About Mehrauli Archeological Park:
- It is situated in Delhi, just beside the Qutb Complex (historically Mehrauli was the first of the seven cities of Delhi).
- Spanning an area of more than 200 acres (80 ha), the site displays the rich heritage of India, starting from the pre-Islamic to the Colonial phase.
- It accounts for several historically significant monuments, including the remains of the first city of Delhi, the capital of the Tomar rulers in the 11th century.
- There are over 440 monuments in the area.
- The Tomb of Balban, dating back to around 1287 AD, marks a significant milestone in Indian architecture, featuring the country's first true arch and dome.
- The Jamali Kamali Mosque and Tomb (1526-1535 AD) showcase a harmonious blend of Indo-Islamic architecture.
- Named after the Sufi saint Jamali and his companion Kamali, this complex boasts intricate decorative elements and a central dome that speak to the artistic prowess of its time.
- 16th-century Rajon Ki Baoli, or Stepwell of the Masons, with its symmetrical steps and arched niches serving both practical and aesthetic purposes.
- The park also houses spiritual landmarks like the Dargah of Qutab Sahib, a serene white marble shrine dedicated to a revered Sufi saint, and the Hijron ka Khanqah, a Sufi hospice from the Lodhi dynasty that provided shelter and spiritual solace to the transgender community.
- Jahaz Mahal, or "Ship Palace," a Lodi-era pleasure pavilion whose boat-like shape and arched openings make it a unique architectural gem.
- Iron Pillar: The iconic Iron Pillar is renowned for its remarkable corrosion resistance despite being over a thousand years old.
2. White-Winged Wood Duck
About White-Winged Wood Duck:
- It is a large species of duck and one of the most endangered birds in the world.
- Scientific Name: Asarcornis scutulata
- Distribution:
- It was once distributed widely across northeast India and southeast Asia.
- But now, only about 800 survive in the wild, of which about 450 are present in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
- In India, the duck is limited to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Habitat: It mostly resides in dense tropical evergreen forests and is known to prefer inaccessible swampy areas formed by numerous rivers, streams, etc.
- Due to its ghostly call, it is called ‘Deo Hans’ or Spirit Duck in Assamese.
- Features:
- It has a black body, a white head that is thickly spotted with black, conspicuous white patches on the wings, and red or orange eyes.
- Its average length is about 81 cm.
- The sexes are more or less alike, the male having more gloss on the plumage, and being much larger and heavier.
- It is a crepuscular bird, as it is most active at dusk and dawn.
- The adults are largely omnivorous.
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
3. Key Facts about Red Sea
About Red Sea:
- The Red Sea is a semi-enclosed, inlet (or extension) of the Indian Ocean between the continents of Africa and Asia.
- It is the world’s northernmost tropical sea and is also one of the most heavily traveled waterways.
- It is connected to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to the south through the Gulf of Aden and the narrow strait of Bab el Mandeb.
- The northern portion of the Red Sea is bifurcated by the Sinai Peninsula into the Gulf of Aqaba and the Gulf of Suez, where it is connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the famous Suez Canal.
- It has a surface area of roughly 438,000 sq.km. and is about 2,250 km in length.
- Bordering Countries:
- Yemen and Saudi Arabia border the Red Sea to the east.
- It is bordered by Egypt to the north and west and by Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti to the west.
- It is one of the world’s warmest seas. It contains some of the world’s hottest and saltiest seawater.
- Its name is derived from the colour changes observed in its waters.
- Normally, the Red Sea is an intense blue-green; occasionally, however, it is populated by extensive blooms of the algae Trichodesmium erythraeum, which, upon dying off, turn the sea a reddish brown colour.
- Islands: Some well-known islands include Tiran Island, which is located near the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, and Shadwan Island, which is located at the entrance of the Gulf of Suez.
3. Birhor Tribe
About Birhor Tribe:
- They are a traditionally nomadic tribe living primarily in the Indian State of Jharkhand.
- Some of them are also found in Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal.
- Birhor means 'jungle people'- bir means 'jungle', hor means 'men
- Language:
- They speak the Birhor language, which belongs to the Munda group of languages of the Austroasiatic language family.
- Their language has similarities with Santali, Mundari and Ho languages.
- Ethnology:
- The Birhors are of short stature, long head, wavy hair, and broad nose.
- They claim they have descended from the Sun and believe that the Kharwars, who also trace their descent from the Sun, are their brothers. Ethnologically, they are akin to the Santals, Mundas, and Hos.
- Economy:
- The “primitive subsistence economy” of the Birhors has been based on nomadic gathering and hunting, particularly for monkeys.
- They make ropes out of the fibres of a particular species of vine, which they sell in the markets of the nearby agricultural people.
- Some of them have settled into stable agriculture.
- According to socio-economic standing the Birhors are classified into two groups. While the wandering Birhors are called Uthlus, the settled Birhors are called Janghis.
- Beliefs: The Birhor follow a mixture of animism and Hinduism.
4. What is Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI)?
About Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI):
- DRI was constituted in 1957 as the apex anti-smuggling intelligence and investigation agency.
- It works under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
- DRI enforces the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and over fifty other allied Acts, including the Arms Act, NDPS Act, COFEPOSA (Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities), Wildlife Act, Antiquities Act, etc.
- It is tasked with detecting and curbing the smuggling of contraband, including drug trafficking and illicit international trade in wildlife and environmentally sensitive items, as well as combating commercial frauds related to international trade and evasion of customs duty.
- It has a country-wide network of zonal, regional and sub-regional units and intelligence cells.
- DRI collects, analyzes, and disseminates intelligence to the field formations, helps in investigations, and keeps statistics of seizures and prices/rates, etc., for watching trends of smuggling and movement of other contraband and suggest remedies for fixing loopholes in existing laws and procedures.
5. Abathsahayeswarar Temple
About Abathsahayeswarar Temple:
- Location: It is located in Thukkatchi in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.
- It was constructed during the reigns of Kings Vikrama Chola and Kulothunga Chola.
- This temple stands as a testament to the architectural brilliance and spiritual dedication of the Chola dynasty.
- Historically, the village surrounding the temple was known as Vikrama Chozheeswaram and Kulothunga Chola Nallur, named after these illustrious rulers.
- Kulothunga Chola also installed the idol of Aadhi Sarabeshwarar in the temple.
- The temple is home to numerous deities, including Soundaryanayaki Ambal and Ashtabhuja Durga Parameshwari and also consists of five prakarams or enclosures.
Key facts about UNESCO Asia - Pacific Awards for cultural heritage conservation
- This award recognises the efforts of individuals and organizations in Asia and the Pacific in restoring, conserving, and otherwise transforming structures and buildings of heritage value since its establishment in 2000.
- In acknowledging private efforts to restore adapt and breathe new life into historic properties, the Awards encourage other independent efforts, as well as public-private partnerships to undertake conservation projects in their communities.
6. Dharini
About Dharini:
- It is now the largest publicly accessible digital dataset of the human foetal brain and is freely available to researchers worldwide.
- The dataset provides detailed insights into brain development from the second trimester of a foetus and researchers have identified over 500 brain regions, making it a complete atlas of the human brain.
- It was created with less than one-tenth of the initial funds that powered the Allen Brain Atlas, and with a technology platform that was entirely custom-made in India.
- The dataset offers key applications, including advancements in fetal imaging technology for early diagnosis and treatment of developmental disorders.
- It also serves as an invaluable resource for researchers aiming to understand neurodevelopmental processes and conditions.
- The project was supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and private entities.
- Significance
- It could offer new insights into neonatal brain health and help improve early diagnosis and treatment.
- The dataset is available to all researchers and can help in the development of treatments for brain-related health conditions.
7. Latakia Port
About Latakia Port:
- It is the principal port of Syria.
- It is located in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean coast.
- This port exports bitumen and asphalt, cereals, cotton, fruit, eggs, vegetable oil, pottery, and tobacco.
- It consists of an extensive agricultural hinterland producing abundant crops of tobacco, cotton, cereal grains and fruits.
- Other industries: Cotton ginning, vegetable oil processing, tanning, and sponge fishing are local industries present in this port city.
Key facts about the Mediterranean Sea
- It is an intercontinental sea that is bordered by the continent of Europe in the north, Asia in the east, and Africa in the south.
- In the west, the Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.
- In the extreme northeast, it is connected to the Black Sea via the Dardanelles Strait, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus Strait.
- The Mediterranean Sea is also connected to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal in the southeast.
- Bordering Countries: 22 countries and one territory (Gibraltar - a British Overseas Territory) have coasts on the Mediterranean Sea.
- Rivers: Ebro, Rhone, Po, Nile, Tiber, etc drain into this sea.
- Islands: Corsica, Crete, Cyprus, Chios, Euboea, Lesbos, Mallorca, Rhodes, Sicily, and Sardinia are present in this sea.
8. Exercise Desert Knight
About Exercise Desert Knight:
- It is a trilateral air combat exercise between India, France and the UAE.
- This exercise builds on the trilateral framework established in 2022 by the foreign ministers of India, France, and the UAE. This partnership includes collaboration in defence, technology, energy, and environment, among other areas, as outlined in an ambitious roadmap.
- The exercise is described as a “large force engagement,” featuring intensive combat manoeuvres approximately 350-400 km southwest of Karachi over the Arabian Sea.
- It is the second such trilateral endeavour this year to build synergy among the three air forces as well as improve combat skills, with multiple aircraft types operating in a realistic scenario.”
- It features intensive combat manoeuvres involving advanced aircraft like Sukhoi-30MKIs, Rafales and F-16s.
- This trilateral exercise comes as part of broader efforts to strengthen defence ties in strategically crucial regions, including the Indo-Pacific and the Persian Gulf.
- It also highlights the increasing focus on interoperability among like-minded nations amidst concerns over China's assertive posturing and expanding influence in these areas.
- Significance: This marks a continued effort to build strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific and Persian Gulf regions amid global geopolitical tensions.
9. Darwin wasp
About Darwin wasp:
- These wasps are parasitoids, meaning their larvae feed and develop on or within the bodies of other arthropods.
- They parasitize many insect groups, especially Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), Coleoptera (beetles), and other Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps).
- Appearance:
- These wasps have a body formed of a head, thorax, abdomen and six legs.
- They have a pair of large compound eyes on the side of the head and three ocelli (simple eyes) on the top of the head.
- They have longer antennae with more segments or sections.
- Adult wasps typically feed on nectar and pollen, and as solitary wasps, only come together to mate.
- Breeding: The females lay their eggs in or on the larvae or pupae (rarely eggs or adults) of the host. To attack wood-boring hosts deep inside woody plant tissues, some ichneumon wasp species actually use their ovipositors as a drill capable of penetrating solid wood.
- Ecological Significance: These tiny winged insects are critical to the ecosystem because they play an important role in controlling the population of crop-damaging pests, such as aphids and caterpillars, without contaminating the environment
New species found in India
- Four new species are recently discovered in India namely
- Microleptes chiani collected from Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), Tamil Nadu.
- Microleptes gowrishankari collected from Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, in Karnataka.
- Microleptes sandeshkaduri collected from the Siang valley of Arunachal Pradesh.
- Microleptes tehriensis is named after its collection site, Tehri in Uttarakhand.