28th JUNE CURRENT AFFAIRS

1Goa’s Ethan Vaz becomes India’s 96th Grandmaster

Goa’s 14-year-old International Master Ethan Vaz has become India’s 96th Chess Grandmaster after securing his third and final Grandmaster norm at the Sarajevo GM Mix tournament in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ethan won the tournament with finishing ahead of ten Grandmasters. With the achievement, Ethan becomes the third Grandmaster from Goa after Anurag Mhamal and Leon Mendonca.

Born on September 3, 2011, he currently has a live FIDE rating of 2522.

Ethan earned his first Grandmaster norm at the GM4 Festival Saha Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2025, where he went on to win the tournament.

2The Indian softshell and Indian flapshell turtles were spotlighted, both of which are listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 covers the country's most endangered and critically threatened species.

It provides absolute protection, meaning any form of hunting, poaching, or unauthorized trade involving these animals or their body parts is strictly prohibited and attracts the maximum legal penalties.

List of Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Mammals: Tiger, Snow Leopard, Asian Elephant, Indian Lion, One-horned Rhinoceros, and Golden Langur.

Birds: Great Indian Bustard, Black-necked Crane, and Narcondam Hornbill.

Reptiles & Amphibians: Gharial, Marsh Crocodile, and the Estuarine Crocodile.

Marine Life: Whale shark and various other endangered shark species.

3Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre Appoints Dr. U.P. Rajeev as Director

In June 2026, Dr. U.P. Rajeev was appointed as Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, one of the key centres of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

He succeeds Dr. A. Rajarajan, who retired as Director of VSSC upon attaining the age of superannuation (60 years)

Hespecializing in rocket control and guidance systems. He previously spearheaded the mission designs and simulations for major ISRO launch vehicles, including the PSLV, GSLV, and LVM3.

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC)

Located at Thiruvananthapuram, is the lead centre of ISRO responsible for the design and development of launch vehicle technology.

It builds the rockets that propel India's satellites into space, driving capabilities in weather forecasting, national security, and global communication.

Formerly known asThumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station, Established in 1963.

Dr. Vikram Sarabhai is considered as the Father of the Indian space program

4Nasa rover detects potential signatures of ancient microbial life on Mars

Nasa’s Perseverance rover has detected complex carbon molecules in Martian rocks that are already in the spotlight for bearing potential signatures of ancient microbial life.

Measurements taken by the rover’s Sherloc instrument identified organic carbon in mudstones from the Bright Angel outcrop as it trundled along Neretva Vallis, a dried-up river that carried water into the planet’s Jezero crater billions of years ago.

The form of carbon detected, known as macromolecular carbon or MMC, can originate from living organisms. Geological processes can also produce the material, meaning its detection does not amount to proof of past Martian life.

Discovery means Nasa rovers have now found organic-bearing mudstones more than 2,000 miles apart on Mars.

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