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Current Context : Kapil Sibal elected as the president of Supreme Court Bar Association(SCBA).

• He would be serving the SCBA for the fourth time as its president.
• He was previously elected the president of the lawyers’ body in between 1995-1996; 1997-1998 and 2001-2002.
• He defeated incumbent Vice President of the SCBA Pradeep Rai.

Current Context : India-born Gopi Thotakura became the first Indian citizen to venture into space as a tourist.

• He was part of the elite crew for Blue Origin’s New Shepard-25 (NS-25) mission, a company founded by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos.
• Thotakura was selected as one of the six crew members for the NS-25 mission, making him the first Indian space tourist and the second Indian to venture into space after the Indian Army’s Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984, who went to Salyut 7 space station on a Soviet spacecraft in 1984.
• He will go beyond the Karman Line–the boundary that separates Earth’s atmosphere and outer space- and return to Earth.

Current Context : Brazil will host the 10th edition of the championship of FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

• This will be the first Women’s World Cup to be held in South America and becoming the first South American nation to host the Women’s World Cup.
• Brazil hosted the men’s football World Cups in 1950 and 2014.

ABOUT FIFA :

• The Fédération Internationale de football association is an international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal.
• Founded : on 21 May 1904 in Rue Saint-Honoré, Paris, France.
• Headquarters: Zürich, Switzerland

Current Context : The internally displaced Muria tribes in Godavari Valley continue to practice the ‘deda’ method to preserve seeds of pulses and food crops which were handed over to them by their ancestors in Chhattisgarh.

Aim : Protection of seed from pests and worms.

ABOUT DEDA METHOD:

• This method is used to preserve seeds of pulses like green gram, red gram, black gram, and beans.
• This traditional preservation technique passed through generations among the Muria tribe.

PRESERVATION PROCESS

• Seeds are stored in leaves and tightly packed to resemble boulders from a distance.
• Siali leaves, locally known as ‘addakulu,‘ are woven around the packaged seeds to create the deda.
• Each deda comprises three layers: wood ash spread inside Siali leaves, lemon leaves forming a casing over the ash, and seeds sealed within the casing. Each deda can support up to 5kg of seeds.

MURIA TRIBE

• They are known as habitations of Internally Displaced People (IDPs).
• Location: Located in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.
• They speak Koya, a Dravidian language.
• They have progressive views on marriage and life.

Current Context: India’s first research testbed to study Nor’westers getting ready.

• Aim : to study thunderstorms from the formation stage, growth, and propagation over eastern parts of the country.
• This will be done using meteorological instruments, drones, and other equipment that will aid in the systematic tracking of thunderstorms.
• Thunderstorm research testbed to be equipped with drones, 100-metre flux tower and high-end instruments and will cover a large area adjoining West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand.
• India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Delhi, will jointly develop and use this facility.
• The control centre will be at Chandbali in the Bhadrak district of Odisha.

ABOUT NOR’WESTERS :

• Nor’westers also known as Kalbaishakhi are severe thunderstorms that occur during the pre-monsoon season (March to May) in Bangladesh and the Indian states of Bihar, Tripura, Assam, Odisha, Jharkhand, and West Bengal.
• They are often very violent with squall.
• Speed : 60 to 80 km per hour.
• They cause heavy damage to standing crops, trees, buildings, livestock and even lead to loss of human lives.

These storms are known as ‘Barodoli Chheerha’ in Assam.

Current Context : The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) organized its first-ever ONDC Startup Mahotsav at the Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi.

• Event was Collaborated between Startup India and the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), both are the initiatives of DPIIT.

ABOUT ONDC

• The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is an innovative initiative in India that aims to create an inclusive e-commerce ecosystem in India.
• It addresses various challenges faced by consumers and businesses in the online marketplace, such as monopolies, multiple delivery apps, and user convenience issues.
• Founded: 31 December 2021 by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

Current Context : The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW) celebrated the International Day for Women in Maritime, in New Delhi to honouring the vital contributions of women seafarers.

• This year’s theme, ” Safe Horizons: Women in Shaping the Future of Maritime Safety,” underscores the importance of safety and security of women in the maritime sector.
• Objective : supporting and empowering women in maritime through various initiatives and partnerships, including collaboration with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other industry stakeholders.
  • to break down barriers and create opportunities for women in this industry.

Current Context: Celebrated annually on the third Friday of May.

• Objective: to raising awareness about the critical importance of preserving biodiversity and promoting conservation efforts to ensure the survival of vulnerable species.
• Theme: “Celebrate Saving Species,”
  • calls for action to reduce the harmful human activities that threaten species.
• The Endangered Species Coalition and David Robinson co-founded National Endangered Species Day in 2006.

Current Context: Celebrated on 20 June every year by the United Nations.

• Objective: To celebrate and honour refugees from around the world.
• The theme for the 2024 : Hope Away from Home.
• First day celebrated on 20 June 2001, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.
• It was originally known as Africa Refugee Day, before the United Nations General Assembly officially designated it as an international day in December 2000.
• India has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, but the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has been active in India since 1981.

Current Context: Ambaji White Marble’ (AWM) famous for its use in constructing religious buildings has got GI (Geographical Indications) tag from the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM).

• This marble mined since the early medieval period from Ambaji in Banaskantha district, Gujarat, is one of the most popular marbles in the country.
• It has been used in the construction of the famous Ambaji Temple.
• AWM absorbs less heat and remains cool even under direct sun exposure, it has been proposed to be used in the temple’s campus.
• It has been used in India’s well-known temples like Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Uttar Pradesh and in the newly-developed Parliament of India too.

SPECIAL FEATURES :

• Ambaji is famous for its maximum whiteness – in the range of 95.8% -96.3%.
• The marble has uniform and closely packed fine grains.
• AWM is translucent can be polished to high gloss, and is relatively hard when compared to other varieties of marble.
• It constitutes silicon oxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, iron oxide, aluminium oxide, and mainly calcium oxide.