DAILY GK 12-13 JULY 2024
1. UNESCO ANNOUNCES NEW WORLD SOIL HEALTH INDEX
·
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the New World Soil Health Index at an International Conference on Soils in Agadir, Morocco to establish global
standards for soil quality assessment.
·
The
conference was organised by UNESCO and the Kingdom of Morocco’s National Agency
for the Development of Oasis and Argan Zones (ANDZOA), which brought together experts and representatives from
over 30 countries.
·
UNESCO will
also launch a Pilot Programme for
the sustainable management of soils and landscapes in around 10 natural sites protected under
its Biosphere Reserves(BR) programme.
·
It has two goals: evaluate the efficacy of the management
techniques implemented in these sites and to ensure that the most effective of
these methods can be implemented in other parts of the world.
·
According to
the World Atlas of
Desertification (WAD), 75%
of soils have already degraded, affecting 3.2 billion people.
·
It is
predicted that 90% of the planet’s
land surface could be degraded by 2050 if the current scenario continues, which highlights a
major threat to global biodiversity and human life.
·
In India, 32% of land is degraded, with 25% undergoing desertification due to
various factors which includes deforestation and industrial pollution.
2. NITI
AAYOG RELEASES SDG INDIA INDEX 2023-24
·
The SDG India Index
2023-24 reveals significant national and subnational progress on Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
·
The SDG India Index is
a tool developed by NITI Aayog to
measure and track India’s progress towards the SDGs set by the United Nations.
·
India’s composite score improved to 71, reflecting advancements across key sectors like poverty
eradication, economic growth, climate action, and biodiversity
conservation
·
Scores range from 0-100, with higher
scores indicating greater progress toward SDG targets.
·
State/UTs are categorised based on their
SDG India Index score as follows: Aspirant: 0–49, Performer: 50–64,
Front-Runner: 65–99, and Achiever: 100.
·
Top Performers: Kerala and Uttarakhand
emerged as the best-performing states, each scoring 79 points.
·
Lowest Performer: Bihar lagged behind with
a score of 57 points, followed by Jharkhand at 62 points.
·
32 States and UTs achieved scores between
65 and 99, with notable improvements seen in Uttar Pradesh, Jammu &
Kashmir, and West Bengal.
·
There are 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations.
·
All 193 member states
of the United Nations have committed to achieving these goals by 2030.
3. INDIA RANKS FIFTH IN GENAI
INNOVATIONS
·
India ranks fifth globally in Generative AI (GenAI) innovations, behind China,
the US, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.
·
Despite its position, India has shown the highest annual
growth rate in GenAI patent publications, highlighting significant
potential for economic impact.
·
In
Global Rankings and Patent Data china has 38,210 patents,United States 6,276 patents, India
has 1,350 patents (2014-2023)
·
India
has surpassed the UK
(714 patents) and Germany (708 patents).
·
India leads with a 56% annual growth rate
in GenAI patent publications.
·
Share of Total GenAI Patents: India holds a 3% share
globally.
4. GAUTAM GAMBHIR APPOINTED AS HEAD COACH
OF THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM
·
Jay Shah,
Secretary of the Board of Control
for Cricket in India (BCCI)
announced that the former India opener Gautam Gambhir has been appointed as the new Head Coach of the India Cricket
Team (Senior Men) until the end of 2027.
·
His
appointment was recommended by the Cricket
Advisory Committee (CAC) comprising Ashok Malhotra,
Jatin Paranjpe, and Sulakshana Naik.
·
Gautam
replaces Rahul Dravid, whose
term ended after the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup,
2024.
·
Gautam
Gambhir is the only Indian, alongside Don Bradman, Jacques Kallis, and Mohammad
Yousuf, to score centuries in five
successive Test matches.
5. JAMES
ANDERSON RETIRES FROM TEST CRICKET
·
James Anderson, the veteran English
speedster, has officially announced his retirement from Test cricket.
·
The 41-year-old bowler’s illustrious
career, spanning an impressive 21 years, came to a close at the very ground
where it all began – the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.
·
Anderson retires as
the leading wicket-taker among fast bowlers in Test
cricket history, with an astounding 704 wickets.
·
Anderson’s longevity is evident in his 188 Test appearances, second only to
the legendary Sachin Tendulkar (200 Tests) in the all-time list.
6. UK’S 58TH PM
·
Keir Starmer became the 58th Prime Minister (PM) of United Kingdom (UK) by
succeeding Rishi Sunak.
·
He was
appointed by the King Charles III, UK’s monarch.
·
The Labour party got 35% votes(412 seats) and the Conservatives
got 24% votes.
·
Rishi Sunak
was the first British Asian and first Hindu to hold the post of PM
of the UK from October 2022 to July 5 2024.
·
Angela Rayner was appointed Deputy PM and Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary.
·
The United
Kingdom Parliament consists of two houses -the
House of Lords, which is the upper
house, and the lower house, the
House of Commons.
7. CHIEF JUSTICE OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA HIGH COURT
·
The President
of India Droupadi Murmu,
in exercise of the powers conferred by the clause (1) of Article 217 of
the Constitution of India, appointed Justice
Sheel Nagu as the 66th
Chief Justice (CJ) of the High
Court (HC) of Punjab and Haryana with effect from the
date he assumes charge of his office.
·
Appointment
was recommended by the Supreme
Court (SC) Collegium comprising CJ of India DY Chandrachud and
Justices Sanjiv Khanna and BR Gavai on December 28, 2023 after the retirement
of CJ Ravi Shankar Jha on October 13, 2023.
·
Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva has been appointed as the ACJ of the MP High Court succeeding Justice
Sheel Nagu.
8. IRAN PRESIDENT
·
Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian (69 year old), a reformist politician and
a heart surgeon, won Iran’s runoff presidential election with 53% of the
vote.
·
He became
the 9th elected President of Iran.
·
He will take
over from Mohammad Mokhber, who
has been serving as the interim president of Iran since the death of
EbrahimRaisi on 19th May 2024.
·
Iran Capital- Tehran
·
Currency- Iranian Rial
9. THE
FIRST WOMAN CHIEF JUSTICE OF LAHORE
·
Justice AaliaNeelum on July 11, took oath
as the Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC) of Pakistan (Lahore),
making her the first woman to be elevated as the court’s top judge.
·
Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan
administered the oath of office to her.
·
Punjab province’s first woman Chief
Minister Maryam Nawaz was also present in the oath-taking ceremony.
10. EDWARD
KIESWETTER RE-ELECTED AS WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANISATION CHAIR
·
South African Revenue Services (SARS) Commissioner Edward
Kieswetter has
been re-elected as the chairperson of the World Customs Organisation
(WCO) for a second one-year term (2024-2025).
·
The re-election occurred during the 143rd/144th Sessions of
the WCO Council.
·
The sessions took place in Brussels, Belgium, with
the participation of directors general of customs from the WCO’s 186
members.
11.
CANADA
APPOINTS Lt-GENERAL JENNIE CARIGNAN AS CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF
·
The Canadian
government has appointed Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan
chief of the defence staff - the highest position in the country’s armed
forces.
·
She
will be the first woman to hold the post.
12. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COOPERATIVES 2024 – JULY 6
·
The United
Nations (UN) International Day of Cooperatives (Coops Day) is annually observed across
the globe on the 1st Saturday of
July to increase awareness of cooperatives and promote ideas of
international solidarity, economic efficiency, equality, and world peace,
contributing to the development of the society.
·
The theme of International Day of Cooperatives 2024 is “Cooperatives Building a Better Future for
All.”
·
The Day also
commemorates the establishment of
the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA),
one of the oldest Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), and one of the largest
organizations by the number of people represented.
·
Ministry of Cooperation Union Minister– Amit Shah (Constituency: Gandhinagar, Gujarat)
13. WORLD POPULATION DAY 2024 – JULY 11
·
The United
Nations (UN) World Population Day is annually
observed across the globe on 11
July to focus and raise awareness on the urgency and significance of
the global population issues.
·
The 2024 theme of World Population Day
is “To Leave No One Behind, Count
Everyone“.
·
According
to World Population Review’s list
of Largest Cities by Population
2024, India’s Delhi is
ranked 2nd with a
population of 33.8 million and Mumbai (Maharashtra)
is ranked 9th with a population
of 21.7 million people.
·
Tokyo (Japan) top s the list as the largest city in the world in 2024
(including the entire Tokyo metro area), with 37.1 million residents.
·
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) It began operating in 1969 as the United Nations
Fund for Population Activities. Its name was changed to the United Nations
Population Fund in 1987, but the original acronym remains.
·
Executive Director– Dr. Natalia Kanem
·
Headquarters– New York, USA
14. INTERNATIONAL MALALA DAY
2024 – JULY 12
·
International Malala Day,
also known as Malala Day, is annually celebrated across
the globe on 12 July to honour the birthday of Malala
Yousafzai, a Pakistani female education activist and
the youngest Nobel Prize laureate.
·
On her 16th birthday (12 July 2013), Malala
Yousafzai gave an impactful speech on her 1st high-level public
appearance at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, the United
States of America (USA).
·
The UN declared her birthday as
“Malala Day” and has been observed internationally for
the 1st time on 12 July 2013.
