1. Finland, Sweden sign protocol to join NATO
Tags: International News
30 NATO allies have signed the protocol to make Sweden, Finland members.
It will allow them to join the nuclear-armed alliance once parliaments of all NATO countries ratify the decision.
It is the most significant expansion of the alliance since 1990.
The signing at NATO headquarters follows an agreement with Turkey at the NATO summit in Madrid last week.
The protocol means that Helsinki and Stockholm can participate in NATO meetings and obtain intelligence, but will not be protected by a NATO defence clause.
NATO defence clause means that an attack on one ally is an attack against all until ratification.
It is likely to take up to a year to become part of the NATO defence clause.
All 30 allies signed accession protocols for Sweden and Finland at a ceremony in Brussels on 5 July, making the countries formal invitees and allowing them access to almost all NATO meetings.
Russia warning
Moscow has repeatedly warned both countries against joining NATO.
On 12 March, the Russian Foreign Ministry said there would be "serious military and political consequences".
Turkish warning
Turkey is threatening to veto NATO membership for Sweden and Finland.
Turkey will not ratify membership of the NATO for these countries if they don’t fufill their promises to combat terrorism and extradite suspects under a memorandum of understanding reached at an alliance summit in Madrid last week.
About North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)
NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance consisting of 30 member states belonging to Europe and North America (28 European states, the US and Canada).
NATO aims to guarantee the security of its members through political and military means.
According to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, an armed attack against any NATO member in Europe or North America shall be deemed an attack against all NATO members.
Article 5 has been invoked only once so far after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the US.
The last country to join NATO was North Macedonia in 2020.
Headquarters- Brussels, Belgium
Kindly also see 23 May 2022 post
2. Ukrainian mathematician becomes second woman to win Fields Medal
Tags: Science and Technology International News
On July 5, a jury of the International Mathematical Union awarded the prestigious Fields Medal to four mathematicians, including Ukraine's Marya Vyazovska.
Marya Vyazovska
Wiazowska is the head of number theory at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne.
Wiazowska is the second woman to win the award in its 80-year history.
She is known to be an expert in solving spherical packing problems.
She was awarded the prize for solving a version of a centuries-old mathematical problem where she proved the densest packing of equal regions in eight dimensions.
Wiazowska was born in 1984 in Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union, and has been a professor at the cole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland since 2017.
The other three winners are -
James Maynard - number theorist at the University of Oxford, UK
June Huh - specialist in combinatorics at Princeton University in New Jersey
Hugo Duminil Copin - studies statistical physics at the Institute of Advanced Scientific Studies (IHES) near Paris.
35-year-old James Maynard was presented this award for his contribution to "analytical number theory".
June Huh, 39, was awarded the prize for "changing" the field of geometric combinatorics.
Duminil-Coppin was awarded for solving "long-standing problems in the probabilistic theory of phase transitions".
First women winner
The first woman to win the prize was Mariam Mirzakhani in 2014, an Iranian-born mathematician who died of cancer three years later in 2017.
Indian-origin winners
Two of the winners are of Indian origin.
Akshay Venkatesh of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton – was awarded the award in 2018.
Manjul Bhargava of the Department of Mathematics at Princeton University was honored in 2014.
About Fields Medal
Fields Medal is often described as the Nobel Prize in mathematics.
This highest honours in mathematics is conventionally awarded to people aged under 40.
The medal, along with $15,000 Canadian dollars ($11,600), is awarded every four years to between two to four candidates for “outstanding mathematical achievement”.
Of the 60 mathematicians who won the Fields Medal earlier this year, 59 were men.
The prizes are normally announced at the opening of the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM).
This year’s congress was scheduled to begin on 6 July in St. Petersburg, Russia, but the plan was scrapped following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The award ceremony was held in Helsinki and the Congress concluded as a virtual event.
International Mathematical Union
It is an international non-governmental and non-profit scientific organization.
Its purpose is to promote international cooperation in mathematics.
It is a member of the International Science Council (ISC).
founded - in 1920 and has existed in its current form since 1951
Location - Berlin, Germany
President - Carlos E. Kenig
3. Airports Authority of India inks pact with UP government to operate 5 airports
Tags: Popular National News
The Airports Authority of India has signed an operation and management agreement to operate five airports owned by the UP government for a period of 30 years.
These five airports are Aligarh, Azamgarh, Chitrakoot, Mirpur and Shravasti.
The airport will be developed by the state government and will be operated and managed by the Airports Authority of India as a service provider.
In the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a letter of agreement (MoU) was exchanged between Additional Chief Secretary of Civil Aviation Department SP Goyal and AAI President AK Pathak.
The communication navigation monitoring services will also be provided by the Airports Authority of India, for which the state government will enter into a separate agreement.
After the MoU, now the process of licensing of these airports will be done and soon all the five airports will start air service.
About Airports Authority of India
Airports Authority of India is an organisation/authority functioning under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages a total of 125 airports which include 11 international airports, 8 customs airports, 81 domestic airports and 25 civil enclaves in defence airfields.
Established- 1st April, 1995
President- Sanjeev Kumar
Headquarters - New Delhi
4. UK Parliament honours Tanuja Nesari with Ayurveda Ratna award
Tags: Awards International News
All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA) Director Tanuja Nesri has been conferred with the Ayurveda Ratna Award by the UK Parliament.
The UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Science (ITSappg) presented the award in recognition of his contribution to promoting the development of Ayurveda in India and abroad.
The award was presented on the occasion of International Day of Yoga (June 21).
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Indian Traditional Science was formed in 2014 with the aim of spreading the knowledge of Ayurveda, Yoga, Astrology, Vastu, Unani and Sangeet to the United Kingdom and abroad.
About All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA)
Establishment - 2017
Headquarters - New Delhi
5. IRDAI and NHA to set up National Health Claims Exchange to settle claims
Tags: National News
The National Health Authority (NHA) and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) have decided to develop a National Health Claims Exchange.
National Health Claims Exchange will be developed as a digital platform for settlement of health claims.
IRDAI President Debashish Panda has proposed to form a working group with industry representation.
This working group will decide how to attract as many people as possible to buy health insurance.
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI)
IRDAI is a regulatory body, established under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance.
It helps regulate and licence the insurance and reinsurance industries across the country.
It was constituted as per the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999.
IRDAI is headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana. It was shifted from Delhi to Telangana in 2001.
IRDAI is a 10-member body. It consists of the Chairman, 5 full time and 4 part time members. All the members are appointed by the Government of India.
National Health Authority (NHA)
National Health Authority implements India's public health insurance scheme named “Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)”.
NHA was set up to implement PM-JAY at the national level.
In states, state health agencies have been set up as a society or trust.
SHA has been given full operational autonomy for the implementation of this scheme.
6. Operation "Narcos"
Tags: National News
Railway Protection Force recently recovered narcotics worth more than Rs 7.40 crore under Operation "Narcos".
Operation Narcos
With a special focus on the menace of Narcotic Substances and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS), a month long all India campaign against drug trafficking through rail with the code "Operation Narcos" was launched in June-2022.
RPF has intensified its investigation in trains and identified black spots across the country in coordination with the Narcotics Control Bureau and other law enforcement agencies to target drug smugglers involved in this illegal trade.
Other Initiatives of RPF
Operation AAHT
Special teams will be deployed on all long distance trains/routes to rescue the victims, especially women and children, from the clutches of traffickers.
Meri saheli pehal
This initiative will focus on the safety of women passengers. It was launched in September 2020 as a pilot project in South-Eastern Railway. Since then it has been extended to all the zones.
Operation Passenger Safety
Under "Operation Yatri Suraksha", the RPF supports the state police in the fight against passenger crime.
Operation Little Angels
It rescued 1,045 children who were found alone or abandoned at railway stations.
Railway Protection Force
The RPF contingent is an armed force of the Union of India. It is a security force owned by the Indian Railways, Ministry of Railways.
The history of RPF dates back to 1882 when various railway companies appointed their own guards to guard the railway property.
The force was declared a statutory force in 1957 by an Act of Parliament, later declared as an armed force of the Union of India in 1985.
RPF has been entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding railway property.
7. India-Armenia sign MoU on High Impact Community Development Projects
Tags: International News
India and Armenia signed a Memorandum of Understanding on high impact community development projects with financial and technical assistance from India in Armenia on 4 July.
The MoU was signed at the 8th India-Armenia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical, Cultural and Educational Cooperation (IGC) held in Yerevan.
The Indian delegation was led by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs.
The Armenian delegation was led by the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
The two sides discussed and reviewed the current status of cooperation in various fields such as trade, investment, health, tourism, infrastructure, culture, connectivity, information technology, agriculture, fintech and education.
Later Mahatma Gandhi Auditorium was inaugurated at Yerevan State Medical University (VSMU).
More than 700 students from the Indian community are pursuing medical education at Yerevan State Medical University in Armenia.
India-Armenia Intergovernmental Commission (IGC)
The 7th IGC was held in April 2016 and the 6th IGC and FOC were held in New Delhi on 25 September 2013.
About Armenia
It is a landlocked country located in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.
Head Of Government - Prime Minister- Nikol Pashinyan
Capital - Yerevan
President - Vahagn Kachaturyan
Currency - Dram
8. EC issues notification for filing nomination for 16th Vice-Presidential election
Tags: Latest National News
The Election Commission has issued the notification on 5 July for filing the nomination for the 16th Vice-Presidential election.
The process of filing nominations for the Vice Presidential election to be held on August 6 will start from July 5 and will continue till July 19.
The scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on July 20 and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is July 22.
The term of current Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu ends on August 10.
The election is held according to the system of proportional representation by means of single transferable vote and voting is by secret ballot.
About Vice-President
The post of Vice President of India is modelled on the lines of the US Vice President.
The post of Vice President in India is considered to be the second highest post in the country.
Article 63 of the Indian Constitution mentions the office of the Vice-President.
He is the ex-officio Speaker of the Rajya Sabha (Article 64).
He is not a member of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The Vice President is indirectly elected by an Electoral College.
The Electoral college consists of both elected and nominated members from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The Electoral College does not include the members of the state legislative assemblies.
The Vice President holds the position for five years.
He can resign his office before five years by submitting his resignation to the President.
A formal impeachment is not required for his removal.
First Vice President of india – Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (1952)
Present Vice President of india – Venkaiah Naidu (Since 2017)
9. Saving Chenkurinji from climate change
Tags: Popular National News
Chenkurinji (Gluta travancorica) is a species endemic to the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve. Its numbers are continuously decreasing due to climate change.
About Chenkurinji tree
It belongs to the Anacardiaceae family.
This tree was once found in abundance in the hills of the southern parts of Aryankavu Pass, Kollam district (Kerala), but over the years its presence is rapidly decreasing from this area.
It is susceptible to climate change and the current status of these species is poor due to low regeneration.
There are sufficient numbers of these trees but most of them are not productive, thereby creating a negative trend in its population.
Flowering and fruiting rates are very poor in most trees.
Medicinal properties of the tree
It has medicinal properties and is used to lower blood pressure and treat arthritis.
The forest department has launched a 'Save Chenkurinji' campaign.
10. Hardeep S Puri chairs the meeting with stakeholders on Green Hydrogen
Tags: National News
The union ministry of petroleum and natural gas on 4 July held consultations with stakeholders on developing the green hydrogen ecosystem in India.
The meeting was chaired by the union minister of petroleum and natural gas Hardeep Singh Puri.
It was attended by the minister of state for petroleum Rameswar Teli, seniors officials from the ministry and oil & gas PSUs, and other stakeholders.
Puri said that when green hydrogen is promoted, the challenges faced by the fossil fuel industry can be overcome.
He said that this will accelerate India's journey towards energy independence by 2047.
Government is spending ₹12 lakh crores to import energy.
Due to India's favourable geographical conditions and presence of abundant natural elements, green hydrogen production has great potential.
Oil and gas PSUs have taken up several pilot projects in this sector, some of which will start showing results this year itself.
India is capable of creating a $12-13 trillion industry by 2050 and emerging as a major global energy supplier.
What is green hydrogen?
Green hydrogen is hydrogen gas produced by electrolysis of water.
Electrolysis of water is an energy intensive process for splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.
In this method an electric current is used to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in the water.
If this electricity is obtained from renewable sources, energy will be produced without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Brown hydrogen
It is produced by use of coal where the emissions are released to the air.
Grey hydrogen
It is produced from natural gas where the emissions are released to the air.
Blue hydrogen
It is produced from natural gas, in which the emissions are captured using carbon capture and storage.
Capacity of India in renewable energy sector
India currently ranks fourth in renewable energy capacity globally.
India will add 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.
Presently the renewable energy capacity in India is 136 GW, which is 36% of the total energy capacity in India.
Solar and wind energy are the main sources of renewable energy.
Other alternatives such as biomass energy, methanol-based blending and hydrogen are considered the fuel of the future.
