Nuclear deterrence guidelines will deter and respond to North Korea aggression.

• The US and South Korea created a joint Nuclear Consultative Group in 2023.

About the Guidelines:

• The agreement calls for integrating U.S. nuclear assets and South Korean conventional weapons to better respond to North Korean nuclear threats.
  • North Korea’s developing nuclear arsenal is a major security threat to South Korea, which has no nuclear weapons and largely relies on the U.S.
• Commit to conduct joint military exercises to help implement the deterrence guidelines.

Mutual Recognition Agreement between India and Taiwan for Organic Products has been implemented.

• It will ease the export of organic products by avoiding dual certifications; thus, reducing compliance cost.
• It will enhance trade opportunities in the organic sector such as export of major Indian organic products such as Rice, Processed Food, Green/Black and Herbal Tea, Medicinal plant products etc to Taiwan.
• Implementing agency: Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India and Agriculture and Food Agency, Ministry of Agriculture (AFA), Taiwan.

Madras HC upheld Constitutional validity of RBI-IOS 2021, prohibiting complainants from engaging advocates to represent their cases in proceedings before ombudsman.

• Lawyers only have statutory right and not a fundamental right to appear before judicial and quasi- judicial meetings.

About RBI-IOS, 2021

• Launched in 2021 by integrating three previous ombudsman schemes of RBI i.e. Banking ombudsman schemes (2006), Ombudsman schemes for NBFC (2018), and Ombudsman schemes for Digital Transactions (2019).
• Also includes additional Regulated Entities like banks (all commercial banks), NBFCs registered with RBI, Credit Information Companies etc.
• Provides for cost-free redress of customer complaints involving deficiency in services rendered by entities regulated by RBI.  

I-REC represents transferrable proof that one MWh of electricity was produced from renewable energy sources and added to an electrical grid.

• I-REC enables MNCs to meet their renewable energy consumption quotas across nations with reduced barriers.
• I-REC is an everlasting certificate until redeemed by an end consumer or withdrawn.
• India has emerged as one of a leading seller of I-RECs.
• The International Tracking Standard Foundation is the founder of I-REC.

Margin Trading Facility (MTF) demand is increasing to invest in the stock market.

• The buyer pays only a part of the total value while the broker pays the remaining amount, charging an interest on this loan.

Advantages:

• Increased profit potential due to access to more capital.
• Includes a broader range of stocks.

Challenges: 

higher losses risk, interest cost, etc.

Indian Air Force Contingent reached Australia to participate in Exercise Pitch Black.

Exercise Pitch Black

• Held every two years, it is a multinational exercise.
• Focuses on large force employment missions involving large numbers of international aircraft.

Exercise Sagar Kavach - 01/24 

• It is a coastal security exercise held along Andhra Pradesh coast.
• It is aimed to validate the effectiveness of coastal security mechanisms in dealing with asymmetric threats from the sea.
• Assets of Indian Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Police, fisheries, customs and other security agencies were engaged in it.

Scientists from Zoological Survey of India discovered a new species of ‘Squalus hima’ from Sakthikulangara fishing harbor in Kerala along Arabian Sea.

About Squalus hima

• Squalus is a genus of dogfish sharks in family Squalidae. 
  • Unlike most sharks, dogfish are venomous.
• Commonly known as spurdogs, and are characterized by smooth dorsal fin spines.
• They have angular short snout, a small mouth almost as wide as snout, first dorsal fin origin behind pectoral fins, and body without any spots.
• They are exploited for their liver oil which is in high demand for pharmaceutical industries particularly for making high end cosmetic products and anti-cancerous products.

Study highlights lack of awareness on vulture conservation across species’ key habitats in STR.

About STR

• Declared as tiger reserve in 2013.
• Located in Erode district, Tamil Nadu. It is contiguous with Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (TN); Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve and Bandipur Tiger reserves (Karnataka).
• Links Eastern and Western Ghats.
• Notable Fauna: Elephant, Tiger, Panther, Sloth bear, Gaur, Black Buck, Spotted deer, Nilgiri langur, etc. 
• Forest types: Tropical dry thorn, tropical dry mixed deciduous; Tropical semi evergreen; Sub tropical hill forest.
• Concerns: Smuggling of Sandalwood; Poaching etc.

IPBES won Blue Planet Prize for 2024.

• Awarded annually by Japan based Asahi Glass Foundation to individuals and organizations to recognize achievements in scientific research and its application, providing solutions to global environmental problems. 
• Prize includes an award of US$500,000.

About IPBES

• Established in Panama City in 2012, it is an independent intergovernmental body to strengthen science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
• It is not a UN body. However, United Nations Environment Programme provides secretariat services to IPBES.
• Secretariat: Bonn, Germany
• Currently, it has more than 145 member States (including India). All States Members of UN are eligible for IPBES membership.

Researchers at S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences  have found a new method of a single molecule technique  to study protein folding & associated chaperons.

• This could help track progression of diseases like cancer, Parkinsons and Alzheimer’s.

Protein Folding and Molecular Chaperones

• Most proteins fold into defined 3-D structures to gain functional activity. 
• In the cellular environment, newly synthesized proteins are at risk of aberrant folding potentially forming toxic species. 
• To avoid this, cells invest in a complex network of molecular chaperones. 
  • Endogenous proteins that serve as an essential control mechanism to prevent aggregation promoting efficient folding of proteins.