Art and Culture 

Copper plates from Vijayanagara Kingdom discovered in Tiruvallur district - The Hindu 

A set of copper plate inscriptions with two leaves dating back to the 16th Century CE have been discovered at the Sri Singeeswarar temple at Mappedu village in Tiruvallur district recently.

Geography

Cyclone Dana - The Hindu

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recently said the well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, which is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm, would cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island during the night of Thursday and early morning on Friday.

 

Azores  Islands - Indian Express 

The regional assembly of Portugal’s Azores Islands approved the creation of the largest protected marine area in the North Atlantic to reach international conservation goals well ahead of time.

Azores Islands

• Location: A group of nine islands in the North Atlantic.
• Origin: Volcanic in nature, formed from the Azores Plateau. The islands are situated at the Azores Triple Junction, where the Eurasian, North American, and African tectonic plates meet.
• Geological Features:
  • The Mid-Atlantic Ridge crosses the Azores Plateau, separating the African-Eurasian Plate from the North American Plate.
  • The islands are arranged in a northwest-southeast direction and divided into three groups: northwest, central, and eastern.
• Highest Peak: Mount Pico on Pico Island is the highest point in the archipelago.
• Climate: Oceanic subtropical climate.
• Fauna: Home to endemic species, including the Azores bullfinch and Monteiro’s storm petrel, found in the laurel forests.

Social 

Supreme Court refuses to extend child marriage ban to all faiths - The Hindu 

Supreme Court recently spurned the Union govt’s invitation to direct application of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA) to citizens irrespective of their religion and personal laws but suggested that Parliament should consider outlawing child betrothals as well.

World Affairs 

India, China reach deal on easing LAC tensions - The Hindu

India and China have reached an agreement on the “patrolling arrangements” and the resolution of the military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Union government announced.

 

Economy 

What is Z-Morh tunnel? Why is it strategically important? - Indian Express

Seven people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir recently when suspected militants targeted the workers of infrastructure company APCO Infratech, which is constructing the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway. This is the first militant attack on a key infrastructure project in Jammu and Kashmir. In the past, militants have not targeted such infrastructure projects in the region.

 

The population question - Indian Express

There have been concerns among Southern states that their smaller populations might impact their representation in Parliament after the delimitation of constituencies.

 

India launches first training programme for civil servants from BIMSTEC nations - The Hindu 

In a significant step towards fostering regional cooperation and administrative excellence, India's National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) has initiated its first-ever Mid-Career Training Programme for civil servants from the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) nations. 

Mid-Career Training Programme for civil servants

• Participants: Includes 36 civil servants from BIMSTEC countries (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan) and 35 civil servants from the Maldives.
• Objective: Aims to strengthen regional ties and enhance governance standards across BIMSTEC nations.
• Key Roles of Participants: Participants hold important positions such as Divisional Secretary, Additional District Secretary, Deputy Chief Secretary, Assistant Commissioners, Directors, and Council Executives from crucial ministries.

BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation)

• Establishment: Formed on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
• Member States: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka (South Asia) and Myanmar, Thailand (Southeast Asia).
• Objective: Promoting economic cooperation among nations bordering the Bay of Bengal.
• Priority Areas:
  • Identified 14 areas of cooperation, with each member country leading specific sectors.
  • India leads in Transport & Communication, Tourism, Environment & Disaster Management, and Counter-Terrorism & Transnational Crime.
• Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Environment 

World lags on 2030 nature goals as COP16 talks begin - The Hindu

As nearly 200 nations meet for a two-week U.N. biodiversity summit, COP16, in Cali, Colombia, they will be under pressure to prove their support for the goals laid out in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework agreement.

 

$1 tn over 30 years: the huge cost of pivoting away from coal - Indian Express

For a just transition away from coal, India will require over $1 trillion or Rs 84 lakh crore over the next 30 years, according to a study by environment and climate change research think-tank iForest (International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology).

 

Why researchers studied marine heat waves more than 200m below the ocean surface - Indian Express 

Researchers found that MHWs deep in oceans may be “significantly under-reported” and caused by ocean currents. However, they are also being impacted by global warming.

Marine Heat Wave (MHW)

• Definition: An extreme weather event where sea surface temperatures rise 3-4°C above average for at least five days.
• Duration: MHWs can persist for weeks, months, or even years (as per NOAA).
• Impacts:
  • Marine Ecosystems: Causes damage to marine habitats, coral reefs, and species displacement.
  • Frequency: Increasing due to global warming, notably affecting Australia's East Coast, Tasmania, the northeast Pacific, and the North Atlantic.
  • Stronger Storms: Higher ocean temperatures intensify hurricanes, tropical cyclones, winds, rainfall, and flooding.
  • Invasive Species: Promotes the growth of invasive species, disrupting marine food webs.

 

Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve - Indian Express 

In a setback to tiger conservation efforts, the carcass of a nearly nine-year old tigress RVTR-2 was found in the newly notified Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve (RVTR) in Bundi.

Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve

• Location: Southeastern part of Rajasthan in Bundi district with representation of both Vindhyan and Aaravalli elements.

• Area: Core area (481.91 sq. km.) and buffer area (1019.98 sq. km.).
• Notification: Notified as a tiger reserve on May 16, 2022.
• River: Mez, a tributary of the Chambal River, passes through the tiger reserve.
• Vegetation: Dry Deciduous Forest
• Topography: It varies from gentle slopes to steep rocky cliffs, from the flat-of hills of Vindhyasto the conical hillocks and sharp ridges of the Aravallis.
• Flora: Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) trees, Khair (Acacia catechu), Ronj (Acacia Leucophloea), Amaltas (Cassia fistula), Gurjan (Lannea coromodelica), Saler (Boswellia serrata), etc.
• Fauna: Leopards, Sloth bears, Jungle cat, Golden jackal, Hyaena, Crested Porcupine, Indian Hedgehog, Rhesus macaque, hanuman langur, etc.

Sci and Tech 

Black holes and James Webb Telescope - The Hindu

Black Holes

• Definition: Regions of space-time with gravity so strong that nothing, including light, can escape.
• Formation: Created when a massive star collapses at the end of its life, forming a dense object that warps space-time.
• Types of Black Holes:
  • Stellar Black Hole: Formed by the collapse of a single massive star.
  • Intermediate Black Hole: Masses between 100 and 100,000 times that of the sun.
  • Supermassive Black Hole: Masses range from millions to billions of times the sun's mass, found at galaxy centers, including the Milky Way.
• Importance:
  • Crucial for understanding the universe's evolution, galaxy formation, and the distribution of matter.
  • Help in studying the fundamental properties of space, time, and gravity.

James Webb Space Telescope

• About: Launched in December 2021, the telescope is a collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency.
• Location: Positioned at the Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point, about 1.5 million km beyond Earth's orbit, where gravitational forces cancel each other, allowing for stable positioning with minimal energy.
• Features:
  • The largest and most powerful infrared space telescope, succeeding the Hubble Telescope.
  • Can look back in time, observing galaxies from just after the Big Bang.
• Objectives: Explore all phases of cosmic history, from the Big Bang to galaxy and planetary formation and the evolution of the Solar System.
• Goals:
  • Study the first stars and galaxies formed 13.5 billion years ago.
  • Compare early galaxies to current ones to understand galaxy assembly.
  • Investigate star and planetary system formation.
  • Observe exoplanet atmospheres and search for signs of life.

Smart insulin - Indian Express 

Scientists have made a major breakthrough in developing what has been long called the “holy grail” diabetes treatments — a “smart” insulin that responds in real time to fluctuations in one’s blood sugar level. 

Smart Insulin (NNC2215)

• Composition: NNC2215 consists of two parts: a ring-shaped structure and a molecule resembling glucose called a glucoside.
• Mechanism:
  • At low blood sugar levels, the glucoside binds to the ring, keeping the insulin inactive to prevent further sugar reduction.
  • When blood glucose levels rise, glucose replaces the glucoside, activating the insulin to reduce blood sugar levels.
• Effectiveness: NNC2215 has been found as effective as human insulin in lowering blood glucose in animal studies involving rats and pigs.

Diabetes 

• About: A chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas can no longer make insulin, or the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces.
• Insulin: A hormone that regulates blood glucose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moonlight programme - Indian Express

The European Space Agency (ESA) at the International Astronautical Congress, launched its Moonlight Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS) programme recently.

Kala-azar - The Hindu 

India could be at the threshold of eliminating Kala-azar as a public health problem with the country having managed to keep the number of cases under one in 10,000 as per the World Health Organization (WHO) parameters for elimination certification for two consecutive years now.

Kala-azar (Visceral Leishmaniasis)