P-8I Aircraft Latest News

India is looking to revive the proposal to procure six more P-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft from the U.S.

About P-8I Aircraft

• P-8I Poseidon is a long-range, multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft being manufactured by Boeing (a U.S. aerospace company) for the Indian Navy. 
• It replaced the ageing fleet of the Indian Navy’s Tupolev Tu-142 aircraft.
• The P-8I Poseidon flown by the Indian Navy is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon used by the United States Navy.
• Its advanced sensors, weapons systems, and long-range capabilities enable it to detect and respond to a wide range of threats, from submarines and surface vessels to environmental challenges. 
• It can conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (AsuW), intelligence, maritime patrol, and surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

P-8I Aircraft Features

• The aircraft has a length of 39.47 m, wingspan of 37.64 m and height of 12.83.
• The maximum take-off gross weight of the P-8I is 85,139 kg.
• The P-8I is manned by nine crew members.
• It can fly at a maximum speed of 789 km/h and can reach a maximum altitude of 12,496 m. 
• It has a maximum range of over 2,222 kilometres with a time on station of four hours. 

P-8I Aircraft FAQs

Q1. How many P-8I does India have?

Ans. The Indian Navy currently operates a fleet of 12 Boeing P-8I maritime patrol aircraft.

Q2. What is the role of P-8I aircraft?

Ans. It is a long-range maritime patrol aircraft primarily used for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions

Q3. What is the range of P-8I aircraft?

Ans. It has a maximum range of over 2,222 kilometres.

Source: TH

Arab League Latest News

The Arab League rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza relocation plan recently, saying it is unacceptable.

About Arab League

• The Arab League, or League of Arab States, is a voluntary association of countries whose peoples are mainly Arabic-speaking or where Arabic is an official language.
• It is a regional organization of Arab states in the Middle East and parts of Africa.
• Formation: 
  • It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (later renamed Jordan), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria, with Yemen joining on 5 May 1945.
  • The league was chartered in response to concerns about postwar colonial divisions of territory as well as strong opposition to the emergence of a Jewish state on Palestinian territory.
  • The main aims of the League are to strengthen relations and to coordinate collaboration between member states, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to provide collective consideration of the affairs and interests of the member states.
• Headquarters: Cairo, Egypt.
• Official language: Arabic
• Members: It currently has 22 member states: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
• There are four nations that were conferred observer status by the League: Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Venezuela.

Arab League Organisation Structure

• The highest body of the League is the Council, which is composed of representatives of each state. 
• Each member state has one vote, irrespective of size. 
• The League makes decisions on a majority basis. The decisions are binding only on states that voted for them. 
• The General Secretariat, the administrative and executive body of the League, runs the League on a daily basis. 
• It is headed by a Secretary-General appointed by the Arab League Council every five years. 

Arab League FAQs

Q1. Is India part of the Arab League?

Ans. Four countries have been granted observer status in the Arab League: Brazil, Eritrea, India and Venezuela.

Q2. What is the purpose of the Arab League?

Ans. It aims at promoting peace, security and stability by preventing conflict, resolving disputes and acting in a spirit of solidarity and unity.

Q3. Where is the headquarters of the Arab League?

Ans. Cairo, Egypt.

Source: TOI

Mpox Latest News

The scientific community is divided on whether mpox should be given the label of a sexually transmitted disease (STD), with targeted public health interventions to contain it.

About Mpox

• Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a zoonotic viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus.
• Mpox is characterized by rash or skin lesions that are usually concentrated on the face, palms of the hands, and soles of the feet.
• The first human case of mpox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Subtypes of Mpox

• Clade I: It is endemic to Central Africa. It tends to cause more serious illness than clade II. Recent outbreaks of clade I have been less deadly. 
• Clade II: It is endemic to East Africa. There’s been a global outbreak of clade II mpox since 2022. It’s less likely to be fatal than clade I. 

Mpox Transmission

• Mpox is transmitted to people by close contact with infected animals or people or by touching virus-contaminated materials. 
• It enters the body through (often invisible) injuries or wounds in the skin, or the mucous membranes. 
• Mpox can be passed from one person to another during sexual contact. 
• During pregnancy, the virus may be passed to the fetus, or to the newborn during or after birth.

Mpox Symptoms

• Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last 2–4 weeks, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes. 
• Mpox symptoms often resolve on their own without the need for treatment.

Mpox Treatment

• There are no specific treatments for monkeypox virus infection. 
• Treatment for most people with mpox is to relieve symptoms.

Mpox FAQs

Q1. What is the survival rate for mpox?

Ans. The survival rate for Mpox (formerly Monkeypox) is generally high, with most cases being mild to moderate. 

Q2. What is the cause of monkeypox?

Ans. Mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus.

Q3. Is monkeypox curable?

Ans. Currently, there are no treatments specifically for monkeypox, and most people who get monkeypox get better on their own without treatment and can recover at home. 

Source: TH

Sṛjanam Rig Latest News

Recently, the Union Minister launched India's first indigenous Automated Bio Medical Waste Treatment Plant Sṛjanam at AIIMS New Delhi.

About Sṛjanam Rig

• It is an innovative, automated biomedical waste treatment rig.
• This environmentally friendly technology, developed by CSIR-NIIST (National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology),

Features of Sṛjanam Rig

• It can disinfect pathogenic biomedical waste such as blood, urine, sputum, and laboratory disposables, without the use of costly and energy-intensive incinerators.
• The rig imparts a pleasant fragrance to the otherwise foul-smelling toxic waste.
• It has a daily capacity of 400 kg, the equipment is capable of handling 10 kg of degradable medical waste per day in the initial phase.

Advantages of Sṛjanam Rig

• It offers a safer and more efficient approach, eliminating the risks associated with human exposure to harmful waste and minimizing the chances of spills and accidents.
• The technology has been third-party validated for its antimicrobial action, and studies have shown that the treated material is safer than organic fertilizers like vermicompost.
• It offers a significant advancement in the sustainable management of biomedical waste.
• It is an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional incineration methods.

Sṛjanam Rig FAQs

Q1: What do you mean by biological waste?

Ans: Biological Waste is also commonly referred to as Special Medical Waste or Pathological Waste. This type of waste is considered potentially contaminated with infectious agents, human, animal tissues, body fluids, or sharps.

Q2: What is the principle of incineration?

Ans: The incineration process aims to create a reaction between oxygen and combustible components (oxygen, carbon, sulfur) that will create a temperature above 800°C, which is how chemical energy is converted into heat energy.

Source: PIB

Einstein Ring Latest News

Recently, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid space telescope has discovered a rare ring of light, known as an Einstein ring, around a galaxy nearly 590 million light-years away from Earth.

About Einstein Ring

• It is a ring of light around a form of dark matter, galaxy or cluster of galaxies.
• It is essentially an example of gravitational lensing.
• Einstein rings are not visible to the naked eye, and can be observed only through space telescopes such as Euclid.
• In the case of the recently discovered Einstein ring, NGC 6505 was the gravitational lens.
• The nearer galaxy distorted and amplified the light coming from a distant unnamed galaxy, located 4.42 billion light-years away.
• These are named after mathematician and physicist Albert Einstein, whose general theory of relativity predicted that light could bend and brighten around objects across the cosmos.
• The first Einstein ring was discovered in 1987, and since then, several more have been discovered. 

Significance of Einstein Ring

• These rings help scientists investigate dark matter, which has never been detected but is believed to make up 85% of the total matter in the universe.
• They enable scientists to learn about distant galaxies, which otherwise might not be visible.
• They can also provide information about the expansion of the universe as the space between the Earth and other galaxies — both in the foreground and the background 

What is Gravitational Lensing?

• It is a phenomenon which occurs when a massive celestial body — such as a galaxy or cluster of galaxies — creates a gravitational field which distorts and amplifies the light from distant galaxies that are behind it but in the same line of sight.
• The body causing the light to curve is called a gravitational lens.

Einstein Ring FAQs

Q1: What is the most complete Einstein ring?

Ans: GAL-CLUS-022058s is the largest and one of the most complete Einstein rings ever discovered in our Universe.

Q2: Who was the first person to discover an Einstein ring?

Ans: Jacqueline Nina Hewitt

Q3: What is the Einstein ring?

Ans: Einstein rings occur when light from a distant galaxy bends to form a glowing ring around another object in the foreground as that object is being observed

Source: IE

Fulani Community Latest News

A new study has found that the Fulani, one of Africa’s largest pastoral populations, have a history going back to the ‘Green Sahara’ period (12,000–5,000 years before the present).

About Fulani Community

• The Fulani are a large and widely dispersed group of both nomadic herders and sedentary farmers living in the African Sahel/Savannah belt.
• They are concentrated principally in Nigeria, Mali, Guinea, Senegal, and Niger but can also be found in several other countries.
• The Fulani language, known as Fula, is classified within the Atlantic branch of the Niger-Congo language family.
• Fulani are divided into three groups: Makiyaya (herders), Fulanin Soro (those living in towns) and Bararo, which refer to Fulani living in forests. Bararo retain a close cultural connection to ancestral nature belief systems and rituals.

Social Structure of Fulani Community

• The social structure of the pastoral Fulani is egalitarian, in marked contrast to that of other Muslim groups, such as the Hausa.
• They value family and community, with strong kinship ties and clear gender roles. 
• Polygamy is practiced, and marriage is an important cultural milestone, often accompanied by elaborate rituals and festivals.
• Their traditions are deeply intertwined with their spirituality, which is influenced by Islam, as well as their connection to the land and nature.
• Fulani women are also known for their skill in weaving and craftsmanship.
• Fulani women are famous for their intricate hairstyles, which are often adorned with beads, cowrie shells, and other decorative elements.

Fulani Community FAQs

Q1: What are the Fulani known for?

Ans: They are well known for the delicate decoration of utilitarian objects such as milk bowls that reflect their nomadic and pastoral lifestyle.

Q2: What is the Fulani caste system?

Ans: The caste system is prevalent in Fulani society which has four categories- traders, nobility, blacksmiths and successors of slaves of rich Fulani people.

Q3: What are Fulani also known as?

Ans: The Fulani people of western and north-central Africa are also called Peuhl and Fula.

Source: DTH

MITRA Platform Latest News

Recently, the Securities and Exchange Board of India introduced a new digital platform called MITRA.

About MITRA Platform

• Mutual Fund Investment Tracing and Retrieval Assistant (MITRA) will assist investors in tracking and reclaiming inactive or unclaimed mutual fund folios.
• Objective: The objective of the platform is to encourage investors to search for forgotten MF investments and update KYC as per the current norms.

MITRA Platform Features

• The platform addresses a growing concern wherein investors, over time, lose track of their mutual fund investments lack of updated contact information, or unawareness of investments made in their name.
• It will allow investors to identify the overlooked investments or any investments made by any other person for which he/she may be rightful legal claimant and also encourage them to do KYC as per the current norms thus reducing the number of non-KYC compliant folios.
• It is developed by the Registrar and Transfer Agent (RTAs) to provide investors with a searchable database of inactive and unclaimed mutual fund folios at an industry-level which will empower the investors.
• The criteria for classifying a folio as inactive include an absence of investor-initiated transactions, financial or non-financial, for a period of ten years, despite having a unit balance.
• Sebi has also revised the mandate of the Unit Holder Protection Committee (UHPC) under Mutual Funds rules.
• The UHPC will now be responsible for reviewing inactive folios along with unclaimed dividends and redemptions, ensuring proactive steps are taken to reduce such cases.

MITRA Platform FAQs

Q1: What is meant by mutual funds?

Ans: A mutual fund is a pool of money managed by a professional Fund Manager. It is a trust that collects money from a number of investors who share a common investment objective and invests the same in equities, bonds, money market instruments and/or other securities.

Q2: Who is the registrar and share transfer agent?

Ans: Registrar and Transfer Agents (RTA) are SEBI-registered entities that provide services related to share registry maintenance and share transfer activities on behalf of companies that have issued shares to the public.

Q3: What does SEBI work for?

Ans: To protect the interests of investors investing in securities, along with regulating the securities market.

Source: TH

Hindon River Latest News

Huge sludge along with silt and leftover puja material has recently been deposited in the Hindon River in Ghaziabad, bringing in large-scale contamination to the already polluted river.

About Hindon River

• It is a tributary of the Yamuna River.
• It is a monsoon-fed river. 
• Course:
  • It originates in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, in the Siwalik Hills, at an elevation of about 800 meters (2,625 feet) above sea level.
  • It flows across the industrial belt of Western Uttar Pradesh for 400 kilometres before discharging into the Yamuna River in Noida.
  • It has a catchment area of around 7,083 sq. km.
• Tributaries: The Kali (West) River and Krishni River are the main tributaries of River Hindon.
• It is on the banks of this river that archeologists found traces of the Harappan civilization with sites dating back to as long as 2500 BC. 
• Due to urban, agricultural, and industrial waste which is being released without sufficient treatment into its waters, the Hindon is now one of the most polluted stretches in the Ganga basin.
• In 2015, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) found the Hindon’s pollution levels were so severe that it was declared a ‘dead river’ and ‘unfit’ even for bathing in several sections of the river.

Hindon River FAQs

Q1. Which cities are in the Hindon River?

Ans. Major cities along its course include Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat, Ghaziabad, and Noida. 

Q2. What is the tributary of Hindon?

Ans. The Kali (West) River and Krishni River are the main tributaries of River Hindon.

Q3. How long is Hindon River?

Ans. 400 kilometres

Source: HT

Dokra artwork Latest News

Recently, the Prime Minister of India presented French President Emmanuel Macron with a meticulously crafted Dokra artwork.

About Dokra Artwork

• Dokra art whichis also known as bell metal craft traces its origins back more than 4,000 years.
• It is a form of folk art practiced by the Dhokra Damar tribes, who are traditionally metalsmiths.
• These artisans are primarily found in eastern India, including West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand, with a notable presence in Chhattisgarh as well.

Features of Dokra Artwork

• No two pieces are ever the same.
• Each sculpture is painstakingly handcrafted, drawing inspiration from mythology, nature, and daily rituals.

Process of Dokra Artwork

• The method of making Dokra is done by combining the metallurgical skills with that of the lost wax technique.
• Artisans begin by sculpting a basic clay model of the desired object.
• This model is then coated in wax, where fine details are meticulously etched. Another clay layer is added to form a mold, into which molten metal—typically brass or copper—is poured.
• The heat melts the beeswax, allowing the liquid metal to take the shape of the original model. Once cooled and hardened, the outer clay mold is broken away, revealing the finished sculpture.

Issues with Dokra Artwork: The rapid pace of urbanization, coupled with the rise of mechanized production techniques, has threatened the livelihoods of traditional artisans and endangered this ancient craft.

Dokra Artwork FAQs

Q1: What is the Dokra technique?

Ans: It involves patterning a clay core intricately with wax ribbons and then coating it carefully with a mix of clay and hay.

Q2: What is the material of Dokra?

Ans: The Dokra artifacts are made in brass

Source: TOI