NATIONAL:
1. Vedanta-Foxconn JV
Why in news - Taiwan’s Foxconn announced that it was pulling out of the joint venture (JV) with Vedanta.
Key Points –
• An MoU to set up the $19.5 billion plant in Gujarat was signed in September 2022.
• Two other proposals (ISMC and IGSS Venture) for India’s $10 billion chip incentive scheme too remain uncertain.
• Foxconn is the world's largest contract electronics maker.
2. Telangana Eunuchs Act 1919
Why in news – The Telangana High Court struck down the Telangana Eunuchs Act of 1919.
Key Points –
• It was declared “unconstitutional” and an intrusion into the private sphere of transgender people.
• It violated Article 14 and Article 21.
• “Eunuchs” - All persons of the male sex who admit to be impotent or who clearly appear to be impotent on medical inspection.
• Case Name - V. Vasanta Mogli vs. The State of Telangana.
Value Addition –
• Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act of 2019 covered only welfare measures.
• The act has no provision for specific offences attributed to them, such as “kidnapping or emasculating boys or committing unnatural offences.”
• IPC Section 377 - criminalized homosexuality (read down by the Supreme Court in 2018).
• National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) judgement – 2014.
INTERNATIONAL:
1. Ubinas Volcano
Why in news – State of emergency declared in Peru as Ubinas volcano spews ash.
Key Points –
• Location - Moquegua region.
• Peru's most active volcano.
• The zone is part of the “Ring of Fire” along the edges of the Pacific Ocean known for volcanic activity and earthquakes.
ECONOMY:
1. Potato Patent and PPVFRA
Why in news – The Delhi High Court upheld the order by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA).
Key Points –
• PPVFRA revoked the intellectual property protection granted to PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt. Ltd with respect to a potato variety (FL 2027) developed by it.
• PepsiCo India Holdings was granted a certificate of registration for FL 2027 as an “extant variety” on February 1, 2016 for 6 years.
• FL 2027 failed the test of novelty.
Value Addition –
• FL 2027 –
(a) a potato variety with high dry matter and low sugar content better suited for making chips.
(b) developed in 1996 by Robert W Hoopes of PepsiCo Inc.
(c) grown by some 14,000 farmers in India via contract cultivation.
• Indian Patents Act 1970 doesn’t give Patent to seeds / plant varieties.
• Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act 2001 grants Intellectual Property Rights to plant breeders, researchers and farmers who have developed any new plant varieties.
SCIENCE – TECH:
1. Chandrayaan-3 Mission
Why in news – It is set to be launched from Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14, 2023.
Key Points –
• India’s third lunar mission.
• Lander Vikram and rover Pragyaan are likely to land on the Moon on August 23.
• Landing site - south pole of the moon at 70 degrees latitude.
• If successful, it would become the world’s first mission to soft-land near the lunar south pole. (Other countries - equatorial region, a few degrees latitude north or south of the lunar equator).
• Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs) - Moon’s axis tilts only 1.5 degrees (Earth - 23.5 degrees). Therefore, sunlight never shines on the floors of a number of craters near the lunar north and south poles.
• Challenges in the lunar south pole – different and difficult terrain, dark region (sunlight never reaches), extremely low temperatures (below 230OC), large craters etc.
• Benefits of exploring South Pole –
(a) presence of ice molecules in the deep craters,
(b) extremely cold temperatures - anything trapped would remain frozen in time without undergoing much change.
(c) can provide clues to the early Solar System.
3. AI News Presenter
Why in news – Odisha Television Limited (OTV) has unveiled its AI-powered virtual news anchor named Lisa.
Key Points –
• Lisa is the first AI news anchor in free-to-air regional television broadcasting.
• It is also the first regional (Odia) news anchor.
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES:
1. NATO Vilnius Summit 2023
Why in news – The NATO summit in Vilnius held on July 11-12, 2023.
Key Points –
• It is the 4th summit since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• Vilnius is capital of Lithuania.
• Lithuania shares a border with Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus.
• It reviewed the first defense plans since the Cold War, outlining NATO’s response to a potential Russian attack.
• Bucharest summit 2008 - Ukraine would eventually become a NATO member.
2. 'AI for Good' Conference
Why in news – The world's first robot-only press conference was held in Geneva.
Key Points –
• It was held on the sidelines of the United Nations “AI for Good” global summit in Geneva.
• 8 humanoid robots answered questions from journalists on the future of AI and their coexistence with humans.
Value Addition -
• Father of Robotics - Joseph F. Engelberger.
• Father of Artificial Intelligence - John McCarthy.
RANKS & INDICES:
1. Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D)
Why in news – Ministry of Education released the PGI-D combined report for 2020-21 & 2021-22.
• It assesses the performance of school education system at the District level.
• Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSE&L) devised Performance Grading Index (PGI).
• 6 categories - Outcomes, Effective Classroom Transaction, Infrastructure Facilities & Student’s Entitlements, School Safety & Child Protection, Digital Learning and
Governance Process.
• Total weightage - 600 points across 83 indicators.
• PGI-D grades the districts into ten grades.
• Daksh - Highest achievable Grade (scoring - >90%).
• Akanshi-3 - Lowest grade (score - upto10%).
BIHAR:
1. Visitor’s Award for Innovation 2021
Why in news – Venkatesh Singh has been conferred with the prestigious award in recognition of his contribution to research in physics.
Key Points –
• He is head of the Department of physics at Central University of South Bihar (CUSB).
• It was conferred to him by President Droupadi Murmu.
2. Menstrual Health in Bihar
Why in news – A study conducted by the Population Research Centre (PRC) of Patna University.
Key Points –
• Subject - Menstrual health and hygiene among adolescent girls in climatic vulnerable areas in Bihar.
• The study was carried out primarily in Patna, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi and Banka districts.
• Altogether 430 girls in the 13-19 years age group from different socio-economic strata were interviewed.
• Findings –
(a) about 40% of the rural adolescent girls in Bihar use cloth instead of sanitary napkins during their menstruation.
(b) at least 5% of them are not allowed to take bath during the period.
(c) even among the girls who use sanitary napkins, 90% have not received any government supplied napkin in the recent past.
(d) 67% of the girls throw the used napkins in open areas.
POINTERS:
• Which Indian actor film Giddh won Asia International Competition and qualifies For Oscars - Sanjay Mishra.
• Which state has announced the formation of a special task force to tackle the drug menace - Himachal Pradesh.
• Which state has announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art milk processing plant in collaboration with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). - Himachal Pradesh.
• In which state the first 'Sahiwal calf' has been born through surrogacy - Andhra Pradesh.
• Which state government has announced 50% fee waiver for EWS students – Maharashtra.
• Which state has launched "Operation Conviction" against cow slaughter - Uttar Pradesh.
• Who became the first Indian male archer to win a gold in the recurve category of the Youth World Championships - Parth Salunkhe.
• The Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust (Hind Swaraj Sangh) will confer the Lokmanya Tilak National Award to whom - Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• US banking giant Goldman Sachs has predicted that India is poised to become the world's second-largest economy by which year – 2075.
• India and the United States joined which operation aimed at preventing the illegal shipment of pharmaceuticals, devices, and precursor chemicals through the International Mail System (IMS) - Operation Broader Sword.