Current Context : CSIR organised the first phase health monitoring project, Phenome India and a special event, Phenome India Unboxing 1.0.

ABOUT PHENOME INDIA

• Phenome India-CSIR Health Cohort Knowledgebase (PI-CheCK) is an initiative by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• It was launched on 7th December 2023.
• Aim : to assess risk factors in non-communicable (cardio-metabolic) diseases within the Indian populace.
• Objective: to develop India-specific risk prediction models for cardio-metabolic diseases including diabetes, liver diseases, and cardiac diseases.
• This is the first-ever pan-India longitudinal health monitoring study focused on cardio-metabolic diseases.

ABOUT THE COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH (CSIR):

• It is an autonomous body under the Societies Registration Act, of 1860.
• Established: In September 1942.
• Headquarter : New Delhi.
• Funding : Ministry of Science and Technology.

Current Context : Ankesh Chaudhary, an athlete from Pathiar village in Kangra district, has won a gold medal at the international stage.

• He clinched gold in 800-metre World Athletics Continental Tour, held at Taiwan, with a timing of 50.64.
• He had also won the 800-m gold in Senior National Federation Cup, held in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.

Current Context : Scientists at the Institute of Advanced Virology (IAV) Kerala’s developed non-infectious Nipah virus-like particles to help in vaccine production and development of monoclonal antibodies.

ABOUT VIRUS LIKE PARTICLES

• Virus-like particles (VLPs) are molecules that closely resemble viruses, but are non-infectious because they contain no viral genetic material.
• They are a very effective way of creating vaccines against diseases such as human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis B, malaria.
• They are similar to real viral molecules.
• VLPs are very small, with a particle radius of approximately 20 to 200 nm, as they can easily enter the lymph nodes, where the immune system is activated in the case of an infection.
• It consists of one or more structural proteins that can be arranged in multiple layers.

ABOUT NIPAH VIRUS

• It is a zoonotic virus (it is transmitted from animals to humans) and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly between people.
• Symptoms : range of illnesses, from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis.
• The virus can also cause severe disease in animals, such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers.
• First found in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999.

Current Context : The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has developed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software named Parallel RANS Solver for Aerospace Vehicle Aero-thermo-dynamic Analysis (PraVaHa).

ABOUT PRAVAHA

• The software is developed in ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
• It can simulate external and internal flows on launch vehicles, winged and non-winged re-entry vehicles.
• PraVaHa has been used extensively in the Gaganyaan program for aerodynamic analysis of human-rated launch vehicles, viz, HLVM3, Crew Escape System (CES), and Crew Module (CM).
• It will replace most of the CFD simulations for aero characterization, which is currently being carried out using commercial software.

Current Context : China’s space exploration successful lands Chang’e-6 lunar probe on the far side of the moon.

• The probe landed in the extreme South Pole- Aitken Basin.

ABOUT CHANG’E-6

• It is a 53-day mission to explore the unexplored part of the moon.
• Launched on May 3, 2024.
• Objective : to collect rock samples from the unexplored part of the huge crater formed on the far side of the moon- Aitken Basin (extreme south pole of the moon).
• It is the first lunar mission to take samples and return from the moon’s far side.
• Recently, India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission landed on the South Pole of the Near Side of the Moon.

ABOUT FAR SIDE OF THE MOON

• It is the hemisphere of the Moon that always faces away from Earth (dark side of the Moon).
• This happens because the Moon is tidally locked with Earth due to gravitational pull.

Current Context : All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) has launched the Bank Clinic initiative.

ABOUT BANK CLINIC:

• Initiative of the All-India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA).
• Objective : to help customers address their grievances amid rapid expansion in technology and a series of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines on retail banking.
  • to ensure timely and effective redressal of customer issues.
• It is a non-resolving advisory platform guiding customers on the remedies available per RBI guidelines.
• Under this, customers can register their complaints on the Bank Clinic website and they will receive a reply within five working days, detailing the available remedies and relevant RBI guidelines for their specific issue.

ABOUT AIBEA

• The All-India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) is a national trade union representing bank employees across India.
• It plays a crucial role in advocating for the rights, welfare and interests of bank workers.
• Established on 20^th April 1946 in Kolkata.
• Headquarter is in Chennai.

Current Context : Halla Tomasdottir elected as President of Iceland .

• Halla Tomasdottir is a businesswoman and investor.
• She will be the second woman to hold the office after Vigdis Finnbogadottir.
• The President of Iceland has a term of four years.

ABOUT ICELAND

• Iceland is an island country situated in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Capital: Reykjavik
• Currency: Krona

Current Context : Claudia Sheinbaum (61-year-old), has been elected as the first female president of  Mexico.

She is a climate activist and former mayor of Mexico City.

Sheinbaum is also the first Jew leader to become the president of Mexico.

ABOUT MEXICO

• Mexico is a federal country with 31 states.
• The President is the head of the executive branch of the government, according to the Mexican Constitution of 1917.
• The President is directly elected by the people for a six-year term.
• A person can become president only once in Mexico.
• There is no provision for a vice president.

Current Context : Vijaya Bharathi Sayani has been appointed as the chairperson of National Human Right Commission (NHRC)

• He would be replacing Justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra.

ABOUT NHRC

• Established on 12 October 1993 as an independent statutory body.
• It is responsible for the protection and promotion of “rights relating to life, liberty, equality and dignity of the individual guaranteed by the Constitution.
• It comprises a chairperson, five full-time Members, and seven deemed Members.

Celebrated on 05 June

• Aim : To raise awareness about the environmental problems faced by our planet.
• Theme : Land restoration, desertification and drought resilience.
• This year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the 2024 Environment Day celebration.
• Established in 1972 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).