• oscosmos recently launched an empty SOYUZ spacecraft to bring back stranded astronauts. Three astronauts were stranded in space after the Soyuz MS-22 capsule started leaking coolant. The astronauts were to return to Earth in a capsule. Now due to leaking, astronauts will be able to return only till September. The leak was caused by a micrometeoroid. Module temperature rising due to coolant leak. The Soyuz MS23 capsule was launched in automatic mode and will bring back the astronomers safely.

• Russia will leave the International Space Station in 2028. The country has to launch its own space station like China. Tiangong is a Chinese space station.

Soyuz MS22

• It was launched from the International Space Station with three astronauts. It was a rotational mission.

After crossing the Sunda Strait, Indian submarine INS Sindhukesari docked in Indonesia. This is the first time that an Indian submarine is docking in Indonesia. With this, INS Sindhukesari has created history in Indo-Indonesia relations.

This docking reflects India's growing military reach in the region. Also, it reflects India's nature of being a diplomatic role player in ASEAN. Ships from India visit Indonesia and other ASEAN countries. However, this is the first time a submarine is visiting Indonesia.

INS Sindhukesari

It is a diesel-electric submarine. It belongs to the Sindhughosh class designed as a part of Project 877. The Sindhughosh class is basically a replica of the KILO class of the Soviet Union. It can launch missiles up to 220 km.

• David Malpass, the former President of the World Bank, resigned before the end of his term due to climate disputes. Following his resignation, US President Joe Biden recently nominated former MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga as the new President of the World Bank. Ajay has expertise in handling economic issues related to climate change.

Ajay Banga

• He is now working as the Vice President of General Atlantic, a private firm. He has over 30 years of professional experience with MasterCard. He is the first Indian-origin candidate to serve in the World Bank. David Malpass was nominated by former US President Donald Trump. Both were criticized for anti-environmental policies. Ajay Banga did his schooling and college in India. He is an alumnus of IIM, Ahmedabad, one of the prestigious Central Government Institutes. Government of India invests crores of rupees in IITs and IIMs providing quality education at affordable prices. Ajay's nomination is an iconic moment for India.

• Government of India should take more steps to identify the deserving graduates in the country and provide them a good platform to serve the country.

• The Ministry of External Affairs recently hosted the Asia Economic Dialogue in Pune. The main focus of this dialogue was on geo-economics. It was organized under the theme “Asia and the Emerging World Order”. The dialogue also focused on the role of the Global South in the metaverse, shaping the G20 agenda, meeting climate goals, etc. More than 44 countries participated in this dialogue. This includes Mexico, Singapore, Maldives, South Africa, America, Brazil, Switzerland etc.

• Asia is home to 4.7 billion people and accounts for 60% of the world's population. According to the IMF, Asia is one of the fastest growing markets in recent times. The world's major consumers are India and China in Asia. That's why no country can increase its trade market without including Asia!

• The major powers of Asia are India, China, Japan and South Korea. They will grow rapidly in the near future. The COVID recovery has been rapid here. Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka are in need of assistance. Very cheap labor and easy availability of land make Asia attractive. Disputes across borders are beneficial to defense trade. The region has a tropical climate and is very rich in resources. Hence the availability of raw material is easy.

• Tata is one of the largest electric vehicle manufacturers in India. Uber has recently signed a mega deal with Tata. As per the deal, Tata will produce 25,000 electric vehicles for Uber. This means that indirectly the use of electric vehicles will increase in the country. Uber is a transportation company. EV adoption has been slow in the country despite government efforts. Manufacturing of EVs is also slow. However, this deal will increase the manufacturing and use of EVs in the country.