• A team from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry in Prague deciphered the structure of the protein methyltransferase from the monkeypox virus.
• It is with the help of methyltransferase protein that the virus escapes human immunity and causes monkeypox disease.

About Mpox (monkeypox)

• It is a viral zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
• The first human case of mpox was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
  • Nigeria witnessed the biggest outbreak of the disease in 2017.
• There are two known types (clades) of mpox virus — one that originated in Central Africa (Clade I) and one that originated in West Africa (Clade II).
• Common symptoms are a skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
• Transmission:
  • Mostly transmitted to people from wild animals such as rodents and primates.
  • Human-to-human transmission also
  • Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one person to another by contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.
• There are no specific treatments for monkeypox virus infection.
  • Early and supportive care is important to help manage symptoms and avoid further problems.

• Solan has failed to find central grant under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) even as eight other urban local bodies (ULBs) have received Rs 154.07 crore for augmenting water supply works.
  • These towns are Mandi, Theog, Rajgarh, Chamba, Hamirpur, Sunni, Rampur and Dalhousie.
• While tendering process was underway in the eight civic bodies for executing the water supply projects, Solan was struggling to secure funds to augment its water supply as well as its sewage management scheme.

• Noted historian Ranajit Guha has passed away.
  • He was 100 years old, died at his residence in Austria.
• Born on May 23, 1923 at Barisal in present-day Bangladesh, Guha’s family later shifted to Kolkata.
• He had studied in a school in the city and completed his post-graduation in History from Calcutta University.
• One of his well-known books is ‘Elementary Aspects of Peasant Insurgency in Colonial India’

• A report by Finland based group cited that India is leader of five countries named as the “Laundromat” countries.
• The so-called “laundromat” countries are countries that buy Russian oil and sell processed products to European countries, thus sidestepping European sanctions against Russian Oil.
• The five countries (India, China, Turkey, UAE and Singapore) are identified as ‘laundromats’ for Western countries by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
• The five countries are responsible for 70 percent of Russia’s crude oil exports, the study highlighted.

• European Commission has adopted a set of proposals termed Fit for 55.
• Fit for 55 refers to the EU’s target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
• It is a set of proposals to revise and update EU legislation and to put in place new initiatives to ensure that EU policies are into line with the agreed climate goals.
• This includes extension to emissions from maritime transport, reduction of emissions allowances, implementation of the global carbon offsetting and reduction scheme for international aviation etc.

• Centre recently slashed windfall tax on crude oil to ₹4,100 per tonne from ₹6,400 per tonne.

About Windfall Tax

• A windfall is defined as an “unearned, unanticipated gain in income through no additional effort or expense”.
• It is a higher tax levied by the government on specific industries when they experience unexpected and above-average profits.
• It is imposed when the government notices a sudden increase in an industry’s revenue.
  • However, these revenues cannot be linked to anything the company actively pursued, such as its business strategy or expansion.
• Therefore, Windfall Tax is imposed on an industry’s profits when it experiences a sharp increase in revenue due to unrelated external events.
• There have been varying rationales for governments worldwide to introduce windfall taxes- from redistribution of unexpected gains when high prices benefit producers at the expense of consumers, to funding social welfare schemes, and as a supplementary revenue stream for the government.

• Maria Stepanova, a renowned Russian writer currently residing in Berlin, has been awarded the Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding in 2023.
• It was her volume of poetry, Girls Without Clothes, that earned her the prestigious Leipzig Book Prize.
• Stepanova, a Russian-Jewish poet, novelist, and journalist born in Moscow in 1972, has been a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin’s administration.

About the Leipzig Book Prize

• The Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding is a prestigious literary award that has been awarded annually since 1994.
• The prize aims to promote a greater understanding between European cultures by recognizing outstanding works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry that contribute to this goal.
• The prize is awarded as part of the Leipzig Book Fair in Germany and is presented in three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and translation.
• The winner in each category receives a cash prize and a bronze sculpture.

• It has crossed over 1 lakh beneficiary registrations.

About National SC-ST Hub

• It is set up to provide professional support to SC and ST Entrepreneurs to fulfill the obligations under the Public Procurement Policy for Micro and Small Enterprises Order 2012.
• Launched in 2016.
• Implementing Body- National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC), a public sector undertaking under the administrative control of the Ministry of MSME.
• Several special subsidy schemes/programmes have been approved under National SC/ST including Single Point Registration Scheme, Special Marketing Assistance Scheme etc.

• The picturesque Yol in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh has shed its tag as a cantonment town with the defence ministry effecting the change and making provisions for the merger of civil areas with the local municipality.
• The military area within the cantonment will be converted into a military station and the civil area will be merged with the municipality.
• The move will prove beneficial to all stakeholders and that civilians, who until now were not getting access to welfare schemes of the state government through the municipality, will now be able to avail them.

• Companies like Coca Cola and Pepsico, have stockpiled gum arabic due to Sudan conflict.

About Gum arabic

• Gum arabic is a natural gum originally consisting of the hardened sap of two species of the Acacia tree.
• The term “gum arabic” does not legally indicate a particular botanical source.
• The gum is harvested commercially from wild trees, mostly in Sudan (80%) and throughout the Sahel region, from Senegal to Somalia.
• Uses
  • It is soluble in water, edible, and used primarily in the food industry and soft-drink industry as a stabilizer (which helps bind together food and drink ingredients)
  • It is a key ingredient in traditional lithography and is used in printing, paints, glues, cosmetics, and various industrial applications, including viscosity control in inks and in textile industries.