• Switzerland’s Ambassador to India has expressed optimism that the crucial European Free Trade Association (EFTA) deal with the country would be wrapped up before the 2024 general elections.
• India and the EFTA states are negotiating a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with a view to boost economic ties between the two regions.
• Negotiations on the agreement were officially launched in January 2008.
• The EFTA-India merchandise trade exceeded USD 6.1 billion in 2022.

ABOUT EFTA

• EFTA is an intergovernmental organization established in 1960 by the Stockholm Convention.
• It comprises of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
• These are all open, competitive economies committed to the progressive liberalization of trade in the multinational arena as well as in free trade agreements.
• EFTA is not a customs union.
  • The individual EFTA States are free to set their own customs tariffs and arrange other foreign trade measures vis-à-vis the non-EFTA States.
• The EFTA members are not part of the European Union (EU).

• India is set to launch Vyommitra, a female robot astronaut, into space as part of the ambitious Gaganyaan project.
• Ahead of the manned mission, a test flight with Vyommitra is scheduled for next year.
  • The Gaganyaan project aims to showcase India’s capability in human spaceflight.

ABOUT VYOMMITRA

• Vyommitra is a half-humanoid robot introduced at the “Human Spaceflight and Exploration — Present Challenges and Future Trends” event in January 2020
• It represents a fusion of Sanskrit words—Vyoma (Space) and Mitra (Friend).
• The Isro Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) spearheaded the design, while the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) contributed to its fingers.
• The robot’s AI-enabled features, enable it to speak, see, express facial emotions, and withstand the rigours of space travel.
• Vyommitra’s role spans both unmanned and manned missions, where she will mimic astronaut tasks to analyze their behaviour.
• Capable of executing various procedures and imitating human actions in space, Vyommitra is poised to monitor module parameters, offer alerts, manage life support, and operate switch panels during uncrewed flights.

• The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) closed with an agreement that signals the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era by laying the ground for a swift, just and equitable transition, underpinned by deep emissions cuts and scaled-up finance.
• Negotiators from nearly 200 Parties came together in Dubai with a decision on the world’s first ‘global stocktake’ to ratchet up climate action before the end of the decade – with the overarching aim to keep the global temperature limit of 1.5°C within reach.
• The global stocktake is considered the central outcome of COP28.
• Global stocktake is a process for countries to see where they’re collectively making progress towards meeting the goals of Paris Agreement.
• The stocktake recognizes the science that indicates global greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels, to limit global warming to 1.5°C.
  • But it notes Parties are off track when it comes to meeting their Paris Agreement goals.
• The stocktake calls on Parties to take actions towards achieving, at a global scale,
  • a tripling of renewable energy capacity and
  • doubling energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
  • The list also includes accelerating efforts towards the phase-down of unabated coal power, phasing out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies, and other measures that drive the transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, with developed countries continuing to take the lead.
• Parties agreed on targets for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and its framework, which identify where the world needs to get to in order to be resilient to the impacts of a changing climate and to assess countries’ efforts.
  • The GGA framework reflects a global consensus on adaptation targets and the need for finance, technology and capacity-building support to achieve them.

• Camera traps installed at a wildlife reserve have captured a Royal Bengal tiger (IUCN- Endangered) at an elevation of 3640 metres.
• This is the highest elevation in India where tigers have been spotted.
• The photo was captured inside the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary.
• According to officials, before this, the highest altitude where tigers have been spotted in India was in Arunachal Pradesh at a height of 3,630m.

ABOUT PANGOLAKHA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

• It is located in Sikkim’s Pakyong district.
• The Pangalokha Wildlife Sanctuary at the tri-junction of Sikkim, Bengal, and Bhutan, spans a vast 128 square kilometers.
• It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Sikkim.
• The vegetation in the sanctuary is typically alpine-temperate-subtropical. Species include rhododendrons, silver fir, juniper, and moss-covered oaks.
• The Pangalokha Wildlife Sanctuary, rich in biodiversity, is home to various species, including red pandas, snow leopards, Himalayan musk deer, Himalayan goral, and Himalayan black bears.

• NASA is set to launch the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission in 2024, with the aim of enhancing our understanding of Earth’s atmosphere.
• Advanced polarimeters will be employed to study the interplay of light, aerosols, and clouds, contributing to a deeper comprehension of their impact on air quality and climate.
• PACE will orbit Earth every two days.
• The mission’s data will have practical applications, such as improving air quality forecasts and informing policy decisions.

 PAYLOADS

• The Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), the primary science instrument for PACE, is designed to measure the ocean’s color across a spectrum from ultraviolet to shortwave infrared.
• In addition, PACE will feature two polarimeters – the Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration (SPEXone) and the Hyper Angular Research Polarimeter (HARP2).
  • NASA explains that the collaboration between SPEXone and HARP2 will provide complementary spectral and angular sampling, polarimetric accuracy, and spatial coverage

ABOUT AEROSOLS

• Aerosols — tiny airborne particles such as sea salt, smoke, dust, and pollutants — play a critical role in shaping our planet’s climate.
• They scatter and absorb sunlight, influencing how much solar energy reaches the Earth’s surface.
• Moreover, these particles are central to cloud formation, affecting weather patterns and climate dynamics.

• Global Status Report on Road Safety 2023 was recently released by World Health Organization (WHO).

MAJOR FINDINGS

• Road traffic deaths fell by 5% to 1.19 million fatalities annually worldwide between 2010 and 2021, with 108 UN member nations reporting a drop.
  • India, however, registered a 15% increase in fatalities.
  • In India, the total number of road traffic fatalities went up from 1.34 lakh in 2010 to 1.54 lakh in 2021.
• Ten countries succeeded in reducing road traffic deaths by over 50% — Belarus, Brunei Darussalam, Denmark, Japan, Lithuania, Norway, Russian Federation, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.
• By region

• 28% of global road traffic deaths occurred in the WHO’s South-East Asia Region,
• 25% in the Western Pacific Region,
• 19% in the African Region,
• 12% in the Region of the Americas,
• 11% in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and
• 5% in the European Region.

• Road fatality rate has declined from 18 per 1 lakh people in 2010 to 15 per 1 lakh in 2021.
• Annual fatality rates per 1 lakh vehicles fell from 79 deaths to 47 deaths, which is a 41% reduction.
• Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, account for over 50% of global fatalities, with occupants of 4-wheel vehicles contributing to one-third.

• Researchers at Berhampur University, Odisha have discovered a new species of marine amphipod — a shrimp-like crustacea of genus Demaorchestia— in the Chilika lake.
• The new species has been named Demaorchestia alanensis.
• The present contribution has added one more species to the genus Demaorchestia, raising the global species number in the group to six.
• Characteristics
  • The new species is white in colour and less than 15 millimetres in length.
  • It has 13 pairs of legs.
    • While three pairs are used for swimming in the water, eight pairs are used for walking on land.
    • The other two pairs are used for capturing prey and feeding.
  • The species can be distinguished from the other members of the genus by two to three strong, hair-like structures or setae on the anterior margin of the propodus of the gnathopod (limb).

ABOUT AMPHIPODS

• Amphipod are any member of the invertebrate order Amphipoda (class Crustacea) inhabiting all parts of the sea, lakes, rivers, sand beaches, caves, and moist (warm) habitats on many tropical islands.
• They can be found in all marine habitats (even the deepest ocean trenches, e.g., Hirondellea dubia), and have also colonised freshwater and terrestrial habitats.
• Amphipods are a significant group in the marine ecosystem and play a vital role in the marine food chain.
• They also serve as indicators for studying the impact of climate change and health of coastal ecosystems.

ABOUT CHILIKA LAKE

• It is Asia’s largest brackish water and world’s second largest coastal lagoon.
• In 1981, Chilika Lake was designated the first Indian wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
• It was first site in Asia which was removed from Montreux Record (MR) in 2002.
• It is the largest wintering ground for migratory birds on the Indian sub-continent.
• It is famous for Nalabana Bird Sanctuary and Irrawaddy dolphin (IUCN-critically endangered).

• A national level Lok Adalat was held across the country recently.
• National Level Lok Adalats are held for at regular intervals where on a single day Lok Adalats are held throughout the country, in all the courts right from the Supreme Court till the Taluk Levels wherein cases are disposed off in huge numbers.

ABOUT LOK ADALATS

• NALSA along with other Legal Services Institutions conducts Lok Adalats.
• Lok Adalat is one of the alternative dispute redressal mechanisms, it is a forum where disputes/cases pending in the court of law or at pre-litigation stage are settled/ compromised amicably.
• Levels of Lok Adalats-
• Lok Adalats have been given statutory status under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987.
• Under the said Act, the award (decision) made by the Lok Adalats is deemed to be a decree of a civil court and is final and binding on all parties and no appeal against such an award lies before any court of law.
• If the parties are not satisfied with the award of the Lok Adalat though there is no provision for an appeal against such an award, but they are free to initiate litigation by approaching the court of appropriate jurisdiction by filing a case by following the required procedure, in exercise of their right to litigate.
• There is no court fee payable when a matter is filed in a Lok Adalat.
  • If a matter pending in the court of law is referred to the Lok Adalat and is settled subsequently, the court fee originally paid in the court on the complaints/petition is also refunded back to the parties.
• The persons deciding the cases in the Lok Adalats are called the Members of the Lok Adalats, they have the role of statutory conciliators only and do not have any judicial role
• The Lok Adalat shall not decide the matter so referred at its own instance, instead the same would be decided on the basis of the compromise or settlement between the parties.
• The members shall assist the parties in an independent and impartial manner in their attempt to reach amicable settlement of their dispute.
• Cases that can be referred to Lok Adalat
  • Any case pending before any court.
  • Any dispute which has not been brought before any court and is likely to be filed before the court.
    • Provided that any matter relating to an offence not compoundable under the law shall not be settled in Lok Adalat.

• National Energy Conservation Day is observed in India every year on December 14^th, to raise public awareness about the value of energy efficiency and conservation.
• Every year, the Bureau of Energy Efficiency under the Ministry of Power spearheads the celebrations.
• On December 14, 1991, the National Energy Conservation Awards were given to the winners for the first time.
  • Since then, the day has been marked as the National Energy Conservation Day.

• Israel’s offensive in Gaza has shifted to the south, with its forces pushing into Khan Younis, a major southern city that had provided refuge for Palestinians displaced from the north.
• Khan Younis, north of the Rafah border crossing, is the largest city in southern Gaza.
• It was home to about 400,000 people before the war.
• It houses civilian infrastructure, such as Nasser Hospital, and is also the site of one of eight U.N. camps for Palestinian refugees who had to leave their homes in the 1948 war.

ABOUT THE CITY

• The city dates to the Mamluk empire in the 14th century, when Emir Yunus al-Nuruzi constructed a caravan serai, or a “khan” in Arabic, which was a roadside inn where travellers could rest from their day’s journey.
  • Hence, the name of the future city became known as Khan Younis.
• In 1387, Mamuk Sultan Barqouq ordered the emir to build a castle in his name.
  • The castle not only protected residents of the city but served as a linking point between Cairo and Damascus, as it ensured a space for merchants and travellers to trade.
  • Barqouq Castle stands today as one of the most important historical monuments in Palestine.