1. Scientists discover almost 35 million years old rare snake fossil from Ladakh Himalaya
Tags: Popular Science and Technology
Scientists have discovered for the first time the fossil of a Madtsoidae snake from molasses deposits in the Ladakh Himalayas.
This indicates its prevalence in the subcontinent for a longer period of time than previously thought.
Madtsoiidae is an extinct group of medium-sized to gigantic snakes.
It firstly appeared during the Cretaceous and mostly distributed in the Gondwanan landmasses.
Although, their Cenozoic record is extremely scarce.
The occurrence of Madtsoiidae from the Oligocene of Ladakh indicates their continuity at least to the end of the Paleogene (geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period 66 million years ago).
The research was published in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology.
The newly discovered fossil specimen is housed in the repository of Wadia Institute, an autonomous institute of Department of Science and Technology.
2. Pulitzer Prize 2022: India's Amit Dave, Danish Siddiqui get Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize 2022 in different fields of journalism, book, drama and music were announced on 9 May.
The award winners include Indian journalists Adnan Abidi, Sana Irshad Mattoo, Amit Dave along with The Washington Post.
The late Danish Siddiqui of Reuters photographer has been given this award posthumously.
He was assassinated during a conflict between the Taliban and the Afghan army.
List of winners
Public service - winner The Washington Post, January 6, 2021 for reporting the attack on Capitol Hill
Breaking news reporting - winner Miami Herald - for coverage of the collapse of seaside apartment towers in Florida
Investigative reporting - winner - Rebecca Woolington's Corey G. Johnson and Tampa Bay Times' Eli Murray for highlighting the highly toxic hazards inside a Florida battery recycling plant.
Explanatory reporting - winner - To the staff of Quanta magazine, especially Natalie Wolchower, for reporting on how the Inco Webb Space Telescope works.
Local reporting - winner - Madison Hopkins of the Better Government Association and Cecilia Reyes of the Chicago Tribune - for reporting on Chicago's unfinished building and fire safety
National reporting - winner - Employees of The New York Times
International reporting - winner - The New York Times Employees
Feature writing - winner - Jennifer Senior of The Atlantic
Feature photography - winner - Adnan Abidi, Sana Irshad Mattoo, Amit Dave and the late Danish Siddiqui of Reuters were honoured for photography during the Corona period in India.
Commentary - winner - Melinda Heineberger
Criticism - winner - Salamisha Tillet, The New York Times
Audio reporting - winner - Employees of Futuro Media and PRX
Novel - winner - The Netanyas, Writer- Joshua Cohen
About Pulitzer Prize
It was established in 1917.
It is administered by Columbia University and the Pulitzer Prize Board.
The award is named after Joseph Pulitzer.
He was a newspaper publisher who gave money in his will to Columbia University to launch a journalism school and establish the Prize.
Each winner receives a certificate and a US$15,000 cash prize.
A gold medal is awarded to the winner in the Public Service category.
3. Rakhigarhi skeletons’ DNA samples sent for analysis
Tags: Popular State News
DNA samples collected from two human skeletons found in a cemetery at a Harappan-era town site in Haryana have been sent for scientific examination.
The DNA test results can tell about the ancestry and food habits of the people who have lived in the Rakhigarhi region for thousands of years.
Skeletons of two women were found a few months ago at mound number 7 (designated RGR 7 by the Archaeological Survey of India), believed to be around 5,000 years old.
Pots and other artefacts were also found buried next to them in a pit, part of the funerary rituals back in the Harappan Civilisation era.
About RakhiGarhi
The ancient sites of Rakhi-Khas and Rakhi-Shahpur are collectively known as Rakhigarhi.
It is located on the right bank of the now dried up Palaeo-channel of Drishadvati.
It is located in the Ghaggar-Hakra river plain in the Hisar district of Haryana.
There are seven mounds located here.
The site has given rise to various phases of the Harappan culture and is one of the largest Harappan sites ever discovered in India.
The site represents the gradual development of the Indus culture in the now-dry Sarasvati Basin.
4. PM Modi urges people to participate in Logo Design Contest for G-20 Presidency of India
Tags: Popular National News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to participate in the logo design competition for the G-20 Presidency of India.
He said, it is a special competition which celebrates the creativity of the youth of the country.
The logo design competition window is open to the participants from today till 7th of next month.
The Ministry of External Affairs has invited logo designs for the upcoming G20 Presidency of India.
The first winner will get a prize of one lakh 50 thousand rupees and the next five best entries will receive 15 thousand rupees each.
The logo design should include artistic expressions of colour combination and arrangement in the national tricolour.
About G-20
The "Group of 20" (G20) is made up of finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries and the European Union.
Member countries - Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Republic of Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States of America.
It is a major forum for international economic cooperation.
The G20 plays a strategic role in achieving future global economic growth and prosperity.
Origins of the G-20
In the wake of the 1997 economic crisis, the G7 finance ministers announced the creation of a "Group of 20".
The first official meeting of the G20 was held in Berlin in December 1999.
G-20 leaders have met every year since 2010.
Contribution of G -20
G20 member countries represent more than 80% of world GDP, 75% of international trade and 60% of the world's population.
Presidency of G -20
Its presidency rotates with each member country.
India will hold the Presidency of the G-20, for the first time, from 1st December 2022 to 30 November 2023 culminating in the G-20 Summit in 2023.
5. Delimitation Commission finalises Delimitation Order for Jammu and Kashmir
Tags: Popular State News
The Delimitation Commission headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (Retired Judge of Supreme Court of India) has finalised the delimitation order for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Of the 90 assembly constituencies in the region, 43 will be part of the Jammu region and 47 will be for the Kashmir region.
After consultations with Associate Members, representatives of political parties, citizens, civil society groups, nine assembly constituencies have been reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
Of these, six are in the Jammu region and three in the Kashmir Valley.
There are five parliamentary constituencies in this region.
The Delimitation Commission has kept the Jammu and Kashmir region as a single union territory.
The last delimitation of assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir was done in 1995, on the basis of the 1981 census.
The Commission, chaired by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai and Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra and Jammu and Kashmir State Election Commissioner KK Sharma, met in New Delhi and finalised the delimitation order.
About Delimitation Commission
The task of delimitation has been entrusted to a high power body.
Such a body is known as Delimitation Commission or Boundary Commission.
In India, such Delimitation Commissions have been constituted 4 times – in 1952 under the Delimitation Commission Act, 1952, in 1963 under Delimitation Commission Act, 1962, in 1973 under Delimitation Act, 1972 and in 2002 under Delimitation Act, 2002.
The Delimitation Commission in India is a high powered body and its orders cannot be questioned before any court.
6. India's Dhanush Srikanth has won the gold medal in 24th Deaf Olympic Games
India's Dhanush Srikanth has won the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle event at the 24th Deaf Olympic Games being held in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.
Dhanush scored 247.5 points while Korea's Kim Woo Rim got the silver medal with 246.6 points.
India's Shaurya Saini finished third with 224.3 points.
India has sent a 65-member team to this competition, which includes 10 shooters; these players will participate in 11 sports events.
In the last 2017 edition, India had won one gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
Currently, India is at the eighth position in the points table with two gold and one bronze medals.
Ukraine is at the first position with 19 gold, six silver and 13 bronze medals.
7. In 2020, Ladakh recorded highest sex ratio in the country, Manipur lowest
Tags: Popular National News
According to the annual report on Vital Statistics based on 2020 Civil Registration System report the Union Territory of Ladakh recorded the highest sex ratio at birth in the country in 2020, followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Tripura and Kerala.
Highest Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) state are -
Ladakh (1104)
Arunachal Pradesh (1011)
A&N Islands (984)
Tripura (974)
Kerala (969)
Lowest Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB) state are -
Manipur (880)
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (898)
Gujarat (909)
Haryana (916)
Madhya Pradesh (921)
In 2019, the highest sex ratio at birth was reported by Arunachal Pradesh (1024), followed by Nagaland (1001), Mizoram (975) and A&N Islands (965).
The lowest sex ratio was reported in 2019 - Gujarat (901), Assam (903), Madhya Pradesh (905) and Jammu & Kashmir (909).
No data from 4 States
As per the report the requisite information from Maharashtra, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi on sex ratio at birth was “not available.”
None of the States or Union Territories have recorded sex ratio at birth below 880.
Infant deaths
The report noted that 1,43,379 infant deaths were registered in 2020 and the share of rural area was only 23.4%, while that of urban area was 76.6% in total registered infant deaths.
Non-registration of infant deaths in rural areas is a cause of concern.
It is compulsory to report births and deaths to the Registrar of Births and Deaths under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.
What is Sex ratio at birth?
Sex ratio at birth is number of females per thousand males.
“The Sex Ratio (Number of females per thousand males) at birth of registered events is an important indicator to map the sex differential of the population at the beginning of their life.
The sex ratio at birth has been calculated after deducting the delayed registration of more than one year for the year 2020.
8. The Reserve Bank of India has increased the cash reserve ratio (CRR) for banks
Tags: National Economy/Finance Latest Popular
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The Reserve Bank of India has increased the cash reserve ratio (CRR) for banks by 0.50 percent to 4.5 percent.
On May 4, 2022, in the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Reserve Bank of India, Reserve Bank Governor Shaktikant Das announced an increase in the CRR.
In the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), it was decided to increase the repo rate by 0.40 percent to 4.4 percent.
The new rates will be applicable from May 21.
What is Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR)?
CRR refers to the bank deposits that banks need to keep with the central bank in cash.
What is the repo rate?
Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country (RBI in India's case) lends money to commercial banks when they are short of funds. Here the central bank buys securities.
What will be the effect of the hike in repo rate?
The increase in the repo rate by the RBI will increase the EMI of other loans like home and car loans.
An increase in the repo rate can help bring down inflation. The Reserve Bank believes that due to the costlier interest rate, the inflation rate will be controlled.
The impact of increasing the repo rate will also affect the savings bank account and FD. Banks can increase the interest rate on your savings account and fixed deposits.
9. India will be the official country of honour at Cannes Film Market
Tags: Latest Popular International News
India will take part as the official country of honour at the Cannes Film Festival to be held from May 17 to May 28.
This is the first time a country will take part in the 'Honour of Country' at the Cannes Film Festival.
The Cannes Film Festival, held annually in Cannes, France, is the 75th edition of Cannes.
India at Cannes Film Festival 2022-
India's Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur will participate in the festival and deliver the welcome address.
Actress Deepika Padukone will be seen as a jury in the main feature film competition at this year's Cannes Festival.
Renowned Indian author Satyajit Ray's "Pratidwandi" (1970) and Aravindan Govindan's "The Circus Tent" will be screened at the Cannes Classics strand of the festival.
In addition, the festival will also see a special screening of Indian filmmaker Shaunak Sen's Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner "All That Breathes".
10. World Press Freedom Index : India slips to 150th position from 142nd
Tags: National Latest Popular International News
India’s ranking in the World Press Freedom Index has fallen down to 150th position from last year’s 142nd rank out of 180 countries.
Highlights of the 2022 report
Best performing countries
Norway– 1st
Denmark– 2nd
Sweden– 3rd
Estonia– 4th
Finland– 5th
Worst performerming countries
North Korea remained at the bottom of the list.
Russia is placed at 155th position, slipping from 150th last year.
According to the global media watchdog, China climbed two places to the 175th position, from 177th place last year.
Performance of India;s neighbourhood countries
Apart from India, the ranking of its neighbouring countries has also declined except Nepal.
While Pakistan is ranked 157th, Sri Lanka is at 146th, Bangladesh at 162nd and Myanmar at 176th.
About Press Freedom Index
It has been published by Reporters Without Borders every year since 2002.
This is based on the organisation's own assessment of countries' press freedom records in the last year.
The index ranks 180 countries and territories according to the level of freedom available to journalists.
The index is prepared on the basis of assessment of the level of pluralism, media freedom, media environment and self-censorship, legal framework, transparency as well as the quality of the existing infrastructure for news and information.
