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Posted 21 Jun 2024
10 min read
World Investment Report 2024
World Investment Report 2024 released by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Key findings
- Globally, foreign direct investment flows declined by 2% in 2023.
- Sizeable declines were recorded in India.
- Mobilization of funds for SDG investment through sustainable finance products is slowing down.
About UNCTAD
- It is a permanent intergovernmental body established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1964.
- It supports developing countries to access the benefits of a globalized economy more fairly and effectively.
- Tags :
- UN Trade and Development
- World Investment Report 2024
Asiatic lion
Six Asiatic lions have migrated from Gir Forest to the Barda Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS).
About Asiatic lions
- Protection status
- IUCN status: Endangered
- CITES: Appendix I
- Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I and IV
- Characteristics
- They are slightly smaller than African lions.
- Males have only moderate mane growth at the top of the head.
- Lions have no particular breeding season.
- Habitat: Only in Gir forest and other protected areas in Gujarat’s Saurashtra region.
- Tags :
- Asiatic lion
- Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972
Striped caecilian (Ichthyophis spp)
A striped caecilian has been added to fauna in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
About Striped caecilian
- Caecilians are a separate group of amphibians classified under order Apoda.
- Characteristics
- Limbless amphibians that spend most of their life burrowed under soil.
- Wormlike animals, with smooth, moist skin which appears narrowly segmented.
- Eyes are small and covered with skin, and their visual perception is limited to determining between light and dark.
- Able to take in oxygen both through their skin and lungs.
- Genus Ichthyophis are egg-laying.
- Habitat: Six families of Caecilians are recognised ranging through Africa, South America and Southeast Asia.
- Tags :
- Kaziranga forest
- Striped caecilian
Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus)
According to IUCN, conservation status of Iberian lynx has improved from Endangered to Vulnerable, reflecting significant increase in its population.
About Iberian lynx
- Habitat: Medium-sized wild cat species native to Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, including Portugal and Spain.
- Appearance: Weighs about half as much as Eurasian species, with long legs, short tail with a black tip, tufted ears and relatively small head.
- Characteristics: Solitary hunter; nocturnal or crepuscular; may temporarily become diurnal during winter; live in small, isolated meta-populations; European Rabbit accounts for 80-99% of its diet.
- Threats: Decreasing food base, Poaching, habitat loss etc.
- Conservation status: Appendix I of CITES.
- Tags :
- IUCN
- Iberian lynx
- European Rabbit
Kolar Gold Fields (KGF)
Karnataka Government cleared the Centre’s proposal on reviving gold mining at KGF.
About KGF
- These gold mines are located about 100 kilometres from Bangalore in Kolar district of Karnataka.
- These are operated by the Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML), a public sector undertaking.
- BGML was established in 1972, under the Department of Mines with its office at KGF.
- These mines are among the deepest in the world which makes mining of this ore a very expensive process.
- Tags :
- Gold
- Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML)
- KGF
Diatom
A new freshwater diatom genus named Indiconema discovered from Eastern and Western Ghats.
About Diatom
- They’re unicellular algae belonging to a phytoplankton group.
- They’re eukaryotes and non-motile.
- Only organisms with cell walls composed of transparent, opaline silica. Thus, the walls are indestructible.
- Diatom cell wall deposits accumulate over billions of years forming diatomaceous earth.
Significance
- Chief ‘producers’ in oceans and produced 20-30% of global oxygen.
- Excellent indicators of aquatic health.
- Remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from atmosphere, convert CO2 to organic carbon in form of sugar, and release oxygen.
- Serve as a base of aquatic food chain. E.g. Diatoms-Crustaceans-Herrings.
- Help in nutrient cycling of marine and lake waters.
- Tags :
- Diatom
- Phytoplankton
- Unicellular algae
Articles Sources
Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD)
Chad has become the first country in 2024 and 51st globally to eliminate a NTD i.e. gambiense form of Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).
- It is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma parasite.
About NTDs
- Diverse group of conditions caused by variety of pathogens (including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and toxins).
- Examples: Dengue and chikungunya, leprosy, onchocerciasis etc.
- Mainly prevalent among impoverished communities in tropical areas.
- Preventable and treatable when detected early.
- India has eliminated NTDs like guinea worm, trachoma, and yaws.
- Initiatives to eliminated NTDs: London Declaration, and Kigali Declaration on NTDs; World NTD Day (30 January); etc.
- Tags :
- Neglected Tropical Disease
- Trypanosoma parasite
Methanol
Recently, Many people died after consuming hooch (or spurious liquor) in Tamil Nadu.
- Spurious liquor is characterised by high methanol content.
About Methanol
- It is also known as wood alcohol.
- Appears as a colorless fairly volatile liquid with a faintly sweet pungent odor like that of ethyl alcohol.
- Uses: Solvent in paints, varnishes and chiefly for making formaldehyde.
- Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations 2018 stipulate the maximum permissible quantity of methanol in different liquors.
- Tags :
- Methanol
- wood alcohol
Mata-ni-Pachedi art style
Mata ni pachedi is an ancient art form from Gujarat is a religious textile folk art, drawing inspiration from the Kalamkari style of painting.
- It means “behind the idol of Mother Goddess”.
- Another form of Mata-ni-pachedi painting is Matano candarvo.
About Mata ni pachedi paintings
- The Vaghari community is known to paint these pachedis.
- These paintings are used for rituals and are only painted by men.
- It features the divine feminine at the centre, surrounded by depictions of devotees, flora and fauna.
- It is drawn with kalam (pen) made of bamboo sticks.
- Paintings are traditionally in maroon, black, white.
- Tags :
- Mata-ni-Pachedi
- Kalamkari
Sangam: Digital Twin initiative
Department of Telecommunications held 1st networking event of Sangam-Digital Twin Initiative at IIT Delhi.
About Sangam: Digital Twin initiative
- Initiative of Department of Telecommunication.
- It is a Proof of Concept focused on revolutionizing planning & design of infrastructure through integration of Digital Twin technology with Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things
- Aims to enhance utility value, optimise resource utilisation, and reduce costs through effective data integration.
Twin Technology
- Virtual representation of a physical object or system.
- It is dynamic model that mimics behaviour of its real-world counterpart in real-time or near-real-time.
- Tags :
- Twin Technology
- Sangam: Digital Twin initiative
Articles Sources
News Today (Jun 21, 2024)