NATIONAL:
1. IIGF
Why in news:- India Internet Governance Forum 2023' to discuss public policy issues related to Internet in New Delhi.
Key Points: India Internet Governance Forum 2023 (IIGF-2023) is a hybrid event, being convened on 5th December. The Theme of the event is Moving Forward - Calibrating Bharat’s Digital Agenda.
About IIGF:
• The India Internet Governance Forum is an initiative associated with the UN Internet Governance Forum (UN IGF).
• The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multi-stakeholder platform bringing representatives together from various groups, all at par to discuss public policy issues related to the Internet.
• The Indian chapter of the United Nations IGF, called India IGF or IIGF, was created in 2021.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Why in news- India re-elected to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council for two years.
Key Points-
• India’s re-election falls under the Category of 10 states with “the largest interest in international seaborne trade”.
• IMO is responsible for the safety and security of shipping and preventing marine and atmospheric pollution by ships.
About IMO:
• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1948.
• 175 members and 3 associate members
• IMO Council acts as the Executive Organ of IMO.
• The Organization consists of an Assembly, a Council, and five main Committees along with subcommittees.
2. India surpassed Montreal protocol Targets
Why in news- India surpassed Montreal protocol targets, says report by MOEFCC and UNDP.
Key points:
• According to the report India exceeded the 35% HCFC
• (Hydrochlorofluorocarbons) phase-out goal, achieving a 44% reduction from the 2020 baseline and has also eliminated HCFC 141b.
• HCFCs are employed as refrigerants in production of new equipment.
• HCFC 141b, is used as a blowing agent in production of rigid polyurethane foam.
• India will also phase out use of HCFCs in new equipment manufacturing completely by December 2024 ahead of the Montreal Protocol schedule (2030).
Montreal Protocol (1987):
• It is a global environmental treaty to eliminate the production and use of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS).
• It was implemented under the Vienna Convention (adopted in 1985).
• In 2016, Kigali Amendment to Montreal Protocol was adopted to phase down production and consumption of Hydro fluorocarbons (HFCs).
• HFCs are a non-ODS alternative to CFCs and HCFCs, but their global warming potential is thousands of times that of carbon dioxide.
3. World's Biggest Set of Human Genome Sequences
Why in news- UK Biobank opens World's biggest set of human genome sequences to scientists.
Key points:
• The UK Biobank has shared complete genome sequences from its 500,000 British volunteers which could be accessed by scientist for research.
About Genome and its Sequencing:
• The genome is the entire set of DNA instructions found in a cell.
• In humans, it comprises 23 pairs of chromosomes (thread-like structures of DNA) in cells' nucleus and a small chromosome in cells' mitochondria.
• Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism.
• DNA contains unique chemical codes determined by the order of Adenine (A), Cytosine (C), Guanine (G) and Thymine (T) (the four nucleotide bases present in DNA)
• Genome sequencing refers to figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides in a genome (i.e., the order of As, Cs, Gs, and Ts).
SCIENCE & TECH:
1. Cyber Security Labeling Scheme
Why in news - Japanese tech lobby warns against EU cybersecurity labelling scheme.
Key points:
• The European Union wants to set up an EU certification scheme (EUCS) to vouch for the cybersecurity of cloud services .
• It will also help governments and companies in the bloc to select a secure vendor for their business.
• Lobby group Japan Association of New Economy has joined U.S. Big Tech to warn against proposed EU cybersecurity labelling rules hamper their access to the bloc's markets.
ENVIRONMENT:
1. Cyclone 'Michaung’
Why in news- NCMC Reviews Cyclone 'Michaung' Preparedness.
Key Points-
• Cyclone Michaung is a tropical cyclone that is tracking northwest in the western Bay of Bengal.
• ‘Michaung’ is named after a suggestion provided by Myanmar. It means strength and resilience.
• He India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported the storm's current location and projected path, indicating potential landfall on coastal Andhra Pradesh
2. Green Energy
Why in news:- 66 Indian Airports are operating on 100% Green Energy.
Key Points- Airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru have achieved Level 4+ and higher Airports International Council (ACI) Accreditation and have become Carbon neutral MoCA has taken initiatives for working towards Carbon neutrality and achieving net zero carbon emission at airports in the country by way of standardising Carbon Accounting and Reporting framework of Indian Airports.
AWARDS:
1. Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar
Why in news - Sahitya Akademi announces the winner of Yuva Puraskar-2023 in Maithili.
Key Points-
• Sahitya Akademi, the national academy of letters, announced the winners of its 2023 Yuva Puraskar in Maithili language.
• The Yuva Puraskar for Maithili language has been given to Sanskriti Mishra for her poetry collection ''Kahbaak Aachi hmra” .
• This Sahitya Akademi award comprises a copper plaque and a cash prize of INR 50,000/-.
About Sahitya Akademi:
• Every year since its inception in 1954, the Sahitya Akademi Award prizes to the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the major Indian languages recognised by the Akademi.
• The Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, established in 2011, is a literary award given by the Sahitya Akademi to young and upcoming writers in India.
• Young Indian writers under the age of 35 who show promising caliber are eligible to receive this award for their outstanding contribution to Indian language and literature.
IMPORTANT DAYS:
1. World Soil Day (5th December)
Why in news- World Soil Day (WSD) is held annually on 5 December.
Key Points-
• World Soil Day 2023 theme is "Soil and Water: A Source of Life".
• An international day to celebrate soil was recommended by the International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) in 2002 under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand.
• In December 2013, the UN General Assembly responded by designating 5 December 2014 as the first official World Soil Day.
REPORTS:
1. NCRB
Why in news - The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) released its annual report on crime in India for the year 2022 .
Key Points-
• An increase of 4% crime against women were registered in 2022 over the 2021 numbers.
• An increase of 4.2% was observed in suicides reported during 2022 (1,70,924 suicides) as compared to 2021.
• Reporting of cyber-crime increased significantly by 24.4 percentage points compared to 2021.
• The crime rate, or crimes registered per lakh population, has declined from 445.9 in 2021 to 422.2 in 2022.
• A decline of 4.5% in the registration of cases in 2022 over the second pandemic year, 2021.
POINTERS:
• The third edition of the IIGF is being conducted under the overarching theme- Moving Forward – Calibrating Bharat’s Digital Agenda.
• Name the cyclone currently over the Bay of Bengal, 90 kms northeast of Chennai. Its windspeed at its centre currently is 80-85 km/hr - Cyclone Michaung
• Which Indian Institute has developed a robotic model that they understands humans and interacts with them based on emotions? Institute of Information Technology Bengaluru
• AstraZeneca has signed a deal worth up to $247 million with which biological to design an antibody to fight cancer - US artificial intelligence (AI) biologics firm Absci
• ISRO successfully brought back the Propulsion Module (PM) of the spacecraft to Earth's orbit after surpassing its lunar mission goals-Chandrayaan-3
• A methane-liquid oxygen rocket by Chinese company Land Space, takes off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center - Zhuque -2 carrier rocket
• Which party is set to form the next government in Mizoram after it swept the election bagging 27 seats in 40-member House - Zoram People's Movement
• Section 6A is a special provision that deals with the citizenship of those covered by a Memorandum of Settlement - Assam Accord
• Recently, which country become the first South Asian nation to formally register same-sex marriage – Nepal
• As per the recent India Skills Report 2023, what is the percentage of India’s employable workforce – 50.3%
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