• In a recent study, researchers explained the possibility of extra-terrestrial life on far-off exoplanets within a special region known as “terminator zone”.
• Terminator zone is a ring on planets that have one side that is always facing its star and one side that is always dark.
• Terminator is the dividing line between day and night sides of planet.
• It could exist in “just right” temperature zone between too hot and too cold.
• Terminator zone planet can retain liquid water.
• If the planet is mostly covered in water, then water facing the star would likely evaporate and cover entire planet in thick layer of vapour.
  • But if there’s land, this effect should not occur.

• In a pilot project, work to remove Vilayati Kikar (Prosopis juliflora) will start at Central Ridge in Delhi in order to restore its natural biodiversity.
• Vilayati Kikar is an invasive species first imported into India by British as an exotic and decorative species.
• Prosopis Juliflora is a shrub or small tree in the family Fabaceae.
• Also known as Vilayati Babool, it is native to Mexico, South America and the Caribbean.
• An important fuelwood in dry regions, it can survive hostile drought-like conditions.

Negative impact

• It causes stomach poisoning in livestock by inducing a permanent impairment of its ability to digest cellulose.
• It causes drying up of water bodies and ground water as it absorbs more than 4 litres of water to obtain one kg of biomass.
• It cannot even shelter birds as it produces less oxygen and more carbon dioxide.
• It causes land erosion due to the loss of the grasslands that are habitats for native plants and animals.

• Recently, the dead coral reefs were observed near Kurusadai (Tamil Nadu), one of the 21 uninhabited islands forming the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.
• The primary reason behind this loss is Kappaphycus alvarezii, a seaweed species deliberately introduced for commercial cultivation some two decades ago.

About Seaweeds:

• Seaweeds are group of many species of marine algae and plants that grow in water bodies such as rivers, seas and oceans.
• They vary in size, from microscopic to large underwater forests.
• Seaweed is found on the shores across the world, but is more commonly a staple in Asian countries.
• Seaweed has numerous benefits, including being a source of nutrition, containing anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial agents for medicinal purposes
• Contributing to economic growth through its use in manufacturing, acting as a bio indicator by absorbing excess nutrients and balancing out ecosystems.
• They trap excess iron and heavy metals and supplying oxygen and nutrients to other marine life forms.

Impact of Kappaphycus alvarezii Seaweed:

• The Kappaphycus alvarezii seaweed species has invaded six of the 21 islands of the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park in Tamil Nadu and has killed the corals near Kurusadai.
• Globally it has also caused considerable damage to Coconut Island in Hawaii, Cubagua Island in Venezuela, Zanzibar in Tanzania, and Almirante and Cristobal in Panama and Costa Rica.
• IUCN lists Kappaphycus alvarezii as one of the world’s 100 most invasive species.

• A new analysis of genetic data collected from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, has linked coronavirus to raccoon dogs.
• Laboratory experiments have shown that raccoon dogs are susceptible to and capable of transmitting the novel coronavirus.
  • But that does not mean that they are the natural reservoir for the virus.

About Raccoon Dogs

• They belong to the canid family and are closely related to foxes.
  • Ironically they are neither dogs nor raccoons.
• They are the only canids that hibernate during the winter.
• They are omnivores and eat rodents and berries and are monogamous, often living in pairs.
• Raccoon dogs are originally from East Asia and are commonly found in parts of China, Korea, and Japan, where they are known as tanuki.
  • They are also found in Europe, where they were first brought in by fur traders in the 1920s.
• Today, raccoon dogs are considered to be a threat to the local ecosystem in Europe and an EU report declared them “one of the most successful alien carnivores in Europe.”
  • However, in Japan, tanuki is revered.
• They are sold for meat and fur.
• Protection Status: Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

• Recently, Finland has installed world’s first sand battery that can store heat from renewable energy sources for months.
• Sand Battery is a high temperature thermal energy storage that uses sand or sand-like materials as its storage medium.
• It stores energy in sand as heat. Its main purpose is to work as a high-power and high-capacity reservoir for excess wind and solar energy.
• Energy is stored as heat, which can be used to heat homes, or to provide hot steam and high temperature process heat to industries that are often fossil-fuel dependent.

Working

1. Electricity is generated by wind turbines or solar panels.
2. Almost 30% power is used to power local infrastructure.
3. The remaining 70% is stored in sand battery heating the sand upto 1000 ^oC .
4. Stored energy can be used during lean (winter) season.

• While addressing Sagar Parikrama programme, Ministry stated that necessary changes to Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) will be made to enable traditional fishermen to buy trawlers or other boats for deep-sea fishing.
• This is due to difficulties they faced in purchase of deep-sea fishing vessels as per technical specification prescribed in PMMSY scheme.

About PMMSY

• PMMSY, launched in 2020 by Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, aims to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India.
• PMMSY is being implemented in all States and Union Territories for a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25.
• PMMSY is implemented as an umbrella scheme with two separate components namely Central Sector Scheme (100% central funding) and Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
• PMMSY targets to increase fish production to 22 million metric tons by 2024-25, reduce post-harvest losses from 20-25% to about 10% etc.
• Other initiatives to promote fisheries sector:
  • Fisheries & Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (FIDF), 2015;
  • Kisan Credit Cards for Fishermen (2018-19) etc.
  • Sagar Parikrama Program, launched under Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, aims to promote responsible fisheries and protect marine ecosystem.

• Inaugurating Global Millets (Shree Anna) Conference at Pusa, New Delhi, PM also launched a compendium of Indian Millet (Shri Anna) Start-ups and Book of millet (Shri Anna) standards.
• Also, Indian Institute of Millets Research of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) is declared as a Global Centre of Excellence.

About Millets

• Millets, also known as nutri-cereals, are a collective group of small, round seeded (coarse grains) annual grasses that are grown as cereal crops/grains for human food and as fodder.
• They are called superfoods for having nutrients like protein, Vitamin-A, Iron and Iodine, antioxidants, etc.
• Globally millets are grown in more than 100 countries and are traditional food for more than 500 million people.
• Millets are mainly grown on marginal land in dry areas of temperate, sub-tropical and tropical regions.
• India accounts for 80% of Asia’s production and 20% of global production.
• They require much less water than rice and wheat, and are mainly grown in rainfed areas.
• Initiatives to promote Millets
  • National Year of Millets celebrated in 2018.
  • Millets notified as nutri-cereals and included under POSHAN Mission Abhiyan.
  • United Nations General Assembly declared the year 2023 as International Year of Millets.

• Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh recently inaugurated the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL).
• It is the first cross-border energy pipeline between the two countries.

About IBFPL

• The entire pipeline is 131.5 km long.
• The pipeline runs from the Siliguri-based marketing terminal of the Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) to the Parbatipur depot of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC).
• Cost:
• The pipeline has been built at an estimated cost of Rs.377 crore. Bangladesh’s section of the pipeline cost Rs.285 crore.
• The construction of the project started in 2018 with the help of India’s grant funding.
• It will be used to supply diesel from India to Bangladesh.
• The pipeline will transport 1 million metric ton of high-speed diesel every year to seven districts of North Bangladesh.
• The fuel transport deal will be effective for 15 years with an option for further extension.

Significance–

• The operation of India- Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline will put in place a sustainable, reliable, cost-effective and environment friendly mode of transporting HSD (High-speed diesel) from India to Bangladesh and will further enhance cooperation in energy security between the two countries.

• NotOnMap H2O House, located in Chaminoo village of Chamba district, was awarded the “Gold Award” under the Outlook Indian Responsible Tourism Awards (IRTA)-2023 in the Sustainable Leadership Homestay category.
• H2O House is situated at the confluence of Sal and Hul nullahs about 12 km from the historical Chamba town.
• It is run in association with the local community members and self-help groups.

• In the final of the Irani Cup 2022/23, Team Rest of India secured their 30th title win in the Indian domestic tournament, continuing their dominant performance. They defeated Madhya Pradesh by 238 runs.
• The Irani Cup, named after the late Z. R. Irani, was introduced in 1959-60 and is a traditional five-day match played between the Ranji Trophy winners and a Rest of India team.
• It is considered one of the most prestigious domestic cricket tournaments in India.