Paulists

Recently a historical artefact was discovered depicts a bearded man playing a musical instrument, with an animal near his feet and Experts believe the carving is that of a 'Paulist'.

• Paulist are missionaries from the Society of Jesus who worked to spread Catholicism in the Portuguese Empire’s Asian colonies.
• They are Jesuit missionaries came to Goa in the 16th century.
• They were followers of St Paul who built the College of St Paul in Old Goa, and hence the term ‘Paulists’.
• The Paulists were earlier in Old Goa and later came to the Tiswadi area, where they built many churches.
• Recently a historical artefact was discovered in Goa’s capital (Panaji).
• This slab, made of either granite or sandstone, depicts a bearded man playing a musical instrument, with an animal near his feet.

Impact Crater

• An impact crater is formed when an object like an asteroid or meteorite crashes into the surface of a larger solid object like a planet or a moon.
• To form a true impact crater, an object needs to be traveling at extremely fast (many thousands of miles per hour).
• When a solid object crashes into something at this speeds, it forms a crater regardless of how hard or tough it is.
• It immediately vaporizes and creates enormous shockwaves through the ground that melt and recrystallize rock.
• Meteor Crater (also known as Barringer Crater) in Arizona, USA was the first crater discovered to be formed by an extra-terrestrial impact.
• Vredefort crater in South Africa is the largest known impact crater on Earth. It is over 2 billion years old and also one of the oldest.
• Impact craters on our planet are a relative rarity, with fewer than 200 structures from around the world confirmed in the Earth Impact Database.
• India – Has 3 meteor impact craters:
  1. Ramgarh in Rajasthan
  2. Lonar in Maharashtra
  3. Dhala in Madhya Pradesh
• These meteor impact craters are called Astroblemes.
• Lonar Crater in Maharashtra – Was first discovered in 1823, on a massive volcanic basalt plains.
• It was the result of a meteorite impact and the Lake water is both saline and alkaline at the same time.
• The crater still has fragments of maskelynite, a type of natural glass which gets formed only upon high velocity impact.
• Dhala Crater in Madhya Pradesh – Is the oldest and the largest impact crater in India and Asia.
• There is an evidence of deformed rocks that would have happened only due to heat released from high velocity impact.
• Ramgarh Crater in Rajasthan – It is unique because of the presence of a peak in the centre of the crater.
• These high velocity impact craters are the permanent scars on Earth that are also home to some of the most biodiverse environments.

Marrakesh Agreement

The year 2024 marks 30th anniversary of Marrakesh Agreement.

• The Marrakesh Agreement established the World Trade Organization on 15 April 1994, which was signed by 123 countries leading to the birth of the WTO on 1 January 1995.
• For the past 30 years, the WTO has made a major contribution to the strength and stability of the global economy, helping to boost trade growth and resolve trade disputes.
• World Trade Organization (WTO) is the only international organization dealing with the global rules of trade.
• India is a founding member of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Climate Promise 2025

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently emphasized the importance of mobilizing global support to ensure ambitious climate action under the Climate Promise 2025.

• The Climate Promise 2025 aims to prevent global temperatures from exceeding the critical 1.5°C limit set by the Paris Agreement.
• Through partnerships with governments, businesses, and indigenous communities, the Climate Promise 2025 seeks to catalyze sustainable development while combatting climate change.
• It an initiative to support developing countries as they prepare their climate action plans under the Paris Agreement on climate change.
• It is a flagship initiative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
• This initiative ensures that any country wishing to increase the ambition of their national climate pledge is able to do so.
• Under the Climate Promise, the Countries Supported currently are:
  • Belize
  • Dominica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Grenada
  • Jamaica
  • St. Kitts & Nevis
  • Suriname

WHO Global Sodium Benchmarks

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently released the second edition of its global sodium benchmarks to prevent chronic conditions related to high blood pressure and obesity.

• Sodium is an essential nutrient necessary for maintenance of plasma volume, acid-base balance, transmission of nerve impulses and normal cell function.
• Sodium deficiency is extremely unlikely in healthy individuals.
• Excess sodium is linked to adverse health outcomes, including increased blood pressure.
• Sodium is found naturally in a variety of foods, such as milk, meat and shellfish.
• It is often found in high amounts in processed foods such as breads, processed meat and snack foods, as well as in condiments (e.g., soy and fish sauce).
• Reducing sodium intake is an effective way to reduce the burden of cardiovascular diseases and other diet- and nutrition-related Non Communicable Diseases.
• WHO global sodium benchmarks – The first edition of the WHO global sodium benchmarks, published in May 2021, contained 10 pre-determined benchmarks for different food categories.
• It included whole foods, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and fortified foods.
• The benchmarks are in the form of maximum limits because this was considered to be the most feasible approach for global benchmarks.
• It has established the second edition of the global benchmarks for sodium levels in 70 food subcategories, which is an updated edition of the first edition.
• The second edition builds on these findings and expands the coverage of each category to include more information on how to set national targets for sodium reduction.
• The development of the second edition of the WHO global sodium benchmarks was a collaborative effort among governments, national and international organizations and private sector partners.
• It is a part of a broader WHO initiative to reduce sodium consumption with the aim of achieving a target of less than 5g of salt per day by 2025.
• Recommendations – When countries set up national sodium targets, it is recommended to set up mandatory targets in the form of maximum limits.
• Mandatory targets are recommended as they drive larger reduction in sodium intake than do voluntary targets.