Today's Brief 12/07/2024
- Smriti IASxp
- Jul 12, 2024
- 4 min read
Youtube English :https://youtu.be/Ly3gVyfB7Fg?si=pmuMMz3FDqLObUGJ
Youtube Hindi: https://youtu.be/Cbw0Am_NT9Q?si=cR2NSDYV7PrM4jiR
Austria and World War-2 : Austria played a significant role in both World War I and World War II.
Here's an overview of Austria's involvement in each conflict:
World War I (1914-1918)
Austria-Hungary Empire
Pre-War Context: Austria was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a multi-ethnic empire in Central Europe. The empire was a major political entity and one of the great powers in Europe.
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, triggered the war. This event set off a chain reaction of alliances and mobilizations.
Alliance System: Austria-Hungary, allied with Germany, declared war on Serbia. This action led to a web of alliances drawing multiple countries into the conflict, including Russia, France, and the United Kingdom against the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and their allies).
War Effort: Austria-Hungary fought on multiple fronts, including against Serbia, Russia, and Italy. The war placed enormous strain on the empire's resources and exacerbated internal ethnic tensions.
End of the War: By the end of the war in 1918, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was on the brink of collapse. The empire disintegrated into several independent nations, including Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and others.
World War II (1939-1945)
Anschluss: In 1938, Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany in an event known as the Anschluss. This was a unification of Austria and Germany under Adolf Hitler's rule, and Austria ceased to exist as an independent nation.
Integration into the Third Reich: Following the Anschluss, Austria became part of the Third Reich. Many Austrians supported the annexation, although there was also significant opposition and resistance.
Participation in the War: As part of Nazi Germany, Austrians were conscripted into the German military and participated in various aspects of the war effort, including combat, administration, and the atrocities of the Holocaust.
End of the War: Austria was liberated by Allied forces in 1945. Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, Austria was occupied by the Allies and eventually regained its independence.
Post-War Austria
Independence: Austria declared its independence in 1945 and was officially re-established as a sovereign state in 1955 with the signing of the Austrian State Treaty. Austria committed to a policy of neutrality and has remained an independent nation since then.
2. ASUSE(Annual Survey of Unincorporated Enterprises): Among the top ten states that account for nearly three quarters of the informal sector workers employed in India, five states — Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha — recorded an increase in the informal employment between 2015-16 and 2022-23. On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh registered a decline in the number of informal sector workers during the same period, the survey showed.
These five states account for 42 per cent of all informal workers
3.EX PITCH BLACK 2024: Exercise Pitch Black returns from 12 July to 2 August 2024, and the Royal Australian Air Force would like to thank communities across northern Australia once again for their interest and tremendous support.
Parties: India and Australia
Frequency: Every 2 years
Exercise Pitch Black 24 will be the largest in the exercise’s 43-year history. It will bring together 20 participating nations and over 140 aircraft from around the world, with approximately 4435 personnel participating.
(Image source: https://images.app.goo.gl/Az5EArDsfhpHpxGd9)
4.Supreme Court verdict on Muslim women’s maintenance: Religious bodies opt for cautious approach: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-verdict-on-muslim-womens-maintenance-religious-bodies-opt-for-cautious-approach/article68393885.ece
5.ESwasthya Dham Portal: Chardham Yatra pilgrims can now create their Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) on the eSwasthya Dham portal. The Uttarakhand Government’s Department of Health and Family Welfare has launched a portal called eSwasthya Dham. eSwasthya Dham portal helps in monitoring the Char Dham Yatra pilgrim’s health parameters. It ensures the smooth journey of pilgrims visiting Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath together called as the Char Dham Yatra.
Union Health Ministry said in a release that the eSwasthya Dham portal provides a range of benefits to the pilgrims and one of them is the generation of ABHA. Pilgrims can easily create their ABHA 14-digit number at the eSwasthya Dham portal in a couple of minutes.
Till date, over 65 crore ABHA have already been created. ABHA comes with several benefits for citizens including storing and managing their health records safely. It also allows them to share their health records securely with a doctor anytime and anywhere with their consent.
Through ABHA citizens can avail several digital health benefits from avoiding the long queues at healthcare facilities for registration to facilitating doctor appointments.
6.What is a Heat Dome? In recent decades, the impact of climate change has made dangerous hot weather more prevalent. Events where extreme heat lingers over a region for days or weeks are known as heat domes.
Although "heat dome" is not a standard scientific term, it aptly describes the high-pressure atmospheric systems that force warm air to the surface and keep it there. This creates a dome-like effect that traps the hot air, much like a lid on a pot, leading to soaring temperatures, wildfires, and droughts.
Causes of Heat Domes Under typical conditions, weather systems move from west to east across North America.
However, when the jet stream weakens and stalls, it can cause a high-pressure area to become stationary. The jet stream, a strong wind band in the upper atmosphere, is influenced by the earth's rotation and the movement of air from the equator.
When a high-pressure system develops within the jet stream, it pushes air downwards, compressing it closer to the ground and forming a heat dome. This trapped air heats up and, with no clouds to block the sun's radiation, the ground beneath becomes increasingly hot.
This feedback loop can maintain the heat dome for days or even weeks.
Impact of Heat Domes Heat domes have been recorded across the United States and globally. Notable examples include the Midwest heatwave of 1995, which resulted in around 600 deaths in Chicago, the North American heatwave of 1936, and the European heatwave of 2003.
In regions like the Pacific Northwest, which experienced the 2021 Western North America heatwave, the lack of infrastructure to handle extreme heat, such as air conditioning, makes these events particularly dangerous. Providing resources like housing, cooling centers, and access to pools and beaches can help mitigate the risks associated with heat domes
Read More :
Urban Heat Island Effect https://www.smritiias.in/post/urban-heat-island
Conclusion The term "heat dome" has become part of our vocabulary as climate change continues to alter our weather patterns. These systems thrive in conditions of dry soil and limited vegetation, perpetuating and exacerbating extreme heat events.
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