• Six sites, including the Ganga ghats in Varanasi, temples of Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu and the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, have been added to India’s tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
• The other three sites are the Maratha military architecture in Maharashtra, the Hire Bengal megalithic site in Karnataka and Bhedaghat-Lametaghat of Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh. 

UNESCO’s World Heritage Site List

Tentative Lists

• A Tentative List is an inventory of those properties which each State Party intends to consider for nomination to the World Heritage List.
• States Parties should submit Tentative Lists to the World Heritage Centre, at least one year prior to the submission of any nomination.
• Nominations to the World Heritage List will not be considered unless the nominated property has already been included on the State Party's Tentative List.
• Once inscribed on the World Heritage List, properties are removed from the Tentative Lists of States Parties.
• The Tentative Lists of States Parties are published by the World Heritage Centre at its website to ensure transparency, access to information and to facilitate harmonization of Tentative Lists at regional and thematic levels.

World Heritage List Nominations

• Only countries that have signed the World Heritage Convention, pledging to protect their natural and cultural heritage, can submit nomination proposals for properties on their territory to be considered for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
• To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria.
• Until the end of 2004, World Heritage sites were selected on the basis of six cultural and four natural criteria.
• With the adoption of the revised Operational Guidelines, only one set of ten criteria exists.

• China has successfully launched a new ocean-monitoring satellite into orbit.

Haiyang-2D (HY-2D)

• The satellite was launched by a Long March-4B rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China.
• The HY-2D will form a constellation with the HY-2B and HY-2C satellites.
• The constellation will build an all-weather and round-the-clock dynamic ocean environment monitoring system of high frequency and medium and large scale.
• The constellation will support the country's early warning and prediction of marine disasters, sustainable development and utilisation of ocean resources, effective response to global climate change as well as ocean research.

• In the second wave of Corona infection, Happy Hypoxemia or (Happy Hypoxia) is playing a crucial role in causing deaths in the younger generation.

Hypoxia

• It refers to a condition when the oxygen level in the blood drops below the average mark.
• Oxygen saturation for a healthy person remains above 94 per cent and it can be easily measured using an Oximeter.
• A drop in oxygen saturation can affect a range of vital organs such as the heart, lungs, brain and kidney.
• Hypoxia could happen due to the reduced capacity of the lungs to absorb and transfer oxygen received through breathing to blood vessels for supply in all parts of the body.
• It can also happen when blood vessels cannot circulate blood properly in the body due to some blockages.

Happy Hypoxia

• In the case of happy hypoxia, which is being seen among Covid-19 patients, they continue to function normally till a much later stage.
• In normal conditions, the body gives strong symptoms of hypoxia including intense headache, short breath and breathlessness.
• But doctors treating Covid-19 have noted that the patients continue to feel normal even when their oxygen levels drop to the dangerous mark.
• Their body does not show any immediate symptoms and even if their Oxygen level reach <90%, they can walk, talk.

• IBM has recently introduced the world's first 2-nanometre chipmaking technology.
• According to the company, the technology could be as much as 45% faster than the mainstream 7-nanometre chips in many of today's laptops and phones and up to 75% more power efficient.
• The 2-nanometre chips will be smaller and faster than today's leading edge 5-nanometre chips, which are just now showing up in premium smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone 12 models, and the 3-nanometre chips expected to come after 5-nanometer.

• A consignment of Dahanu Gholvad Sapota was recently shipped from Palghar district of Maharashtra to the United Kingdom.
• Earlier this month, a consignment of 2.5 Metric Tonne of GI certified Banganapalli & Survarnarekha mangoes sourced from farmers in Krishna & Chittor districts of Andhra Pradesh was exported to South Korea.

Gholvad Sapota

• GI certification of Ghovad Sapota is held by Maharashtra Rajya Chikoo Utpadak Sangh and the fruit is known for its sweet and unique taste.
• It is believed that the unique taste is derived from calcium rich soil of Gholvad village.
• Sapota is grown in many states- Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh.
• Karnataka is known to be the highest grower of the fruit, followed by Maharashtra.
• It can be used in fruit salads, blended into milk or yogurt, as a smoothie or processed to make a jam out of it.

Global COVAX Alliance

• COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access is a worldwide initiative co-led by coalition for epidemic preparedness innovation (CEPI) GAVI and World Health Organization (WHO), alongside key delivery partner UNICEF.
• It coordinates international resources to enable equitable access to COVID-19 tests treatments and vaccines
• Recently Punjab cabinet decided to join the global COVAX alliance as first Indian state to do so because of vaccine shortage.

Beyond Visual Line of Sight

• It is a term relating to the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and drones at distances outside the normal visible range of the pilot.
• BVLOS flights typically require additional equipment and extra training and certification, and are subject to permission from aviation authorities.
• Unmanned Aircraft System Rules 2021 states that drones will not be allowed to operate BVLOS, which would limit the use of these gadgets to surveys, photography, security and various information gathering purposes.
• They are more cost-effective and efficient, as there are fewer take-off and landing phases, so the UAV will cover more ground in a single mission.
• BVLOS flights require less human intervention as some or all of the missions may be automated. They may also allow easier access to remote or hazardous areas.
• These operations carry more safety concerns due to the fact that the pilot may only be observing potential obstacles via a remote camera feed, or, in the case of automated flights, there may be no human observation at all.
• There is a risk of collisions with other aircraft, or damage to property and people, especially when flights take place in non-segregated airspace.

International Council of Museum (ICOM)

• ICOM is a membership association and a non-governmental organisation which establishes professional and ethical standards for museum activities. It was created in 1946 and is headquartered in Paris, France.
• It serves as a network of museum professionals (more than 40,000 members in over 138 countries).
• The ICOM Red Lists of Cultural Objects at Risk are practical tools to curb the illegal traffic of cultural objects.
• Red Lists present the categories of cultural objects that can be subjected to theft and traffic.
• International Museum Day was instituted in 1977 by the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

Naming Cyclones

• In 2000, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) agreed to start assigning names for cyclones over the North Indian Ocean basin using a list of names suggested by the countries surrounding the ocean basin.
• Initially, India expressed reservations to naming cyclones and after four years of continuous deliberations, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) initiated the naming of the North Indian Ocean storm with Cyclone Onil in September 2004.
• There are six regional specialised meteorological centres (RSMCs) and five regional Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs) across the globe to monitor cyclogenesis, issue advisories and name cyclones.
• IMD's RSMC in New Delhi is one among them that provide advisories to 13 countries in the north Indian Ocean basin: Bangladesh, India, Iran, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
• RSMC, New Delhi is, therefore, responsible for naming cyclones over the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea based on the suggested names from all these countries.
• Out of several criteria for naming cyclones, some very important ones are: names should be politically and culturally neutral, should not be rude and cruel and should be short, easy to pronounce.
• The maximum permissible length of the cyclone names is eight letters.

Medicine from the Sky Project

• Recently, the Telangana government has selected 16 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) for pilot testing the ambitious ‘Medicine from the sky’, the first-of- its-kind project.
• The project involves delivery of medicines through multiple drones.
• The project is being launched following the approval granted by the Civil Aviation Ministry.
• The Ministry has granted conditional exemption to the Telangana Government from the Unmanned Aircraft System Rules 2021 for conducting experimental Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights for delivery of vaccines.
• Telangana government, World Economic Forum and HealthNet Global are celebrating for this project.