• The European Union has launched ‘Mission Aspides’, a naval mission to protect cargo ships in the Red Sea from attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
• The naval mission will send European warships and airborne early warning systems to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters.
• The operational command centre will be in the Greek city of Larissa.
• Aspides vessels will have orders to fire on the Houthis only if they attack first and will not be authorised to shoot pre-emptively.

• International Mother Language Day is observed on 21^st February, every year.
• On February 21, 1952, four students got killed as they started the movement to make Bengali as the official language in Bangladesh.
  • The day was first proposed in Bangladesh in 1952.
• In 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) designated International Mother Language Day.
• The theme for International Mother Language Day 2024 is “Multilingual education – a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning.”

• To address the staunch curiosity of young minds, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is organising a special programme for School Children called “Young Scientist Programme” or “YUva VIgyani KAryakram” (YUVIKA).
• ISRO has chalked out this programme to “Catch them young”.
• YUVIKA programme is also expected to encourage more students to pursue in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based research and aligned career.
• Young Scientist Programme – YUVIKA was conceived to impart basic knowledge on Space Science, Space Technology and Space Applications to the younger students with a preference to rural areas of the country.
• The programme envisages two weeks’ class room training, practical demonstration of experiments, hands on CANSAT, Robotic kit, Model rocketry interactions with ISRO scientists and field visits.
• The programme was conducted successfully in 2019, 2022 and 2023.
• The students were divided into five batches based on the geographical locations and imparted training at various institutions like Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), U R Rao Satellite Centre, Space Applications Centre etc.
• More than 25 lakhs students had registered for YUVIKA – 2023 from all corners of India.
• The students are selected from all states and union territories based on marks scored in their last examination, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities.
• The course covers class room lectures, hands on activity like robotics challenge, DIY assembly of rocket/satellite, sky gazing, etc., technical facility visits, and interaction with space scientists.
• Students studying in Class 9 as on January 1, 2024, within India are eligible to apply for the ISRO Young Scientist Programme (YUVIKA).

• The Tamil Nadu government banned the sale and production of cotton candy in the state after it was found that the chemical Rhodamine-B was being used for making it, which is harmful for health.
• Samples of cotton candy were sent for testing by the food safety department, which found the presence of ‘cancer-causing’ Rhodamine-B in it.
• As per the Food Safety Standards Act, 2006, preparation, packaging, importing, selling and serving food items with Rhodamine-B in wedding ceremonies and other public events is a punishable offence.

ABOUT RHODAMINE-B

• Rhodamine-B or RhB is a water-soluble chemical compound commonly used for dyeing in the textile, paper, leather, and paints industry as a colouring agent that helps in attaining the red and pink spectrum.
• Although in powdered form the chemical is green in colour, upon being added to water, it turns pink.
• According to studies, even if consumed in small quantities, the chemical is highly toxic and carcinogenic.
• If consumed regularly, Rhodamine-B can cause severe damage to the cerebellum tissue in the brain and to the brainstem that connects the brain to the spinal cord.
• It can also lead to cancer and tumour over time.

• Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) is making efforts to get the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to declare the annual ‘Paruveta’ (mock hunting festival), celebrated at the Sri Narasimha Swamy temple in Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh, as an ‘intangible cultural heritage’.
• The matter of UNESCO’s recognition of the centuries-old festival is currently being reviewed by Sangeet Natak Academy, the nodal agency.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

• According to folklore, Lord Vishnu, upon his incarnation as a man-lion (Narasimha) in Ahobilam, married Maha Lakshmi, born as a tribal girl Chenchulakshmi.
• The Kurnool District Gazetteers, published by Government Press in 1881, records several beliefs of the Chenchu tribes, including their reverence to Ahobila Narasimha as their brother-in-law and inviting Him home for Makara Sankranti.
• This festival stands as a symbol of communal harmony where the deity from the temple’s sanctum sanctorum is taken to the 32 Chenchu tribal hamlets around Ahobilam for 40 days.
  • While Paruveta is commonly observed in many temples during Vijayadasami or Sankranti, it is only here that it is conducted for a ‘mandala’ (forty days).
• Chenchus take ‘Narasimha Deeksha’ by wearing yellow robes and ‘Tulasi Mala’ and observe celibacy during this period.

ABOUT

• The intangible cultural heritages are those traditions, festivals, and skills inherited from ancestors and passed on through generations.

LIST OF 15 INDIAN ELEMENTS –

• The tradition of Vedic chanting
• Ramlila, the traditional performance of the Ramayana
• Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre
• Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas, India
• Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala
• Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan
• Chhau dance
• Buddhist chanting of Ladakh: recitation of sacred Buddhist texts in the trans-Himalayan Ladakh region, Jammu and Kashmir, India
• Sankirtana, ritual singing, drumming, and dancing of Manipur
• Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India
• Yoga
• Nawrouz, Novruz
• Kumbh Mela
• Durga Puja of Kolkata
• Garba of Gujarat

• The GSLV-F14 carrying INSAT-3D meteorological satellite was successfully launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
• The GSLV-F14 deployed the INSAT-3DS into the intended geosynchronous transfer orbit.
• Subsequent orbit-raising maneuvers will be performed to position the satellite in a geo-stationary orbit.
• The satellite is an exclusive mission designed for enhanced meteorological observations, monitoring of land and ocean surfaces for weather forecasting, and disaster warning.
• The INSAT-3DS satellite is a follow-on mission of the third generation meteorological satellite from geostationary orbit.
• The INSAT-3DS satellite will augment meteorological services along with the presently operational INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR in-orbit satellites.
• The primary objectives of the mission are to-
  • monitor Earth’s surface,
  • carry out oceanic observations and its environment in various spectral channels of meteorological importance,
  • provide the vertical profile of various meteorological parameters of the atmosphere,
  • provide data collection and dissemination capabilities from data collection platforms, and
  • provide satellite-aided search and rescue services.
• Boost to NASA-ISRO mission-
  • The success of the GSLV-F14/INSAT-3DS mission is a big boost for ISRO ahead of the launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite, which is scheduled in the coming months.
  • The NISAR will be launched by the GSLV Mark-II launch vehicle.
  • GSLV is a three-stage launch vehicle having a liftoff mass of 420 tonnes.
    • First stage comprises a solid propellant motor.
    • Second stage comprises earth-storable propellants.
    • Third stage is a cryogenic stage.

• The Home Minister recently paid tribute to freedom fighter Vasudev Balwant Phadke on his death anniversary.

ABOUT VASUDEV BALWANT PHADKE

• Born on November 4, 1845 in Shirdon (dist. Thane), his family hailed from Kelshi, a hamlet in Konkan.
• In 1862, he was amongst the early graduates of Bombay University.
• Also called the modern India’s first revolutionary, he is regarded as the “Father of the Armed Struggle for India’s Freedom”.
• Young Phadke, who considered Shivaji as his role model, is said to have been the inspiration for Bankimchandra’s Anandamath.
• Phadke took a vow to use Khadi and Swadeshi.
• He founded the Aikyavardhini Sabha in order to ventilate popular grievances.
• In 1874, he also established the first school of national education in Pune.
• He was arrested in July 1879.
• The trial in Pune court awarded him transportation for life sentence.
• In prison he was detected with tuberculosis and died on February 17, 1883 in Aden.

• Online travel agency com has revealed the list of Most Welcoming Regions and Cities in India according to its 12th Annual Traveller Review Awards 2024.
• According to the ranking, Himachal Pradesh secured the top spot, jumping from 5th place in 2023, in the category of the ‘Most Welcoming Region in India.’
  • On the second rank is Goa followed by Kerala, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand.
• Kerala’s Mararikulam which is known for its serene backwaters, coconut trees, peaceful beaches coupled with excellent hospitality has been ranked as number 1 in the ‘Most Welcoming Indian cities list.
  • Rajasthan’s desert city of Jaisalmer is at second spot.

• Dabbling in Diplomacy: Authorised & Otherwise, Recollections of a Non-Career Diplomat, written by Professor S.D. Muni was released recently.
• Professor Muni’s book details the role of diplomacy during the Vajpayee government, and the subsequent Manmohan Singh government, in bringing democracy to our neighbouring country, Nepal.

• India is set to launch its first Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) in Uttarakhand.
• The HEMS will be stationed at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Rishikesh and will be able to airlift accident victims within a radius of 150 km to the medical facility.
• The HEMS is part of the government’s initiative to expand medical outreach and trauma care services using helicopters.
• This service aims to provide timely transportation for accident victims and patients from hilly terrains to AIIMS, ensuring they receive critical care during the ‘golden hour’ after an accident.