Coal can’t be used as fuel in Delhi-NCR from next year

• Once the ban is in force, coal can no longer be used for industrial or domestic purposes, but thermal power plants will be exempted from the ban. From October 1, 2022 onward, a ban on coal use will be applicable in areas where PNG infrastructure and supply is already available.
• The move is meant to phase out the use of coal as a fuel to deal with concerns of air pollution across the NCR.
• According to a study done by The Energy and Resources Institute in 2018, within the 30 per cent contribution of the industrial sector in PM2.5 level in winter in Delhi, industries using coal, biomass, pet-coke and furnace oil contributed around 14 per cent, while 8 per cent was contributed by the brick manufacturing sector, 6 per cent by power stations, and 2 per cent by stone crushers.

Vale do Javari – Amazon’s remote, ‘uncontacted’ frontier where a British journalist went missing

• The duo were last seen in Vale do Javari — the western section of the Brazilian Amazon named after the Javari river, which forms the country’s border with Peru.
• British journalist Dom Phillips and a Brazilian indigenous affairs expert, Bruno Araujo Pereira, recently went missing in a remote corner of the Amazon rainforest.
• The duo were last seen in Vale do Javari — the western section of the Brazilian Amazon named after the Javari river, which forms the country’s border with Peru.
• The region is home to “the greatest concentration of isolated groups in the Amazon and the world”. Vale do Javari also forms part of an international cocaine trafficking route, with gold being exchanged for drugs and arms, consequently making it a hotspot for violent crimes.

Analysis finds little proof that testosterone treatment increases the risk of cardiovascular events

• Analysis of data from more than 3,400 patients with hypogonadism from 17 clinical trials found little evidence that testosterone treatment increases the risk of cardiovascular events such as arrhythmia, heart attack, and stroke, in the short to medium terms.
• Testosterone replacement therapy is the standard treatment for hypogonadism, which can cause sexual dysfunction, weakening of bones and muscles, and reduced quality of life. Risk factors include ageing (as testosterone levels decline with age), obesity and diabetes.

India''s first Covid-19 vaccine for animals

• Developed by the Hisar-based National Research Centre on Equines, the vaccine, called Ancovax, can protect animals against the Delta and Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2.
• Ancovax can be used in dogs, lions, leopards, mice, and rabbits. It is an inactivated vaccine developed using an infectious part of the Delta variant. In addition, it uses Alhydrogel as an adjuvant to boost the immune response.
• This is the first Covid-19 vaccine for animals developed in India.

Greenfield Airport in Rajkot; AAI undertakes construction work

• The location of new airport is approximately 30 kms from Rajkot city and on Rajkot-Ahmadabad highway.
• The terminal façade design is influenced from the existing Palaces of Rajkot like the Ranjit Vilas Palace, integrating traditional elements into a contemporary form.
• The ceramic industry of Morbi and other industries of Jamnagar also depend on Rajkot for air connectivity.

Amyloidosis, The Health Condition Pervez Musharraf Is Suffering From

• Amyloidosis is a rare disease that occurs when an abnormal protein, called amyloid, builds up in one’s organs, affecting their shape and functioning.
• Amyloid deposits can build up in the heart, brain, kidneys, spleen and other parts of the body, leading to life-threatening conditions like organ failure.
• Amyloid isn’t normally found in the body, but can be formed from several different types of proteins. Some varieties of amyloidosis occur in association with other diseases.
• These types may improve with treatment of the underlying disease. Some varieties of amyloidosis may lead to life-threatening organ failure.

Different amyloidosis

• Light-chain (AL) amyloidosis: People with conditions such as multiple myeloma or a bone marrow illness are more likely to have AL amyloidosis.
• Another type is the AA amyloidosis. Previously known as secondary amyloidosis, this condition is the result of another chronic infectious or inflammatory disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis.

Chelonoidis phantasticus, a giant tortoise species discovered after a century

• Named Fernanda after her Fernandina Island home, the tortoise is the first of her species, Chelonoidis phantasticus, to be identified in more than a century.
• Chelonoidis phantasticus means “fantastic giant tortoise”. Commonly called the Fernandina Island Galápagos giant tortoise, the species was so far known only from a single individual, collected in 1906.
• Although Fernanda was found on Fernandina Island itself, and although tortoises can’t swim from one island to another, they can be carried from one Galápagos island to another during major storms.

India is last in environmental performance index for 2022

• The EPI is an international ranking system of countries based on their environmental health.
• It is a biennial index, first started in 2002 as the Environment Sustainability Index by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and Columbia University Center for International Earth Information Network.
• EPI 2022 uses 40 performance indicators to assess and rank 180 countries. The 40 indicators are under the broad categories of climate change performance, environmental health, and ecosystem vitality.
• With a rank of 180 and a score of 18.9, India has fallen from rank 168 and a score of 27.6 in 2020. India comes after Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Myanmar, the poorest performers. Denmark tops the list with a score of 77.9.
• The Environment Ministry of India has issued a rebuttal saying the indicators used in the assessment are based on “unfounded assumptions”.

PM Modi To Visit Dehu On June 14 For Inauguration Of Shila Temple

• Shila refers to a rock that is currently on the Dehu Sansthan temple premises, and that for centuries has been the starting point of Wari, the annual pilgrimage to Pandharpur.
• The Bhakti saint Sant Tukaram had sat on this piece of rock for 13 continuous days when challenged about the authenticity of the Abhyangs he had written.
• prior to this, the saint had immersed his entire work in the Indrayani river; the work miraculously reappeared after 13 days, proving their authenticity.
• Sant Tukaram and his work are central to the Warkari sect spread across Maharashtra. His message about a casteless society and his denial of rituals had led to a social movement. Sant Tukaram is credited with starting the Wari pilgrimage.

PM inaugurates headquarters of IN-SPACe at Bopal

• The establishment of IN-SPACe was announced in June 2020.
• It is an autonomous and single window nodal agency in the Department of Space for the promotion, encouragement and regulation of space activities of both government and private entities. It also facilitates the usage of ISRO facilities by private entities.
• The programme also witnessed the exchange of MoUs between IN-SPACe and private sector companies working in the field of space-based applications and services.