UNESCO’s 2023 Prix Versailles
Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (Karnataka) was honored at UNESCO’s 2023 Prix Versailles, and named among the ‘World’s most beautiful airports’.
- Granted annually at UNESCO since 2015.
- Consists of architecture awards that showcase the finest contemporary achievements worldwide.
- Official list aligns with the with the principles of intelligent sustainability and takes into consideration projects’ ecological, social and cultural impacts into consideration.
- It highlights the primary role of the Laureates in beautifying and improving the living environment.
Chilla-i-Kalan
Chilla-i-Kalan began in Kashmir.
- A Persian term that means ‘major cold’.
- 40-days (December 21 to January 31) of harsh winter.
- Region – Kashmir
- Followed by a 20-day-long ‘Chillai Khurd’ (small cold) and a 10-daylong ‘Chillai Bacha’ (baby cold)
White-bellied sea eagle
Bird which is common to coastal habitats was spotted unusually in Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu).
- Geographic range – North to south from southern China to Australia and Tasmania, and west to east from India to New Guinea.
- Habitat – Terrestrial habitats near the ocean, especially coasts, islands, and estuaries, etc.
- IUCN Status – Least concern
Leif Erikson Lunar Prize
ISRO has been awarded the 2023 Leif Erikson Lunar Prize for Chandrayaan-3.
- An annual award dedicated to the history of human exploration, from the early explorers to the exploration of space.
- Given by – Exploration Museum in Iceland’s Husavik.
- Named after the Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson (1st European to land in North America)
- 2023 award celebrates 1st soft-landing of a spacecraft near lunar south-pole, which marked another major achievement for ISRO.
International Debt Report (IDR) 2023
Release of annual International Debt Report (IDR), 2023 which analyses external debt statistics for 122 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
- Released by – World Bank
- Historic rise in debt: Public and publicly guaranteed (PPG) debt service payments by LMICs totaled US$443.5 billion in 2022. Over 1/3rd of such debt carries variable interest rates, posing risk of sudden increases.
- Debt Service cost: Due to rising interest rates and unfavourable exchange rate movement, servicing external debt could become burdensome. India’s debt service was 2% of the GNI in 2022.
- Outflow of money: Due to a tighter monetary policy in advanced economies investors found attractive returns in US and European bond markets. This led to a net outflow of US$127.1 billion from LMICs.