Current Affairs for the year of 2025 - 2024

World Bank Group on 21 May 2016 launched the Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) to protect poorest countries against deadly pandemics. The PEF is an innovative and fast-disbursing global financing mechanism. It will accelerate both global and national responses to future outbreaks with pandemic...

The Tamil Nadu Assembly on 1 August 2016 unanimously passed a resolution to rename the Madras High Court as the Tamil Nadu High Court. The resolution on the matter was moved by Chief Minister J Jayalalitha as most of the High Courts established after the formation of new states based on linguistic lines...

1st Meeting of National Committee on Ramayana Circuit & Krishna Circuit under Swadesh Darshan Scheme was held on 14 June 2016. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Union Minister of Tourism & Culture Dr Mahesh Sharma. During the meeting proposal to set up 11 Ramayana Circuits and 12 Krishna...

The Union Cabinet on 22 June 2016 approved a Special Package for employment generation and promotion of exports in Textile and Apparel sector. The package includes a slew of measures which are labour friendly and would promote employment generation, economies of scale and boost exports. The following...

India’s ace cueist Pankaj Advani on 22 May 2016 won the Asian 6-Red snooker title. To win this tile for the first time, he defeated top-seeded Malaysian Keen Hoh Moh 7-5 in the finals held in Abu Dhabi. To reach the finals, he defeated Aditya Mehta, an Indian player, 6-1 in a semi final match....

World Telecommunication and Information Society Day is the day being celebrated each year on 17 May to mark the anniversary of the signature of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865 which framed to the creation of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Role of Information...

Jharkhand government in July 2016 decided to form a separate cell for the Primitive Tribes Group (PTG) in the Welfare Department. The purpose of the cell is to monitor the benefits to the group under various schemes. A Consultant and an Assistant would be placed in the cell. The Union Government provides...

Union Government approved the proposal of extending age of superannuation of all doctors of Central Health Services to 65 years with effect from 31 May 2016. The proposal was made by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to strengthen the healthcare sector in the country. Benefits of this increase...

The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), which forms part of the National Command Authority (NCA), was on 30 July 2016 added to the Second Schedule of the Right to Information Act (RTI), 2005. In this regard, Union Government issued a notification mentioning SFC has been brought under sub-section (2) of...

Switzerland voters on 5 June 2016 rejected an unconditional basic income (UBI) proposal in referendum. As per the proposal, all Swiss citizens and foreigners who have been residents in Switzerland for at least 5 years are provided with the UBI irrespective of their income status. The referendum result...

Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) in June 2016 signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Gujarat International Finance Tec-City Company Limited (GIFTCL) and GIFT SEZ Limited (GIFT SEZ) to establish a representative office in India. The representation office will be located in the Gujarat...

India and the United States (US) on 2 June 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation on energy security, clean energy and climate change. The MoU will provide framework to work more closely not only for betterment of people but also for creating a positive environment for...

The Indo-Thailand Military Exercise Maitree concluded on 29 July 2016 at Krabi, Thailand. The exercise had commenced on 15 July 2016 under the aegis of the Royal Thailand Army. The aim of the joint exercise was to train contingents of both the armies on conduct of counter terrorist operations in an...

The International Widow's Day 2016 was celebrated across the world on 23 June 2016. The day was celebrated to raise awareness on the troubles of widowed women. The day throws light on the situation of widows which is sometimes neglected due to absent in statistics, unnoticed by researchers and is mostly...

Veteran communist leader KC Mathew died on 24 May 2016 at a private hospital in Kochi. He was 92. He was the prime accused in the attack on the Edappally police station in February 1950, which resulted in a witch-hunt of the communists by the police. He was born in North Paravur in 1924 and graduated...

Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu on 5 June 2016 flagged off the inaugural run of the Tiger Trail Circuit Train from Delhi Safdarjung Station. The launch of this Tiger Express on World Environment Day is to highlight the significance of environment. The most important objective of the train...

The Union Cabinet on 15 June 2016 approved the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debts Laws and Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Bill, 2016. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 11 May 2016. The bill seeks to improve ease of doing business and thereby, attract investments into the...

Brazilian researchers on 21 July 2016 announced that they have found another species of mosquito, which is able to transmit the Zika virus to humans. The scientists found the presence of the Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito infected by the Zika virus in three out of 80 groups of mosquitoes analysed up...

Mercedes racing driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain on 12 June 2016 won the Formula 1 Canada Grand Prix title. To win the title, he overcame Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel in the final race held in Montreal, Canada. For Hamilton, the present win in Montreal was the fifth in his career and the second in...

The Union Cabinet on 1 June 2016 approved the proposal for Extension of Corridor-1 of Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I Project from Washermanpet to Wimconagar. It covers a length of 9.051 km at a total cost of 3770 crore rupees. Highlights of the Proposal • The project will be executed by the existing...

To commemorate the 2nd International Day of Yoga, Andhra Pradesh Postal circle on 21 June 2016 released “Information booklet, Stamps on Yoga” and “12 stamps on Suryanamaskarams”. The booklet contains illustrations and description of 24 yoga asana (postures). It also provides...

Noted sports promoter and founder chairperson of Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani was elected as an individual member of International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 4 August 2016. She was elected by IOC members at the 129th Session of the world body in Rio de Janeiro. With this, she also becomes the first...

India and Qatar on 5 June 2016 signed seven agreements in various fields including assistance in custom matters, skill development and recognition of qualifications and health. The agreements were inked after delegation-level talks between Prime Minster Narendra Modi and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim...

Mercer's Cost of Living Survey 2016 was released on 22 June 2016. Asia dominates the top 5 of 2016 Cost of Living Rankings, with Hong Kong bagging the No. 1 spot, pushing Luanda, Angola to 2nd. As per the Mercer’s 22nd annual Cost of Living Survey, top factors contributing to cost of expatriate...

Hasan Latheef, lawyer of Maldives’ former President Mohamed Nasheed, claimed on 23 May 2016 that Britain has granted political refugee status to the ousted former president. Nasheed was granted permission in January 2016 to leave for the U.K. by the Maldivian Government to undergo a spinal surgery....

Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala, on 23 July 2016 launched Kochi Water Metro project in Kochi, Kerala. It is the first ever Water Metro project in the country. German Development Bank, Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) is funding 85 million euro for the project. The German bank has inked...

World Milk Day was observed across the world on 1 June 2016. It is observed to increase awareness on milk and to publicise activities connected with milk and the milk industry. It also seeks to inform people about usefulness of milk and milk products, its nutritional value and economic importance. The...

South Korean Novelist Han Kang has been awarded the Man Booker International Prize for his Novel “The Vegetarian” which deals with a woman’s rejection of Human Brutality and giving up of eating meat. Han Kang succeeds over Nobel Laureate Orhanpamuk and Best Seller Elena Ferrante and...

Lieutenant General SK Saini in third week of May 2016 took over as the 46th Commandant of the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. Who is Lieutenant General SK Saini? • Lt Gen Saini is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA). • He was commissioned...

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Bigelow Aerospace on 28 May 2016 successfully deployed the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) on the International Space Station. It is the first experimental inflatable room attached to the space station. Bigelow Expandable Activity...