06th July 2020 Current affairs

1. Israel’s Defence Ministry announced on July 6, 2020 that it has successfully launched a new spy satellite. The satellite is expected to serve as an additional tool to keep tabs on many threats across the region. 

2. Five-time World Champion Lin Dan has announced his retirement from badminton. Dan is considered one of the greatest players in history of the sport. He has won five badminton World Championship titles and six All England champion crowns. He has won a total of 666 singles titles. 

3. The Uttarakhand Police has issued a notice suspending Kanwar Mela due to COVID-19. The police has also requested the devotees not to come to Haridwar as the district’s borders have been sealed. 

4. Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa launched Weavers Sammaan Yojana on July 6, 2020. Under the scheme, the state government will provide annual financial assistance worth Rs 2000 to around 19,744 handloom weavers in the state through Direct Benefit Transfer. 

5. A city in Northern China sounded an alert on July 5 after it found a suspected case of bubonic plague. Following the report, Bayannur, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, announced a level III warning of plague prevention and control. 

6. The Indian Government on July 5, 2020 blocked forty websites of pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and foiled its attempt to register voters to support its demand for a separate Khalistan. The Home Ministry had recommended blocking the websites. 

7. India overtook Russia to record the world’s third-highest COVID-19 cases on July 5, 2020. India surpassed Russia’s coronavirus case count as new infections rose by almost 25000 during the day, which is a record high. India also recorded 425 new deaths, taking the total death toll to 19693.

8. Ennio Morricone, Oscar-winning Italian film composer, passed away on July 6, 2020. He was 91. In 2007, he received the honorary Academy Award for his magnificent contributions to the art of film music. He received his first competitive Oscar in 2016 for Quentin Tarantino’s film The Hateful Eight, becoming the oldest person ever to win a competitive Oscar award.