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UPSC Current Affairs Pointers is an initiative of UPSC Essentials to consolidate your prelims exam prep. Every Monday, take a quick look at last week’s current affairs tidbits curated specially for those preparing for UPSC, State PSC, and various other competitive examinations.
If you missed the UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | July 8 to July 14, 2024 from the Indian Express, read it here.
🚨 The Indian Express UPSC Essentials brings to you the July edition of its monthly magazine. Click Here to read. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨
— India is set to host the 46th World Heritage Committee Meeting for the first time from July 21 to 31, 2024, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.
— It is being organized by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on behalf of the Ministry of Culture.
—The logo of the meeting is inspired by the World Heritage Site of Hampi.
— The tagline of the logo is सह नौ यशः, which means “May our Glory Grow” in English. The tagline has been derived from the ancient Sanskrit scripture ‘Taittiriya Upanishad’, which is a testament to our ancestors’ wish for growth for one and all.
— The 700-year-old mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty—the Moidams from Assam—will be considered for nomination during the meeting.
— India will host the first World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Goa from November 20-24
— It will be held alongside the International Film Festival of India in Goa.
— The U-Win portal has been designed under the Ministry of Family and Health Welfare. The platform is likely to be launched on August 15, 2024.
— It aims to provide a single source of information for immunization services. Children between 0-5 years will be registered on U-Win.
— The portal will send SMS alerts to their parents’ phones on the dates these are due and the nearest health centres where they can be taken.
— U-WIN platform captures each & every vaccination event of all pregnant women & children under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).
— The Maharashtra government will spend Rs 5,500 crore on the Mukhyamantri Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana internship scheme for unemployed youth.
— The aim of the scheme is to enhance the employability and skill set of the youth and prepare them for a competitive job market.
— PM SHRI, which was launched in 2022, seeks to develop 14,500 schools to “showcase” the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, and be “exemplars” for other schools in their region.
— It is a centrally sponsored scheme where schools are selected through the “challenge mode” — schools that meet certain minimum benchmarks like a pucca building in good condition, barrier-free access ramps, at least one toilet each for boys and girls.
— Union Home Minister Amit Shah has virtually inaugurated the ‘Prime Minister’s College of Excellence’ for all 55 districts in Madhya Prades.
— These colleges of excellence, where all courses will be offered as per NEP and will aim to impart employment-oriented education, are coming up at an estimated cost of Rs 486 crore.
— Delhi Lieutenant Governor in order to maximise the utility of land in Delhi has announced layered plantations, Miyawaki forests, and aquatic forest techniques.
— Miyawaki plantation is named after Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki.
— This method involves planting two to four different types of Indigenous trees within every square metre. In this method, the trees become self-sustaining and they grow to their full length within three years.
— The plants used in the Miyawaki method are mostly self-sustaining and don’t require regular maintenance like manuring and watering.
— A rare picture of the Mashko Piro tribe on the banks of a river in the Madre de Dios region in southeast Peru was released by NGO Survival International.
— Mashko Piro is one of the world’s 100-odd uncontacted tribes.
— They live in the Amazon jungles of the Madre de Dios Region, close to Peru’s border with Brazil and Bolivia.
— In 2002, the Peru government created the Madre de Dios Territorial Reserve to protect the territory of the Mashco Piro.
— Last week an expert committee of India’s drug regulator gave the green light to the drug tirzepatide.
— The US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has approved Wegovy (semaglutide) and Zepbound (tirzepatide) for chronic weight management in adults.
— It is marketed by US pharma giant Eli Lilly as Zepbound.
— Falcon 9 is a partially reusable rocket designed and manufactured by Elon Musk-owned SpaceX.
— The 354th mission of the reusable rocket failed marking the first Falcon 9 failure.
— The Gujarat government on July 15 said that six children have died of suspected Chandipura virus (CHPV) infection in the state since July 10.
— CHPV is a virus of the Rhabdoviridae family.
— Species of sandflies like Phlebotomine sandflies and Phlebotomus papatasi, and some mosquito species such as Aedes aegypti are considered vectors of CHPV.
— The virus resides in the salivary gland of these insects and can be transmitted to humans or other vertebrates like domestic animals through bites.
— The infection often progresses rapidly after encephalitis, which may then lead to mortality within 24-48 hours of hospitalisation.
— Children aged below 15 years have demonstrated a higher likelihood of vulnerability.
(Just FYI: UPSC has consistently included questions on health and diseases in its examinations over the years. For instance, in 2014, a question about the Ebola virus appeared in the Prelims, and in 2017, a question about the Zika virus was featured. Therefore, it is crucial to stay updated on diseases that are currently in the news.)
— K P Sharma Oli was appointed Nepal’s Prime Minister for the third time on 14th July to lead the new coalition government.
— Oli, 72, succeeds Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who lost the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives.
— MS Valiathan who is credited for developing a low-cost, mechanical heart valve died on 17th July at age 90.
— He was the recipient of Padma Vibhushan and also received the highest award for physicians, the Dr BC Roy Award.
— Vikram Misri took charge as Foreign Secretary on 15th July, succeeding Vinaya Kwatra.
— He will be in office for a term of two years, ending in July 2026.
— Former Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra was appointed as India’s ambassador to the United States.
— The post of India’s envoy to the US has been vacant since Taranjit Sandhu retired in January.
— Prithipal Singh Randhawa, leader of the Punjab Students Union (PSU), was murdered in Ludhiana on July 18, 1979.
— He was only 27, at the time, and among the tallest leaders of the student union movement in Punjab in the 1970s.
— July 16 is the birth anniversary of Aruna Asaf Ali, a prominent leader of the Quit India Movement.
— She hoisted the tricolour flag on August 8, 1942, when the Quit India Movement was announced at Gowalia Tank Maidan in Bombay (Mumbai).
— She was the first ambassador to the United States from India.
— The Government of India awarded her the Padma Vibhushan in 1992 and the highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, posthumously in 1997.
(Just FYI: Noting historical personalities’ anniversaries aids UPSC prep. UPSC often includes such personalities in questions, so revisiting their lives refreshes your static syllabus.)
— The River Seine in France is set to host two Olympic events however, it remains too dirty to swim. The contamination in the river significantly increases the concentration of the E. coli bacteria.
— The two banks of the Seine are referred to as La Rive Gauche (the Left Bank) and La Rive Droite (the Right Bank). Both banks are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and each offers its own distinct flavor of the Parisian experience.
(Source: unesco.org)
(Just FYI: The location of the place is important, considering that UPSC has asked several questions about places that were in the news, such as Aleppo and Kirkuk, in the 2018 UPSC Prelims. The best way to remember them is to plot them on a world map.)
— Spain won the Euro Championship 2024 by defeating England 2-1, clinching the championship trophy for the fourth time.
— This championship is organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) every four years.
— This year, Germany hosted it. The official tournament mascot was named Albärt.
(Source: uefa.com)
— Argentina clinched the Copa America 2024 title by defeating Colombia 1-0.
— Argentina surpassed Uruguay for the most Copa America titles, securing their 16th title in 30 final appearances.
— Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament that is played on grass. It is the world’s oldest tennis tournament, having first been played in 1877.
— The other three Grand Slams are the Australian Open, Roland Garros (French Open), and the US Open.
| Category | Winner | Runnerup |
| Ladies’ Singles | Barbora Krejcikova
(Czech Republic) |
Jasmine Paolini
(Italy) |
| Gentlemen’s Singles | Carlos Alcaraz
(Spain) |
Novak Djokovic
(Serbia) |
| Ladies’ Doubles | Katerina Siniakova (CZE)
Taylor Townsend (USA) |
Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) Erin Routliffe (NZL) |
| Gentlemen’s Doubles | Harri Heliovaara (FIN)
Henry Patten (GBR) |
Max Purcell (AUS)
Jordan Thompson (AUS) |
| Mixed Doubles | Jan Zielinski (POL)
Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE) |
Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) Giuliana Olmos (MEX) |
(Source: wimbledon.com)
(Just FYI: With the unpredictability of the UPSC examinations and questions like the ICC World Test Championship question 2021, you can’t be sure of anything. It is wise to know what it is and not go into too much detail.)
— US Special Counsel: A US special counsel, earlier referred to as a Special Prosecutor or Independent Counsel, is a lawyer chosen to look into and possibly bring charges against cases suspected of misconduct, especially when the regular prosecutorial agency has a conflict of interest.
— Pink Bollworm (PBW): The pink bollworm (PBW), known among farmers as gulabi sundhi, damages the cotton crop by burrowing its larvae into the cotton bolls.
— Project Strawberry: OpenAI’s new model AI project aims to improve AI reasoning capabilities and allow them to undertake autonomous internet research, something existing models cannot do.
(Note: The best way to remember facts for UPSC and other competitive exams is to recall them through MCQs. Try to solve the following questions on your own.)
A. The Mashko Piro Tribe are indigenous inhabitants of which of the following regions?
(a) New Zealand
(b) Australia
(c) South America
(d) Central Asia
B. Consider the following statements about the Chandipura virus:
1. Aedes aegypti are considered vectors of CHPV.
2. The infection from this virus rapidly led to encephalitis.
Which of the following statements is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
C. The 46th World Heritage Committee meeting is held in which of the following countries?
(a) France
(b) Italy
(c) Spain
(d) None of the above
If you missed the UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | July 1 to July 7, 2024 from the Indian Express, read it here.
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