Today's Current Affairs 9th July 2023

INTERNATIONAL

U.N. Security Council to hold first-ever meeting on threats of AI

• The U.N. Security Council will hold a first-ever meeting on the threats of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on July 18th. The meeting organized by the United Kingdom, will see global leaders discussing the potential threats of artificial intelligence (AI) to international peace and security. It has been presented as a centrepiece of the UK’s presidency of the council.
• This was announced by the UK’s ambassador to the UN, Dame Barbara Woodward. She said that since becoming Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak has been pushing for a leadership position in the global effort to regulate AI tools. Mr. Sunak had earlier claimed that the UK was the natural place to lead the conversation on AI. He had also announced that Britain will host the first major global summit on AI safety later this year.
• The meeting will include briefings by international AI experts and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Guterres has been known for speaking up against the risks of new technologies such as AI. The UN chief has revealed plans to appoint a scientific advisory board with expertise in this area. He also said he would react favourably to the creation of a new UN agency on AI with some regulatory powers, similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

India joins the Champions Group of the Global Crisis Response Group

• The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India informed on 7 July 2023 that India has been included in the “Champions Group” of the Global Crisis Resolution Group (GCRG).
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. UN Secretary-General Guterres established the Global Crisis Response Group (GCRG) in March 2022 to address urgent and critical global issues such as food and energy security challenges.
• About: Champions Group - Champions Group maintains GCRG. It includes the Heads of State and Government of Bangladesh, Barbados, Denmark, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the decision to join the grouping reflects India's growing global leadership and commitment to address current global challenges. India's participation will further strengthen the efforts of the United Nations in finding result-oriented solutions to development issues affecting the world, especially developing countries
• Sanjay Verma, who was Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, has been designated as the "Sherpa" for the GCRG process. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, these Sherpas will have an online meeting on July 14 and the Champions Group meeting will be held on July 21.

Ozone UV Bulletin' released by WMO

• The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) issues Ozone and UV bulletins at an interval of seven years. According to which the ozone layer is continuously improving
• To monitor and understand changes in the ozone layer, WMO has released its first Ozone and UV Bulletin. According to the information given by WMO, with the help of Montreal Protocol and amendments made from time to time, the use of substances that damage the ozone layer has been limited by 99 percent.
• The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty on the prevention of substances that deplete the ozone layer.It is designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out emissions of substances known to be responsible for depleting the ozone layer.
• International Initiative for the Protection of the Ozone Layer: The 1985 Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer provided a framework for international cooperation on ozone protection.
• The Montreal Protocol which was adopted in the year 1987 is a worldwide agreement to stop the production of ozone-depleting substances. The Montreal Protocol has been signed by 197 parties of the world.

NATIONAL

Ministry of Education releases report on Performance Grading Index 2.0 for States/UTs for the year 2021-22.

• The Indian Education System is one of the largest in the world with about 14.9 lakh schools, 95 lakh teachers, and nearly 26.5 crore students from varied socio-economic backgrounds. Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, devised Performance Grading Index (PGI) for States and UTs which assesses the performance of school education system at the State/UT level by creating an index for comprehensive analysis. The PGI - States/UTs was first released for the year 2017-18 and so far, has been released up to the year 2020-21.
• Over the period, many of the indicators in PGI – States/UTs have been outlived and become redundant. Also, the structure of PGI – States/UTs has been heavily tilted towards the indicators related to Governance Processes rather than the quality indicators. Therefore, to have more updated base with quality indicators, to align with new initiatives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, to monitor indicators relating to Goal 4 of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and to replace existing indicators which have achieved optimal target, the PGI – State structure for 2021-22 has been revised and renamed as PGI 2.0. In PGI 2.0 , the data source for many of the indicators has been the data from UDISE+ and the grades have been aligned with the PGI - District to have uniformity and better comparability,
• The new PGI structure covers 73 indicators, focused more on qualitative assessment besides including digital initiatives and teacher education. The grades/level obtained by States/UTs in previous edition of the PGIs are thus not comparable as with the grades/levels obtained by States/UTs in this new edition.
• The PGI 2.0 structure comprises of 1000 points across 73 indicators grouped into 2 categories viz., Outcomes, Governance Management (GM). These categories are further divided into 6 domains, viz., Learning Outcomes (LO), Access (A), Infrastructure & Facilities (IF), Equity (E), Governance Process (GP) & Teachers Education and Training (TE&T).

IAU Names Minor Planet After India's First Professional Meteor Scientist Aswin Sekhar

• The International Astronomical Union (IAU) honoured Indian astrophysicist Aswin Sekhar by naming a minor planet after him. The honour was conferred on him at the 2023 edition of the Asteroids Comets Meteors Conference, which took place in Arizona on June 21, 2023.
• It is worth noting that only five Indians -- Nobel laureates CV Raman and Subramanya Chandrasekhar; mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan; prominent physicist and astronomer Vikram Sarabhai; astronomer and former president of IAU Manali Kallat Vainu Bappu, who was also the co-discoverer of the Wilson-Bappu Effect, were conferred this honour before him.
• Sekhar works as an astrophysicist at the Institute of Celestial Mechanics, Paris Observatory in France. He is the first professional meteor scientist from India. While speaking to the media, Sekhar said that he was deeply humbled and honoured by this recognition. “This was announced at this Asteroids, comets-meteors conference in Arizona in America, and it was surprising. It was a pleasant surprise,

Odisha CM Launches ‘Ama Pokhari’ Scheme To Revive Ponds In Cities

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today launched the ‘Aam Pokhari’ scheme to revive ponds lying unused in the urban areas of the state.
• Under the Ama Pokhari scheme, 2,000 large water bodies in 115 urban areas will be rejuvenated and its periphery will be renovated for healthy space for the public. This will be done in partnership with Mission Shakti WSHG and educated young men & women who have passed out of college. A better environment will be created at a lower cost in natural ways.
• he Chief Minister said that ponds play an important role in our social and cultural life. It is also related to health and the economy. He expressed the hope that the revived ponds will become an integral part of urban life.

SPORTS

Gukesh defeats Viswanathan Anand in the eighth round of Rapid event of the 2023 SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz tournament

• Young Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh scored a memorable win over illustrious compatriot and idol Viswanathan Anand in the eighth round of the Rapid event of the 2023 SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz tournament, part of the Grand Chess Tour.
• The 40-move win for the 17-year-old Gukesh late on Friday was his first ever over Anand and came in his maiden tournament match against the five-time world champion. The two Indians have 10 points each and are tied for fourth place.
• Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi remained co-leaders after the final day of the Rapid event, each with 12 points.
• While the day 1 leader Anand stumbled and fell two points behind the leaders, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen bounced back into form to take the clear third position going into two full days of blitz next.
• Apart from the loss to Gukesh, Anand could only draw his games against Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland) and Nepomniachtchi in rounds seven and nine respectively.
• Gukesh started the final day of the Rapid section with a loss to Caruana before stunning Anand and holding Duda to a draw.
• A 18-round blitz segment follows the rapid event in the tournament which features top players including Carlsen, Anand and Nepomniachtchi among others.

 SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Voyager Space signs Memorandum of Understanding with New-Space India Limited to explore Collaborative Opportunities in Space Technology

• BENGALURU, India, July 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Voyager Space, a global leader in space exploration, is pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), to foster collaboration in spacecraft launch and deployment opportunities on-board NSIL's Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) and Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
• Under this MOU, Voyager Space and NSIL will explore launch and deployment opportunities for small satellites orbited by SSLV and PSLV. The two organizations will also study the use of space qualified components from NSIL in support of spacecraft manufacturing, deployment, operations, and other areas of interest.

Gujarat: Govt inks six MoUs with private industries for mangrove plantation under MISHTI scheme

• In Gujarat, the mangroves will be planted over 3000 hectares area of land to conserve coastal ecosystems. Gujarat government inked six MoUs with private industries for the mangrove plantation under the MISHTI scheme at Dwarka in the presence of Union Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change Bhupender Yadav.
• Addressing the Hariyali Mahotsav at Dwaraka in Gujarat, Mr. Yadav said India has devised a unique biodiversity conservation model through a holistic approach. He also underlined the critical role of mangroves in preventing coastal erosion. Yadav also participated in the mangrove plantation drive in Dwarka and congratulated the Gujarat government for joining hands with private players for the plantation of mangroves in the State.
• He said the initiative will aid restoration and conservation of mangroves and achieve India’s carbon sink targets. Gujarat State Environment Minister Mulu Bera was also present on the occasion.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Belgian tennis great Justine Henin receives the Philippe Chatrier Award

• The International Tennis Federation has awarded Justine Henin its highest honour, the Philippe Chatrier Award.
• Henin won seven Grand Slam singles titles, an Olympic gold medal, and was part of Belgium’s team that won the Fed Cup — now called the Billie Jean King Cup — in 2001.
• The award, named after the former ITF president, was introduced in 1996 and recognizes people who have made significant contributions to the sport on and off the court.
• About: Justine Henin - Justine Henin CMW is a Belgian former world No. 1 tennis player. She spent a total of 117 weeks as the world No. 1 and was the year-end No. 1 in 2003, 2006 and 2007