1. ORIGIN OF CONTINENTS
A new Curtin University study has found the most robust evidence yet showing that Earth’s continents were formed by giant meteorite impacts.
About:
- The paper, ‘Giant impacts and the origin and evolution of continents’, was published in Nature on August 10.
- By examining tiny crystals of the mineral zircon in rocks from the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia, which represents Earth’s best-preserved remnant of ancient crust, experts found evidence of these giant meteorite impacts.
- These impacts were prevalent during the first billion years or so of the planet’s history.
Source : Indian Express
2. WORLD ELEPHANT DAY
World Elephant Day is an international annual event on August 12, dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants.
About:
- It was conceived in 2011 by Canadian filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark of Canazwest Pictures, and Sivaporn Dardarananda, Secretary-General of the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation in Thailand.
- It was officially founded, supported and launched by Patricia Sims and the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation on August 12, 2012.
- There are three species of elephants — African Forest, African Savanna (bush), and Asian. The animals can be differentiated by their ears and trunks. African elephants are larger. Their ears are also larger and shaped like Africa.
Source : PIB
3. WORLD SANSKRIT DIWAS
On the auspicious occasion of Shraavana Poornima occurs the World Sanskrit Diwas.
About:
- This year it falls on August 12, 2022.
- The mother of all languages, Sanskrit, is one of the oldest languages in the world.
- It seems to be the first spoken language in ancient India.
Source : Indian Today
4. AYUSH GRID PROJECT
An MoU was signed between Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for providing technical support to Ministry of Ayush for digitalisation of Ayush Sector under the Ayush Grid project for a period of 3 years.
About:
- The Ayush Grid project was initiated by the Ministry in 2018 for creating a comprehensive IT backbone for the entire sector.
- Digitalization of the entire Ayush Sector will lead to its transformation in fields of health care delivery at all levels, including research, education, various health programmes and drug regulations.
Source : PIB
5. SHIVAMOGGA SUBBANNA
National award-winning singer Shivamogga Subbanna passed away in Bengaluru. He was 83. Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a condolence message.
About:
- He was an Indian Sugama Sangeetha(Light Music) playback singer in the Kannada language.
- He was the first Kannadiga to win National Award for playback singing.
Source : Indian Express
6. BASMATI CROP SURVEY
The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry has commenced Basmati crop survey to estimate acreage, assess crop health and expected yield of aromatic and long grain rice during 2022-2023 kharif crop season using climate-based yield modelling.
About:
- The survey is being executed under the Basmati Export Development Foundation (BEDF), which is an arm of APEDA. The final survey report is to be finalized by December this year.
- India has exported Basmati to the tune of close to USD 12 billion in the last three years.
- Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Kuwait, United Kingdom, Qatar and Oman have a share of close to 80 per cent in total shipments of aromatic long grained rice from India in 2021-22.
Source : PIB
7. RETAIL INFLATION IN INDIA
India’s retail inflation slipped below the 7% mark for the first time since April, easing to 6.71% in July, aided by a moderation in food prices inflation to 6.75%, the lowest in five months.
About:
- This is the seventh month in a row that the pace of price rise has been over the upper tolerance limit of 6% pursued by the central bank’s monetary policy committee.
- While inflation in edible oils, meat and fish, and vegetables relented in July, price rise in fruits and eggs accelerated, and cereals inflation hit a multi-year high of 6.9%. Rural inflation eased from 7.09% in June to 6.8% in July, while urban consumers faced 6.49% inflation, from 6.86% in June.
Source : The Hindu
8. CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
A woman from Bengaluru has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court to stop her Noida-based friend, who has been suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since 2014, from travelling to Europe to undergo a physician-assisted euthanasia.
About:
- Also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, is a serious and debilitating disease that affects the nervous system, the immune system and the body’s production of energy.
- Experts have suggested that the term can trivialize the severity of the illness. In a 2015 report, the US Institute of Medicine proposed the term systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID).
- Its causes are still unknown. However, the potential triggers would include viral or bacterial infection, hormonal imbalances and genetic predispositions. There is no specific test for the disease, and doctors have to rely on medical examinations, blood and urine tests.
- ME/CFS can affect anyone, from children to adults of all ages. According to the CDC, it’s more common in women and people between 40 and 60 years old.
- As of yet, there is no specific cure or approved treatment.
Source : Indian Express
9. NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANISATION (NATO)
It was recently reported that India held its first political dialogue with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in Brussels on December 12, 2019.
About:
- Attended by senior officials, including from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence, the idea was to ensure the dialogue was primarily political in character, and to avoid making any commitment on military or other bilateral cooperation.
- The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO, is a political and military alliance of 28 European countries and two countries in North America (United States and Canada).
- It was set up in 1949 by the US, Canada, and several western European nations to ensure their collective security against the Soviet Union. It was the US’s first peacetime military alliance outside the western hemisphere.
- Thirty countries are currently members of NATO, which is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The headquarters of the Allied Command Operations is near Mons, also in Belgium.
Source : Indian Express
10. NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF RURAL CO-OPERATIVE BANKS
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah addressed the National Conference of Rural Co-operative Banks in New Delhi.
About:
- Shri Amit Shah also presented awards to outstanding State Co-operative Banks, District Central Co-operative Banks and Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS).
- The Union Home and Cooperation Minister said there are about 8.5 lakh cooperative societies in the country, out of which there are 1.78 lakh different types of credit societies.
- In the field of agricultural credit, there are 34 state cooperative banks with more than 2,000 branches, 351 district cooperative banks with 14,000 branches and about 95,000 PACS.
Source : PIB