1. NASA’s First Astrobee Robot “Bumble” Starts Flying in Space

• A robot named Bumble became the first Astrobee robot to fly under its own power in space. 
• Astrobee is a free-flying robot system that will help researchers test new technologies in zero gravity and perform routine work alongside astronauts aboard the International Space Station. 
• Robots that can operate on their own in space, such as Astrobee, can be caretakers for NASA's lunar gateway and will play a significant part in NASA’s future missions to explore the Moon and Mars. Astrobee robots can move in any direction and turn on any axis in space.

Foot Note:
About NASA

1. Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States.
2. Founded: 29 July 1958.
3. Administrator of NASA: Jim Bridenstine.

2. Indian Navy launches Operation Sankalp in Gulf of Oman

• Indian Navy launched Operation Sankalp in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to reassure Indian flagged vessels transiting through the area following the recent maritime incidents in the region.
• INS Chennai and INS Sunayna have been deployed in the region to undertake maritime security operations. 
• In addition, aerial surveillance in the area is also being done by IN aircraft.

Foot Notes:
About Naval Staff

1. Chief of the Naval Staff:Vice Admiral Karambir Singh

3. Pankaj Advani clinches men's Asian Snooker Championship

• India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani has clinched the 35th men's Asian Snooker Championship in Doha to complete a career grand slam in cue sports.
• Advani defeated Thanawat Tirapongpaiboon 6-3 in the final on Friday to become the only one to win the Asian and World championships in all formats.
• He conquered the ACBS Asian Snooker events - 6-red (short format) and 15-red (long format) - along with the IBSF World Championships in both formats too.Pankaj will now take part in IBSF World Cup next week in Doha.

4. IOC lifts sanctions imposed on India to host international sporting events

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC)lifted the sanctions imposed on India to host international sporting events with immediate effect.
• The decision was taken after the government wrote a letter of guarantee to the Indian Olympic Association that all eligible athletes, sports persons and officials will be allowed to participate in events held in the country.
• The sanctions were imposed on india when Pakistani shooters were not issued visas for the World Cup held in Delhi in February 2019.Japan's capital Tokyo will host  2020 Summer Olympics from 24 July to 9 August 2020.

Foot Notes:

About International Olympic Committee

1. Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland
2. President: Thomas Bach
3. Honorary President: Jacques Rogge
4. Director General: Christophe De Kepper
5. Founded: 23 June 1894, Paris, France

About Indian Olympic Association

1. President: Narinder Dhruv Batra
2. Secretary General: Rajeev Mehta
3. Founded: 1927
4. Founders: Harry Buck, Arthur Noehren
5. Headquarters: New Delhi, India

5. A water clinic for elephants opens on the banks of the Yamuna

• India has opened its first specialised hydrotherapy treatment for elephants suffering from arthritis, joint pain and foot ailments near the Wildlife SOS’ Elephant Conservation and Care Centre (ECCC), which currently houses 20 rescued elephants and is run in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and the NGO Wildlife SOS
• Situated on the banks of the Yamuna in Mathura, the new hydrotherapy jumbo pool is 11-feet-deep and has 21 high pressure jet sprays that create water pressure that massage the elephants’ feet and body and help in increasing blood circulation.
• “The hospital started in 2018 already offers state-of-the-art modern facilities including wireless digital X-ray, laser treatment, dental X-ray, thermal imaging and ultrasonography to treat injured, sick and geriatric elephants,’’ said Dr. Yaduraj Khadpekar, senior wildlife veterinary officer.

Foot Notes:
About Uttar Pradesh

1. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh: Yogi Adityanath.
2. Governor: Ram Naik.

6. RBI panel on MSMEs suggested Rs 20 lakh collateral-free loan under Mudra Scheme

• Reserve Bank of India (RBI) expert committee on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) headed by the former Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) Chairman U K Sinha, has recommended doubling the capital on collateral-free loans from the current Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh, for borrowers falling under the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency (MUDRA), self-help groups, and MSMEs.
• According to the 2006 definition, manufacturing units with investment below Rs 25 lakh were termed micro, those between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 5 crore termed small, and from Rs 5 crore to Rs 10 crore medium. 
• For service units, the corresponding amounts were up to Rs 10 lakh for micro, Rs 10 lakh-2 crore for small, and Rs 2 crore-5 crore for medium enterprises.

Foot Notes:
About Mudra Scheme

1. The Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) was launched on: April 8, 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
2. The loans are given to non-corporate, non-farm small and micro enterprises.

7. India has the highest data usage per smartphone in the World: Report

• According to the  Ericsson Mobility Report, monthly data usage per smartphone in India rose to 9.8 gigabytes (GB) at the end of 2018, the highest in the world.
• It is expected that, Monthly data usage per smartphone would grow at 11 percent to reach 18 GB by 2024 from 9.8 GB in 2018.
• The report also projects that total mobile data usage per month in the country will go up 23 per cent in the coming five years, rising from 4.6 exabytes (EB) presently to 16 EB. One EB equals one billion GB.
• At the end of 2018, there were 5.1 billion smartphone subscribers globally, 99 percent of which were for 3G and 4G.North East Asia comes second with 7.1GB per month.

8. Namma Kolhapuri chappal got GI tag

• The controller general of patents, designs and trademarks has granted the GI (Geographical Indications) tag to Kolhapuri chappal from Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara and Solapur districts of Maharashtra and Dharwad, Belgaum, Bagalkot and Bijapur of Karnataka.
• Getting GI tag for Kolhapuri means that footwear produced only in these 8 districts will qualify to carry tag of being Kolhapuris.According to the GI application made by the two states, Kolhapuris can be traced back to the 12th century when King Bijjal ruled Bidar in Karnataka and his prime minister Vishwaguru Basavanna wanted to create a casteless society and remove the stigma associated with the cobbler community. The community embraced Lingayat faith and used its creative skills to start producing footwear known equally for its ruggedness and regal bearing.
• Brand Kolhapuri came into being only in the beginning of 20th century when the footwear began to be traded in 20th century when the footwear began to be traded in Kolhapur. Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj (1874-1922) of Kolhapur encouraged its production and 29 tanning centres were opened during his rule in Kolhapur.

About Geographical Indications (GI) tag:

1. A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on certain products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin.
2. Darjeeling tea became the first GI tagged product in India, in 2004-05, since then by october 2018, 321 had been added to the list.
3. The GI tag is valid for a period of 10 years. Further it can be renewed.

9. Indias first solar cruise vessel will debut in Kerala

• India’s first solar-powered ferry in 2016, Kerala is gearing up for the launch of the country’s premier solar-powered cruise boat.
• The initiative comes from the State Water Transport Department (SWTD), whose solar ferry Aditya in the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route proved to be a success.
• The 3-crore cruise boat can carry 100 passengers is under construction at a boatyard in Aroor and comes from the stable of the builders of Aditya.
• It will be rolled out in Alappuzha in December.
• The hybrid vessel will be powered by a motor that can source energy from solar panels, battery, and generatorz.Its battery will have 80 KWh (kilowatt hour) power backup, as compared to 50 KWh backup in Aditya.

Foot Notes:

About Kerala

1. CM:Pinarayi Vijayan
2. Governor:Palanisamy Sathasivam 
3. Capital: Thiruvananthapuram

About Low Energy Force

1. Aditya incurs a rock-bottom energy expense of 200 a day compared to the approximately ₹8,000 needed for diesel-powered ferries.
2. Solar vessels do not create air and noise pollution.
3. The double-deck, double-engine catamaran-type vessel adheres to norms specified by the Indian Registry of Shipping (IRS).
4. The vessel will have an air-conditioned lower deck and pushback seats, he said.
5. The upper deck, which is non-air conditioned, can be used for dining and to get a better view of the backwaters.

10. PM Modi to attend G-20 summit in Japan from June 27-29

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan from June 27-29, the Ministry of External Affairs. He would be participating in the summit.
• He would hold bilateral (discussions) and participate in plurilateral meetings which would be announced closer to the date.
• The G-20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the UK and the US.
• Collectively, the G-20 economies account for nearly 90 per cent of the gross world product,Around 80 per cent of world trade, two-thirds of the world population, and approximately half of the world land area.

Foot Notes:

About G 20 Summit

1. Host country: Argentina
2. Chair: Mauricio Macri
3. Precede: 2019 G20 Osaka summit