ANSWER: C

ANSWER: B

ANSWER: C

ANSWER: B

• Tamil Nadu Forest department recently commenced a 3-day long elephant census at Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, after a gap of 6 years.
• The enumeration exercise will be conducted in all 10 forest ranges of Sathyamangalam, Vilamundy, Bhavanisagar, Hassanure, Geermalam, Thalavadi, Gettavadi, Jeerahalli, Kadambur and Thooka Naicken Palayam.

ABOUT SATHYAMANGALAM TIGER RESERVE

• It is located in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, in the Erode district of Tamil Nadu.
• It was declared a tiger reserve in 2013 and covers an area of 1,411 square km.
• The reserve is situated at the confluence of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, making it a unique ecological zone.
• Its area is contiguous with the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) and BR Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary (Karnataka).
• Together, these reserves — forming the Nilgiris biosphere landscape — have the biggest tiger population in the world, at over 280 tigers.
• The region is also a part of Nilgiri-Eastern Ghats Elephant Reserve.
• The Sathyamangalam forest is crisscrossed by several streams and rivers, including the Moyar River (an important tributary of the Cauvery River).
• Flora- It consists of southern tropical dry thorn forests, mixed deciduous forests, semi-evergreen forests, and Riparian forests.
  • Trees like Neem, Tamarind, Sandalwood, Randi dumetorum, Zizyphus are found.
• Fauna- Elephant, Tiger, Panther, Sloth bear, Gaur, Black Buck, Spotted deer, Wild boar, Black napped hare, Common langur, Nilgiri langur, Striped neck mongoose and Bonnet macaque.

ANSWER: C

• National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently conducted a nationwide operation called ‘Operation Dhvast’ targeting the interconnected network of terrorists, gangsters, and drug smugglers.
• It was aimed at breaking the terror nexus of terrorists, and other notorious gangsters involved in targeted killings, terror funding of pro-Khalistan outfits, and extortion, and smuggling of drugs and weapons.
• Collaborating with the police in Punjab and Haryana, the NIA carried out raids at 129 locations across multiple states.

About National Investigation Agency

• The NIA is a federal agency established in 2009 by the Indian government to investigate and prosecute crimes related to terrorism, insurgency, and national security.
• It was constituted under the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Act, 2008 with headquarters at New Delhi.
  • It was formed in response to the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
• It operates under the Ministry of Home Affairs and has jurisdiction over matters that affect the entire country.
• The law under which the agency operates extends to the whole of India and also applies to Indian citizens outside the country.
• The agency was further empowered by the National Investigation Agency (Amendment) Act, 2019.
• The NIA is authorized to take over terrorism-related cases from state police forces and other agencies, and it can investigate cases across state boundaries without requiring prior permission from state governments.
• Functions include collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence on terrorism and national security, coordinating with law enforcement agencies within and outside India, and prosecuting cases before the NIA Special Court.
• It seeks the sanction of the Central government for prosecuting accused individuals under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and other scheduled offenses like Explosive Substances Act, Atomic Energy Act, Anti-Hijacking Act

ANSWER: B

• Russia and Iran have signed a deal to build an Iranian railway line, the Rasht-Astara railway as part of International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
• It is intended to connect India, Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan and other countries via railways and sea – forming a route that can rival the Suez Canal as a major global trade route.

ABOUT RASHT ASTRA RAILWAY

• It is a 162km railway that will connect the city of Rasht (Iran) near the Caspian Sea, to Astara (Azerbaijan) on the border with Azerbaijan.
• Transportation along the new corridor will substantially cut travel times and costs and help develop new logistics chains.
• It would help to connect Russian ports on the Baltic Sea with Iranian ports in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf.
• It is an important and strategic step in the direction of cooperation between Tehran and Moscow.

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL NORTH–SOUTH TRANSPORT CORRIDOR

• It is a 7,200-kilometer multi-modal transportation route linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran and onward to northern Europe via St. Petersburg in Russia.
• It was launched in September 2000 in St. Petersburg, by Iran, Russia and India for the purpose of promoting transportation cooperation among the Member States.
• Since then, INSTC membership has expanded to include 10 more countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Syria, Belarus, and Oman.
  • Bulgaria has been included as an observer state. The Baltic countries like Latvia and Estonia have also expressed willingness to join.

ANSWER: C

• World Bee Day is annually held on May 20^th to increase understanding and recognition of the vital role bees and other pollinators play in our ecosystem.
• United Nations introduced World Bee Day in 2017 to bring focus to the essential role played by bees and other pollinators in our ecosystems.
• May 20^th was selected as the date to honor the birthday of Anton Janša, a Slovenian beekeeping pioneer and renowned bee expert.
• The theme for World Bee Day 2023 is “Engaging in Pollinator-Friendly Agricultural Production.”

ANSWER: C

• A 5,000-year-old tree in Chile has been officially recognized as the world’s oldest.
• It is a Patagonian cypress, also known as Fitzroya cupressoides.
• It is located in the Alerce Costero National Park and is nicknamed “Great Grandfather.”
• It is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,500 years old, making it the oldest living organism on Earth.
• The Great Grandfather tree is a massive specimen, measuring 28 meters tall and 4 meters (13 Feet) in diameter.
• It is believed to have survived several major climate changes over the centuries, including the Little Ice Age.

ANSWER: D

• Recently, Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Group, was bestowed with Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur award for his remarkable contributions in strengthening the trade relationship between India and France.
• National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur) is France’s highest civilian award.
• The Legion of Honour consists of five classes, representing descending ranks: Grand Cross, Grand Officer, Commander, Officer, and Knight, or chevalier.
• The Chevalier de la Legion d’honneur was established by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802.

ANSWER: A

• Manoj Soni was recently sworn in as the chairman of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
• He had joined the Commission as the member on June 28, 2017, has been performing the duties of the UPSC chairman since April 5, 2022.
• Prior to his appointment in the UPSC, he has served three terms as Vice-Chancellor in universities in Gujarat.

ANSWER: B

• The state’s first Education Web-3 Metaverse event was organised at Government Senior Secondary School, Kaloh, in Una district wherein students from 15 nearby schools were given a hands-on experience of the technology used in virtual reality (VR).
• The event was held under the aegis of the district administration and two technical agencies — Cruise Fare and ICP India Hub.
• Metaverse, a vision of the computer industry, will be the next iteration of the Internet, which will be single, shared, immersive and have a 3D virtual space.
• The technology requires interfacing different hardware, including computer, Internet, augmented reality (AR) glasses, virtual reality (VR) headset, gloves and wristbands.