Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth jointly inaugurated an airstrip and the St James Jetty on North Agaléga Island in the Indian Ocean. Agaléga — a group of two islands with a total area of 26 sq km and a native population of about 300 people — lies approximately 650 nautical miles (1,050 km) north of Mauritius, and belongs to the island nation. Ties between India and Mauritius go back to 1948, 20 years before the country’s independence from Britain. Seventy per cent of the inhabitants of Mauritius are of Indian origin, and the two....Read More

The Spanish region of Catalonia has declared a state of emergency as it faces its worst drought on record. More than six million Catalans will be affected across 200 towns and cities, including the capital Barcelona. Catalonia is one of Spain's richest and most highly industrialised regions. It is located in north east of Iberian peninsula.Read More

Russian energy company Novatek was forced to suspend some operations at Ust-Luga, a huge Baltic Sea fuel export terminal and processing complex, due to a fire started by what Ukrainian media said was a drone attack. The attack is the third on Russia's large energy infrastructure facilities. Ust-Luga is a settlement and railway station in Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, near the Estonian border, situated on the Luga River near its entry into the Luga Bay of the Gulf of Finland in Baltic Sea.Read More

Residents of Kanniyakumari district have objected to the Union government’s plans for oil exploration under HELP (Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy) off the Kanniyakumari coast, as it could severely impact the Wadge Bank Ecosystem. Wadge Bank, a 10,000 square kilometre area of the sea south of Kanyakumari is rich in biodiversity and considered India’s richest fishery resource. Low intensity of currents, waves and tides make it an ideal place for building a wealth of nutrients and fish food. Wadge Bank was one among the handful of such rich biodiversity spots in the world and It is also the mainstay of....Read More

Lake Retba, better known as Lac Rose (the Pink Lake), is located near Dakar, Senegal (West Africa). It sits in a depression with a shoreline 6.5 metres below sea level. The lake is isolated from the sea by about 1km of sand dunes. Its fresh water comes from the seasonal water table in the dunes, which are higher than the lake. Thus the sea provides most of the lake's water and all of its salt. The lake's waters are virtually devoid of life, with the exception of a few microscopic algae and bacteria. The Pink Lake is one of the....Read More

The Cochin Port Joint Trade Union Forum has appealed to Prime Minister to revive commercial activities on Willingdon Island. Kochi’s iconic Willingdon Island is one of the largest man-made islands in the country, created (1920-1940) using dredged soil. It is named after the then British Viceroy of India, Lord Willingdon. It once served as a vital transportation centre, accommodating both Cochin Airport and the Harbour Railway terminus. It is also home to the Kochi Naval Base of the Indian Navy and the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology The island is connected to the mainland by the Venduruthy Bridge.Read More

The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde (also known as Cape Verde) as a malaria-free country, becoming the third country to acquire the status in the global health organisation’s African region. The country has now joined Mauritius and Algeria, who were certified in 1973 and 2019, respectively. Africa has the highest malaria burden and accounted for roughly 95 per cent of global malaria cases and 96 per cent of related deaths in 2021. ABOUT CABO VERDE Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an archipelago and island country of West Africa in the....Read More

Archaeologists in Saqqara, Egypt have discovered a series of tombs dating from about 1,800 to 4,800 years ago, some of which contain colorful mummy masks. The colorful mummy masks, which would have been worn by the dead, probably date to the Roman period (29 B.C. to A.D. 641). The archaeologists also found a small statue showing Harpocrates, a Greek god that looks like a child who is associated with silence, riding a goose. The goose represents "an evil spirit over which the Divine Child triumphs”.   ABOUT SAQQARA Saqqara, also spelled Sakkara or Saccara, is an Egyptian village in the....Read More

Russia said recently that its military would do everything possible to stop the Ukrainian shelling of Belgorod, a border town where hundreds were evacuated after fatal bombardments. Belgorod has suffered an uptick in fatal shelling attacks in recent weeks that prompted city officials to recently evacuate hundreds and extend a closure of schools. Itis located on the Seversky Donets River, approximately 40 kilometers north of the border with Ukraine.Read More

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers has made history by becoming the first woman to amass a staggering $100 billion fortune. L'Oréal- The French beauty empire was founded by her grandfather and is on track for its best stock market performance in decades. Ms Bettencourt Meyers is the vice-chairperson of the company's board. She and her family are the single biggest shareholders of L'Oréal with a stake of around 35%.Read More