Current Context : India has climbed to the 39th position in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024.

• India also ranks the highest in South Asia among the lower-middle-income economies.
• Earlier, India was ranked 54th in 2021 published index.
• India scored 4.25. out of 7. overall index score.
• US topped the list followed by Spain, Japan, France and Australia among the top five in the 2024.

ABOUT TOURISM INDEX

• The index is prepared in collaboration with the University of Surrey.
• The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report was first published in 2007 by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Current Context : World Bank report, released at the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia.

• It underscores the critical importance of access to safe drinking water and sanitation for human and economic development.
• Title given to report “Water for Shared Prosperity”.
• It was a joint publication between the World Bank and the Indonesian government, to explore the connection between water and inclusive growth.

RELEVANT FACTS:

• According to report, In 2022, 2.2 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water services, while 5 billion lacked access to safely managed sanitation.
• Globally, over 800 million people are at high risk of drought, with twice as many living in flood-prone areas.

ABOUT WORLD WATER FORUM

• It is held every three years and Co-hosted by World Water Council and a host country.

Objectives: Raise importance of water on political agenda; Support discussions towards resolution of international water issues; etc.

Current Context : Venezuela has likely to become the first nation to lose all its glaciers and marking prominent effect of environment and highlighting the severity of the climate crisis.

• The nation has likely become the first in modern history to lose all its glaciers.

ABOUT GLACIERS:  

• Glaciers are essentially large and thick masses of ice that are formed on land due to the accumulation of snow over centuries.
• They usually exist and form in areas where mean annual temperatures reach near the freezing point.

Current Context : The European Union activated its emergency satellite mapping service at Iran’s request to locate a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi that crashed in East Azerbaijan.

ABOUT COPERNICUS EMS

• It is a rapid response mapping technology component of the Emergency Management Service (EMS).
• It was named after the renowned 15th-century scientist Nicolaus Copernicus.
• It is an initiative of European Union’s space for Earth observation.
• Copernicus provides geospatial information from satellite images and other data sources to help manage a wide range of emergencies resulting from natural or man-made disasters like flood, earthquake etc.
• The programme uses global data from satellites and ground-based airborne and sea-borne measurement systems.

It is complemented by a ground segment which includes in-situ sensors that provide access to the Sentinels and Contributing Missions data.

Current Context : Japanese company consortium recently  unveiled the world’s first high-speed 6G device.

• As per reports, the purported device can transmit data at a whopping 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) and can cover more than 300 feet.
• The prototype device was a result of collaboration among Japan’s leading telecom companies, including DOCOMO, NTT Corporation, NEC Corporation, and Fujitsu.
• The device is 20x faster than the ongoing 5G technology and claimed to transfer data at lighting speed.

Current Context : Lai Ching-te has been sworn in as Taiwan’s new president.

• It marks the third consecutive term for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
• He urged China to “cease their political and military intimidation against Taiwan” and to keep the world free from the fear of more war.
• Hsia Bi-khim also took the oath as the country’s vice president.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has appointed Sanjiv Puri, the chairman and managing director of ITC, as its president for the 2024–2025 period.

• Puri replaces R Dinesh, the chairman of TVS Supply Chain Solutions.
• He is also the chairman of ITC Infotech India Ltd. and its subsidiaries in the UK and the US.
• R Mukundan appointed as a Vice President of the CII for the term 2024-25.

ABOUT

• Sanjiv Puri is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and Wharton School of Business.
• He has chaired expert groups and received accolades such as the ‘Best CEO Award’ from Business Today and the ‘Transformational Leader Award’ from the Asian Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability.

ABOUT THE CONFEDERATION OF INDIAN INDUSTRY (CII)

• Confederation of Indian Industry is one of India’s oldest business lobby groups, representing the interests of various industries and advocating for favourable policies conducive to economic growth.
• Established in 1895
• Headquarter in New Delhi

Current Context : India is set to host the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP).

• It is hosted by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research, Goa, an autonomous research institute under the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences.
• Held from 20 to 30 May 2024 in Kochi, Kerala.
• Aim : to foster international collaboration on scientific research and sustainable resource management in the icy continent.
• Participation : 350 participants from nearly 40 nations.

ABOUT ANTARCTIC TREATY CONSULTATIVE MEETING (ATCM)

• The ATCM and CEP are high-level global annual meetings conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty, a multilateral agreement of 56 Contracting Parties signed in 1959.
• Member countries discuss the issues pertaining to the science, policy, governance, management, preservation and protection of Antarctica.
• The ATCM is administered through the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat headquartered in Argentina.

ABOUT COMMITTEE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (CEP)

• THE CEP was established under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (the Madrid Protocol) in 1991.
• The CEP advises the ATCM on environmental protection and conservation in Antarctica.

Celebrated on May 23, 2024

• OBJECTIVE : to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the turtles and tortoises and their disappearing habitats, as well as to encourage human action to help them survive and thrive.
• It began in 2000 and is sponsored by American Tortoise Rescue.
• Promoted by dressing up as turtles, wearing green summer dresses, saving turtles caught on highways, research activities and adopting turtles or tortoises from rehabilitation centres.

Current Context : H.E. Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and H.E. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran have passed away in a helicopter crash.

• India declared one Day State Mourning as a mark of respect.