TNPSC Current Affairs July 04, 2020

www.tnpsc.academy – TNPSC Current Affairs July 04, 2020 (04/07/2020)

Topic: Places in News

Botswana – Southern Africa

Hundreds of elephants have died mysteriously in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. The cause is yet to be established.

Key facts:

Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with up to 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahari Desert.

Botswana is currently home to more elephants than any other African country, and southern Africa remains a stronghold for 293,000, or 70%, of the estimated remaining African elephants.

The Okavango Delta is a vast inland river delta in northern Botswana. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2014.

Topic: Latest inventions on Science and Health

Elyments – Social Media Super App

Elyments will be launched on 5th July 2020 by M. Venkaiah Naidu (Vice President of India).

Key facts:

As the number of social media users in India has increased significantly since the introduction of 4g technology in the country, the need for a homegrown Made in India Social Media Application was felt by many in the country largely due to rising concerns related to the privacy of data and data ownership.

With more than 500 million social media users in the country and the numbers are only increasing, more than 1000 IT professionals came together to develop the first Made in India social media super application. The application is called ‘Elyments’.

Topic: Awards and Honours

Prerak Dauur Samman: Swachh Survekshan 2021

Recently, a new category of awards titled ‘Prerak Dauur Samman’ (Inspiring Award) has been announced as part of Swachh Survekshan 2021.

Key Facts:

The Prerak Dauur Samman has a total of five additional subcategories namely, Divya (Platinum), Anupam (Gold), Ujjwal (Silver), Udit (Bronze) and Aarohi (Aspiring).

In Swachh Survekshan 2020, cities are evaluated on the criteria of ‘population category’ but for 2021, they will be categorised on the basis of six select indicator wise performance criteria.

Segregation of waste into Wet, Dry and Hazard categories.

Processing capacity against wet waste generated.

Processing and recycling of wet and dry waste.

Construction and Demolition waste processing.

Percentage of waste going to landfills.

Sanitation status of cities.

Topic: Eminent Places in News, International Events

Hagia Sophia Museum: Turkey

Recently, the government of Turkey has decided to convert Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque.

Hagia Sophia is not only the symbol of Turkey’s most popular tourist attraction but also acts as a political symbol.

The plan of conversion is also an attempt to gain political support as AKP has lost many municipal elections.

Hagia Sophia Museum:

Hagia Sophia is the former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral, later an Ottoman imperial mosque and now a museum located in Istanbul, Turkey.

The 1,500-year-old structure has been listed as a UNESCO’S World Heritage site. A World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance.

Topic: International Events

Natanz: Underground Nuclear Facility of Iran

Recently, a fire broke out at Natanz, an Underground Nuclear Facility of Iran used for enriching uranium. Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 is increased.