News In Shorts

Tamil Nadu added five more products to its growing list of Geographical Indication (GI) registrations. 

Products Include

• Woraiyur cotton sari: Native to Tiruchi district. 
• Kavindapadi nattu sakkarai: A jaggery powder. 
• Namakkal makkal pathirangal: Soapstone cookware. 
• Thooyamalli rice variety: Meaning ‘pure jasmine’, is a traditional sambha-season rice variety grown over 135 - 140 days. 
• Ambasamudram choppu saman: Wooden toys.

Note: Ponduru Khadi From Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh also got GI tag.

• It is produced mainly from short staple hill variety pest resistant cotton. It allows for chemical free farming.

About GI Tags

• Sign used on products with specific geographical origin and possessing qualities due to that origin.
• Regulated under Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999. 
• Provided for 10 years and can be renewed.  

Assam’s Majuli hosts Charaichung Festival to revive Asia's first protected royal bird sanctuary.

• The festival commemorates the 392-year-old legacy of Asia's first protected Royal Bird Sanctuary, 'Charaichung', established in 1633 AD by Ahom king Swargadeo Pratap Singha. 

About Majuli

• Majuli is the world's largest river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam.

India Calls for Protection of Preah Vihear Temple amid the Thailand–Cambodia border clashes.

About Preah Vihear Temple

• Location: Cambodia (Near the border with Thailand)
• Principal Deity: The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva
• History: The temple began under King Yashovarman I (889–910 CE) and completed during the reign of King Suryavarman II (1113–1150 CE) of Khmer dynasty.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

India and Jordan signed a twinning agreement between UNESCO Heritage sites of Petra & Ellora Caves renowned for their rock cut architecture.

About Ellora caves 

• Location - Charanandri hills, Maharashtra near Elaganga river 
• Origin - Carved between 600-1000 CE predominantly by the Rashtrakuta and yadava dynasty. 
• Architecture - Rock cut caves carved into basalt cliffs from top to down 
• Religion - Houses Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain monuments side-by-side, illustrating the religious tolerance
  • It also houses mural paintings related to all 3 religions.

About Petra caves

• Petra also known as ‘Rose City’ due to its pink sandstone cliffs was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom starting around 4th century BCE
• It is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges.

UN Alliance of Civilizations marks two decades of bridging divides.

About UN Alliance of Civilization

• Secretariat: New York.
• Origin: Launched in 2005 together by the Republic of Türkiye, and Spain.
• Objective: Maintains a global network of partners including states, international and regional organizations, civil society groups etc. to improve cross-cultural relations between diverse nations and communities to reduce polarization and conflict.

India successfully secured the hosting rights for the Centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030.

About Commonwealth Games

• A quadrennial multi-sport event among Commonwealth nations, inaugurated in 1930. 
• India hosted the XIX Games in 2010.
• Ahmedabad has been formally declared as the host city for the Centenary Commonwealth Games 2030.

About Commonwealth

• Originated in the 1926 Imperial Conference where Britain and the Dominions agreed that they were all equal members of a community within the British Empire.
• London Declaration (1949) laid the foundation of modern Commonwealth stated that republics and other countries could be part of the Commonwealth.
• Membership: 56 countries.

Indian Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Arjun Erigaisi won bronze medals at the 2025 FIDE Rapid Chess Championship in Doha.

• The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess (headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland).

Key Highlights 

• Grandmaster Arjun clinched his maiden bronze medal at the event. 
• He also became only the second Indian male player, after legendary Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, to achieve a podium finish.