World Teachers’ Day 2022
World Teachers’ Day or International Teachers’ Day is observed every year on October 5. This is a day to celebrate, thank and honour teachers for their contributions to their students.
This year marks the 28th anniversary of World Teachers’ Day and the theme is “The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers”.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2022: 01st to 31st October
Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) is observed in the month of October, from 01 to 31. The annual international health campaign aims to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure. The pink ribbon is an international symbol of breast cancer awareness.
PM Modi on Himachal Pradesh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Himachal Pradesh played a Ransingha, a trumpet-like traditional instrument, gifted by CM Jai Ram Thakur . PM Modi said, “This marks the beginning of each future victory.” He addressed a public rally at the Luhnu ground after inaugurating the AIIMS Bilaspur hospital and a hydro-engineering college.
Nobel Prize in chemistry
- The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2022 was awarded jointly to Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and K. Barry Sharpless “for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry” at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
- The three have been awarded for their work in ‘click chemistry’, in which molecules snap together fast and firmly, without the need for a long, complicated process and too many unwanted byproducts.
- Their work has applications in the field of medical science, including the treatment of cancer.
About the Carolyn R. Bertozzi
Carolyn R. Bertozzi, born 1966 in USA. PhD 1993 from UC Berkeley, CA, USA. Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor at Stanford University, CA, USA.
About the Morten Meldal
Morten Meldal, born 1954 in Denmark. PhD 1986 from Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark. Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
About the K. Barry Sharpless
K. Barry Sharpless, was born in 1941 in Philadelphia, PA, USA. PhD 1968 from Stanford University, CA, USA. W. M. Keck Professor at Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Sandeep Kumar Gupta assumed charge as Chairman of GAIL
- Sandeep Kumar Gupta assumed charge as the chairman and managing director of GAIL (India) Limited.
- Gupta, who will replace Manoj Jain, has a wide experience of over 34 years in the oil and gas industry.
- Before joining GAIL, he was working with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) since 2019. Gupta, 56, is a commerce graduate and a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
- In June, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) selected him for the top role at GAIL after interviewing 10 candidates.
Oil Prices Rises As OPEC+ Deep Cuts
Oil prices rose to three-week highs, as OPEC+ agreed to its deepest cuts to production since the 2020 COVID pandemic, despite a tight market and opposition to cuts from the United States and others. Prices also rose on U.S. government data that showed crude and fuel inventories fell last week.
Brent crude rose $1.57, or 1.7%, to settle at $93.37 a barrel. Brent reached a session high of $93.96 per barrel, its highest since Sept. 15.
herSTART initiative
herSTART was recently launched by President of India, Draupadi Murmu.
- herSTART is an initiative implemented by the Gujarat University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC).
- It is supported by the state government of Gujarat, the Central Government and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).
- The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) recognized it as key driving initiative of the Gujarat Startup Ecosystem in the States Startup Rankings Framework Report of 2022.
- The purpose of herSTART is to aid women-led startups to scale up.
- It will connect women-led startups with private and government platforms.
- The newly launched platform will also help women entrepreneurs’ innovative ideas to take off.
- It provides free online resources and training modules to aspiring women entrepreneurs in addition to a digital community and digital publication showcasing their success stories.
- It includes the herSTART Incubator (a startup incubator focusing specifically on women entrepreneurs and innovators) as well as herSTART Accelerator (a round-the-year accelerator programme for high-impact women-led startups).
- The purpose of this initiative is to boost women-led innovation and startup ecosystem in the country.
- As part of herSTART, online and offline modes of engagements have been organized for over 15,000 women entrepreneurs.
- More than 2,000 women-led startups have been provided with capacity-building initiatives, with about 2,500 women entrepreneurs taking part in this initiative.
- Around 200 mature-stage women-led startups have been accelerated under the herSTART platform and more than 150 startups are being scaled.
- These initiatives have significantly eased women entrepreneurs’ journey towards success.
- Currently, there are 450 startup project operational in Gujarat University. Of these, 125 are led by women.
- During the launch event, President Murmu felicitated 10 women-led startups and entrepreneurs supported by the Gujarat University and herSTART.
- She also laid foundation stone and launched 11 education development projects worth Rs.164 crore.
Australia announced a plan to halt extinction of species.
- The Australian Government is planning on stopping species from going extinct and ending the country’s status as “the mammal extinction capital of the world”.
- The strategy comes after the State of the Environment report found that Australia has the highest instances of extinction in the world.
- This is the first time that Australian government has announced a zero extinction target for the country’s flora and fauna.
- The 10-year strategy aims to prioritize the conservation of 110 threatened animals and plants, including Koala.
- It also seeks to protect a third of Australia’s landmass, which is deteriorating at a rapid pace due to habitat loss, invasive pests and weeds, climate crisis and frequent natural disasters.
- The protection of at least 30 per cent of the landmass under the environmental law ensures the safety of vulnerable species and habitats.
- 20 areas with high densities of threatened species will be specifically targeted, like Kangaroo Island and Blue Mountains.
- The strategy also includes improving climate resilience, building “insurance” populations of some key species in predator-free zones and improving surveillance of existing populations.
- It will also focus on reducing the impact of feral cats, foxes and a weed called gumba grass.
Angela Merkel received the Nansen Refugee Award
- Ex-German Chancellor Angela Merkel received the UNHCR Nansen Award for providing asylum for refugees while in office.
- While Merkel was the Chancellor in 2015 and 2016, Germany welcomed more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum seekers, especially from Syria.
- The UNHCR recognized Merkel’s determination to protect asylum seekers, helping them to survive and rebuild after facing war.
- The Nansen Award committee also honoured four regional winners. These include a refugee support cacao cooperative in Costa Rica in the Americas, a volunteer refugee firefighting group in Mauritia in West Africa, humanitarian organization Meikse Myanmar that helps internally displaced people in Asia and the Pacific and an Iraqi gynaecologist known for providing medical and psychological aid to Yazidi girls and women in North Africa and Middle East.
- The Nansen Awards will be bestowed to Merkel and other winners at a ceremony that will be organized in Geneva, Switzerland on October 10, 2022.
- While Merkel will receive a cash prize of 150,000 USD, the regional winners will each receive 50,000 USD.
