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Posted 31 Jul 2024

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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

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 300CEsite 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

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

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
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