clataffairs

Microsoft and UK's Met Office have teamed up to build the world’s most powerful supercomputer.  This supercomputer will be used to forecast weather and climate-change.  The supercomputer is likely to be operational in 2022.  Supercomputers forecast the weather better by: 1. Handling more data. 2. Handling data more rapidly. 3. Running the data through simulations of the atmosphere more accurately. Right now, the UK Met office uses the Cray supercomputer, to predict weather models.  It will reach the end of its life in 2022. First stage installation of the new supercomputer will be six times more capable than the supercomputer used now. The new supercomputer will run its "digital twin" of the Earth's atmosphere – a highly detailed "model" of everything from the winds to the temperatures to the pressures.

The United Nations and other agencies have launched the Immunisation Agenda 2030 (IA2030) during the World Immunisation Week (World Immunization Week is celebrated every year in the last week of April).  It will contribute to achieving the UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals specifically SDG 3 i.e. Good Health and Well being. The IA2030 is based on learnings from Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP).  It aims to address the unmet targets of the GVAP that were initially to be fulfilled as part of the global immunisation strategy of the ‘Decade of vaccines’ (2011–2020). GVAP is underpinned by four core principles: it puts people in the centre, is led by countries, implemented through broad partnerships, and driven by data. TARGETS OF IA2030 The World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and others have set a target of avoiding 50 million vaccine-preventable infections in this decade. It also intends to reduce the number of zero-dose children by 50%. Zero-dose children are those ...

The Trade Ministers of India, Japan and Australia have formally launched the Supply Chain Resilience Initiative (SCRI). The SCRI aims to create a virtuous cycle of enhancing supply chain resilience with a view to eventually attaining strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth in the Indo-Pacific region.  The SCRI was first proposed by Japan.  It aims to reduce dependence on China amid a likelihood of rechurning of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially, SCRI will focus on sharing of best practices on supply chain resilience and holding investment promotion events and buyer-seller matching events to provide opportunities for stakeholders to explore the possibility of diversification of their supply chains.

Recently, the US President officially recognised the mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915-16 as an act of genocide. The Armenian diaspora marks 24th April as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.  India has not given formal recognition to the Armenian Genocide. MEANING OF GENOCIDE According to Article II of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Genocide of December 1948, genocide has been described as carrying out acts intended “to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”. Raphael Lemkin, the Polish lawyer, coined the term “genocide” in 1943. ARMENIAN GENOCIDE The Armenian Genocide is called the first genocide of the 20th century. It refers to the systematic annihilation of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917. After the First World War broke out in November 1914, the Ottoman Turks participated in the war, siding with Germany and the Austro-Hungarian empire. The Ottoman Turks believed the Armenians would side with Russia ...

The 19th edition of the Indian and French Navy bilateral exercise ‘VARUNA-2021’ is being conducted in the Arabian Sea. Earlier this year, the Indian Navy took part for the first time in the France-led naval exercise “La Pérouse" with the navies of the US, Australia and Japan. The Indian and French Navies have been conducting bilateral maritime exercises since 1993.  Since 2001, these exercises have been called ‘VARUNA’. 2021 EXERCISE This is the first time that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is participating in the Varuna maritime exercise. The ‘Varuna’ joint exercise is part of the French carrier strike group’s ‘CLEMENCEAU 21’ deployment, which the French Navy is conducting in the eastern Mediterranean, the Gulf and the Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea). Its goal is to contribute to the stabilization of these strategic zones and strengthening cooperation with the navies of partner countries, in particular India for the Indian Ocean component. OTHER EXERCISES Desert Knight-21 and Garuda ...

SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabia shipped 80 metric tons of liquid oxygen to India.  The urgent supply shipment is being undertaken in coordination with India’s Adani group and Linde company. The group is also securing 5,000 medical-grade oxygen cylinders from Linde Saudi Arabia. OTHER COUNTRIES The United Kingdom has announced that it will ship over “600 pieces of vital medical equipment” to help India fight COVID-19. Singapore has donated four cryogenic oxygen tanks to India. Australia has announced that it will send oxygen, ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to India. The Germany Army will ship a large oxygen production plant and other authorities are working to provide respirators, ventilators and huge quantities of Remdesivir and other medicines from German emergency stocks. France is sending to India oxygen generators, liquid oxygen containers, ventilators and other medical supplies by air and sea to support the country in its fight against surging coro...

There have been announcements made to set up oxygen plants to deal with the shortage of oxygen across the country.  551 PSA PLANTS The Centre announced 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants. These will be set up in identified government hospitals in district headquarters across the country using PM-CARES funds. The procurement will be done through Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 500 PLANTS BY DRDO The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will set up 500 medical oxygen generating plants across the country within three months.  This will be done under the PM-CARES fund to ramp up oxygen production to fight the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis ripping through the country. The technology transferred to the industry is based on the onboard oxygen generation technology developed for Tejas light combat aircraft.  The oxygen generation plants can produce 1,000 litres of oxygen per minute.