International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL)

• Interpol has issued a blue color notice against an absconding Indian MP facing serious charges of sexual harassment.
• The purpose of a Blue Notice is to seek additional information about the identity, status or position of a person in connection with any electronic criminal investigation.

Interpol / About Interpol

• It was established in 1956 in Lyon (France).
• Members: A total of 196 countries including India are members.

Organisation Structure:

• General Assembly: It is the supreme governing body that takes decisions on policy, financial and other major issues. Its meeting is organized. It includes representatives from each member country.

Major functions of INTERPOL:

• It helps in the release of terrorists from the following four global criminals: radical; Cyber crimes; accomplice crime; and financial crime and partner-negative action.

Agricultural Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC):

• The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW) inaugurated an “Agriculture ICCC” at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi.

About Agriculture ICCC:

• This is a technology based solution of MoA&FW. It will help in evidence based decision making in agriculture using technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Remote Sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS).
• It will monitor the agricultural sector by collecting geospatial information from different sources.
• These sources include sowing data obtained through digital crop surveys; Integrated portal on agricultural statistics for market based intelligence etc.
• Uses: To provide necessary advice to farmers based on GIS based soil mapping and weather data; In active drought management; In identifying areas or crops for crop diversification etc.

India has become the third largest solar energy producing country in the world.

• India will become the third largest solar energy producing country in 2023.
• According to the 5th "Global Electricity Review" report published by Amber, a United Kingdom-based global think tank, India was ranked ninth in 2015 but will overtake Japan to reach the third position in 2023.

Global Electricity Review:

• The Global Electricity Review report covers 80 countries, representing 92 percent of global electricity demand.
• The contribution of solar energy to the total electricity generated in India in 2023 was 5.8 percent.
• The largest increase in solar energy production in 2023 occurred in China (an increase of 156 terawatt hours (TWh). After China, the largest solar production was in the United States (+33 TWh), followed by Brazil (+22 TWh) and India (+18 TWh).
• Following are the top 10 solar energy producing countries in the world in 2023 according to Amber "Global Electricity Review".

1. China
2. United States of america
3. India
4. Japan
5. Germany
6. brazil
7. Australia
8. spain
9. Italy
10. South Korea

India's goals to decarbonize power generation:

• To reduce the carbon intensity of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030.
• To achieve 50 per cent of cumulative installed power capacity from renewable energy sources by 2030.
• To achieve the target of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2070.
• To achieve Renewable Energy installed capacity of 500 GW by 2030.

Report titled “Enhancing the Global Value of Earth Observations” released:

• This report has been released by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It highlights the economic potential of Earth Observation technologies in different sectors.

About Earth Observation:

• Earth observation means gathering information about activities and features on Earth, both natural and artificial.
• It also includes observations of physical, chemical and biological systems and human activities.

There are two methods of Earth observation:

• Remotely-sensed data: Such data is collected from satellites installed in space, aircraft operated from remote pilot stations, etc.
• In-situ data: Such data is extracted from GPS-based devices, Internet-of-Things sensors, etc.

WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM

• The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit and international organization.
• It was established in 1971. Its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland.

Other reports issued by the World Economic Forum

• Global Gender Gap Report
• Global Competitiveness Report
• Global Human Capital Report
• Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report
• Global Risks Report
• Inclusive Growth and Development Report

Remittance:

• According to the UN Migration Agency, India has become the first country to receive more than $100 billion in remittances in 2022.
• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) revealed in its World Migration Report 2024 that India's remittances are set to rise to $111 billion in 2022.

About Remittance:

• Foreign remittances refer to money sent from one country to another, often by migrant workers to their families back home.
• These remittances play an important role in the economies of many countries including India.

Top sources of remittance in India:

United Arab Emirates (UAE): Migrant workers from India contribute significantly to the economy of the UAE, and their remittances constitute a large part of the inflow to India.

United States: Indian expatriates in the US send substantial amounts of money back home.

Saudi Arabia: Another major destination for Indian migrant workers, contributing to remittance inflows.

Oman and Kuwait: These Gulf states also play an important role in India's remittance landscape.

EU adopts first law to combat violence against women:

• The sweeping law aims to protect women in the 27-nation European Union from gender-based violence, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and online harassment.

About the European Union:

• The European Union is a group of 27 countries that act as a cohesive economic and political block.
• Its 19 member countries use the 'euro' as their official currency, while 8 member countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Sweden) do not use the euro.

Rafa in discussion:

• Recently the Israeli army has ordered thousands of Palestinians to leave Rafah, a city in the southern Gaza Strip.
• This step has been taken amid increasing fears of a ground attack on the area. About 100,000 people in eastern Rafah have been instructed to evacuate to an "extended humanitarian zone" along the coast.

About Rafa:

• Rafah is a city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, near the border with Egypt.
• It is the capital of the Rafah Governorate of the State of Palestine, located about 30 kilometers southwest of Gaza City.

Air Force launches 'Operation Bambi Bucket' to deal with forest fire in Uttarakhand:

• Recently the Uttarakhand government informed the Supreme Court that the forest fire emergency has now been brought under control.
• The Chief Minister stressed the need for an efficient strategy to collect 'Pirul' (pine leaves) from the forests.
• Additionally, the Government is implementing 'Pirul Laao-Paise Pao' initiative to encourage collection of pine leaves and control forest fires.
• Under this mission, for the purpose of reducing forest fire, Pirul will be purchased at the collection center at the rate of ₹ 50/kg.
• To tackle the massive forest fire in Pauri Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, the Indian Air Force provided much-needed relief by conducting Bambi Bucket operation with its Mi17 V5 helicopters.

Bambi Bucket operation: 

• The Bambi Bucket, also known as a helicopter bucket or heli bucket, is a special container that is suspended by a cable below a helicopter and is filled with water by first immersing it in a river or pond and then opening a valve at the bottom of the bucket. Water is sprayed over the affected area.
• The Bambi Bucket is a relief measure particularly helpful in avoiding or combating forest fires in areas where access by land is difficult or impossible. Helicopters are often used to fight forest fires around the world.

Krishikalp launches India's first accelerator program for farmer producer organizations in Bengaluru:

• Krishikalpa, a non-profit organization, has today launched India's first accelerator program for Farmer Producer Organization in Bengaluru.
• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, NABARD has provided financial support for this initiative.

Other facts:

• Krishikalpa will transform Farmer-Producer Organizations – (FPOs) into sustainable rural businesses, thereby driving positive change in the agricultural ecosystem.
• This will help FPOs to connect to markets and resources.
• Krishikalpa will also help in developing entrepreneurial skills, supply chain management and providing market orientation training to the members of the FPO.

British Lando Norris takes historic first career win at Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix:

• 24-year-old British Formula 1(F1) driver Lando Norrie finally won his first F1 title by winning the Miami Grand Prix held at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami, Florida, United States. He also broke the dominance of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who had won four of the six races of the 2024 F1 season.

lando norris historic victory

• Lando Norris, who is currently with the McLaren team, made his debut on the F1 circuit in 2019 at the Australian Grand Prix. Before his 2024 Miami Grand Prix win, he had finished second eight times in his career. In his 110th Grand Prix in Miami, he finally won his first F1 race title.

2024 Miami Grand Prix Final Standings:

• The Miami Grand Prix was won by Lando Norris of McLaren and Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished second. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was in third place and Ferrari's Carlos Sainz was in fourth place.
• Red Bull's Sergio Pérez finished fifth, while Mercedes' Hamilton was sixth.

Ambassador of Japan inaugurates 'Peace Memorial and Eco Park' in Kohima, Nagaland:

• The Kohima Peace Memorial was jointly inaugurated by the Ambassador of Japan to India in Nagaland, Hiroshi Suzuki, and the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neifu Ryo.
• The Battle of Kohima was fought between Japanese and British Indian forces from 4 April to 10 June 1944.

Other facts:

• The Japanese government also laid the foundation stone for the construction of a memorial and eco-park to commemorate World War II.