DAILY GK 1-2 JULY 2026

 DAILY GK 1-2 JULY 2026

1.         MINI RATNA CATEGORY-I STATUS TO MECON LIMITED

·           The Ministry of Steel (MoS) granted Miniratna Category-I status to MECON Limited, a Schedule ‘A’ Central Public Enterprise which works under the MoS.

·           Criteria: Eligibility criteria for Miniratna Category-I, registered profit consecutively for 3 years, pre –tax profit is Rs 30 crore or more in at least 1 of 3 years and have positive net worth.

·           And, for Miniratna Category-II, registered profit consecutively for 3 years and have positive net worth.


 

2.         WB ADDS 23 NEW GI – TAGGED PRODUCTS

·           WB has received 23 new Geographical Indication (GI) tags, taking its total to 59 GI registrations.

·           Wb is now third-highest GI-tagged state in India after Uttar Pradesh (UP) (83) and Tamil Nadu (TN) (76).

 

3.         ISSF JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2026

·           The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Championship Rifle / Pistol / Shotgun 2026 was held in Suhl, Germany. 

·           India topped the medal tally with 25 medals (7 Gold, 8 Silver, 10 Bronze).

·           Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) finished second with 14 medals (6 gold, 5 silver, and 3 bronze), followed by Italy in third place with 10 medals (6 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze).

·           The championship is organised by the ISSF for athletes under 21 years as of 31 December of the competition year.

4.         BEN STOKES ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

·           Ben Stokes, England Men’s Test captain announced his retirement from all formats of international cricket, during the third Rothesay Test against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, the United Kingdom (UK).

·           He retired with 7,273 Test runs and 252 wickets, becoming only the second cricketer after Jacques Kallis of South Africa to achieve the Test double of 7,000 runs and 250 wickets.

 

5.         INDIA’S 96TH AND 97TH CHESS GRANDMASTERS 

·           14-year-old International Master (IM) Ethan Vaz from Goa, became India’s 96th Chess Grandmaster (GM) after securing his final Grandmaster (GM) norm at the Sarajevo GM Mix Tournament in Bosnia and Herzegovina, winning the event.

·           Harshavardhan G.B. from Chennai, Tamil Nadu became India’s 97th GM by earning his final GM norm at the 2nd Chola Chess GM Norm Round Robin Tournament in Chennai, TN.

 

6.         US OPEN 2026 BADMINTON

·           The 2026 United States Open Badminton held in Fullerton, California, USA where Indian badminton player Kidambi Srikanth finished as runner-up in the men’s singles event.

·           Chinese Taipei’s Su Li-yang won the men’s singles title, while Denmark’s Line Christophersen claimed the women’s singles crown at the 2026 US Open.

 

7.         AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 2026

·           George Russell, a United Kingdom Formula One (F1) driver representing Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1, won the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, Austria.

·           Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing finished second and Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 finished third.

 

8.         FAST PATROL VESSEL ICGS AKSHAY COMMISSIONED 

·           Indian Coast Guard (ICG), also known as ‘Bharatiya Tatrakshak‘, commissioned Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Akshay, the fourth indigenous Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV) in the eight-vessel Adamya-class series designed and constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), Goa.

·           ICGS Akshay will strengthen maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, coastal security, marine environmental protection, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) surveillance and assistance to mariners in distress.

 

9.         MARITIME EXERCISE ‘RIMPAC’

·           Indian Navy (IN) participated in the 30th edition of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC 2026), the world’s largest multinational maritime warfare exercise, hosted by US Navy under the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), Hawaii, USA.

·           The Theme for 30th edition: “Partners: Integrated and Prepared”, highlights collective defence readiness, interoperability and a shared commitment to a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

 

10.      BOOK MODI-ERA STAMPS, COINS, AND CURRENCY 

·           Mintage World, the world’s first online museum dedicated to coins, stamps and banknotes, launched a 200-page coffee table book titled “Stamps, Coins, and Banknotes Issued During the Premiership of Shri Narendra Modi” in New Delhi.

·           Conceptualized and curated by Sushilkumar Agrawal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mintage World.

 

11.      WORLD REFRIGERATION DAY 2026 – JUNE 26 

·           World Refrigeration Day (WRD) is celebrated annually across the globe on 26 June to raise awareness about the importance of Refrigeration, Air-Conditioning and Heat Pump (RACHP) technologies, sustainable and energy-efficient cooling solutions, and the professionals who support them.

·           2026 Theme: “Cool Intelligence”.

·           The first WRD was observed on 26 June 2019.