Today in History (June 6^th, 1674)

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was crowned king of the Maratha Empire. Shivaji was crowned king of the Maratha Empire in a lavish ceremony on 6 June 1674 at Raigad fort.

Let’s revise

A) When we celebrate World Environment Day?

1. 8th June
2. 5th June
3. 9th June
4. 6th June

Ans. (2)

B) World Environment Day celebration was started in _____

1. 2005
2. 2006
3. 1973
4. 2015

Ans. (3)

C) World Environment day is organised by _____

1. UNFCCC
2. UNEP
3. World Bank
4. European Space Agency

Ans. (2)

D) Recently we have conducted General Elections. The new Lok Sabha will be ____

1. 17th
2. 18th
3. 19th
4. 20th

Ans. (2)

E) Which National Political Party has got the largest number of seats in Lok Sabha election 2024?

1. Indian National Congress
2. Bhartiya Janata Party
3. Aam Aadmi Party
4. Nation Congress Party

Ans. (2)

F) Who have been elected as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh?

1. Chandrababu Naidu
2. Hemanta Biswa Sarma
3. M. K. Stalin
4. Pinarayi Vijayan

Ans. (1)

G) Which political party won all seats of Lok Sabha constituencies in Delhi?

1. Aam Aadmi Party
2. Indian National Congress
3. Bhartiya Janata Party
4. None of the above

Ans. (3)

H) NTPC is a central government company what is its full form?

1. National Thermal Power Corporation
2. National Technical Power Company
3. National Thermo chemical Power Corporation
4. None of the above

Ans. (1)

I) Which one is the top authority in India to supervise stock market?

1. BSE
2. SEBI
3. NSE
4. Nifty

Ans. (2)

J) The largest export destination (2023-24) of India is____

1. China
2. USA
3. Netherlands
4. UAE

Ans. (2)

Summary of Today’s News

Karnataka HC grants parole to fulfil wife’s conjugal right to have children

• The High Court of Karnataka has ordered the release of a convict on parole for 30 days, following a petition by his wife. She argued that her conjugal right to have children has been denied. Justice S.R. Krishna Kumar granted the parole in response to the plea from the 31-year-old woman from Kolar district, who married the convict while he was briefly released on parole for their wedding last year.
• The court recognized the extraordinary circumstances, including the woman’s desire to have children and her mother-in-law’s ill health. The convict is to be released from June 5 to July 4, with the possibility of extending the parole based on his conduct.

India took back its gold from England

• Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has transferred 100 metric tonnes of gold from the United Kingdom to domestic vaults in FY24.
Key points About the Gold Reserve
• It is the gold held by a country’s central bank (RBI in case of India), acting as a backup for financial promises and a store of value.
• India, like other nations, stores some of its gold reserves in foreign vaults to spread out risk and facilitate international trading.
• India’s total gold holding now stands at 822 metric tonnes in FY24.
• India’s gold reserves are primarily stored in the Bank of England, which is known for its stringent security protocols.
• The RBI stores a portion of its gold reserves at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel, Switzerland, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in the United States.
You should also Know?
During India’s foreign exchange crisis in 1990-91, the country pledged some of its gold reserves to the Bank of England to secure a $405 million loan.
Even though the loan was paid back by November 1991, India decided to keep the gold in the UK for convenience.
Countries having the highest amount of gold reserves
• As estimated by the World Gold Council, the current rankings of gold reserves by country in Q1 (2024) are United States of America (8,133.46 tonnes), Germany (3,352.65 tonnes), 3 Italy (2,451.84 tonnes), France (2,436.88 tonnes), Russian Federation (2,332.74 tonnes), China (2,262.45 tonnes), Switzerland (1,040.00 tonnes), Japan (845.97 tonnes), India (822.09 tonnes), and Netherlands (612.45 tonnes) etc.

Kerala beaches expecting more Israel tourists

• The Israeli embassy has encouraged its citizens to visit Indian beaches, including those in Kerala, following the Maldives’ ban on Israeli passport holders in solidarity with Gaza. The embassy’s post on ‘X’ highlighted Indian beaches such as those in Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, emphasizing the hospitality Israelis can expect based on the experiences of Israeli diplomats.
• Kerala, with its historical Jewish community and a significant influx of Israeli tourists, particularly in 2019, stands to benefit from this development.
• However, the recovery of foreign tourist arrivals post-pandemic has been slow due to global geopolitical tensions, economic downturns, and high airfares.
• Nonetheless, the positive diplomatic relations between India and Israel could boost the Indian tourism sector, potentially drawing Israeli tourists who had been favoring the Maldives, which saw 15,748 Israeli visitors in 2022.
• Kerala’s participation in the 2019 International Mediterranean Tourism Market in Tel Aviv and its efforts to document the Jewish community’s history in the region further underscore the state’s readiness to welcome Israeli tourists.

Russian cosmonaut becomes the first to spend 1,000 days in space.

• A 59-year-old Russian cosmonaut has become the first person to spend 1,000 days in space, Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Wednesday.
• Oleg Kononenko achieved the milestone on Tuesday, having made five journeys to the International Space Station dating back to 2008.