INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR COUNTERING HATE SPEECH: 18 JUNE
- International Day for Countering Hate Speech falls on June 18. According to the UN, hate speech is any kind of speech or writing that attacks or discriminates against a person or a group based on religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, color, descent, gender, or any other identity factor.
- Speech should not be a weapon for creating more mayhem in this volatile world; thus, the International Day for Countering Hate Speech will help to stop hate-mongering.
INTERNATIONAL PICNIC DAY 2022: 18TH JUNE
- International Picnic Day is celebrated annually on 18 June. On this day, people spend time with their loved ones and go for picnics to get a break from their monotonous everyday routine.
- A picnic is a very good way to not only spend some quality time but also explore new feast spots. The word “picnic” probably gets its origins from the French language, specifically from the word “pique-nique”.
SUSTAINABLE GASTRONOMY DAY 2022 OBSERVED ON 18 JUNE
- Every year, the world observes Sustainable Gastronomy Day on 18 June. The objective of this day is to recognise the practices associated with sustainable food consumption, especially with the art of collecting and preparing the food we eat.
- The day was recognised on 21 December 2016 after the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution A/RES/71/246, and declared 18 June as Sustainable Gastronomy Day.
WORLD’S BIGGEST PLANT DISCOVERED OFF AUSTRALIAN COAST
- The world’s largest living plant has been identified in the shallow waters off the coast of Western Australia.
- The sprawling seagrass, a marine flowering plant known as Posidonia australis, stretches for more than 112 miles (180 kilometers) in Shark Bay, a wilderness area protected as a World Heritage site.
- Using genetic testing, scientists have determined a large underwater meadow in Western Australia is in fact one plant. It is believed to have spread from a single seed over at least 4,500 years. The seagrass covers about 200 sq km.
JAPAN TO PARTICIPATE IN NATO SUMMIT FOR THE FIRST TIME
- Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida will attend this month’s NATO summit in Madrid, becoming the country’s first leader to join a top meeting of the transatlantic alliance.
- The June 28-30 gathering is seen as a crunch moment for the 30 North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, four months into Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- NATO Formation: 4 April 1949;
- NATO Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium;
- NATO Secretary General: Jens Stoltenberg;
- NATO Total Member: 30;
- NATO Last member of NATO: North Macedonia.
HAMZA ABDI BARRE APPOINTED AS PM OF SOMALIA
- Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has appointed a former chairman of the Jubbaland state election commission, Hamza Abdi Barre as the Prime Minister.
- The 48-year-old Hamza Abdi Barre from the semi-autonomous state of Jubaland replaced Mohamed Hussein Roble.
ZOMATO TIE-UP WITH JIO-BP TO ACCELERATE EV ADOPTION
- Zomato and Jio-bp have entered into an agreement to support Zomato’s commitment towards “The Climate Group’s EV100 initiative of 100 per cent EV fleet by 2030.”
- The collaboration is poised to accelerate EV adoption in the rapidly growing Indian delivery and transportation segment.
47TH MEETING OF GST COUNCIL TO BE HELD IN SRINAGAR
- The 47th meeting of the GST Council will be held on June 28 and 29, 2022 in Srinagar. The GST Council is chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. This is the second time that the GST Council meeting is being held in Srinagar.
- Before the launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1, 2017, the 14th meeting of the Coun cil was held on May 18 and 19 in the city.
- The Council had last year set up a seven-member panel of state ministers, headed by Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, to suggest ways to augment revenue by rationalising tax rates. The GoM had last met in November 2021.
PIYUSH GOYAL: AFTER SEVERAL YEARS, INDIA ABLE TO WIN FAVOURABLE WTO OUTCOME
- Despite a strong global campaign against Indian farmers and fishermen, India was able to secure a favourable outcome at the WTO after many years, commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal told the media after the conclusion of the 12th ministerial conference — the WTO (World Trade Organisation)‘s highest decision-making body .
- Piyush Goyal described the conference as a ‘outcome-oriented success’, saying the Indian team, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was “100% successful” in expressing the top concerns for India and the developing nations to the world.
GOVT ESTABLISHES 10% QUOTA FOR AGNIVEERS, ALTERS UPPER AGE LIMIT
- Following widespread opposition to the Agnipath plan, the Centre announced a 10% reservation for Agniveers in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and Assam Rifles recruitment.
- The Ministry of Home Affairs also decided to grant a three-year age relaxation to Agniveers in the CAPFs and Assam Rifles who are between the ages of 17.5 and 21. Notably, the initial class of recruits will be given a five-year extension on the maximum age limit.
- The Agnipath short-term recruitment strategy for the armed forces was previously announced by the Centre. The plan, which is intended to be a reformative step, attempts to infuse more fresh blood into the three services.
Read & Download Current Affairs of 16th & 17th June, 2022: https://blog.o2academia.org/month/16th-17th-june
