Current Affairs Quiz – June 2025

Notes:
A recent Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report ranked India among countries with best-practice-level graphic health warnings in 2024, as part of efforts to reduce tobacco use. Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report was released by World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report focuses on the MPOWER measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to reduce tobacco-related deaths. India’s cigarette packs have one of the world’s largest pictorial warnings at 85%, placing it in the highest category for ‘W’ (Warn) since 2016. India also leads in ‘O’ (Offer help to quit) and ranks second-highest in ‘M’ (Mass media) efforts.

Notes:
On 24 June 2025, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Romania launched ConvEx-3 (2025), the world’s largest and most complex nuclear emergency exercise. It will simulate a severe accident at Romania’s Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, the country’s only nuclear plant located 160 km east of Bucharest. It aims to improve global coordination under the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency. ConvEx-3 is the highest level of Convention Exercises, testing full-scale international emergency response capabilities. Romania last hosted ConvEx-3 in 2005.

Notes:
Recently, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) involved major public and private sector banks to develop the Digital Payment Intelligence Platform (DPIP) as a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). The Digital Payment Intelligence Platform (DPIP) is an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). It aims to improve fraud risk management by allowing real-time sharing and collection of intelligence to stop fraudulent digital transactions. The Reserve Bank Innovation Hub (RBIH) is building a prototype with 5–10 banks. DPIP will use advanced technologies to control payment-related frauds.

Notes:
Recently, the Prime Minister launched the ‘Baraputra Aitihya Gram Yojana’ in Odisha to honour the legacy of Odia icons by transforming their birthplaces into cultural heritage sites. The initiative aims to establish memorials that include museums, interpretation centres, statues, and libraries. It will help preserve Odisha’s rich cultural history while promoting cultural tourism across the state.

Notes:
Recently, a new inter-state water dispute has emerged between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh over the Banakacherla Reservoir Project, with Telangana claiming it violates the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The Banakacherla Reservoir Project is a proposed irrigation project by the Andhra Pradesh government to divert surplus water from the Godavari River to the drought-prone Rayalaseema region. It is located in Banakacherla in the Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh.

Notes:
Recently, scientists at Bose Institute, Kolkata, developed a modified CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) tool to help plants fight heat stress and bacterial infections, boosting smart and sustainable farming. Unlike traditional CRISPR which cuts DNA, the team used a modified version called dCas9 (dead Cas9), which does not cut DNA but works like a gene switch. This switch stays off until the plant is stressed, such as by high temperatures. The scientists used a part of a natural tomato protein called NACMTF3, specifically its TM (Transmembrane) domain, to control the switch. Under heat stress, the TM domain releases dCas9, allowing it to enter the nucleus and turn on defense genes. This method allows plants to respond only when needed, reducing energy use and improving resilience.

Notes:
Recently, India is developing the K-6 hypersonic Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) to strengthen strategic deterrence and naval power. It is being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) Advanced Naval Systems Laboratory in Hyderabad. The K-6 will be deployed on advanced S-5 class SSBNs (nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines) of the Indian Navy, larger than Arihant class.

Notes:
Recently, the Registrar General of India (RGI) asked all States to ensure that mothers receive birth certificates of newborns before being discharged from hospitals, especially government-run hospitals. The Registrar General of India was set up under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is also the Census Commissioner of India. The Registrar General of India mainly collects data on population size, growth, and distribution.

Notes:
Recently, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized goods worth about ₹9 crore under Operation Deep Manifest. Operation Deep Manifest was launched to stop illegal imports of goods from Pakistan that were routed through third countries, mainly via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). After the Pahalgam terror attacks, India imposed a complete ban on direct or indirect import or transit of goods from Pakistan. Earlier, such Pakistani-origin goods faced a 200 percent customs duty.

Notes:
The International Day of the Tropics is celebrated worldwide on 29 June every year to honour the biodiversity, cultural wealth, and development opportunities of tropical regions. It reminds people about challenges like climate change, deforestation, poverty, and fast urban growth in these areas. Tropical regions are vital for ecological balance and global sustainability. The day was first observed in 2016 after the “State of the Tropics” report was launched on 29 June 2014. The United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared this day to raise awareness and promote global cooperation to address issues in tropical regions.