• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has raised its growth forecast for India by 40 basis points to 6.6 per cent for 2024-25.
• It has also forecasted a growth rate of 6 % for 2025-26.
• The OECD expects the world economy to grow by 3.1 percent in 2024 and 3.2 percent in 2025.

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, organized a ‘Run for Sun’ Marathon at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi, on the occasion of International Sun Day.
• The ‘Run for Sun’ Marathon, featuring 3 km and 5 km races, was designed to raise awareness about the pivotal role of solar power in mitigating climate change and promoting a cleaner and healthier future for all.

SOLAR STOPS:

• Another highlight of the International Sun Day celebrations was Solar Stops — kiosks boasting a diverse array of elements that bring out the significance of solar energy. The 12 captivating installations have been set up at prominent malls in six Indian cities, namely Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Vadodara, Guwahati, Varanasi and Chennai. Serving as focal points, Solar Stops highlight the innovative and eco-friendly aspects of solar energy, inviting attendees to learn and engage with the displays.

SOLART: ALL-INDIA INTRA-SCHOOL SOLAR ART COMPETITION

• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has also announced Solart, an All-India Intra-School Solar Art Competition, which would be an engaging and educational way to celebrate solar energy through artistic expressions, in recognition of International Sun Day. The competition seeks to spark creativity and promote awareness of solar energy among school students across India.

• International Sun Day is celebrated every year on May 3 and it is a special occasion to honour the Sun.
• This day honours the Sun’s contributions to life on Earth and highlights the significance of solar energy.
• This day gives you the chance to invest in the sustainability of the earth and realise the power of the Sun.

HISTORY:

• Denis Hayes, an American environmentalist and solar power supporter, started Sun Day. He became well-known for organising the inaugural Earth Day, which took place on April 22, 1970. Hayes, who headed the Solar Energy Research Institute during the Carter Administration, came up with the concept of marking Sun Day, which was fashioned after Earth Day.
• In 1978, President Jimmy Carter formally declared Sun Day, and the celebration expanded internationally in 1994.

• The 7th India-Indonesia Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC) meeting was organized in New Delhi on May 03, 2024.
• Both sides expressed satisfaction at the expanding scope of defence cooperation between the two countries.
• The dignitaries identified means to enhance existing areas of collaboration especially in the field of defence industry ties, maritime security and multilateral cooperation.
• This partnership is characterised by closed cooperation in bilateral and multilateral arena, including frequent high-level interactions.

• The 2nd Session of the India-Nigeria Joint Trade Committee (JTC) held in the Nigerian capital city of Abuja on 29th and 30th April 2024.
• Nigeria is the 2nd largest trading partner of India in Africa region, with a bilateral trade worth $11.8 billion in 2022-23. In the year 2023-24, the bilateral trade stood at $7.89 billion, showing a declining trend.
• With a total investment of $27 Billion, approximately 135 Indian companies are actively engaged in Nigeria’s market, with investments in sectors like infrastructure, manufacturing, consumer goods and services.
• The both sides held a comprehensive dialogue to review the recent developments in bilateral trade and investment ties.
• India is represented by 7-member delegation led by Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Additional Secretary with the Department of Commerce.

• NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) has signed an agreement with the Bank of Namibia (BoN) to support them in developing an instant payment system like Unified Payment Interface (UPI) for Namibia.
• The partnership seeks to help Namibia modernise its financial ecosystem.
• This includes improving accessibility, affordability and connectivity with both domestic and international payment networks, and interoperability.
• This strategic partnership aims to enhance digital financial services and bolster real-time Person-to-Person (P2P) and Merchant payment transactions (P2M) in the African nation.

• China has launched a probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon as part of its goal to land a human on the lunar surface by
• A rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China’s Hainan province.
• Representing the first attempt to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon, Chang’e 6 is set to bring back up to two kilograms of lunar samples, adopting a configuration similar to the successful Chang’e 5 mission.
• The mission involves international collaboration, with payloads from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the French space agency CNES.
• ESA contributes a lunar surface ion tester, while CNES provides equipment for measuring radon gas and its decay products.
• Additionally, an Italian laser corner reflector for radar instrument calibration and Pakistan’s ICUBE-Q CubeSat will be part of the mission.
• Chang’e 6 will consist of both a lander and a rover.
• The lander will touch down on the lunar surface, while the rover will explore specific regions, conduct experiments, and aid in the sample collection process.
• The returned samples will be made available to the global scientific community for study.

• The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed World Cup-winning Gary Kirsten as their head coach for ODIs and T20Is, while former Australian pacer Jason Gillespie will take over that role in Test cricket.
• The former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood was appointed as the assistant coach of the team across the formats.

• Indian Chess Prodigy, Vaishali Ramesh Babu, has officially been awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE, the International Chess Federation.
• This makes Vaishali the third Indian female Grandmaster, joining Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli.
• She and her brother, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, became the world’s first Grandmaster brother-sister duo.
• Vaishali is the 84th Indian grandmaster. In January, she was presented with the Arjuna Award.

• The state has celebrated the 44th death anniversary of Himachal creator and first Chief Minister of the state, Dr. Yashwant Singh Parmar.
• Yashwant Singh Parmar was a leader of the Indian National Congress and the first Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh state. Upon the formation of the constituent assembly of India in 1946, he represented Himachal Pradesh in the constituent assembly.
• Parmar is hailed as the architect, the founder, or the creator of the Himachal Pradesh state. In Hindi, he is widely referred to as ‘Himachal Nirmata’ (the creator of Himachal’).