1. Piyush Goyal inaugurates Mango Festival in Belgium
Tags: International News
Indian Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal inaugurated the Mango Festival in Brussels, Belgium to raise awareness of mangoes among Europeans and establish a market for Indian mangoes in Europe.
During the event, Banganapalli from Andhra Pradesh, Malihabadi Dussehri of Uttar Pradesh, Amrapali of Odisha, Lakshman Bhog, Himsagar, Jardalu Mango, Langra Mango as well as 12 GI-tagged items were on display.
For the first time, the Mango Festival was organised in Belgium, considered the capital of Europe.
Other information about Mango -
The scientific name of mango is Mangifera indica.
Most of it is produced in India.
It is considered the national fruit in India, Pakistan and the Philippines.
Its tree has the status of a national tree in Bangladesh.
India produces 41 percent of the world's mangoes. Apart from India, China and Thailand are the largest producers of it.
According to botanical classification, mango is a tree of the family 'Anacardiaceae'.
The main varieties of mango are Langra Mango, Dussehri Mango, Fazli Mango, Sundari, Malda Mango.
Raw mango is called kari.
Mango is rich in vitamins A, B and C along with other antioxidants.
Mango Revision Centre is located at Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Vengurla in Maharashtra.
2. India is the fourth largest gold recycling country in the world : World Gold Council
Tags: International News
According to the World Gold Council (WGC) report, India has emerged as the fourth largest recycler in the world and the country has recycled 75 tonnes in 2021.
The report was titled 'Gold Refining and Recycling'.
According to the WGC's 'Gold Refining and Recycling' report, China tops the global gold recycling chart by recycling 168 tonnes of the yellow metal, followed by Italy with 80 tonnes and the US with 78 tonnes .
According to the WGC report 'Gold Refining and Recycling' from 300 tonnes in 2013, India's gold refining capacity increased by 1,500 tonnes (500%) in 2021.
Despite being the fourth largest recycler in the world, India recycles very little of its own gold stock - about 8% of the global scrap supply.
In the last five years, 11% of the country's gold supply has come from 'old gold'.
The names of China, America, Australia, South Africa and Russia are included in the 5 largest gold producing countries in the world, while on the other hand, India is far ahead of other countries in terms of gold consumption.
According to one figure, out of 52 percent of the world's jewellery consumption, most of the consumption is done in India.
About World Gold Council
The World Gold Council is a market development organisation for the gold industry.
It aims to boost the demand for gold and maintain it.
Most of the world's gold mining companies are involved as its members.
Its headquarter is in the United Kingdom.
3. PM Modi to attend G-7 summit in Germany
Tags: International News
PM Narendra Modi will visit Germany on 26 and 27 June to attend the annual summit of the G-7.
Modi is attending the G7 summit following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Germany currently holds the presidency of the G7, a grouping of the seven richest countries in the world.
Top leaders attending the summit include US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
During the summit, Prime Minister Modi is expected to address two sessions covering environment, energy, climate, food security, health, gender equality and democracy.
From Germany, he will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 28 to condole the passing of former Gulf President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Group of Seven (G-7)
It includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The group meets annually to discuss issues of common interest, such as global economic governance, international security and energy policy.
It was formed in 1975 by the top economies of the time as an informal forum to discuss global issues.
Canada joined the group in 1976, and the European Union began participating in 1977.
It represents about 70% of the world economy.
It currently accounts for about 40% of the global GDP.
All the G7 countries and India are a part of G20.
The G-7 became the G8 in 1997 when Russia was invited to join.
It does not have a fixed headquarters.
4. Mongolia’s Khuvsgul lake added to UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves
Tags: International News
Recently Mongolia's Khuvsgul Lakes National Park has been included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO.
The decision was taken during the 34th session of the International Coordinating Council of Men and Biosphere Program in Paris, France.
The Man and Biosphere Program is an intergovernmental scientific programme. It was established by UNESCO in the early 1970s.
The primary objective of this program is to establish a scientific basis for enhancing the relationship between people and their environment.
About Khuvsgul Lake
Khuvsgul Lake is located in the northern Mongolian province of Khuvsgul near the Russian border.
It is the source of 70% of Mongolia's fresh water and is situated at an altitude of about 1645 m above sea level which is 135 km long and 262 m deep lake.
It is the second largest lake in Mongolia in terms of area.
This lake is located about 200 km west of Lake Baikal.
According to the ministry, a total of nine sites from Mongolia have been registered in the network so far.
5. 26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit - 2022
Tags: Popular International News
26th Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit 2022 organised on 20-25 June 2022, in Kigali, Rwanda.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the meeting.
The meeting had been postponed twice due to Covid-19 pandemic.
During the meeting, leaders of Commonwealth member states will deliberate on global challenges such as climate change, food security and health.
Theme of the summit - Delivering a Common Future - Connecting, Innovating, Transforming.
About Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
It brings together delegations from 54 countries in Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.
It aims to strengthen multilateral cooperation, explore new opportunities and tackle common challenges for the betterment of future generations.
It is hosted alternately by different member countries.
This meeting has been held Since 1971.
Members of the Commonwealth of Nations
The head of the Commonwealth is the Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth II.
He received this title as a result of elections following the resignation of his father.
The title of head cannot be inherited, so the new head of the Commonwealth of Nations is elected by voting at each meeting.
The Commonwealth comprises 54 countries of the world in all 6 continents.
The members have a total population of 2.1 billion, which is about a third of the world's population.
Of its total population, 1.17 billion live in India.
After India, the next largest Commonwealth countries by population are Pakistan (176 million), Bangladesh (156 million), Nigeria (149 million).
The land area of the Commonwealth of Nations accounts for about 21% of the total world land area.
The largest Commonwealth nations by area are Canada, Australia and India.
6. Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy inaugurates 'Jyotirgamaya' festival in New Delhi
Tags: International News
Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy inaugurated 'Jyotirgamaya', a festival showcasing the talents of forgotten artists, in New Delhi on June 21.
About the festival
It was organised as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and on the occasion of World Music Day on 21 June.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi has organised this festival to showcase the talent of rare musical instruments from across the country, including street performers and train entertainers.
This is a unique effort of Sangeet Natak Akademi to revive the dying arts of India.
Aim of the festival
It aims to sensitise people about the need to protect the skills of playing rare musical instruments as well as the craft of making these instruments.
It also aims to give a voice to ‘unheard’ artists who hardly ever see the limelight.
Importance of the festival
Music plays in every street and corner of India.
It is not uncommon to find passersby playing flutes and other musical instruments under the open sky whether it is rain or sunshine.
We also have a plethora of rare musical instruments that are slowly falling out of the public domain due to their dwindling popularity and dwindling patronage.
The festival was organised through a call to action to recognize the 'unheard' talent.
Entrants were requested to send a short clip of their performance along with their details.
Leading music institutions, cultural centres, SNA awardees and eminent musicians were also requested to explore and identify such rare talents.
Artistes from all corners of the country participated in this festival.
7. Juneteenth festival was celebrated in the U.S.
Tags: International News
Juneteenth is a federal holiday in the U.S. commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
Juneteenth is the oldest national commemoration to mark the end of the end of slavery in America, held annually on June 19.
It is currently recognized as a holiday by 47 US states.
It is also known as Liberation Day or Juneteenth Independence Day.
History of Juneteenth
On January 1, 1863, then-President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all persons 'held as slaves' within the states during the rebellion would now be free.
However, many people continued to keep slaves even after this announcement. After this, on June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger Galveston announced the end of both the Civil War and slavery.
Since then it has become a symbolic date representing independence for African-Americans.
8. International literary festival 'Unmesh' organised in Himachal Pradesh
Tags: State News International News
An International Literature Festival, Unmesh, was organised in Shimla as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sahitya Akademi, Department of Art and Culture, Government of Himachal Pradesh.
The festival was inaugurated by the Union Minister of State for Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal.
UNMESHA is the country's largest literary festival representing over 60 languages and 64 events with over 425 writers, poets, translators, critics and distinguished personalities from different walks of life from 15 countries including India.
Unmesh, the festival of expression, is the largest international literary festival in the country so far.
Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi was formally inaugurated by the Government of India on 12 March 1954.
Sahitya Akademi functions as an autonomous organisation. It was registered as a society in January 1956 under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is the central body for literary dialogue, publication and publicity in the country and the only organisation to conduct literary activities in 24 Indian languages, including English.
It also conducts literary exchange programs with various countries around the world to promote Indian literature.
The Sahitya Akademi Award is the second highest literary award given by the Government of India after the Jnanpith Award.
9. Qatar's Hamad International Airport named best airport in the world
Tags: International News
Qatar's Hamad International Airport has been named the best airport in the world for the second year in a row. This was announced at the Skytrax 2022 World Airport Awards held at the Passenger Terminal Expo in Paris, France.
Airports Winners in Other Major Categories
Category | Winner |
Best regional airport in India and South Asia | Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) |
World's Best Airport Staff Service & World's Best Airport Food | Changi Airport, Singapore |
Best airport in the world Shopping and most family friendly airport | Istanbul Airport |
Cleanest airport in the world, Best domestic airport in the world, Best airport in Asia | Haneda airport, Tokyo |
World's best airport | King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh |
World's Best Regional Airport | Chubu Centrair International Airport, Nagoya |
World's Best Airport Immigration Processing | Copenhagen Airport |
World's Best Airport Security Processing | Zurich Airport |
Top 5 airports in the world in 2022
1. Hamad International Airport
2. Tokyo International Airport (Haneda)
3. Singapore Changi Airport
4. Narita International Airport
5. Incheon International Airport
10. West Seti power project
Tags: International News
India will take over the ambitious hydroelectric project in Nepal nearly four years after China pulled out of the West Seti project.
The Government of Nepal has decided to hand over the West Seti Hydropower Project and 308 MW SR6 Storage Hydroelectric Project to India's National Hydro Power Company Limited (NHPC).
West Seti hydropower project
West Seti is a 750MW hydro power project.
It is planned to start this project on Paschim Seti river/basin in Nepal.
Specifically, it is a storage project designed to produce and export large amounts of electrical energy to India.
The project is envisaged to provide 31.9% of electricity to Nepal free of cost.
No work has progressed on this for the last six decades.
The project was earlier awarded to a Chinese company.
China's Three Gorges Corporation informed the Nepal government in August 2018 that it would not be able to execute the 750 MW West Seti hydroelectric project.
India -Nepal Power Relations
Nepal is rich in power sources with approximately 6,000 rivers and an estimated capacity of 83,000 MW.
India has formally approached Nepal on several occasions.
India is seen as a viable market for Nepal, but there remains some uncertainty in Nepal over India's inability to complete projects on time.
India has expressed its intention to use the major rivers in the north.
An ambitious Mahakali treaty was signed in 1996 to generate 6,480 MW, but India is yet to submit a detailed project report.
West Seti has the potential to become a defining model for Nepal-India power relations in the future.
