________________________ *TODAYS TOP CURRENT AFFAIRS* --------------------------------------- 1. As a run-up to International Yoga Day 2025 on the 21st of this month, Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga organised the Yoga Bandhan programme in New Delhi. 2. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar emphasised that Viksit Bharat is not merely a dream but a certain destination, powered by a robust knowledge economy. Interacting with the students, faculty, and staff members of Pondicherry University, he highlighted the critical role of youth and students as key stakeholders in driving the country towards Viksit Bharat. 3. Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri has said more than 10 crore 33 lakh free LPG connections have been distributed across the country under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana. 4. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated 33 Ayushman Arogya Mandir and 17 Jan Aushadhi Kendra in the national capital. 5. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has reviewed the operations of Air India and Air India Express in a high-level meeting held in New Delhi. 6. The government has decided to open two thousand driving training schools in various parts of the country. Speaking at an event in New Delhi, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that these training schools will be opened in backwards and tribal areas of the country. 7. The Jammu and Kashmir government declared all routes to the Amarnath cave shrine as no flying zone during the yatra period. 8. Amitabh Kant has stepped down as India’s G20 Sherpa, ending a 45-year career in government service. The former NITI Aayog CEO, who represented India at the G20 since 2022 and played a key role during its 2023 presidency, announced on social media that he will now engage with startups, think tanks, and academic institutions in a personal capacity. 9. Flying of any kind of aviation platforms and devices, including UAVs, drones and balloons has been prohibited from the 1st of next month to 10th of August this year on Amarnath yatra routes, including both Pahalgam axis and Baltal axis. 10. The Government of India has launched the DhartiAaba Janbhagidari Abhiyan, a massive tribal empowerment drive aimed at delivering welfare benefits to nearly one lakh tribal villages. This largest-ever saturation campaign, spearheaded by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. 11. On World Crocodile Day (June 17, 2025), India celebrates the 50th anniversary of its pioneering Crocodile Conservation Project (CCP), which began in 1975 at Bhitarkanika National Park, Odisha. This milestone highlights India’s successful journey in conserving all three native crocodilian species, including the critically endangered Gharial. 12. IMD forecasts heavy rainfall with thunderstorm over West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Assam and Meghalaya for next three to four days. --------------------------------------- *LEGAL REPORT* --------------------------------------- 1. Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal on Tuesday called Justice Yashwant Varma "one of the finest judges" and criticised the central government for initiating impeachment proceedings against Varma, in whose storeroom a huge amount of cash was found. 2. Kuki-Zo insurgent groups and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials, in a meeting on Monday (June 16, 2025), reached an understanding on the relocation and closure of certain camps run by the groups in Manipur, a senior government official said. The MHA stressed on recovery of looted weapons and the opening of the national highways. 3. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has officially announced that no Sikh pilgrim group will be sent to Pakistan this year to observe the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a significant annual event for the Sikh community. This decision comes against the backdrop of heightened diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan. ------- *MISHAPS*------------ In Gujarat, nearly 163 DNA samples of the deceased of the recent Ahmedabad plane crash have been successfully identified so far and 124 mortal remains were handed over to the family members. --------------------------------------- *FINANCE* --------------------------------------- *INDIAN RUPEE VALUE* *USD* ₹ 85 (Approx) 💷 *GBP* ₹115(Approx) € *Euro* : ₹ 96 Approx) *🇨🇳 China Yuan ¥* : ₹ 12 🇦🇪 *UAE Dirham* : ₹ 23 🇵🇰 *Pak Rupee* : ₹ 0.30 🇧🇹 *Bhutan ngultrum* : ₹ 1.00 🇧🇩 *B'desh Taka** : ₹ 0.70 🇱🇰 *Sri Lanka Rupee* : ₹ 0.28 🇳🇵 *Nepal Rupee* : ₹ 0.62 🇲🇻 *Maldives Rufiya* : ₹ 5.52 --------------------------------------- *BSE SENSEX* 81,583.30 −212.85 (0.26%)🔻 *NIFTY* 24,853.40 −93.10 (0.37%)🔻 --------------------------------------- *Rates in Financial Capital Mumbai* *GOLD* : ₹ 100,500/ 10gm (24 krt) *SILVER* : ₹ 1,10,000/KG Tata Consultancy Services has entered into a strategic collaboration with the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), aiming to modernise the bank’s transaction reconciliation process. By integrating for Reconciliations, the partnership will use automation and AI to simplify operations. --------------------------------------- *ENTERTAINMENT NEWS* --------------------------------------- The Supreme Court observed that a Film with CBFC clearance has to be released in every state. While expressing its disapproval of the extra-judicial ban on the Tamil film Thug Life in Karnataka, the Apex Court said that it cannot allow mobs and vigilantes to take over the streets. ‘Thug Life’, directed by Mani Ratnam. The film was not released in Karnataka after certain groups issued threats against its exhibition following the remarks of Kamal Haasan, who is also one of the producers of the film, that “Kannada was born out of Tamil”. --------------------------------------- *DEFENCE News* --------------------------------------- 1. Chiefs’ Chintan, a structured two-day interaction between the Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, and former Chiefs of the Army Staff, commenced in New Delhi yesterday. The conclave aims to provide a platform to leverage the institutional knowledge and experience of the former Chiefs. On the occasion, General Dwivedi underlined the importance of former Chiefs continued engagement in shaping the ongoing transformation and future direction of the Indian Army. 2. A contingent of the Indian Army has departed to participate in the eighth edition of the Indo-French joint military exercise, Shakti, scheduled from June 18 to July 1, 2025, at Camp Larzac, La Cavalerie, in southern France. 3. The Defence Cyber Agency (DCA) of India initiated the ‘Cyber Suraksha’ exercise on June 16, 2025. This comprehensive cybersecurity drill is organised under the Integrated Defence Staff headquarters and will run until June 27, 2025. Aimed at enhancing national cyber resilience, the exercise involves over 100 participants from various national agencies and defence sectors. 4. A British F-35B Lightning-II stealth fighter jet, belonging to the Royal Navy and operating from the UK's aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, has remained grounded at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala for over 48 hours following an emergency landing on Sunday morning. The incident occurred after the jet, which was participating in a joint PASSEX military exercise with the Indian Navy in the Arabian Sea, was unable to return to its carrier due to adverse weather and dangerously low fuel levels. --------------------------------------- ✈ *INTERNATIONAL NEWS* --------------------------------------- 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the G-7 Summit at Kananaskis, Canada. 2. Indian students in Tehran have been moved out of the city for reasons of safety through arrangements made by the Indian Embassy in Iran. The External Affairs Ministry said in a statement that other residents who are self-sufficient in terms of transport have also been advised to move out of the city in view of the developing situation. 3. In view of the ongoing developments in Iran and Israel, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has set up a 24/7 control room to monitor the situation and assist Indian nationals. 4. India has achieved milestone in global animal health. The ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal has been designated as a Category A Rinderpest Holding Facility (RHF). This recognition was announced during the 92nd General Session of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) held in Paris on 29th May 2025. 5. Malaysian state agency Sawit Kinabalu Group said on Tuesday it has supplied 1.5 million palm oil seeds to Indian consumer goods firm Patanjali Group as part of a five-year contract ending in 2027. 6. NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are set to launch the $1.5 billion NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) Earth observation satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India, in July 2025. --------------------------------------- 🌎 *WORLD NEWS* 🌍 --------------------------------------- 1. Mali’s Council of Ministers adopted a controversial bill granting the head of the military junta, General Assimi Goïta, an additional five years in power. 2. Iran and Israel are exchanging strikes for a fifth day, with civilians in flashpoint areas facing waves of attacks. Explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, as the Israeli military said Iran had launched a new wave of missiles. . Israel’s military claimed that it had eliminated Ali Shadmani, Iran’s wartime chief of staff and a close aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an overnight strike. 3. US President Donald Trump has left the G7 summit in Canada early to return to Washington as the conflict between Israel and Iran intensified. The president’s early exit came just hours after world leaders issued a joint statement urging de-escalation in West Asia. 4. The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution declaring December 4 every year as the International Day Against Unilateral Coercive Measures. The resolution passed with 116 votes in favour, 51 against, and 6 abstentions. Countries from the Global North, including the EU, Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, and the United States, voted against it. 5. The United Kingdom has announced a national enquiry into child sex abuse by Pakistani-origin grooming gangs. UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper informed Parliament on the findings of an audit, noting that investigations into the issue revealed the involvement of Pakistani heritage gangs. 6. US President Donald Trump has urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel. 7. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has voiced significant concern regarding the recent ban on political parties and their activities in Bangladesh. In his address during the 59th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. --------------------------------------- 🚣🚴🏇🏊 *SPORTS* --------------------------------------- 1. In the ICC Women’s ODI batting rankings, India’s Smriti Mandhana has regained the No. 1 position for the first time since November 2019. The 28-year-old rose to the top with 727 rating points, overtaking South Africa’s Laura Wolvaardt, who dropped to joint-second with England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt. 2. The Indian women's hockey team suffered a third successive defeat in the European leg of their FIH Pro League 2024-25 campaign after a heavy 4-1 loss against Argentina in London, England, on Tuesday. 3. Indian tennis ace Ankita Raina partnered with France’s Alice Robbe to claim the doubles title at the $40,000 ITF Women’s Tournament in Guimaraes, Portugal, on June 15, 2025. The duo, seeded fourth, staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Japanese third seeds Hiromi Abe and Kanako Morisaki 1-6, 6-4, [10-8] in a thrilling final. ======================= Bal Gangadhar Tilak or Keshav Gangadhar Tilak, (23 July 1857-August 1920) was an Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and an independence activist. He was the first leader of the Indian Independence Movement. The British colonial authorities called him "The father of the Indian unrest." He was one of the first advocates of Swaraj or self-rule. He gave the slogan, “Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it.” He believed that no progress was possible without self-rule. He was part of the extremist faction of the INC and was a proponent of boycott and Swadeshi movements. =======================