18th June, 2022 Current Affairs

Archana Lakkavajula

NATIONAL

Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as New PCI Chief

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai is believed to have been chosen as the next head of the Press Council of India (PCI). Justice Desai recently served as the chairman of the Delimitation Commission on Jammu and Kashmir, which was established to redesign the Union Territory’s assembly constituencies.
Since Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad (retd) completed his tenure as PCI chairperson and demitted office in November of last year, the position has been empty.
The appointment of Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai as PCI chairwoman was accepted by a committee that included Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and PCI member Prakash Dubey.
Justice Desai, 72, has also served on the Bombay High Court as a judge.
The selection of Justice Desai as the PCI chief will be announced in the near future.
A suggestion for the recruitment of MPs to the panel is also awaited.

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INTERNATIONAL

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.
Japan, a key U.S. ally and not a NATO member, has delivered defensive supplies to Ukraine and imposed tough sanctions on Russia in tandem with the other Group of Seven countries. Sweden and Finland, which have applied to join NATO, are sending delegations to the summit, and South Korea’s new President Yoon Suk-yeol will also be the first leader from his country to attend.

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. To make this day a memorable one, the organisations work in collaboration with global and regional bodies to observe the day.
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. Every year, UNGA, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) work together to ensure that the day is celebrated properly around the world.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
India successfully test-fired Prithvi-II Ballistic Missile at Chandipur

India has test-launched Short-Range Ballistic Missile, Prithvi-II from an integrated test range in Chandipur, Odisha. This missile system is capable of striking targets with a very high degree of precision. It is an indigenously developed, surface-to-surface missile. It is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines. Its range is 350 km and can carry one-ton payload.
Prithvi-II is capable of carrying 500-1,000 kilogram of warheads and is powered by liquid propulsion twin engines. The state-of-the-art missile uses advanced inertial guidance system with manoeuvring trajectory to hit its target.
The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the entire launch was carried out by the Strategic Force Command (SFC) of the Army and monitored by the scientists of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of a training exercise.
The missile trajectory was tracked by radars, electro- optical tracking systems and telemetry stations by the DRDO along the coast of Odisha.
The downrange teams onboard the ship deployed near the designated impact point in the Bay of Bengal monitored the terminal events and splashdown.

APPOINTMENTS
Indian American Radha Iyengar Plumb Nominated by Biden to Top Pentagon Position

Radha Iyengar Plumb, an Indian-American, is currently the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. US President Joe Biden has nominated Radha Iyengar Plumb to a top Pentagon position. Ms. Plumb, who is currently the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, was nominated to the position of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment on Wednesday.
Plumb began her career as an assistant professor at the London School of Economics and completed her postdoctoral studies at Harvard University.
She has a BS in Economics and a PhD in Economics from Princeton University.

B S Patil sworn in as Lokayukta of Karnataka

Former Karnataka High Court judge, Bhimanagouda Sanganagouda Patil was sworn in as the Lokayukta of Karnataka. Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot administered the oath of office to Justice Patil. Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, ministers in the State Government and legislators attended the programme, and greeted Justice Patil.
Justice Patil, who served as the Upalokayukta of Karnataka, was elevated to the post of Lokayukta on June 14. The post of the head of the anti-corruption ombudsman in Karnataka was vacant after the end of the tenure of Justice P. Vishwanath Shetty in January 2022, served in the post for five years.

Pramod K Mittal named as chairperson of COAI for 2022-23

Industry body Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) named Pramod K Mittal, President of Reliance Jio Infocomm, as the new Chairperson of the association for 2022-23. Mittal was previously the Vice-Chairperson of the COAI, whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea (VIL).
Mittal will replace Ajai Puri as the COAI Chairperson. Mittal comes with a rich experience of 42 years in telecommunications. Prior to joining India’s leading telecom operator, the Reliance Jio Infocomm President has also served in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for over 37 years.

Published date : 23 Jun 2022 02:54PM