According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), wind energy is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources in the world.
• India will install 20GW of wind capacity over 2021-25. Wind energy is a source of clean energy and it is inexhaustible.
• At present, India has a total installed wind power capacity of 38.789 GW. India has the fourth-largest installed wind power capacity in the world.

Topic: International News

10. Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and UAE elected as non-permanent members in UN Security Council.

• UN Security Council elected Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, and UAE as non-permanent members for the 2022-23 term.
• All five countries, elected unopposed, will begin their term from 1 January 2022.
• The election for the non-permanent members of the Security Council is held through secret ballot and candidates require two-thirds majority in the General Assembly to get elected.
• India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway had begun the term as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council from 1 January 2021.
• In the election, Ghana obtained 185 votes while Gabon received 183 votes. The United Arab Emirates received 179 votes and Albania got 175 votes.
• Gabon, Ghana, and the United Arab Emirate were elected from the African and Asian States seats. Brazil is elected from Latin American and Caribbean Group seat and the Eastern European Group seat went to Albania.

Topic: Reports and Indices

11. India has been placed on 14th position in World Giving Index 2021.

• According to the World Giving Index 2021 report, India is the 14^th most charitable country in the world. Last year, India’s rank was 82^nd among 128 countries.
• Indonesia has topped the World Giving Index 2021, Kenya is in the second spot. Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda have made their place in the top 10 for the first time.
• Australia and New Zealand maintained their places in the top 10.
• According to this report, 61% of Indians helped strangers; 34% volunteered; and 36% donated money.
• World Giving Index:
  • It is an annual report published by the Charities Aid Foundation.
  • It is the world’s largest survey of charitable endeavors from around the world.
  • The report collected data from 128 countries.
  • It asks three questions in the survey:
    • Helped a stranger?
    • Donated money to a charity?
    • Volunteered your time to an organization?

(Source: News on AIR)