26 June

International  News Affairs

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump to have One-on-One and delegation level talks in Washington tonight.
  • Focus to be on bilateral cooperation, counter-terrorism and defence partnership.
  • Note: This will be the first meeting between the two leaders.
• On the last leg of his three-nation tour, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit The Netherlands 
  • During this visit, he will meet Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
  • The discussions between both leaders will cover whole gamut of bilateral issues including investments & trade, scientific & technical collaborations, and cultural exchanges.
• The Indian government has increased the visa fee for the foreign nationals visiting India by up to 50% across categories.

National  News Affairs

• Eid-ul-Fitr celebrated with religious fervour and enthusiasm in various parts of the country.
• India is going to build the world’s highest railway line connecting Leh in Jammu & Kashmirto parts of Himachal Pradesh including Manali.
  • Important Points to Note :
    • The 498-km-long line, to be built at an altitude of 3,300 metres will overtake the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
    • It will also help boost India’s defence against China at the Sino-Indian border.
  • Delhi Metro Rail Corporation‘s first automated driverless metro trains are set to start operations from October this year on new Magenta Line from Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden.
  • About 88 square km of land, almost the size of New Delhi, will be needed for waste disposal at landfills by 2050, according to a joint report by Assocham and PwC.
    • The study further recommended that the country’s waste management sector be given industry status to ensure that it is regulated and monitored.
  • The annual Rath Yatra festival of Lord Jagannath began on Sunday in Odisha’s Puri.
    • The 5000-year-old festival marks the return of Lord Jagannath to Vrindavan with his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra to the temple of Devi Gundicha, their aunt.

Awards & Honours

• Miss Haryana Manushi Chhillar was crowned as the 54th Femina Miss India World 2017 
  • Miss Jammu & Kashmir Sana Dua was crowned the first runner-up while Miss Bihar Priyanka Kumari was crowned the second runner-up.

Science & Technology

• Elon Musk-led startup SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has successfully launched 10 communication satellites into orbit.
  • The satellites belonged to American company Iridium Communications, which is replacing its orbiting fleet with next-generation satellites.
  • The rocket’s 14-storey-high core that contains the main engines and most of the fuel landed on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean.

Banking, Business & Economic News

• India’s holdings in American government securities increased by $7 billion in April to reach $124.1 billion, the highest level since July 2016.
  • Important Points to Note :
  • Among the BRICS nations, India had the third largest exposure to the US government securities after China and Brazil.
  • Japan had the maximum holding of $1.106 trillion at the end of April.
• Italy has decided to wind up two failing regional banks at a cost of up to $19 billion in its biggest rescue plan.
  • The “good” assets of the two lenders will be purchased by the country’s largest retail bank Intesa Sanpaolo for €1 (₹72).
  • Note : Last year, Italy had set-up a $22 billion fund to support its struggling banking sector.
• Public sector banks cannot be held responsible in case of theft of valuables from lockers, RBI declared today.
  • Banks have contended that the relationship they have with customers with regard to lockers is that of a lessee (landlord) and lessor (tenant), in which lessors are responsible for their valuables kept in lockers owned by banks.

Obituary

• Dr Desh Bandhu Gupta(79), Founder and Chairman of pharmaceutical giant Lupin, passed away.
  • Gupta founded Lupin in 1968 and had been its Executive Chairman since 2003.
  • Note: Lupin has now become the fourth largest generics pharmaceutical firm by market capitalisation in the world.
• Malayalam filmmaker KR Mohanan (69) passed away.
• Some of his well known films include Ashwathama (1978), Purushartham (1987) and Swaroopam (1992).

Current Sports Affairs

• Indian tennis player Leander Paes along with his Canadian partner Adil Shamasdin clinched the Men’s doubles title at the Aegon Ilkley Challenger Trophy in Ilkley, England.
  • Note : Earlier in April, Paes and Shamasdin won the Leon Challenger tournament in Mexico.
• Swiss tennis player Roger Federer registered his career’s 100th title, winning the Halle Openin Germany today.
  • The victory was Federer’s 16th grass court and 92nd singles title, his fourth this year, after wins at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami Open.
  • The 18-time Grand Slam champion is the 10th to reach the landmark of 100 career titles.
• Indian boxer Ankush Dahiya clinched Gold Medal at the Ulaanbaatar Cup boxing tournamentin Mongolia today.
• Srinivas Gokulnath from Maharashtra created history by becoming 1st Indian to complete toughest cycle race in world 4,900-km RAAM in solo category.