Current Affairs - International

The Voyage Sri Lanka 2024 conference was held in Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka, emphasizing the strategic importance of the blue economy in the Indian Ocean. The conference also highlighted India's support for Sri Lanka in areas like energy, ports, and wind energy, aligning with the broader goals of sustainability under India's G20 presidency.

South Africa has declared a 'National Disaster' in response to a significant outbreak of food poisoning, which has resulted in over 890 reported cases and 23 child fatalities since September 2024. The declaration provides the government with greater regulatory powers to implement emergency measures to control the crisis.

India signed the Final Act of the Riyadh Design Law Treaty, demonstrating its commitment to promoting intellectual property protection and supporting inclusive growth. The treaty aims to harmonize industrial design protection frameworks, simplify registration processes and provide significant benefits to SMEs, startups, and independent designers. This move aligns with India's impressive 120% increase in design registration filings over the past two years.

Operation Tamarisk was a clandestine operation where agents from the U.S., U.K., and France rummaged through Soviet waste to uncover valuable secrets. The operation involved sifting through discarded materials, including food scraps, letters, and even used toilet paper, which was sometimes used by Soviet troops as a substitute for official documents.

COP30, the next major UN climate conference, will be hosted by Brazil in 2025. This announcement follows the commitments made at COP29 in Baku, which included a $1.3 trillion climate finance goal and the establishment of a Loss and Damage Fund starting in 2025. Brazil's selection reflects its critical role in global environmental discussions, particularly concerning the Amazon rainforest and climate change mitigation efforts.