India welcomes Congo into International Solar Alliance

India welcomes Congo into International Solar Alliance

• India has welcomed Congo to International Solar Alliance. The External Affairs Ministry said the Ambassador of the Republic of Congo, Raymond Serge Bale signed the International Solar Alliance Framework Agreement in the presence of the Joint Secretary (Economic Diplomacy)
• International Solar Alliance (ISA) is an action-oriented, member-driven, collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies. Its basic motive is to facilitate energy access, ensure energy security, and drive energy transition in its member countries. 
• The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against climate change through the deployment of solar energy solutions. 

Equatorial Guinea appoints Manuela Roka Botey as first female PM

• Equatorial Guinea has appointed Manuela Roka Botey as prime minister. She became the first woman in the country to hold the position. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled the country since 1979, made the announcement in a decree read on state television. 
• Ms. Rotey was previously the education minister and joined the government in 2020. She replaces former premier Francisco Pascual Obama Asue, who has been in the position since 2016.
• The country of around 1.5 million people has had only two presidents since independence from Spain in 1968. Obiang ousted his uncle, Francisco Macias Nguema, in a coup in August 1979.

UNESCO listed Ukraine’s Odesa as a World Heritage Site in Danger

• UNESCO, designated the historic center of Odesa as a World Heritage Site and categorized it as being “in danger” during a committee meeting in Paris. 
• It is in recognition of the historical significance of a Black Sea port that Russia has pounded with missiles as it seeks to retake Ukraine.
• Odesa has been dubbed “the intercultural capital of Ukraine” by the city’s mayor, Gennadiy Trukhanov, making it a representation of Ukrainian identity.
• Since the start of the Russian invasion, at least 236 cultural sites in Ukraine, including temples, museums, monuments, and libraries, have suffered damage, according to the agency.
• The Black Sea-accessible port city in the south has traditionally served as a meeting point for various civilizations.