1. Pending 10 & 12 board exams of Uttarakhand students to be held between June 20-23
The government of Uttarakhand has confirmed that the board exams of class 10 and 12 for the pending subjects will be conducted between June 20-23. The evaluation of these answer sheets will most probably be completed by July 15, the State Secretary (Education) Meenakshi Sundaram K announced.
2. UN appoints 13-yr-old daughter TN girl as Goodwill Ambassador to poor
13-yr-old daughter of a salon owner in Madurai has been picked by the UN as a ‘Goodwill Ambassador to the Poor’ for United Nations Association for Development And Peace (UNADAP). The young girl had convinced her father to donate Rs 5 lakh that he had saved for her education, to needy during the coronavirus lockdown period. “A couple of days ago, the Prime Minister of India praised the girl. This is the pride for Madurai. I am glad to have had the opportunity to meet the leaders of the UN and to attend the event to promote the economy of the poor people. I would like to recommend to the Chief Minister that the woman should be given the Jayalalithaa Award in the coming days,” said MLA Sellur Raju while speaking to ANI.
3. Fossils of dinosaur species having limbs like birds found in Argentina
Palaeontologists have claimed to have found fossils of a new dinosaur species, that existed some 90 million years ago, in Patagonia, Argentina. The fossil remains are less than a metre and a half long and belong to a new species of carnivorous Paraves theropod named as Overoraptor chimentoi. The species had upper limbs similar to modern birds, a palaeontologist said.
4. G20 nations have pledged over $21 bn to fight against COVID-19
The Group of 20 countries have pledged more than $21 billion to battle with the coronavirus pandemic. “The G20, with invited countries, has coordinated the global efforts to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, G20 members and invited countries have pledged over US$21 billion to support funding in global health,” the group announced in one of its statements. The pledges will primarily be directed towards diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, and research and development.
5. J&K’s Poonch witnesses flash floods, causes damage to houses and vehicles
Flash floods hit the Jammu and Kasmir regions following the incessant rains. The gushing waters of the flood created havoc washing out over two dozen houses and scores of vehicles. Apart from this, the flash floods also killed four people. Trees and electric poles too have been uprooted in several areas of the Poonch.
6. US President Trump said Warren Buffet made a mistake by selling airline stocks.
According to US President Donald Trump, Warren Buffett, who is often regarded as the world’s greatest investor, made a mistake by quiting a multi-billion dollar investment in the airline industry. “Warren Buffett sold airlines a little while ago, he’s been right his whole life, but sometimes even somebody like Warren Buffett — I have a lot of respect for him — they make mistakes. They should have kept the airline stocks because the airline stocks went through the roof today,” Trump said.
7. WHO has released updated guidelines on the use of masks to contain COVID-19 spread
WHO, based on the evolving evidence, has now released new guidelines on the use of masks to control the spread of COVID-19. It has suggested medical masks for all people working in health facilities, not only workers dealing with COVID-19 patients. It has asked governments to urge the general public to wear masks where there is widespread transmission and maintaining physical distancing is difficult.
8. COVID-19 an opportunity for India to speed up Ayushman Bharat says WHO chief
Responding to a question on the COVID-19 situation in India, where the cases are rising with every coming day, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “The COVID-19 pandemic, which has presented challenges for several nations, could be an “opportunity” for India to speed up the health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat, especially with a focus on primary healthcare.” India has put Italy behind and become the sixth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic.
9. Canada PM Justin Trudeau attends anti-racism rally, kneels along with protesters
On Friday, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended an anti-racism protest at Parliament Hill in Ottawa and took a public knee in solidarity with the protestors. He arrived with security guards, wearing a black cloth mask. Earlier in the week he said that Canada was closely watching the uprisings in the US over George Floyd’s murder and offered solidarity.
10. Elon Musk confirms SpaceX’s target for the first cargo mission to Mars will be achieved in 2020
Answering a twitter question about whether 2022 was still SpaceX’s target for the first cargo mission to Mars, Elon Musk confirmed that it indeed was. SpaceX aims to launch a human crew to Mars in the year 2024. CEO Musk also added that the human civilization on planet Mars could become self-sustainable and not reliant on supplies from Earth, in approximately the next 25 years.
11. Iran continues to increase stockpiles of uranium, violating the nuclear deal: UN agency
IAEA, the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency has revealed that Iran is continuing to increase its stockpiles of enriched uranium and is violating all restrictions under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The report of these findings has been sent to the member countries. Iran had agreed to impose restrictions on its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions under the deal.
12. Study claims that Mangrove trees might not survive sea-level rise by 2050
Research suggests that if greenhouse emissions fail to come down, mangrove trees won’t be able to survive sea-level rise by 2050. The research further stated that, mangroves are more likely to survive when sea-level is less than 5 millimeters per year. Under high-emissions scenarios, rates of sea-level rise on many coastlines would exceed 7 millimetres aanually, at which there’s 6.2% probability of mangroves sustaining, the researcher said.
