19 June 2014 Daily Current Affairs Updates

1) Government reconstituted key Cabinet Committees: The government on 19 June 2014 reconstituted six key Cabinet Committees, four of which will be headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and two by Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The Committees reconstituted were on Security, Economic Affairs, Political Affairs, Parliament Affairs, Accommodation and Appointments. Cabinet Committees on Parliamentary Affairs and on Accommodation will be headed by the Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Modi will head the Cabinet Committees on Security, Economic Affairs, Appointments and Political Affairs. Earlier, Prime Minister had scrapped the Cabinet Committees related to Prices, World Trade Matters, UIDAI and Management of Natural Calamities.

2) Secretary in PMO Ramanujam gets three months' extension:  R Ramanujam, Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, has got a three-month extension till September this year. The extension to Ramanujam, the Secretary in the PMO, has been approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) in public interest on contract basis for a period of three months beyond the date of his superannuation, i.e. up to September 30, 2014, an official release said.

3) Mohammad Ashraful Banned for Eight Years for Match-fixing: Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful has been banned for eight year for fixing matches in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League cricket season. The ban was handed by a disciplinary tribunal in Dhaka on 18 June 2014. Ashraful was serving suspension since June 2013 having confessed to the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit about his involvement in fixing BPL matches.

4) Magnus Carlsen bagged FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship: Magnus Carlsen, the world number one chess player on 18 June 2014 bagged the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship title in Dubai. To win the Gold medal, he scored 11 of 15 points. The silver medal was won by Fabiani Caruana who was positioned at the second position. India’s Vishwanathan Anand clinched the bronze medal after being at the third position in the tournament.

5) India won Bangladesh ODI series 2-0 after 3rd ODI washout: India claimed a 2-0 series win over Bangladesh after the third one-day international was abandoned due to heavy rain on Thursday. India were 119-9 in 34.2 overs before the third spell of rain forced umpires to call off the match. The main highlight of the series was Stuart Binny taking six wickets for four runs in the second ODI, which is best bowling figures by any Indian in ODIs. He was also adjudged the Man of the Series. Suresh Raina was the captain of India in the tournament after MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli were rested.