SPORTS

Commonwealth Games Federation Rebranded as Commonwealth Sports

• The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has been rebranded to Commonwealth Sports as part of the ‘More in Common’ campaign.

• The change was announced on Commonwealth Day, which is celebrated annually on the second Monday of March.

• Commonwealth Day signifies the shift from a sports federation to a sports movement, with the Commonwealth Games now serving as the public name.

• Commonwealth Sports is evolving into a movement, with a more unified and deeper connection to its global audience.

• The new Commonwealth Games logo symbolizes values of humanity, equality, and destiny, represented by three coloured V shapes.

• The logo also signifies the six regions: Africa, America, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and Oceania, highlighting unity through sport.

• The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games will be the first to feature the updated logo as part of the event branding.

RANKING AND INDEX

India Poised to Become the Global Hub for Web3 Developers by 2028

• India is set to become the world’s largest Web3 developer hub by 2028, according to the ‘India Web3 Landscape’ report by Hashed Emergent.

• India has seen remarkable growth in Web3, with over 4.7 million developers joining GitHub by 2024.

• The country is now the second-largest hub for crypto developers globally.

• 45.3% of Indian Web3 developers are actively coding, 29.7% focus on bug fixes, and 22.4% contribute to documentation.

• Key areas of development for Indian Web3 developers include gaming, NFTs, DeFi, and real-world assets (RWAs).

• Hackathons are a popular avenue for developers entering the Web3 space.

• The growth of Web3 firms is accelerating, with increasing university partnerships.

• India ranks third globally for Web3 startup founders, with more than 1,200 startups in this sector.

India's Air Pollution Crisis: 2024 IQAir Report

• India ranks 5th in the world for air pollution in 2024, improving slightly from 3rd in 2023.

• The country accounts for 13 of the 20 most polluted cities globally.

• India’s average PM2.5 concentration in 2024 was 50.6 µg/m³, showing a 7% reduction from the previous year (54.4 µg/m³).

• Six out of the top ten polluted cities worldwide are in India, with New Delhi’s air quality remaining almost unchanged (91.6 µg/m³ in 2024 vs. 92.7 µg/m³ in 2023).

• Data from 40,000 monitoring stations across 138 countries highlighted that only 12 countries met the WHO’s PM2.5 guideline of 5.0 µg/m³.

• A significant increase in cities meeting the WHO guideline—17% in 2024 compared to 9% in 2023.

• Air pollution reduces India’s life expectancy by about 5.2 years.

• Severe pollution spiked in northern India, especially in January and October 2024.

• In January, Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) reported alarming PM2.5 levels of 165 µg/m³.

• October saw a dramatic worsening of air quality in Manipur.

• November saw a sharp rise in pollution levels in Delhi and neighboring regions, mainly due to stubble burning.

• 35% of Indian cities had PM2.5 levels more than 10 times the WHO’s annual guideline.

• Major pollution sources: vehicle emissions, industrial pollutants, construction dust, and crop residue burning.

• In urban centers like Delhi, vehicle emissions, compounded by traffic congestion and fuel adulteration, are key contributors to high PM2.5 levels.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Global Arms Imports and Exports

• India ranks as the second-largest arms importer globally, following Ukraine, which holds the top spot during 2020-2024.

• Russia remains the primary supplier to India, providing 36% of its arms, a decline from 55% in 2015-2019 and 72% in 2010-2014.

• China dropped out of the top 10 arms importers for the first time since 1990-94.

• Pakistan’s arms imports saw a significant increase of 61% between 2015-2019 and 2020-2024.

• European arms imports surged by 155% during this period.

• US now dominates global arms exports, controlling 43% of the market, while Russia’s share decreased by 64%.

• Russia supplied arms to 33 countries in 2020-2024, with India receiving the largest share (38%), followed by China (17%) and Kazakhstan (11%).

• France exported arms to 65 countries, with India as its largest recipient (28%), followed by Qatar (9.7%).

• The overall global volume of arms transfers remained consistent with levels seen in 2015-2019 and 2010-2014.

• Italy climbed to 6th position in global arms exports, with a 4.8% market share.

INS Imphal Marks Mauritius National Day Celebrations and Strengthens Maritime Ties

• INS Imphal participated in Mauritius' 57th National Day celebrations on March 12, 2025, marking its first port call to Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius.

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the National Day function as the chief guest.

• The visit of INS Imphal continues the tradition of Indian naval ship participation in Mauritius' National Day events, reinforcing strong maritime relations between the two nations.

• During the celebrations, INS Imphal contributed a marching contingent, naval band, and a helicopter for the flypast in the National Day Parade at Champs de Mars.

• The ship’s visit, from March 10 to 14, also includes several bilateral defense cooperation programs.

• INS Imphal, commissioned in December 2023, is the third of four Project 15B (Visakhapatnam-class) indigenous destroyers.

AWARDS

PM Modi Receives Mauritius' Highest Civilian Award

• PM Modi becomes the first Indian to receive Mauritius' highest civilian honour, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean.

• The award was presented by Mauritius PM Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam during an event for the Indian diaspora in Port Louis.

• This recognition adds to PM Modi’s total international honours, bringing it to 21.

• In his speech, PM Modi expressed heartfelt thanks to the people and government of Mauritius.

• PM Modi also announced the issuance of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards to Mauritius PM Navin Ramgoolam and his wife Veena Ramgoolam.

• PM Ramgoolam expressed his gratitude for granting OCI cards to the seventh generation of Indian descent in Mauritius.

NATIONAL NEWS

Central Government Imposes 5-Year Ban on AAC and JKIM under UAPA

• The central government has imposed a five-year ban on the Awami Action Committee (AAC) and Jammu and Kashmir Ittihad Ul Muslimeen (JKIM).

• Mirwaiz Umar Farooq leads the AAC, and Masroor Abbas Ansari heads JKIM.

• Both groups have been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), 1967.

• The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) accuses both organizations of threatening India's sovereignty, integrity, and national security.

• AAC members are charged with supporting terrorism, spreading anti-India propaganda, and funding secessionist movements in Jammu and Kashmir.

• The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed charges against AAC spokesperson Aftab Ahmad Shah and others for involvement in anti-national activities.

• To safeguard national security, the government imposed an immediate five-year ban on AAC under Section 3 of UAPA.

• JKIM is also accused of supporting terrorism, promoting anti-India narratives, and financing separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

• A five-year ban has been imposed on JKIM under Section 3 of the UAPA to prevent further threats to national security.