Art and Culture

Mankidia Community - The Hindu

• The Mankidia community has become the sixth Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) to receive habitat rights over forests in Odisha and is the second PVTG in the state to officially acquire these rights. District-level committees have approved habitat rights for four other communities.

Mankidia Tribe

 

Geography

Sea of Japan - The Hindu

• In a bold display of maritime prowess, Russia and China have launched extensive naval exercises in the Sea of Japan.

About the Sea of Japan

• Description: A marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean.
• Boundaries: Bounded by Russia and Sakhalin Island in the north, North Korea in the west, South Korea in the southwest, and the Japanese archipelago in the east and south.
• Area: Approximately 377,600 square miles (978,000 sq. km).
• Straits:
  • Connected to the East China Sea (south) via Tsushima & Korea straits.
  • Connected to the Okhotsk Sea (north) via La Perouse and Tatar straits.
  • Connected to the Inland Sea of Japan (east) via Kanmon Strait & the Pacific Ocean via Tsugaru Strait.
• Average Depth: 1,667 meters.
• Deepest Point: Dohoku Seamount, an underwater volcano.
• Islands: Except for the South Korean Island of Ulleungdo, all other small islands are situated near the eastern coast of the sea.
• Significance: Contains mineral deposits like magnetite, natural gas, and petroleum.

Major Ports

• Russia: Vladivostok, Sovetskaya Gavan, Nakhodka, Alexandrovsk-Sakhalinsky, and Kholmsk.
• North Korea: Hamhung, Chongjin, and Wonsan.
• Japan: Niigata, Tsuruta, and Maizuru.

 

Massive 600-km-wide Crater Found in Australia - The Hindu

• Australian researchers have uncovered evidence of a massive impact crater, named MAPCIS (Massive Australian Precambrian-Cambrian Impact Structure), which could revolutionize our understanding of Earth's geological history.

 

Society

Supreme Court Clarification on Online Content on Child Sex Abuse - The Hindu

• The Supreme Court of India's clear delineation of the penal consequences of accessing or storing sexual material concerning children aligns with the letter and spirit of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, including the doctrine of ‘Constructive Possession

Doctrine of ‘Constructive Possession’

 

 

Polity

Clause 6 of Assam Accord - Indian Express

• After a meeting with representatives of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), the Assam Chief Minister has initiated the implementation of 52 recommendations from the Justice Biplab Sarma Committee concerning Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, as announced by the Assam government earlier this month.

 

 

 

World Affairs

India and China Make 'Progress' on Pending LAC Issues in Eastern Ladakh - Indian Express

• India and China have reportedly made “significant progress” in narrowing their gap on pending issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. This includes exploring a potential solution that factors in their respective positions as of April 2020, while also agreeing to address existing issues in Arunachal Pradesh.

Details of Progress

• Diplomatic and Military Talks: Significant progress occurred during diplomatic talks in Beijing on August 29, 2023, attended by military representatives.
• Upcoming Talks: The 22nd round of military talks is expected soon to finalize troop redeployment based on mutual agreements.
• Troop Deployment and Confidence-Building: Troops remain on alert along the LAC, avoiding confrontation to maintain trust and facilitate redeployment plans. Local commanders from both sides meet regularly to prevent clashes.
• Long-Term Plans for Ladakh: Winter stocking for an additional 50,000-60,000 troops in eastern Ladakh is ongoing, though de-escalation is expected to be gradual. Plans to raise an additional division for Ladakh are underway, with part of a brigade already moving.
• Border Infrastructure Development: Regardless of deployment changes, infrastructure development along the LAC will continue as planned for better preparedness.
• Friction Points and Resolution: Buffer zones have helped resolve issues in areas like Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, and Gogra-Hot Springs. However, legacy issues in the Depsang Plains and Demchok remain, with access to certain patrol points still blocked.

 

India at the UN Futures Summit: An Advocate for Peace, Global South - Indian Express

• India has a significant stake in the collective, global envisioning of a perfect future for humanity, as reflected in the Pact for the Future (PFF), the Declaration on Future Generations (DFG), and the Global Digital Compact (GDC) adopted at the UN Summit of the Future on September 23.

Summary of the UN Summit

• The summit offers a framework for collective action towards a more equitable and sustainable global order. While the aspirations in the outcome document are promising, achieving them will require nations to prioritize global cooperation over national interests. The Sanskrit adage "Yad Bhavam, Tad Bhavati" (you become what you believe) serves as a guiding principle for this effort.

 

China Test-Fires Intercontinental Ballistic Missile into the Pacific - The Hindu

• China has recently test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean, marking its first such exercise in decades. This launch has sparked protests from other countries in the region, particularly Japan, which expressed "serious concern" over Beijing's military build-up.

 

Intercontinental ballistic missile

 

• Definition: A long-range ballistic missile system primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery, capable of traveling vast distances at incredibly high speeds.
• Average Range: Greater than 5,500 kilometers.
• Maximum Range: 7,000 - 16,000 kilometers.
• Speed: Over 20,000 kilometers per hour.
• Payload: Can carry nuclear warheads, and may also deliver other types of weapons, such as chemical or biological weapons.
• Deployment: Can be launched from underground silos, mobile launchers on land, or submarines at sea.
• Countries with Operational ICBMs: Russia, United States, China, France, India, United Kingdom, Israel, and North Korea.
• India’s ICBM: Agni V, a solid-fueled ICBM with a strike range of 7,000-10,000 km.

 

 

Environment

Two Years of Project Cheetah: Status Report and the Road Ahead - Indian Express

• Project Cheetah, which saw the introduction of the African sub-species of the wild cat in India, has recently completed two years. The ambitious project has two overarching objectives:
  • Establishing a stable, breeding population of cheetahs in central India.
  • Using cheetahs as an umbrella species to restore open natural ecosystems, such as scrubs, savannahs, grasslands, and degraded forests.

 

 

 

Supreme Court Seeks Report from Commission of Air Quality Management on Stubble-Burning - The Hindu

• The Supreme Court has sought a report from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on incidents of stubble-burning and actions taken against these occurrences.

About Stubble Burning

• Definition: A method for removing paddy crop residues to prepare fields for wheat sowing, typically occurring from late September to November.
• Process: Involves setting fire to leftover straw stubble after harvesting crops like paddy and wheat, particularly in areas utilizing combined harvesting methods.
• Common Practice: Predominantly observed in October and November in North West India, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Effects:
  • Pollution: Releases harmful pollutants such as methane, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, and carcinogenic substances, contributing to smog and health risks.
  • Soil Fertility: Destroys soil nutrients, reducing its fertility.
  • Heat Penetration: Generated heat reduces soil moisture and kills beneficial microbes.
• Alternatives: Machines like Turbo Happy Seeder (THS) can uproot stubble and sow seeds, using the residue as mulch for the field.

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM)

 

 

 

Rare Ghost Shark Species Found in Pacific Waters - Indian Express

• A new species of ghost sharks has been discovered as part of research in the Chatham Rise, an area of the Pacific located around 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) east of New Zealand's South Island.

About Ghost Sharks/Chimaeras/Spookfish

• Definition: A group of cartilaginous fish closely related to sharks and rays, genetically diverged from their shark relatives nearly 400 million years ago.
• Features: Long, tapering bodies and incredibly large heads.
• Maximum Observed Length: Approximately 49 inches.
• Skin Color: Ranges from black to pale blue to brownish-grey.
• Occurrence: Found at depths of 200 meters to 2,600 meters, generally close to the seafloor.
• Diet: Consists of shellfish, mollusks, and worms that live on or under the seafloor.

 

NGT Stops Road Work in Barak Bhuban Sanctuary - Indian Express

• The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) eastern bench in Kolkata has ordered a stay on road construction work inside the Barak Bhuban wildlife sanctuary in Assam’s Cachar district after a plea alleged that the work was carried out without the necessary permissions under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam 1980.

About Barak Bhuban Wildlife Sanctuary

• Location: Assam's Barak Valley.
• Rivers: Nestled between the Barak and Sonai rivers.
• Naming: Named after the second-largest river in the northeast and spans across three districts – Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj.
• Fauna: Includes species such as slow loris, rhesus macaque, hoolock gibbon, and king cobra.

About Barak Valley

• Location: Southern part of Assam.
• Naming: Named after the Barak River, the largest river in the valley and the second-largest in Northeast India.
• Vegetation: Features tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, tropical deciduous, and secondary forests, with large tracts of rainforests in the northern and southeastern parts.
• Climate: Subtropical, warm, and humid.

 

Ministry Achieves 100-Day Target of 100 Nagar Vans to Enhance Urban Greenery - PIB

• The activities proposed under the Nagar Van Yojana during the first 100 days of the government included the approval of 100 Nagar Vans.

Nagar Van Yojana (NVY)

Science and Technology

Shri Manohar Lal Inaugurates COMPUTER SECURITY INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAM – POWER (CSIRT–POWER) Facility - PIB

• Union Minister Shri Manohar Lal inaugurated the COMPUTER SECURITY INCIDENT RESPONSE TEAM – POWER (CSIRT–POWER) facility at the Northern Regional Power Committee, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi, recently.

CSIRT-Power