• The Hastsal Minar a medieval tower is located in the Hastsal village in West Delhi’s Uttam Nagar.
• In 2018, the minar was accorded a Grade A status that is given to buildings of regional or local importance possessing special architectural or aesthetic merit, or cultural or historical significance.
• It is also called Mini Qutab Minar. Locals call it Hastsal Ki Laat and Kaushal Minar.
• The construction of the minar (or tower) was finished in 1634 during the reign of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
• The minar is 17 metres (five storeys) tall, standing on a square platform and with an octagonal body.

The structure’s domed arches and use of red Lakhori bricks is a clear marker of Mughal architecture.

• Chinese researchers have introduced a novel high-power microwave (HPM) weapon, powered by a Stirling engine, marking a significant advancement in directed-energy warfare.
• It utilizes four compact Stirling engines to convert thermal energy into mechanical energy, driving powerful HPM waves capable of neutralizing drones, military aircraft, and satellites.
• The weapon’s superconducting coil can generate a magnetic field up to four teslas, significantly reducing energy consumption compared to existing technologies.
  • The system can operate continuously for four hours, consuming only a fifth of the energy required by previous methods.
• HPM weapons are a type of Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) system.
  • These are electromagnetic systems capable of converting chemical or electrical energy to radiated energy and focusing it on a target, resulting in physical damage.
  • Directed-energy weapons, including lasers and HPMs, are considered the future of anti-drone and anti-satellite warfare.
• However, HPMs have faced challenges such as low efficiency and limited range.

ABOUT STIRLING ENGINE

• It is an external combustion engine working on the principle of compression and expansion to convert thermal energy into mechanical energy.

• A 19-year-old youth died after being hit by a bull during a bull race at Kalmane in Shikaripur taluk of Karnataka.
• The race was organised as part of Hori Habba.

ABOUT HORI HABBA

• It is also known as Hatti Habba.
• It is held during the harvest season.
• It is an ancient folk game and played on the lines of Jallikattu in Tamil Nadu and Kambala in Dakshina Kannada district.
• In Hori Habba competitions, held mostly in rural parts, trained and decorated draught cattle and bulls are forced into running through huge cheering crowds.
• Copra, cash and gifts are tied to these bovines and people try to catch them and snatch these items from them.

• India has secured the prestigious 9th GovTech Prize for its pioneering endeavors in AI-powered government services, at the World Government Summit 2024.
• India was awarded iRASTE, a transformative project under Ministry for Road Transport & Highways
• iRASTE, a collaborative initiative involving the government, industry, and academia, is revolutionizing road safety through the integration of AI technology.
  • By harnessing predictive insights generated by AI algorithms, iRASTE endeavors to prevent accidents before they occur, thus mitigating the risk of fatalities and injuries on Indian roads.
  • It aims at a targeted 50% reduction in road accidents anticipated in urban areas.
  • Additionally, iRASTE aims to significantly diminish black spots within the city’s road network, further enhancing safety and efficiency in transportation systems.

ABOUT THE AWARD

• The annual award is instituted by the government of the UAE and is presented to government entities, central or local, worldwide, to recognize creative and innovative solutions.
• India won under the category of ‘AI-Powered Government Services’.

• Prime Minister recently inaugurated Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu stone temple.
• The temple has been built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
• The UAE has three other Hindu temples that are located in Dubai.

ABOUT THE TEMPLE

• The BAPS temple is built on a 27-acre site in Abu Mreikhah, near Al Rahba off the Dubai-Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Highway, at a cost of around ₹700 crore.
• Constructed with 18 lakh bricks, seven lakh man hours and 1.8 lakh cubic metres of sandstone sourced directly from Rajasthan, Abu Dhabi’s first Hindu temple has been made in the Nagara style of architecture.
• Over 300 high-tech sensors have been installed at every level of the temple to measure temperature, pressure and movement (seismic activity).
• No metal has been used in the construction of the temple and fly ash has been used to fill up the foundation, replacing 55 per cent of cement in the concrete mix, reducing the carbon footprint of the temple.
• Heat-resistant nano tiles and heavy glass panels have been used considering the extreme temperatures in the UAE.
• The work for the structure has been going on since 2019.
• The land for the temple was donated by the UAE government.
• The BAPS temple, spread over a large area with stone architecture, will be the largest of all in the Gulf region.

• The pilot project titled ‘Smart Gram Panchayat: Revolution towards Digitization of Gram Panchayat’ was launched recently.
• It aims to extend PM-WANI (Prime Minister’s Wi-Fi Access Network Interface) Service in all Gram Panchayats across Begusarai District in Bihar.
  • Begusarai has now become the first District in Bihar to equip all Gram Panchayats with Wi-Fi services under the PM-WANI Scheme.

ABOUT PM-WANI SCHEME

• PM- WANI Scheme was launched by Department of Telecommunication in 2020.
• It aims to enhance proliferation of public WiFi hotspots to create robust digital communications infrastructure in country, especially in rural areas.
• The scheme encourages local shops and establishments to provide Wi-Fi for last-mile internet delivery which does not require a licence or charge a registration fee.
• PM-WANI ecosystem consists of four parts: Public Data Office (PDO), Public Data Office Aggregator (PDOA), App Provider, and Central Registry.
  • PDO establishes the Wi-Fi Hotspots and provides internet access to users.
  • PDOA provides authorisation and accounting services to PDOs.
  • The app provider displays the available hotspots in the phone’s proximity.
  • The central registry overseen by the Centre for Development of Telematics maintains details of App Providers, PDOs, and PDOAs.

• The pristine Gupteswar Forest, adjacent to Gupteswar Shiva temple in Odisha’s Koraput district has been declared as the fourth Biodiversity-Heritage Site (BHS) of the state.
  • The other three are Mandasaru BHS in Kandhamala district, Mahendragiri BHS in Gajpati district, and Gandhamardan BHS in Bargarh and Bolangir districts.
• The site is spread over 350 hectares of demarcated area.
• Along with its sacred grooves traditionally worshipped by the local community, the site is bestowed with a wide range of flora and fauna-
  • floral diversity includes 182 species of trees, 76 species of shrubs, 177 species of herbs, 69 species of climbers, 14 species of orchids and threatened medicinal plants like Indian trumpet tree, Indian snakeroot, Cumbi gum tree, Garlic pear tree, Chinese fever vine, Rohituka tree, Jodpakli, Indian jointfir, a number of wild crop relatives of ginger and turmeric.
  • faunal species found here include mugger crocodile, kanger valley rock gecko, sacred Grove Bush Frog, and avifauna like black baza, Jerdon’s baza, Malaber trogon, common hill myna, white-bellied woodpecker, and banded bay cuckoo

WHAT ARE BIODIVERSITY-HERITAGE SITES?

• The ‘Biodiversity Heritage Sites’ (BHS) are unique ecosystems having rich biodiversity comprising of any one or more of the following components-
  • Richness of wild as well as domesticated species or intra-specific categories.
  • High endemism.
  • Presence of rare and threatened species, keystone species, species of evolutionary significance.
  • Wild ancestors of domestic/cultivated species or their varieties.
  • Past pre-eminence of biological components represented by fossil beds and having significant cultural, ethical or aesthetic values and are important for the maintenance of cultural diversity, with or without a long history of human association with them.
• Under Section-37 of Biological Diversity Act, 2002 the State Government in consultation with local bodies may notify areas of biodiversity importance as Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS).
• Creation of BHS may not put any restriction on prevailing practices and usages by local communities, other than those decided by them.

• Reigning marathon world record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana was killed in a road accident in Kenya.
• The 24-year-old set the world record at the Chicago Marathon in October with a time of two hours and 35 seconds to surpass the mark of 2:01:09 run by compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin in 2022.

Kiptum started his international career on the half-marathon circuit in 2019.

• Dubai has recently inked agreements to launch the world’s first air taxi service.
• At the heart of the initiative lies the Joby Aviation S4, an innovative aircraft designed to comfortably accommodate four passengers along with a pilot.
• Sporting six propellers and powered by four battery packs, the S4 boasts a maximum range of 161 km and a top speed of 321 km per hour.
• Its Vertical take-off and landing capabilities render it ideal for urban settings, minimizing the space requirements typical of conventional stations and reducing noise pollution compared to helicopters.
• The electric-powered aircraft can be swiftly recharged between flights.
• Leveraging cutting-edge technology, these aerial vehicles aim to seamlessly integrate into Dubai’s urban landscape, offering swift and eco-friendly transportation solutions.
• The air-taxi network will commence its operations in 2026.

• Alaska health officials have confirmed the first death from a recently discovered viral disease – Alaskapox.
• The double-stranded-DNA virus comes from the same genus as smallpox, monkeypox and cowpox.
• It was first identified in an adult in Fairbanks, Alaska in 2015.
• It is most common in small mammals.
• To date, no human-to-human transmission of Alaskapox virus has been documented.
• Symptoms of Alaskapox may include one or more skin lesions (bumps or pustules) and other symptoms like swollen lymph nodes and joint and/or muscle pain.
• Immunocompromised people might be at increased risk for more severe illness.