Current Affairs June 19th & 20th 2022| Current Affairs News

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CURRENT AFFAIRS: IMPORTANT DAYS

World Sickle Cell Awareness Day 2022: June 19

• Every year on June 19th, World Sickle Cell Day is commemorated to raise awareness of the human Sickle Cell illness.
• The UN declared the day, and it has served to raise awareness of the condition, its organization, the care and measures that should be taken, and the treatment that should be given to someone who is suffering from it.

Theme:

• ‘Shine the Light on Sickle Cell’ is the theme for World Sickle Cell Awareness Day 2022.
• Sickle Cell Illness Day is observed on this day to promote awareness about the condition’s treatment options and to achieve successful control of the disease across the world.

History:

• The United Nations General Assembly declared World Sickle Cell Day in 2008 to promote awareness of sickle cell illness.
• As a result, on June 19, 2009, World Sickle Cell Day was commemorated for the first time.
• Sickle cell disease has spread throughout the world and has gradually evolved into a hereditary and genetic illness.
• Furthermore, correct diagnosis and early therapy aid in the better management and treatment of the condition.
• In addition to the UN, the WHO now offers several options for treating illness patients more humanely.

World Fathers’ Day:19 June

• Every year, World Fathers’ Day is celebrated globally on every 3rd Sunday of June.
• Father’s Day always falls on the third Sunday in June which means its actual date changes from year to year.

History:

• Sonora Smart Dodd is credited for establishing this lovely day in memory of those who gave up their present for our future (our parents, mom, and dad).
• Dodd was born in the United States of America, in the state of Arkansas.
• Sonora Smart’s father, William Jackson Smart, was a Civil War soldier who raised his six children as a single parent.
• Dodd praised her authoritarian father as a “very rigorous man,” claiming that his strictness was the primary cause for her family’s cohesion.
• Father’s Day was originally observed in the state of Washington on June 19, 1910, largely to the efforts of Sonora Smart Dodd.
• President Richard Nixon designated Father’s Day a permanent national holiday in 1972.
• The Father’s Day Council named “Father’s Day” a Second Christmas for all men’s gift-oriented sectors by the mid-1980s.

World Sauntering Day 2022: June 19

• On the 19th of June every year, World Sauntering Day is observed each year all over the world to encourage people to slow down and appreciate the world around them and connect with nature.
• World Sauntering Day, sometimes also known as International Sauntering Day.
• The purpose of this day is to remind the public to slow down and enjoy their life.
• Everyone is busy these days, and their frantic daily schedule hurts people.

Theme:

• The theme of World Sauntering Day 2022 is “Everyone is busy these days, and their daily hectic routine impacts adversely on people”.
• Life nowadays is full of hustle and bustle

History:

• In 1979, W.T. Rabe established World Sauntering Day.
• He was the one who started this holiday in the
• This day was created in response to jogging’s growing popularity. W.T. Rabe, it appears, has also devised a few sauntering norms.
• This act must be performed in comfortable clothing, and “some people are just born with it,” according to W.T. Rabe.
• The purpose of commemorating this day is to encourage people to take a break, enjoy life, and appreciate what they have.

World Refugee Day 2022: June 20

• Every year on June 20th, World Refugee Day is commemorated to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and the difficulties they face.
• The major goal of World Refugee Day 2022 is to foster empathy and acknowledge their commitment and courage in helping people rebuild their lives.
• The UN General Assembly first commemorated World Refugee Day on June 20, 2001, on the 50th Anniversary of the 1951 Convention.

Theme

• “Together we heal, learn, and shine” is the theme for World Refugee Day 2022.

History:

• In 1914, World Day of Migrants and Refugees is established by Pope Pius X and is celebrated in January.
• On December 4, 2000, Resolution 55/76 ie The United Nations General Assembly decides to observe World Refugee Day from June 2001.
• In 2000, the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees is observed.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL NEWS

IIT Madras creates robots to clean septic tanks without humans:

• IIT Madras has developed a robot that can clean septic tanks without the use of people.
• Under the moniker “HomoSEP,” ten units are intended to be disseminated across Tamil Nadu, with researchers in contact with sanitation workers to select where they would be placed.

About Septic tanks:

• The septic tank is a dangerous environment because it is filled with semi-solid and semi-fluid human feces, which make up around two-thirds of the tank’s content.
• Despite bans and prohibition orders, hundreds of people die each year in India as a result of manual scavenging in septic tanks.

Key Points:

• Gujarat and Maharashtra, according to IIT Madras, are being examined for the deployment of robots that are supposed to eliminate manual scavenging in the future.
• The first two HomoSEP units were presented to self-help groups led by Nagamma and Ruth Mary, whose husbands sadly died during sanitation work, thanks to the sponsorship of the NGO Safai Karamchari Andolan.
• According to Rajagopal, the HomoSEP may use a custom-developed rotating blade mechanism to homogenize resistant sludge in septic tanks and an integrated suction mechanism to pump the tanking slurry.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Japan to participate in NATO summit for the first time:

• Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, will attend the NATO summit in Madrid later in June, making him the country’s first leader to attend a top meeting of the transatlantic alliance.
• Four months into Russia’s war in Ukraine, the gathering on June 28-30 is considered a turning point for the 30 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• In coordination with the other Group of Seven countries, Japan, a critical US ally but not a NATO member, has provided defensive equipment to Ukraine and imposed strong penalties on Russia.
• Sweden and Finland are sending delegates to the summit, and South Korea’s new President Yoon Suk-yeol will be the first leader from his country to attend.

About NATO

• Formation: 4 April 1949
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
• Secretary-General: Jens Stoltenberg
• Total Member: 30
• Last member of NATO: North Macedonia.

About Japan:

• Capital: Tokyo
• Currency: Japanese yen
• Prime Minister: Fumio Kishida
• Emperor of Japan: Naruhito

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND ECONOMY

47th meeting of GST Council to be held in Srinagar:

• The GST Council’s 47th meeting will take place in Srinagar on June 28 and 29, 2022.
• Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman chairs the GST Council.
• The GST Council meeting is being held in Srinagar for the second time.
• The 14th meeting of the Council was conducted in the city on May 18 and 19 before the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, 2017.
• Last year, the Council established a seven-member council of state ministers, led by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, to recommend measures to increase revenue by lowering tax rates.
• The last time the GoM met was in November 2021.

The following are the main topics to be discussed during the meeting:

• The 47th GST Council meeting is significant because it is likely to debate the report of the state ministerial panel on rate rationalization, as well as the tax rate on casinos, racetracks, and online gaming.
• The Group of Ministers (GoM) is expected to debate prospective adjustments in tax slabs, according to sources, adding that the panel’s final report will take some time.
• The Council may also propose making changes to the GSTR-3B summary return and monthly tax payment form to detect bogus input tax credit claims and speed up the processing of legitimate ones.
• The updated form, according to sources, will provide clarity on the gross input tax credit owing to the taxpayer, the amount claimed in a given month, and the net amount remaining in the taxpayer.

Ministerial meeting on GST rationalization fails to reach agreement:

• A team of state ministers working on GST rate rationalization was unable to reach an agreement, according to insiders, since certain members were opposed to changes to tax slabs and rates.
• They indicated that the GST Council will receive a status report from the Group of Ministers on the agreement made at the previous meeting on November 20, 2021.

Key Points:

• The GoM will seek an extension to present its final report, and tax rate issues will be reviewed at the Council meeting later this month, they said.
• On June 28 and 29, the GST Council, which is chaired by Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman will meet in Srinagar.
• Last year, the Committee established a seven-member council of state ministers, led by Karnataka Chief Minister Shri Basavaraj Bommai, to consider tax-rate reductions as a means of increasing revenue.
• The GoM has been charged with assessing items with an inverted duty structure to limit rebate payouts and with revising the GST exempt list to increase the tax base and avoid ITC chain breakage.
• GST has a four-tier system that exempts or taxes basic items at a low rate of 5%, while vehicles and depreciating products are taxed at a high rate of 28%.
• 12 and 18 percent are the other two tax brackets.

World’s central banks launch their most hawkish campaign: Since 1980

• As they attempt to deal with an unexpected jump in inflation, central bankers around the world are conducting what could be the most dramatic tightening of monetary policy since the 1980s, triggering recessions and disturbing financial markets.
• The week began with an unexpected move on Wall Street to price in a 75-basis-point Federal Reserve rate hike.
• Chairman Jerome Powell stated unequivocally that he is dedicated to lowering inflation, the most significant move by the US central bank since 1994.
• Part of the reason policymakers are being driven to act is that they underestimated the persistence with which inflation has climbed to multi-decade highs.
• They were hesitant to respond even when they saw the price pressures were not “transitory”.
• Interest rates in the United States remained at zero in 2022, with the Federal Reserve gobbling up Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities.

Key Points:

• Switzerland unexpectedly raised rates, while the Bank of England raised rates for the fifth time, this time by 25 basis points, and signaled that the rate will be doubled soon.
• The bond market reacted so forcefully to the concerted removal of stimulus that the European Central Bank convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday to address increasing yields in some euro-zone countries.
• From Brazil to Taiwan to Hungary, borrowing costs have risen, with Australia, South Korea, India, New Zealand, and Canada among those planning further action.
• Only the Bank of Japan rejected the trend, maintaining its ultra-easy monetary policy in the face of market pressure to join the global bandwagon.
• Inflation expectations in the United States have risen 75 basis points. Interest rates are being raised by the Federal Reserve.
• Although China is an exception, traders all across the world are bracing for a series of rate hikes that many will have never seen before.
• The Federal Reserve intends to hike its benchmark rate to 3.8 percent by the end of 2023, up from the 1.5 percent to 2% range it established last week, and many Wall Street businesses believe it will reach even higher levels.

Govt to take additional efforts to reduce inflation if required: Mr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad

• India’s State Minister for finance, Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, declared that the Finance Ministry will take additional steps to control inflation if necessary.
• Inflation is a global phenomenon, and India fared better than other nations.
• Inflation is being closely monitored by the government, which is doing everything it can to keep it under control.
• The crisis between Russia and Ukraine, according to the minister of state, has had a substantial impact on India’s inflation.

Key Points:

• To reduce the retail impact of fuel inflation on customers, the Finance Ministry has already decreased excise duty.
• Crude oil prices have been continuously rising over the world.
• Following the federal government’s drop in excise charges, some states reduced their fuel VAT.
• India has increased the fertilizer subsidy for the Kharif season to help farmers cope with rising global costs.
• To prevent internal inflation, the government also barred wheat exports.
• The food ministry capped sugar supplies to 100 LMT in anticipation of a shortage in October and November.
• In April, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 7.9%, significantly beyond the government-mandated threshold of 4% (+2%).
• The Reserve Bank of India and the Finance Ministry collaborated to bring the CPI inflation rate down to nearly 7% in May.
• The RBI raised the repo rate twice, the first by 40 basis points and the second by 50 basis points, to limit liquidity and manage inflation.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS NEWS

China Becomes the Largest Importer of Indian Broken Rice:

• China has surpassed India as the largest importer or buyer of broken rice.
• China has surpassed African countries as the leading importer of broken rice in India.
• China became the leading importer of broken rice in India during the pandemic.
• In the year 2021-2022, 7.7% of India’s exports were imported to China, totaling 16.34 lakh metric tonnes, and India’s total exports were 212.10 lakh metric tonnes.
• According to the trade research, broken rice accounted for 96 percent of the 16.34 LMT of rice exported to China.
• China has overtaken India as the world’s largest buyer of broken rice.
• In 2021-2022, overall exports of basmati and non-basmati rice were 10 LMT, up 19.30 percent from 177.79 LMT in 2020-2021.
• During this period, India’s broken rice exports to China climbed from 3.31 LTM to 16.34 LMT.

Rice exports from India in 2020, 2021, and 2022:

• In the years 2021-2022, India’s total rice exports for Basmati rice were 38.48 LMT, down from 46.30 LMT in the previous two years.
• non-basmati rice accounts for the majority of Indian rice exports.
• Other than Basmati rice, rice exports in 2021-2022 totaled 172.56 LMT, up from 131.48 LMT in 2020-2021, a 31.27 percent rise.
• In the years 2021-2022, India sold 38.64 LMT of broken rice to 83 countries, while China imported 15.76 LMT from these 83 nations, a 476.40 percent increase over 2.73 LMT.

Analysis by Trade Experts

• The unexpected surge in rice imports from China from India, according to trade analysts, is due to an increase in the manufacturing of noodles and wine.
• Before the outbreak of Covid-19, China sent a delegation to India and visited numerous rice mills, according to the former president of the All-India Rice Exporters Association, to promote the import of broken rice from India.
• Other causes for the increase in rice imports from India, according to experts, could be the rising price of maize.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Sowmyanarayan Sampath, an Indian-American, named CEO of Verizon Business:

• Sowmyanarayan Sampath, an Indian American, will be the new CEO of Verizon Business.
• Sampath joined Verizon in 2014 and will stay on as Chief Revenue Officer for Verizon Business until June 30th.
• Sampath has exhibited strategic planning prowess in many roles during his time with the organization.

Key Points:

• Hans Vestberg, Chairman and CEO of Verizon, will report directly to
• With more than two decades of experience in core network infrastructure and digital transformation, Sampath has a deep understanding of Verizon’s products and the company’s role in enabling enterprise expansion and global security.
• Before joining Verizon, Sampath worked at KPMG and Boston Consulting Group.
• He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. Xavier’s College in Kolkata, as well as a Chartered Accountancy from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and an MBA from Boston University.
• Verizon Business is at a crossroads, as the firm recently stated that its customers would soon benefit from increased capacity and better speeds on the 5G Ultra-Wideband network, thanks to the inclusion of 5G service using the CBRS spectrum.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOUS AND AGREEMENT

Zomato tie-up with Jio-bp to accelerate EV adoption:

• Zomato and Jio-bp have agreed to support Zomato’s commitment to “The Climate Group’s EV100 program, which aims to have a 100 percent electric fleet by 2030.”
• The partnership is expected to hasten the adoption of electric vehicles in India’s fast–increasing delivery and transportation sector.
• Jio-bp, Reliance Industries Ltd’s and bp’s fuel and mobility joint venture, would provide Zomato with EV mobility services as well as access to ‘Jio-bp pulse’ battery swapping stations for last-mile delivery.
• Last year, Jio-bp built and inaugurated India’s two largest EV charging hubs.
• The company has been collaborating with construction firms and electric vehicle companies to improve the battery charging environment.
• Customers can use the pulse mobile app to locate nearby charging stations and charge their electric vehicles.

About Zomato:

• Headquarters: Gurugram, Haryana.
• CEO: Deepinder Goyal

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKS & REPORTS

4 Indian companies join Apple, Google, and Amazon as the world’s 100 best brands

• According to the top 100 ‘Most Valuable Global Brands report released by data analytics and brand consulting company Kantar, 4 Indian companies namely Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HDFC Bank, Infosys, and LIC were featured.
• By 2021, the combined value of the world’s Top 100 most valuable brands has increased by 23% to $8.7 trillion, highlighting the importance of brand strength in navigating an uncertain global economy.

Indian Companies in top 100 ‘Most Valuable Global Brands’ report :

• Among the Indian companies, TCS was ranked as the most firm in the country.
• In the overall rankings, TCS was ranked at the 46th spot, with an estimated brand valuation of $50 billion.
• HDFC Bank was ranked 61st as the second-largest brand in India with a brand value of $35 billion.
• Infosys, the latest entrant to the list, was in 64th place, while brand value hovered at $33 billion.
• LIC which recently had India’s largest public issuance of ₹21,000 crores was ranked 92nd, with a brand value of $23 billion.
• TCS was the 2nd biggest brand in the Asia Pacific Region, second only to Samsung which has a brand value of $54 billion.
• HDFC Bank and Infosys stood at the 3rd and 4th positions on the list, while LIC was in the 8th spot.

Rank	Company	Value
46	TCS	$50 billion
61	HDFC Bank	$35 billion
64	Infosys	$33 billion
92	LIC	$23 billion

Ranking in World:

• Apple was the most valuable brand in the world, with a brand value of $947 billion, followed by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.
• Facebook, which recently changed its name to Meta, stood at the eighth position as its brand value was nearly a fifth of Apple’s.
• Kantar Brandz’s 2022 Most Valuable Global Brands also included IBM, Coca-Cola, Adobe, Oracle, Starbucks, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Adidas, and Ikea in the top 100.

Top 10 Brands :

Rank	Brands	Value
1	Apple	$947 billion
2	Google	$819 billion
3	Amazon	$705 billion
4	Microsoft	$611 billion
5	Tencent	$214 billion
6	McDonald’s	$196 billion
7	Visa	$191 billion
8	Facebook	$186 billion
9	Alibaba	$169 billion
10	Louis Vuitton	$124 billion

About Kantar Group :

• Founded: 1992
• Headquarters: London, England, UK
• CEO: Chris Jansen
• Kantar Group is a data analytics and brand consulting company.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS NEWS

ICC retains Nitin Menon in Elite Panel

• Nitin Menon of India has retained his spot on the ICC Elite Panel and will make his first appearance as a neutral umpire later this month in Sri Lanka.
• Menon has received a one-year extension from the International Cricket Council.
• In the 11-member Elite Panel of Umpires, the 38-year-old from Indore remains the only Indian.
• At the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Menon was promoted to the Elite Panel, becoming the third Indian to do so after S Venkataraghavan and S Ravi.
• Due to travel constraints, Menon was constrained to overseeing international matches only within India, with the ICC authorizing local umpires.

Other umpires on the panel include:

• The Elite Panel remains unchanged, with Aleem Dar of Pakistan, Chris Gaffaney of New Zealand, Kumara Dharmasena of Sri Lanka, Marais Erasmus of South Africa, Michael Gough, Richard Illingworth, and Richard Kettleborough (all from England), Paul Reiffel and Rod Tucker of Australia, and Joel Wilson of the West Indies joining Menon.

About ICC

• Founded: 15 June 1909
• Chairman: Greg Barclay
• CEO: Geoff Allardice
• Headquarters: Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Daily CA On 19 & 20:

• Every year on June 19th, World Sickle Cell Day is commemorated to raise awareness of the human Sickle Cell illness.
• Every year, World Fathers’ Day is celebrated globally on every 3rd Sunday of June.
• On the 19th of June every year, World Sauntering Day is observed each year all over the world to encourage people to slow down and appreciate the world around them and connect with nature.
• Every year on June 20th, World Refugee Day is commemorated to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and the difficulties they face.
• IIT Madras has developed a robot that can clean septic tanks without the use of people.
• Fumio Kishida, Japan’s prime minister, will attend the NATO summit in Madrid later in June, making him the country’s first leader to attend a top meeting of the transatlantic alliance.
• The GST Council’s 47th meeting will take place in Srinagar on June 28 and 29, 2022.
• A team of state ministers working on GST rate rationalization was unable to reach an agreement, according to insiders, since certain members were opposed to changes to tax slabs and rates.
• As they attempt to deal with an unexpected jump in inflation, central bankers around the world are conducting what could be the most dramatic tightening of monetary policy since the 1980s, triggering recessions and disturbing financial markets.
• India’s State Minister for finance, Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, declared that the Finance Ministry will take additional steps to control inflation if necessary.
• China has surpassed India as the largest importer or buyer of broken rice.
• Sowmyanarayan Sampath, an Indian American, will be the new CEO of Verizon Business.
• Zomato and Jio-bp have agreed to support Zomato’s commitment to “The Climate Group’s EV100 program, which aims to have a 100 percent electric fleet by 2030.”

• According to the top 100 ‘Most Valuable Global Brands report released by data analytics and brand consulting company Kantar, 4 Indian companies namely Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), HDFC Bank, Infosys, and LIC were featured.
• Nitin Menon of India has retained his spot on the ICC Elite Panel and will make his first appearance as a neutral umpire later this month in Sri Lanka.