Top Current Affairs of the day for 26th June
- Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla delivered his first message from the International Space Station on Thursday. He said it was a “privileged moment” to represent India in space. After docking with the Axiom-4 crew, he shared his joy at seeing Earth from that unique vantage point.
- India created history as the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carrying the Axiom-4 crew, including Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla becomes 1st Indian to set foot on the International Space Station (ISS) at 4 p.m today.
- Former ISRO chairman S Somanath has become the Honorary Chief Technical Advisor at Skyroot Aerospace. Skyroot is one of India’s leading private rocket developers. Somanath will advise Skyroot as the city-based startup prepares for the launch of its Vikram-1 launch vehicle. It is the India’s first privately developed launch vehicle capable of deploying satellites in Earth’s orbit.
- Marking a historic moment in wildlife conservation, Kerala has established the Aralam Butterfly Sanctuary by renaming the existing Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary. It is located in the biodiverse-rich Western Ghats. This is the sanctuary is now India’s first forest area exclusively reserved for butterflies.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has authorised the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) to issue Joint Instructions and Joint Orders that will apply across the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
- India refused to sign a Shanghai Cooperation Organization statement. The statement did not mention the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people. However, it included references to Balochistan and the hijacking of the Jaffer Express by Baloch militants. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who attended the meeting in Qingdao, China, declined to sign the joint communique.
- India and South Africa signed two agreements in the domain of submarine cooperation during the 9th Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting held in Johannesburg of South Africa. Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh led the Indian delegation to the meeting.
- Bangladesh will observe August 8 as ‘New Bangladesh Day’. It marks the anniversary of the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. His government took over on August 8, three days after Sheikh Hasina’s government fell on August 5 following a student-led uprising.
- The Indian Under-17 Women’s Wrestling Team has emerged as the Champion Team at the Under-17 Asian Wrestling Championships held in Vung Tau, Vietnam.