The Tech Leaders Forum of India

♦ The Tech Leaders Forum of India (TELFI) was officially launched at the World Education Conference 2024. This was hosted by the Federation of Economic Development Association (FEDA) at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University in Dubai.

♦ TELFI is a new initiative aimed at empowering engineers, and was unveiled as a key highlight of the conference. The forum is designed to support engineers through various professional activities, including webinars, workshops, and training sessions. Its primary goal is to provide engineers with the resources, knowledge, and network needed to excel in their careers and drive technological advancements both in India and internationally.

Nicolas Maduro

♦ Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of Venezuela's presidential election on 29 July 2024 by the electoral council. Maduro won this election with 51.2 percent of the votes, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia received 44.2 percent.

♦ This victory marks Maduro’s third consecutive term as president. He became president for the first time in 2013.
 

Gandhi statue unveiled in Tokyo

External affairs minister S Jaishankar unveiled Mahatma Gandhi’s bust at Freedom Plaza in Edogawa, Tokyo on 28 July 2024. He arrived in Japan for a two-day visit for the Quad Foreign Ministers' meeting. Edogawa ward includes the Nishi-Kasai district, which is home to some 3,000 Indians. The area is also known as “Little India”.  
 

Multinational Military Exercise Khaan Quest

♦ Indian Army participated in the Multinational Military Exercise ‘Khaan Quest’ at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The exercise is scheduled from the 27th of July to the 9th of August, 2024. The exercise first started as a bilateral event between USA and Mongolian Armed Forces in the year 2003. Subsequently, from the year 2006 onwards the exercise graduated to a Multinational Peacekeeping Exercise with current year being the 21st iteration.

♦ The aim of this exercise is to prepare the Indian Armed Forces for peacekeeping missions. Tactical drills to be practised during the exercise will include the establishment of Static and Mobile Check Points, Cordon and Search Operations and Patrolling. The exercise will also include Evacuation of Civilians from Hostile Areas, Counter Improvised Explosive Device drills, Combat First Aid and Casualty Evacuation.

♦ The last edition of Exercise KHAAN QUEST was conducted in Mongolia from 19th June to 2nd July 2023. 

Henley Passport Index 2024

♦ According to the Henley Passport Index 2024, Singapore has been named the world's most powerful passport, offering visa-free access to 195 countries. France, Italy, Germany and Spain tied with Japan in second place, providing passport holders access to 192 countries. 

♦ India's passport ranked 82nd on the list, with citizens allowed to travel to 58 countries without a visa, including popular destinations like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Neighbouring Pakistan is positioned at 100th, providing passport holders access to 33 countries. 

♦ At the bottom of the list is Afghanistan with easy access to 26 destinations.

♦ Top 10 powerful passports for 2024:

1. Singapore (195 countries)
2. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain (192)
3. Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden (191)
4. Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, United Kingdom (190)
5. Australia, Portugal (189)
6. Greece, Poland (188)
7. Canada, Czechia, Hungary, Malta (187)
8. United States (186)
9. Estonia, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates (185)
10. Iceland, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia (184)

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

♦ According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, India secured the third spot among the top 10 countries with the most significant forest area gains from 2010-20. During this period India gained 2,66,000 hectares of forest area annually. The report said China led the world with the maximum forest area gain of 1,937,000 hectares, followed by Australia with 4,46,000 hectares. Other countries in the top 10 include Chile, Vietnam, Turkey, the United States, France, Italy and Romania. 

♦ The report titled “The State of the World’s Forests 2024: Forest-sector innovations towards a more sustainable future,” was released at the 27th session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO).

♦ The FAO report also said the rate of gross global mangrove loss decreased by 23 per cent during the periods - 2000 to 2010 and 2010 to 2020.

Ivory Coast (Cote dIvoire)

♦ Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) joined the United Nations Water Convention. It is the 53rd Party to the Convention and 10th African country to join the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, known as the 1992 UN Water Convention. 

♦ Ivory Coast is the 9th largest economy in Africa and 5th fastest growing economy on the continent, shares eight transboundary river basins (Black Volta, Bia, Tanoé, Comoé, Niger, Sassandra, Cavally et Nuon) with its neighbours, which include Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.  

♦ The Convention was initially established as a regional framework for the pan-European region. Since its global expansion to all UN Member States in 2016, Chad, Senegal, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Togo and Cameroon were the first African nations to accede. They were later joined by Nigeria, Namibia and The Gambia in 2023.

Germanys Ursula von der Leyen

♦ Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen won a second five-year term as President of the European Commission on 18 July 2024. Leyen garnered 401 votes in the 720-seat chamber, exceeding the majority required to maintain her position as the head of the EU’s executive body. 

♦ She was first elected as President of the European Commission in 2019.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar

♦ External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar inaugurated India’s first overseas Jan Aushadi Kendra in Mauritius on 17 July 2024. The Jan Aushadi Kendra is a health partnership project, aims to supply cost-effective, Made-in-India medicines to enhance public healthcare and well-being in Mauritius. 

♦ He also inaugurated the Mediclinic project at Grand Bois village in Mauritius. Funded by Indian assistance, the project will provide secondary healthcare for approximately 16,000 people living in the area.

Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF)

♦ Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) leader Paul Kagame was elected President of Rwandan for a fourth term on 16 July 2024. Paul Kagame had won 99.15% of the vote while Democratic Green Party candidate Frank Habineza could only muster 0.53% and independent Philippe Mpayimana 0.32%. 

♦ Previously Kagame served as president in 2003, 2010 and in 2017.

President of the European Parliament

♦ Roberta Metsola won a second term as president of the European Parliament on 16 July 2024. She became the first woman to win a second term as head of the EU assembly. 

♦ Metsola became the president of the European Parliament for the first time in 2022.

♦ Metsola will preside over the 720-member parliament which negotiates and adopts EU legislative proposals and approves the bloc’s budget.

♦ She was the first leader of an EU institution to visit Kyiv following Russia’s February 2022 invasion, and has consistently backed Ukraine’s bid to join the EU.

KP Sharma Oli

♦ Nepal's communist leader KP Sharma Oli was appointed as the Prime Minister for the fourth time on 14 July 2024. He succeeded Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who lost the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives. 

♦ Oli becomes the PM of a new coalition supported by Nepali Congress party, headed by its president Sher Bahadur Deuba.
 

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal

♦ Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal lost a parliamentary vote of confidence on 12 July 2024. He needed at least 138 votes in his favour in the 275-member house to retain power. 63 of the 258 lawmakers in the chambers voted for him, 194 voted against.

11 new biosphere reserves in 11 countries

♦ The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has approved the designation of 11 new biosphere reserves in 11 countries. With the new designations, the World Network of Biosphere Reserves totals 759 sites in 136 countries. 

♦ The 11 biosphere are:

♦ Kempen-Broek Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Belgium, Kingdom of the Netherlands)

♦ Darién Norte Chocoano Biosphere Reserve (Colombia)

♦ Madre de las Aguas Biosphere Reserve (Dominican Republic)

♦ Niumi Biosphere Reserve (Gambia)

♦ Colli Euganei Biosphere Reserve (Italy)

♦ Julian Alps Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (Italy, Slovenia)

♦ Khar Us Lake Biosphere Reserve (Mongolia)

♦ Apayaos Biosphere Reserve (Philippines)

♦ Changnyeong Biosphere Reserve (Republic of Korea)

♦ Val d’Aran Biosphere Reserve (Spain)

♦ Irati Biosphere Reserve (Spain)

♦ As of 2024, there are 18 Biosphere reserves in India, namely Nilgiri, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Great Nicobar, Gulf of Mannar, Manas, Sunderbans, Simlipal, Dibru-Saikhowa, Pachmarhi, Dehang-Dibang, Khangchendzonga, Agasthyamalai, Achanakamar – Amarkantak, Kachchh, Cold Desert, Seshachalam Hills, and Panna.

BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers

♦ The 2nd Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Foreign Ministers’ meeting was held in New Delhi on 11 July 2024. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar hosted this meeting. The two-day summit was concluded on July 12.

♦ BIMSTEC is a regional organization that connects countries around the Bay of Bengal to promote economic growth, trade, and cooperation in areas like transportation, energy, and counter-terrorism. It aims to strengthen relationships and foster economic development among its member states, which include- Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

♦ The first edition of the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat was held in Thailand’s Bangkok on 17 July 2023.

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

♦ Elisa de Anda Madrazo of Mexico has assumed the presidency of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for a two-year term from July 2024 to June 2026. She succeeded T. Raja Kumar of Singapore. De Anda currently serves as Director General in Mexico’s Ministry of Finance and Public Credit. Elisa joined the Ministry in 2015. 

♦ Previously Elisa de Anda Madrazo served as head of the Mexican delegation and co-led Mexico’s efforts for its Mutual Evaluation in 2016-2017. 

♦ De Anda has over a decade of experience in leadership positions in the anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) sector.

Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances

♦ A five-member Indian delegation from the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 7 July 2024. The delegation, led by the Secretary and Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance,V. Srinivas, will engage in discussions on capacity-building programmes for Sri Lankan civil servants and the potential signing of a long-term Memorandum of Understanding for these initiatives. The agenda includes outlining a roadmap for future collaborations and exchanging insights on effective governance practices.

Masoud Pezeshkian (69)

♦ Masoud Pezeshkian (69) was elected as Iran's President on 6 July 2024. He became Iran’s second reformist president in the history of the Islamic Republic after his conservative predecessor Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in May 2024 triggering an election to replace him. 

♦ Out of 30.5 million votes, Pezeshkian received over 16.3 million votes, while his ultraconservative rival Saeed Jalili got more than 13.5 million votes.

♦ Pezeshkian is a heart surgeon and previously served as the country’s health minister between 2001 and 2005.

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer (61)

♦ Labour Party leader Keir Starmer (61) became Britain’s 58th Prime Minister on 5 July 2024. Labour Party secured 412 seats and outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party got 121 seats in the 650-member parliament. Labour Party stormed to power after 14 years.

♦ Keir Starmer has appointed his cabinet, making Angela Rayner the Deputy Prime Minister and Rachel Reeves the country’s first female Chancellor of the Exchequer.

♦ Starmer’s cabinet included a record 11 women in the team of 25. Meanwhile, Yvette Cooper was appointed Home Secretary, David Lammy was named Foreign Secretary and John Healey was appointed Defence Secretary. Other appointments include Shabana Mahmood as Justice Secretary, Wes Streeting as Health Secretary, Bridget Phillipson as Education Secretary, and Ed Miliband as Energy Secretary.

India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT

♦ The 16th edition of India-Mongolia Joint Military Exercise NOMADIC ELEPHANT commenced at the Foreign Training Node, Umroi (Meghalaya) on 3 July 2024. The exercise aims to enhance joint military capabilities for counter-insurgency operations under the UN mandate, focusing on semi-urban and mountainous terrain. Tactical drills include responses to terrorist actions, joint command post establishment, intelligence and surveillance, securing landing sites, and special operations. This annual training event alternates between India and Mongolia; the previous edition was in Mongolia in July 2023. The Exercise will conclude on 16th July 2024.

Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC)

♦ Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has partnered with MosChip Technologies, and Socionext Inc. for the design and development of a High-Performance-Computing (HPC) Processor SoC based on the Arm architecture and built on TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited) 5nm technology node. 

♦ C-DAC is collaborating with the consortium of MosChip Technologies, India and Socionext Inc., Japan for design & development of this indigenous HPC Processor AUM, based on the high-performance Arm Neoverse V2 CPU platform, and incorporates advanced packaging technology. This approach allows them to retain ownership of unique differentiators, providing a significant competitive edge.