UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

National Tiger Commission to probe death of tigers in tranquil Nilgiri forests in Ooty, Tamil Nadu Global Security Initiative ( GSI ) Consumption of salt in India more than WHO Recommended daily Limit Indian Standards on Biofuel to Aid GBA’s Clean Energy Goals I2U2 Group

This region is known for thriving tiger population. But in just over a span of 35 days, this region witnessed the death of    ten tigers, including six tiger cubs. Times of India reported that that forest officials are still unable to trace the whereabouts of  tigresses of the deceased tiger cubs. N ormally, mother tigers do not stray more than 200 meters from their cubs. This also intensified the concerns among conservationists.  Tigers generally gain independence at around two years of age and attain sexual maturity at age three or four for females and four or five years for males. Juvenile mortality is high, however—about half of all cubs do not survive more than two years. Tigers have been known to reach up to 20 years of age in the wild. Tigers have been known to live to the age of 26 in the wild. Female tigers give birth to two to four cubs at a time, on average, and can do so every two years. Survival is difficult for cubs; about half of all cubs do not l...

Global Security Initiative ( GSI )  is an initiative proposed by   China .   It was first proposed by   Chinese Communist Party   general secretary   Xi Jinping   during the annual   Boao Forum   on 21 April 2022.   Officially, the initiative is meant to "uphold the principle of   indivisible security , build a balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, and oppose the building of national security on the basis of insecurity in other countries.   It identifies six commitments: (1) common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security; (2) respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries; (3) abiding by the purpose and principles of the   UN Charter ; (4) taking the security concerns of all countries seriously; (5) peacefully resolving disputes between countries through dialogue; and (6) maintaining security in both traditional and non-traditional fields.   The principles outline...

As per ICMR Led study, Indians consume 8 grams of salt a day which 3 grams more that WHO Recommended daily Limit.  Study further reveals consumption of salt in men ( 8.9 g/day ) s higher than that of women ( 7.9g/day ).  Study further reveals salt consumption is higher in employed, current tobacco users, obese and those with higher blood pressure that that of unemployed, those who don't use tobacco, non-obese and people with normal blood pressure. The primary health effect associated with diets high in sodium is raised blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, gastric cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, Meniere’s disease, and kidney disease. WHO Recommendations on salt intake:  For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt (just under a teaspoon). For children aged 2–15 years, WHO recommends adjusting the adult dose downward based on their energy requirements. This recommendation for children does not add...

  The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India commits to complement the green initiatives of the country through development of relevant standards. Through an official release, BIS also announced that the Indian Standards will significantly complement the objectives of Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA), the multilateral forum announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during G20 leaders’ summit held recently in New Delhi. The BIS release also quoted the Director General, BIS, Shri Pramod Kumar Tiwari wherein he said, “the announcement of Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA) by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during the G20 summit is a historic development in global efforts towards achieving clean energy goals. We, at the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), being the National Standards Body of India, are committed to support this path breaking initiative of the Government of India through development of relevant Indian Standards and necessary quality parameter...

Relevance: I2U2 group of India, Israel, US, UAE announces jointjoint space venture - The Times of India The  I2U2 Group  is a grouping of  India ,  Israel , the  United Arab Emirates , and the  United States . The group's first joint statement, released on July 14, 2022, states that the countries aim to cooperate on "joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security." I2U2 is a partnership between India, Israel, the UAE, and the U.S. that’s working to tackle global challenges and advance economic opportunities. The heads of government of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the United States convened the first leaders’ summit on July 14, 2022, to establish the I2U2 Group. This unique grouping of countries identifies bankable projects and initiatives to tackle some of the greatest challenges confronting our world, with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in  wat...

Nilgiri Tahr OSIRIS-REx Abraham Accords PM Vishwakarma Scheme National Medical Commission Achieves Prestigious WFME Recognition Status for 10 Years India wins bid to host 17th International Congress on the Chemistry of Cement Lachin Corridor Five Eyes World leaders commit to new targets to end TB & TB vaccine accelerator council launched

Relevance:  Tamil Nadu, Kerala may join hands to count endangered Nilgiri tahr - The Hindu The  Nilgiri tahr  ( Nilgiritragus hylocrius ) is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the only species in the genus  Nilgiritragus  and is closely related to the sheep of the genus  Ovis . It is the state animal of   Tamil Nadu .   ABOUT NILGIRI TAHR The Nilgiri tahr is the only mountain ungulate in southern India amongst the 12 species present in India. It is also the state animal of Tamil Nadu. The Nilgiri tahr, which used to be found along the entire stretch of Western Ghats, is presently found only in small fragmented pockets. A large part of its population has been wiped out from its historical range. The existing populations are under s...

  OSIRIS-REx is the third major planetary science mission for NASA’s New Frontiers Program (after New Horizons launched in 2006 and Juno launched in 2011). OSIRIS-REx is an acronym for "Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer." The goal of the mission is to collect a sample weighing at least 2.1 ounces (59.5 grams) from near-Earth asteroid 101955 Bennu (formerly known as 1999 RQ36) and then bring the sample to Earth. The mission, developed by scientists at the University of Arizona, will give us more information about how the early solar system formed and about how life began. It will also help us better understand asteroids that could impact Earth in the future. It was launched on Sept. 8, 2016, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Mission team members will retrieve the capsule as soon as possible after it lands to ensure the sample is not contaminated by exposure to Earth’s environment. They will fly it by helicopter to a temp...

 The Abraham Accords are bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on September 15, 2020. Mediated by the United States, the initial announcement of August 13, 2020, concerned only Israel and the United Arab Emirates before the announcement of a follow-up agreement between Israel and Bahrain on September 11, 2020. On September 15, 2020, the official signing ceremony for the first iteration of the Abraham Accords was hosted by the Trump administration at the White House. As part of the dual agreements, both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recognized Israel's sovereignty, enabling the establishment of full diplomatic relations. Israel's initial agreement with the United Arab Emirates marked the first instance of Israel establishing diplomatic relations with an Arab country since 1994, when the Israel–Jordan peace treaty came into effect. The Abraham Accords were signed by Bahraini foreign minister Abdull...

  PM Vishwakarma, a Central Sector Scheme, was launched on 17 th  September, 2023 by the Prime Minister to provide end-to-end support to artisans and craftspeople who work with their hands and tools. The Scheme covers artisans and craftspeople engaged in 18 trades, viz.(i) Carpenter (Suthar/Badhai); (ii) Boat Maker; (iii) Armourer; (iv) Blacksmith (Lohar); (v) Hammer and Tool Kit Maker; (vi) Locksmith; (vii) Goldsmith (Sonar); (viii) Potter (Kumhaar); (ix) Sculptor (Moortikar, stone carver), Stone breaker; (x) Cobbler (Charmkar)/ Shoesmith/Footwear artisan; (xi) Mason (Rajmistri); (xii) Basket/Mat/Broom Maker/Coir Weaver; (xiii) Doll & Toy Maker (Traditional); (xiv) Barber (Naai); (xv) Garland maker (Malakaar); (xvi) Washerman (Dhobi); (xvii) Tailor (Darzi); and (xviii) Fishing Net Maker. The Scheme envisages provisioning of the following benefits to the artisans and crafts persons: (i)  Recognition : Recognition of artisans and craftspeople through PM Vishwakarma cer...

  The National Medical Commission (NMC), India has achieved the remarkable feat of being granted the coveted World Federation for Medical Education (WFME) Recognition Status for a remarkable tenure of 10 years. This recognition is a testament to NMC’s unwavering commitment to the highest standards in medical education and accreditation. As part of this recognition, all the 706 existing medical colleges in India will become WFME accredited and the new medical colleges that will be set up in the coming 10 years will automatically become WFME accredited. The recognition  will further enhance the quality and standards of medical education in India by aligning them with the global best practices and benchmarks. It will also enable Indian medical graduates to pursue postgraduate training and practice in other countries that require WFME recognition, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It will increase the international recognition and reputation of Indian ...

  India has won the bid to host the prestigious International Congress on the Chemistry of Cement (ICCC) at New Delhi in 2027. India’s leading research and academic institutes, National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCCBM) along with IIT Delhi successfully presented the India’s bid before the Steering Committee members of the Conference during the ongoing 16 th  ICCC at Bangkok, Thailand. Besides India, other bidders were from Switzerland and UAE. The decision was announced on 20 th  September 2023 at Bangkok, Thailand during the 16 th  ICCC. The Indian bid was presented by Dr L P Singh, Director General, NCCBM, Dr S K Chaturvedi, Joint Director, NCCBM and Dr Shashank Bishnoi, Professor (Civil Engg.), IIT Delhi. The International Congress on the Chemistry of Cement is the largest and most prestigious event of its kind which reviews the progress of research in the area of Cement and Concrete. The congresses have been held generally at intervals of four to...

The   Lachin corridor   ( Armenian :   Լաչինի միջանցք ,   romanized:  Lachini mijantsk ;   Azerbaijani :   Laçın dəhlizi   or   Laçın koridoru ;   Russian :   Лачи́нский коридо́р ,   romanized:  Lachinskiy koridor ) is a mountain road that links   Armenia   and   Republic of Artsakh . Being the only road between these two territories, it is considered a humanitarian corridor or "lifeline" to the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The corridor is in the Lachin District of Azerbaijan, but is ostensibly under the control of a Russian peacekeeping force as provided for in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh armistice agreement. The territory of the corridor included the villages of Zabukh,  Sus  and the city of Lachin itself until 2022. On 26 August 2022, these settlements were transferred to Azerbaijani control. Four days later, a new route to the south wa...

The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance composed of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. These partner countries share a broad range of intelligence with one another in one of the world's most unified multilateral arrangements. The Five Eyes agreement stands out from other arrangements because the parties are diverse societies, governed by rule of law and robust human rights and are bonded by a common language. These characteristics aid the partners in sharing information with one another to protect their shared national interests. History: The tradition of intelligence sharing between NSA and its Second party partners has deep and widespread roots that have been cultivated for almost three quarters of a century. During World War II, the U.S. Army and Navy each developed independent foreign SIGINT relationships with the British and the Dominions of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. These relations evolved and continued across the decades. Th...

  World leaders at the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis have approved a Political Declaration with ambitious new targets for the next five years to advance the global efforts towards ending the TB epidemic. The targets include reaching 90% of people with TB prevention and care services, using a WHO-recommended rapid test as the first method of diagnosing TB; providing social benefit packages to all people with TB; licensing at least one new TB vaccine; and closing funding gaps for TB implementation and research by 2027.  Launch of the TB vaccine accelerator council In the lead-up to this historic meeting, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, officially launched the TB vaccine accelerator council to facilitate the development, licensing and use of new TB vaccines. The Council, supported by the WHO secretariat, will be led by a ministerial board, consisting of nine members who will serve on a rotating basis, for a ter...

Santiniketan in West Bengal has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. This is India’s 41 st  World Heritage site and India stands 6 th  on the World Heritage List.  Also, the Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is the 42nd UNESCO World Heritage Site of India. The three magnificent temples - Hoysalesvara Temple, Helebidu, Channakeshava Temple, Belur, and Keshava Temple, Somenathpur in Karnataka reflect the marvelous architectural and artistic creativity. With this  India stands 6 th  on the World Heritage List. The beautiful 13 th  century CE temples of the Hoysala Dynasty in Karnataka, have been inscribed on the World Heritage list of UNESCO, making India’s total sites on the World Heritage list as 42. This is an occasion for immense joy and celebration for entire Indian Nation. India’s nomination of The Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list in the ong...