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TOPICS general elections j&k elections Elections Usa - r/l France Uk sri lanka venezuela Mexico Nepal Bangladesh Bhutan Iran maldives...

TOPICS general elections j&k elections Elections Usa - r/l France Uk sri lanka venezuela Mexico Nepal Bangladesh Bhutan Iran maldives Argentina pakistan EU russia Olympics paralympics chess candidates/olympiad israel palestine israel iran union budget & interim budget - r/l Private space sector - r/l padma and bharat ratna awards NEET Ramsar Convention Cricket WC men Cricket WC women -r/l Football Euros COPA AMERICA Indus Water Treaty Cauvery Water Dispute 50th g7 summit SCO COP BRICS Swiss Peace Summit Bangladesh Crisis- r/l  Caste sub categorization RG Kar Medical College - r/l New Laws (BNS, BNSS, BNSA , AFSPA, Digital Competition bill, WAQF) Ram Mandir 96th Academy Awards Belgium recognises ecocide as a crime Citizenship amendment act Electoral bonds Article 31C One nation one election Constitution assassination day Lakshadweep Tennis Russia-ukraine - r/l Chabahar port Nalanda University 16th Finance Commission Semiconductor Plant - r/l Konark Wheel BIMSTEC - r/l/d Henley Passport index 2024 Aditya L1 Kashi vishwanath temple 46th session of unesco world heritage Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - Established : 2001 in shanghai, prc - Sco charter signed in 2002 in st. petersburg (russia) and entered into force in 2003 - 1st sco summit : beijing in sep 2003 - Secretariat : beijing - Official languages : russian and chinese - Supreme sco body : heads of state council - Secretary general : zhang miang - SCO originates from the Shanghai Five (established in 1996) - Founding members of the Shanghai Five - china, russia, kazakhstan, kyrgyzstan, tajikistan - Six founding members of SCO - Shanghai Five Countries + Uzbekistan - Total 10 members at present - India and pakistan joined in 2017 at the 2017 astana, kazakhstan summit - Iran joined in 2023 (9th member) - Belarus joined in 2024 (10th member) - Observer states at sco : afghanistan and mongolia + 14 dialogue partners - Executive committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) : tashkent, uzbekistan - Director general of the rats executive committee is appointed by the HSC for a 3-year term - two decision making bodies of SCO : - heads of states council (HSC) : supreme decision-making body in the SCO - heads of government council (CHG) : 2nd highest body - Prior to the inclusion of iran, SC represented approx 42% of the world’s population, 22% of its land area and 20% of its GDP SCO IN INDIA - 4th edition of the sco startup forum held in new delhi (march 2024) - India to host 5th edition of sco startup forum in 2025 - First ever physical startup forum was the 3rd edition - organised by DPIIT - India to host 2nd meeting of the Special Working Group (SWG) for Startups and Innovation in 2024 (permanently chaired by india) - Theme of 1st SWG - growing from roots SCO (council of heads of states) SUMMIT 2024 - 24th sco summit - Held in astana, kazakhstan - India represented by S. Jaishankar - under the Astana declaration, member states endorsed the initiative "On World Unity for a Just Peace, Harmony and Development" proposed by Kazakhstan - Key ideas adopted : - Astana declaration - separatism and extremism for 2025-27 - anti-drug strategy for 2024-29 - sco development strategy until 2035 - Cooperation program to counter terrorism - Approved 25 strategic agreements on energy, security, trade, finance and information security  - Name of capital city of kazakhstan before it was renamed to astana : Nur-Sultan - Yangshan port (shanghai) ranked first in the container port performance index 2023 - sco summit 2025 will be held in china - under india's first ever chairmanship, 23rd summit of the sco heads of state council was held in virtual format - 1st ever SCO Startup Forum was launched in oct 2020 BRICS - Brics is an economic bloc for the world’s leading emerging economies - Founding members: Brazil, Russia, India, China - Established as BRIC in 2009 - First BRIC summit held in Yekaterinburg, Russia in 2009 - South Africa was accepted as a full member at bric foreign ministers’ meeting held in new york in 2010 - became BRICS - South Africa subsequently attended the Third BRICS Summit in Sanya, China, in March 2011 - - Brics met for the first time in St. Petersburg, Russia on the margins of the g8 outreach summit in 2006 - In 2001, British economist Jim O'Neill coined the term BRIC to describe 4 emerging economies of brazil, russia, india and china. - Important brics summits : - 2009: 1st Summit in Yekaterinburg, Russia - 2014: 6th Summit in Fortaleza, Brazil (established New Development Bank) - 2015: Ufa declaration of brics (7th brics summit in ufa, russia) - 2022: beijing declaration (14th summit) - 2023: johannesburg, south africa (15th summit) - 16th brics summit to be held in russia in oct 2024 EXPANSION - Brics expansion took place in 2023 - Russia took over chairmanship of brics on 1st jan, 2024 - Brics ministers of foreign affairs meeting held in june 2024 in russia - Brics foreign ministers' meeting was the first ministerial meeting following brics expansion in 2023 - four countries joined brics as full fledged members jan 1, 2024 onwards : ethiopia, egypt, iran, and uae - Saudi Arabia did not join BRICS on 1st jan, 2024 as had been planned - Is a member now - The Johannesburg declaration 2023 recognised the new brics countries as full members from jan 1, 2024.  - Argentina's new president Javier Milei announced withdrawing his country from becoming a member of brics. - At present, BRICS has 9 members BRICS INITIATIVES 1. New Development Bank a. Established in 2014 at the 6th summit in fortaleza, brazil b. Located : shanghai, china c. Became fully operational in 2016 2. Brics contingent reserve a. legal basis formed by the Treaty for the Establishment of a BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement i. signed at Fortaleza, Brazil on 15 July 2014 ii. Entered into force in 2015 b. Located : Moscow, russia c. Total lending capacity : $100 billion 3. Brics business council : durban, usa Group of 7 (G7) FORMATION OF G7 - Established in 1975 as G6 - 1st g7 summit : rambouillet, france in november 1975 - G7 established as a platform for economic and financial cooperation in response to the 1973-74 energy crisis - Energy crisis was a result of the 1973 yom kippur war (the fourth arab-israeli war) - In 1973, Finance Ministers of USA, UK, France and West Germany met in Washington DC, USA to mitigate the situation. (called Library Group) - Canada joined g6 in 1976 (at the puerto rico, usa meeting) - became g7 - In the 1977 summit, the host UK invited EU to join all g7 summits - Russia joined g7 in 1998 - became g8 (in the 24th g7 summit held in UK) - Russia expelled in 2014 bcs of crimea invasion BRETTON WOODS SYSTEM - Founded post ww2 through the bretton woods agreement - agreement signed at the UN Monetary and Financial Conference held in bretton woods, new hampshire, usa in july 1944 - 44 countries - Dollar was pegged to the gold (35 dollars for one ounce or 28g of gold) - System dissolved on aug 15, 1971 when president richard nixon announced his new economic policy 50TH GROUP OF 7 SUMMIT - 13-15th june, 2024 - PM Modi represented india - Venue: puglia, apulia, italy - Theme : building a resilient and inclusive economy - 49th g7 summit held in hiroshima, japan - 51st g7 summit to be held in kananaskis, alberta, canada - G7 summits are held annually - invitee institutions of 50th g7 summit - imf - oecd - un - world bank - african development bank - Pope francis participated in the 50th g7 summit for the first time - became the first pontiff to do so - key outcomes and agenda of 50th g7 summit - G7 countries will make available approx $50 billion in additional funding to Ukraine by the end of 2024. - Mattei plan (named after enrico mattei) focuses on partnership with African countries. - the Mattei plan is a development initiative unveiled by→ italy pm giorgia meloni - Italy will give grants and loans worth 5.5 billion euros to several African countries. - promotion to Partnership for Global Infrastructure (PGII) to mobilise upto $600 billion through PGII by 2027 - Support and promotion to India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) - G7 also extended support for the Lobito Corridor in Central Africa and Luzon Corridor and the Middle Corridor. - G7 aims for 40-42% emission reduction by 2030 - PGII launched by the us and g7 allies at the 48th g7 summit held in germany (2022) - IMEC was signed at the g20 summit held in new delhi in sep 2023 - G7 holds 60% of the global net wealth, 46% of global gdp and represents 10% of the world’s population - India's economy is larger than 4 G7 member countries - France, Italy, the UK and Canada Swiss Peace Summit - 15th - 16th june 2024 - 2-day summit for peace in ukraine - Hosted by switzerland - Titled “Path to Peace Summit” - Venue : burgenstock resort in switzerland - Attended by 100 delegates - Resulted in signing of the ‘Final Joint Communique’ by 80 countries and 4 organisations (india did not sign, joining saudi arabia, south africa, uae etc) - Final Joint Communique focused on 3 agendas : - Nuclear safety - Global food security - Humanitarian issues - Ukraine 10-point peace plan promoted by president volodymyr zelenskyy of ukraine since g20 summit - Russia was not invited to the summit due to the International Criminal Court’s indictment of president vladimir putin - Minsk (Belarus) agreements signed in 2014 and 2015 - India’s stance on russia-ukraine conflict : - has a non-aligned foreign policy - Origins in Bandung (Indonesia) Conference of 1955 (first african-asian conference) T20 CRICKET WORLD CUP Administrator : International Cricket Council (ICC) held every 2 years starting 2007 First edition - 2007 in South Africa ○ Won by india 2009 edition won by pakistan Most Successful teams are India, WI and England (2 titles each) HOSTS - ○ 2022- England ○ 2024 West Indies and USA ○ 2026- India and Sri lanka ○ 2028- NZ and AUS  ○ 2030- UK and Ireland 9 editions till now 20 teams participated 55 matches 1 june to 29 June 2024 India defeated South Africa by 7 runs in the final in Barbados (Kensington oval, Bridgetown) - 2nd title after 2007 ICC Men's T20 World Cup Trophy : ○ designed and manufactured by Links of London ○ made of silver and rhodium ○ Initially designed in 2007 by Minale Bryce Design Strategy, in Queensland, Australia, and manufactured by Amit Pabuwal in India. ○ Links of London became the manufacturer of the trophy. ○ 2021 - Thomas Lyte became the official manufacturer of the trophy The 1st edition was won by India in South Africa by defeating Pakistan by 5 runs in the finals at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg 2024 Most Runs - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (afghanistan) (281) ○ #2 rohit sharma (india) (257) ○ #3 travis head (australia) Most Wickets (17 wickets) - ○ Fazalhaq Farooqi (afghanistan) ○ Arshdeep Singh (india) ○ # 2 – jasprit bumrah (india) (15 wickets) Player Of the Tournament – Jasprit Bumrah Man of the Match Finals- Virat Kohli No. of Stadiums – 6 in west indies + 3 in usa India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament Overall Most Runs- Virat Kohli (1292) Most Wickets – Shakib Al Hasan (50) 20 teams for the first time in 2024 16 teams since 2014  12 teams since 2007 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup was held in India with Australia defeating India in finals at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad ○ Australia’s 6th cricket wc title ○ Player of The Tournament - Virat Kohli ○ Leading wicket taker - mohammed shami ○ Player of The Match (final) – Travis Head ICC Women's T20 World Cup Administrator – International Cricket Council (ICC) 1st edition : 2009 - England Latest edition : 2023 - South Africa Next edition : 2024 - UAE (3 oct-20 oct) – 9th edition ○ NZ won by defeating Defeated South Africa in the finals Defeated west indies in the semi finals Number of teams : 10 (16 from 2030) Current champion : Australia (6th title) Most successful : Australia (6 titles) MORE: 17 February 2005 – ○ Australia defeated New Zealand in the first men's full international T20 match ○ played at Eden Park in Auckland, NZ first international match ○ 24 and 25 September 1844 ○ b/w the US and Canada ○ at St George's Cricket Club in New York. First credited test match ○ 1877 ○ b/w England and Australia ICC STATIC - Founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference - Hq : dubai, uae - 2005 - present - London was the hq (from 1909) until 2005  - Founded : 1909 - Founded by : australia, england and south africa - Renamed international cricket conference in 1965 - Adopted its current name in 1987 - 108 member nations : 12 full member + 96 associate members - Current chairman : Jay Shah ( 1st dec 2024 onwards) - Elected on 28th august - Chairman rn : Greg Barclay (new zealand) - Current CEO : Geoff Allardice (australia) - General manager : wasim khan - 1st chairman : N. Srinivasan (appointed in 2014) - Former BCCI president - Position of president abolished in 2016 - last president of ICC : zaheer abbas - Until 1989, the President of Marylebone Cricket Club automatically assumed the chairmanship of the ICC BCCI - Founded : 1 december, 1928 - Affiliated in : 31st may, 1926 - HQ : cricket centre, churchgate, mumbai - President : roger binny - Ceo : hemang amin - Vice president : rajeev shukla - Secretary : jay shah, rohan jaitley - Men’s coach : gautam gambhir - Women’s coach : amol muzumdar - 1st men’s coach : keki tarapore ICC T20 Women’s WC 2024 17th EUROS 2024 Hosted in Germany (10 cities) UEFA – Union of European Football Associations Held every 4 years 14 june- 14 July 24 teams official slogan – "United by Football” Matches played - 51 Goals Scored-117 (2.29 per match The official song – "Fire" Mascot: Albart the teddy bear official match ball – "Fussballliebe" Spain won men's finals against England (2-1) at Olympiastadion stadium in Berlin (MOTM – Nico Williams) defending champions – Italy (won the 2020 title against england) maximum squad size of the teams – increased from 23 to 26 players 19 refereeing teams selected to take charge of the 51 matches Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia) – best goalkeeper All Top Scorers scored 3 goals each Goal of The Tournament - Lamine Yamal VS France (Semi Finals) 2028 Host- UK & IRL First Euros-1960 ○ Held in France ○ Won by the Soviet Union (defeated yugoslavia) RECORDS BROKEN Record 4th title : Spain – became the first European Championship winners to win all their group matches twice (having done so previously in 2008) ○ France (1984) and Italy (2021) the only other teams to have win their group matches once  ○ Spain also became the first European team to win all seven matches at European championship without a penalty shoot-out ○ Spain's 15 goals -most by a team at any EUROS ○ Record 10 different players scored for spain 1980 – inclusion of the group stage ○ Before that – only knockout tournament Germany's tournament opener against Scotland Luka Modrić – oldest player to score a goal at the European Championship, aged 38 years and 289 days Portugal's Pepe - oldest player to make an appearance at the European Championship, aged 41 years and 130 days Cristiano Ronaldo broke his own record for the most tournaments featured in, appearing in his sixth European Championship. UEFA WOMEN'S EUROS 2025 in switzerland 16 participating teams Previous winners: ENGLAND UEFA STATIC UEFA – Union of European Football Associations Headquarters- Nyon, Switzerland Founded- 15 June 1954 Founded at Basel, Switzerland 55 full member association President-Aleksander Čeferin First President -Ebbe Schwartz FIFA STATIC Fifa – Fédération Internationale de Football Association Founded- 21 May 1904 in Paris Headquarters- Zurich, Switzerland Members- 211 National Associations President - Gianni Infantino COPA AMERICA The Copa America is the top men's quadrennial football tournament contested among national teams from South America. MASCOT: eagle named "Capitán" Match Ball : "Puma Cumbre” 2024 : 48th edition CONMEBOL CONMEBOL - South America’s football association CONCACAF - North America’s football association held in the United States from June 20 to July 14, 2024, and was co-organized by CONCACAF the final was held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida opening match was held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia 14 stadiums across different cities 16 teams ( 10 CONMEBOL + 6 CONCACAF) 101 referees 1st edition of the Copa América to feature female referees 70 goals scored in 32 matches, for an average of 2.19 goals per match Best Player Award: James Rodríguez Golden Boot Award: Lautaro Martínez Best Goalkeeper Award: Emiliano Martínez Fair Play Award: Colombia Copa América Feminina - Founded : 1991 - Main competition in women’s association football - Affiliated w CONMEBOL - Women’s version of copa america - 1st held in 1991 CONMEBOL - South american football confederation - CONMEBOL national teams have won 10 fifa world cups - Founded : 1916 - Founded at Buenos Aires (argentina) - HQ : Luque, Paraguay - 10 member associations - Official languages : spanish and portuguese CHESS Governing Body – FIDE ○ Estd – 1924 in paris ○ HQ- Lausanne (Switzerland) ○ President- Arkady Dvorkovich 1st president - alexander rueb ○ Deputy president - Viswanathan Anand ○ CEO- Emil Sutosky ○ Deputy President- Vishy Anand ○ No. of members- 203 National orgs ○ Motto- “Gens Un Sumus”, Latin for “We are one family” ○ world chess day – 20 july ○ Recognised by the International Olympic Committee as a global sporting organisation in 1999 ○ 199 countries are affiliate members In the form of national chess federations GENERAL (Players) Highest ever rated player – Magnus Carlsen (2889.2) Longest Reigning WC – Emannuel Lasker (27 Years 1894-1921) Vishy Anand – 5 world championship titles First World Chess Champion- Wilhelm Steinitz (defeating Zukertort 1886) ○ Wilhelm – austrian-american ○ Was representing austria?? Youngest Grandmaster – Abhimanyu Misra (USA) Current World Champion- Ding Liren (China) There have been 21 world chess champion - 17 have held the classical title Current Women’s Chess World Champion - Ju Wenjun (China) Highest Rated Female Player ever – Judit Polgar (2735) (polish) Vera Menchik: The first Women's World Chess Champion in 1927 There have been 17 different female world chess champions Youngest grandmaster (female) – Hou Yifan (14 years) INDIA in CHESS National Chess Governing Body – All India Chess Federation (AICF) ○ Founded - 1951 (registered in 1958) ○ President - Nitin Narang number of Grandmasters – 85 (may change before CLAT) ○ 85th GM of india - P Shyaamnikhil Female -3 (Vaishali, Koneru, Harika) ( may change ) CANDIDATES ( OPEN SECTION) Held in Torronto, Canada D Gukesh won FIDE Candidates 2024 wil challenge The Current World Champion Ding Liren world chess championship match to be held in Resorts World Sentos (Singapore) 2nd place - hikaru nakamura 3rd place - ian nepomniachtchi 5th place - R. Praggnanandhaa 6th place - Vidit Santosh Gujarati 3 Indians participated in the Candidates – Pragnnandha, Vidit and Gukesh Final Standings – Tournament had 14 rounds ○ Double - round robin Total 8 players Youngest winner of the Candidates Tournament: Gukesh D at 17 (2024) WOMEN CANDIDATES 2 Indian Players - Vaishali and Koneru Humpy Tan Zhongyi won candidates (women) 2024 will challenge the current world champion Ju Wenjun 2nd place - koneru humpy  3rd place - lei tingjie 4th place - Vaishali Rameshbabu Last Candidate was won by Lei Tingjie 45th OLYMPIAD 45th CHESS OLYMPIAD (also 100 years of fide) ○ At Budapest, Hungary 46th - Tashkent, Uzbekistan (2026) 44th organised in chennai (2022) ○ Opened by Narendra Modi 197 teams - open ○ 195 nations 183 teams - women ○ 181 nations Organised by FIDE Biennial event 11 rounds ○ Swiss System first Chess Olympiad in Hungary since the 2nd unofficial Olympiad (budapest 1926) main venue —SYMA Sports and Conference Centre. The 95th FIDE Congress also took place Biennial tournament since 1950 (before that irregular) first unofficial edition in Paris in 1924,(won by czechoslovakia) first official edition –London in 1927 (won by hungary) first Women's Chess Olympiad - Emmen in 1957 former Soviet Union has most successful nation with 18 gold medals president of the Hungarian Chess Federation László Szabó Green olympiad this time The torch relay began in India, (hosted the previous Chess Olympiad) and passed through eleven countries trophy for open section - Hamilton-Russell Cup, (English magnate Frederick Hamilton-Russell as a prize for the 1st Olympiad (London 1927)  trophy for women's team is Vera Menchik cup ( first Women's World Chess Champion) 46th edition is in tashkent 47th abu dhabi 44th edition 2022 –chennai india (shifted from moscow) Both sections set team participation records. Random info-elo system named after ARPAD ELO Prior to India, only China and the erstwhile Soviet Union had achieved the distinction of winning both men's and women's gold medals ○ Indian men's team had previously secured two bronze medals, 2014 and 2022 editions of the tournament. ○ The Indian women's team -bronze medal in the 2022 edition, Chennai. INDIA TEAM ( OPEN ) STANDINGS 1. Gukesh Dommaraju 2. R Praggnanandhaa 3. Arjun Erigaisi 4. Vidit Gujarathi 5. Pentala Harikrishna (reserve) Coach/Captain – Srinath Narayanan - Defeated slovenia w a score of 3.5 - 0.5 - Vidit drew - previously secured two bronze medals (2014 & 2022) INDIA TEAM (WOMEN) STANDINGS 1. Harika Dronavalli 2. R Vaishali 3. Divya Deshmukh 4. Vantika Agarwal 5. Tania Sachdev (reserve) Coach/Captain – Abhijeet Kunte - Defeated azerbaijan w a score of 3.5 - 0.5 - Vaishali drew  - Bronze medal in 2022 (chennai) INDIVIDUAL BOARD PRIZES (INDIANS) ★ BOARD 1 (OPEN) – Gukesh D(Gold) ★ BOARD 3 (OPEN)- Arjun Erigaisi (Gold) ★ Board 3 (WOM) – Divya Deshmukh (Gold) ★ BOARD 4 (WOM) - Vantika Agrawal (Gold) GAPRINDASHVILI CUP (best federation OPEN + WOMEN) 1. INDIA 2. USA 3. ARMENIA FIDE 100 Awards Best Male Player: Magnus Carlsen Best Female Player: Judit Polgár FIDE Book - 100 Years: My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer Firsts First World Chess Championship – 1886 First National Champion: Ramchandra Sapre (1955) First Indian International Master: Manuel Aaron (1961) First Indian Grandmaster: Viswanathan Anand (1988) First Indian Grandmaster (female) - Koneru Humpy First Indian Women's Grandmaster(WGM): Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi (2001) First Indian participation in a Chess Olympiad: 1956, 12th Chess Olympiad at Moscow First Blind Chess Olympiad hosted by India: 2012, 14th Blind Chess Olympiad in Chennai First Indian Asian Senior Chess Champion (65+): Wazeer Ahmad Khan, 6th Asian Seniors at Lar in 2015  First Chess Olympiad hosted in India: 2022, 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai Maximum number of Indian National Championship wins: 9 by Manuel Aaron Maximum number of Indian National Championship (Women) wins: 6 by Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi COP (CONFERENCE OF PARTIES) UNFCCC (united nations framework convention on climate change) ○ Adopted at the Rio Earth Summit 1992 ○ Signed by 154 countries ○ Came into force - March 21, 1994 ○ UNFCCC establishes a “legal framework for international cooperation on climate change” ○ AIM- stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations ○ At present – 198 parties ○ Secretariat : Original secretariat - Geneva relocated to Bonn, Germany (since 1996) What led to the inception of the UNFCCC? 1987 Montreal Protocol - treaty to protect the ozone layer 1991 bilateral agreement between US and CANADA - helped combat acid rain by limiting the emission of sulphur dioxide (so2) 1st COP ○ Berlin,Germany ○ 1995 ○ an agreement was reached to meet annually to discuss action on climate change and emission reductions The agreement later became the Kyoto Protocol (COP- 3) - 1997 A crucial part of COP is the “Review of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)” ○ NDC- climate action plan to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts ○ submitted by those member countries which are also a part of the Paris Agreement (2015) and is updated every 5 years COPs and their major outcomes COP 3 ○ 1997 ○ Held at - Kyoto, Japan ○ Kyoto protocol was adopted - december 1997 Entered into force - 2005 The Kyoto Protocol's main goals: Commit industrialised countries to reduce their GHG emissions by an average of 5% below 1990 levels Establish 3 market-based mechanisms to help countries meet their emissions reduction targets COP 7 ○ 2001 ○ Marrakech , Morocco ○ Marrakech Accords signed – set stage for ratification of kyoto protocol COP 8 ○ 2002 ○ New Delhi , India ○ Delhi Ministerial Declaration ○ approved the new delhi work programme on article 6 of the convention COP 13 ○ 2007 ○ Bali , indonesia  ○ Adoption of bali road map and bali action plan ○ It was on shared vision, mitigation, adaption,technology and financing COP 16 ○ 2010 ○ Cancun , Mexico ○ Cancun Agreement ○ Established : green climate fund COP 18 ○ 2012 ○ Doha , Qatar ○ Doha amendment to the kyoto protocol ○ Reducing the GHG by 18% as compared to the 1990s level COP 19 ○ 2013 ○ Warsaw , Poland ○ Warsaw framework for REDD Plus ○ The term Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) coined in Warsaw proposal by Singapore. COP 21 ○ 2015 ○ Paris , France ○ The PARIS AGREEMENT was adopted 196 countries 12 December 2015 Signed on - 22nd April 2016 (earth day) Into force - 4th November 2016 The goal of the Paris Agreement To curtail the rise of global temperature this century below 2 degrees Celsius, above pre-industrial levels; and also pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The agreement talks about 20/20/20 targets, i.e : 1. CO2 emissions reductions by 20%, 2. increasing the renewable energy market share by 20% 3. increase energy efficiency by 20% International Solar Alliance Jointly launched by India and France Launched during cop21 in paris in 2015 ISA framework agreement entered into force in 2017 w amendment of isa's framework agreement in 2020, all member states of the UN are eligible to join isa ISA is guided by the “towards 1000 strategy” ○ Mobilise $1000 billion investments in solar energy by 2030 ○ Delivering energy access to 1000 million ppl ○ 1000 GW of solar energy installation 101st member of ISA - nepal 100th member of ISA - paraguay 99th member of ISA - spain UNGA has observer status in the international solar alliance COP 26 ○ 2021 ( initially scheduled for 2019 , rescheduled due to covid-19 pandemic.) ○ Glasgow, Scotland  ○ INDIA announced Net Zero Target 2070 ○ INDIA called for ‘phase-down’ for coal based power ○ Mission LiFE introduced by PM Modi at cop26 ○ GLOBAL METHANE PLEDGE , nearly 100 countries had come together in a voluntary pledge To cut methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. COP 27 ○ 2022 ○ Sharm-el-sheikh , Egypt ○ Loss and damage fund ○ USD 3.1bn plan for early warning systems ○ G-7 led ‘Global Shield Financing Facility’ for countries suffering climate disasters ○ African carbon market initiative ○ Action for Water Adaptation and Resilience (AWARe) initiative ○ Mangrove Alliance- in partnership with india COP 28 ○ 30th nov - 12th dec 2023 ○ Host - Expo City, Dubai, UAE ○ COP28 president : Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber (minister of industry and advanced technology) ○ First ever GLOBAL STOCKTAKE concluded at COP28 Refers to the proposed “5 yearly review of the impact on climate change action” - GLOBAL COOLING PLEDGE - Joint initiative UAE and cool coalition - Members - 63 countries (india is not a member) - Aim : to reduce their cooling emissions by at least 68% by 2050  - GREEN CREDITS INITIATIVE PM Narendra Modi + President Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nayan co-hosted the green credits initiative at cop28 -GLOBAL RIVER CITIES ALLIANCE - Inspired by india’s river cities alliance - launched : 2023 at COP28 - members : 11 countries - 275+ river cities (india,USA,Denmark,Cambodia,Japan,Bhutan,Australia,Egypt,Netherlan ds and Ghana) - CLIMATE CLUB - Led by germany and chile - Members - 36 ( india is not a member ) -AFRICA-GII - african leaders launched the Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative NEET 2024 Result announced by NTA on same day as General election results 4th may 2024 67 candidates scored 720/720 ○ 8 candidates from same centre in Haryana Candidates scored 718 and 719 marks which is impossible due to exams +4 -1 format 4,750 centres across 571 cities, including 14 international locations. awarding of grace marks to over 1,500 students, Judges in case ○ Vacation bench of Justice Vikram Nath and SVN Bhatti ○ The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it will conduct a retest for 1,563 students, who were given grace marks in the NEET-UG 2024. The re-exam was conducted on June 23. High Level Committee headed by former ISRO chief Dr K Radhakrishnan Number of candidates 23,33,297 ○ 2023 it was 20,38,596 Minister of Education - Dharmendra Pradhan Right to Education- Article -21A NEET ○ STARTED IN 2013 NTA Established in 2017 Under societies Registration ACT 1860 Headquarters: New Delhi Director General (CEO) - Pradeep Singh Kharola ○ Subodh Kumar was sacked amidst allegation related TO NEET UG UGC NET Chairman- Pradeep Kumar Joshi Exams Conducted by NTA - JEE ,CUET, UGC NET, CSIR NET India has 15 beds per 10,000 population ○ Japan has 130 beds per 10,000 population~ India's healthcare expenditure increased from 1.2-1.4% to 1.6-2.2% of the GDP Healthcare schemes  National Digital Health Mission (NDHM): Launched in 2020 to create a digital healthcare ecosystem, including health IDs and digital infrastructure. Ayushman Bharat (AB-PMJAY): A 2018 scheme offering financial protection for secondary and tertiary hospital care to over 100 million families. National Health Policy 2017: Focuses on achieving optimal health and emphasizes preventive and promotive care. Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs): Upgrading primary health centers to provide comprehensive healthcare services. Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY): Enhances tertiary healthcare and medical education through new AIIMS and upgraded colleges. Research & Development: Government-backed initiatives in vaccine, drug, and medical technology development. National Medical Commission (NMC) Act: Passed in 2019 to reform medical education and improve transparency. Jan Aushadhi Scheme: Provides affordable generic medicines through Jan Aushadhi Kendras. National Medical Commission (NMC) The National Medical Commission (NMC) is responsible for laying down policies for maintaining high quality and high standards in medical education and making necessary regulations on this behalf Establishes- 2019 TAMIL NADU OPPOSITION Opposed NEET since it was made Compulsory in 2017 Constituted High-Level Committee headed by Justice A K Rajan LAWS ON PAPER LEAKS (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024 ○ Enacted- 12 February 2024 Section 3 define Unfair means section 4-Conspiracy for unfair means section 5- Disruption to conduct public examinations NEW CRIMINAL LAWS COME INTO FORCE All laws use year 2023 in nomenclature In effect from - 1st July 2024 Bhariya Nyaya Sanhita 2024 - Indian Penal Code 1860 Bhartiya Nagrik Sakshya Adhiniyam 2024 - Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam 2024 - Indian Evidence Act 1872 Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita Replaces Indian penal code 1860 New offence ○ Organised crime ○ Terriorism ○ Mob lynching (5 or more individuals) Adds Community Service as a form of punishment Terriorism definition from section 15 UAPA Raises age threshold for victims of Gangrape and rape from 16 to 18 years. Replaces sedition with various means ○ Major change in definition from Rajdroh to Deshdroh Does not consider recommendations of Justice Verma Committee (2013) which were ○ Making rape a gender neutral offence ○ Including Marital Rape as an offence Section 106(2) of BNS is hold due truck driver protests (Hit and Run causing death 10 years punishment waala) Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (2023) BNSS Replaces Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 eliminated role and distinction of Metropolitan Magistrates introduces strict timelines: ○ medical reports for rape victims within 7 days, ○ judgments within 30 days (extendable to 45), ○ victim progress updates within 90 days, ○ charge framing within 60 days from the first hearing. Sample Collection: Extends the power to collect finger impressions and voice samples, even from individuals not under arrest, expanding beyond the CrPC's specimen signatures or handwriting orders. Forensic Investigation: Mandates forensic investigation for crimes punishable by at least seven years' imprisonment. alters rules for undertrials, restricting release on personal bond for those accused in severe offences, including life imprisonment cases and individuals facing multiple charges The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023 (BSA)  Replaces Indian Evidence Act 1872 Broadens definition of documents to increase electronic records Permits electronic provision for oral evidence INDIAN PENAL CODE (1860) Before IPC India USed to follow Mohammedan Law 1834 First Law commission led by Thomas Babbington Mccaulay ○ Drafted IPC under the Charter Act of 1833 ○ Submitted to Governor general Of India (Lord Auckland) in 1837 Sent for revision ○ Code was completed in 1850 Presented in Legislative Council in 1856 ○ Did not come into effect because of Revolt Of 1857 ○ Finally Passed as a law on 6 October 1860 by Barnes Peacock Barnes peacock became the first chief justice of Calcutta high Court Code Became effective 1 October 1862 ○ Mccaulay died 42nd Report 1971 law commission proposed several changes to IPC On September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of India decriminalised homosexuality (Section 377 of the IPC). Similarly, On September 27, 2018, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court unanimously ruled to repeal Section 497 (Commonly known as adultery). The code took effect in Jammu and Kashmir on October 31, 2019, as a result of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act of 2019, and it replaced the state's Ranbir Penal Code. There are 23 chapters and 511 sections in the India Penal Code, which can broadly be classified into four categories: Criminal Procedure Code The Code of Criminal Process, 1973, which went into effect on April 1, 1974. 1973 Code of Criminal Process in response to the recommendations of the Fifth Law Commission’s Forty-First Report. ○ 5th Finance Commission was headed by K.V.K Sundaram 37 Chapters, 484 Sections, and two Schedules. first version of the Code of Criminal Process was enacted in 1861, Act 10 of 1882 superseded the Code Sixteen statutes relating to the criminal procedure have been passed since 1882. The Code of Criminal Procedure replaced it once more in 1898. The Code of Criminal Process Amendment Act of 1923 then updated the 1898 statute. In its 14th Report (1958), the First Law Commission presented significant suggestions for criminal justice reform. The recommendations of the committee were taken into consideration, and the Code was changed Indian Evidence Act 1872 accredited to Sir James Fitz James Stephens came into force on September 1, 1872 Its 3 Parts, 11 Chapters and 167 s PADMA AND BHARAT RATNA AWARDS PADMA AWARDS - Instituted on 2nd jan, 1954 - announced annually on Republic Day ( 26th January ) - to recognize achievements in all fields of activities or disciplines where an element of public service is involved CATEGORIES- Padma Vibhushan (for exceptional and distinguished service) ○ prize given to 6 persons in 1954 Padma Bhushan (distinguished service for higher-order) ○ prize given to 23 recipients in 1954. Padma Shri (distinguished service) ○ prize given to 17 persons in 1954. The Padma Awards Committee ○ chaired by the Cabinet Secretary ○ appointed by the Prime Minister of India ○ receives all nominations for the Padma awards. ○ includes the Secretary of State, the President’s Secretary, and a few other notables ○ Padma awards committee makes the final decision on the recipients of the padma awards, after approval by the PM and the President  The awards are presented by the president of india usually in the month of March/April every year FACTS have been given out every year since 1978, with the exception of 1978 and 1979, and 1993 to 1997. open to everyone Govt employees, including those who work for PSUs – not eligible for these rewards, with the exception of doctors and scientists. the prize is usually not given posthumously. ○ if the person to be honoured died recently the govt can consider The award is not a title – cannot be used as a suffix or prefix to the awardee’s name ○ ARTICLE 18 OF THE INDIAN CONSTITUTION prohibits (same applies to bharat ratna as well) ○ In case of misuse by an awardee, the award will be taken back or forfeited. recipients presented with a medallion and a Sanad signed by India’s President A tiny replica of the medallion is also handed to the recipient, which they can wear during ceremonial and State ceremonies. do not include any monetary compensation or any type of concession or incentive in terms of rail or air travel. Padma awards nominations – held every year b/w May 1st and September 15th. Only after a time of at least five years has passed since the previous Padma award has been granted may a higher category of Padma award be conferred. ○ In highly deserving cases, a relaxation can be made by the Awards Committee The total number of awards to be given in a year ( excluding posthumous awards and to NRIs/foreigners/OCIs) should not be more than 120. PADMA AWARDS IN 2024  - 132 Padma awards including 2 Duo Cases (where the award is counted as one) conferred - 5 Padma Vibhushan , 17 Padma Bhushan , and 110 Padma Shri Awards - 30 women - 8 from the category of foreigners/NRI/PIO/OCI - 9 posthumously honoured Padma Vibhushan (5) SN Name Field State/Region/Count ry 1 Ms. Vyjayantimala Bali Art Tamil Nadu 2 Shri Konidela Chiranjeevi Art Andhra Pradesh 3 Shri M Venkaiah Naidu Public Affairs Andhra Pradesh 4 Shri Bindeshwar Pathak Social Work Bihar (Posthumous) 5 Ms. Padma Subrahmanyam Art Tamil Nadu - Shri M Venkaiah Naidu - 13th VP of India  BHARAT RATNA - “the jewel of india” Republic of India's highest civilian award Presented by the President instituted on 2nd January,1954 Original statutes did not provide for posthumous awards but were amended in 1955 to permit them ○ Lal Bahadur Shastri (1966) - 1st individual to be honoured the bharat ratna posthumously National Motto - Satyameva Jayate ○ Written in devanagari script on the bharat ratna Bharat Ratna presented by alipore mint (kolkata) earlier given to limited achievements such as arts, literature, science and public services ○ Dec 2011 – GOI expanded the criteria and made it “any field of human endeavour” recipients receive a Sanad signed by the President of India and a peepal leaf-shaped medallion not mandatory for the Bharat Ratna to be awarded every year ○ has been given to a naturalised Indian Citizen Mother Teresa or Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1980 ○ Also to non-Indians : Pakistan’s Abdul Ghaffar Khan in 1987 former South African president Nelson Mandela in 1990. Can also be awarded to foreign citizens Bharat Ratna can be awarded only thrice in a year – rule first broken in 1999 when 4 recipients were conferred the award - ○ Jayaprakash Narayan ○ Amartya Sen ○ Gopinath Bordoloi  ○ Ravi Shankar BHARAT RATNA - HISTORY OF RECIPIENTS First Recipients : ○ Chakravarti Rajagopalachari or Rajaji – India’s last Governor-General ○ Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan or S. Radhakrishnan - India’s greatest teacher ○ Sir Chandrashekhar Venkat Raman or C. V. Raman Discovered the Raman effect on feb 28, 1928 Received the nobel prize for physics in 1930 1st-ever musician to receive this prestigious honour - Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi or M. S. Subbulakshmi (Tamil Nadu) Sachin Tendulkar (aged 40) ○ youngest person and the 1st and only sportsperson ever to receive the honour 18 April 1958 - Dhondo Keshav Karve or Maharshi Karve awarded on his 100th birthday - oldest person to receive the award As of 2024, Bharat Ratna - a total of 53 recipients w 20 posthumous declarations CONTROVERSIES- The award was suspended twice in its history. 13 July 1977 – Morarji Desai govt withdrew all personal civil honours ○ 4th PM of India ○ Came into power in 1977 ○ 25th Jan 1980 – suspension rescinded after Indira Gandhi became the PM  1992 - Kerala HC and the Madhya Pradesh HC filed two PILs against it challenging the “constitutional validity” of the award ○ Dec 1995 - awards were again reintroduced by the SC Prominent Personalities who received the Bharat Ratna : C. Rajagopalachari (1954) Dr CV Raman Dr S. Radhakrishnan Jawaharlal Nehru Dr Zakir Hussain Indira Gandhi Mother Teresa Dr BR Ambedkar Rajiv Gandhi Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Dr Abul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ○ APJ Abdul Kalam Prof Amartya Sen Lata Mangeshkar Sachin Tendulkar Atal Bihari Vajpayee BHARAT RATNA AWARDEES 2024 Total 5 recipients : 4 posthumous Karpoori Thakur ○ "Jan Nayak" ○ Bihar's 11th CM twice : 1970-71 and 1977-79 1st non-congress socialist CM of bihar (1970)  conferred the Bharat Ratna posthumously ○ Karpoori Thakur - OBCs received the benefit of reservation – he implemented the recommendations of the MungeriLal Commission 1978 - introduced a reservation model, allocating 26% of reservations with specific quotas for OBC EBCs, women, and economically backward classes among upper castes 2 - Mankombu Sambasivan (MS) Swaminathan: ○ Father of India’s Green Revolution helped India become self-reliant in agriculture and modernised it ○ received numerous prestigious awards – Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award in 1961, the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1971, and the Albert Einstein World Science Award in 1986 ○ Recognised with the Padma Shri (1967), Padma Bhushan (1972) Padma Vibhushan (1989) 3 - Pamulaparthi Venkata (P. V.) Narasimha Rao ○ 9th PM (1991 - 1996) ○ 73rd and 74th caa enacted during the tenure of PV Narasimha Rao mandate the reservation of one-third of seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions and urban local bodies 4 - Lal Krishna Advani ○ 7th Deputy Prime Minister of India (1999-2004) and as the President of the BJP for the longest period since its inception in 1980. 5 - Chaudhary Charan Singh: 5th PM of India and former CM of Uttar Pradesh ○ 1952, as agriculture minister - led UP in abolishing the zamindari system. 2019 - pranab mukherjee, nanaji deshmukh and bhupen hazarika were the awardees. 1992 - govt's decision to confer bharat ratna posthumously on subhash chandra bose met w criticism due to controversy over his death. ○ following an SC decision in 1997, the award was cancelled. this was the only occasion when the award was announced but withdrawn. ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) established by Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand in 1967 ○ Bangkok Declaration Association of South East Asia (ASA) was formed by the Philippines, Thailand & Malaysia in 1961 – replaced by ASEAN. ASEAN motto – “One Vision, One Identity, One Community” Members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. (10 members) The chairmanship of ASEAN shall rotate annually based on the alphabetical order of the English names of member states. ( Also hosted by them) The Chairmanship of ASEAN for 2024 is held by Laos (vientiane) 1st ASEAN Summit – Bali, Indonesia in 1976 42nd and 43rd Summit – Bali, Indonesia in 2023 44th and 45th Summit – Laos in 2024 ASEAN day – 8 August H.Q. – Jakarta, Indonesia NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT Nagorno Karabakh also known as Artsakh by Armenians Landlocked mountain in Caucasus region Internationally recognised as a part of Azerbaijan ○ Inhabitants are majorly Armenian ○ Have their own government which is not recognised by anyone ○ Capital of Nagorno karabakh : Stepanakart TIMELINE 1920s: Nagorno – Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) Region was established within Azerbaijan by the then Soviet Union. 1988: Nagorno – Karabakh Legislature passed a resolution to join Armenia despite the region's legal location within Azerbaijan’s borders. 1991: With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia and Azerbaijan achieved statehood while Nagorno-Karabakh officially declared independence. 1993: War broke out between the two countries, Armenia had captured Nagorno-Karabakh Region. Armenia additionally occupied 20% of Azerbaijan’s geographical area. 1994: The Ceasefire (Bishkek Protocol), brokered by Russia, established a De-facto Independent Entity, the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), which is not internationally recognized. 2016: In April 2016, the region was particularly tense because of violent fighting between the two countries, which was known as the "Four Day War." 2020: Both countries went to war again and Azerbaijan managed to seize control of the territory around Nagorno-Karabakh (2nd Nagorno-Karabakh War). 2022: The Lachin Corridor was blockaded by Azerbaijan. It caused severe shortages of essential goods including food, fuel, and water in Nagorno-Karabakh. CHESS Governing Body – FIDE ○ Estd – 1924 in paris ○ HQ- Lausanne (Switzerland) ○ President- Arkady Dvorkovich ○ CEO- Emil Sutosky ○ Deputy President- Vishy Anand ○ No. of members- 203 National orgs ○ Motto- “Gens Un Sumus”, Latin for “We are one family” ○ world chess day – 20 july ○ Recognised by the International Olympic Committee as a global sporting organisation in 1999 ○ 199 countries are affiliate members  In the form of national chess federations GENERAL (Players) Highest ever rated player – Magnus Carlsen (2889.2) Longest Reigning WC – Emannuel Lasker (27 Years 1894-1921) Vishy Anand – 5 world championship titles First World Chess Champion- Wilhelm Steinitz (defeating Zukertort 1886) ○ Wilhelm – austrian-american ○ Was representing austria?? Youngest Grandmaster – Abhimanyu Misra (USA) Current World Champion- Ding Liren (China) There have been 21 world chess champion - 17 have held the classical title Current Women’s Chess World Champion - Ju Wenjun (China) Highest Rated Female Player ever – Judit Polgar (2735) (polish) Vera Menchik: The first Women's World Chess Champion in 1927 There have been 17 different female world chess champions Youngest grandmaster (female) – Hou Yifan (14 years) INDIA in CHESS National Chess Governing Body – All India Chess Federation (AICF) Founded-1951 (registered in 1958) President- Nitin Narang NO of Grandmasters – 85 (may change before CLAT) Female -3 ( Vaishali Koneru Harika) ( may change ) Newest grandmaster - P Shayaamnikhil (may Change) CANDIDATES ( OPEN SECTION) Held in Torronto, Canada D Gukesh won FIDE Candidates 2024 wil challenge The Current World Champion Ding Liren world chess championship match to be held in Resorts World Sentos (Singapore) 2nd place - hikaru nakamura  3rd place - ian nepomniachtchi 5th place - R. Praggnanandhaa 6th place - Vidit Santosh Gujarati 3 Indians participated in the Candidates – Pragnnandha, Vidit and Gukesh Final Standings – Tournament had 14 rounds ○ Double - round robin Total 8 players Youngest winner of the Candidates Tournament: Gukesh D at 17 (2024) WOMEN CANDIDATES 2 Indian Players - Vaishali and Koneru Humpy Tan Zhongyi won candidates (women) 2024 will challenge the current world champion Ju Wenjun 2nd place - koneru humpy 3rd place - lei tingjie 4th place - Vaishali Rameshbabu Last Candidate was won by Lei Tingjie 45th OLYMPIAD 45th CHESS OLYMPIAD (also 100 years of fide) Organised by FIDE Biennial event BUDAPEST HUNGARY 11 rounds ○ Swiss System first Chess Olympiad in Hungary since the 2nd unofficial Olympiad (budapest 1926) main venue —SYMA Sports and Conference Centre. The 95th FIDE Congress also took place Biennial tournament since 1950 (before that irregular) first unofficial edition in Paris in 1924,(won by czechoslovakia)  first official edition –London in 1927 (won by hungary) first Women's Chess Olympiad - Emmen in 1957 former Soviet Union has most successful nation with 18 gold medals president of the Hungarian Chess Federation László Szabó Green olympiad this time The torch relay began in India, (hosted the previous Chess Olympiad) and passed through eleven countries trophy for open section - Hamilton-Russell Cup, (English magnate Frederick Hamilton-Russell as a prize for the 1st Olympiad (London 1927) trophy for women's team is Vera Menchik cup ( first Women's World Chess Champion) 46th edition is in tashkent 47th abu dhabi 44th edition 2022 –chennai india (shifted from moscow) Both sections set team participation records. Random info-elo system named after ARPAD ELO Prior to India, only China and the erstwhile Soviet Union had achieved the distinction of winning both men's and women's gold medals ○ Indian men's team had previously secured two bronze medals, 2014 and 2022 editions of the tournament. ○ The Indian women's team -bronze medal in the 2022 edition, Chennai. INDIA TEAM ( OPEN ) STANDINGS 1. Gukesh Dommaraju 2. R Praggnanandhaa 3. Arjun Erigaisi 4. Vidit Gujarathi 5. Pentala Harikrishna (reserve) Coach/Captain – Srinath Narayanan - Defeated slovenia w a score of 3.5 - 0.5 - Vidit drew - previously secured two bronze medals (2014 & 2022)  INDIA TEAM (WOMEN) STANDINGS 1. Harika Dronavalli 2. R Vaishali 3. Divya Deshmukh 4. Vantika Agarwal 5. Tania Sachdev (reserve) Coach/Captain – Abhijeet Kunte - Defeated azerbaijan w a score of 3.5 - 0.5 - Vaishali drew - Bronze medal in 2022 (chennai) INDIVIDUAL BOARD PRIZES (INDIANS) ★ BOARD 1 (OPEN) – Gukesh D(Gold) ★ BOARD 3 (OPEN)- Arjun Erigaisi (Gold) ★ Board 3 (WOM) – Divya Deshmukh (Gold) ★ BOARD 4 (WOM) - Vantika Agrawal (Gold) GAPRINDASHVILI CUP (best federation OPEN + WOMEN) 1. INDIA 2. USA 3. ARMENIA FIDE 100 Awards Best Male Player: Magnus Carlsen Best Female Player: Judit Polgár FIDE Book - 100 Years: My 60 Memorable Games by Bobby Fischer Firsts First World Chess Championship – 1886 First National Champion: Ramchandra Sapre (1955) First Indian International Master: Manuel Aaron (1961) First Indian Grandmaster: Viswanathan Anand (1988) First Indian Grandmaster (female) - Koneru Humpy  First Indian Women's Grandmaster(WGM): Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi (2001) First Indian participation in a Chess Olympiad: 1956, 12th Chess Olympiad at Moscow First Blind Chess Olympiad hosted by India: 2012, 14th Blind Chess Olympiad in Chennai First Indian Asian Senior Chess Champion (65+): Wazeer Ahmad Khan, 6th Asian Seniors at Lar in 2015 First Chess Olympiad hosted in India: 2022, 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai Maximum number of Indian National Championship wins: 9 by Manuel Aaron Maximum number of Indian National Championship (Women) wins: 6 by Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi NALANDA UNIVERSITY campus formally inaugurated by the PM Modi 455 acres Architect – BV Doshi Rajgir, Bihar 12 km away from the ruins of the ancient Buddhist monastery of Nalanda Mahavira? destroyed in 1193 by Bakhtiyar Khilji, a general of the Turkish ruler Qutbuddin Aibak HISTORY Founded by : Gupta Emperor Kumaragupta (Shakraditya) of the Gupta dynasty Founded in : 427 CE in modern Bihar ○ flourished for 600 years until the 12th century Rose to popularity during the era of King Harshavardhana (606-647 AD) and the Palas monarchs ○ During his reign, Chinese scholar Xuan Zang (also known as Hiuen Tsang and Moksadeva) came here and studied for about 5 years.  ○ carried back many scriptures from Nalanda – later translated into Chinese. 670 AD – Chinese pilgrim I-Tsing visited Nalanda. ○ stated that Nalanda housed 2,000 students and was supported by money from 200 villages. students from China, Mongolia, Tibet, Korea, and other Asian countries. contact with the Indonesian Shailendra dynasty, one of whose kings built a monastery in the complex Spiritual divines like Lord Buddha and Lord Mahavira meditated in this region rediscovered in 1812 by Scottish surveyor Francis Buchanan-Hamilton and later identified as the ancient university by Sir Alexander Cunningham in 1861. first attack on Nalanda Mahavihara occurred b/w 455-470 AD during the reign of Emperor Samudragupta of the Gupta Empire ○ attackers – Hunas, a Central Asian tribal group Emperor Skanda Gupta re-established the university ○ during his reign – renowned Nalanda library was founded second attack on Nalanda Mahavihara occurred in the early 7th century, by Goudas emperors of Bengal ○ restored by Harshavardhana Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Singapore government, and leaders of East Asian Summit (EAS) countries all advocated for Nalanda's return IN 2006 2007 – proposal to re-establish Nalanda was endorsed at the East Asia Summit in Mandaue, Philippines. endorsement reiterated in the East Asia Summit of 2009, in Hua Hin, Thailand 17 countries have helped set up the university. BV Doshi– first Indian architect to receive the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2018 ○ Padma Shri (1976) ○ Padma Bhushan (2020) ○ Padma Vibhushan (Posthumously) in 2023. ○ Royal Institute of British Architects' Royal Gold Medal for 2022. The University admitted its very first batch of fifteen students in 2014, to the School of Historical Studies, and the School of Ecology and Environmental studies. ○ Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen (associated with the project since 2007) – University’s first Chancellor ○ then-President Pranab Mukherjee – First Visitor  Former Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo – second chancellor. Current Chancellor - Arvind Panagariya Current Vice Chancellor – Abhay Kumar Singh The Campus is a ‘Net Zero’ Green Campus. It is self-sustainable with a solar plant, domestic and drinking water treatment plant, water recycling plant for reusing wastewater, 100 acres of water bodies, and many other environment friendly facilities. ruins of Nalanda University declared as a UN Heritage Site in 2016 UNESCO’s Heritage Sites Related to Buddhism Archaeological Site of Nalanda Mahavihara at Nalanda, Bihar Buddhist Monuments at Sanchi, MP Mahabodhi Temple Complex at Bodh Gaya, Bihar Ajanta Caves Aurangabad, Maharashtra The Buddhist chanting of Ladakh was included in UNESCO’s Representative List of Humanity's Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2012 East Asia Summit established : 2005 as an ASEAN-led initiative. only leader-led forum in the Indo-Pacific that brings together all key partners to discuss political, security and economic issues of strategic importance idea first proposed by then Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad in 1991 first summit – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ○ 14 December 2005 18 members: 10 ASEAN countries + 8 dialogue partners ○ Dialogue partners – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States Six Priority Areas of Cooperation India – founding member of the EAS since 2005 EAS summit - 2019 - Bangkok – India unveiled Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) Israel-Palestine Conflict palestine first delivered application for UN membership in 2011 ○ became a non-member observer state in 2012 TIMELINE Balfour declaration - 1917 : the UK declared its support for the establishment of a national home for the jewish people. The UK controlled Palestine after WW1 (1914-1918). 1922-26 : 75,000 jews migrated to Palestine. 1923 : British Mandate for Palestine came into effect. ○ issued by the League of Nations ○ gave UK the responsibility for establishing a jewish national homeland 1936 - peel commission set up by the UK recommended the partition of Palestine into jewish and Arab states. 1947 - the UN proposed a partition plan which was accepted by the jews but not by the arabs. Britain withdrew its forces from Palestine in 1948. Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948. Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) formed in 1964. 1975 - PLO granted observer status by the UN and Palestine's right to self determination was recognised. Gaza strip ○ bordered by Israel and Egypt on the Mediterranean coast. West Bank ○ contains significant sections of the western dead sea shore ○ landlocked territory near the mediterranean coast of western asia, bordered by Jordan to the east and by the Green Line separating it and israel on the south, west and north. Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip after the UN partition plan was implemented (1947) till 1967. Jordan controlled the West Bank till 1967. Recently, the UN secretary-general (antonio guterres) invoked article 99 of the UN charter in response to Israel's actions. The Palestinians insist on East Jerusalem as their future capital. Israel-Iran conflict Iranian revolution (1979) - the new regime under ayatollah khomeini did not recognise/made enmity w all countries w US influence. ○ Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of the Pahlavi dynasty of Iran was ousted in 1979. Israel launched an airstrike on Iran's embassy in Syria on April 1. operation true promise (april 14) carried out by iran wherein it attacked israel w 300+ drones and missiles. Israel destroyed Iran's nuclear repository city of Isfahan on April 19. lebanon's fundamentalist shia muslim organisation→hezbollah Yemen's fundamentalist shia muslim organisation→Houthis Hamas is a sunni muslim organisation. the only way between egypt and palestine's gaza strip is→the rafah border crossing Iran – 2nd islamic country to recognise israel. ○ 1st was Turkiye. 1st arab state to recognise israel→egypt (1979) 2nd arab state to recognise israel→jordan (1994) 1st arab-israeli war →1948 Iran's intelligence agency→SAVAK Israel's intelligence agency→Mossad USA deployed THAAD (terminal high-altitude area defence system) to South Korea. Iran formed the Axis of Resistance to fight Israel, America and other sunni-dominated countries in the middle east. the axis of resistance includes→Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis and various shia armed groups in iraq and syria. Israel's Iron Dome is used for countering rockets, artillery, mortars, aircrafts, UAVs etc. ○ C-Dome is the naval version of Israel's iron dome. Indrajaal – India's 1st indigenous drone defence dome ○ developed by hyderabad-based Gene Robotics S-400 Missile Shield deal between Russia and India for five s-400 regiments for India took place during the 2016 brics summit. ○ max range of s-400 missile shield→600km seizure of the US embassy in Tehran (capital of iran) in 1979 led to the US imposing restrictions on activities w iran. Dec 2023 - Israel accused of the death of seyed ravi mousavi, a senior adviser to iran's islamic revolutionary guard corps, in a missile attack in syria. Feb 2024 - a natural gas pipeline was attacked which Iran's oil minister javad ovji had described as an israeli conspiracy.  Populations of Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are 90% or more Sunni. Yemen, Israel, Lebanon and Gaza : 20 - 40% of Population is Sunni. Shia Muslims are Majority in Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon. USA and Israel developed Stuxnet, a malicious computer virus that disrupted Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. ○ This was the first publicly known cyberattack on industrial machinery. Article 31C Article 31C protects laws aiming to implement DPSPs under a39(b) and a39(c) from being challenged under fundamental rights (esp a14 & a19) ○ Introduced by the 25th caa (1971) Aimed to surmount difficulties placed in way of giving effect to DPSP 25th CAA specifically mentioned the bank nationalisation case in which the SC stopped the centre from acquiring control of 14 commercial banks by enacting banking companies (acquisition and transfer of undertakings) act, 1969. in this case the sc held that "right to compensation" was not appropriately ensured by the banking act. 25th caa challenged in kesavananda bharati case (1973) 13 judges held by a 7:6 majority that the constitution has a basic structure which cannot be altered, even by a constitutional amendment. ○ Article 39(b) - material resources of community are distributed to serve common good ○ Article 39(c) - wealth and means of production are not concentrated to common detriment Expanded version of article 31c introduced by the 42nd caa. ○ Minerva Mills (1980) struck down the expanded version – 5-judge bench chapter viii-a of the maharashtra housing and area development act, 1976 allows the government to acquire cessed properties in mumbai, citing obligations under article 39(b). ○ Chapter added by an amendment in 1986 amendment upheld by the bombay hc in 1991 Bombay HC’s decision appealed at the SC in 1992 - where the question eventually became whether material resources of the community under article 39(b) included in private resources such as cessed properties  ○ While hearing the current Maharashtra Housing Act case, a 9-judge bench of the SC took up another issue of "radical constitutional consequence: does a31c still exist?" ○ solicitor general argued that the doctrine of revival must apply in the case of a31c relied on justice Kurien's observations in the case where the sc struck down the 99th caa (njac). Justice Kurien Joseph held that once the process of substitution and insertion by way of caa is itself held to be bad and impermissible, pre-amended provisions automatically resurface and revive. Articles containing DPSP : a36 - a51 Articles containing Fundamental Rights : a12 - a35 16th finance commission the govt. appointed Dr. Arvind Panagariya, former vice chairman of the NITI Aayog as chairman of the 16th finance commission. finance commission ○ constitutional and quasi judicial body ○ under article 280. ○ composition : 1 chairman and 4 other members ○ Tenure - 5 years ○ Submits its report to the President 16th finance commission ○ Chairman : dr arvind panagriya ○ Report deadline : 31st october, 2025 ○ Duration : 2025-2030 (5 years) chairman of 1st FC : KC Neogy only cm who became chairman of fc : brahmananda reddy (6th) only judge of SC who became chairman of fc : jm shelat (7th) rbi governors who became chairman of fc - ○ c rangarajan ○ vijay kelkar  under the revenue sharing formula of the fc, income distance category is the most weighted criterion for money distribution. Article 270 outlines the distribution of non-tax proceeds b/w the union government and the states. acc to the recommendations of the 15th FC, 41% is the share of states from the divisible pool (vertical distribution). 2011 population census used by the 14th fc. ○ Prior to the 14th fc, 1971 census figures were used. 2011 population census used by the 15th fc. The 15th fc established an aim of achieving a 4% fiscal deficit of the gdp. Indus Water Treaty Signed: Sep 19, 1960 b/w India and Pakistan (Gen. Ayub Khan and Nehru) ○ After 9 yrs of negotiations arranged by the world bank Effective from 1 April, 1960 (retrospectively) History ○ Inter-dominion accord of 1948 - precursor to IWT ○ 1951 - both countries applied to World bank ○ IWT Signed in Karachi World Bank head was Eugene Black Sr World bank official in Karachi - W.A.B. Iliff Eastern Rivers (India's full rights): Ravi, Beas, Sutlej Western Rivers (Pakistan's full rights): Indus, Jhelum, Chenab ○ India can use the western rivers for limited irrigation and power generation 80% of the share of water or about 135 Million Acre Feet (MAF) went to Pakistan, while leaving the rest 33 MAF or 20% of water for use by India. 117th Meeting of Permanent Indus Commission (PIC): Issue raised by India regarding Fazilka Drain (sutlej) ○ This was the last meeting in May 2022, Delhi Pakal Dul Hydro Electric Project: Built on Marusudar River Lower Kalnai Project: Another project to be inspected under IWT Major Tributaries of Ganga River: Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi, Yamuna, Son Transition Period: 10 years; India had to supply water to Pakistani canals from Eastern rivers until Pakistan developed its canal system for Western rivers Permanent Indus Commission: Created in 1960 w the World Bank as a guarantor for dispute resolution Rivers Involved: Six Himalayan rivers shared between India and Pakistan India is upper riparian country After uri attacks 2016, “Blood and water cannot flow at the same time”, suspended PIC meetings (India)  First time threat to cut off water to Pak - Pulwama attacks (2019) Treaty doesn’t have unilateral exit provisions Discussions regarding - ○ Pakal Dul hydro power plant on Marusudar, tributary of Chenab ○ Kiru Hydro electric project - Chenab, Kishtwar district, J&K ○ Lower Kalnai project - Doda and Kishtwar district Dispute Resolution Mechanism 1. Step 1: Permanent Indus Commission (IPC) ○ Resolution of Questions 2. Step 2: Neutral Expert (NE) ○ If technical "differences" remain unresolved, either side can request the World Bank to appoint a Neutral Expert to provide a decision. 3. Step 3: Court of Arbitration ○ If either party is dissatisfied with the NE's decision of the interpretation or extent of the treaty, can be referred to a Court of Arbitration for resolution. 2013 : the Hague’s Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled that India could divert all the water w certain conditions Latest notice issued by India under Article 12(3) of the IWT ○ “The provisions of this treaty may from time to time be modified by a duly ratified treaty…” Amidst a prolonged controversy over the construction of two hydel power projects by India in Jammu & Kashmir : ○ one on Kishanganga - tributary of Jhelum (bandipora district) Generates 330 MW of electricity ○ Ratle Hydroelectric Project - on Chenab (kishtwar district) Generates 850 MW of electricity Both are run of the river projects Belgium recognises Ecocide as a crime Belgium becomes the 1st country in Europe to recognise ecocide as a national and international crime. ecocide : killing one's home or environment (latin and greek) ○ Is a crime in 12 countries Belgium is the 12th 1970 - arthur galston : first to draw a connection between environment devastation and genocide ○ made this link when addressing US military's use of agent orange during the vietnam war  ecocide was recognised as an international crime by the UN's ICC in 2010. Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union Of India & Ors (1997) ○ SC called attention to an “anthropogenic bias” and argued that “environmental justice could be achieved only if we drift away from the principle of anthropocentric to ecocentric.” ○ Anthropogenic - “originating in human activity” the rome statute of the icc recognises 4 major crimes : ○ genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression Henley Passport Index 227 destinations and 199 passports Based on data from international air transport association (IATA) India’s passport ranks 82/199 ○ Allowing indians visa-free entry to 58 countries ○ Ranked 80th in 2023 #1 - singapore passport ○ Visa-free entry to 195 countries ○ Dethroned japan (now at 2nd w spain, germany, france and italy) Visa-free entry to 192 countries Austria, finland, ireland, luxembourg, netherlands, s. korea and sweden ○ 3rd position ○ Visa-free entry to 191 countries UK, new zealand, norway, belgium, denmark and switzerland ○ 4th position ○ Visa-free access to 190 countries Australia and Portugal ○ 5th spot ○ 189 countries USA – 8th position ○ 186 countries Total 34 countries ranked in top 10 most powerful passports Weakest - afghanistan - 103rd position Visa-free entry to 26 countries Chabahar Port chabahar port agreement signed b/w india and iran for 10 years  ○ b/w India Ports Global Limited and Port (IPGL) and Maritime Organisation of Iran ○ the chabahar agreement replaces an initial pact inked in 2016 (has been renewed annually) Covered india’s operations at the shahid beheshti terminal of chabahar port ○ An MoU was signed in 2015 for the development of the Chabahar port. Chabahar Port ○ allocation of budget for the chabahar port→100 crores ○ Deep water port ○ serves as a gateway for india to access afghanistan and central asia, bypassing pakistan ○ counters china's influence, particularly through China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) ○ This is the 1st time India will take over the management of an overseas port. ○ Located in the sistan baluchistan province, on the gulf of oman at mouth of strait of hormuz ○ consists of two ports : shahid beheshti and shahid kalantari ○ Is the only iranian port having direct access to the indian ocean ○ project also includes construction of rail line from chabahar port to zahedan the shahid beheshti terminal of the chabahar port is currently operated by : ○ India Ports Global Chabahar Free Zone (subsidiary of IPGL) Kandla port (Gujarat) – 550 nautical miles from chabahar port 200 nautical miles→370.4km distance b/w chabahar and mumbai : 786 nautical miles the gulf of oman also known as the → the gulf of makran ○ forms the only entrance to the Persian gulf from the Indian ocean A tripartite agreement signed in may 2016 to develop the shahid beheshti terminal at chabahar and establish the International Transport and Transit Corridor, b/w india, iran and afghanistan. India and Iran signed a friendship treaty in 1950. ○ Estd diplomatic links in 1950 India and Iran sealed terms to develop the gas project Farzad B in the Persian gulf. Proposed Iran-Oman-India Underseas Gas Pipeline can help India move towards clean energy. recently the death of two iranian leaders took place due to a helicopter crash : ○ iranian president ebrahim raisi ○ iranian foreign minister amir abdollahian Citizenship Amendment Act the original CAA act - Citizenship Act, 1955 ○ required 12 years of residence in india ○ has been amended six times ○ regulates the registration of Overseas Citizen of India Cardholder ○ established the legal framework for acquiring citizenship provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 ○ allows hindus, sikhs, buddhists, jains, parsis and christians (non-muslims) ○ from afghanistan, pakistan and bangladesh ○ eligible to get citizenship after a total period of residency for 6 years Citizenship ○ part 2 (a5 - a11) of the constitution contains citizenship-related provisions. ○ Union List contains “citizenship” ○ citizenship articles in the constitution enforced on nov 26, 1949 (when the constitution was adopted) the rules for candidates to gain citizenship under CAA ○ applicants will have to provide six types of documents ○ simplify the date of entry into india ○ proof of entry before December 31, 2014 Citizenship Law ○ the CAA exempts the members of the six communities from any criminal case under Foreigners Act, 1946 and the Passport Act, 1920 ○ does not apply in the tribal areas of assam, meghalaya, mizoram and tripura (as included in the 6th schedule of the constitution) assam accord →1985 ○ led to the conclusion of a 6-year agitation launched by All Assam Students' Union (AASU) in 1979 demands of the AASU→identification and deportation of migrants who had illegally entered assam after 1951 to bangladesh purpose of the National Register of Citizens → to identify and deport unlawful immigrants in accordance with section 14 of CA, 1955 National Population Register first collected in 2010 ○ last updated in 2015 The Indian Union Muslim League has put up a challenge to the CAA recently. Electoral Bonds Scheme when were electoral bonds 1st announced in the 2017 budget session electoral bonds notified in 2018 the Supreme Court’s statements ○ Case name : Association for Democratic Reforms v. UOI 2024 5-judge bench ○ EBS is violative of RTI under A19(1)(a) ○ squashed the amendments made to : income tax act 1961 RPA, 1951 (these amendments made donations anonymous) section 29(c) of the RPA mandated political parties to disclose donations exceeding ₹20,000. section 182 of the companies act, 2013 imposed a cap on donations and disclosure requirements. ○ Cap was 7.5% of average profits of preceding 3 fiscal years finance act, 2017 ○ exempted donations via electoral bonds from disclosure requirements ○ removed the 7.5% cap imposed by companies act, 2013. electoral bonds come in five denominations. ○ ₹1000 ; ₹10,000 ; ₹1 lakh ; ₹10 lakh ; ₹1 crore eligibility to receive bonds : ○ any party that is registered under section 29(a) of RPA 1951 and has secured at least 1% of the votes polled in the most recent general or assembly elections. Ram Mandir in Ayodhya case about the ram mandir and babri masjid dispute : ○ M Siddiq (D) Thr Lrs v. Mahant Suresh Das & Ors Ram Mandir ○ at Ram Janmabhoomi site ○ construction managed/supervised by shri ram janmabhoomi teerth kshetra trust Formed in 2020 after the SC verdict in the ayodhya land dispute case Chairman : mahant nritya gopal 15 members in total 11/15 members have voting rights 12 were nominated by the government : 6-year term  9 permanent + 6 nominated ○ 3rd largest hindu shrine globally ○ Foundation laid by the PM on august 5, 2020 ○ pran pratishtha ceremony on 22nd jan, 2024 design of the ram temple ○ Nagara style of architecture inspired from gujara-chalukya style of nagara architecture ○ 360 pillars and is made entirely of stone ○ 5 mandapas in the middle of the garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) and on the entryway. ○ the main deity of the ram mandir →ram lalla virajman the infant form of lord rama, an incarnation of lord vishnu ○ 64 chausath yogis, 10 dashavataras, 12 incarnations of goddess saraswati and incarnations of shiva ○ 161 ft high Construction, ppl involved ○ Chief architect : chandrakant sompura (also designed the akshardham temple in gujarat) ○ IIT Chennai has been advising on the construction of the temple ○ constructed by Larsen and Toubro w management by Tata Consulting Engineers Limited ○ sculptors involved : arun yogiraaj (mysore) ganesh bhatt satyanarayan pandey Babri Masjid History (ayodhya, UP) ○ 1st built in 1528 by Mir Baqi (mughal commander) one of 3 mosques said to have been constructed in the 16th century upon Babur’s orders ○ 1949 - images of Rama were brought into the mosque Leading to controversy Site closed off to both communities ○ December 6, 1992 - babri masjid demolished LEGAL JOURNEY began in 2002, resulting in the allahabad hc's 2010 ruling ○ ruling (allahabad hc) : 2.77 acres of the disputed land would be divided equally into three parts, b/w the three litigants the main disputed section was given to the hindu party The three litigants sunni board nirmohi akhada  ram lalla - recognised as a legal person? 2019 sc verdict ○ suspended the 2010 allahabad hc ruling and said that the disputed land should be given to hindu petitioners for a temple to be built for lord ram Liberhan Commission of Inquiry ○ appointed on 16th dec, 1992 10 days after the demolition of the babri masjid ○ to probe the sequence of events that led to the occurrences at the ram janmabhoomi-babri masjid complex ○ a one-man commission headed by justice manmohan singh liberhan ○ initially had to submit its report within 3 months. However, with 48 extensions it became the longest commission report in the history of independent india 96th Academy Awards academy awards ○ Also known as the oscars ○ Presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) ○ 1st academy awards held in 1929 ○ 2nd ceremony in 1930 the first one broadcast by radio ○ 1953 ceremony - 1st one televised ○ Oldest of the four major annual american entertainment awards, its equivalents - the emmy awards for television the tony awards for theatre the grammy awards for music modelled after the academy awards India at Oscars Bhanu Athaiya - 1st indian in 1983 to win an academy award for designing the costumes for the film Gandhi 1992 - bengali filmmaker satyajit ray was bestowed w an honorary academy award ○ only Indian to date to receive the honour Resul Pookutty & AR Rahman won the academy award for best sound mixing and best original score respectively for the 2008 british film slumdog millionaire AR Rahman also won for best original song alongside lyricist gulzar for the song “Jai Ho” ○ becoming the 1st indian to date to have won more than one academy award  95th academy awards - the song naatu naatu from the telugu film RRR made history by becoming the 1st indian film song to win an oscar India won a 2nd oscar in the same year for The Elephant Whisperers which won in the Best Documentary Short film category India at 96th oscars (2024) : Nitin Chandrakant Desai (film sets in lagaan etc) remembered during the “In Memoriam” segment “To Kill a Tiger” - nominated for the best documentary feature film ○ Nisha Pahuja ○ Winner in this category - 20 days in mariupol One Nation One Election A high-level committee headed by Ram Nath Kovind recommended simultaneous elections to the lok sabha and state assemblies + holding the municipal and panchayat elections within 100 days of the general elections. ○ proposed simultaneous elections by 2029 ○ suggested 18 amendments to the constitution and other statutes ○ suggested amending article 83 (duration of houses of parliament) ○ suggested amending article 172 (duration of state legislatures) ○ suggested amending article 325 to make a single electoral roll and electoral photo identity card ○ suggested insertion of article 324A to add the clause - "parliament may make a law to ensure that elections to municipalities and panchayats be held together with general elections". all amendments must be ratified by not less than 1/2 of the states simultaneous elections 1st proposed by the Election Commission in 1983 1st simultaneous elections : 1951-52 simultaneous elections were the norm until 1967 ○ the cycle first broken in 1959 after the centre invoked a356 to dismiss the then kerala government the 21st law commission under the chairmanship of justice b.s. chauhan reported that simultaneous elections are not feasible within the existing constitutional  framework. s.r. bommai v. union of india (1994) ○ it was held that the introduction of a common election process may violate the constitution Constitution Assassination Day & 1975 Emergency Constitution Assassination Day : 25th june ○ translation into Hindi→ “Samvidhaan Hatya Diwas” 1975 emergency ○ 25th june 1975 - 21st march, 1977 ○ Reason : indira gandhi’s 1971 election victory was declared invalid by the allahabad hc on grounds of electoral malpractice 38th caa (1975) – declaration of a national emergency made immune to judicial review ○ removed by the 44th caa of 1978 national emergency ○ Declared by the president under article 352 ○ the three basis of declaring an emergency : war (external emergency) external aggression (external emergency) armed rebellion (internal emergency) Armed Rebellion basis of declaring emergency was inserted by 44th caa (1978) ○ known as internal disturbance earlier  ○ a proclamation of emergency must be approved by both the houses of the parliament within 1 month from the date of its issue ○ emergency continues for 6 months and can be extended to an indefinite period w the approval of the parliament every 6 months. ○ emergency must be revoked if lok sabha passes a resolution by a 'simple majority' disapproving its continuation. article 358 - when an emergency is declared, 6 fundamental freedoms under article 19 are automatically suspended. 44th caa – article 19 cannot be suspended when national emergency is imposed on the basis of Armed Rebellion (internal disturbance) president cannot suspend the right to move to court for enforcement of articles 20 and 21. 1st proclamation of national emergency made in oct 1962 on account of chinese aggression in NEFA (lasted till jan 1968) ○ pm was nehru ○ president was sarvepalli radhakrishnan 2nd proclamation of national emergency made in dec 1971 in wake of attack by pakistan ○ pm - indira gandhi ○ president - vv giri 1975 emergency (3rd) ○ PM - indira gandhi ○ President - Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed minerva mills case (1980) – SC held that national emergency can be challenged in the court on grounds of "malafide” or that declaration was based on extraneous and irrelevant facts. Lakshadweep lakshadweep islands earlier known as : Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi islands ○ the name lakshadweep adopted on nov 1, 1973 ○ Lakshadweep formed in 1956 ○ 36 islands ○ smallest UT of india administrative capital of lakshadweep : kavaratti ○ northernmost point : amindivi island ○ southernmost point : minicoy island (2nd largest) Lakshadweep ○ 1st naval base in lakshadweep – ins dweeprakshak 2012 ○ 2nd naval base in lakshadweep – ins jatayu (minicoy island)  ○ Pitti island in lakshadweep declared a bird sanctuary ○ hdfc bank has opened the first private state bank branch in kavaratti island. ○ malayalam is spoken on all islands except minicoy, where mahal is spoken mahal is written in dhivehi script ○ 93% of the folks - indigenous muslims belonging to the shafi school of sunni sect maritime boundary treaty signed in 1976 in which maldives recognised minicoy as an integral part of india. Tennis sumit nagal - by defeating kazakhstan's alexander bublik (opening round of the australian open) ○ became the 1st indian since 1989 to defeat a seeded player at a grand slam following ramesh krishnan's victory over mats wilander at the australian open. 1988 Seoul Olympic Games - Zeeshan Ali - 1st Indian to win a singles match by beating victo caballero of paraguay. Chronological order of the 4 tennis grand slam events ○ 1. Australian open (jan) ○ 2. French open (may-june) ○ 3. Wimbledon (june-july) ○ 4. US open (aug-sep) australian open ○ Managed by Tennis Australia earlier known as the Lawn Tennis Association of Australia (LTAA) ○ 1st australian open (men) played in 1905 at Warehouseman's Cricket Ground, Melbourne now known as the Albert Reserve Tennis Centre ○ 1st australian open (women) played in 1922 ○ Before 1988, was played on grass courts is played on hard courts now ○ since 1905, the AO has been staged in 5 australian and 2 new zealand cities. ○ total prize money for the australian open tournament 2024 →australian dollars 86.5 million ○ the AO women's single winner is presented w → the daphne akhurst memorial cup ○ Men’s single winner – Norman Brookes Challenge Cup french open ○ Known as roland-garros named after roland garros, a french aviator who was the first person to fly across the mediterranean sea in 1913. ○ the only grand slam event played on clay courts ○ 1st held in 1891 as a national championship for french players only  ○ became open to international players in 1925 ○ moved to its current location (Paris) in 1928 Stadium (stade) roland garros ○ 1st grand slam tournament to join the "Open" era in 1968, allowing both amateurs and professionals to compete ○ Rafael Nadal has won a record 14 titles at roland-garros. holds the record for the most match wins (105) and the highest winning percentage (98.2%) at the tournament US open ○ hardcourt tournament held annually in queens, new york ○ since 1987, the US open has been chronologically the 4th and final grand slam tournament of the year (except in 2020 when the french open was held last) ○ The only grand slam that was not affected by cancellation due to ww1 and ww2 nor interrupted by the covid19 pandemic was the US grand slam. ○ originally known as the US National Championship for which men's singles and men's doubles were first played in 1881 wimbledon tennis tournament ○ oldest tournament started in 1877 ○ has been held at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London since its inception ○ AELTC- All England Lawn Tennis Club manages the wimbledon tournament ○ the only major tournament played on the grass court ○ in 1876, the lawn tennis game was devised by major walter clopton wingfield ○ 1st wimbledon gentlemen's singles championship 1877 was won by→spencer gore ○ 1884 – wimbledon ladies' singles added in the competition maud watson was the 1st winner Gyanvapi Mosque / Kashi Vishwanath Temple 55 sculptures found during the ASI Survey on Gyanvapi Mosque ○ Located in Varanasi, UP ○ Associated w the Kashi Vishwanath Temple or Vishweshwar temple 32 inscriptions written in the Devanagari, Grantha, Telugu and Kannada scripts found. 2019 - petition filed after SC's Babri Masjid verdict ○ SC directed ASI to conduct a scientific survey The ASI has conducted a detailed non-invasive survey of the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi (UP) used Ground Penetrating Radar (gpr) to produce a 3D model of buried archaeologic features The case of Gyanvapi mosque has been in court since 1991 ○ local priests filed a suit in the court of the civil judge of Varanasi ○ 2021 – petition filed seeking rights to daily prayers. Gyanvapi Mosque ○ built by aurangzeb in 1669 ○ initially called the alamgiri mosque (named after aurangzeb) ○ The portico of Gyanvapi Mosque resembles Taj Mahal in terms of style and design. \ Section 3 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 ○ it is prohibited to convert a place of worship into a place of worship of a different religious denomination or a different class of the same religious denomination  the places of worship act, 1991 does not apply to ancient and historical monuments, archaeological sites under AMASR, 1958 ○ Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act Ramsar Convention ramsar convention ○ convention on wetlands of international importance ○ signed on feb 2, 1971 Feb 2 - International Wetlands Day ○ cam