About Lord’s Resistance Army:

• It is a Ugandan rebel group currently operating in the border region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), and South Sudan.
• It was established by Joseph Kony in 1988 with the claim of restoring the honor of his ethnic Acholi people and to install a government based on his personal version of the Ten Commandments. 
• It has been one of central Africa’s cruelest and most enduring armed groups over the past 30 years. 
• The LRA has abducted over 67,000 youth, including 30,000 children, for use as child soldiers, sex slaves, and porters, and has brutalized communities since its inception in 1987.
• It was designated as a terrorist group by the United States and prompted the first ever set of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the LRA’s leader, Joseph Kony, and other top commanders.
• The group draws income from elephant ivory, gold, and diamonds and has received support from the Government of Sudan since 1994. 

Q1: What is the International Criminal Court (ICC)?

International Criminal Court (ICC) is a permanent judicial body established by the Rome Statute (1998) to investigate, prosecute, and try individuals accused of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression, and to impose prison sentences upon individuals who are found guilty of such crimes. Background: The court’s founding treaty, the Rome Statute, was adopted in July 1998, and the court began work in 2003. 123 nations are States Parties to the Rome Statute and recognize the ICC’s authority. The notable exceptions being the US, China, Russia, and India.

News: Uganda sentences LRA commander Thomas Kwoyelo to 40 years for war crimes

About Sambhar Lake:

• It is the largest saltwater lake in India. 
• It is located in the districts of Nagaur and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
• This saline wetland is elliptical in shape, with a length of 35.5 km and a breadth varying between 3 km and 11 km.
• It covers an area in excess of 200 sq.km., surrounded on all sides by the Aravalli hills.
• The water from two major ephemeral streams, namely Mendha and Runpangarh, along with numerous rivulets and surface runoff feed the lake.
• It was designated as a Ramsar site in the year 1990.
• Several migrating birds visit the waterbody during the winter. 
  • Along with Phulera and Deedwana, the wetland is the most important wintering area for flamingoes (both Phoniconaias minor and Phoenicopterus roseus) in India outside the Rann of Kachchh.
  • The other winged visitors to the area include pelicans, common shelduck, redshank, and common sandpiper, black-winged stilt, Kentish plover, and Ringed plover, Ruff, and Sociable lapwing. 
• Sambhar Lake produces 2,10,000 tonnes of salt each year, placing Rajasthan among the top three salt-producing states of India. 

Q1: What are ephemeral streams?

An ephemeral stream is one that flows only in direct response to precipitation. It receives little or no water from springs and no long-continued supply from melting snow or other sources

News: Over 40 migratory birds died at Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan: Officials

About Tardigrades:

• These are known as water bears or moss piglets, tardigrades have long fascinated scientists as they can withstand extreme conditions.
• They are free-living tiny invertebrates belonging to the phylum Tardigrada.
• Around 1,300 species of tardigrades are found worldwide.
• Habitat:
  • They are considered aquatic because they require a thin layer of water around their bodies to prevent dehydration, they’ve also been observed in all kinds of environments, from the deep sea to sand dunes.
  • Freshwater mosses and lichens are their preferred habitat, hence their nickname, moss piglet.
• Researchers found three factors that help this species survive radiation.
  • It has the ability to quickly repair double-strand breaks in DNA due to radiation exposure, by using a protein called TRID1.
  • The second factor involved a gene that was switched on during exposure to radiation, resulting in the generation of two proteins that are known to be important for mitochondrial synthesis of ATP—in tardigrades, it appears they also help with DNA repair.
  • It has the ability to minimize damage from radiation by producing a large number of proteins that serve as effective antioxidants—they clear out free radicals before they can cause problems in the creature's cells.
• Significance: The findings could one day be harnessed to help protect astronauts from radiation during space missions, clean up nuclear pollution or improve cancer treatment, according to a report in Nature.

Q1: What is Radiation?

It is energy that travels in the form of waves or particles and is part of our everyday environment. People are exposed to radiation from cosmic rays, as well as to radioactive materials found in the soil, water, food, air and also inside the body.

News:How tardigrades are able to resist high levels of radiation

About Sohrai Painting :

• It is an indigenous mural art form.
• It is also interesting to note that the word ‘Sohrai’ comes from soro – translating to ‘to drive with a stick’.
• This art form dates back to the Meso-chalcolithic period (9000-5000 BC).
• The Isko rock shelter excavated in Barkagaon, Hazaribagh area also has rock paintings that are exactly similar to the traditional Sohrai paintings.
• Theme: It is usually based on natural elements of the universe, this includes forests, rivers, animals amongst others.
• These ancient paintings are made by tribal (Adivasi) women with the use of natural substances like charcoal, clay, or soil.
• The very primitive form of Sohrai art was in the form of cave paintings.
• It is practiced by indigenous communities, particularly in the States of Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal.
• It is the art of the women of the Kurmi, Santal, Munda, Oraon, Agaria, Ghatwal tribes.
• The region of Hazaribagh in Jharkhand that has received the GI tag for this art form. 
• Sohrai paintings are distinctive for their vibrant colours, intricate patterns, and symbolic motifs;
• There is a Sohrai festival held every year, marking the harvesting season and the arrival of winter.

Q1: What is a mural art form?

A mural is an ancient form of artwork that consists of painting directly onto a wall or ceiling surface. The term mural can apply to paintings on fired tiles but usually does not include mosaic decorations unless the mosaic is part of the overall scheme of the image.

News: PM Modi Gifts Jharkhand’s Art To Russia’s President Putin During BRICS Summit

About DF-26 Missile:

• DF-26 (Dong Feng-26) is a Chinese intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).
• It possesses the capability to strike both land-based and maritime targets.
• Features:
  • The missile measures 14 m long, 1.4 m in diameter, and has a launch weight of 20,000 kg. 
  • Propulsion: Two-stage solid propellant
  • It is capable of reaching targets at a range of approximately 3,000-4,000 kilometers (1,860-2,485 miles).
  • The DF-26 comes with a ‘modular design,’ meaning that the launch vehicle can accommodate two types of nuclear warheads and several types of conventional warheads.
  • It is known for its advanced guidance systems, including the ability to adjust its trajectory during flight, making it highly maneuverable.
  • The DF-26 missile is recognized for its anti-ship variant, commonly referred to as the DF-26B. This variant is specifically designed to target naval vessels, including aircraft carriers.

Q1: What are Ballistic Missiles?

A ballistic missile is a rocket-propelled, self-guided strategic-weapons system that follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver a payload from its launch site to a predetermined target. They are powered initially by a rocket or series of rockets in stages, but then follow an unpowered trajectory that arches upwards before descending to reach its intended target. They can carry conventional high explosives as well as chemical, biological, or nuclear munitions.

News: China ‘Rapidly Expands’ DF-26 Ballistic Missile Launch Capability, Hailed As ‘Biggest Threat’ To Guam

About Coral Triangle:

• The Coral Triangle, often referred to as the ‘Amazon of the seas’, is a huge marine area spanning over 10 million square kilometres.
• It includes countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and the Solomon Islands.
• Significance: This region is home to 76 per cent of the world’s coral species and supports more than 120 million people who rely on its resources for their livelihoods.
• Threats: Unsustainable fishing practices, pollution from coastal development, and climate change-induced coral bleaching pose significant risks to the health and resilience of these ecosystems.

What are Corals?

• Corals are essentially animals, which are sessile, meaning they permanently attach themselves to the ocean floor.
• Corals share a symbiotic relationship with single-celled algae called zooxanthellae.
• The algae provide the coral with food and nutrients, which they make through photosynthesis, using the sun’s light.
• They use their tiny tentacle-like hands to catch food from the water and sweep into their mouth.
• Each individual coral animal is known as a polyp and it lives in groups of hundreds to thousands of genetically identical polyps that form a ‘colony’.

Q1: What is a symbiotic relationship?

A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species in which one partner derives a benefit and the other suffers no harm.

News: Coral Triangle at risk: new report highlights fossil fuel threats and impacts on biodiversity and communities

About Nature Conservation Index:

• It is developed by Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability and Climate Change at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
• The NCI is a data-driven analysis assessing each country's progress in balancing conservation and development.
• It is aimed at helping governments, researchers, and organisations identify concerns and enhance conservation policies for long-term biodiversity protection.
• This is the first-ever edition of the index which ranks countries based on their efforts vis-à-vis four pillars:
  • Managing protected areas, addressing threats against biodiversity, nature and conservation governance, and future trends in a country’s natural resource management.
• Highlights
  • India’s rank at the bottom is mainly attributed to inefficient land management and rising threats to its biodiversity.
  • The assessment highlighted multiple threats to India’s biodiversity, including habitat loss and fragmentation caused by agriculture, urbanisation and infrastructural development, with climate change posing an additional risk.
  • The top-ranking countries were Luxembourg, Estonia, and Denmark, with others including Zimbabwe and Costa Rica finding their way into the top 10.

Q1: What is Biological diversity?

It is that part of nature that includes the variety of genes among the individuals of a species, the variety and richness of all the plant and animal species in an ecosystem and various types of ecosystems on the earth.

News: 2024 Global Nature Conservation Index: India ranked 176 out of 180 countries, labelled among worst performers

About Kittur Rani Channamma:

• She was born in Kakati, a small village in today’s Belagavi district of Karnataka.
• She became queen of Kitturu (now in Karnataka) when she married Raja Mallasarja of the Desai family.
• After Mallasarja’s death in 1816, his eldest son, Shivalingarudra Sarja, ascended the throne.
• Before his death in 1824, Shivalingarudra adopted a child, Shivalingappa, as the successor.
• However, the British East India Company refused to recognise Shivalingappa as the successor of the kingdom under the ‘doctrine of lapse’.
• Key facts about the Kittur Rebellion
  • John Thackery, the British official at Dharwad, launched an attack on Kittur in October 1824.
  • In this first battle British forces lost heavily and the Collector and political agent, St. John Thackeray was killed by the Kitturu forces. 
  • Two British officers, Sir Walter Elliot and Mr. Stevenson, were also taken as hostages. 
  • However, the British army again attacked the Kittur Fort and captured it.
  • Rani Chennamma and her family were imprisoned and jailed at the fort in Bailhongal, where she died in 1829.

Q1: What was the Doctrine Of Lapse theory?

This doctrine stated that any princely state or territory directly influenced by the British East India Company would be annexed if the ruler died without a male heir. It prohibited such monarchs from adopting a son to ascend to their thrones.

News:Department of Posts issues a Commemorative Stamp to mark 200 Years of Kittur Vijayotsava