1) Synthesis Report of IPCC: This is the final report of the AR6, which integrates findings from six reports (3 working groups + 3 special reports) released by IPCC during the cycle which began in 2015.
- The 6th Assessment Report (AR6) assesses scientific, technical, and socio-economic information concerning climate change.
- There is a more than 50% chance that global temperature rise will reach or surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius between 2021 and 2040.
- Odisha has one of the most dynamic coasts in the country, with sea levels rising at a rate more than the average for the rest of the country. It is also the most cyclone-prone state in India.
2) Biotransformation Technology: Pioneered by a UK based startup, it is a novel approach to processing plastics efficiently and breaking them down.
- Plastics made using this technology are given a pre-programmed time during which they look and feel like conventional plastics without compromising on quality.
- Once the product expires and is exposed to the external environment, it self-destructs and biotransforms into bioavailable wax within 2-4 months. This wax is then consumed by microorganisms, converting waste into water, CO2, and biomass.
- Biotransformation technology ensures polyolefins fully biodegrade in an open environment causing no microplastics.
3) The New Warsaw Pact: Recently, the air chiefs of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden agreed to integrate their air defenses to counter the Russian threat.
- The Nordic move is about coping with a heightened sense of insecurity in northern Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- The emerging security arrangements are being called the “New Warsaw Pact”
- The geopolitical arc in Central Europe has come full circle as the “New Warsaw Pact” points its weapons eastward in opposition to Russian revisionism.
- Old Warsaw Pact: The Warsaw Treaty Organization (also known as the Warsaw Pact) was a political and military alliance established on May 14, 1955, between the Soviet Union and several Eastern European countries to counterbalance NATO.
4) INS CHILKA: It is the premier basic training establishment for sailors of the Indian Navy.
- The concept of training the mind, body and soul to obtain a ‘Sea Warrior’ with the right attitude has been adopted.
- INS Chilka is the only ab-initio training establishment of the Indian Navy, which trains more than 6600 raw recruits annually to make them able bodied sailors.
- It is located in the coastal state of Odisha in the vicinity of Chilka Lake.
5) Pharmaceutical Pricing in India: National List of Essential Medicines, 2022 has been notified by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Medicines included in the National List of Essential Medicines are included in the Schedule I of Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013.
- Prices of drugs in included in Schedule 1 is fixed by the Government based on taking the average of all brands who have market share of more than 1%.
- The Government shall revise the ceiling prices of scheduled formulations as per the annual wholesale price index (WPI) for preceding calendar year on or before 1st April of every year.
