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Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (DIPA) , an apex industry body of digital infrastructure providers will host  its Annual Flagship Event on 14 September  2022 at the New Delhi .The event is said to be the biggest event of Telecom industry of the year 2022.

The event is being organised by DIPA with the support of the Department of Telecommunications .

The Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology and Railways, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw will be the Chief Guest  and the  Minister of State for Communications, Shri Devusinh Chauhan will be the Guest of Honour.

Theme of the Event 2022 

The theme of the event is :  “Gati Shakti vision for 5G & Beyond”.

According to GMR, the company will now focus on high-growth opportunities. It will now use the capital to invest in the Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, Indonesia. The Kualanamu International Airport is being developed and operated by GMR Airports International.

Cebu International Airport 

It is the second largest Airport in the Philippines after the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Manila.

In 2014, GMR Infrastructure in partnership with Megawide Construction Corporation of the Philippines won the bid to operate and develop the  Mactan Cebu International Airport. 

Both the Megawide Construction company and GMR are selling their stake to Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc of the Philippines.

Currency of Philippines: Philippine pesos

GMR 

GMR Airports International BV (GAIBV) is a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure Ltd 

GMR Group operates the IGI Delhi International Airport,  Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport and Bidar Airport in  (Karnataka).

It is building a greenfield airport at Mopa in North Goa and an International Greenfield Airport at Bhogapuram, Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh.

It is the only Indian company to develop and operate an International foreign airport. It is developing airports in Indonesia, Greece.

The GMR group was founded by Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao. It is in the business of Infrastructure, Energy, transportation etc.

The United States has expressed concern about the participation of Indian Armed forces in the joint military exercises to be hosted by Russia. The US government's concern was conveyed by the White House press secretary Karrie Jean Pierre on 30 August 2022.  White House is the official residence of the United States President and is seen as the symbol of the office of the Presidency. 

Russian Vostok 2022 military drill :

Russia said on 29 August had announced that the Vostok 2022 military exercises will be held from September 1 - 7, 2022, in different locations in the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan.

Around 50,000 troops from China, India and Laos, Mongolia, Nicaragua, Syria and several ex-Soviet nations will participate in the exercise.

Last year, India attended Exercise ZAPAD 2021 drills in Russia in which 17 countries including China and Pakistan took part.

What is the US objection ?

The American government was concerned about any country participating in military exercises with Russia while it was at war with Ukraine.

It is seen as a pressure tactic by the United States to isolate Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

According to Brazilian authority, the last remaining member of an uncontacted indigenous group in Brazil has died.

The man — whose real name was never known to the outside world — was found in a hammock in a hut in the Tanaru Indigenous territory in Rondonia state on the border with Bolivia on August 23, Brazil’s National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) said in a statement. He had been living in complete isolation for 26 years.

The mysterious Hole Indian and his tribe :

The man is classed as uncontacted, meaning no outsider has ever spoken to him (as far as it is known).For years, the Brazilian media has dubbed him "the Hole Indian", because he leaves behind deep ditches, presumably used to trap animals or to hide.

He is believed to be the only survivor after a group of six was attacked by farmers in 1995.

His tribe has never been named, and it is not known what language they used.

Brazil's Amazon rainforest is home to more uncontacted tribes than anywhere in the world.

Threat from Ranchers :

Under Brazil's constitution, indigenous people have a right to their traditional land, and access to the land he inhabited, known as the Tanaru Indigenous Territory, has been restricted since 1998.

The areas surrounding the 8,070-hectare territory are used for farming and landowners have in the past expressed their anger at being banned from entering the indigenous territory.

Indigenous tribes in Brazil :

According to the most recent government data, there are some 800,000 Indigenous people belonging to more than 300 distinct groups living in Brazil, a country of 212 million.

More than half live in the Amazon, and many of those are under threat from the illegal exploitation of natural resources that they rely on for their survival.

Brazil :

It is the fifth largest country in the world area wise after Russia, Canada, China, and the United States.

It covers almost half of the South American Continent.

60% of the Amazon rainforest which is considered the lung of the earth lies in Brazil.

Capital: Brasilia 

Currency: Brazilian Real 

President: Jair Bolsonaro

Mikhail Gorbachev, last Soviet Union leader who ended the Cold War without any bloodshed died on 30 August 2022 at the age of 91 in Moscow, Russia.

Person blamed for disintegration of Soviet Union :

• Mikhail Gorbachev became the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985.
• He introduced Perestroika and Glasnost in the Soviet Union to reform the country. Perestroika in Russian means restructuring and Glasnost means openness. It led to a limited political and economic reform in the Soviet Union, which many believe led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.However it opened the fault line in the communist bloc and the Soviet Union leading to popular movement against the communist rule.
• The Soviet Union or USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) was founded in 1922 by Lenin composed of 15 Soviet Republics including Russia.  Many Russian nationalist believe that Gorbachev was responsible for the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.
• The disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 led to the emergence of 15 Independent countries.  

Person who ended Cold war :

• He concluded a series of Arms control agreements with the United States that led to the end of the cold war between the US led western alliance and the communist  bloc led by the Soviet Union . 
• Cold war refers to a period in International relations that emerged after the end of the second world war .
• It was a period of intense ideological rivalry between the United States of America led Western alliance which professed liberal democratic order and a Communist order led Soviet Union. Both the blocs were nuclear armed and the fear of nuclear war was ever present.   

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 1990.

Due to unprecedented monsoon rain which has caused death and destruction across Pakistan, the government has declared a national emergency in the country on 26 August 2022. The Pakistani government has asked for international humanitarian assistance to cope with the flood disaster.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) of Pakistan, at least 937 people have been killed including 343 children, and at least 3 crore people are without shelter.

 Unusual rain in Pakistan 

According to the NDMA of Pakistan the country has received 166.8 mm of rain in August, as opposed to the average of 48 mm. The worst hit province of Sindh and Balochistan witnessed a 784 per cent and 496 per cent increase in the monsoon rain.

According to the Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman ”Pakistan is going through its 8th cycle of monsoon; normally the country has only three to four cycles of [monsoon] rain, and data suggests the possibility of re-emergence of another cycle in September.” 

Death and destruction across Pakistan 

The unprecedented rainfall has caused flash floods and inundated large areas leading to displacement of millions from their home and death of humans and animals.

Maximum death has been reported from Sindh Province, followed by Balochistan, Khyber Pakh­tun­khwa, Punjab Province, Pak Occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan reg­ion 

Pakistan 

It became an Independent country after the partition of India on 14 August 1947.

Capital: Islamabad 

Currency: Pakistani Rupee 

President: Arif Alvi 

Prime Minister: Shehbaz Sharif

The Union Jal Shakti Ministry said on 26 August 2022 that India and Bangladesh have finalized the text of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on interim water sharing of Kushiyara River. 

The text was finalized during the 38th Meeting of the Ministerial level Joint Rivers Commission of India and Bangladesh held in New Delhi on 25th August, 2022.

The Indian side was led by the Union Jal Shakti Minster Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and the Bangladeshi side was led by State Minister for Water Resources, Zaheed Farooque. 

The meeting was held after 12 years.  

Other decision taken at the Joint Rivers Commission meeting 

•  Both sides also welcomed finalization of the design and location of water intake point on the Feni River to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in Tripura as per the October 2019 India -Bangladesh MoU on this subject.
• India has agreed to share the real time flood data with Bangladesh beyond 15th October 2022 to help Bangladesh.
• India and Bangladesh will exchange data on 8 more common rivers so as to promote water sharing between the two countries. At present India and Bangladesh share data on 7 rivers.

India Bangladesh River water Cooperation 

• According to the Jal Shakti ministry, India and Bangladesh share 54 rivers including Ganges, Teesta, Manu, Muhuri, Khowai, Gumti, Dharla, Dudhkumar and Kushiyara and others.
• Disputes between East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and India were frequent over the sharing of the rivers and its utilisation. 
• After the formation of Bangladesh in 1971 the two countries set up the Joint Rivers Commission of India and Bangladesh in 1972 as a bilateral mechanism to address issues of mutual interest on common / border / transboundary rivers.

Kushiyara river

• It is a branch of the Barak River. The Barak River rises in Manipur Hill in Manipur and after flowing through Mizoram it enters Assam.
• The river next splits into two branches, the Surma (north) and the Kushiyara (south), which enter Bangladesh and turn southwest. 
• The Kushiyara River forms the boundary between Assam and Sylhet district of Bangladesh.

According to the United Kingdom (UK) Immigration Statistics reports released on 25 August 2022, 1.8 lakh sponsored study visas were issued to the Indians for the year ending June 2022. It is an increase of 89 per cent over the previous July-to-June period. 

India has overtaken China as the largest nationality being issued sponsored study visas in the UK.

The United Kingdom remains a popular tourist destination for the Indian national. Between 1July 2021-30 June 2022, 2.6 lakhs Indians were granted visitors visas by the UK. The Indian nationals accounted for the highest proportion (28 per cent) of the UK visitor’s visa.

Indian tops in skill visas worldwide 

There's been a sharp rise in work visas too. Indian nationals received more than 1 lakh work visas (skilled and seasonal workers). It is an increase of 148 per cent over the previous July-to-June period. 

Indian nationals continue to be the top nationality granted skilled worker visas, accounting for 46 per cent of all skilled work visas granted globally.

Bangladesh and India on 25 August 2022, signed two contracts for the construction of a new broad-gauge line between Khulna- Darsana and conversion of metre gauge line into dual-gauge line between Parbatipur and Kaunia in Bangladesh.

• The contract signing ceremony was held at the Railway Ministry in Dhaka between representatives of the consultancy firm from India and the Bangladesh counterpart for the project. 
• Railway Minister of Bangladesh Md. Nurul Islam Sujan was the Chief Guest on the occasion. 
• The two projects are being implemented with financing under the Indian Line of Credit (LoC). 
• The 126 kilometre long Khulna-Darshana broad gauge rail line will have 147 bridges over it.
• The project cost is Bangladeshi Taka 3506 crore out of which Taka 2689 crore will come from the Indian Line of Credit. The current contract is for undertaking the feasibility study with detailed engineering design for the project.

Trade and Investment and energy cooperation were among key areas of discussion during Minister of State for External Affairs Meenaskshi Lekhi's visit to Norway, Iceland and Malta from 16 to 23 August 2022.

Her Visit to Norway 

During her visit to Norway (16-18 August),she met Norwegian foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt.

During these meetings, cooperation in trade and investment, blue economy, energy, the Arctic region, cultural and people to people ties were discussed. Regional and global issues of mutual interest were also discussed.

Her Visit to Iceland 

The Minister visited Iceland on August 19-20. During the visit, she met the foreign minister of Iceland, Thordis Kolbrun Gylfadottir, and exchanged views on bilateral relations, as well as regional and global issues.

Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation in fisheries, geothermal energy, innovation, trade and investment, tourism, culture and increasing people-to-people exchanges.

Lekhi addressed the University of Iceland on the topic "India's Role in a Changing World - [email protected]".

 Her visit to Malta 

During her visit to Malta from August 21-23, the union minister met the President of Malta George Vella and foreign minister Ian Borg.

Both sides had detailed discussions on bilateral relations, especially trade and investment, maritime cooperation, solar energy, films, tourism and culture.

Lekhi also had an interaction with the Director and Board Members of Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies which has a MoU with Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service.