Current Affairs

1. INDIAN NAVY JOINS WORLD’S LARGEST NAVAL EXERCISE RIMPAC –

• As a participant in the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) 2024, the Indian Navy has made a strong statement in the world of military exercises. This exercise is the world’s biggest international maritime warfare exercise, and it takes place in Hawaii with a huge group of troops from around the world.
• In 2024, the exercise had over 150 planes,40 surface ships, 3 submarines, people from over 29 countries, and a total of over 25,000 people. The Hawaiian Islands are the focus of this huge show of military power and cooperation, which runs until August 01. The Indian Navy sent the INS Shivalik, a cutting-edge multi-role stealth frigate, to this important military gathering.
• The INS Shivalik, a guided missile stealth frigate that was planned and built in India, shows how technically advanced and flexible the Indian Navy. The frigate was sent to Pearl Harbor to take part in different parts of RIMPAC 2024. It had been sent to key areas like the South China Sea and the North Pacific Ocean before. That the ship traveled 9000 Nautical Miles to take part in the drill shows how far the Indian Navy can go.

 

2. WHAT IS TEESTA TREATY –

• In June 2023, when Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, paid a state visit to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that a technical team would go to Bangladesh to talk about how to protect and control the Teesta River. The Teesta water-sharing pact has been a point of contention between India and Bangladesh for over a decade. This brought it back to the public’s attention.
• After Modi’s speech, India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra made it clear that the talks were more about controlling the flow of water in the Teesta than making deals to share water. While the central government agreed with this position, West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, disagreed. She said that talks about the Teesta waters should not continue without the state’s participation. She was worried that sharing Teesta’s water would have bad effects on the people in north Bengal.

 

3. PARAGUAY BECOMES   100^TH MEMBER OF INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE –

• Paraguay is the 100th country to become a full member of the International Solar Alliance. A formal ceremony was held in New Delhi to mark this important step in the growth of ISA. Fleming Raul Duarte, Paraguay’s ambassador to India, gave the Instrument of Ratification. The event shows that Paraguay is serious about promoting clean energy.
• India and France helped to start the International Solar Alliance at the COP21 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015.
• The ISA’s main goal is to make it easier for many people to use solar energy and to support healthy growth around the world. Its main goal is to work together with countries that get a lot of sun to make energy more accessible, improve energy security, and help the world move to a low- carbon economy.