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Posted 31 Jul 2024
8 min read
World Heritage Committee (WHC)
46th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) concluded successfully in New Delhi.
- WHC is responsible for implementing the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO.
- Also, it defines the use of the World Heritage Fund.
- It has the final say on whether a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Major Outcomes/Developments of 46th WHC
- Addition of Moidams (from Assam) raises India’s total number of World Heritage sites to 43.
- India pledged $1 million to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
- India and US signed the first ever 'Cultural Property Agreement' to prevent and curb the illicit trafficking of antiquities from India to the USA.
- Tags :
- UNESCO
- WHC
- Moidams
Articles Sources
Keeladi
- Terracotta pipelines unearthed at Keeladi in Sivaganga district (Tamil Nadu).
- It proves the knowledge that prevailed in the water management system and could be said that alignment was a key feature in the water management system.
About Keeladi
- It is a Sangam age (500 BCE to 300CE) site located on the river Vaigai near temple city Madurai.
- The excavations prove that an urban civilisation existed in the Sangam age.
- Tags :
- Keeladi
- Sangam Age
NATS 2.0
Ministry for Education launched the National Apprenticeship and Training Scheme (NATS) 2.0 Portal.
- Portal will facilitate registration and application for apprenticeships.
About NATS
- One of the flagship programmes of Government of India launched under the provisions of Apprentices Act, 1961 for Skilling Indian Youth.
- Key Features
- Offers Graduate, Diploma students and Vocational certificate holders; a practical, etc. for duration ranging from 6 months to 1 year.
- During period of apprenticeship, apprentices are paid a stipend amount, 50% of which is reimbursable to the employer from Government.
- At the end of the training, apprentices will receive Certificate of Proficiency.
- Tags :
- NATS 2.0
- Apprentices Act, 1961
- National Apprenticeship and Training Scheme
Articles Sources
Sturgeon
World-Wide Fund for Nature report found four species of sturgeon, among the most endangered fish species globally.
- These include Stellate sturgeon, Russian sturgeon & beluga (Critically Endangered on IUCN list), and sterlet (Endangered on IUCN list)
About Sturgeon
- Sturgeons are large, freshwater, or anadromous fishes of north temperate regions.
- These fishes evolved 250 million years ago in Jurassic period and are considered genetically “living fossils”.
- Sturgeons are heavily exploited globally for their roe/eggs (caviar) and meat.
- Since 1998, international trade in all species of sturgeons has been regulated under CITES.
- Tags :
- CITES
- Sturgeon
- Living Fossils
- Temperate Regions
Dividend Equalisation Fund (DEF)
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) asked UCBs to stop the practice of setting up a DEF.
About DEF
- DEF are set up by UCBs through appropriation of profits to pay dividends in future years, when profits are insufficient or where the bank has posted a net loss.
- However, current rules distinctly prohibit making such payments from previously accumulated profits or reserves.
- As a one-time measure, RBI also permitted UCBs to transfer the money in the DEF to general reserves/free reserves to provide better treatment of these balances for regulatory capital purposes.
- Tags :
- RBI
- Urban Cooperative Banks
- Dividend Equalisation Fund (DEF)
Fully Accessible Route (FAR) Bonds
RBI excluded all new government securities with 14-year and 30-year tenures from the FAR.
- Previously, FAR allowed foreign investors unrestricted access to these bonds, but the new measure is expected to redirect inflows towards shorter-term bonds instead.
About FAR
- RBI introduced FAR to enable non-residents to invest in specified Government of India dated securities.
- Eligible investors are any “person resident outside India” as defined in section 2(w) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA).
- Tags :
- RBI
- FEMA
- FAR bonds
Articles Sources
Impact of Temperature on Flight Take off
Flights at the Airport in Ladakh were cancelled due to high temperature.
Impact of Temperature on Flight Take off
- Aircraft wings are curved on top, hence air over the top of the wings moves faster than the air beneath the wing.
- Faster-moving air then creates a lower pressure above the wing (as per Bernoulli’s principle) as compared to the pressure under it.
- This difference in the pressure generates lift force underneath the wings that helps the aircraft take off.
- Higher temperatures expand the air, making it less dense.
- Thus, fewer molecules are available underneath the aircraft’s wings to create enough lift to push the plane into the sky.
- Tags :
- Leh
- Bernoulli’s Principle
- Lift Force
River Seine
Men's triathlon in Paris Olympics 2024 postponed due to high levels of pollution in Seine river in Paris.
About Seine River
- Second longest river of France, after the Loire.
- Rises from Burgundy wine region of northeastern France.
- Flows north-westerly to the Normandy coast, where it empties into the English Channel.
- Drainage network of this river carries most of the French inland waterway traffic.
- Tags :
- River pollution
- River seine
News Today (Jul 31, 2024)