First Rainbow International Tourism Conference in Nepal took place in Kathmandu organised by civil society Mayako Pahichan in association with Nepal Tourism Board.

Highlights of the report are

1. Chief Guest of the event, Bhagawati Chaudhary, Minister of Women, Children and senior citizen inaugurated the even along with Sunil Babu Pant, first openly gay member of Parliament in Asia. 
2. LGBTQ participants and experts in their field spoke on pink tourism and bringing inclusiveness in tourism sector to boost economy of any country. 
3. EU Ambassador in Nepal Veronique Lorenzo expressed that Nepal being LGBTQ friendly country, has great prospects to attract tourists as compared to other LGBTQ non-friendly Asian countries.
4. Nepal visioned itself to be favourable destination wedding and honeymoon vacation place for LGBTQ community from its two big neighbours along with other countries. 
5. Critical topics such as LGBTI+ travel, accessible tourism, cultural sensitivity, and community engagement were discussed to create a more inclusive and equitable tourism sector.
6. Sean Howell, founder of Hornet company targeting LGBTQ community shared global statistics about LGBTQ market. There is USD 202 billion global spend by LGBT travelers, which can be tapped by countries to make their tourism industry LGBTQ friendly and open queer destination. 

17 Year old GM Gukesh Dommaraju has become the youngest player to win the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournament after 14 rounds and over three weeks of play.

He will play GM Ding Liren for the world championship title later this year. 

In a tense, almost six-hour game, GM Fabiano Caruana was unable to finish off a winning position against GM Ian Nepomniachtchi to extend the tournament one more day with tiebreaks. With a draw in that game, Gukesh's draw against GM Hikaru Nakamura was enough to advance.

Former Women's World Champion Tan Zhongyi won the 2024 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament by a 1.5-point margin after leading the tournament the entire way through.

Earth day is celebrated on 22 April every year. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. A U.S. senator named Gaylord Nelson took the step of environmental activism and founded this day with the purpose of uniting people with a common goal.

• Nelson organised the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, with the help of a graduate student from Harvard University named Denis Hayes.
• The movement has since mobilised more than a billion individuals in over 192 countries.
• The annual event is being marked on April 22 with the global theme ‘Planet vs. Plastics’. 
• In 2016 the United Nations selected April 22 as the date for the Paris Accord.

Naima Khatoon has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), making her the first woman to hold the top post in over 100 years, sources said on Monday( 22 April, 2024).

• Khatoon was appointed after receiving approval from President Droupadi Murmu, who is Visitor to the University, they said.
• Permission from the Election Commission of India (ECI) was also sought in view of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) being in place.
• Khatoon completed her PhD in psychology from AMU and was appointed as a lecturer in the same department in 1988 before being elevated to professor in 2006. She continued there before being appointed the principal of the Women's College in 2014.

Citroen India has appointed cricketer MS Dhoni as its brand ambassador. Citroen is among the newest carmakers in the fast-growing local car market. Its association with the legendary cricketer should help the carmaker strengthen its brand identity among the masses.

• Citroen started its local operations in 2019 and launched its first car in 2021. In spite of being a newcomer, the carmaker has established a presence in the market.
• Currently, it occupies just 0.21% of the sales pie, but the carmaker plans to strengthen its position. In the last fiscal (2023-24), it sold 8,330 units. This corresponds to a significant increase from the 5,990 units sold in the previous financial year.

In a remarkable discovery, scientists have found that Mount Erebus, the highest active volcano in Antarctica, is emitting gold particles along with volcanic gases.

• This finding, which sheds light on a phenomenon first observed by American geologists in 1991, underscores the unique geological activity of the region.
• According to researchers, the detection of gold particles in volcanic gases emitted by Mount Erebus, as well as in surrounding snow, remains consistent with observations made three decades ago.
• The daily output of gold from the volcano is estimated to be approximately 2.8 ounces (80 grams), a figure consistent with previous findings.
• Philip Kyle from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology explained that gold deposits can originate in volcanic rock.
• When lava from Mount Erebus emits hot gas during volcanic activity, it carries some of these gold particles into the air.
• The size of the gold flecks ranges from 0.1 to 20 micrometers in the volcanic gases and approximately 60 micrometers in surrounding snow.
• Situated on Ross Island in Antarctica, Mount Erebus is one of the region's 138 active volcanoes. Along with Deception Island, it is one of only two active volcanoes in the area. The volcano's daily emission of gold dust, valued at $6,000, highlights its significance in the geological landscape of Antarctica.

The 34th Seng Khihlang festival, held in Wahiajer, is set to conclude on April 21, 2024. The festival, significant to followers of the Khasi Indigenous Faith, will culminate with the ceremonial reception of the Monolith, a symbol of unity. 

• The festival has been underway in Wahiajer since April 19, 2024.
• Wahiajer is a Village in Thadlaskein Block in Jaintia Hills District of Meghalaya State, India.
• The Seng Khihlang festival holds immense significance for believers, serving as a time of unity and celebration.
• Under the stewardship of the Seng Khasi Sein Raij, the festival has provided a unifying platform for all Khasi Indigenous Faith adherents.

Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) aims for global recognition through sponsorship, also introducing ‘Nandini Splash’ energy drink in the US during the tournament.

• The ‘Nandini logo’ will adorn Scotland and Ireland cricket teams’ jerseys in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
• KMF sees the event as a chance to expand its market and revenue. Meanwhile, criticism arises over prioritizing international teams over local sports entities.
• The sponsorship, estimated at Rs 2-2.5 crore per team, prompts debate on social media, led by figures like TV Mohandas Pai.

India has made a strong pitch for designing region-specific ocean observations for forecasting and roping in NGOs to harness traditional knowledge for better understanding of deep-sea ecosystems at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference in Barcelona .

India also called for people-centred multi-hazard early warning systems and designing adaptation planning strategies to increase coastal resilience.

The Indian delegation to the Conference was led by Earth Sciences Secretary M Ravichandran and comprised experts in the area of ocean studies, including T Srinivasa Kumar, Director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS).

Ravichandran also urged integration of ocean observation systems across platforms in accessible and usable formats, bringing focus on use of science for policy and decision making by coastal cities and a greater emphasis on region specific ocean observations.

Gabriel, the first Filipino American quarterback in the NFL and the league MVP in 1969, died Saturday (21 April 2024).  He was 83.

• His son, Roman Gabriel III, announced his father's death on social media, saying he died peacefully at home of natural causes.
• In 2021, the elder Gabriel told the Los Angeles Times, "I am retired with heart problems and arthritis but happy." He said he split time between Wilmington, North Carolina, and Little River, South Carolina.
• Gabriel played 11 years for the Rams and five years with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he was traded after the Rams acquired John Hadl.

The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), known for its Nandini brand of dairy products, has announced its sponsorship of the Scotland and Ireland teams for the upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup.

Scheduled to be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States from June 1-29, the T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 boasts a record 20 teams participating in this year's edition of the Twenty20 cricket championship.

KMF is set to introduce Nandini Splash, an energy drink derived from whey, in the US market during the tournament, according to the Managing Director of KMF.

Intel has named Santhosh Viswanathan as the Managing Director (MD) of its India region business, bringing with him 21 years of experience with the company.

• This decision follows Intel’s recent announcement in March to establish India as a distinct region within its Sales, Marketing, and Communications Group (SMG) organization, aiming to seize the country’s burgeoning growth and business prospects.
• Viswanathan, who previously served as Vice President and Managing Director for the Indian market since July 2022, will now lead the newly formed India region.
•  Additionally, Hans Chuang has been appointed as the General Manager (GM) of SMG Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), operating from Taiwan.

The State of the Climate in Asia 2023 report highlighted the accelerating rate of key climate change indicators such as surface temperature, glacier retreat and sea level rise, which will have major repercussions for societies, economies and ecosystems in the region.

• In 2023, sea-surface temperatures in the north-west Pacific Ocean were the highest on record. Even the Arctic Ocean suffered a marine heatwave.
• Asia is warming faster than the global average. The warming trend has nearly doubled since the 1961–1990 period. 
• In India, severe heatwaves in April and June resulted in about 110 reported fatalities due to heatstroke.
• A major and prolonged heatwave affected much of South-East Asia in April and May, extending as far west as Bangladesh and Eastern India, and north to southern China, with record-breaking temperatures, WMO flagged.

The MoU was signed by Director General, Armed Forces Medical Services, Lt Gen Daljit Singh and Director IIT Delhi Prof Rangan Banerjee.

• The scope of this MoU includes undertaking research and innovation to develop novel medical devices and focus on solving health issues specific to serving soldiers in varied terrains, the Ministry of Defence said.
• IIT Delhi has a robust biomedical research ecosystem which is ideal for providing the technical expertise required for research into the diverse medical challenges faced in the Armed Forces, including rehabilitation of amputees.
• Under the ambit of this MoU, faculty exchange programme, joint academic activities and development of joint PhD programmes will also be planned.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2550th Bhagwan Mahaveer Nirvan Mahotsav on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.  

• The PM released a commemorative stamp and coin to mark the occasion.
• Modi highlighted the significance of the youth’s commitment to the values of Bhagwan Mahaveer and emphasised the importance of celebrating these values for thousands of years to come.
• PM Modi spoke on the importance of the 2550th Bhagwan Mahaveer Nirvan Mahotsav, highlighting its coincidental alignment with significant national events like the 75th year of the Constitution and the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.