Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed an outbreak of RVF affecting Mauritania and Senegal in Western Africa.
About RVF
- Origin: Derives name from Kenya’s Rift Valley, where the disease was first recognised in the early 1930s
- Caused By: Phlebovirus belonging to the Phenuiviridae family.
- Spread: It primarily affects animals eg. cattle,etc.
- Humans get infected through close contact with infected animals or by the bite of infected mosquitoes.
- It has not been shown to spread from person to person.
- Treatment: Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment. However, animals vaccine do exist.
A 50-MW wind farm proposed by the National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) can affect Greater Flamingo Sanctuary.
- The Greater Flamingo's range spans Africa, western Asia, and southern Europe.
- it is usually found in shallow, saline, alkaline wetlands during the breeding season
About GFS
- Establishment: By Tamil Nadu Government at Dhanushkodi.
- Aim: To protect vital migratory bird habitats along the Central Asian Flyway (A major migratory bird route connecting Eurasia with the Indian subcontinent).
- Location: Within the ecologically sensitive Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve.
11th edition of India–Sri Lanka joint military exercise Mitra Shakti 2025 began at Belagavi, Karnataka
About Mitra Shakti
- It is a bilateral annual joint military exercise between the Indian Army and Sri Lankan Army.
- Alternatively, hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Recently, Spain and Germany committed $100 million for the CIF’s Accelerating Resilience Investments and innovations for Sustainable Economies (ARISE) during COP 30 of UNFCCC in Brazil
- ARISE, aims to help developing countries “turn climate risk into opportunity” and to strengthen the “adaptive capacity” of economies
About CIF
- Established: In 2008 by world and regional multilateral development banks.
- About: It is a multilateral climate fund that enables climate action in over 70 low and middle income countries
- key feature: Providing funding that allows developing nations to incorporate low-carbon programmes into their national development plans.
- Currently, the CIF has 2 main funds: Clean Technology Fund and Strategic Climate Fund.
India may relax certain QCO requirements to reduce compliance burden on industries and facilitate smoother manufacturing and exports.
About QCOs
- Legal Framework: Published by Central Government after consulting BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) under BIS Act, 2016.
- Mandatory Nature: While BIS certification is basically voluntary.
- A number of products owing to public interest, protection of human, animal or plant health, national security, etc., are subjected to mandatory use of Standard Mark under a Licence or Certificate of Conformity (CoC) from BIS through issuance of QCOs.
Recently at APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) meet in South Korea, China pushed for a global body, WAICO, to govern Artificial Intelligence (AI) norms.
About WAICO
- Aim: Shaping global standards for world cooperation.
- It incorporates principles from China's 2023 Global AI Governance Initiative, emphasizing human-centric design, data sovereignty and algorithmic transparency.
- Announced during 2025 World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai.
- Key Purpose: Reimagining the international architecture of AI governance, position China as an alternative to USA, exert China’s soft Power, etc.
India to scale up its Neodymium production to 500 tonnes by the end of FY27, to boost self-reliance in rare earth elements.
About Neodymium
- Category: Lanthanide Metal.
- It is a key component in the global rare-earth magnet industry, vital for electric vehicles, clean energy technologies, and defence systems.
- Appearance: Lustrous, silvery-yellow metal that tarnishes quickly in air.
- Key Applications: Makes Very strong permanent magnets in an alloy with iron and boron, make lasers, use in eye and cosmetic surgery, treatment of skin cancers, etc.
- Source: Monazite and Bastnaesite (like most Lanthanide elements).
