Daily Current Affairs Notes for 01 December 2022

World AIDS Day is observed across the globe on 1st December every year since 1988.

Overview

World AIDS Day 2022:

World AIDS Day is celebrated every year on 01 December all over the world. The purpose behind celebrating this special day is to raise awareness about AIDS among people of all ages. WHO first started celebrating this special day globally in August 1987. The day provides an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV and to commemorate those who have died from an AIDS-related illness.

World AIDS Day 2022: Theme

The World AIDS Day theme for 2022 is “equalize”. According to UNAIDS, “The slogan is a call to action. It is a prompt for all of us to work for the proven practical actions needed to address inequalities and help end AIDS.

World AIDS Day 2022: Significance

World AIDS Day is significant to fight the stigma around it and focus on providing care and support for those who are already living with the disease. Like with most major public health issues, the HIV pandemic has only been presented with further challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

World AIDS Day: History

Celebrating World AIDS Day was first started in the year 1988. The special thing is that World AIDS Day was the first International Day for Global Health. In which every year, United Nations agencies, governments and people join together to campaign on a specific theme related to HIV. 

 In 1988, when the inaugural World AIDS Day was observed, it was estimated that between 90,000 and 150,000 persons were HIV-positive, which leads to AIDS. They conveyed the idea for the observation of this day to the Director of the AIDS Global Program, Dr Johnathan Mann, who approved it for December 1. Since the 1990s, research and medical practices have made significant improvement for the care of people living with HIV.

Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer and former health secretary, Preeti Sudan has took the oath of office and secrecy as Member, UPSC.

Overview

Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officer and former health secretary, Preeti Sudan has took the oath of office and secrecy as Member, UPSC. The oath was administered to her by the UPSC chairman Dr Manoj Soni. Sudan superannuated as the Union Health Secretary in July, 2020. She also served as Secretary, Department of Food & Public Distribution, and in Women and Child Development and Defence Ministries.

Career of Preeti Sudan:

Preeti Sudan is an M.Phil in Economics & MSc in Social Policy and Planning from LSE. Amongst her notable contributions have been initiating two major flagship programmes of the country, i.e., Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and Ayushman Bharat, apart from Legislation on National Medical Commission, Allied Health Professionals Commission & ban on E-cigarettes. Sudan was also a Consultant with the World Bank. She served as Chair of COP-8 of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Vice Chair of Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, Chair of Global Digital Health Partnership and as member of WHO’s Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response.

About UPSC members:

The UPSC is headed by a chairperson and can have a maximum of 10 members. With Sudan’s appointment, there is still a vacancy of four members in the Commission. The UPSC, is India’s premier central recruitment agency for recruitment of all the Group ‘A’ officers under Government of India. The body conducts civil services examination annually in three stages — preliminary, main and interview — to select officers of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) among others.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• UPSC Chairperson:Manoj Soni;
• UPSC Founded: 1 October 1926;
• UPSC Founder: Government of the United Kingdom.

 

 

CEO & CCO of McCann Worldgroup India, Prasoon Joshi has been appointed by Uttarakhand Government as the state’s brand ambassador.

Overview

CEO & CCO of McCann Worldgroup India, Prasoon Joshi has been appointed by Uttarakhand Government as the state’s brand ambassador. Padma Shri awardee Prasoon Joshi is currently the Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification (Censor Board). He is a famous and highly awarded member of the Indian advertising and media fraternity. Joshi has also written the lyrics for songs in popular Bollywood movies such as Rang De Basanti, Fanaa and Taare Zameen Par. He has also written the script for the award-winning 2013 film, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

Why Prasoon Joshi appointed as state’s brand ambassador?

Prasoon Joshi is a native of Uttarakhand, the state administration has authorised the director general of culture to enter a Memorandum of Understanding with Joshi in this regard. Joshi is known for his work and content creation across advertising, poetry, songwriting, and cinema. His socially relevant campaigns like Malnutrition Polio eradication, Women empowerment Ministry of tourism, and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan (Clean India) have all won accolades and found deep and powerful consumer connect. He was also one of the key architects for the National Election campaign of 2014. Joshi’s campaign for HappyDent gum, “The HappyDent Palace,” was ranked as one of the “Top 20 Campaigns of the 21st Century” by The Gunn Report.

Awards to Prasoon Joshi:

Earlier this month, the Uttarakhand government bestowed the Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman honour to Joshi for his contributions to art, literature, culture and advertising. He has received several prestigious international honours such as Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2006. He was also the first Asian to become the jury president at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity in 2014 for the prestigious Titanium category.

Mumbai stood at 22nd rank in a global index that measures annual price appreciation of premium residential properties, according to Knight Frank.

Overview

Mumbai stood at 22nd rank in a global index that measures annual price appreciation of premium residential properties, according to Knight Frank. In its report on ‘Prime Global Cities Index Q3 (July-September) 2022’, Property consultant Knight Frank said that all three Indian cities: Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi, registered an increase in average annual prices in the third quarter of 2022.

Key points in the report:

• The prime global cities index is a valuation-based index tracking the movement in prime residential prices in local currency across 45-plus cities worldwide.
• Mumbai moved up to 22nd rank in the third quarter of 2022 from 39th rank in the year-ago period.
• Bengaluru’s rank also moved up to 27th as against 41st, while New Delhi’s position improved to 36th rank from 38th rank.
• The consultant has attributed the rise in prices to strong market sentiment, adequate affordability, still low interest rates compared to 2019 and a much more stable economy and business environment relative to many developed economies.
• While increasing mortgage rates have weighed down prime residential markets globally, he said that the Indian prime residential market has been relatively strong and should be able to sustain the momentum till the end of 2022.

Prime Global Cities Index Q3: Globally

• The report further cited that Dubai recorded the fastest rise in prime prices with an 88.8 per cent increase during a 12-month change (Q3 2021- Q3 2022), while Wellington was the weakest performing market with a decline of 18 per cent.
• Some European cities registered strong performance in prime prices during Q3 2022. Zurich (10.7%), Edinburgh (9.9%), Berlin (9.4%), Dublin (8.6%), and Madrid (5.6%) have all risen the rankings in the last 12 months despite the drop-in sentiment and the slowdown in the Eurozone’s economy.