The World Energy Employment 2024 report has been released by the International Energy Agency. 

Key findings 

• Global energy employment outperformed broader labor market trends in 2023.
• Clean energy remains the primary engine of job growth. 

India-Specific Findings 

• India’s energy jobs account for over 8.5 million i.e., 1.5 % of total employment (566 million)  in 2023. 
• India’s energy sector, like many others, relies heavily on informal labor.
• The energy workforce, particularly in clean energy, is poised to see further growth with government initiatives fueling job creation.

National Press Day, observed annually on November 16, celebrates the establishment of PCI. 

About PCI

• Genesis: First established in 1966 under Indian Press Council Act, 1965, following recommendations of the First Press Commission. 

• It was dissolved during Emergency in 1975, and a new Act, Press Council Act, 1978, re-established PCI in 1979.

• Objective: To preserve press freedom & maintain high standards of journalism in India.
• Composition: consists of a Chairman (usually a retired Supreme Court judge) & 28 members.

Avian Botulism is considered to be the reason behind mass death of birds in Rajasthan.

About Avian Botulism

• It is a serious neuromuscular disease.
• Causal Agent:  Toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.
• Favorable  conditions for outbreak of Avian Botulism:-
  • warmer water temperatures
  • anoxic (oxygen-deprived) conditions
  • bacterial substrate in decaying plants, algae or animal materials.
• Transfer to Humans and Pets: by eating infected fish, birds etc.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has seized 700 kg of Methamphetamine as part of Operation Sagar-Manthan.

• Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system

About Operation Sagar Manthan

• Launched :  by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in  coordination with the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard.
• Objective :
  •  Target  drug trafficking through maritime routes
  • Counter the threat to national security 
  • Realize vision of a Nasha Mukt Bharat by 2047.

• Common cat snake, or Boiga trigonata, is far less venomous than other snake species and is also considered extremely rare.

About Valmiki Tiger Reserve

• 18th tiger reserve in the country & only tiger reserve of Bihar.
• It was established in 1976 and declared a Tiger Reserve in 1990.
• Forms the easternmost limit of the Himalayan Terai forests in India.
• Rivers Flows: Gandak, Pandai, Manor, Harha, Masan and Bhapsa.
• Fauna: Tigers, sloth bear, leopard, indian bison, hyena, wild dogs etc
• Vegetation: Sal trees, teak, bamboo, semal, and khair etc

Consumption of  kodo millet is considered to be the reason behind the death of wild elephants in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

About kodo millet (Paspalum scrobiculatum)

• It is also known as Kodra and Varagu in India and is a staple food for many tribal sections
• Feature:-
  • rich in dietary fiber and minerals like iron, antioxidant
  • useful in curing asthma, migraine, blood pressure, heart attack, diabetic heart disease and for postmenopausal in females.
  • drought tolerant, high yield potential, better storage properties
• Climate:  warm and dry climate (grown mainly in Deccan Region)
• Ingesting millets harvested after rainfall can result in adverse health conditions

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is experimenting with the removal of invasive plants in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).

About senna tora

• Native to: Central America & prefers drier areas and grasslands to grow.
• Threat: Open grasslands of MTR, crucial for local wildlife like elephants, deer, and Indian gaur.

Invasive species" is a species that is:

• Non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and,
• Whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.
• E.g., Lantana camara, Prosopis juliflora

Ministry of External Affairs delegation offers Afghanistan access to Chabahar Port during meeting with Defense Minister.

About Chabahar port

• Location: It sits at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman.
• There are two distinct ports in the Chabahar project, Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari. 
• Significance:
  • Gives India an alternative route that bypasses Pakistan, which does not allow India land access for trade with Afghanistan and Central Asia.
  • Iran and India both recognizes the Chabahar port's pivotal role in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project.