1. BRITISH ACADEMY BOOK PRIZE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Nandini Das, the India-born author, recently achieved a significant milestone by winning the 2023 British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding for her book 'Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire,' which comes with a substantial award of 25,000 British pound.

Her work: She has sought to present a new perspective on the origins of empire through the story of the arrival of the first English ambassador in India, Sir Thomas Roe, in the early 17th century.

British Academy Book Prize for Global Cultural Understanding

• About: This is awarded annually for a non-fiction book that has made an outstanding contribution to global cultural understanding for a wider public audience. 

oThe British Academy is the UK’s national academy for humanities and social sciences, and eligible books come from the subjects that fall within those disciplines, from archaeology, history and psychology to philosophy, languages and cultural studies.

• Eligibility Criteria

oThe Prize rewards books that best contribute to improving global cultural understanding among public audiences. The judges are seeking books that demonstrate rigorous original and high-quality research, and that are accessible and engaging to read.

oAuthors can be of any nationality, based anywhere in the world and working in any language.

oTranslated books are eligible provided that they are first published in English in the UK between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.

oBooks that have previously been published outside the UK and Ireland in the English language.

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2. FSSAI REPORT ON FOOD SECURITY (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Social Issues)

Context: Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) noted that, four years after publishing a state-wise index to boost food safety, 19 out of 20 large states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, and Andhra Pradesh, recorded a decline in their 2023 scores compared to 2019.

State food Safety Index

• Developed by: FSSAI
• 1st State Food Safety Index: Released in 2019
• Objective: The index is a benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all States/UTs.
• Parameters: Human Resources and Institutional Data, Compliance, Food Testing – Infrastructure and Surveillance, Training & Capacity Building and Consumer Empowerment.
• Findings: The steepest fall in scores over five years was observed in Maharashtra, followed by Bihar and Gujarat. Ensuring food safety is the responsibility of each state's apex food safety authority.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)

• Established: Under Food Safety and Standards , 2006
• Nodal Ministry: A statutory body under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare with a mandate to ensure public health at large.
• Headquarters: Delhi
• Aim: To regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

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3. ETCA (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: India and Sri Lanka recently held the 12th round of negotiations on the Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA) in Colombo, fostering bilateral economic ties.

 Economic and Technology Cooperation Agreement (ETCA)

• Enhanced Economic Partnership: ETCA, replacing CEPA, represents a pivotal reform for strengthening the economic partnership between India and Sri Lanka.
• Focus: ETCA aims to establish an agreement on trade in services and technological exchange, addressing the shortcomings of CEPA.
• Technical Collaboration and Research: The ETCA agreement seeks to promote cooperation in technical areas, scientific expertise, and research among institutions.
• Improved Quality: ETCA boost standard of goods and services, able to compete on global market and improve opportunities for man power training and human resource development
• Investment in Key Sectors: Oil farms in Trincomalee, renewable energy, infrastructure, and emerging business sectors.
• India's Post-War Economic Involvement: India views ETCA as a mechanism to actively participate in Sri Lanka's post-war economic development by making Indian investments in selected sectors.
• Integration into Indian Supply Chain: The Sri Lankan government aspires to leverage ETCA to become a part of the Indian supply chain, capitalizing on India's "Make in India" initiative to boost its manufacturing sector.

Objectives of ETCA

• To strengthen and advance the economic, trade, investment and technology cooperation between the two parties
• To promote further liberalization of trade in goods, liberalizing trade in services and gradually establish fair, transparent and facilitative trading, investment and investment protection mechanisms
• To expand areas of economic cooperation and establish a cooperation mechanism.

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4. WWF’S REPRT ON GRASSLANDS (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: The recent report from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reveals that an area of Great Plains grasslands larger than the state of Delaware in the United States has been lost in just one year, primarily due to ploughing for row crop agriculture.

Key Highlights of Report

• The report analysed the rate of grassland ploughing across the US and Canadian portions of the Great Plains.
• The majority of the grasslands with the best agricultural soils were ploughed up decades ago. The remaining intact grasslands are not always as productive for row-crop farming.
• The loss of grasslands affects all, not just the people living in those areas. When grasslands are ploughed, increasing amounts of carbon are released into the atmosphere, increasing the likelihood of frequent and intense droughts.

World Wide Fund  for Nature (WWF)

• Established: In 1961 
• Headquarter: In Gland, Switzerland.
• Previously known as the: World Wildlife Fund
• Mission: WWF's mission is to halt the degradation of the planet's natural environment and create a future in which humans coexist harmoniously with nature.
• Global Reach: The world's largest conservation organization, boasting over five million supporters across 100 countries.

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5. CAYMAN ISLANDS (Syllabus: GS Paper 1 – Geography)

Context: Cayman Islands’ recent exit from the FATF grey list is expected to bolster global private equity funds looking to invest in non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) based in India.

Cayman Islands

• About: The Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Western Caribbean Sea, comprises three islands: Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, situated south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica.
• History: Colonized by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries and administered by Jamaica after 1863.

oIn 1959, they became a territory within the Federation of the West Indies.

oWhen the Federation dissolved in 1962, the Cayman Islands chose to remain a British dependency.

• Language: English is the predominant language, but many residents speak local Creole dialects.
• Geography: The Cayman Islands have low-lying geography with coral reefs.
• Capital: George Town.
• Currency: Cayman Island dollar.

Economy

• The Cayman Islands have a mixed economic system and serve as a thriving offshore financial centre.
• They are known as a tax haven because they do not impose corporate tax, attracting multinational corporations to establish subsidiary entities for tax benefits.
• Residents enjoy a tax-free environment with no income, property, capital gains, payroll, or withholding taxes.
• Revenue is generated through tourism-related fees, work permits, financial transactions, and import duties.

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6. UNESCO'S CREATIVE CITIES NETWORK (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – International Organization)

Context: The Prime Minister of India recently lauded the inclusion of Kozhikode as the 'City of Literature' and Gwalior as the 'City of Music' in UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. Shri Modi congratulated the people of Kozhikode and Gwalior on this remarkable achievement.

UNESCO's Creative Cities Network

• Established: It was created in 2004.
• Aim: To “promote cooperation among cities which recognize creativity as a strategic factor in their urban development”.
• Aim: Sustainable Development Goal 11 aims for Sustainable Cities and Communities.
• Covers seven creative fields: crafts and folk arts, media arts, film, design, gastronomy, literature and music.

Indian Cities on UCCN

• Srinagar - Crafts and Folk Arts (2021)
• Mumbai – Film (2019).
• Hyderabad – Gastronomy (2019).
• Chennai - Creative city of Music (2017).
• Jaipur - Crafts and Folk Arts (2015).
• Varanasi - Creative city of Music (2015).

UNESCO

• Formation: 1945, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) based in Paris.
• Objective: It works to achieve peace and security by promoting international collaboration through educational, scientific, and cultural reforms.
• Members: 195 member states and 10 associate members. India is a founding member of the Organization.
• Headquarter: Paris, France.

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7. EXIM BANK OF INDIA (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economics)

Context: The Export-Import Bank of India (India Exim Bank) recently listed its maiden 10-year $1 billion sustainability bond on the Sustainable Bond Market (SBM) platform at the London Stock Exchange (LSE), the development finance institution said in a statement.

• Sustainability bonds are issues where proceeds are used to finance a combination of green and social projects. 
• The listing will give India Exim Bank access to a deeper pool of capital and a wider investor base.

EXIM Bank

• About: It is the premier export finance institution of the country.
• Established by: Government of India, under the Export-Import Bank of India Act, 1981
• Owned by: Government of India.
• Headquarter : New Delhi.
• Services:

oEXIM Bank offers financial support to both exporters and importers.

oThe bank offers Lines of Credit (LOCs) to foreign financial institutions, regional development banks, sovereign governments, and other overseas entities. 

oEXIM Bank acts as the primary financial institution responsible for coordinating the efforts of organizations involved in financing the import and export of goods and services, with the goal of enhancing the country's international trade.

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8. BLACK STORK (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Recently, a Black Stork, a species rarely seen, has been spotted in the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh.

Black Stork

• About: The black stork (Ciconia nigra ) is a large bird in the stork family Ciconiidae
• Habitat: It breeds in swampy, coniferous, and mixed forests.

oIt can also be found in grasslands, agricultural fields, and on the margins of lakes and rivers during winter.

oIt is a long-distance migrant, with European populations wintering in tropical Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asian populations in the Indian subcontinent.

• Distribution: It is mainly found in Europe, Asia, and African countries.
• IUCN Status: Least concern

Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh

• Location: State of Uttar Pradesh and It is one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in northern India.
• It lies alongside the northern tip of the River Ganga, flowing through the districts of Muzaffarnagar and Bijnor.
• Flora: It has a variety of landforms and is a mixture of different habitats such as wetlands, marshes, dry sand beds, and gently sloping ravines.
• Fauna: Swamp Deer, Leopard, Wild Cats, Wild Otter, Pythons etc.
• It is a part of the "Asia Flyway" project, and many migratory Birds, both local and foreign, flock in numbers near the numerous water bodies present in the region

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9. COMMITTEE OF PRIVILAGE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – Polity)

Context: The Rajya Sabha's privileges committee will meet next week to review the recently reported cases of breach of privilege against members of Parliament (MPs).

Breach of Privilege

• A breach of privilege refers to the violation of the privileges of MPs or Parliament.
• Actions that cast reflections on MPs, Parliament, or its committees can be regarded as breaches of privilege.
• Such actions encompass the publishing of news items, editorials, or statements in newspapers, magazines, TV interviews, or public speeches.

Parliamentary Privilege

• Parliamentary privilege encompasses the rights, immunities, and exemptions granted to Parliament and individual MPs, enabling them to fulfil their constitutional duties effectively.
• When any of these rights and immunities are violated, it constitutes a breach of privilege, subject to legal consequences under parliamentary law.
• A member of either House can initiate proceedings against those found guilty of breaching privilege by submitting a motion in the form of a notice.

Committee of Privileges

• About: It is a Parliamentary Committee present in both the Houses of the Parliament.
• Composition: 15 members in Lok Sabha (10 in case of Rajya Sabha) nominated by the Speaker (Chairman in case of Rajya Sabha).
• Functions: The committee reviews matters related to breaches of privilege.
• The committee outlines the steps for the House to implement its recommendations.
• If the Speaker refers a privilege question to the Committee, the Committee's report is presented to the Speaker, who may make final decisions or have it placed on the House's Table.

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10. IMF REPORT ON RENEWABLE ENERGY (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env & Eco)

Context: A recent report published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) highlighted that Morocco possesses significant renewable energy potential that can serve as a strategic tool for climate mitigation.

Key Points

• According to the IMF report, Morocco can capitalise on its abundant renewable energy resources to reduce its persistently high dependence on fossil fuels. 
• Morocco has one of the world’s highest rates of solar insolation, with around 3,000 hours of sunshine annually. 
• The Morocco Country Climate and Development Report for 2022 forecasts that over 85% of electricity could originate from renewable energy sources by 2050.

India’s Status in Renewable Energy

• India stands 4th globally in Renewable Energy Installed Capacity (including Large Hydro), 4th in Wind Power capacity & 4th in Solar Power capacity (as per REN21 Renewables 2022 Global Status Report).
• The country has set an enhanced target at the COP26 of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel-based energy by 2030.

Morocco

• Location: Western North Africa.
• Boundary: Algeria to the east and southeast, Western Sahara to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north.
• Strait: It lies directly across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain.
• Climate: Mediterranean climate, with mild wet winters and hot dry summers.
• Mountain Ranges: The Atlas Mountains dominate the central part of the country, while the Rif Mountains make up the northern edge.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) 

• About: The IMF works to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for all of its member countries.
• Establishment: In 1944 in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s.
• Member countries: 190 countries.
• Headquarters: Washington, D.C

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