Today in History (January 10^th, 1949)

World Hindi Diwas Day, also known as Vishwa Hindi Diwas, is celebrated with great enthusiasm around the world and by people in the country on January 10 every year. It marks the day when Hindi was first spoken in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1949.

Summary of Today’s News

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee

India is set to take the reins as the chair of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee for the very first time.

Key Points

• It is a committee of the UNESCO- United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
• The Committee is responsible-
  • For the implementation of the World Heritage Convention,
  • To define the use of the World Heritage Fund, and
  • For allocation of financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.
• It gives the final decision on inclusion or deletion of sites in World Heritage List.

Earthquake in Jammu & Kashmir

What is an Earthquake?

• An earthquake is the sudden release of strain energy in the Earth’s crust,
  • It results in shaking waves that radiate outwards from the earthquake source.
• The point where an earthquake starts is called the focus or hypocenter
• The point at the surface directly above the focus is called the earthquake

Chandubi Festival

• It is celebrated every year for five days starting from the first day of the New Year along the Chandubi lake,
  • Chandubi Lake is situated in Assam.
• The main attractions of the Chandubi festival are the local folk culture, ethnic cuisine, local handloom and dresses, boating, etc.
• The major aim of the Chandubi Festival is to promote eco-tourism in this biodiversity hotspot of Assam.

Maldives

Context:

The Maldives government recently suspended three of its ministers after they shared offensive remarks against the Indian Prime Minister on social media.

Key Points about Maldives

• It is a low-lying island country in the north-central Indian Ocean.
• Its closest neighbours are India, and Sri Lanka
• It’s a chain of about 1,200 small coral islands and sandbanks (some 200 of which are inhabited), grouped in clusters, or atolls.
• Capital: Male
• Languages:
  • The official language is an Indo-European language called Dhivehi (or Maldivian).
  • Arabic, Hindi, and English are also spoken.
• Islam is the state religion.
• Economy: It revolves mainly around tourism.

Sky Dew

Key Points

• Sky Dew is a massive balloon-like structure in the shape of a puffed aircraft.
• The high-altitude observation balloon acts as a detection radar blip for small unmanned aircraft and cruise missiles.
• It is one of the largest aerial threat warning systems in the world.
• The technology has been jointly developed by Israel Defense and US company TCOM. The project was entirely funded by the U.S. Department of Defence.
• The radar on the balloon is capable of observing at 250 km and tracking multiple targets, including low-altitude ones and those in valleys.

• RADAR stands for Radio Detection and Ranging System.
• It is basically an electromagnetic system used to detect the location and distance of an object from the point where the RADAR is placed.

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas(PBD)

• It is celebrated on 9th January every year.
• Started in 2003
• It is to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India.
• It is celebrated on 9^th of January to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India in 1915.
• 17th PBD Convention was held in 2023 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
• In 2023, theme was “Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal”.
  • Next will be organised in 2025