DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS

By admin: Dec. 2, 2024

Holiday declared in several Tamil Nadu districts; yellow alert in Telangana, Karnataka due to Cyclone Fengal .

Tags: Environment

Cyclone Fengal 

Why in the news?

• Holiday declared in several Tamil Nadu districts; yellow alert in Telangana, Karnataka due toCyclone Fengal .

About cyclone fengal:

• Cyclone Fengal (pronounced ‘Fein-jaal’) is a tropical cyclone. It originated inthe Bay of Bengal.
• The remnant low pressure area is likely to emerge over southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea off north Kerala-Karnataka coasts around December 3.
• Moreover, the IMD has issued a yellow alert in Telangana’s Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Mulugu, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Khammam, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Mahabubabad, Warangal, Hanamkonda, and Jangaon districts for December 2.

About Cyclones :

• Cyclones are large storms that form when water evaporates from the surface of a sea into the air. As it rises, the air cools and becomes saturated with vapour, eventually forming clouds. 
• These clouds and the air circulation around them eventually start to rotate. The warmer the sea, the more powerful the cyclone will be.
• It consists of cold air descending from the cyclone’s top with warm air rising in a spiral around it. 
• The eyewall consists of high thunderstorms that bring rain, lightning, and powerful winds.

About tropical cyclone:

• A tropical cyclone is a weather phenomenon that is essentially a rapidly rotating storm system with characteristics such as a low-pressure center, strong winds and thunderstorms that produce heavy rain, among others.
• Tropical cyclones are compact, circular winds with a diameter of 320km. Its winds swirl around a central region that has low atmospheric pressure. 
• The rotation of the winds is largely driven by the low-pressure centre and by the rotation of the Earth.

Tropical cyclones  in general, have different terms and names depending on their location and strength:

• These include‘hurricanes’ in the North Atlantic Ocean and eastern North Pacific region,
• While being referred to as typhoons in the western North Pacific region.
• The nomenclature in the Southern Pacific and the Indian Ocean severe tropical cyclones or simply cyclones.
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Uttar Pradesh declares Maha Kumbh area new district

Tags: State News

Uttar Pradesh declares Maha Kumbh area new district

Why in the news?

• The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday declared the Maha Kumbh area a new district ahead of the 2025 Maha Kumbh Mela. 

About new district:

• The new district will be known as Maha Kumbh Mela district. This will be 76th district of Uttar Pradesh.
• According to a notification, 66 villages of four tehsils – Sadar, Soraon, Phulpur and Karchana – and the entire parade area have been included in the new district which will remain till March 31, 2025.

About Maha Kumbh Mela:

• The Maha Kumbh Mela (festival of sacred pitcher) is anchored in Hindu mythology. It is the world's largest public gathering and collective act of faith.
• Kumbh Mela or Kumbha Mela  is a major pilgrimage and festival in  Hinduism On 4 February 2019, Kumbh Mela witnessed the largest peaceful public gathering of humans ever recorded. 
• It is celebrated in a cycle of approximately 12 years, to celebrate every revolution Brihaspati ( Jupiter) completes, at four river-bank pilgrimage sites: Prayagraj(Ganges-Yamuna-Saraswati rivers confluence), Haridwar(Ganges), Nashik( Godavari), and Ujjain (Shipra). 
• The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the waters, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with numerous fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, mass gatherings of monks, and entertainment.
• The seekers believe that bathing in these rivers is a means to  prayascitta (atonement, penance, restorative action) for past mistakes, and that it cleanses them of their sins.
• The festival is traditionally credited to the 8th-century Hindu philosopher and saint Adi Shankara, as a part of his efforts to start major Hindu gatherings for philosophical discussions and debates along with Hindu monasteries across the Indian subcontinent.

Objective of creating new district:

• The U.P. government’s decision aims to facilitate better organisation and governance during the significant religious events.

Asia-Oceania Meteorological Satellite Users' Conference (AOMSUC-14)

Tags: Science and Technology

Asia-Oceania Meteorological Satellite Users' Conference (AOMSUC-14)

Why in the news?

• The 14th Asia-Oceania Meteorological Satellite Users' Conference (AOMSUC-14) is being held fromDecember 4-6, 2024, in New Delhi, India.

Key points:

• The conference is hosted by theIndia Meteorological Department (IMD), Ministry of Earth Sciences,and will feature high-quality oral and poster presentations, panel discussions, and a training workshop focused on applying current satellite data for meteorological and climatological applications.
• There will be about150 participants from different countries,including national participants.

The Conference Aims To:

• Promote The Importance Of Satellite Observations.
• Advanced Satellite Remote Sensing Science.

About AOMSUC:

• The first AOMSUC was held in Beijing, China, in 2010. Since then, the conference has been hosted annually in various locations across Asia-Oceania. 
• The AOMSUC has become a premier event for meteorologists, earth scientists, satellite operators, and students from across the region and the globe. 
• The14thAsia-Oceania Meteorological Satellite Users Conference Promises To Be a valuable event for all those interested in the use ofsatellites for weather,climate,and environmental applications.
• The AOMSUC will be preceded by atwo-day international training workshopon the 2nd and 3rd of December IME,New Delhi. Therewillbe70 trainees from different countries,including India.

WTO General Council reappoints Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General

Tags: Person in news

WTO General Council reappoints Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General 

Why in the news?

• The General Council of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed on 29 November by consensus to reappoint Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as Director-General for a second four-year term, set to begin on 1 September 2025.

About Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala:

• Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealafirst assumed office as Director-General on 1 March 2021, becoming the first woman and first African to lead the WTO. 
• Her first term concludes on 31 August 2025. 
• Her reappointment highlights the strong support for her efforts to enhance the WTO’s relevance and capacity in addressing the evolving challenges of global trade.

About WTO:

• The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only global organization that regulates trade rules between its member nations.
•  The WTO officially commenced on January 1, 1995, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), which commenced in 1948. 
•  The WTO has over 160 members representing 98% of world trade. 
• The WTO's top decision-making body is the Ministerial Conference, which usually takes place every two years. 
•  The WTO's primary purpose is to open trade for the benefit of all
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INDIA AND CAMBODIA COMMENCES INAUGURAL JOINT TABLE TOP EXERCISE CINBAX IN PUNE

Tags: Defence

INDIA AND CAMBODIA COMMENCES INAUGURAL JOINT TABLE TOP EXERCISE CINBAX IN PUNE

Why in the news?

• The 1st edition of Joint Table Top Exercise, CINBAX, between the Indian Army and the Cambodian Army commenced atForeign Training Node, Pune.

About EXERCISE CINBAX:

• The Cambodian Army contingent will comprise 20 personnel and the Indian Army contingent is also comprising 20 personnel from an Infantry Brigade.The exercise will be conducted from 1st to 8th December 2024. 
• Exercise CINBAX is a planning exercise aimed at wargame conduct of joint Counter Terrorism (CT) operations under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. 
• The exercise will focus on discussions pertaining to establishment of Joint Training Task Force for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance besides planning of operations in the CT environment. 
• Various contingencies will be war gamed and employment of force multipliers in the sub conventional operations will also be discussed. 
• The exercise will also involve discussion on information operations, cyber warfare, hybrid warfare, logistics and casualty management, HADR operations etc.The exercise will be conducted in three phases. 
• This will bring out practical aspects of the theme-based training and aims to enable the participants to comprehend the procedures through situation-based discussions and tactical exercises.
• The exercise will also showcase weapons and equipment of Indian origin promoting‘Atmanirbharta’ and indigenous capabilities in defence production.

Significance:

• The inaugural edition of Exercise CINBAX will focus on enhancing trust, camaraderie andachieving desired level of interoperability between troops of both sides.
• It will also enhance the joint operational efficiency of both the Armies while undertaking peacekeeping operations.
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