Notes:
The 2018 ICC Women’s World T20 championship will be held in the West Indies from November 9 to 24. This is the first standalone ICC women’s event in the shortest format of the game. India will begin their campaign against New Zealand on the opening day. The 10-team tournament, featuring three-time champions Australia and reigning winners England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and defending champions the West Indies, plus two qualifiers, will be played across three venues in the Caribbean. The finalists of the World T20 Qualifier in the Netherlands from July 7 to 14 will add to the line-up of the November tournament. The teams participating in the Qualifying event are Bangladesh, Ireland, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Thailand, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates.

Notes:
The 58th National Interstate Senior Athletics Championships 2018 has started in Guwahati, Assam on June 26. The event was inaugurated by Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal. Over 800 players are taking part in the 4-day event. The Indian athletics team for the upcoming Asian Games 2018 to be held at Jakarta will be selected from this meet. Competitions will be held in a total of 42 categories, 21 in men and 21 in women.

Notes:
Pallavi Durua, who belongs to Odisha’s Koraput district, has been crowned as the India’s first “Tribal Queen” at the Adi Rani Kalinga Tribal Queen competition held at Utkal Mandap on June 26, 2018. Panchami Majhi of Titlagarh and Rashmirekha Hansdah of Mayurbhanj were declared as the first and second runners-up of the beauty pageant respectively. The trio will now feature in a short movie on tribal culture, to be produced by a Mumbai-based producer. Besides that, special awards were also given in seven different categories including tribal attire, photogenic face, best skin, best personality, the best presentation of ornaments, the best presentation of own culture and best in talent. The jury included a pool of guests from national and state-level, headed by Padma Shri Tulasi Munda, who is also the ambassador of the event. The prime objective of the event was to promote tribal art and culture.

Notes:
Bollywood Actress Kalki Koechlin has been conferred with the French distinction of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres) for her contribution in enhancing Indo-French ties in cinema on June 22, 2018. The award was presented by the Ambassador of France to India, Alexandre Ziegler. The honour comes in recognition of an actor, who has interpreted striking roles in the Indian film industry, experimented with various forms of films as well as shown an abiding commitment to important social issues. Kalki, who has French roots, has done films such as Dev.D, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Shanghai and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

Notes:
Lewis Hamilton, a British racing driver who races in Formula One for Mercedes AMG Petronas, has won the 2018 Formula One French Grand Prix tournament at the Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France on June 24.

Notes:
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), in collaboration with Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) and UNESCO, is organising training workshop on cybercrime targeting children in New Delhi on June 26, 2018. The purpose of a two-day workshop is to provide professional training to the investigators designated to tackle crime against children. Police investigators from all states are participating in the workshop. Considering the rising menace of cyber crimes targeting children, NCPCR has opened-up POCSO e-box earlier to handle children specific cybercrime viz. cyber bullying, cyber stalking, morphing of images and child pornography. Complaints can be filed by via the e-box button at the Commission’s website, ncpcr.gov.in or emailing [email protected].; or contacting: 9868235077. The NCPCR is a statutory body and it works under the aegis of Ministry of Women and Child development (WCD). Its present chairman is Stuti Narain Kacker.

Notes:
The UN Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSME) Day is observed every year on June 27 to recognize the importance of MSME in achieving sustainable development goals and in promoting innovation, creativity and sustainable work for all. On this day, in 2018, the Government of India (GoI) will organize a National Conclave (Udyam Sangam) to encourage dialogue and partnership among various stakeholders of the MSME ecosystem and for promoting innovation and knowledge sharing on MSME related issues.

Notes:
India has extended a $100 million line of credit to Seychelles to allow it to build its defense capabilities and purchase weapons from India. The two nations also signed six Memoranda of Understanding (MoU), including in the area of infrastructure development in Seychelles, cyber security and white-shipping arrangement that would enable the two countries to exchange data regarding identity and movement of non-military commercial vessels. As promised by PM Modi during his visit there in 2015, India also gifted the 2nd Dornier aircraft to Seychelles ahead of its National Day on June 29, 2018. Both the nations agreed to work together on the Assumption Island project based on each other’s interests. It comes with a good note for India because the deal for an Indian military base in the Island was recently declared as ‘dead’ by Seychelles President Danny Faure.

Notes:
The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is observed every year on June 26 to raise awareness of the major problem that illicit drugs represent to society. The theme for 2018 is: “Listen First – Listening to children and youth is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe”. It is an initiative to increase support for prevention of drug use that is based on science and is thus an effective investment in the well-being of children and youth, their families and their communities. It is marked to raise awareness against drug abuse and illegal drug trade. According to the UNODC, nearly 200 million people are using illicit drugs such as cocaine, cannabis, hallucinogens, opiates and sedative hypnotics worldwide.

Notes:
The Tipaimukh Dam is a proposed embankment dam on the river Barak in Manipur, which was first commissioned in 1983. The purpose of the dam is flood control and hydroelectric power generation. It has been subject to repeated delays as the project developed, as there has been controversy between India and Bangladesh over water rights, in addition to questions of environmental effects of the huge project, as well as the need to relocate Meitei people to make way for a vast reservoir. In 2013, both the governments announced up to a 2-year delay, to allow Bangladesh to complete additional environmental studies.