1. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA)

Iran said that a three-month monitoring deal between Tehran and IAEA has expired and that its access to images from inside some Iranian nuclear sites would cease. The announcement raised further questions about the future of indirect talks under way between the United States and Iran on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

About:

• Name: It is widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization within the United Nations family.
• Mandate: It is the world's central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the nuclear field. It works for the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.
• History: Though established as an autonomous organisation, independently of the United Nations through its own international treaty, the IAEA Statute, the IAEA reports to both the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria.
• Members: The IAEA has 173 member states. Most UN members and the Holy See are Member States of the IAEA.
• The IAEA and its former Director General, Mohamed ElBaradei, were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
• The current Director General is Rafael Grossi, an Argentinian diplomat who was appointed in 2019. He is the first Latin American to hold this position.

Source : The Hindu

2. CHINA-CEEC

Lithuania said it was quitting China’s 17+1 cooperation forum with central and eastern European states that includes other EU members, calling it “divisive”.

About:

• Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (China-CEE, China-CEEC) is an initiative by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promote business and investment relations between China and 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe Countries (CEEC).
• The format was founded in 2012 in Warsaw.
• Earlier it was known as 17+1, but after Lithuania quits it in May 2021 it is known as 16+1.
• Central and Eastern Europe is a term encompassing the countries in Central Europe, the Baltics, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Europe (the Balkans), usually meaning former communist states from the Eastern Bloc and Warsaw Pact in Europe.
• Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. Its Capital is Vilnius.

Source : The Hindu

3. MOUNT NYARAGONGO

As the active volcano in Congo, Mount Nyaragongo, erupted again, the Indian Army contingent under the United Nations peace keeping mission (MONUSCO) assisted in protecting civilians and U.N. officials as well as assets during the evacuation.

About:

• Mount Nyiragongo is an active stratovolcano with an elevation of 3,470 m in the Virunga Mountains associated with the Albertine Rift.
• It is located inside Virunga National Park, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 12 km north of the town of Goma and Lake Kivu.
• The main crater is about two kilometres (1 mi) wide and usually contains a lava lake. Nyiragongo's lava lake has at times been the most voluminous known lava lake in recent history.
• Nyiragongo and nearby Nyamuragira are together responsible for 40 per cent of Africa's historical volcanic eruptions. 

Lava lakes?

• Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression.

Source : The Hindu

4. AUROVILLE

Aurovillian Christoph Pohl’s documentary EverSlowGreen has been officially selected for screening at the prestigious ChangeNow summit in Paris.

About:

• EverSlowGreen tells the story of Auroville’s unique afforestation project that took root on an eroded desert plateau at Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu.
• The project was supported by Auroville and funded by the 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2018. The documentary premiered at the Auroville Film Festival 2020.
• Auroville is an experimental township in Viluppuram district mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu with some parts in the Union Territory of Puducherry.
• It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (known as "the Mother") a French spiritual guru and a collaborator of Sri Aurobindo, who considered her to be of equal yogic stature to him and called her by the name "The Mother". 

Source : The Hindu

5. SITA

National carrier Air India has notified its passengers of a data breach that occurred in February 2021 at the SITA passenger service system. The airline said the breach involved data of 45 lakh passengers being leaked.

About:

• SITA or Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques, is a multinational information technology company providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry.
• The company was started in 1949 by 11 member airlines and now has over 2,500 customers in more than 200 countries.
• It is Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
• Air India had entered into a deal with SITA in 2017 to upgrade its IT infrastructure to enable it to join Star Alliance. At Air India, SITA also implemented an online booking engine, departure control system, check-in and automated boarding control, baggage reconciliation system and the frequent flyer programme.

Source : Indian Express

6. ASRIKUMAR BANERJEE

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the passing away of Former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Dr. Srikumar Banerjee.

About:

• Srikumar Banerjee (died 23 May 2021) was an Indian metallurgical engineer.
• He retired as the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India (AECI) and the secretary of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) on 30 April 2012. He headed the nuclear establishment when India signed the nuclear deal with the US and later legislated the liability bill.
• Prior to his stint as DAE chairman, he was the director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) from 30 April 2004 to 19 May 2010.
• He was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology in Engineering Science (1989) and Padma Shri, in 2005.

Source : Times of India

7. E-COURTS SERVICES MOBILE APP

Supreme Court of India's E-Committee released a manual for its top citizen-centric service-free "e-Courts Services Mobile app" in 14 languages.

About:

• The app is available in English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Gujarathi, Kannada, Khasi, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.
• The "e-Courts Services Mobile app" aimed to benefit litigants, citizens, lawyers, law firms, police, government agencies and other institutional litigants has so far crossed 57 lakh downloads.
• The App which acts as a personalized digital case diary with case details available on handset at any hour of the day and free of cost.
• Dr Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, Judge, Supreme Court of India and the Chairperson of e-Committee, fore-worded the manual and stressed the importance of this free mobile app and highlighted the reach of this citizen-centric mobile app .

Source : Times of India

8. GUJARAT FREEDOM OF RELIGION (AMENDMENT) BILL 2021

Gujarat Governor has given his assent to the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which has been projected as the “anti-love jihad” Bill.

About:

• The Bill was passed in the state assembly during the budget session held in March 2021.
• The Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2021 proposes punishment of 3-10 years in jail for forcible or fraudulent religious conversions through marriage.
• The bill amends the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003. The amendment aims to reduce the “emerging trend” where women are “lured to marriage” for the purposes of religious conversion.
• The 2003 act dealt with religious conversions through “force or by misrepresentation or by any other fraudulent means”. The amendment bill mentioned promises of a better lifestyle, impersonation, and ‘divine blessing’.
• The states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh also enacted similar “anti-love jihad” laws that banned “fraudulent” conversions through marriage.

Source : Indian Express

9. LIVE-IN COUPLES

Live-in couples deserve same protection as married ones, says Punjab and Haryana high court.

About:

• Observing that the right to choose a partner of his/her choice is a constitutional right, the Punjab and Haryana high court has made it clear that an individual has the right to formalise the relationship with the partner through marriage or adopt non-formal approach of a live-in relationship.
• The high court also clarified that a couple living in a live-in relationship has the same right of protection that a married couple has.
• On the contention that a live-in relationship is not legal and is frowned upon by society, the high court held that the “life and liberty of every individual is precious and must be protected irrespective of individual views.”
• Such a relationship is not prohibited under the law nor does it amount to commission of any offence. The HC also directed the concerned SP to ensure the couple is protected and no harm comes either to the lives or liberty of the petitioners.

Source : Times of India

10. ARCTIC WARMING

The Arctic has warmed three times more quickly than the planet as a whole, and faster than previously thought, a report warned.

About:

• Arctic sea ice looks set to be an early victim of rising temperatures and the chance of it disappearing entirely in summer is 10 times greater if Earth warms by 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels compared to 1.5 C, the goal set by the 2015 Paris Accord.
• The alarming finding comes from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) in a report timed to coincide with a ministerial meeting of the Arctic Council in Reykjavik, which gathers countries bordering the region.
• In less than half a century, from 1971 to 2019, the Arctic's average annual temperature rose by 3.1 C, compared to 1 C for the planet as a whole.
• The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) is one of six Working Groups of the Arctic Council. Since its establishment in 1991, AMAP has produced various reports that detail the status of the Arctic with respect to climate and pollution issues.

Source : All India Radio