• International Yoga Day 2023 is celebrated every year on June 21^st to promote the numerous benefits of practicing yoga.
• The theme for International Day of Yoga 2023 is “Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,” which represents a shared desire for “One Earth, One Family, One Future.”

BACKGROUND

• On December 11, 2014, all 193 member states of the United Nations unanimously agreed to observe the International Day of Yoga on June 21.
• The inaugural celebration occurred on June 21, 2015.

• Scientists have successfully split phonons, demonstrating their quantum properties and ability to manipulate and control quantum states.
  • Achievement may lead to development of sound-based versions of quantum computers or extremely sensitive measuring devices in future.
• A phonon is a definite discrete unit or quantum of vibrational mechanical energy, just as a photon is a quantum of electromagnetic or light energy.
• These are quasiparticles that represent collective vibrations of atoms or molecules in a solid material.
• These are packets of energy for sound waves.
• These need a medium such as air or water.
• Phonons of different wavelengths can interact and mix when they bump into each other, producing a different wavelength.

• India has gifted missile corvette INS Kirpan to Vietnam.

ABOUT INS KIRPAN

• It is an indigenously-built in-service missile corvette.
• It is a Khukri class missile corvette commissioned into the Navy on January 12, 1991.
• It has a displacement displacing capacity of close to 1,400 tonnes.
• It is capable of a speed of more than 25 knots.
• The Khukri class are equipped with Diesel Engines assembled in India.
• The ship is fitted with a medium-range gun, 30 mm close-range guns, chaff launchers, and surface-to-surface missiles.
• It performs a wide variety of roles, including coastal and offshore patrol, coastal security, surface warfare, anti-piracy, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

• NIXI celebrated its 20th Foundation Day on June 19^th (established in 2003).
• It is a not-for-profit organization (section 8 company) under Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY).
• It acts as a neutral meeting point of Internet service providers (ISPs) with primary objective of facilitating exchange of domestic internet traffic between peering ISP members.
• Four services under NIXI are-
  • Setting IXPs, towards building Internet Exchange Points,
  • .IN Registry, managing and operation of .IN country code domain and .BHARAT IDN (Internationalized Domain Name) domain for India.
  • Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers (IRINN), managing and operating Internet Protocol (IPv4/IPv6).
  • Data Centre services under NIXI-CSC towards data storage services.

• Jagannath Puri Yatra begun recently.
• Also known as the ‘Festival of Chariots’, this occasion begins in the month of Ashadha.
• The festival signifies the annual visit of Lord Jagannath, Balaram, and Subhadra to the Gundicha temple in Odisha.
• Every year, the Rath Yatra takes place for nine days and is known as the biggest chariot procession globally.
• The three chariots carrying the deities are built and embellished in preparation to begin the yatra
• These are constructed by expert carpenters known as ‘Maharana’.
• Each of the chariots has its own name.
  • While Lord Jagannath’s chariot is called Nandighosh, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra’s chariots are named Taladhwaja and Darpadalana respectively.
  • These raths are carried by devotees

ABOUT JAGANNATH TEMPLE

• The temple is believed to be constructed in the 12th century by King Anatavarman Chodaganga Deva of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty.
• Main temple is constructed, in Kalinga architecture, in such a way that no shadow of temple falls on ground at any time of the day.
• Jagannath Puri temple is called ‘Yamanika Tirtha’ where, according to Hindu beliefs, the power of ‘Yama’, the god of death has been nullified in Puri due to the presence of Lord Jagannath.
• This temple was called the “White Pagoda” and is a part of Char Dham pilgrimages (Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri, Rameswaram).
• There are four gates to the temple–
  • Eastern ‘Singhdwara’ which is the main gate with two crouching lions,
  • Southern ‘Ashwadwara’,
  • Western ‘Vyaghra Dwara and
  • Northern ‘Hastidwara’.
  • There is a carving of each form at each gate.

• The world’s first international treaty to protect the high seas was recently adopted by the United Nations.
• It has been adopted by the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).
• It has been adopted under the framework of United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS).
  • UNCLOS established an area called the high seas.
• It is a legally binding treaty that aims at protecting, caring for, and ensuring the responsible use of the marine environment, maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems, and conserving the inherent value of marine biological diversity.
  • It will only enter into force once 60 countries have ratified it.
• It is the first-ever treaty to protect the world’s oceans that lie outside national boundaries.
• It is also known as the ‘Paris Agreement for the Ocean.’

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS

• It aims to place 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030(a pledge made by countries at the UN biodiversity conference in 2022).
• It aims to establish large-scale marine protected areas in international waters, which protect marine biodiversity in high seas.
• Covers environmental assessments to evaluate the potential damage of commercial activities, such as deep-sea mining.
• Strengthening resilience and contains provisions based on polluter-pays principle as well as mechanisms for disputes.

• Offers guidance, including through an integrated approach to ocean management that builds ecosystem resilience to tackle adverse effects of climate change and ocean acidification.
• Treaty provisions also recognize the rights and traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples and local communities, the freedom of scientific research, and need for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
• The treaty also considers the special circumstances facing small-island and landlocked developing nations.

• The Union Ministry of Culture recently expressed its intent to change the process of nomination for the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Awards.

ABOUT THE AWARDS

• The award was established in 1954.
• It is a literary honour, conferred annually on writers of most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the major Indian languages.
• Besides 22 languages enumerated in Constitution, English and Rajasthani language are also recognised.
• The Sahitya Akademi award is the second-highest literary honour by the Government of India, after the Jnanpith award.
• Award includes a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and an amount of Rs. 1,00,000/-
• The Sahitya Akademi functions as an autonomous organisation registered as a society under Societies Registration Act, 1860.

ABOUT JNANPITH AWARD

• It is the highest literary award in India and can only be conferred annually upon an Indian citizen.
• English along with other languages in 8th Schedule, is considered for the Award.
• Award carries cash award of Rs. 11 lakhs, a citation, and a bronze replica of Vagdevi (Saraswati), the goddess of learning.
• It is sponsored by the cultural organization Bharatiya Jnanpith.

• In a joint effort, the teams of the Kangra police and the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) rescued 26 people, including tourists, who were stranded near the Kareri Lake, in Kangra district, due to heavy rain.
• Kareri Lake is at elevation 2,934 metres (9,626 ft) above the sea level.
• Snow melting from the Dhauladhar range serves as the source of the lake and a stream, Nyund is the outflow.

• World Refugee Day is an internationally recognized day established by the United Nations to pay tribute to refugees worldwide.
• It is observed annually on June 20^th.
• The theme of World Refugee Day is “Hope away from home,” emphasizing the significance of mental well-being in the process of refugees rebuilding their lives and striving for a brighter future.
• World Refugee Day has its origins in the United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution 55/76, which was passed on December 4, 2000.

• Recently, the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) recommended banning the manufacture, sale and distribution of two non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) Ketoprofen and Aceclofenac.
  • The two drugs are widely used for livestock treatment.
  • These, along with Nimesulide, are toxic to vultures.
  • The three drugs—aceclofenac, ketoprofen and nimesulide—were introduced as alternatives to diclofenac, that India banned in 2006 for animal use because it caused widespread vulture deaths.

About Drugs Technical Advisory Board

• It is the highest statutory decision-making body on technical matters related to drugs in India.
• It is established as per the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.
• It is part of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• It advises the Central Government and the State Governments on technical matters arising out of the administration of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, of 1940 and to carry out the other functions assigned to it by this Act.

ABOUT NON-STEROID ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS

• These are medicines that are widely used to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and bring down a high temperature.
• These drugs block the production of certain body chemicals that cause inflammation.
• Aspirin and Ibuprofen are most popular examples.