Memorandum of Understanding between India and Maldives

In News:

  • The Union Cabinet approved the MoU signed India and Maldives on cooperation in the field of Sustainable Urban Development.  The MoU was signed in February, 2021.
  • The objectives of the MoU are to facilitate and strengthen India-Maldives technical cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development including Urban Planning, Smart Cities Development, Solid waste management, Affordable housing, Urban Green Mobility, Urban Mass Rapid Transport, smart cities development and any other related area mutually agreed by contracting parties.
  • The MoU will promote strong, deep and long-term bilateral cooperation between the two countries and is expected to create employment in the various areas of sustainable urban development.

Agreement on “Cooperation in the field of Mass Media” – SCO

In News:

  • The Union Cabinet has given its ex-post facto approval for signing and ratification of an Agreement on “Cooperation in the field of Mass Media” between all the Member States of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.  The Agreement was signed in June, 2019.
  • The main areas of cooperation are:
    1. Creation of favorable conditions for wide and mutual distribution of information.
    2. Encourage the exchange of experience and specialists in the field of Mass Media.
    3. Provide mutual assistance in training media professionals and encourage cooperation among the educational and scientific-research institutions and Organizations operating in this field.

MoU between India and Argentine on Mineral Resources

In News:

  • The Union Cabinet approved the MoU between Government of India and the Argentine Republic.
  • The MoU will provide an institutional mechanism for cooperation in the field of Mineral Resources.
  • The objectives of the MoU are:
    1. Cooperation for encouraging minerals exploration and development, including extraction, mining and beneficiation of lithium.
    2. Exchange of technical and scientific information and interchange of ideas and knowledge.
    3. Training and capacity building.

Memorandum of Cooperation between India and Japan – Sustainable Urban Development

In News:

  • The Union Cabinet approved the signing of Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) on Sustainable Urban Development, in supersession of existing MoU of 2007 on Urban Development.
  • The cooperation under this MoC will commence on the date of its signature and continue for a period of 5 years. Thereafter, it may be renewed automatically for further successive periods of 5 years at a time.
  • The MoC is expected to create employment opportunities in the areas of sustainable urban development, including Urban Planning, Smart Cities Development, Affordable Housing, (including rental housing), Urban Flood Management, Sewerage and Waste Water Management, Urban Transport (including Intelligent Transport Management System, Transit-Oriented Development and Multimodal Integration) and Disaster Resilient development.

Seed Minikit Programme for Pulses and Oilseeds

In News: The Seed Minikit Programme was launched by Union Agriculture Minster by distributing Seed Minikits (higher yielding varieties of seeds) to farmers.

Context:

  • From the year 2014-15, there has been a renewed focus on increasing the production of pulses and oilseeds under the National Food Security Mission.
  • Oilseeds production has increased from 27.51 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 36.57 million tonnes in 2020-21 (3rd advance estimates).
  • Pulses production has increased from 17.15 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 25.56 million tonnes in 2020-21 (3rdadvance estimates).
  • Though trends in area, production and productivity of oilseeds and pulses are encouraging, but these need further acceleration and Seed Minikits programme is instrumental for increasing the seed replacement rate.
  • The mini kits are being provided by the Central Agencies National Seeds Corporation (NCS), NAFED and Gujarat State Seeds Corporation and wholly funded by the Government of India through the National Food Security Mission. 

Dr. Harsh Vardhan completes tenure as Chairperson of Executive Board of WHO

In News:

  • Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare in his capacity as Chairperson, Executive Board, WHO addressed the 149th Session of the WHO Executive Board Meeting.
  • Dr. Patrick Amoth, Kenya has been elected as the new Chairperson of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO).

‘India – Cycles4Change’

In News: The India Cycles4Change challenge is beginning to gain momentum in Indian cities.

Context:

  • The challenge was launched last year under the Smart Cities Mission by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 25th June, 2020, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic that was gaining ground in the country.
  • Over the last year, a cycling revolution has taken over India, with cycling being seen as an important mode of safe and healthy personal transport medium that ensures social distancing, while being environmentally sustainable.
  • The Smart Cities Mission, in association with Institute for Transport and Development Policy (ITDP) conducted training modules and other capacity building initiatives to guide 107 cities on various cycling initiatives.
  • The key intervention areas identified for piloting of solutions for the Challenge are as under:
    1. Identifying barriers to cycling by listening to the people
    2. Making streets and neighbourhoods safe and fun for cycling
    3. Creating a cycling community
    4. Empowering women to cycle
    5. Changing everyday behaviour through campaigns
  • As per ITDP, Investments in cycling infrastructure have economic benefits of up to 5.5 times the initial investment. Cycling for short distances can result in an annual benefit of INR 1.8 trillion to the Indian economy.
  • Indian cities must prioritise cycling, walking, and public transport to build resilience to face future pandemics but to also effectively tackle climate change.

Modern Tech + Indian traditional knowledge = Safe & healthy drinking water

In News: Scientists at CSIR-NCL Pune, with support from the Water Technology Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, have developed the novel hybrid technology called SWASTIIK’.

Context:

  • Modern technology and Indian traditional knowledge of Ayurveda have been combined for a solution to disinfect water completely and also offer possible health benefits of natural oils.
  • It involves boiling of a liquid as a result of pressure reduction (cavitation) and also uses natural oils having antimicrobial properties. This technology can eliminate harmful bacteria, including antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, economically.
  • It not only integrates Indian traditional knowledge of Ayurveda for complete disinfection of water but also may offer possible health benefits of natural oils.
  • The technique used – hydrodynamic cavitation combines chemistry, biology, and chemical engineering along with natural resources in the form of natural oils and plant extracts.
  • The process, which draws inspiration from Indian traditional knowledge, has resulted in increased efficiency and reduced cost of water treatment.
  • The team achieved complete elimination for gram-negative E. coli and gram-positive S. aureus bacteria and even AMR bacteria/ difficult opportunistic pathogenic bacteria typically in 5-10 minutes.
  • The novel strategy of SWASTIIK (Safe Water and Sustainable Technology Initiative from Indian Knowledgebase) can have significant benefits in terms of providing SAFE WATER and also possible health benefits that can also boost immunity, an important aspect as underlined in the current COVID-19 era.

International award for C.N.R. Rao

In News:

  • Bharat Ratna Professor C.N.R. Rao has been selected for the International Eni Award 2020 for research in energy frontiers.
  • Eni Award: It is a prize awarded by the Italian oil and gas company Eni with the aim of encouraging better use of energy sources and increased environmental research. This is considered to be the Nobel Prize in energy research.
  • Professor Rao has been working on hydrogen energy as the only source of energy for the benefit of all mankind.
  • Storage, photochemical and electrochemical production of hydrogen, solar production of hydrogen and non-metallic catalysis were the highlights of the work.
  • C.N.R. Rao: Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao FRS, also known as C. N. R. Rao, is an Indian chemist who has worked mainly in solid-state and structural chemistry. He hails from Karnataka.

MIS-C cases see an increase across Karnataka

In News:

  • Doctors across the State are seeing more cases of a rare inflammatory syndrome in children, a post-COVID-19 complication.
  • Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C):
    1. It is a condition where different body parts can become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, or gastrointestinal organs.
    2. Children with MIS-C may have a fever and various symptoms, including abdominal (gut) pain, vomiting, diarrhea, neck pain, rash, bloodshot eyes, or feeling extra tired.
    3. We do not yet know what causes MIS-C. However, many children with MIS-C had the virus that causes COVID-19, or had been around someone with COVID-19.

India abstained from Human Rights Council resolution

In News:

  • India abstained in the voting on the resolution at the Human Rights Council [HRC] on May 27 that came up against the backdrop of the latest round of conflict between Israel and Gaza strip, the coastal part of the Palestinian territories.
  • India had condemned the death of an Indian citizen in the rocket attacks by Hamas from Gaza.
  • India has maintained that two-state solution to equal sovereign rights is the way forward to resolve the century-old crisis.
  • However, India abstained from voting on the resolution, which is aimed at securing Israel’s compliance with international human rights.
  • The resolution was adopted with the vote of 24 members. Nine voted against, and 14, including India, abstained. The passing of the resolution led to the setting up of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate violation of international law by Israel.

UNGA head: India to vote for Maldives

In News:

  • India will vote in support of Maldives’ Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid in the election of the President of the United Nations General Assembly next week, a decision which will disappoint another close neighbour, Afghanistan, which has former Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul in the running.
  • The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ of the UN.
  • In 2016, Fiji won the election after a bitter contest with Cyprus that saw the U.S. and China taking different sides.
  • While most countries have not disclosed their vote yet, India had confirmed its support to the Maldives during a virtual meeting between External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Mr. Shahid in August 2020.

Only Delta is a variant of concern: WHO

In News:

  • The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said only B.1.617.2, one of the three strains of the B.1.617 COVID-19 variant first detected in India, is a “variant of concern” now and noted that lower rates of transmission have been observed for the other two lineages.
  • The B.1.617 variant was first detected in India and was divided in three lineages as:
    1. B.1.617.1
    2. B.1.617.2
    3. B.1.617.3.
  • In the COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update published, WHO said available findings for lineages B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 were initially used to designate B.1.617 a global Variant of Concern (VOC) on May 11.
  • Since then, it has become evident that greater public health risks are currently associated with B.1.617.2, while lower rates of transmission of other lineages have been observed, WHO said.
  • B.1.617.2 remains a VOC and labelled variant Delta — we continue to observe significantly increased transmissibility and a growing number of countries reporting outbreaks associated with this variant. Further studies into the impact of this variant remain a high priority for WHO, it said.

Tulsa race massacre- 1921

In News:

  • U.S. President Joe Biden became the first sitting American head of state to officially recognise one of the worst incidents of violent racial hate in the country’s modern history — the Tulsa Race Massacre of May-June 1921.
  • The widespread killings in Tulsa, Oklahoma, targeting relatively well-to-do African Americans, and the extensive damage to their property by rampaging white mobs at the time shocked the nation and world.
  • Tulsa was especially known for being an unofficial sanctuary city for African Americans suffering the consequences of harsh segregation or Jim Crow laws in pre-civil rights America.

Labour veteran Herzog elected Israel President

In News:

  • Israel’s Parliament elected the Labour veteran Isaac Herzog as its 11th President.
  • Mr. Herzog, 60, beat former headmistress Miriam Peretz to replace President Reuven Rivlin, who was elected in 2014 to the largely ceremonial position decided by the Parliament, or Knesset.
  • The presidency exerts little power, primarily meeting with party leaders after legislative elections and tasking candidates with forming governments. It is the Prime Minister who wields actual executive authority.

Abundant lithium in low mass red giants traced to He-flashing phase of 2 million years

In News: The discrepancy between the abundance of lithium as inferred from observations of stars and the theoretically predicted amount has intrigued astronomers for a long time.

Context:

  • Scientists from the Indian Institute of astrophysics have pinned down the mechanism behind the Lithium production in low mass red clump stars.
  • Having found lithium excess to be common among the low mass red clump giants, they have now traced Helium (He)-flashing phase of the star’s evolution as the site for high lithium production.
  • This transition phase lasts for about 2 million, during which RGB giants with inert He-core at the centre become red clump giants of He-core burning.
  • Recently, a group of Astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, established Li excess in giants is a transient phenomenon.
  • The researchers used asteroseismology (seismic study of stars using time-resolved photometry from Kepler space telescope) combined with spectroscopic abundances of elements to track the evolution of lithium in a sample of giant stars. 
  • In addition to the evidence for Li production site, a first-of-its-kind correlation between the two independent observed quantities Li abundance and stellar oscillations (gravity mode period spacing) will serve to track the He-flashing phase of converting RGB giant of an inert, electron-degenerate He-core into a fully convective He-burning core by a series of core He-flashes, a theory developed in the 1960s. This work is published in the ‘Astrophysical Journal Letters’.
  • The importance of this result lies in the fact that, these results will be of great interest because of lithium’s broader implications to cosmological models, which predict Big Bang lithium abundance.