About World Drug Report 2024:

• It is an annual report released by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
• Highlights of the Report:
  • The number of people who use drugs has risen to 292 million in 2022, a 20 percent increase over the past ten years.
  • Cannabis remains the most widely used drug worldwide (228 million users), followed by opioids (60 million users), amphetamines (30 million users), cocaine (23 million users) and ecstasy (20 million users).
  • Nitazenes, a group of highly potent synthetic opioids, have recently emerged in several high-income countries, resulting in an increase in overdose deaths.
  • Though an estimated 64 million people worldwide suffer from drug use disorders, only one in 11 is in treatment.
  • Women receive less access to treatment than men, with only one in 18 women with drug use disorders in treatment versus one in seven men.
  • In 2022, an estimated 7 million people were in formal contact with the police (arrests, cautions, and warnings) for drug offences, with about two-thirds of this total due to drug use or possession for use.
  • In addition, 7 million people were prosecuted for drug offences and over 1.6 million were convicted globally in 2022.

Key Facts about UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC):

• It is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime, in addition to being responsible for implementing the United Nations lead programme on terrorism.
• It was established in 1997 through a merger between the United Nations Drug Control Programme and the Centre for International Crime Prevention.
• Headquarters: Vienna, Austria
• UNODC works to educate people throughout the world about the dangers of drug abuse and to strengthen international action against illicit drug production and trafficking and drug-related crime. 
• UNODC also works to improve crime prevention and assist with criminal justice reform in order to strengthen the rule of law, promote stable and viable criminal justice systems and combat the growing threats of transnational organized crime and corruption.
• In 2002, the UN General Assembly approved an expanded programme of activities for the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC.
  • The activities focus on providing assistance to States, on request, in ratifying and implementing the eighteen universal legal instruments against terrorism.
• Funding: It relies on voluntary contributions, mainly from governments, to carry out the majority of our work.

About Saryu River:

• It is a river that flows through the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
• It is also known as the Sarayu or Sarju River.
• This river is of ancient significance, finding mentions in the Vedas and the Ramayana. 
• Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, is situated on the banks of the river Sarayu. The banks of Sarayu in Ayodhya are a common site for various religious rituals.
• Course:
  • It originates primarily from the foothills of the Himalayas and becomes an auxiliary river to the Sharada.
  • It flows through Kapkot, Bageshwar and Seraghat towns before discharging into the Sharada River at Pancheshwar at the India-Nepal border. 
  • Sharada River (also known as Kali River) then flows into the Ghaghara River in Sitapur District, Uttar Pradesh.
• Lower Ghaghara is popularly known as Sarayu in India, especially while it flows through the city of Ayodhya.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):

• It is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai,China.
• It is the world’s largest regional organization by geography and population, covering about 80 percent of the Eurasian landmass and 40 percent of the world population. 
• Objective: Promoting cooperation and peace among its member states, as well as fostering “a new democratic, fair, and rational international political and economic order.
• Founding Members: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• The organization expanded to include India and Pakistan in 2017 and Iran in 2023, bringing the total to nine member states. 
• The SCO also includes 3 observer states—Mongolia, Belarus and Afghanistan.
• Following the integration of Iran, the SCO now controls 20 percent of the world’s oil reserves and 44 percent of its natural gas.
• Organizational Structure:
  • The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making bodyin the SCO. It meets once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organisation.
  • The organisation has two permanent bodies:
  • The SCO Secretariat based in Beijing.
  • The Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
  • RATS serves to promote the cooperation of member states against terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
• The official languages of the SCO are Chinese and Russian.

About Down Syndrome:

• It is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome or an extra piece of a chromosome. 
  • Chromosomesare tiny "packages" in your cells that contain your genes.
  • Genes carry information, called DNA, that controls what you look like and how your body works.
  • People with Down syndrome have an extra copy of chromosome 21. In some cases, they may have an extra copy of a part of the chromosome.
  • Having an extra copy of a chromosome is called a trisomy. So sometimes Down syndrome is also called trisomy 21.
• This extra copy changes how a baby's body and brain develop.
• It can cause both mental and physical challenges during their lifetime. 
• Even though people with Down syndrome might act and look similar, each person has different abilities.
• Causes: Down syndrome is usually not inherited. It happens by chance, as an error when cells are dividing during the early development of the fetus.
• Symptoms:
  • The symptoms of Down syndrome are different in each person. And people with Down syndrome may have different problems at different times of their lives.
  • They usually have mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. Their development is often delayed. 
  • Some of the common physical signs of Down syndrome include:
    • A flat face
    • Eyes that slant up
    • A short neck
    • Small hands and feet
    • Poor muscle tone
    • Loose joints
• Treatment: 
  • Down syndrome is a lifelong condition and it cannot be cured. Early therapy programs can help improve skills.
  • Treatments are based on each person's physical and intellectual needs, strengths, and limitations.

About Senna spectabilis:

• It is a species of the legume family.
• It is a medium to big tree native to South and Central America and is grown as an ornamental plant as it has bright yellow flowers. 
• It is a fast-growing species, particularly on deep soils and is fire- and termite-resistant and tolerant of strongly acidic soils. 
• It is often planted for fuelwood, as an ornamental, and as a shade tree in agroforestry situations.
• It is classified as an Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in India.
• It is considered an environmental weed by the Global Compendium of Weeds. 
• In India, it was introduced as shade trees for coffee and firewood; it soon became a threat to native tree species as its dense foliage prevented the growth of other indigenous trees and grass species.
• It is classified as Least Concern under the IUCN Red List.

Key Facts about Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary:

• Location: It is located in Wayanad, Kerala, in the southern trenches of the Western Ghats.
• It is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• It is bordered bythe protected areas of Nagarhole and Bandipur in Karnataka on the northeastern side and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu on the southeastern side.
• Tribesliving in these forests include some scheduled adivasis, such as Paniyas, Kattunaikkans, Kurumas, Ooralis, Adiyans, and Kurichiyas.
• Flora:
  • It is a mosaic of the Western Ghats' significant vegetation types, ranging from moist deciduous to dry deciduousand semi-evergreen patches.
  • Teak, rosewood, eucalyptus, and silver oakplantations cover roughly one-third of the sanctuary.
  • Marshy landsalso mark their presence in the sanctuary.
• Fauna:
  • It is also home to animals like elephants, panthers, tigers, jungle cats, civet cats, monkeys, wild dogs, bisons, deer and bears.
  • It is known for having the largest population of tigers in Kerala.

About Steel Slag:

• Steel slag is an industrial byproduct obtained from the steel manufacturing industry.
• It is produced in large quantities during steel-making operations that use electric arc furnaces.
• It can also be produced by smelting iron ore in a basic oxygen furnace.
• Primarily, slag consists of calcium, magnesium, manganese and aluminium silicates and oxides in various combinations.
• The cooling process of slag is responsible mainly for generating different types of slags required for various end-use consumers.

Applications of Steel Slag

• It has found use as a barrier material remedy for waste sites where heavy metals tend to leach into the surrounding environment.
• Steel slag forces the heavy metals to drop out of solution in water run off because of its high oxide mineral content.
• It has been used successfully to treat acidic water discharges from abandoned mines.
• It can replace coarse aggregate due to a higher impact and crushing strength, better anti-skid capacity.

About National Test House:

• It was formerly known as the Government Test House and boasts a rich legacy dating back to its establishment in 1912.
• It is India's largest multi-location multidisciplinary industrial central government testing laboratory dealing with almost all sorts of testing, calibration and quality evaluation related to industry, commerce, trade etc. as per international and national standards.
• At present it is providing facilities like testing, evaluation, and calibration of raw materials as well as finished products to the end users through its branches established at Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, and Varanasi.
• Functions
  • Test and evaluation of materials, products, equipment, modules, systems and sub-systems in practically all branches of Science & technology.
  • Test and Certification of Welders under the scheme of the Central Authority for Testing and Certification of Welders.
  • Assist industries in developing indigenous products for export promotion and import substitution besides their quality assurance programme.
  • Assist BIS in the formulation of National Standards.
  • Assist industries and users' organizations with R&D work in Test Engineering.
  • Assisting the National Accreditation Board for Testing & Calibration Laboratories [NABL] in the accreditation of Testing & Calibration Laboratories in the country.
• Presently it is functioning as a subordinate office under the Ministry of Consumers Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Department of Consumer Affairs.

About Zinc:

• It is a silvery blue-grey metal with a relatively low melting and boiling point.
• Both lead & zinc are found to occur together in ore along with other metals like silver and cadmium.
• It is the fourth most widely used metal across the globe, trailing only steel, aluminium and copper. India has self-sufficiency in respect of zinc.
• In India, Rajasthan has the largest reserves/resources of lead–zinc ore, followed by Andhra Pradesh (3.03%), Madhya Pradesh (1.98%), Bihar etc.
• Global reservoirs of Zinc: Australia accounts for 27% of the world's zinc reserves, followed by China (18%), Russia & Mexico (9% each), Peru (8%), Kazakhstan (5%), USA (4%), etc.
• Uses:
  • The largest consumer of zinc is the Galvanising Industry. Owing to its corrosion resistance in varied types of environments, zinc is used for protecting steel by way of galvanizing.
  • Large quantities of zinc are used to produce die-castings, which are important in the automobile, electrical and hardware industries.
  • Zinc oxide is widely used to manufacture many products such as paints, rubber,etc.
• Biological role
• • It is a trace mineral, meaning that the body only needs small amounts, and yet it is necessary for almost 100 enzymes to carry out vital chemical reactions.
  • It is a major player in the creation of DNA, the growth of cells, building proteins, healing of damaged tissue, and supporting a healthy immune system.

Key findings

• It found that zinc in plants aids in nitrogen fixation, a process where atmospheric nitrogen is converted into ammonia, an essential nutrient for plants. 
  • Legume crops form a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia, a bacteria that fixes atmospheric nitrogen in root nodules. 
  • However, these nodules are sensitive to environmental factors such as temperature, drought, flooding, soil salinity and high soil nitrogen levels.
• Another vital finding of this study is the identification of a crucial transcription factor that controls nodule breakdown when soil nitrogen levels are high. 
• The researchers discovered that legumes also use zinc as a secondary signal to integrate environmental factors and regulate nitrogen fixation efficiency. The mechanism works due to a transcriptional regulator called Fixation Under Nitrate (FUN).
• FUN is inactivated by zinc through the formation of large filament structures, which are dismantled to release active FUN when zinc levels are low.

About Xenophrys apatani:

• It has been named after the dominant Apatani community in recognition of their ingenuity in the conservation of wild flora and fauna.
• Distribution: It is distributed along the Eastern Himalayan and the Indo-Burma biodiversity hot spots of the country.

Key facts about Apatani community

• The Apatani are a tribal group of people living in the Ziro valley in Arunachal Pradesh.
• Language: They speak a local language called Tani and worship the sun and the moon.
• Festivals: They have major festivals like Dree, Myoko, Yapung and Murung.
  • Dree is celebrated with prayers for a bumper harvestand prosperity of all humankind and Myoka celebrates friendship similar to modern friendship day.
• They have been practising integrated rice-fish farming in their mountain terraces of Arunachal Pradesh since the 1960s.
• They principally use three rice varieties: Emeo, Pyape and Mypia.

Key Facts about Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located near the beautiful Apatani cultural landscape in the Lower Subansiri District of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Rivers like Pange, Sipu, Karing, and Subansiriflow through this sanctuary.
• Flora: It has a stunning spectrum of subtropical and alpine forests like silver fir trees, ferns, orchids, bamboo, and rhododendrons.
• Fauna:Clouded leopard, Himalayan squirrel, Himalayan Black Bear etc.

About Exercise MAITREE:

• It is the 13th edition of India- Thailand joint military Exercise MAITREE.
• The exercise is scheduled to be conducted from 1st to 15th July 2024 at Fort Vachiraprakan in Tak Province of Thailand.
• The last edition of the same exercise was conducted at Umroi, Meghalaya in September 2019.
• The Indian Army contingent comprising 76 personnel is represented mainly by a Battalion of the LADAKH SCOUTS and personnel from other arms and services.
• Aim: To foster Military Cooperation between India and Thailand.
• The Exercise will enhance combined capabilities in executing Joint Counter Insurgency/ Terrorist Operations in Jungle and Urban Environments under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter.
• The Exercise will focus on a high degree of physical fitness, joint planning and joint tactical drills.
• Tactical Drills to be practiced during the exercise will include Creation of a Joint Operation Centre, establishing an Intelligence & Surveillance Centre, employment of Drones and Counter Drone Systems, Securing of a Landing Site, Small Team Insertion & Extraction, Special Heliborne Operations, Cordon and Search Operations, Room Intervention Drills and Demolition of Illegal Structures. 
• The Exercise will facilitate development of inter-operability, bonhomie and camaraderie between soldiers of both countries.

About Mars Odyssey:

• It was an early mission in NASA’s Mars Exploration Program.
• It was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 7, 2001.
• The Odyssey spacecraft has been orbiting Mars since 2001.
• Odyssey's original goals were to search for signs of water, make detailed maps of the planet’s surface materials and determine radiation levels for humans.
• The spacecraft holds the record for the longest continually active mission in orbit around a planet other than Earth. Its mission is scheduled to last until 2025.
• It created the first global map of chemical elements and minerals that make up the Martian surface.
• Odyssey continues to study Mars’s surface to see how the planet changes over time. 
• The spacecraft also serves as a communications relay to Earth for spacecraft on the surface that lack high-powered antennas and cannot beam information to Earth very quickly. 

Key Facts about Olympus Mons:

• It is a shield volcanolocated in Mars’ western hemisphere.
• It is the highest point on Mars and the largest known volcano in the solar system.
  • It is 16 miles (24 kilometers) high, which makes it about three times higher than Mt. Everest.
  • It is also very wide (340 miles or 550 kilometers) and covers an area larger than the entire chain of Hawaiian Islands.
  • In contrast, the largest volcano on Earth, Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, is 120 kilometers across and 9 kilometers high.
• It is some 3.5 billion years old, which means the volcano formed early on in Mars’ history.
• It is a very flat mountainwhich slopes by only 2 to 5 degrees.
• Its summit is marked by a caldera, a large depression formed by volcanic activity, spanning 50 miles (80 kilometers) wide.
  • The summit caldera consists of several overlapping pits. These pits were created by different eruptive phases.
  • In contrast, many Earth-based volcanoes typically feature a single, less complex caldera.

About Project Nexus:

• It is a multilateral international initiative to enable instant cross-border retail payments by interlinking domestic Fast Payments Systems (FPSs).
• Rather than requiring FPS operators to establish multiple custom connections for each country, Nexus provides a standardized, single-connection solution that enables seamless transactions across borders.
• With Nexus, an FPS operator can connect to a single network, enabling instant access to other countries within the network. 
• It was conceptualized by the Innovation Hub of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).
• It aims to connect the FPSs of four ASEAN countries (Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand); and India, who would be the founding members and first mover countries of this platform.
• The platform, which can be extended to more countries, is expected to go live by 2026.
• When a new country joins Nexus, existing members are automatically connected to that country and vice versa. This means the network can expand at a near-zero marginal cost for existing members.
• By simplifying and unifying the payment infrastructure, Project Nexus seeks to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and improve the accessibility of international payments.

Key Facts about Bank for International Settlements (BIS):

• The BIS is an international financial institution which is owned by member central banks.
• Founded in 1930, the BIS is the oldest global financial institution and operates under the auspices of international law.
• Its primary goal is to foster international monetary and financial cooperation while serving as a bank for central banks.
• Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland
• The BIS, which is owned by 63 national central banks, also provides independent economic analysis.

About Syntrichia caninervis:

• It is one of the most abundant desert mosses in the world.
• It possesses remarkable tolerance to multiple environmental stress factors (drought, cold, and radiation).
  • Extreme desiccation tolerance: recover within seconds after >98% water loss.
  • Extraordinary freezing tolerance: withstand −196°C ultra-low temperature.
  • Super resistance to gamma radiation: with half-lethal dose estimated to be 5,000 Gy.
• Distribution:
  • It has a widespread global distribution.
  • It is predominant in dryland regions, including the Gurbantunggut and Tengger Deserts in China and the Mojave Desert in the United States.
  • caninervis crusts are also present in mountainous regions of the Pamir, Tibet, Middle East, Antarctica and circumpolar regions.
• It has a unique adaptation, it uses a tiny hair (awn) on the end of each leaf to collect water, in addition to that collected by the leaves themselves.

What is a Moss?

• A moss is a flowerless, spore-producing plant - with the spores produced in small capsules.
• Mosses are distributed throughout the world except in salt waterand are commonly found in moist shady locations.
• They are best known for those species that carpet woodland and forest floors. 
• Ecologically, mosses break down exposed substrata, releasing nutrients for the use of more-complex plants that succeed them.
• They also aid in soil erosion control by providing surface cover and absorbing water, and they are important in the nutrient and water economy of some vegetation types.
• Economically important species are those in the genus Sphagnum that form peat. 

About LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR):

• It is a highly innovative, pan-European distributed radio interferometer and the first of its kind.
• It observes the Universe at low radio frequencies, close to the FM radio band, from 90 to 200 MHz.
• It was developed by the Dutch Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) with the goal of exploring the early, distant universe, solar activity, and the terrestrial atmosphere.
• LOFAR can observe in several directions simultaneously, which allows for a multi-user operation. 
• For this reason, LOFAR is novel in its design because it is the first telescope that can look at the entire sky at the same time, unlike other telescopes which you have to point. 
• LOFAR does not have moving parts; steering and tracking across the sky are achieved by treating the signal from the individual antennas in each station with advanced digital beam-forming techniques that make the system agile, allowing for rapid repointing of the telescope as well as giving the potential for multiple simultaneous observations in different directions.
• The LOFAR main core is based in the north of the Netherlands, with other stations located in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

What are Radio Galaxies?

• Radio Galaxies, also known as radio-luminous galaxies or radio-loud galaxies, are a particular type of active galaxy that emits more light at radio wavelengths than at visible wavelengths.
• These happen through the interaction between charged particles and strong magnetic fields related to supermassive black holes at the galaxies’ center.
• They are driven by non-thermal emissions.
• They are much bigger thanmost of the other galaxies in the universe. 
• The first radio galaxy to be discovered, and still the brightest, is called Cygnus A.

About SEBEX 2:

• SEBEX 2 is said to be among the most powerful non-nuclear explosives in the world.
• It utilizes a high-melting explosive (HMX) composition.
  • This formulation significantly enhances the lethality of warheads, aerial bombs, artillery shells and other munitions.
• It is 01 times more deadly than standard TNT (Trinitrotoluene).
  • Explosive performance is gauged by TNT equivalence, with higher values indicating greater lethality.
  • Currently, the most powerful conventional explosive used in India, specifically in the Brahmos warhead, has a TNT equivalence of about 1.50.
  • Most conventional warheads worldwide have a TNT equivalence ranging from 1.25 to 1.30
• SEBEX 2 was manufactured by Economic Explosives Limited (EEL), Nagpur, a subsidiary of Solar Industries, under the Make in India initiative.
• It has been evaluated, tested and certified by the Indian Navy under its Defence Export Promotion Scheme. 

Complementary Technologies:

• In addition to SEBEX 2, the Indian Navy has certified SITBEX 1, a thermobaric explosive known for its extended blast duration and intense heat generation.
  • This makes it highly effective in demolishing enemy bunkers, tunnels and fortified positions.
• SIMEX 4, an insensitive munition, has also received certification, emphasizing safety in storage, transport and operation.

About Nouka Baich Boat Race:

• It is a traditional boat race of West Bengal.
• Timing
  • The races occur in the month of September across riverine Bengal, when the river waters are swollen during the last weeks of the monsoons.
  • They continue till September, sometimes till October, even November in some places.
• These boat races were previously dominated by male but in the recent years one can see participation of women too.
• These boat races in southern West Bengal are particularly linked with the worship of the Hindu deity Manasa, the goddess of snakes.
  • The worship of Manasa is the worship of snakes. And the local deity most commonly worshipped in rural south Bengal is Manasa, a deity worshipped by agrarian communities.
• Type of boats used
  • In this race four to five kinds of traditional boats are used for the races.
  • Other boats that are commonly used for races in Bengal include the Chhip, Kaile Bachhhari, Chande Bachhari, Chitoi and Sorpi.
  • A special type boat called Sorengi which is about 90 ft long which imitates nature is also seen in these races.

About Supercapacitors:

• A supercapacitor is a next-generation energy storage device which is also known as an ultracapacitor.​
• It has advantages such as high-power density, long durability, and ultrafast charging characteristics as compared to conventional capacitors and Lithium-Ion batteries (LIB).
• The main components of supercapacitors include an electrode, electrolyte, separator and current collector.
• An electrode is a solid electric conductor that carries electric current into non-metallic solids, liquids, gases, plasmas or vacuums.
• An electrolyte is a substance that produces an electrically conducting solution when dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. 

Key findings

• It is found that the prototype supercapacitors made of coconut husk-derived activated carbon to be four-times more efficient that the existing supercapacitors.
• This innovative method not only saves time, but also yields activated carbon with an impressive surface area of 1,200 m2 g-1 and highly porous structures, making it an ideal material for various applications.
• The device’s high-power output is capable of powering two LEDs for 20 minutes.

What is microwave-assisted method?

• It is relatively inexpensive and exhibits exceptional supercapacitor capability.
• By utilising an advanced microwave pyrolysis reactor one can produce high-quality carbon within five minutes, eliminating impurities like ash and generating zero waste.

About Deep Brain Stimulation Device:

• The device uses DBS, which is also utilised for movement disorders associated with Parkinson’s, and other neurological conditions.
• Working
  • The neurostimulator delivers constant electrical impulses to the brain to disrupt or block abnormal seizure-causing signals.
  • A 3.5 cm square, 0.6 cm in thickness, the device was surgically implanted in Knowlson’s skull and anchored using screws.
  • The doctor then inserted two electrodes deep into his brain until they reached the thalamus — a relay station for all the motor and sensory information. The ends of the electrodes were connected to the neurostimulator.
  • The device was switched on after Knowlson recovered from his surgery. It can be recharged by a wireless headphone.

What is epilepsy?

• It a condition that leads to recurring seizures, sees a person experience jerking of arms and legs, temporary confusion, staring spells, or stiff muscles. It is caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
• The disease has no identifiable cause in nearly 50% of the cases.
• Reasons for epilepsy: Head trauma, Tumours in the brain, some infections like meningitis, or even genetics can lead to epilepsy. It can increase the risk of accidents, drownings and falling.

About Artificial Intelligence (AI) washing:

• It is a deceptive promotional practice that exaggerates or outright lies about a product or service’s use of artificial intelligence (AI).
• Objective: To capitalize on people’s interest in AI and make an offering seem to be more cutting-edge than it really is.
  • For example, a company may claim their chatbot is “Powered by the latest AI technology” when in reality, it simply matches keywords with pre-written responses.
• It is a term derived from greenwashing, where companies exaggerate their environmental friendliness to appeal to customers.
• Similarly, businesses that claim to have integrated AI into their products, when they’re actually using less sophisticated technology, can be accused of AI washing.
• It is found that the companies had made false statements to their clients about providing ‘expert AI-driven forecasts’ and using machine learning to manage retail client portfolios.
• Problems
  • AI washing can have concerning impacts for businesses, from overpaying for technology and services to failing to meet operational objectives the AI was expected to help them achieve."
  • Meanwhile, for investors it can make it harder to identify genuinely innovative companies.

About New Shepard Spacecraft:

• It is a suborbital space travel vehicle, offering a unique experience for both scientific research and space tourism.
• It is named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space, New Shepard is a fully reusable rocket system designed for human spaceflight.
• It consists of two main components: a reusable booster and a pressurized crew capsule.
  • The capsule can accommodate six passengers, providing each with a window seat to witness breathtaking views of Earth.
  • Among its notable features are the largest windows ever flown in space, offering an unparalleled visual experience for astronauts.
• New Shepard's 11-minute journey takes passengers beyond the Karman line. During the flight, passengers experience several minutes of weightlessness before making a controlled descent back to Earth aided by parachutes.
• In addition to its space tourism potential, New Shepard serves as a valuable platform for scientific research.

What is Karman line?

• Located at 100 km (62 miles) above sea level, it is an imaginary line that demarcates the earth’s atmosphere from space.
• It was established in the 1960s by a record-keeping body called the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).
• It was named after aerospace pioneer Theodore von Kármán.
• Though not all scientists and spacefarers accept it (for example, the Federal Aviation Administration, NASA, and the U.S. military place the line between outer space and the atmosphere at 80 km (50 miles) above the Earth’s surface) , a majority of countries and space organisations recognise this boundary between earthsky and space. 
• Anything traveling above the Kármán line needs a propulsion systemthat doesn’t rely on lift generated by Earth’s atmosphere—the air is simply too thin that high up.

About Project-76:

• Under Project 76, the Warship Design Bureau of the Indian Navy is working on designing and developing the country’s first indigenously conventional diesel-electric submarine. 
• The Indian Navy wants to build 12 submarines under Project 76. 
• Envisioned as air-independent propulsion (AIP)-equipped diesel-electric attack submarines, these submarines, expected to have a submerged displacement of 3,000 tons, represent a leap beyond their foreign-designed predecessors like Project-751 (India) and Project-75 submarines. 
• It aims to succeed the Sindhughosh (Kilo) class, emphasizing the Navy’s commitment to maintaining a robust 3,000-ton class of submarines.
• It is expected to feature some of the most advanced features such as, indigenous Weapon Control system and Lithium-ion batteries. 
• It represents a pivotal milestone in India’s pursuit of maritime supremacy, amalgamating top-tier French technology from Project 75 and the expertise of German/Spanish collaboration from Project 751 (India). 
• The objective is to initiate the construction of the prototype by 2028.
• This undertaking holds immense significance for India’s submarine-building capabilities, aiming to reduce reliance on foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for submarine design.

About Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM):

• It is a rare, usually fatal, infection of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
• It is caused by a type of free-living amoeba (a microscopic, single-celled organism) called Naegleria fowleri.
  • Naegleria fowleri occurs in shallow surface waters and incorrectly maintained swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas, particularly in warm climates.
  • The amebas can enter the brain through the nose when people swim in contaminated warm, fresh water.
  • The amoeba then invades the brain and meninges through the nose.
• Symptoms:
  • Symptoms, which include fever, headache, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, typically appear within five days of infection and progress rapidly.
  • In the later stages, one can suffer from a stiff neck, seizures, hallucinations, and even coma.
• Treatment:
  • There are no standard treatments for the treatment of PAM.
  • Combination therapy using medicines to treat parasites offers the most promise.
• PAM differs from granulomatous amebic encephalitis, which is another very rare, usually fatal infection of the central nervous system caused by different free-living amebas, Acanthamoeba species or Balamuthia mandrillaris.

About Santhal Tribal Community:

• Santhals are the third largest scheduled tribe community in India after Gonds and Bhils.
• Their greatest concentration is in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Orissa, in the eastern part of the country. 
• Language:
  • Their language is Santhali, a dialect of Kherwari, a Munda (Austroasiatic) language.
  • Santhali, written in OI-Chiki script, is recognised as one of the scheduled languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution.
• The Santhals were a nomadic stock before they chose to settle on the Chotanagpur plateau.
• By the end of the 18th century, they had concentrated in the Santhal Parganas of Jharkhand (earlier Bihar). From there, they migrated to Odisha and West Bengal.
• Religion: They are nature worshippers and could be seen paying obeisance at Jaher (sacred groves) in their villages.
• Their traditional dress includes dhoti and gamuchha for men and a short-check saree, usually blue and green, for women, who generally put on tattoos.
• Various forms of marriage are accepted in Santhal society, including elopement, widow remarriage, levirate, forced (rare), and the one in which a man is made to marry the woman he has impregnated.
• Divorce is not a taboo in Santhal society. Either of the couple could divorce the other.
• Occupation:
  • Most Santhals are agriculturists, depending on their farmlands or forests.
  • Seasonal forest collection is one of the important sources of their subsidiary income.
• Dance (enej) and music (sereng) are integral parts of the Santal life.
• Their homes, called Olah, have a particular three-colour pattern on the outer walls. The bottom portion is painted with black soil, the middle with white, and the upper with red.
• Santhal Rebellion (1855-56):
  • The Santhal uprising, one of the most noted events of revolt against the British Raj, took place in 1855 and 1857.  
  • This was India’s first major peasant uprising fueled by the implementation of the Permanent Land Settlement in 1793.
  • It was led by Sido and Kanhu and covered the regions of Bihar.

About US Presidential Election:

• The president and vice president are not elected directly by citizens in the US.
• Instead, they are chosen by "electors" through a process called the Electoral College. 
  • The Electoral College is a process in which electors or representatives from each state cast their vote and determine who will be president.
  • Each state is given a number of electors based roughly on the size of its population.
  • There are a total of 538 electors selected according to each state’s policy.
• When people cast their vote, they are actually voting for electors.
• The general elections take place every four years on the first Tuesday of November.
• All states except Maine and Nebraska use a “winner-take-all” system.
  • In this system, the party of the candidate who receives the most votes is awarded all the state’s electors, even if the margin of victory in the state’s popular vote is small. 
• Following a general election, the slates of electors meet in their state capitals to cast their votes for president and vice president.
  • The vote occurs on the Monday following the second Wednesday in December.
• The candidates who receive a majority, or more than half, of the votes become president and vice president.
• If no candidate receives a majority, the president is elected by the House of Representatives, which may choose among the three candidates with the most electoral votes.
• There are times when a candidate wins the presidency (electoral votes) but not the popular votes (voted by people during the general election).
• The newly elected President and Vice President are inaugurated in January.

About Minami-Torishima Island:

• Minami-Torishima Island, also known as Marcus Island, is an isolated Japanese coral atoll in the northwestern Pacific Ocean.
• It is the easternmost territory belonging to Japan and the only Japanese territory on the Pacific Plate, past the Japan Trench. It lies 1,950 km southeast of central Tokyo.
• The shape of the island is close to an equilateral triangle.
• It's formed by a raised coral reef, which is about 2 km on each side and 6 km around.
• The terrain is flat, with a maximum altitude of 9 m, but outside of the reef is a steep cliff that's about 1,000 m deep, and the surrounding waters go down to about 6,000 m at their deepest.
• Climate: Located in the transitional zone between tropical and subtropical climates, the Island has an oceanic climate with an average annual temperature of around 25.6 °C.
• The exclusive economic zone based on the baseline of the Minamitorishima Island is some 430,000 km2, larger than Japan’s land area.

About European Council:

• It is the European Union’s institution that defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union.
• It was created as an informal forum in 1974 for discussion between heads of state or government of the EU member states.
• Treaty of Maastricht: Under this treaty the European Council acquired a formal status and role to provide the impetus and general political guidelines for the EU.
• Members: The members of the European Council are the heads of state or government of the 27 EU member states, the European Council President and the President of the European Commission.
• It usually meets 4 times a year– but the President can convene additional meetings to address urgent issues.
• It generally decides issues by consensus – but by unanimity or qualified majority in some cases. Only the heads of state/government can vote.
• What are the functions?
  • It decides on the EU's overall direction and political priorities – but does not pass laws.
  • It deals with complex or sensitive issues that cannot be resolved at lower levels of intergovernmental cooperation
  • It sets the EU's common foreign & security policy, taking into account EU strategic interests and defence implications
  • It nominates and appoints candidates to certain high profile EU level roles, such as the ECB and the Commission
• Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium.

About Snowblind malware:

• It is a new Android malware that uses a built-in Android security feature to bypass anti-tamper mechanisms and steal banking credentials.
• This malware exploits a built-in security feature to bypass anti-tamper protection in apps handling sensitive information.
• It works by repacking an app so it is unable to detect the use of accessibility features that can be used to extract sensitive information like login credentials and get remote access to the app.
• It exploits a feature called ‘seccomp’, which stands for ‘secure computing’.
• It is part of the underlying Linux kernel and the Android operating system and is used to check applications for signs of tampering.
• The security firm discovered that Snowblind injects a piece of code that loads before seccomp initialises the anti-tampering measures. This enables the malware to bypass security mechanisms and utilize accessibility services to remotely view the victim’s screen.
• Snowblind can also disable biometric and two-factor authentication, two security features commonly used by banking apps to thwart unauthorized access. Like typical Android malware, Snowblind infects users who install apps from untrusted sources.
• While the security firm was unable to identify how many devices are affected by the new malware, it says that Snowblind is mostly active in Southeast Asia.

About INS Ranvir:

• It is a Rajput Class Guided Missile Destroyer which has undergone upgrade with state of art weapons and sensors, majority being indigenous.
• It is the fourth of the fiveRajput-class destroyers built for the Indian Navy which was commissioned on 28 October 1986.
• During this visit, personnel from the Indian and Bangladesh navies will engage in a wide range of professional interactions including Subject Matter Expert Exchange (SMEE), cross-deck visits, community outreach and friendly sports fixtures.
• On completion of harbour phase, INS Ranvir will participate in a Maritime Partnership Exercise (MPX)/ PASSEX with ships of the Bangladesh Navy.
• Significance of the visit: It will further strengthen the longstanding friendship, cooperation as also the robust interoperability between both nations through a series of engagements and activities aligned with Government of India’s focus on Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).

What is the SAGAR Initiative?

• It is an Indian foreign policy doctrine that was introduced in 2015.
• The aim of SAGAR is to enhance cooperation and mutual trust between India and its neighbouring countries, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.
• The SAGAR policy has several components, including ensuring maritime security and safety, promoting sustainable development and economic growth, and strengthening cultural and people-to-people ties between nations. 

About eSankhyiki Portal:

• It provides real-time inputs for planners, policy-makers, researchers and the public at large.
• The objective of this portal is to establish a comprehensive data management and sharing system for ease of dissemination of official statistics in the country.
• It has two modules namely:
  • Data Catalogue Module:This module catalogues the major data assets of the Ministry at one place for ease of access.
  • It allows users to search within datasets, including within tables, and download data of interest to increase its value and re-usability.
  • The module has seven data products, namely National Accounts Statistics, Consumer Price Index, Index of Industrial Production, Annual Survey of Industries, Periodic Labour Force Survey, Household Consumption Expenditure Survey and Multiple Indicator Survey.
  • The Data Catalogue section already includes over 2291 datasets along with specific metadata and visualization for each dataset for user convenience.
  • Macro Indicators Module:This module offers time series data of key macro indicators with features for filtering and visualizing data enabling ease of access for the users.
  • The module also allows users to download custom datasets, visualizations and share them through APIs, thereby increasing the re-usability of data.
  • The first phase of the module includes four major products of MoSPI: National Accounts Statistics, Consumer Price Index, Index of Industrial Production, and Annual Survey of Industries, encompassing the data of the last ten years. The portal currently hosts more than 1.7 million records.
• It has officially been launched on Statistics Day.
• The initiative is in sync with the theme of the Statistics Day- ‘Use of data for Decision making’ as ease of access of data is the prerequisite for evidence based decision making.
• It is a user centric data portal which facilitates use and reuse of information for creating impact through value addition and analysis by the users.

About Nova Explosion:

• It is the dramatic instance of a star exploding as it interacts with another, nearby star.
• It’s a one of many, repeated moments during the long, slow, death of two neighboring stars in the same system.
• Astronomers are waiting for the fiery explosion of T Coronae Borealis, also dubbed the “Blaze Star” and known to astronomers as “T CrB”.
  • For T CrB, this nova event happens roughly every 80 years — it's like Halley’s Comet event every 76 years — so, astronomers call T CrB a “recurrent” nova.
  • They believe T CrB’s prior eruptions were observed as long ago as December 1787 and even in October 1217 AD.
  • When T CrB erupts, its luminosity will increase dramatically, making it visible to the naked eye for several days.
• Process
  • The system contains two stars — a white dwarf and a red giant.
  • The white dwarf is an incredibly dense remnant of a once larger star. It’s about the size of planet Earth but with the same mass as our sun.
  • Its neighbor, the red giant, is in its final years of existence and is slowly being stripped of hydrogen by the gravitational pull of the denser white dwarf.
  • This star “cannibalism” causes a tremendous buildup of pressure and heat, which eventually triggers a huge thermonuclear explosion.
  • The explosion doesn’t completely destroy the stars, however, and so this event repeats over time. It can carry on for hundreds of thousands of years.
  • Different nova events have different cycles, ranging from a few years to hundreds of thousands of years.