Current affairs
- The Supreme Court has directed the Meghalaya government to deposit the 100 crore rupees fine imposed on it by National Green Tribunal. The NGT had imposed the fine in January 2019 for failing to curb illegal coal mining.
2. The United States has declared the Baluchistan Liberation Army (BLA) as a global terrorist organization, a move decried as unjustified by the separatist group fighting Pakistani rule in the resource-rich Baluchistan province. Pakistan banned the outfit in 2006 and have been urging the US to do the same.
3. European Union (EU) leaders have put forward their nominations for the bloc’s top jobs, with a woman proposed as European Commission Chief for the first time. German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has been nominated for the post to replace Jean-Claude Juncker. The nomination came after the main front-runners were rejected.
4. India beat Bangladesh by 28 runs on July 2, 2019 to qualify into the world cup semi-finals. Bangladesh with its loss is out of the World Cup race.
5. ‘Tamil Yeoman’ butterfly was declared as Tamil Nadu state butterfly. It is also known as ‘Tamil Maravan’. Maharashtra was the first to declare its state butterfly. Blue Mormon (Papilio polgmnestor) belongs to Maharashtra.
6. New Zealand banned single-use plastic shopping bags with effect from 1 July 2019. New Zealand retailers will no longer be able to sell or distribute any single-use plastic bags. Over 80 countries have already introduced such similar bans.
7. PM Narendra Modi constituted a High-powered Committee of Chief Ministers for ‘Transformation of Indian Agriculture’. The 9 member committee is headed by Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
8. University Grants Commission (UGC) launched the STRIDE scheme to enhance the research culture and innovation in colleges and universities. STRIDE stands for “Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy.”