About Atmospheric Perturbations around the Eclipse Path (APEP) mission

• The mission will involve launching three rockets equipped with scientific instruments.
• Objective: To know how the upper atmosphere will change during the eclipse, especially the moment when there would be a sudden reduction in light.
• During an eclipse, the sudden drop in sunlight causes changes in the ionosphere, creating waves that ripple through this atmospheric layer.
• It will measure changes in electric and magnetic fields, density, and temperature.
• This launch will take place at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, with a specific focus on the ionosphere.
• According to NASA, the ionosphere's temperature and density are projected to decrease during the eclipse, resulting in a wave-like disturbance that has the potential to disrupt GPS and other satellite communications. 

The process:

• The rockets will be positioned just outside the path of annularity, where the Moon moves directly in front of the Sun. Each rocket will deploy four small scientific instruments designed to record changes in electric and magnetic fields, density, and temperature.
• NASA's goal is to achieve the first-ever simultaneous measurements from multiple locations in the ionosphere during a solar eclipse.
• Rockets can be launched precisely at the right moment and can investigate lower altitudes inaccessible to satellites.
• Sounding rockets were chosen by the team due to their ability to pinpoint and measure specific regions of space with great accuracy.
• These rockets can also record changes occurring at various altitudes as they ascend and descend from suborbital flights.
• The rockets will gather data at altitudes ranging from 45 to 200 miles (70 to 325 kilometres) above the Earth's surface along their flight path.

Q1: What is ionosphere?

The ionosphere is a region of Earth's upper atmosphere that contains a high concentration of ions and free electrons. It starts approximately 48 kilometers above the Earth's surface and extends upwards to several hundred miles (about 1,000 kilometers). The ionosphere plays a crucial role in various atmospheric and radio propagation phenomena, including the reflection and refraction of radio waves.

Source: Indian-origin NASA scientist to lead rocket mission to‘ring of fire’ eclipse. Explained
 

About Territorial Army (TA)

• The Indian Territorial Army (TA) is a second line of defence after the regular Indian Army; it is not a profession, occupation or a source of employment. 
• It is only meant for those people who are already in mainstay civilian professions; in fact, gainful employment or self-employment in a civil profession is a prerequisite for joining the TA.

Role

• The duties of the TA include “relieving the Regular Army from static duties”, while also providing assistance to civil authorities in times of natural calamities and tragedies.
• They also help civil administration with providing essential services in areas where state machinery is stretched or there are security threats.
  • Volunteers of the TA usually serve in uniform for a few days every year, so that they can bear arms for national defence in times of dire need or national emergencies.

History

• TA was raised by the Britishers in 1920 through Indian Territorial Act of 1920 and it was org into two wings namely - 'The Auxiliary Force' for Europeans & Anglo-Indians and 'The Indian Territorial Force' for Indian Volunteers.
• After Independence Territorial Army Act was passed in 1948 and the Territorial Army was formally inaugurated by the first Indian Governor General Shri C Rajagopalachari on 09 Oct 1949.
• Motto: Savdhani Va Shoorta (Vigilance and Valour).

Conditions of Eligibility

• Nationality: Citizens of India. (Men & Women).
• Age: 18 to 42 years
• Educational Qualifications: Graduate from any recognized university
• Physical Standards: A candidate must be physically and medically fit in all respects.
• Employment: Gainfully Employed
• Serving member of the Regular Army/ Navy/ Air Force/ Police/ GREF/ Para Military and like forces are not eligible.

Q1: What is Mandarin?

Mandarin Chinese, often referred to simply as Mandarin, is the most widely spoken language in China and one of the most spoken languages globally. It is the official language of China and Taiwan and is also one of the four official languages of Singapore. Mandarin belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family.

Source: Territorial Army inducts first batch of Mandarin-trained officers along LAC

About Watermeal

• Watermeal is an aquatic plant in the Araceae family.
• It is the smallest flowering plant in the world and appears assmall green seeds. 
• It is often referred to as "duckweed" because it is a favorite food of ducks.

Distribution

• It flourishes in temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical locations.
• They grow on the surface of lakes, ponds, and marshes.

Features

• It is a very tiny (less than 1 millimeter) light green, free-floating, rootless plant. 
• It is branchless and also has no leaves.
• It consists of a single, oval, or spherical frond that floats on the surface of still or slow-moving water bodies.
• It also produces the world’s smallest fruit, called a utricle.
• It is a nutritional powerhouse. It is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids.
• In some cases, watermeal can become invasive and form dense mats that cover the entire surface of a water body.

Q1: What is an invasive species?

An invasive species is an organism that is not indigenous, or native, to a particular area. Invasive species can cause great economic and environmental harm to the new area.

Source: Earth's smallest flowering plant may become food, oxygen source for astronauts

About Section 106 of the Indian Evidence Act

• Section 106 of the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, deals with the burden of proof in cases where a fact isQ1: What is a Trial?
  A trial is a formal legal proceeding in which the facts and issues related to a case are examined, evidence is presented, and a judgment or verdict is rendered by a court of law. Trials are a fundamental part of the legal system in many countries and serve as a method for resolving disputes, determining guilt or innocence in criminal cases, and assessing liability or damages in civil cases.
   within the special knowledge of a person.
• This section applies to civil and criminal cases alike and lays down an important principle of evidence.
• The section states that when any fact is especially within the knowledge of any person, the burden of proving that fact is upon that person.
• This means that if a fact is known to a particular person and not to others, it is the responsibility of that person to prove it in court.
• For example, in a case where the ownership of a property is disputed, and the disputed property was in the possession of the defendant, the burden of proving that he acquired the property lawfully and has the right to possess it will be on the defendant.
• Similarly, in a criminal case where the accused is alleged to have killed someone with a knife, the burden of proving that the accused used the knife to commit the crime will be on the prosecution.
• The burden of proof under Section 106 is not absolute, and the person who has the special knowledge of the fact is only required to prove it to the extent that is reasonable in the circumstances. 
• The person is not required to prove the fact beyond all doubt, but only to the extent that a reasonable person would believe it to be true.

Q1: What is a Trial?

A trial is a formal legal proceeding in which the facts and issues related to a case are examined, evidence is presented, and a judgment or verdict is rendered by a court of law. Trials are a fundamental part of the legal system in many countries and serve as a method for resolving disputes, determining guilt or innocence in criminal cases, and assessing liability or damages in civil cases.
 

Source: Principles Of Applying Section 106 Of Evidence Act : Supreme Court Explains

About SUGAM REC App

• It is exclusively for current and future investors in REC’s 54EC Capital Gain Tax Exemption Bonds.
• Investors will be able to download their e-bond certificates, apply for fresh investment, download important forms related to updating of KYC, and also connect with REC’s Investor Cell via call / email / WhatsApp.

What are 54EC bonds?

• These are also known as Capital gain bonds are fixed income instruments which provide capital gains tax exemption under section 54EC to the investors. 
• These bonds allow an assessee/investor to save income tax on long-term capital gain by investing the gains.
• The investment into these bonds has to be made within 6 months from the date of long-term capital gain.
• They have a fixed lock-in period of 5 years and can be either held in Physical or Demat form.
• They are issued by various institutions managed by the Government of India to finance specific capital projects.
• They are called 54EC bonds because the taxability benefits of these bonds are mentioned under section 54EC of the Income Tax Act, 1961. 

Key facts about REC Limited

• It is a 'Maharatna' company (under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power, Government of India.
• It is registered with RBI as a non-banking finance company (NBFC), Public Financial Institution (PFI) and Infrastructure Financing Company (IFC).
• It was incorporated in 1969 in the backdrop of severe drought and famine in the country, to energise agricultural pump-sets for irrigation purposes, thereby reducing the dependency of agriculture on monsoons. 
• It provides long term loans and other financing products to State, Centre and Private Companies for creation of infrastructure assets in the country.
• It has been associated as nodal agency for Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana (SAUBHAGAYA), Deen Dayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and National Electricity Fund (NEF) Scheme.

Q1: What is Capital gains tax?

Capital gains tax is a tax imposed on the profit realized from the sale of certain assets, known as capital assets, which includes investments such as stocks, real estate, bonds, and other assets. When you sell a capital asset for more than its original purchase price, the difference between the sale price (the capital gain) and the purchase price (the cost basis) is considered a capital gain.

Source:  REC launches ‘SUGAM REC’, a mobile app for 54EC Bonds Investors

About Iron Dome

• It is Israel’s air missile defense system that can defend against short-range rockets, intercepting them in the air above the state.
• It is capable of successfully handling multiple rockets at a time.
• Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, the system became operational in March 2011.

Features

• The Iron Dome functions by detecting, analyzing, and intercepting varieties of targets such as mortars, rockets, and artillery. 
• It is powered by missile-defense batteries.
• It has all-weather capabilities and is able to function night or day and in all conditions, including fog, rain, dust storms, and low clouds. 
• It is able to launch a variety of interceptor missiles. 
• It is designed to shoot down missiles with a range of about 40 miles or less.
• It also has the ability to be moved, either onto ships or across land, to better suit defense needs.
• It must be reloaded to continuously intercept incoming missiles.
• The Iron Dome operates through three main components:
  • a radar that detects incoming rockets,
  • a command-and-control system that determines the threat level,
  • an interceptor that seeks to destroy the incoming rocket before it strikes.

Q1: Where is the Gaza strip?

The Gaza Strip is 140 sq miles of land located in the southwest corner of Israel, along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It also shares a border with Egypt to the south.  The Gaza Strip and the West Bank are two Palestinian territories that were part of Mandate Palestine and were captured by Israel during the Six-Day War in 1967. There are over 5 million Palestinians combined living in the two territories.   

Source: All about Israel's Iron Dome which took on 5,000 rockets launched by Hamas

About Card-on-File Tokenisation

• Tokenisation refers to replacement of actual credit and debit card details with an alternate code called the “token”, which will be unique for a combination of card, token requestor and device.
• This shall be unique for a combination of card, token requestor (i.e. the entity which accepts request from the customer for tokenisation of a card and passes it on to the card network to issue a corresponding token) and the merchant (token requestor and merchant may or may not be the same entity).
• Advantage: A tokenised card transaction is considered safer as the actual card details are not shared with the merchant during transaction processing.
• Customers who do not have the tokenisation facility will have to key in their name, 16-digit card number, expiry date and CVV each time they order something online.

What is a Card-on-File transaction?

• It is a transaction where cardholders authorizes merchants to store their payment information securely and bill cardholders’ stored accounts for future purchases.

Q1: What is a credit card?

A credit card is a financial tool that allows consumers to make purchases on credit, effectively borrowing money from a financial institution (usually a bank or credit card issuer) to be paid back at a later date.

Source: RBI to introduce new channels for Card-on-File Tokenisation
 

About Pythagoras

• Pythagoras was a Greek philosopher and mathematician.
• Pythagoras lived during the 6th century B.C. on the island of Samos, Greece.
• He is commonly said to be the first pure mathematician who proposed that everything is a number.
• He is best known in the modern day for the Pythagorean Theorem.

Pythagoras’ Theorem

• It states that in a right-angled triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.
• This formula has been applied to measuring distance and space as, for example, in planning and executing the construction of a building.

Pythagorean Brotherhood

• Pythagoras founded a secretive religious and philosophical community known as the Pythagorean Brotherhood.
• The members, known as Pythagoreans, followed a strict set of rules and beliefs, including the idea that mathematics and numbers held mystical and spiritual significance.
• It was here he taught that "the whole cosmos is a scale and a number.

Q1: What is Babylonia?

Babylonia was an ancient kingdom located in Mesopotamia, in what is now modern-day Iraq. It was one of the most prominent and influential civilizations of the ancient Near East, with a rich history that spanned several millennia. The city of Babylon was founded more than 4,000 years ago as a small port town on the Euphrates River.
 

Source: Pythagoras did not discover famed theorem! Babylonian tablet unearths plagiarism

About Mytella strigata 

• It is a moderately large and symmetrical shelled mussel.
• It is generally observed in the middle intertidal and subtidal waters of estuaries and near coastal environments.
• These mussels attach themselves to surfaces using byssus threads.

Appearance: 

• Individual mussels have a diversity of external colour schemes from black, dark bluish, brown, grey, orange and (rarely) green
• The species can also have a range of external shell patterns from zig zags, spots or concentric bands.
  • It can form dense clusters that colonise hard substrates or occupy epibenthic habitats, including other mussel species. 
  • It is usually present on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of tropical South and Central America.
  • It has spread to Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, the Gulf of Thailand, west coast of India and the south-eastern United States.
  • Threats: These mussels spread like a carpet over the river bottoms and thus prevent prawns from grazing or burying themselves in the sediment.

Q1: What is the National Green Tribunal?

It is a specialized environmental court or tribunal in India that was established to handle cases related to environmental protection and conservation. It was established under the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, and it began functioning in 2011. 

Source: NGT seeks report on removal of invasive mussel species from Ennore-Pulicat wetland
 

About Gangetic River Dolphin

• It is a freshwater species and one of the few river dolphins found in the world.
• Distribution: It inhabits the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.
• Common Names: Blind dolphin, Ganges dolphin, Ganges susu, hihu, side-swimming dolphin, South Asian River Dolphin
• It has been recognized as India's National Aquatic Animal.

Features:

• It has a long thin snout, rounded belly, stocky body and large flippers.
• It feeds majorly on fishes and is usually found in counter-current systems of the main river channel.
• Its eyes lack lens, and as a result, this species is also referred to as the "blind dolphin".
• They have a highly developed bio-sonar system that facilitates them to hunt for fish even in murky waters.
• Being a mammal, the Ganges River dolphin cannot breathe in the water and must surface every 30-120 seconds. Because of the sound it produces when breathing, the animal is popularly referred to as the 'Susu'.

Conservation status:

• IUCN: Endangered
• Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule-I 
• CITES: Appendix I

Q1: What is a bio-sonar system?

A bio-sonar system, also known as echolocation, is a sensory system used by certain animals, primarily in the animal kingdom, to navigate and locate objects in their environment by emitting sound waves and interpreting the echoes that bounce back. This ability allows these animals to perceive their surroundings in complete darkness or low-light conditions, or even in murky water where visibility is limited.

Source: 19 dolphins rescued alive from canals of Ganga-Ghagra basin, says study