FAQ

The 14th summit of BRICS countries will be held on 23 June in Beijing under the chairmanship of Chinese President Xi Jinping through digital medium.

• Along with President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are also expected to attend the summit.

• The theme of the summit is "Promoting High-Quality BRICS Partnership, Beginning a New Era for Global Development".

• Following the summit, leaders of BRICS countries and leaders of "relevant" emerging markets and developing countries will participate in high-level talks on global development chaired by President Xi Jinping in Beijing on June 24.

• Talks will be held digitally on the theme of "Promoting the Global Development Partnership to Build a New Era to Jointly Implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development".

Bricks Plus:

• China also held a 'BRICS Plus' meeting with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand on the sidelines of the Foreign Ministers' Conference.

• The New Development Bank of BRICS has already accepted Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Uruguay as its members.

Bricks:

• BRICS was discussed in 2001 by economist Jim O'Neill of Goldman Sachs in a report on the growth prospects for the economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.

• The first BRIC summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia in 2009 and discussed issues such as reforming the global financial system.

• In December 2010, South Africa was invited to join the BRIC and came to be known as BRICS.

• South Africa attended the third BRICS summit in March 2011 in Sanya, China for the first time.

• The BRICS account for about 40% of the world's population.

• It accounts for 30% of the world's GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

The 12th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland concluded on 17 June 2022, in which India has managed to win 164 countries in favour of its proposal.

• In the annual meeting of the WTO, such an occasion has come after 9 years, when all the member countries have agreed on a single resolution.

• Ministers from 164 WTO members have adopted various decisions including food security, e-commerce, TRIPS agreement, fisheries and preparedness for future pandemics.

• This meeting of the WTO has given a big relief to the fisheries industry and on the proposal of India, the WTO member countries agreed to announce the relief package after two days (16-17 June) mutual talks.

• Along with this, the WTO has also agreed on this issue, that the subsidy for catching sick fish in the Kovid crisis will also be investigated.

Agreed on the following topics:

• Ministers from 164 members of the WTO formally agreed to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics,

• emergency response to food insecurity,

• World Food Program prohibitions or exemptions from restrictions on food purchases,

• work program on electronic commerce,

• Formally Decision on TRIPS Agreement, which includes subsidies on fisheries.

India's draft in WTO:

• India had prepared the draft to promote fishermen and fisheries industry of all developing countries.

• A lot of subsidies are given for fisheries in India.

• Whereas, in the WTO draft, it was said that developing countries have subsidies only up to 12 to 24 nautical miles.

• India had demanded that this limit should be increased and the subsidy should be done for 25 years.

World Trade Organization (WTO):

• The WTO is the only global international organization that deals with the rules of trade of various nations.

• At its center are the World Trade Organization agreements, which have been negotiated and signed by most of the trading countries of the world and have been approved by the parliaments of those countries.

The Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares met the Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on 15 June 2022. He is on his first visit to India.

There were detailed discussions between the two minister’s  focused on enhancing cooperation in the key priority areas of trade and investments, people-to-people relationship, climate cooperation, green energy, science & technology, innovation and defence & security. 

Both the Ministers signed the Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in Cultural and Academic fields.

The two leaders welcomed signing of the defence contract as part of which Airbus Spain will supply 56 C295 aircraft to India. Out of 56, 40 aircraft will be manufactured in India under the Make in India programme of the government.

Both the countries agreed to further deepen defence and security cooperation. 

Spain 

Spain is a West European country located in the Iberian Peninsula along with Portugal.

Capital: Madrid

Currency: Euro

Prime Minister: Pedro Sánchez

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a global initiative 'Lifestyle for the Environment (LiFE) Movement' on 5 June 2022 virtually on World Environment Day.

Every year World Environment Day is observed on 5 June.

He initiated the "LiFE Global Call for Papers" inviting ideas and suggestions from academics, universities and research institutions etc. to influence and persuade individuals, communities and organisations across the world to adopt an environment-conscious lifestyle.

Achievement of Government 

• He said that the vision of LiFE is to live a lifestyle that is in tune with our planet and does not harm it. And those who live such a lifestyle are called “Pro-Planet People”
•  He said that India’s commitment to reach 40% of installed electric capacity from non-fossil fuel-based sources has been achieved, 9 years ahead of schedule. 
• The target of 10% ethanol blending in petrol has been achieved 5 months ahead of the November 2022 target. This is a major accomplishment given that blending was hardly 1.5% in 2013-14 and 5% in 2019-20. 

Who attended

The programme was also attended by

•  Mr. Bill Gates, Co-Chairman Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; 
• Lord Nicholas Stern, Climate Economist; 
• Prof. Cass Sunstein, Author of Nudge Theory; 
•  Aniruddha Dasgupta, CEO and President World Resources Institute; 
•  Inger Andersen, UNEP Global Head; 
• Achim Steiner, UNDP Global Head and
• David Malpas, World Bank President, among others.

LiFE (‘Lifestyle for the Environment)

• The idea of LiFE (‘Lifestyle for the Environment) was given by Prime Minister Modi at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow 2021.
• The idea promotes an environmentally conscious lifestyle that focuses on 'mindful and deliberate utilisation' instead of 'mindless and destructive consumption'.

The External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar while attending the GLOBSEC Forum 2022 in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia  on 4 June 2022 defended India’s policy on Ukraine.

The GLOBSEC Forum is a think tank based in Bratislava. It organises an International strategic conference in Bratislava every year.  The theme of this year conference was: Building Resilience in a Divided World 

• The External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that Europe has to grow out of the mind-set that its problems are the world's problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.”
• Western European countries led by the United States are pressurizing India to condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and boycott it economically by not buying its oil.  
• Earlier in April in Washington he said that India’s total purchases of oil for the month would be “less than what Europe does in an afternoon”.
• S. Jaishankar is on a five-day official trip to Slovakia and the Czech Republic from June 2 to June 6.
• He will be in Bratislava till June 4 and has met the Slovakian Prime minister Eduard Heger and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok. 
•  He will be in the Czech Republic from June 4 to June 6 and will hold discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský. 
• The Czech Republic will be taking over the presidency of the European Union (EU) from July 1. 

The United Nation has accepted the request of the Turkish government and changed the name of the country from Turkey to Turkiye.

Last year the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a campaign to change the name to Turkiye as it is the best representation and expression of the Turkish people's culture, civilization, and values.

It is not uncommon for countries to change their names.

• In 2020, The Netherlands dropped Holland in a rebranding move. 
• Macedonia changed its name to North Macedonia due to a political dispute with Greece.
• Swaziland became e-Swatini in 2018.
• Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972.
• Further back in history, Iran used to be called Persia, Siam is now Thailand, and Rhodesia was changed to Zimbabwe. 

Turkey or Turkiye

Turkey lies partly in Asia and partly in Europe.

It's currency:  Turkish Lira

Capital: Ankara 

President: Tayyip Erdogan

Visiting Israeli Deputy Prime Minister and Defence minister Minister Benjamin Gantz held a bilateral talk with the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on 2 June 2022.

Benjamin Gantz, who arrived in India on 2 June 2022, received a Tri-Service Guard of Honour in the presence of Rajnath Singh and laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.

India and Israel are celebrating 30 years of establishment of diplomatic ties.

Vision Document on Cooperation 

With the intention to further strengthen the existing framework of the Indo-Israeli defence cooperation, both sides adopted the India-Israel. 

A Letter of Intent on enhancing cooperation in the field of Futuristic Defence Technologies was also exchanged between the two Ministers.

Israel a major source of arms for India 

Israel has been among India’s top three arms suppliers for the last five years, according to a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in March 2021. 

Israel accounted for 13% of India’s imports during 2016-20 after Russia (49%) and France (18%).

The Israeli defence minister is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi also.

Passenger train services between India and Bangladesh resumed on 29 May 2022 after a gap of over two due to the corona pandemic with the flagging off the Bandhan Express from Kolkata station in West Bengal to Khulna in Bangladesh.

The train service was suspended between the two countries in March 2020 after the corona pandemic.

• The other passenger train , Maitree Express,  also resumed its  services between Kolkata and Dhaka in Bangladesh  on 29 May  2022.
• While the Bandhan Express between Kolkata and Khulna runs two days a week, Maitree Express connecting Kolkata with Dhaka is a five-day service.
• A new passenger train connecting New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal  and Dhaka, Mitali Express will start from 1 June 2022.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met American President Joe Biden at the side lines of the QUAD summit held in Tokyo, Japan on 24 May 2022 and reaffirmed the close strategic partnership with the United States of America based on a shared commitment to democratic values, rule of law and a commitment to uphold a rules-based international order. 

During the meeting both the sides launched a number of initiatives to strengthen India-America ties.

Highlights of the meeting 

Cooperation on High end Technology 

• They launched an India-U.S. Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) cooperation led by the National Security Council Secretariat in India and the U.S. National Security Council. 
•  It will bring together the government, academia and industry of the two countries in areas such as AI, quantum computing, 5G/6G, biotech, space and semiconductors.

Cooperation in the field of Defence 

Both sides expressed their commitment to deepen the Major Defence Partnership. In 2016, the US declared India a Major Defence Partner, which commits the American side to facilitate defence related technology sharing at the highest levels with India and collaboration for defence co-production and co-development.

The two sides announced that India was joining the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

• CMF was set up in 2001 by the United States to counter international terrorism and piracy.
• It is led by an American Vice-Admiral and currently has 34 members.
•  It also has three task forces devoted to maritime security in the Gulf of Oman and Indian Ocean, the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and for counterpiracy.

Health Sector 

•  India and USA extended the longstanding Vaccine Action Programme until 2027 to continue joint biomedical research which had resulted in development of vaccines and related technologies.
• This programme was launched in 1987 to support cooperation in areas such as novel vaccine research and human immunology, and is renewed every five years.  

Technology innovation 

The US will join six of India’s Technology Innovation Hubs to support 25 joint research projects in 2022 in areas such as artificial intelligence and data science that can benefit agriculture, health and climate. 

Joe Biden also raised the Russian invasion of Ukraine issue and condemned the Russians. India has so far not condemned the Russian for their invasion of Ukraine.

The New Delhi- Mumbai Rajdhani express completed its glorious 50 years’ service on 17 May 2022. It was on this day in 1972 the Rajdhani express was started to connect the country’s capital New Delhi with the financial capital Mumbai.

• ·It connects New Delhi railway station with Mumbai Central station.
• It is a high speed train which completes the journey between Mumbai and New Delhi in 15 hours and 32 minutes.
• The Indian Railway plans to upgrade the train to Vande Bharat coaches.

Rajdhani Trains 

• Rajdhani train was introduced on I March 1969 between New Delhi to Howrah (Kolkata) as a high speed train running at 100 Km per hour or more. 
• The Rajdhani Express was initially started to connect New Delhi- the national capital (Rajdhani) with the state capitals.
• At present, 25 pairs of Rajdhani Express trains are operational across the Indian Railways network,
• To commemorate the event, the Railway presented souvenir tickets and mementos to passengers travelling by the express.