Current Affairs | National | International | SSC | UPSC 7th June 2024

National News 

1. MeitY in collaboration with UNESCO host National Workshop on Safe, Trusted, Ethical AI 

• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in collaboration with the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) South Asia Regional Office hosted a Workshop on Safe, Trusted and Ethical Artificial Intelligence in New Delhi. 
• The workshop aimed to establish a foundation for informed policy development that promotes equitable and sustainable AI adoption nationwide. 

2. Electronics and IT Ministry launches 'Indigenous Air Quality Monitoring System' and 'Air-Pravah App' 

• Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and IT S. Krishnan inaugurated the Indigenous Air Quality Monitoring System (AQAIMS) and launched the Air-Pravah App on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, 2024. 
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has mentioned that the developed system will be helpful in granting various environmental clearances. 
• Under the ‘National Programme on Electronics and ICT Applications in Agriculture and Environment’, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Kolkata in collaboration with Texmin, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad and industry partner J M Envirolab Pvt Ltd has developed an outdoor air quality monitoring system for monitoring environmental pollutants. 
• AQ-AIMS comes with a mobile application called “Air-Pravah” for real-time air quality index monitoring. It provides quick setup, real-time data visualisation, unit conversion, AQI comparison, multi-device support, data analysis tools, remote monitoring and automated air quality monitoring system, which includes parameters such as PM 1.0, PM 2.5, PM 10, SO2, NO2, O3, CO, CO2, temperature, humidity etc. for continuous air quality monitoring. 
• After successful field trials and certification from National Physical Laboratory, Delhi; TUV India, Pune; the system is being commercialized by ToT partner M/s J M Envirolab Pvt Ltd. 

3. India’s first astro tourism campaign ‘Nakshatra Sabha’ organised in Mussoorie 

• India’s first astro tourism campaign “Nakshatra Sabha” was inaugurated at the George Everest peak in Mussoorie. 
• The venue of the event, George Everest Peak is a major tourist attraction in Mussoorie which offers spectacular views of the snow-clad Himalayan peaks and the Doon Valley. 
• The state tourism ministry plans to organise a series of Nakshatra Sabhas at popular tourist destinations in the hilly state. 
• The Uttarakhand government wants to promote Uttarakhand as a multidimensional tourist spot in the country. At present the state is known for its spiritual tourism. 
• The state is host to the popular Hindu pilgrimage sites like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamunotri etc which attracts lakh of pilgrims from the country annually. 

4.Haryana Police Secures First Position in Blocking Mobile Numbers Involved In Cyber Crime 

• Haryana Police has secured the first position in the country in blocking mobile numbers involved in cyber crime. 
• According to the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, a total of 5 lakh 46 thousand mobile numbers involved in cyber crime were blocked across the country from 1st January to 31st April this year, out of which 1 lakh 11 thousand 349 mobile numbers were blocked by Haryana Police. 
• This is the second major achievement of Haryana Police at the national level regarding cyber crime control. 

About Haryana 

• Capital – Chandigarh 
• Chief Minister – Nayab Singh Saini (replace Manohar Lal Khattar) 
• Governor – Bandaru Dattatreya 
• Legislative Assembly Seats- 90 

International News 

5. India, USA, Japan, South Korea and EU launch ‘Biopharmaceutical Alliance’ 

• India, South Korea, Japan, USA and EU launched an alliance on 6 June 2024 to make joint efforts to build a resilient supply chain in the biopharmaceutical sector. 
• The announcement was made at the inaugural meeting of the Biopharmaceutical Alliance held during the Bio International Convention 2024 in San Diego, California, USA from 3-6 June 2024, the world’s largest biopharmaceutical exhibition. 
• The alliance was launched in response to drug supply shortages experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea and the US had agreed to form the alliance during their negotiations on key emerging technologies in December 2023 and expanded it to include Japan, India and the EU. 
• The meeting was attended by government officials from the participating countries and representatives of bio and pharmaceutical companies. 
• The participants emphasised the importance of a reliable and sustainable supply chain and agreed to coordinate bio policies, regulations and research and development support measures of the respective countries. 
• They recognised that the production of essential raw materials and ingredients is concentrated in a few countries and agreed to work together to create a detailed pharmaceutical supply chain map. 

6. First Indo-Pacific Economic Framework ‘Clean Economy Investor Forum’ launched in Singapore 

• 14-IPEF members including India and the US have gathered in Singapore on 6 June 2024 for the first edition of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Clean Economy Investor Forum. 
• A clean economy agreement is expected to be signed during this period, which is likely to boost investments in the clean economy sector and promote the development of low-cost technologies. 
• The Indian delegation led by Shri Sunil Barthwal, Secretary, Department of Commerce, participated in the inaugural IndoPacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Clean Economy Investor Forum for Prosperity. 
• The event also witnessed the signing of an offtake agreement between Sembcorp Green Hydrogen India Private Limited, Kyushu Electric and Sojitz for the production and export of 200 ktpa green ammonia from India to Japan. 
• The agreement aims to ramp up production and export of 200 KTPA Green Ammonia capacity in Phase-I (800 KTPA in total 4 phases) at Tuticorin Port in India and export to Japan. 
• Four companies from India (ReNew Power, Avaada Energy Pvt. Ltd., IndusBridge Capital Advisors LLP. Founder, SEIP and Powerica Limited) were selected. 
• In addition, 10 Indian start-ups and companies (Bluesmart, Recycle, Lohum, C6 Energy, Eways Ventures Pvt. Ltd., Kabira Mobility Pvt. Ltd., Battx Energies Pvt. Ltd., Nutress and Alt Mobility, iGrain Energy, Inc.) were selected. 
• The fund’s founding supporters include Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States, who plan to provide US$33 million in initial grant funding to catalyze up to US$3.3 billion in private investment. 

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework

• It was jointly launched by the US and other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific region in Tokyo on May 23, 2022. Together, they account for 40 per cent of the world's economic output and 28 per cent of trade. 
• The framework is structured around four pillars relating to trade, supply chain, clean economy and fair economy. India has joined all the pillars except trade. 
• Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the US and Vietnam are members of the bloc. The members have already implemented the supply chain agreement on February 24, 2024. 

Russia threatens Europe with Operation 'Unthinkable' 

• A Russian military expert Dr Yuri Baranchik has claimed that if a third world war breaks out, Vladimir Putin's regime will knock out the nuclear capability of Britain and France within a day under 'Operation Unthinkable'. 
• Months after Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a 'third world war' warning to the US-led NATO military alliance, a Russian expert has made the claim. 
• As Russia's war against Ukraine refuses to end, Vladimir Putin's government is reportedly investing £330,000 in major cities to build mobile nuclear shelters. 
• Dr. Baranchik said that Vladimir Putin's Operation Unthinkable will help achieve two objectives. The first objective will be to deprive Europe of its military geopolitical status. Subsequently, it will reduce the number of nuclear powers from nine to seven. 
• Destroying the nuclear potential of France and Europe will leave NATO with limited strategic weapons and US nuclear weapons. However, the Russian military expert said that their use would mean the "destruction of America". 
• A senior Pentagon official warned that Russia is "indiscriminately" developing nuclear weapons, confirming reports from several months ago. 

7. Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko became the first person to complete 1000 days in space 

• Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko has become the first person in the world to complete 1000 days in space. In Russia, astronauts are called cosmonauts. He achieved this feat on 4 June 2024 during his fifth trip to the International Space Station since 2008. 
• He surpassed the previous record of 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds set by Russian Gennady Padalka in 2015. Kononenko's mission is scheduled to end on 23 September. If Kononenko's mission ends on schedule, he will have spent a total of 1,110 days in orbit. 
• Oleg has also been the commander of the International Space Station three times. His last space trip to the orbital laboratory i.e. International Space Station revolving around the Earth was on 15 September 2023. Then he was sent to the space station by Soyuz MUS-24 spacecraft. 
• He was accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Nikolai Shub and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara. Now Oleg and NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson will return to Earth in September 2024. 
• The International Space Station is one of the few areas in which the United States and Russia are working closely with each other, even after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. 
• In December Roscosmos announced that its cross-flight program with NASA to ferry astronauts to the ISS had been extended until 2025. 

June 6 - UN Russian Language Day 2024 

• The UN Russian Language Day is celebrated every year on June 6 and was established in 2010 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It coincides with the birthday of Alexander Pushkin, one of the most prominent Russian writers and composers. 
• Alexander Pushkin's birthday is celebrated on February 6, 1799. Pushkin is considered the father of contemporary Russian literature. His first poem was published when he was only 15 years old. Russian is a Slavic language and it is the eighth most spoken language worldwide. 

8. Massive eruption in 'Kilauea Volcano', one of the world's most active volcanoes in Hawaii 

• Kilauea volcano, one of the world's most active volcanoes in Hawaii, USA, started erupting. According to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS) of the US Geological Survey, this is happening in the area that last erupted half a century ago. 
• This eruption has occurred about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Kilauea Caldera within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which last erupted in December 1974. The area around the caldera has been closed to the public since 2008. 
• The USGS says that this is a remote location, so there is no immediate danger to humans or buildings. Kilauea last erupted in September, following an eruption in June 2023 that lasted several weeks. The observatory recorded about 250 earthquakes beneath Kilauea's summit in the hours before the eruption began. 
• Research over the past few decades suggests Kilauea has its own magma-plumbing system, which extends from about 3 miles (60 km) deep in the Earth to the surface. 
• Kilauea is home to the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele, according to the USGS. Hawaiian chants and oral traditions from hundreds of years ago tell of its eruptions. 
• Kilauea, Hawaii's second-largest volcano, erupted from September 2021 until last December. The 2018 Kilauea eruption destroyed more than 700 homes. 

Appointment News

9. Asirvad Micro Finance appoints Satish Nair as President and CEO 

• Asirvad Micro Finance Limited, a subsidiary of Manappuram Finance Limited, has appointed Satish Nair as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). 
• Asirvad, headquartered in Valapad, Kerala, is the third largest microfinance institution (in terms of AUM as of June 2023), offering microfinance loans to low-income women. 
• As of June 2023, Asirvad has a presence in 22 States and 4 Union Territories in India through its network of 1,684 branches, with assets under management (AUM) of over Rs10,000 crore. 

Recent Appointment in Banking & Insurance Sector 

• Independent Director of Cashfree Payments – Abhaya Hota 
• Chairman of ICICI Prudential Board – Sandeep Batra 
• MD & CEO of NARCL – P Santhosh (replace N Sundar) 
• Part-time Chairman of ICICI Bank – Pradeep Kumar Sinha (replace G. C. Chaturvedi) 
• CRO of Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services – Mahesh Rajaraman (replace Mallika Mittal) 

10. Sameer Bansal appointed CEO of PNB MetLife 

• Life insurer PNB MetLife India Insurance has appointed Sameer Bansal as its managing director and chief executive, effective from July 1. 
• He succeeds Ashish Srivastava, who has been appointed managing director for New York-based MetLife Inc’s global shared services team in India. 
• He joined PNB MetLife in 2007 and currently serves as Chief Distribution Officer and a member of the leadership team. 
• Bansal has more than 25 years of experience in financial services, including leading distribution through bancassurance, agency, digital, employee benefits and direct marketing business models. 

Awards News

11. C-DOT honoured with UN’s WSIS 2024 “Champion” Award 

• The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the premier telecom research and development centre of the Government of India, has won the United Nations World Information Society Summit (WISS) 2024 Award. 
• The award to C-DOT was announced at the WSIS+20 Forum High-Level Event 2024, held in Geneva, Switzerland from 27 to 31 May 2024. 
• C-DOT was established on 24 August 1984 by the Government of India to bring about a telecom revolution in India by developing telecom technologies and products suited to Indian conditions. 
• The C-DOT project “Mobile-enabled Disaster Resilience through Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting” received the ‘Champion’ award under AI, C-7, e-Environment in the category of “Benefiting eEnvironment in all aspects of life”. 
• The UN Award recognizes the CDOTs project for its outstanding contribution towards strengthening the implementation of WSIS outcomes and underlines CDOTs commitment to leveraging technology for societal impact. CDOTs Award Winning Technology CDOT has developed an end-to-end mobile-enabled Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerting Platform for delivering real-time messaging in an emergency. 
• The WISS+20 Forum High-Level Event The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Forum High-Level Event 2024 marks the completion of twenty years of the Geneva Action Plan 2003 of the World Summit on the Information Society. 
• The WISS+20 Forum High-Level Event is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 
• The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) first proposed the World Summit on the Information Society in 1998 to discuss issues related to the digital divide across the world. 
• The United Nations accepted the proposal in 2001 and the first World Summit on the Information Society was held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2003. 

12.Nar Singh, Rohini Lokhande win Dilip Bose Lifetime Achievement Award 

• The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has announced the Dilip Bose award for lifetime achievement to coach Nar Singh. 
• The first award would be presented to the 69-year-old Rohini Lokhande who was a member of the national team along with Kiran Bedi, Nirupama Mankad, Susan Das and Udaya Kumar, before she took to coaching at a young age. 

About this award 

• The All India Tennis Association instituted a lifetime achievement award in the name of Dilip Bose in 2002. 
• The award along with a cash prize of Rs.50,000 will be presented during the 11th National coaches workshop to be held at the PYC Hindu Gymkhana in Pune on June 7 and 8.

Recent Award 

• Gudleppa Hallikeri Award 2024 – Siddhalinga Pattanashetti
• Nelson Mandela Award for Health Promotion 2024 – National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bengaluru 
• CSR Champion Award 2024 – Power Finance Corporation Limited 
• UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award – Major Radhika Sen 
• Economic Times HR World Future Ready Organization Award 2024-25 – NHPC 
• UK’s Women’s Empowerment Award – Arti (from UP) 

Ranks & Reports News 

13. India-Norway cooperation to witness manifold increase’ 

• Norwegian businesses are showing a lot of interest in India and a manifold in- crease in cooperation bet- ween the two countries is expected in the next 10 years, May-Elin Stener, Ambassador of Norway to India, said on Thursday. 
• In an interaction with journalists of The Hindu in Chennai, while responding to a question on the role of Norway in the recently signed trade pact between India and the four-nation European Free Trade Asso- ciation (EFTA) bloc, Ms. Stener said, "Norwegian businesses are showing a lot of interest here because India is the fifth-largest and fastest-growing economy in the world. 
• The treaty has immense importance because the Western busi- nesses also feel secure and can now rely on this frame a May-Elin Stener work for them to operate within." 
• She said Norway will contribute a lot in terms of promoting investments in India. "EFTA's [pact with India] is the first trade trea- ty with an investment chapter. We have commit- ted to promoting investments in India in the coming years. 
• Altogether, we [EFTA countries] wanted to create a million jobs and Norway will contribute a considerable part of that. 
• We will also work on strengthening relations between the governments, including with the State governments in India, and business-to-business and people-to-people." 
• Further, the Ambassador said Norway is keen on three sectors - renewable energy, maritime and circular economy. A conference on marine environment and circular economy in Chennai has been scheduled on Friday, which will focus on shores, rivers and other ecosystems and how to preserve the environment, she said. 
• The conference will bring together diverse stakeholders to take forward envi- ronmental issues. 
• Ms. Stener added Nor- way is set to host the third India-Nordic Summit by the end of this year in its capital Oslo. "... The Third Summit was scheduled accordingly by taking into consideration the elections in India and we are looking forward to it.” 

14. Priyanka Jarkiholi becomes youngest tribal woman MP to win from unreserved seat 

• Priyanka Jarkiholi, Congress candidate and daughter of Minister Satish Jarkiholi has won from Chikkodi, Karnataka defeating sitting MP and BJP leader Annasaheb Jolle. 
• Priyanka Jarkiholi will also be among the youngest women to enter Parliament. She is 27 years, 1 month, 18 days old as of June 4. 
• Sagar Khandre, another winning Congress candidate from Bidar, is even younger than her. He is 26 years, 5 months, 24 days old. 
• Priyanka Jarkiholi from Chikkodi has become the youngest tribal woman to enter Parliament from an unreserved seat in Karnataka since Independence. In fact, the BJP has won all the seats in Mumbai Karnataka except Chikkodi. 
• She became the first woman from the tribal community to win from an unreserved seat in Karnataka. She also became the second leader of the reserved community to win from a general seat, before this Kotturu Hariharappa Ranganath was the Lok Sabha member from Chitradurga during 1984-89. 

India's Highest Polling Station - Tashigang 

• Tashigang is a small village located at an altitude of 15,256 feet in the snowy Himalayas. This village has the distinction of being the highest polling station in the world. 
• Situated near the Indo-China border, Spiti Valley is part of the Mandi Lok Sabha seat, which is one of the four parliamentary constituencies in Himachal Pradesh and the second largest in India. Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won this seat. 

15. Karnataka's Sharavati Valley Sanctuary has 730 lion-tailed macaque monkeys 

• A report on the status of diurnal arboreal mammals in and around the forest of the Sharavati Valley Lion-tailed Macaque (LTM) Sanctuary, recently submitted to the Karnataka Forest Department, has revealed that there are 730 LTMs in the vicinity. 
• The Sharavati Valley Lion-tailed Macaque Sanctuary, spread across Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts of Karnataka, has the world's largest lion-tailed macaque (LTM) population. An earlier study in 2015 put the LTM population at 30 groups with over 600 individuals. 
• The report, conducted by the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, and the Karnataka Forest Department, said that several anthropogenic activities in the area have been a major concern. 
• Apart from hunting, habitat loss due to expansion of agricultural fields, developmental activities and extraction of firewood has significantly affected the habitat availability. 
•  This primate, declared endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is endemic to the Western Ghats. About 30 years ago, the area was declared a national park with the macaque as the “flagship” species for conservation. 
• The Shivamogga Wildlife Division covers a vast area of 930.16 sq km, comprising eight forest ranges – Kyadagi in Sirsi Forest, Siddapur Forest Range, Honnavar, Gerusoppa, Bhatkal and Kumta Ranges in Honnavar Forest Division. 

Rise in Elephant Population in Odisha 

• Odisha has witnessed a marginal increase in the elephant population during the last seven years. As per the All Odisha Elephant Census2024 report, 2,098 elephants were counted in 38 forest divisions. 
• This includes 313 adult elephants, 13 adult calves, 748 adult females, 148 sub-adult males, 282 sub-adult females, 209 juveniles and 385 cubs. There was no presence of elephants in 13 divisions. 
• Dhenkanal Forest Division, with 239 elephants, recorded the maximum number of elephants in the state. The Forest Department conducted a three-day census exercise in 48 divisions of 28 districts of the state from May 22 to 24 in areas reporting elephant movement across the state. 

16. 65.79% turnout in 2024 Lok Sabha election, says EC 

• The Just-concluded Lok Sabha election saw a total voter turnout of 65.79%, the Election Commission (EC) said on Thursday. The turnout in the 2019 election was 67.4% 
• The poll panel said the final figures for 2024 could change as these did not include postal ballots. Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar had said earlier that a total of 64.2 crore voters had exercised their franchise. 
• Lakshadweep recorded the highest voter turnout at 84% followed by Assam at 81%. The lowest turnout was recorded in Bihar at 56.19%. Uttar Pradesh (56.92%) and Mizoram (56.87%) were the other low turnout States. 
• The EC said the overall Lakshadweep recorded the highest voter turnout, the lowest turnout was recorded in Bihar 
• Mr. Kumar, along with Election Commissioners Gyanesh Kumar and Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, met President Droupadi Murma and submitted the list of MPs elected to the 18th Lok Sabha. 
• Once the list of MPs is handed over to the President, the formal process to constitute the Lok Sabha will begin.Narendra Modi is set to take oath on June 9 for a third consecutive term after the JP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a majority. 

17. Climate conference in November to emphasise 'peace' and 'truce 

• The annual donate conference to be held here in November will lay partie har stress on "pence" and "nice" enable countries on cimate sole anid ongoing flicts, a top adviser in the Azerbaijan government said at a media. 
• The 29th edition of the Conference of Parties 30-as the Climate conference in November to emphasise 'peace' and 'truce’ is called-is set to cided in the 28th edition in Dubai such member transition away bum the use of fosil furk, anajunt, orderly and equitable manner, and a odera ederating action in this ertical decade, to achieve netaem by 2000 The chance of Aanhal jan as the host means that proceedings and neer countries in achieving consensus on address nang the camane crisis. 
• Mont countries have agreed on the agency of the protilem d the need to keep temperatures from thing LSC above pre-industrial levels by the enal of century long standing Com and a matter of deep division between developed and developing commitment hy developed countries to mobilise $100 billion a year between 2020 and 2025 for developing countries has only been partially realised. 
• A major tem that is expected to decide a new annual set get above $100 illum and agreement on whether these will be in the form of grams or l. However, deliberating sers but dusate affects even all these would require an atmosphere of peace. 
• Geopolitically the world is in a Cold War-like state, said Hämet Hajyrs top adviser to the Azerbaijan President, then Aviles, "The world is divided but Azerbaijan's position is something different. Countries can be on different sides on gropedrical matsise process 50, we are proposing a CUP-venice During the COP (meet), all said this in reference to the situs Chrine war Mr. Hajiyev said he had sounded out the UN on the and as an example he highlighted the recem com son of ties between. 

18. 'First fatal human case of H5N2 bird flu identified’ 

• The World Health Organi- zation said on Wednesday a person in Mexico had died in the first confirmed human case globally of infection with the H5N2 variant of bird flu. 
• The patient, who died on April 24 after developing fever, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, and nausea, had "no history of exposure to poultry or other animals", and "multiple underlying medical conditions", the WHO said. 
• Mexican health authori- ties reported the con- firmed case of human infection with the virus to the UN health body on May 23, after a 59-year-old was taken to hospital in Mexico City. The WHO said the case was the "first labora- human tory-confirmed case of infection with an influenza A(H5N2) virus re- ported globally". 
• The source of exposure to the virus was unknown, although cases of H5N2 have been reported in poultry in the country. 
• According to the UN health body, H5N2 cases affected poultry in the state of Michoacan in March, with other outbreaks identified in the State of Mexico. But it said establishing a link between the human case and the poultry infections was so far impossible, estimating the risk to people as "low". 
• A different variant of bird flu, H5NI, has been spreading for weeks among dairy cow herds in the United States, with a small number of cases re- ported among humans. 

19. India is now 'second-biggest foreign threat' to Canadian democracy, says report 

• A parliamentary committee report in Canada has described India as the second-biggest foreign threat to the country's democracy. The revelations of the report added to the negative state of the bilateral relations between the two countries, which have been caught in a diplomat- ic spat since the June 2023 killing of a pro-Khalistan ideologue in Surrey, British Columbia. 
• "India emerged as the second-most significant foreign interference threat to Canada's democratic insti- tutions and processes," said the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians report. 
• It stated that alleged interference by India has "slowly increased" but at the same time the opera- tion has become expand KHALISTAN. 
• India has alleged that Canada. has allowed space of operation to pro-Khalistan elements. "It became clear during the period of this review that its efforts had extend- ed beyond countering what it perceived as proKhalistani efforts in Canada to include interfering in Canadian democratic processes and institutions, including through the targeting of Canadian politicians, ethnic media and Indo-Canadian ethnocultural com- munities," the report said, while describing China as the topmost foreign threat to Canada's democracy. 
• While such threat as- sessment is part of the Canadian government's practices, the focus has increasingly shifted to China and India in recent years. India and Canada have seen heated diplomatic exchange since the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18, 2023, when the pro-Khalistan preacher was murdered by unknown assailants in Surrey. 
• Subsequently, in September, Prime Minister Jus- tin Trudeau had said Nijjar was murdered by "agents of the Government of India". Following this, India had put a pause on issuing visas to Canadian citizens. 
• Earlier this year, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had pointed fingers at foreign countries, including India, for being involved in the election pro- cess of Canada. The Centre had denied that allegation. 

Sports News

20. Sarabjot Singh Wins Gold Medal in 10m Air Pistol Event at ISSF WC 

• Indian shooter Sarabjot Singh won the gold medal in the men’s 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup 2024 in Munich, Germany. 
• He won the first medal for India in the event. Singh scored 242.7 to win the gold medal in the final. 
• Shuaihang Bu of China shot 242.5 for the silver medal while Germany’s Robin Walter settled for the bronze medal in the final with a score of 220.0. 
• This was the second individual ISSF World Cup gold medal for Singh. He had won the same shooting event at the ISSF World Cup in Bhopal last year. He also won the air pistol mixed team gold medal in Baku in 2023. 

Important day 

21. 7 June – World Food Safety Day 

• World Food Safety Day (WFSD) is celebrated every year on June 7. 
• World Food Safety Day activities aim to raise awareness about the potential risks associated with contaminated food and the need for effective food safety measures to prevent illness. 
• Theme 2024 – Food Safety: Prepare for the Unexpected. 
• World Food Safety Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2018. It was first celebrated on June 7, 2019. 

Science & Technology News 

22. Astronaut Sunita Williams created history by becoming the first woman to fly Boeing's Starliner spacecraft 

• Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams created history by becoming the first woman to fly Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. 58- year-old Williams, an Indian American astronaut, has started her third journey on this mission. 
• Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, carrying astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams and Barry "Butch" Wilmore, took off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5, 2024 for a test mission to the International Space Station. 
• Moments before takeoff, Williams sent a message to mission control, "Let's go, Calypso. Take us to space and bring us back," referring to the name of the Starliner capsule. 
• Starliner's successful mission, called the Crew Flight Test, aims to certify the spacecraft for regular space travel from the ISS, a capability already achieved by Elon Musk's SpaceX with its Crew Dragon capsule. 
• After arriving safely at the space station, Wilmore and Williams will join the Expedition 71 crew, which includes NASA astronauts Michael Barrett, Matt Dominick, Tracy C. Dyson and Jeanette Epps and Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin and Oleg Kononenko. 
• After spending about a week on the ISS, Williams and Butch will deorbit the station and return to Earth's atmosphere, landing with the aid of parachutes and airbags in the southwestern United States on June 10, according to NASA. 
• Boeing and SpaceX both received funding from NASA's Commercial Crew Program in 2014 to ferry astronauts to the ISS after the agency discontinued its space shuttle program in 2011. 
• Boeing received more than $4 billion in US federal funds to develop Starliner, while SpaceX received about $2.6 billion. 

Sunita Williams 

• Have a physics degree from the US Naval Academy and a master's degree in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology. Her first space flight was Expedition 14/15 (December 2006 to June 2007), launched on the Space Shuttle Discovery's STS-116 mission to reach the International Station. 
• During her time in space, Williams set a world record for women with four spacewalks. Williams, selected as an astronaut by NASA in June 1998, has spent a total of 322 days in space on two missions and has accumulated a cumulative EVA time of 50 hours and 40 minutes on seven spacewalks. 
• She has also worked with Roscosmos and earlier Expedition crews on its contributions to the space station. Meanwhile, Barry Wilmore, 61, has spent 178 days in space and has accumulated 25 hours and 36 minutes on four spacewalks. 
• During a press conference in New Delhi in 2013, Williams revealed that she carries the Bhagavad Gita and samosas with her during her space missions.