Global Cooling Coalition

• The Global Cool Coalition is a unified front that links action across the Kigali Amendment, Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.
• The cooling coalition includes government officials from Chile, Rwanda, Denmark as well as leaders from civil society, research and academia.
• The cooling coalition is expected to inspire ambition, identify solutions and mobilize action to accelerate progress towards clean and efficient cooling.
• It is supported by the UN, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition, the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL).

Arctic warming

• According to recent study when the Arctic is warmer, the jet stream and other wind patterns tend to be weaker.
• Arctic warming weakens the temperature difference between the tropics and the poles, resulting in less precipitation, weaker cyclones and mid-latitude westerly wind flow, which is a recipe for prolonged droughts.
• The temperature difference between the tropics and the poles drives a lot of weather.
• When those opposite temperatures are wider, the result is more precipitation, stronger cyclones and more robust wind flow.
• However, due to the Arctic ice melting and warming up the poles, those disparate temperatures are becoming closer.
• Lakes are these natural recorders of wet and dry conditions, when lakes rise or lower it leaves geological evidence behind.

Waterspouts

• A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water.
• Waterspouts fall into two categories
• Fair weather waterspouts – Fair weather waterspouts usually form along the dark flat base of a line of developing cumulus clouds.
• This type of waterspout is generally not associated with thunderstorms.
• A fair weather waterspout develops on the surface of the water and works its way upward.
• By the time the funnel is visible, a fair weather waterspout is near maturity.
• Fair weather waterspouts form in light wind conditions so they normally move very little.
• A fair weather waterspouts dissipate rapidly when they make landfall, and rarely penetrate far inland.
• Tornadic waterspouts – These are tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water.
• They have the same characteristics as a land tornado and are associated with severe thunderstorms, and are often accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning.
• Tornadic waterspouts develop downward in a thunderstorm.
• If this waterspout moves onshore they may cause significant damage and injuries to people.

KanglaTongbi

• During WWII Japanese forces had planned to capture Imphal and the surrounding areas. 
• Japanese forces defeated Indian forces at Tiddim (Mynmar) and established themselves firmly on the main Kohima – Manipur highway, started advancing towards KanglaTongbi.
• At KanglaTongbi, a small but determined detachment of British Indian forces put up stiff resistance against the advancing Japanese forces.
• The KanglaTongbi War Memorial is located in Imphal, Manipur

Karakoram Pass

• The Karakoram Pass is situated on the border of areas under the dominance of India (the territory of Jammu and Kashmir) and China (Xinxiang Autonomous Territory).
• It is the tallest pass in the midst of Leh in Ladakh and Yarkand in the Tarim Valley.
• The Karakoram Pass also plays a significant geological role in the disagreement between India and Pakistan about the dominance of Siachen Glacier Region right away towards the west of the Pass.
• The area around the pass is infertile with no foliage and snowstorms are a regular feature round the year.

Pathalgadi Movement

• The Pathalgadi movement was started by tribal groups to resist the plundering of tribal rights by the state and union governments.
• Pathalgadiparticipants plant a stone order in the tribal villages of Jharkhand, which dismiss the authority of the central or the state governments on their villages.
• Pathalgadis have their presence in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and parts of West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
• The Pathalgadis call themselves the followers of Sati Pati cult of Gujarat, Sati refers to mother and Pati to father.
• The cult claims that the tribals were given rights over rivers, forest land and forest produce by Queen Victoria.

Currency Chest

• Recently Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests.
• Currency chests are branches of selected banks authorized by the RBI to stock rupee notes and coins.
• According to the guideline the currency chests should have Chest Balance Limit (CBL) of Rs 1,000 crore, subject to ground realities and reasonable restrictions, at the discretion of the Reserve Bank.
• The RBI offices in various cities receive the notes from note presses and coins from the mints. These are sent to the currency chests and small coin depots from where they are distributed to bank branches.

Parkinson’s disease

• Parkinson’s is one of the most common neurodegenerative and movement disorder.
• It leads to progressive loss of controlled muscle activity, which leads to trembling of the limbs and head while at rest, stiffness, slowness, and impaired balance are some of the characteristics of the disease.
• While there is no singular diet that can treat the condition, a healthy and balanced diet can significantly improve a person’s well-being.

Migration and Development Brief

• Migration and Development Brief is released yearly by the World Bank.
• These briefs are informal notes for Bank staff on the development implications of current migration and remittances issues.
• They highlight emerging trends or topical issues, and are issued every second month (or more frequently if the occasion demands).
• According to recent migration and development brief India has retained its position as the world’s top recipient of remittances (money sent back home by its nationals working abroad) in 2018.