Published on: July 8, 2024
Snippets : 8 JULY 2024
Snippets : 8 JULY 2024
- Vasant Mokashi, the screenwriter of Shankar Nag’s 1985 hit film ‘Accident’, passed away
- The two-day Mysuru Literature Festival, organized by Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust and Mysuru Book Clubs-2015, concluded on Sunday, featuring diverse panel discussions and the release of “Power within – The leadership legacy of Narendra Modi” by R Balasubramaniam, which explores Modi’s leadership journey and his spiritual influences
- At the Paris Diamond League meet, Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine set a new women’s high jump world record of 2.10 meters, surpassing the previous mark set in 1987. Meanwhile, Kenyan Faith Kipyegon improved her own women’s 1500m record, showcasing top form ahead of the Olympics in Paris
- India’s Dhruv Sitwala and Anupama Ramachandran clinched the men’s Asian billards and women’s snooker titles in the Asian championships in Riyadh recently.
- Two new species of litter-dwelling jumping spiders from the evergreen forests of the southern Western Ghats have been found by researchers from Christ College, Irinjalakuda.
- Japan issued its first new banknotes in two decades, yen packed with 3D hologram technology to fight counterfeiting
- For the first time, a large-scale migration of Common Grass Yellow was observed during the three-day butterfly survey which concluded at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) recently
- The Karnataka State government is launching the ‘Naavu Manujaru’ programme in schools to promote social harmony, tolerance, and scientific temper. The program will involve 2 hours of weekly discussions, replacing one period of value education and two periods of SUPW. Implemented with guidelines from the Department of School Education and Literacy, district-level nodal officers will oversee the execution and report to DSERT. The curriculum covers themes like social harmony, festivals, sports, social reformers, family dynamics, and values such as equality and liberty. It also promotes scientific temper, environmental awareness, social inclusion, and coexistence through various activities and discussions.
- The Department of Telecommunication released draft rules for the administration of Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) for a 30-day public consultation. The DBN, which replaced the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) through the Telecommunications Act, 2023, focuses on providing telecom services in underserved areas, supporting pilot projects, research and development, and the introduction of new telecom technologies. Payments to the DBN will first be credited to the Consolidated Fund of India and then transferred to the DBN. The central government will appoint an administrator to oversee the selection of DBN implementers through bidding or applications, who must offer services non-discriminatorily. The new rules aim to replace previous USOF rules and omit certain financial and technical definitions.
- To address severe coastal erosion in the Poonthura region of Kerala, the irrigation department plans to construct eight groynes at a cost of Rs 17.5 crore. Groynes are structures extending from the shore into the sea, typically made of wood, rock, concrete, or metal. They serve to trap sediment, dissipate wave energy, and restrict sediment transfer through longshore drift. Longshore drift occurs when waves carry sediment along the beach at an angle due to prevailing winds. Groynes help prevent this, thereby slowing erosion. Advantages of groynes include ease of construction, long-term durability, low maintenance, reduced need for beach nourishment, beach widening, erosion reduction, increased wave energy dissipation, and long-term coastline stabilization.
- Thazhakara has become the first grama panchayat in Alappuzha and one of the first in Kerala to update and publish a comprehensive People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) with the involvement of local communities. The PBR serves as a detailed record of biodiversity, including conservation of habitats, preservation of land races, domesticated animal breeds, microorganisms, and accumulated biological knowledge. Mandated by the Biological Diversity Act (2002), PBRs are developed to document and safeguard bioresources and associated knowledge at the local level.
- The Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited (IRRPL), a joint venture between India and Russia, has successfully delivered 35,000 AK-203 Kalashnikov assault rifles to the Indian Army. Developed by engineer Mikhail Kalashnikov between 2007 and 2010 in Russia, these rifles are chambered for the 7.62x39mm cartridge and are renowned for their reliability and ease of maintenance. The rifles are produced using proprietary Russian technologies and certified equipment to ensure high quality and adherence to specifications. IRRPL, established in 2019 and located at Korwa Ordnance Factory in Amethi district, Uttar Pradesh, makes India the first country outside Russia to produce the AK-200 series rifles.
