- Mount Marapi: Recently, Indonesia’s Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province erupted, spewing white-and-grey ash plumes for more than 3,000 metres into the air. Not to be mistaken with Mount Merapi in Java, this Mount Marapi is located in West Sumatra. Its name means Mountain of Fire. With over 60 eruptions to its credit since the late 18th century, Marapi claims the title of the most active volcano in Sumatra.
- Allied Climate Partners: At COP28, Allied Climate Partners joined the International Finance Corporation in a climate financing venture to try to generate $11 billion in investments in developing countries. It is a philanthropic investment organisation. With a mission to increase the number of bankable, climate-related projects and businesses in emerging markets and developing economies to create significant environmental, economic, and social impact. Its initial focus regions are Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and Central America, Africa, and India.
- International Finance Corporation: It was founded in 1956 with Washington, DC as its headquarters. It is a member of the World Bank Group. Its Mandate is to Advance economic development and improve the lives of people by encouraging the growth of the private sector in developing countries. It helps countries develop their private sectors in a variety of ways
Functions: Investing in companies through loans, equity investments, debt securities and guarantees.
- Mobilising capital from other lenders and investors through loan participations, parallel loans and other means.
- Advising businesses and governments to encourage private investment and improve the investment climate.
The IFC is owned and governed by its member countries. It is a corporation whose shareholders are member governments that provide paid-in capital and have the right to vote on its matters.
- White Lung Syndrome: It originates from distinctive white patches on chest X-rays in affected children. The term includes various respiratory illnesses like acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis, and silica-related conditions.
Causes: It is believed to be caused by a combination of bacterial, viral, and environmental factors. The patients have symptoms including cough, fever, runny nose, phlegm pileup in sinuses, difficulty breathing and fatigue. The treatment is mainly focused on addressing the symptoms of pneumonia and ensuring the respiratory health of the patients.
Medicines are given to alleviate symptoms like cough and fever. Overall monitoring must be done and oxygen therapy provided if necessary.
- Purchasing Managers’ Index: It is an indicator of business activity – both in the manufacturing and services sectors. It is a survey-based measure that asks the respondents about changes in their perception of some key business variables from the month before. It is calculated separately for the manufacturing and services sectors and then a composite index is constructed. The index helps in determining whether the market conditions, as seen by purchasing managers, is expanding, contracting or staying the same. There are two types of PMI — Manufacturing PMI and Services PMI.
