Current affairs — 15 June 2026

Prelims pointers

• The briefing covered fuel availability, maritime operations, assistance to Indian nationals and fertiliser stock during the West Asia situation.
• All 20 Indian crew members on MT Jalveer were reported safe according to the briefing headline.
• The Seaman Welfare Fund Society was directed to pay ₹10 lakh to families of three Indian crew members deceased in the MT Settebello attack.
• For Kharif 2026, fertiliser requirement was reassessed at 383.9 LMT and stock was around 195.79 LMT.
• The briefing stated that about 153.79 LMT fertilisers were added through imports and domestic production after the crisis situation.

Prelims pointers

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a State Visit to Slovakia on June 15, 2026, at the invitation of Prime Minister Robert Fico.
• The visit was the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Slovakia since the Slovak Republic became independent in 1993.
• India and Slovakia agreed to elevate their relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership to deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
• Slovakia reiterated support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.
• The joint statement mentions cooperation with regional groupings such as Slavkov 3, Visegrad 4 and the Three Seas Initiative.

Prelims pointers

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron elevated ties to a Special Global Strategic Partnership on February 17, 2026.
• India and France jointly inaugurated the India-France Year of Innovation 2026.
• The Innovation Roadmap 2030 builds on the Horizon 2047 Roadmap and links Viksit Bharat 2047 with France 2030.
• Trusted AI is described as a central pillar of the India-France innovation partnership.
• The roadmap refers to cooperation on child safety online, AI governance, frontier and generative models, and democratic values.

Prelims pointers

• The 12th International Day of Yoga 2026 has the theme 'Yoga for Healthy Ageing'.
• The national IDY 2026 event is scheduled for June 21 at Red Road, Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The Ministry of Ayush hosted the curtain raiser at the National Media Centre in New Delhi.
• More than 210 Indian Missions abroad are to organise IDY events at nearly 2,500 locations worldwide.
• The PIB note says over four lakh participants created a Guinness World Record ahead of IDY 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The workshop is jointly organised by CCRAS under the Ministry of Ayush and Central Sanskrit University under the Ministry of Education.
• The 15-day workshop focuses on transliteration of Ayurveda manuscripts in Tigalari and Old Kannada scripts.
• The event is being held at Sri Puthige Narasimha Sabhabhavana, Geetha Mandir, Udupi.
• The initiative is in collaboration with Sri Vadiraja Research Foundation.
• The PIB release links the initiative with Government of India efforts under the Gyan Bharatam Mission.

Prelims pointers

• Total exports in April-May 2026-27 were estimated at US$162.69 billion against US$141.89 billion in April-May 2025-26.
• Merchandise exports in April-May 2026-27 were US$88.91 billion, up 16.09% from US$76.59 billion a year earlier.
• Non-petroleum exports in April-May 2026-27 were US$70.74 billion, up 10.49% from US$64.03 billion.
• May 2026 total exports were estimated at US$81.96 billion and total imports at US$92.47 billion.
• Major May 2026 merchandise export drivers included petroleum products, engineering goods, chemicals, electronic goods, and gems and jewellery.

Prelims pointers

• The revised Wholesale Price Index series uses base year 2022-23, replacing the earlier WPI base year 2011-12.
• The Office of Economic Adviser under DPIIT released Output PPI, Trial Input PPI and Service PPI with the 2022-23 base year.
• Service PPIs were released for seven services: banking, securities transaction, insurance, pension funds, railways, passenger air and telecom.
• WPI will be released along with PPI for five years from the date of release and then discontinued.
• The shift from WPI to PPI is aligned with advanced-economy practice and International Monetary Fund recommendations.

Prelims pointers

• The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs hosted the conference with the Association of Insolvency Professional Entities.
• The conference was held at Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya Auditorium, Teen Murti Marg, New Delhi.
• Justice Ashok Bhushan, Chairperson of NCLAT, described the IBC’s 2016-2021 period as an era of establishment.
• The article says nearly ₹4 lakh crore has been recovered through IBC resolution processes.
• Speakers referred to the IBC (Amendment) Act, 2026 and issues such as cross-border insolvency, pre-packaged resolutions and digital enablement.

Prelims pointers

• The MoU is between ASI’s Underwater Archaeology Wing and the National Museum of Denmark’s Njord centre in Copenhagen.
• The project seeks to locate and document remains of the historic Danish ship Oresund.
• Oresund was wrecked off the coast near Karaikal, Puducherry, in 1619 CE.
• The PIB release describes Oresund as the first Danish ship known to have reached India.
• The project will use non-invasive archaeological survey methods and scientific technologies.

Prelims pointers

• DRDO conducted the LRLACM flight test from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on June 15, 2026.
• Data from tracking instruments deployed by Integrated Test Range, Chandipur showed that all test objectives were met.
• The Long Range Land Attack Cruise Missile is indigenously developed with subsystems from DRDO laboratories and Indian industry partners.
• Aeronautical Development Establishment, Bengaluru is the nodal laboratory for the LRLACM.
• The test was witnessed by DRDO officials and user representatives from the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force.

Prelims pointers

• The Ministry of Defence approved new independent NCC State Directorates in Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand.
• The number of NCC State Directorates will increase from 17 to 19 after the decision.
• NCC was established in 1948 with an initial strength of 20,000 cadets.
• The PIB note says NCC now has over 20 lakh cadets and is the world’s largest uniformed youth organisation.
• NCC added six lakh cadets between 2014 and 2025 and is present in more than 750 districts.

Prelims pointers

• Bharat Innovates 2026 was jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron in Nice, France.
• The event is a Government of India initiative implemented by the Ministry of Education.
• It showcased 120 Indian innovators, more than 15 higher education institutions and over 500 global stakeholders.
• The event spotlighted 13 sectors including advanced computing, semiconductors, space technology, biotechnology, energy, healthcare and manufacturing.
• Over 30 partnerships were signed, including MoUs, joint declarations and India-France ATL Bridge collaboration.

Prelims pointers

• UIDAI conducted the Biometric SDK Benchmarking Challenges in collaboration with IIIT Hyderabad.
• Face and Iris Age Variance Challenges were held between December 2025 and February 2026.
• The face and iris challenges together received 531 registrations.
• Innovatrics of Slovakia ranked first in the Face Challenge, while IDBio ranked first in the Iris Challenge.
• The tests used anonymised datasets of children aged 5 to 10 years with a five-year gap for each sample.

Prelims pointers

• The consultation on AI transformation of IT services was convened by MeitY in Kochi, Kerala.
• Software Technology Parks of India, Kochi organised the consultation, chaired by MeitY Secretary S. Krishnan.
• The PIB release says India’s IT industry contributes about USD 246 billion in annual exports.
• India’s IT industry employs around six million professionals, according to the PIB note.
• The consultation aligns with the IndiaAI Mission approved by the Cabinet in March 2024.

Prelims pointers

• The Department of Justice organised the workshop at Government Degree College (PG) Auditorium, Dharamshala, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh.
• The event was held under the Tele-Law programme of the DISHA scheme on June 15, 2026.
• The release links access to justice with Article 39-A on equal justice and free legal aid.
• Nyaya Prabodh – Awakening to Justice was launched as a year-long legal awareness campaign.
• The Reform Utsav showcased 12 years of reforms in judicial infrastructure, digital courts, legal aid and citizen-centric justice delivery.

Prelims pointers

• The outcomes list includes an MoU on cooperation in the field of Labour Migration.
• India and Slovakia signed an MoU on Digital Technologies during the Prime Minister’s visit.
• The first ICCR Chair in Artificial Intelligence will be established at the Technical University of Kosice.
• An MoU was listed in Quantum Communication and Critical Infrastructure Protection.
• Announcements included elevating bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Partnership and establishing a Joint Working Group in Counter Terrorism.

Prelims pointers

• Suzlon Energy installed the S175 5 MW wind turbine in Vijayanagar district, Karnataka.
• The company described the S175 as India’s tallest wind turbine, with a height of 160 metres.
• The S175 is called India’s first FDRE-ready, or Firm and Dispatchable Renewable Energy-ready, turbine.
• Suzlon says the S175 builds on operational insights from its existing 15.5 GW turbine fleet.
• The turbine is designed to improve project economics for low to medium wind regimes in India.

Prelims pointers

• The Marine Security Wing of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways issued the alert on drone threats to VAVIs.
• VAVI stands for Vital Assets and Vital Installations in the article’s security context.
• The Ministry of Home Affairs constituted an Anti Rogue Drone Technology Committee in the Border Security Force.
• CISF formed a sub-committee with DRDO, Intelligence Bureau, Airports Authority of India, BSF and other stakeholders for VAVI surveys.
• V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority became the first Indian port to initiate an advanced Anti-Drone System in February 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The unemployment rate rose to 5.5% in May 2026, up 0.3 percentage points from April 2026.
• Rural unemployment increased from 4.6% in April to 5.1% in May 2026.
• Urban unemployment decreased from 6.6% in April to 6.4% in May 2026.
• The Labour Force Participation Rate for persons aged 15 years and above was 54.4% in May 2026.
• Urban female unemployment was 8.2%, compared with 5.9% for urban males in May 2026.

Prelims pointers

• The government released PPI data for both goods and services on June 15, 2026.
• The Commerce and Industry Ministry said WPI publication would be discontinued after five years.
• All-India Output PPI for all commodities stood at 109.6 in May 2026, compared with 108.6 in April 2026.
• All-India trial Input PPI for manufacturing stood at 104.9 in May 2026.
• The input PPI is being published experimentally to test data quality and receive stakeholder feedback.

Prelims pointers

• Merchandise exports rose to US$45.2 billion in May 2026 from US$38.3 billion in May 2025.
• Services exports rose 13.2% to US$36.8 billion in May 2026.
• Electronic goods exports grew 11.6% to US$5.1 billion in May 2026.
• Engineering goods exports jumped 24.5% to US$12.3 billion in May 2026.
• India’s overall trade deficit widened to US$10.5 billion in May 2026.

Prelims pointers

• Wholesale inflation rose to 9.7% in May 2026, driven mainly by crude oil, natural gas and mineral oils.
• The new Wholesale Price Index series uses base year 2022-23.
• Historical comparison before April 2024 is unavailable because of the base-year update.
• The first OPPI, IPPI and Service PPI releases cover seven services including banking, insurance, railways, passenger air and telecom.
• The government said PPI will replace WPI in five years while WPI continues during the transition.

Prelims pointers

• The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman.
• The article says the Strait handles roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption.
• It is a primary export route for Gulf producers including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar.
• Disruptions raised crude oil prices, shipping insurance premiums and freight rates.
• India imports crude oil for fuels such as petrol and diesel and natural gas for electricity, fertiliser, CNG and piped cooking gas.

Prelims pointers

• Brazil suspended its dengue shot on June 8 after two deaths during the vaccination campaign.
• The article says Brazil’s Butantan-DV is similar, if not identical, to India’s soon-to-be-launched DengiAll.
• Both vaccines are live attenuated dengue vaccines and are tetravalent mixtures of four weakened dengue viruses.
• Dengue virus has four serotypes: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4.
• Brazilian authorities reported 42 severe adverse events among half a million vaccinated, or 0.008%.

Prelims pointers

• Researchers from the United States and the Philippines identified EDE-like antibodies as important for broad dengue immunity.
• The findings were published in Science Translational Medicine, according to the article.
• Dengue is caused by four DENV serotypes: DENV1, DENV2, DENV3 and DENV4.
• The article calls dengue the most common vector-borne viral disease, with half the world’s population at risk.
• Developing a universal dengue vaccine is difficult because immunity after a first infection can increase severe-disease risk after infection by another serotype.

Prelims pointers

• The paper was published in Cell on June 4, 2026, according to the article.
• Researchers included teams from The Francis Crick Institute and University College London.
• The study identified blood proteins that appeared to predict lung cancer five years before clinical detection.
• Canakinumab is described as a human monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1 beta.
• The drug was earlier studied in the CANTOS trial, or Canakinumab Antiinflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study.

Prelims pointers

• The Padma is the name of the Ganga in Bangladesh, according to the article.
• Bangladesh’s approved Padma barrage is planned as a 2.1-km-long structure.
• The barrage is intended to store 2,900 million cubic metres of water.
• The project is expected to serve 6.5 crore people across southwestern and northern Bangladesh.
• The Padma barrage will lie about 180 km downstream of the Farakka barrage in West Bengal.

Prelims pointers

• The study used machine learning and data from more than 16,000 soil cores.
• Topsoils worldwide were estimated to contain about 110 quadrillion km of fungal hyphae.
• Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal networks were estimated to weigh around 300 million tonnes of carbon.
• AM fungi form symbiotic relationships with about 70% of plant species by trading nutrients for carbon.
• Grassland ecosystems, including India’s Banni grasslands, house 40% of the world’s AM fungal networks.

Prelims pointers

• The 52nd G7 Summit is scheduled from June 15 to 17, 2026.
• France is hosting the summit at Évian-les-Bains on Lake Geneva.
• The agenda includes next steps on the West Asia peace deal and the war in Ukraine.
• The article says leaders will discuss global economic imbalances and critical-mineral strategies independent of China.
• Security around the summit uses red and blue zones with QR-code-based entry regulation.

Prelims pointers

• Keir Starmer said Britain will ban access to social media for all children under the age of 16.
• The announcement was made at a Downing Street press conference on June 15, 2026.
• Britain has pushed technology companies toward age verification and algorithm changes, according to the article.
• The article says Australia was the first country to ban social media for children under 16.
• Australia’s under-16 social media ban began by blocking children in December, as cited by the article.