www.gradeup.co HISTORY, ART AND CULTURE, GEOGRAPHY Dadasaheb Phalke award (Topic- GS Paper I–Art and Culture, Source- Hindu) Why in the news? • The Centre has recently announced the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for Rajinikanth for his contribution as an actor, producer and screenwriter. • About Instituted in 1969, the award is the highest honour for an artiste in Indian cinema. About Dadasaheb Phalke Award • The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema. • It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. • The recipient is honoured for their "outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema". Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards (Topic- GS Paper I–Art and Culture, Source- PIB) Why in the news? • The nomination process for this year’s Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards (PMYA) has begun recently. About Prime Minister’s Yoga Awards www.gradeup.co • It is one of the key initiatives of the Ministry of AYUSH (MoA), the International Day of Yoga (IDY), has gained international recognition. • It has announced for two categories a. For International b. For National • The purpose of the awards is to recognize and felicitate the individual(s)/organization(s) who/which have made a significant impact on the society, for a sustained period, by the way of promotion and development of Yoga. Indian summer monsoon (Topic- GS Paper I– Geography, Source- Financial Express) Why in the news? • Recently, a new study show details how dust coming from the deserts in the West, Central and East Asia plays an important role in the Indian Summer Monsoon. Reverse effect • The researchers also explain how the Indian Summer Monsoon has a reverse effect and can increase the winds in West Asia to produce yet more dust. Dust particles and winds from the Middle East • When carried by strong winds into the atmosphere, the dust particles from the Middle East absorb solar radiation and become extremely hot. • The heat from these particles raises the heat of its surrounding environment enough to change air pressure and circulation patterns of the wind. • This phenomenon is termed an “elevated heat pump” that is responsible for driving moisture from the sea to the Indian subcontinent. • "The Indian summer monsoon is characterized by strong winds in the summers so once the winds change, the moisture transport from ocean to land will change, and consequently they will increase the precipitation. About Indian summer monsoon rainfalL www.gradeup.co • The Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) during June to September contributes most of the annual rainfall over India and plays an important role in Indian agriculture and thus the economy. • It exhibits high spatio-temporal variabilities forced from both internal and external factors, which are important for better understanding and prediction of ISMR. Tropical cyclone Seroja (Topic- GS Paper I–Geography, Source- Indian Express) Why in the news? • Recently, MALAKA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Floods and landslides triggered by tropical cyclone Seroja in a cluster of islands in southeast Indonesia and East Timor have killed 113 people. About Tropical Cyclone Seroja • It is a currently active tropical cyclone that is responsible for a series of significant and deadly flash floods and landslides in East Timor and southern Indonesia. • It is a twenty-second tropical low and seventh tropical cyclone of the 2020–21 Australian region cyclone seasons, the precursor of Seroja formed off the south coast of Timor island. Related Information Timor Island www.gradeup.co • Timor is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. • The island is divided between the sovereign states of East Timor on the eastern part and Indonesia on the western part. • The Indonesian part, also known as West Timor, constitutes part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara. La Sourfriere Volcano (Topic- GS Paper I–Geography, Source- Hindu) Why in the news ? • Recently, the La Sourfriere Volcano located on the eastern Caribbean island has been erupted after decades of inactivity. About La Sourfriere Volcano www.gradeup.co • La Soufrière or Soufrière Saint Vincent is an active volcano on the island of Saint Vincent in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. • It is the highest peak in Saint Vincent, and has had five recorded explosive eruptions since 1718, most recently in April 2021. • Soufrière is a stratovolcano with a crater lake and is the island’s youngest and northernmost volcano. Doomsday Glacier (Topic- GS Paper I–Geography, Source- Indian Express) Why in the news? • Recently, the researchers at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg have said that fears related to Doomsday Glacier’s melting ice are worse than previously thought. About Doomsday Glacier • It is also known as Thwaites Glacier, located in Antarctica. • It is 120 km wide at its broadest, fast-moving, and melting fast over the years. www.gradeup.co • It contains enough water to raise the world sea level by more than half a metre. What has the new study revealed? • Studies have found the amount of ice flowing out of it has nearly doubled over the past 30 years. • The researchers discovered that there is a deep connection to the east through which deep water flows from Pine Island Bay, a connection that was previously thought to be blocked by an underwater ridge. • The study also looked at heat transport in one of the three channels which brings warm water towards the glacier from the north. Lost golden city of Egypt (Topic- GS Paper I–History, Source- Indian Express) Why in the news? • Recently, three-millennia-old “lost golden city” from the era of 18th-dynasty king Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt from 1391 to 1353 B.C., has been found in the southern province of Luxor in Egypt. About Lost golden city • It is the most important find since the unearthing of King Tutankhamun’s tomb almost 100 years ago. • It is called as ancient Egyptian Pompeii because the mud-brick houses, artefacts, and tools discovered from the reign of the Pharaohs. • As per Egypt’s antiquities ministry, a bakery, ovens and storage pottery were found in the southern part of the city, while the northern part — which is yet to be fully unearthed — includes administrative and residential districts. Location • The newly discovered city is located on the west bank of the Nile River. www.gradeup.co Significance • The archaeologists are said to have found city walls and even rooms filled with utensils used in daily life. • They have found clay caps of wine vessels, rings, scarabs, coloured pottery, and spinning and weaving tools. • The mud bricks discovered bear the seal of Tutankhamun’s grandfather King Amenhotep III, who is considered to be one of Egypt’s most powerful pharaohs. • The site contains a large number of ovens and kilns for making glass and faience, along with the debris of thousands of statues. • The city is also believed to have been used by Tutankhamun and his successor Ay during a period widely believed to be the golden era of ancient Egypt. Kopili fault zone (Topic- GS Paper I–Geography, Source- Indian Express) Why in the news? • The National Centre for Seismology (NCS) has recently said that the tremors in Assam can be attributed to the Kopili Fault Zone which is located closer to Himalayan Frontal Thrust (HFT). More on the news • Assam tremor highlights vulnerability of northeast India to large earthquakes. • The quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, occurred near Dhekiajuli in the Sonitpur district of Assam. About the Kopili fault www.gradeup.co • This is a seismically active area falling in the highest Seismic Hazard Zone V. • It is associated with collisional tectonics because of the Indian Plate subducting beneath the Eurasian Plate. • The Kopili fault zone is a 300 km long and 50 km wide lineament (linear feature) extending from the western part of Manipur up to the tri-junction of Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. • The fault itself is a transpressional fracture that generates lower crustal dextral strike- slip earthquakes. Past Seismic Activities • The Kopili fault zone has witnessed many seismic activities in the past including the 1869 earthquake (7.8 magnitude) and the 1943 earthquake (7.3 magnitude). About Himalayan Frontal Thrust • It is also known as the Main Frontal Thrust. • It is a geological fault along the boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates. South Asian Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF) (Topic- GS Paper I–Geography, Source- The Hindu) Why in the news? • Recently, the consensus report SASCOF-19 was prepared and released by the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF). Key finding of the report • The report states that above normal rainfall is likely along the Himalayan foothills, central and western India whereas normal rain is expected along most parts of India, including the southern peninsula, north Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Pakistan. • The SASCOF statement is in line with the first stage Long Range Forecast (LRF) issued by the India Meteorological Department earlier this month. • Below normal rain is likely along southern Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, northeast India, Afghanistan and its adjoining areas of Pakistan and south Myanmar during the monsoon season this year. About South Asian Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF) • It is a forum of climate experts representing Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. • It has also the expertise from members of the World Meteorological Organisation, Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early warning System, Japan Meteorological Agency and Korea Meteorological Administration. www.gradeup.co • It is conducted by South Asian nations and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) since 2010.