23 December 2024 current affairs in English

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was awarded the Wisam Mubarak al-Kabeer, or the Order of Mubarak the Great.
It was given by Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait.

About the order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer

It is the highest national award of Kuwait.
The award was instituted in 1974.
It was done in the memory of Mubarak Al Sabah, who ruled Kuwait from 1896 to 1915.
Under his reign, Kuwait got more autonomy from the Ottoman Empire.
The design of the award changed in 1992, after Kuwait was liberated from Iraq.

Other awardees

Kuwait is among the top trading partners of India.
The bilateral trade is valued at $10.47 billion in 2023-24.
It is also India’s sixth largest crude supplier, meeting three per cent of the country’s energy needs.
Indian exports to Kuwait reached $2 billion for the first time.
Investments by the Kuwait Investment Authority in India exceed $10 billion.
Indian rupee remained legal tender in Kuwait until 1961.

The decision by a United State court holding Israel's NSO Group liable for 'Pegasus'.
It again open up the issue in India.
The Pegasus Spyware case verdict proves how 300 WhatsApp numbers of Indians were targeted in the illegal spyware racket

About the Pegasus Spyware

Pegasus spyware is a highly invasive mobile surveillance tool.
It can secretly infiltrate and monitor smartphones, collecting data and information from various apps and sources.
It was developed by the Israeli cyber-intelligence firm NSO Group.
Pegasus uses “zero-click” methods to infect devices.
The spyware doesn't necessitate any user actions for installation.

Assam Bird Sanctuary records a 72% decline in bird species count in 27 years.
This is due to anthropogenic pressures such as fishing, poaching, egg collection, and land-use changes.

About the Borodibam- Bilmukh Bird Sancutuary

It is situated on the boundary of Dhemaji and Lakhimpur districts in Assam.
It covers an area of approximately 11.25 sq. km.
It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1996 by the Assam government.
It was originally part of the River Subansiri.
It experiences a moist tropical climate with an average annual rainfall of about 2,000 mm.

The Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change released the ‘India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023) at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.

Highlights

The 2023 report highlights an overall increase in forest and tree cover.
The Forest and Tree cover of India is 25.17 percent of the geographical area and in that 21.76% is forest cover and 3.41% is tree cover.
Top four states showing maximum increase in forest and tree cover are Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan.
Top three states showing maximum increase in forest cover are Mizoram, Gujarat and Odisha.
Area wise top three states having largest forest and tree cover are Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Area wise top three states having largest forest cover are Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
In terms of percentage of forest cover with respect to total geographical area, Lakshadweep (91.33 percent) has the highest forest cover followed by Mizoram and Andaman & Nicobar Island
The total mangrove cover is 4,992 sq km in the country.
India’s carbon stock has reached 30.43 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

About the report

It has been published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) on a biennial basis since 1987.
The India State of Forest Report 2023 is 18th such report in the series.

PM Modi meets the founder of the first licenced yoga studio in Kuwait.
Delhi's AQI turns ‘severe’ at 409 amid GRAP 4 restrictions
Biden approves $571 mln in defense support for Taiwan
Australia inch closer to third ICC Women’s Championship title with win over New Zealand
1st Women's ODI: India crush West Indies by 211 runs

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