Also in News

• Supreme court restrained Patanjali Ayurved from advertising or branding its products meant to address the diseases/disorders specified in Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act (DMRA), 1954.

• About DMRA, 1954
  • It aims to control advertisement of drugs in certain cases and to prohibit advertisement for remedies alleged to possess magic qualities.
    • Under it, “magic remedy‟ includes a talisman, mantra, kavacha, and other charm alleged to possess miraculous powers for healing or influencing bodily functions.
  • Penalty: For first conviction, imprisonment up to 6 months, and/or fine; and imprisonment upto one year for subsequent convictions.

• Researchers, as part of the James Web Space Telescope (JWST) UNCOVER program, finds a clue about the end of ‘dark ages’ in early universe.
  • Dark ages refer to a period when sources of light were cloaked in a dense fog of neutral hydrogen gas. 
  • It was followed by ‘epoch of reionization’ that arose because of arrival of first stars and galaxies. 

• UNCOVER (Ultra-deep NIRCam and NIRSpec Observations Before the Epoch of Reionization) aims at addressing two core JWST science goals:
  • Identifying first-light galaxies during the Dark Ages, 
  • Studying the ultra-low luminosity galaxies that were responsible for reionization.

• North America’s Great Lakes have recorded significantly below-average ice cover for the second consecutive year in a row.

• Great Lakes
  • Great Lakes — Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario — form the largest fresh surface water system on Earth. 
  • Except for Lake Michigan, the lakes provide a natural border between Canada and United States.
  • Water in the Great Lakes flows from Lake Superior, via Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, into Lake Ontario, and into the Atlantic Ocean through the Saint Lawrence River. 

• It upheld Rule 24 (4) of the Rajasthan Police Subordinate Service Rules, 1989, as non-discriminatory and constitutional.
  • It stipulates a maximum limit of two children per candidate.
• A similar provision was upheld by the SC in its 2003 ruling in Javed vs. State of Haryana. 
  • It was introduced as an eligibility condition to contest panchayat elections. 
• “Population control and family planning” is a subject on the concurrent list.
• Both states have made multiple attempts to push the population towards the two-child policy.

• Scientists unveiled the first in-depth study of Earth’s magnificent desert star dunes revealing the internal structure. 
  • The study focused on a star dune in Erg Chebbi (eastern Morocco) called Lala Lallia, meaning “highest sacred point”.

• About Star Dunes
  • Formed in areas with complex wind regimes, which means winds blowing from different directions.
  • They make up just under 10% of the dunes in Earth’s deserts and are the tallest ones.
  • Earth's largest star dunes are found in the Badain Jaran desert (China).
  • They also have been spotted on Mars and Saturn’s moon Titan.

• PARAKH has devised the Holistic Progress Card (HPC) for - 
  • Foundational stage (Classes 1 and 2), Preparatory stage (Classes 3 to 5), and Middle stage (Classes 6 to 8).
  • Currently working on developing one for the secondary stage.

• About PARAKH
  • PARAKH (Performance Assessment, Review and Analysis of Knowledge for Holistic Development)  is the National Assessment Centre.
  • It was set up in NCERT as an independent constituent unit in 2023.
  • Objective: setting norms, standards, guidelines and implementing activities related to student assessment
    • Along with other tasks as mandated by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has given approval for implementing an interoperable payment system for internet banking transactions, as envisaged in RBI’s Payments Vision 2025.
  • It will be implemented by NPCI Bharat BillPay Ltd (NBBL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
  • It will facilitate quicker settlement of funds for merchants. 

• At present, online merchant payment transactions through internet banking are processed through Payment Aggregators (PAs), which are not interoperable. 
  • So, a bank is required to separately integrate with each PA of different online merchants. 

• Recently, PM laid the foundation stone of Kulasekarapattinam Spaceport in Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. 

• About Kulasekarapattinam Spaceport
  • It will be used to launch Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs). 
  • It has several advantages in comparison to Sriharikota facility in Andhra Pradesh, such as 
    • Located closer to the equator and will save fuel.
    • Rockets can now head straight in the southern direction. 
      • From the Sriharikota facility, the rocket first heads east, and then turns south to avoid the airspace of Sri Lanka.
    • Nearby ISRO’s Propulsion Research Complex location makes it easier to transport the rocket components safely, and in a shorter period. 

France (Capital: Paris)

• The second India-France Strategic Space Dialogue, underscored the growing importance of space cooperation in bilateral relations. 

• Political features
  • France lies near the western end of the great Eurasian landmass.
  • Bordering Nations:  Belgium and Luxembourg, on the east by Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and Andorra, England.
  • Monaco is an independent enclave on the south coast and the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean is  an integral part of the country.
  • Bordering Water Bodies: the Mediterranean,  the Bay of Biscay, English Channel,  Strait of Dover.

• Geographical Features:
  • Major mountain ranges: The French Alps, the Jura Mountains, the Pyrenees, etc.
  • Highest Point: The Mont Blanc.
  • Major Rivers: The Seine and the Loire, The Rhône and The Rhine.