Daily GK Update- 2nd Nov, 2022

NATIONAL UPDATES:

1. India to Contribute $500,000 For UN Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism: India is going to contribute half a million dollars to the United Nations’ efforts to counter global terrorism at a time when new and emerging technologies used by terror groups are posing fresh threats to governments around the world, the foreign minister said. The announcement was made during the plenary session of the UN Security Council special meeting of the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) in New Delhi. Keynote address of Minister of External Affairs Jaishankar:

a) India will be making a voluntary contribution of half a million dollars to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to augment the efforts of Office of Counter-Terrorism in providing capacity-building support to member states in preventing and countering the threat of terrorism.

b) Internet and social media platforms have turned into potent instruments in the toolkit of terrorist and militant groups for spreading propaganda, radicalization and conspiracy theories aimed at destabilizing societies

c) UN Security Council, in the past 2 decades, has evolved an important architecture built primarily around the Counter-Terrorism Sanctions Regime to combat this menace. This has been very effective in putting those countries on notice that had turned terrorism into a state-funded enterprise.

d) Despite this, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, particularly in Asia and Africa, as successive reports of the 1267 Sanctions Committee monitoring reports have highlighted.

2. Centre approves Terai Elephant Reserve in Uttar Pradesh: The Centre has approved the setting up of the Terai Elephant Reserve (TER) at Dudhwa-Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh. The Terai Elephant Reserve is the 3rd Elephant Reserve in India which is spread over 3,049 sq km. The Terai Elephant Reserve includes protected areas, forest areas, and corridors for the conservation of wild elephants.This will cover the conservation of four wild species including tiger, Asian elephant, swamp deer, and one-horned rhinoceros. Key Points:

a) The Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said that the move will help conserve transboundary migratory elephant populations.

b) The reserve through implementing human-elephant conflict mitigation strategies will protect the villagers living in the Indo-Nepal border area of Uttar Pradesh.

c) This will also be beneficial for the two tiger reserves by managing grassland and corridor maintenance.

d) The TER is the third new elephant reserve that got approval in the past three months under Project Tiger. The other two TER are Lemru in Chattisgarh and Agasthymalai in Tamil Nadu.

3. Indian scientists develop first indigenous Overhauser Magnetometer: Indian scientists developed an indigenous Overhauser Magnetometer, one of the most accurate Magnetometers extensively used in all magnetic observatories around the world. The Overhauser Magnetometer will make way for reducing the cost of sampling, according to the Ministry of Science & Technology. The sensor installed at Alibag Magnetic Observatory (MO) can reduce dependence of India on commercial OVH Magnetometers for performing geomagnetic field measurements. Key Points:

a) OVH Magnetometers are known for their higher accuracy, higher sensitivity, and efficient power consumption.

b) The Indian Institute of Geomagnetism (IIG), an autonomous research institution under DST, has developed the Magnetometers.

c) A team from IIG’s instrumentation division used various spectroscopic tools and theoretical simulations to understand the working.

d) They also performed various control experiments which includes varying the sensor composition and examining the sensor’s performance.

e) The examinations helped them to optimize the sensor parameters and its associated electronics.

4. “Delhi University – Celebrating 100 Glorious Years” authored by Hardeep Singh Puri: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India (GOI), Hardeep Singh Puri has authored a new book titled “DELHI UNIVERSITY: Celebrating 100 Glorious Years”. The Book is Published by Rupa Publications India. Amitabh Bachchan, Indian Actor, has written the foreword of the book.

The essence of the book: Delhi University: Celebrating 100 Glorious Years is an eclectic collection of personal narratives and reflections of some of the University’s most distinguished alumni and faculty—Amitabh Bachchan, Kiren Rijiju, Dinesh Singh, Meenakshi Gopinath, Shashi Tharoor, Bibek Debroy, Imtiaz Ali, Raian Karanjawala, Sanjeev Sanyal, Arnab Goswami, Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Lakshmi Puri, Namita Gokhale and Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

5. Zojila Day commemorated at Zojila War Memorial near Drass to celebrate action: Zojila Day was commemorated on 1st November, at Zojila War Memorial near Drass. Zojila Day is observed to celebrate the gallant action by Indian troops in ‘Operation Bison’ in 1948 which was launched on the icy heights of Zojila pass, the gateway to Ladakh. A solemn wreath-laying by Commander Drass and warriors of the Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps marks the commemoration of the day, to pay homage to the gallant Bravehearts, who have etched their names in history by liberating the Zojila pass from Pakistani Intruders.

Zojila day epitomizes the indomitable spirit of bravery and the ‘Never Say Die’ attitude of the Indian Army. This battle was also historic for the reason that tanks were used for the first time at such heights. Commander Drass Brigade, interacted with the soldiers on the occasion and called upon all ranks to continue to draw inspiration from the heroic deeds of our Bravehearts and always keep ‘Nation First‘ in their endeavors.

6. CSIR-NIScPR Celebrates “International Open Access Week-2022”: International Open Access Week is celebrated worldwide to create awareness about open-access scholarly publishing among researchers and publishers by CSIR-NIScPR. It is celebrated globally during the last full week of October. To highlight the different aspects and opportunities of the Open Access Publishing, different outreach activities are organized including talks, seminars, symposia, or the announcement of open-access mandates or other milestones in open access.

In the year 2022, The International Open Access Week, entered in its fifteenth year of celebration. International Open Access Week is organized by Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) in partnership with the Open Access Week Advisory Committee.

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:

1. WHO Releases First-Ever List of Fungal Infection, Flags Global Health Threat: The World Health Organisation (WHO) released the first-ever list of fungal infections — “priority pathogens”. The fungal priority pathogens list (FPPL) includes 19 fungi that represent the greatest threat to human health. The UN body warned that some strains are increasingly drug-resistant and are growing at an alarming rate. The WHO said that fungal infections are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment and can be dangerous to mankind due to a lack of focus, lack of surveillance, treatments and diagnostics.

Three Different Kinds Of Fungal Pathogens:

a) The WHO FPPL is divided into three categories — critical, high and medium priority.

b) These fungal pathogens are ranked in each priority category based on their impact on public health and/or emerging antifungal resistance risk.

c) The critical group includes Candida auris, which is a highly drug-resistant fungi, Cryptococcus neoformans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Candida albicans.

d) The high priority group includes a number of other fungi from the Candida family as well as others such as Mucorales, a group containing “black fungus“, an infection which rose rapidly in seriously ill people, particularly in India, during Covid-19.

e) The medium priority group lists a number of other fungi, including Coccidioides spp and Cryptococcus gattii.

2. India’s Per Capita Greenhouse Gas Emissions Below World Average: UNEP: A new report released by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in October 2022, according to the report At 2.4 CO2e (tonne carbon dioxide equivalent), India’s per capita greenhouse gas emissions were far below the world average (including land use, land-use change, and forestry) of 6.3 tCO2e in 2020. The “Emissions Gap Report 2022: The Closing Window” has been released ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27). The data reflected that the international community is still falling far from the Paris goals, which were proposed with the aim of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5° C in place. Important Highlights of the Report:

a) The report said India remains far below the world average at 2.4 tCO2e. On average, least developed countries emit 2.3 tCO2e per capita annually.

b) To achieve the Paris Agreement goals, the world needs to reduce greenhouse gases by unprecedented levels over the next eight years.

c) One of the major factors in achieving this long-term temperature goal is to address the greenhouse gas emission rates from each country around the world.

d) To meet the least-cost pathway to holding global warming to 1.5 degree Celsius, emissions must fall by 45% over those envisaged under current policies by 2030.

e) Least developed countries contributed only 0.5% to historical CO2 fossil fuel and industry emissions between 1850 and 2019.

3. International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists: 2nd November: November 2nd has been observed as the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) since 2013. The day came into existence when the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution in December 2013. The day draws attention to impunity, i.e., culprits going unpunished, to crimes against journalists. It took a couple of years of work and extensive lobbying from IFEX (formerly International Freedom of Expression Exchange) and others to get the Resolution for marking the day passed.

The main event to celebrate the 2022 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is a High-Level Multi-Stakeholder Conference on the Safety of Journalists with the theme “Protecting Media to Protect Democracy” in Vienna, Austria. This year’s slogan is Knowing the “Truth is Protecting the Truth”.

OTHER UPDATES:

SPORTS

1. Akanksha Vyavahare creates three new national records at Khelo India weightlifting meet: Akanksha Vyavahare, who is a Maharashtra-based weightlifter has created three new national records in the 40kg weight category at the Khelo India National Ranking Women’s Weightlifting Tournament. Akanksha Vyavahare was also a part of the Target Olympics Podium Scheme and created records in snatch, clean and jerk, and total. Key Points:

a) Akanksha has improved her existing snatch national record by lifting 60kg.

b) She recorded 71 kg in the clean jerk and the process registered a total lift of 131 kg.

c) The opening ceremony of the Khelo India National Ranking Women’s Weightlifting Tournament was felicitated by Tokyo Olympics Silver medalist Mirabai Chanu.

d) Mirabai Chanu won the gold medal in Phase 1 of the Khelo India Weightlifting Tournament in Himachal Pradesh.

2. FIFA World Cup: Spain won the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup: Spain, defending champions won the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup against the first-time finalists Colombia. Spain won the match after an own goal in the 82nd minute of the finals by Colombian defender Ana María Guzmán Zapata. The final match of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup was played between Spain and Colombia in the Patil Sports Stadium. Spain won by 1-0 in the finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup against Colombia.

India was the host of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup this year and unfortunately team India was not able to clear the group stages after losing three matches.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

1. Shiprocket Becomes first Inter-City Logistics Provider to Join ONDC Network: Shiprocket is the first inter-city logistics provider to plug into the ONDC network, enabling sellers from all segments to ship products to cities and towns across India. Shiprocket, a shipping and logistics solutions provider, has gone live on the government’s Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and made its first successful transaction on October 22.

Shiprocket, which serves more than 100,000 customers, will enable sellers from 24,000 pin codes to select delivery partners to ship products across India, through both cash-on-delivery and pre-paid options. About ONDC:

a) The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is a government-backed project which is aimed at enabling small merchants and mom-and-pop stores in parts of the country to access processes and technologies that are typically deployed by large e-commerce platforms.

b) It is an initiative aiming at promoting open networks for all aspects of the exchange of goods and services over digital or electronic networks.

c) ONDC is to be based on open-sourced methodology, using open specifications and open network protocols independent of any specific platform.

d) The foundations of ONDC are to be open protocols for all aspects of the entire chain of activities in exchange for goods and services.

e) It will be similar to hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) for information exchange over the internet, simple mail transfer protocol (SMTP) for the exchange of emails, and unified payments interface (UPI) for payments.

2. Dabur acquires 51% stake in Badshah Masala for Rs 587.52 crore: Dabur India to acquire 51 percent stake in Badshah Masala in a Rs 587.52 crore deal. Dabur India marks its entry into the fast-growing spices and seasoning category. The company signed definitive transaction agreements to acquire 51 percent shareholding of Badshah Masala Pvt Ltd. Badshah Masala Pvt Ltd is a firm engaged in manufacturing, marketing, and export of ground spices, blended spices, and seasoning. The acquisition is in line with the company’s strategic intent of entering into new adjacent categories in the food space. Key Points:

a) Dabur acquires 51 percent equity shareholding at Rs 587.52 crore.

b) The 49 percent of the equity will be acquired after a period of 5 years by Dabur.

c) Dabur India aspires to expand its food business to Rs 500 crore in 3 years and expand into new adjacent categories.

d) This initiative also marks the entry of Dabur into the over Rs 25,000 crore branded spices and seasoning market in India.

e) Dabur also joined the league of other FMCG markers such as Tata Consumer Products Ltd and ITC, Emami, etc.

DEFENCE

1. Rajnath Singh virtually launches two helipads in Ladakh, unveils 75 infra projects: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched 75 new projects including the virtual launch of two helipads, one in Hanle and one in Thakung in Eastern Ladakh. These helipads are aimed to enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Air Force in the region.

Union minister dedicated the projects worth Rs 2,180 crore spread across six states and two Union Territories at a function held at eastern Ladakh’s strategic Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldi (DS-DBO) road that provides connectivity to India’s northernmost outpost of Daulat Bege Oldi. Key Points:

a) In the event, there was an onsite unveiling of 120-meter-long ‘Class-70 Shyok Setu’ on the DS-DBO road at an altitude of 14,000 feet and a virtual inauguration of two helipads.

b) The 75 projects implemented by the Border Roads Organization (BRO) included 45 bridges, 27 roads, two helipads, and one ‘Carbon Neutral Habitat’.

c) Twenty of the projects are in Jammu and Kashmir, 18 in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, five in Uttrakhand, and 14 in other border states of Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Rajasthan.

d) The BRO’s first Carbon Neutral Habitat at a height of 19,000 feet for its personnel was also inaugurated at Hanle.

e) The Key features of this complex include the accommodation of 57 personnel and thermal comfort during extreme weather.

f) The Defence Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Himank Air Despatch Complex being constructed in Chandigarh and a BRO museum at Leh.

2. India to Hold Mega ‘Yudh Abhyas’ Military Drill With US Near China Border: Indian and US militaries to conduct the battalion-level “Yudh Abhyas” exercise between 15th November 2022 to 2nd December 2022. The Yudh Abhyas will be held at Auli in Uttarakhand which from just 100 km from the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The member countries of the “Quad” will conduct the Malabar exercise off Yokosuka in Japan between 8th November 2022 to 18th November 2022. The “Quad” member countries include India, Australia, Japan, and the US. The Quad has declared that it would “deter” any “coercion” in the Indo-Pacific. “Yudh Abhyas” will include high-altitude warfare drills. Key Points:

a) In the Yudh Abhyas military drill around 350 soldiers from each country are expected to participate.

b) The soldiers will witness the employment of integrated battle groups in mountains and extremely cold climates, along with heliborne elements in cold climates.

c) In August, the US and Indian forces conducted the “Vajra Prahar” exercise at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh. The “Vajra Prahar” involved the special forces of the two countries.

d) India to conduct the “Autra-Hind” infantry combat exercise at the Mahajan range in Rajasthan between 28th November 2022 to 11 December 2022.

OBITUARIES

1. Assam’s eminent artist Neel Pawan Baruah passes away: Assam’s eminent artist, Neel Pawan Baruah has passed away after a prolonged illness. He was 84. Baruah was born in Jorhat to Assam’s eminent poet Binanda Chandra Baruah, popularly called ‘Dhwani Kobi’, and Labanya Prava Baruah. An alumnus of Santiniketan’s Kala Bhawan, Baruah was a versatile artist with his oeuvre ranging from painting, pottery, mask-making and writing poetry.

Notably: In 2021, he was awarded the ‘Assam Sourabh’ award by the Government of Assam. Baruah was married to Dipali Borthakur, the ‘Nightingale of Assam’ who passed away on December 21, 2018.