SARASIJ'S BLOG

NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||18-06-2026

 

NEWS & VIEWS|||SARASIJ|||18-06-2026

THURSDAY|| VOL—V/2026/JUNE

OPINIONATED, FOR FREE CIRCULATION.

सत्यं ब्रूयात् प्रियं ब्रूयात् , न ब्रूयात् सत्यम् अप्रियम् ।

प्रियं च नानृतम् ब्रूयात् , एष धर्मः सनातन: ॥

TRANSLATION:  “Speak the truth, and speak that which is pleasant. Do not speak an unpleasant truth, and do not speak a pleasant untruth. This is the age-old dharma.”

INDIA: (GOI, SWARAJYA, VISHWAMITRA, HINDU POST, INDIA TODAY).

PM Narendra Modi held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with leaders from the UAE, Kenya, Japan, Egypt and South Korea on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France, reaffirming India’s commitment to strengthening strategic partnerships across regions.

Polling for two Rajya Sabha seats from Jharkhand & one from Mizoram to take place today.

India’s defence production has reached a historic peak of ₹1.78 lakh crore in FY 2025‑26, marking a 15.6 per cent rise from the previous year and more than doubling output since FY 2020‑21.

Bharat Forge’s defence arm Kalyani Strategic Systems Limited (KSSL) has made headlines at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris by unveiling its MArG series of 155 mm mounted artillery guns, the world’s first of its kind on a 4×4 high mobility vehicle. This breakthrough positions India as a serious contender in the global defence export market.

 The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has informed that the progress of area coverage under Kharif Crops has recorded more than 84 lakh hectare area as of 12th of this month. Watering may be a problem.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that a Uniform Civil Code Bill would be introduced in the Monsoon Session of the Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly. The session is scheduled from 20 July to 24 July 2026 and is expected to include the first supplementary budget for 2026-27.

Four new greenfield cities, called Namo Cities or Namo Nodes, are proposed under the National Capital Region Regional Plan 2041. The proposal was announced on 16 June 2026 after the 42nd board meeting of the NCR Planning Board, which functions under the National Capital Region Planning Board Act, 1985.

Bengaluru- Karnataka ranked second among Asia’s AI-native startup clusters in the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2026, after Beijing.

BENGAL FILEWS:

Present opposition leader Ritabrata Banerjee has challenged rivals to a floor test, claiming the support of 65 MLAs.

The Calcutta High Court is currently hearing a petition regarding the valid leadership of the opposition faction, demanding clarification on how the Speaker handles conflicting proposals from the same party. MELORD SHOULD HAVE DISMISSED THE PETITION, AND ADVISE SPEAKER TO TAKE FLOOR TEST.

WORLD: (REUTER, AP, AFP, BLOOMBERG, CNN, WP)

Meeting Donald Trump face-to-face on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasizes that the safety of seafarers is of "utmost importance" following recent tragic deaths of Indian sailors in the region.

Brazil Rejects Election Interference: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva publicly tells Donald Trump to "stay out" of Brazil’s upcoming elections following recent tariff disputes.

Britain's former health minister, Wes Streeting, said he would be prepared to trigger a Labour leadership contest to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister as soon as next week, urging ‌a speedy end to the "uncertainty and paralysis".

South Korea will shift a line running parallel to the military border with North Korea to ‌narrow the area that restricts civilian access to reflect an evolving security environment and for the convenience of local residents, the defence minister said.

Canada, Thailand, Italy and the Philippines have all signalled strong intent to deepen space cooperation with India, focusing on commercial development, satellite applications, and advanced technologies.

The India Space Congress 2026 has become a pivotal platform for these nations to align with India’s growing space ecosystem, which is increasingly driven by private sector participation and international partnerships.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Wednesday hailed the European Parliament's approval of new EU rules on the return of irregular migrants as a "historic measure," saying the reform marks a turning point in Europe's migration policy.

GULF WAR:

Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the White House have confirmed that the memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran has been signed electronically by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei says negotiating teams will gather in Geneva on Friday. However, because the document has been signed digitally, there will be no physical signing ceremony in Switzerland.

Trump says the ongoing 60-day negotiation period, during which both sides are supposed to reach a final agreement on Tehran’s nuclear programme, is not a hard deadline.

Trump has threatened to “bomb the hell out of” Iran if the country fails to comply with the memorandum of understanding.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil has confirmed that the mechanism for unfreezing blocked Iranian assets has been finalised in full consultation with the central bank, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.

US officials say the proposed $300bn fund for Iran would comprise money contributed by Tehran’s neighbours and would be used for purposes including the reconstruction of Iranian infrastructure. WILL THERE BE A MONITORING AGENCY?

Iran also says that regional partners will invest $300bn in the country, with part of the funding earmarked for reconstruction efforts. SO—TOTAL IS 600, OR 300 ONLY??

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY:

Hyderabad-based Thanos Technologies has successfully demonstrated the in-flight test firing of a UAV-integrated weapon platform, marking a significant milestone in India’s indigenous defence innovation. This achievement highlights the company’s growing role in merging unmanned aerial systems with precision strike capabilities, strengthening India’s push towards sovereign military technologies.

India faces a critical satellite shortage, with the Centre directing ISRO to launch at least 200 satellites in the next three years to address a severe transponder deficit and safeguard national digital infrastructure. The agency, currently operating only 56 satellites.

CRIME & PUNISHMENT:

Disgraced cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried loses his legal appeal to overturn his massive fraud conviction.

MISHAPS: -

Agra-Gwalior Highway: A devastating head-on collision between two cars resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including a woman, and critically injured over half a dozen others.

Chamba-Pathankot Highway: Two youths died when their car plunged into an 800-foot deep gorge near the Chhota Bhangal region.

Morjim, Goa: A multi-vehicle pile-up involving a Mahindra Thar, a tempo rickshaw, and a two-wheeler claimed the life of a young woman rider who died on the spot.

A tragic incident occurred in the Farid Bagh area where a 5-year-old boy drowned after accidentally falling into an open septic tank while playing in his residential complex.

WEATHER:

North & Northwest (Delhi, Punjab, Haryana): Hot conditions with sudden respite coming from thunderstorms, gusty winds up to 40–50 kmph, and light to moderate rain. East Rajasthan is under a thundersquall warning with gusts reaching up to 70 kmph.

Northeast India & Sikkim: Active wet spell with isolated heavy rainfall alerts in place throughout the week.

Central & Western India (Mumbai, Telangana, Maharashtra): Heat and high humidity remain a significant concern. The monsoon's delay leaves cities like Mumbai waiting for heavy showers, though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) projects the monsoon will resume advancing towards Telangana, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh around June 23.

IMD said that conditions are favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon into some more parts of Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and some parts of Chhattisgarh during the next 4 to 5 days.

Marine Alert: Extreme squally weather is impacting the seas. The IMD explicitly advised fishermen not to venture into the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal until June 20.

ENVIRONMENTAL: -

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought was observed on 17 June 2026 across 813 project areas under the Watershed Development Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana 2.0 (WDC-PMKSY 2.0) in India. The programme is implemented by the Watershed Management Division of the Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said that India has already brought 21.76 million hectares of land under restoration efforts against its target of restoring 26 million hectares by 2030.

GAMES & SPORTS: -

FIFA World Cup 2026 Updates:

England Triumphs Over Croatia: Harry Kane shines in Texas, scoring twice in a thrilling 4-2 victory against Croatia to kick off the Three Lions' World Cup run.

DR Congo Makes History Against Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, is left frustrated and fails to register a single shot on target as DR Congo holds Portugal to a historic 1-1 draw.

Messi Dominates Early Stages: Lionel Messi makes tournament history by scoring a spectacular hat-trick for Argentina against Algeria, outshining rival performances from Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.

INDIA:

India defeated Afghanistan by 170 runs in the second ODI to seal the series in Lucknow. Captain Shubman Gill led the charge with a magnificent century in oppressive heat to secure his first series win as captain.

Women's T20 World Cup: India kicked off their Women's T20 World Cup campaign strongly, logging a crushing 95-run victory against the Netherlands. Smriti Mandhana scripted history by becoming the highest run-scorer across all men's and women's T20Is.

India A Tri-Series: Pacer Ashok Sharma has been called up to the India A squad for the ongoing tri-series in Sri Lanka, replacing the injured Yudhvir Singh.

FIH Women's Nations Cup: The Indian Women's Hockey Team has successfully stormed into the semi-finals of the FIH Nations Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, following a 2-1 victory over Japan.

International Fencing: The 26th Senior Asian Fencing Championships 2026 is slated to kick off in New Delhi, with the Fencing Association of India (FAI) announcing a 24-member squad for the event.

DAS KAPITAL:

The US Federal Reserve leaves benchmark lending rates unchanged for the fourth consecutive time due to global inflationary pressures, with markets reacting as gold prices drop over 2%.

Indian Share Market: -

Indian stock markets extended their winning streak for the fourth consecutive session, with indices bolstered by easing crude oil prices and broad-based sectoral gains. The closing values for the major indices are as follows:

BSE Sensex: 77,155.62 (up by 347.14 points / +0.45%)

Nifty 50: 24,085.70 (up by 96.55 points / +0.40%)

BULLIONS:

Pure Gold Price:  24 Karat--1 Gram: ₹15,0158 /-

Silver Price:  1 Kilogram: ₹2,47,688/-

Currency Exchange Rates:

*USD*  ₹ 96/-*Euro* : ₹ 110/-*China¥* : ₹ 14/-

 MISINFORMATIONS:

The Government has refuted several social media posts circulating online, claiming that ants are gathering around the fuel filler caps of vehicles using E20 petrol. The Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has clarified that the claim is false and said that there is no scientific basis for linking E20 fuel with ant attraction. It added that E20 fuel does not contain any identifiable attractant that would cause ants or other insects to congregate around vehicle fuel caps.

 

CONCERN:

The head of Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the Ebola outbreak in Congo could be the worst ever, saying that currently tens of thousands of ⁠contacts of those ill with the disease had not been traced.

 

 

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