The driest place in North America has been home to a lake for 6 months

About Badwater Basin:

• It is endorheic in nature meaning water flows into it but not out, typically resulting in rapid evaporation and ephemeral lakes.
• It is the lowest point in North America at 282 ft (86 m) below sea level. 
• However, increased precipitation over the past six months has disrupted this pattern.
• It is nestled within the Death Valley in North America.
• Manly Lake was formed in August 2023 after Hurricane Hilary.
• While the lake initially shrank as expected, it surprisingly persisted through the fall and winter months.
• Its resurgence came in February 2024, when a powerful atmospheric river replenished its waters.
• Death Valley’s average annual rainfall of only 51 millimetres, received a remarkable 125 mm in the last six months.

Key facts about Death Valley

• It is located in southeastern California in the United States.
• It lies near the undefined border between the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert.
• Most rainfall is blocked by the mountains to the west, so Death Valley is extremely arid.
• It is the lowest, hottest, and driest portion of North America, noted for its extremes of temperature and aridity.

Earth’s early evolution: Fresh insights from rocks formed 3.5 billion years ago

About Singhbhum Craton:

• It is a vast swathe of rocky land that stretches mainly across parts of Jharkhand and Odisha, between the Chhota Nagpur plateau and the Eastern Ghats.
• This ancient part of the Earth’s crust has been found in previous research to date back to 3.5 billion years ago.
• The craton’s oldest rock assemblages are largely volcanic and sedimentary rocks also known as greenstone successions.
• Greenstones are rock assemblages made up mostly of submarine volcanic rocks with minor sedimentary rocks.
• The geology of this area shares stark similarities with the greenstone belts documented in South Africa’s Barberton and Nondweni areas and the Pilbara Craton in Western Australia.
• All these areas experienced widespread submarine mafic— meaning high in magnesium oxide — volcanic eruptions between 3.5 and 3.3 billion years ago, preserved as pillowed lava and komatiites.
• Significance
• They offer a clearer picture of Earth’s early tectonic activities during the Archaean times, contributing to our understanding of the planet’s formative years.
• The Singhbhum Craton’s unique geological features, including its greenstone belts, provide invaluable information about Earth’s surface and atmospheric processes.
• This is crucial for hypothesising early habitable conditions and the emergence of life on Earth.

What are Cratons?

• Cratons are the oldest and most stable parts of the Earth''s crust, acting as the bedrock of continents.
• These are pieces of ancient continents that formed billions of years ago.
• Studying them offers a window into how processes within and on the surface of Earth operated in the past.
• They host a variety of different groups of rocks, including greenstones and granites.

Ministry launches 4 new media-related portals to streamline services

About NaViGate Bharat Portal:

• The ‘National Video Gateway of Bharat (NaViGate Bharat) is developed by the New Media Wing of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• It is a unified bilingual platform which hosts videos on the entire gamut of Government’s development-related and citizen welfare-oriented measures.
• It empowers citizens by providing a single platform with an interactive user interface to search, stream, share, and download videos related to various Government schemes, initiatives, and campaigns, with a filter-based advanced search option.
• The portal eliminates the hassle of searching for official and reliable information from multiple sources, providing a one-stop platform for media and the general public.

Key facts about Press Sewa Portal

• It is developed under the Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 (PRP Act, 2023) by the Press Registrar General of India (PRGI - erstwhile RNI).
• This portal aims to simplify the cumbersome registration procedures that were prevalent under the colonial PRB Act, 1867.
• Key features
• Online Application: Publishers can file applications for title registration online, using Aadhar-based e-signatures.
• Probability Metre: Indicates the likelihood of title availability.
• Real-time Tracking of application status: Accessible through an intuitively designed dashboard.
• Dedicated DM Module: Enables District Magistrates to manage applications received from publishers in a centralised dashboard.

Other portals:

• National Register for Local Cable Operators (LCOs):
• It is the first step to bring registration of LCOs currently with Post Offices spread across the country under a Centralised Registration System.
• A web form has been designed to collect information from local cable operators for the purpose of the National Register.
• Central Bureau of Communication (CBC):
• It is a vital unit within the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, established on December 8, 2017, through the amalgamation of the erstwhile Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP), Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP), and Song & Drama Division (S&DD).

First-ever nesting report of incredibly rare giant softshell turtle

About Cantor''s Giant Softshell Turtle:

• It is also known as the Asian giant softshell turtleand the frog-faced softshell turtle.
• It is a species known for its rarity and secretive nature.
• It spends most of its life buried and motionless, with only its eyes and mouth protruding from the sand.
• It surfaces only twice a day to take a breath and capture its prey by sit-and-wait strategy using an element of surprise.
• These turtles are primarily carnivores (piscivores) feeding on fish, crustaceans, and molluscs.
• Distribution: It is found in eastern and southern India, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, eastern and southern China.
• Habitat: They inhabit inland, slow-moving, freshwater rivers, lakes, streams, and estuaries.
• Conservation status
• IUCN: Critically endangered
• CITES: Appendix II
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
• Threats: Habitat destruction has made it disappear from much of its environment. They are also heavily harvested by locals for meat.

How Rani Chennamma’s revolt against the British inspired a national campaign for women’s rights

About Rani Chennamma:

• Chennamma was born in Kakati, a small village in today’s Belagavi district of Karnataka.
• She became queen of Kittur (now in Karnataka) when she married Raja Mallasarja of the Desai family.
• After Mallasarja’s death in 1816, his eldest son, Shivalingarudra Sarja, ascended the throne.
• Before his death in 1824, Shivalingarudra adopted a child, Shivalingappa, as the successor.
• However, the British East India Company refused to recognise Shivalingappa as the successor of the kingdom under the ‘doctrine of lapse’.
• Key facts about the Kittur Rebellion
• John Thackery, the British official at Dharwad, launched an attack on Kittur in October 1824.
• In this first battle British forces lost heavily and the Collector and political agent, St. John Thackeray was killed by the Kittur forces. 
• Two British officers, Sir Walter Elliot and Mr. Stevenson, were also taken as hostages. 
• However, the British army again attacked the Kittur Fort and captured it.
• Rani Chennamma and her family were imprisoned and jailed at the fort in Bailhongal, where she died in 1829.

What was the doctrine of Lapse?

• Under the doctrine of Lapse, any princely state without a natural heir would collapse and would be annexed by the Company.
• The princely state of Kittur was taken over by the British East India Company in 1824 by imposing the ''doctrine of lapse'', even before it was officially articulated by Lord Dalhousie, Governor General for the British East India Company, between 1848 and 1856.

Trilateral Coast Guard Exercise ''Dosti 16'' Kicks Off in Maldives Amid Security Concerns

About Exercise Dosti:

• It is a trilateral coast guard exercise between India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives.
• It is a biennial exercise.
• It was first conducted in 1991 between the Indian and Maldives Coast Guards. Sri Lanka joined the exercise for the first time in 2012.
• The exercises have focused on exercises and drills on providing assistance in sea accidents, eliminating sea pollution, and the Coast Guard’s procedures and conduct during situations such as oil spills.
• The aim of the exercise is to further fortify the friendship, enhance mutual operational capability, exercise interoperability and build cooperation between the Coast Guards of India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. 
• Dosti 16:
• It is the 16th edition of the exercise.
• The Coast Guards of the Maldives, India, and Sri Lanka, along with observers from Bangladesh, are participating in Dosti 16 to enhance collaboration between the forces.
• India is sending ICGS Samarth, ICGS Abhinav, and ICG Dornier for the exercise.

Cabinet Committee on Security approves ₹19,000 crore mega Navy deal for BrahMos missiles

What are Cabinet Committees?

• Cabinet Committees are extra-constitutional, meaning, they are not mentioned in the Indian Constitution. 
• They are partly designed to reduce the burden on the Union Cabinet by allowing smaller groups of ministers to make decisions on specific policy areas. 
• They are constituted or reconstituted when a new government takes over or the Cabinet undergoes a reshuffle.
• The Prime Minister constitutes the Standing Committees of the Cabinet and sets out the specific functions assigned to them.
• The composition of cabinet committees in India can range from three to eight members, which typically consist of only Cabinet Ministers.
• However, non-cabinet ministers may also be appointed as members.
• All cabinet committees are chaired by the prime minister or a senior cabinet minister and will have a number of cabinet ministers as members. However, if the Prime Minister is a committee member, he will be the head of the committee.
• There are a total of eight cabinet committees, which are listed below:
• Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
• Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Investment and Growth.
• Cabinet Committee on Security.
• Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
• Cabinet Committee on Employment and Skill Development.
• Cabinet Committee on Accommodation.
• Appointments Committee of the Cabinet

• Presently, all committees except the Cabinet Committee on Accommodation and the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs are headed by the Prime Minister.

About Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS):

• CCS is headed by the Prime Minister.
• The Committee discusses, debates, and is the apex body when it comes to the appointments of the officials in the national security bodies.
• It also makes all the important decisions on defence policy and expenditure and, generally, all matters of India’s security.
• Members:
• Prime Minister of India
• Union Minister of Defence
• Union Minister of Home Affairs
• Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs
• Union Minister of External Affairs
• Functions:
• The CCS deals with all the issues related to the defence and security of India.
• The CCS deals with all issues related to the law and order of our country and national security.
• It discusses different initiatives to take to enhance the national security of India.
• It also deals with policy matters of foreign affairs which may have a bearing on internal or external security implications, including cases relating to agreements with other countries on security-related issues.
• The Committee discusses the political issues which can impact the security of our nation.
• It reviews the conditions and the manpower of the national security bodies and makes the required changes to increase national security.
• The CCS considers each case that involves a capital expenditure of more than Rs 1,000 crore in respect of the Department of Defence Production and Department of Defence Research and Development.
• It also deals with every issue related to atomic energy and also considers cases of an increase in the firmed-up cost estimates or revised cost estimates.

Putin Boards Russian Nuclear Bomber; Inspects Cockpit As Moscow Upgrades TU-160M Bombers

About Tupolev Tu-160M:

• The Tu-160M, is a modernised version of a Cold War-era bomber that the former Soviet Union would have deployed in the event of nuclear war to deliver weapons at long distances.
• It is a Russian supersonic variable-sweep wing strategic missile-carrying bomber.
• It is called "White Swan” in Russia and is code-named “Blackjacks” by NATO.
• Russia claims it is the world’s fastest-flying supersonic and heaviest payload-carrying bomber.
• It is designed to hit targets in remote areas with nuclear and conventional weapons.
• Features:
• The Tu-160M, which has a crew of four, is capable of carrying 12 cruise missiles or 12 short-range nuclear missiles.
• It can fly 12,000 km (7,500 miles) non-stop, without refuelling.
• It is powered by four afterburning turbofan engines.
• It has a maximum speed of 2,220 kilometres per hour and ascends to heights of 16,000 metres. 
• It showcases features like an innovative navigation system, an upgraded radar, and even a refuelling probe for in-flight refuelling, which further extends its range.

Badami Chalukya temples, writing found in Nalgonda

About the Chalukya dynasty:

• The Chalukyas ruled over the central Indian plateau of the Deccan between the sixth and twelfth centuries.
• During that period, they ruled as three closely related but individual dynasties.
• The Chalukyas of Badami, who ruled between the sixth and the eighth centuries, and the two sibling dynasties of the Chalukyas of Kalyani, or the Western Chalukyas, and the Chalukyas of Vengi, or the Eastern Chalukyas.

Key Facts about Badami Chalukyas

• Origin:
• Pulakesi I established the Chalukya dynasty in 550.
• Pulakesi I took Vatapi (Badami in Bagalkot district, Karnataka) under his control and made it his capital.
• Historians refer to Pulakesi I and his descendants as the Chalukyas of Badami.
• They ruled over an empire that comprised the entire state of Karnataka and most of Andhra Pradesh in the Deccan.
• Pulakesi II had been perhaps the greatest emperor of the Badami Chalukyas.
• Pulakesi II extended the Chalukya Empire up to the northern extents of the Pallava kingdom and halted the southward march of Harsha by defeating him on the banks of the river Narmada. 
• He then defeated the Vishnukundins in the southeastern Deccan.
• Pallava Narasimhavarman reversed that victory by attacking and occupying the Chalukya capital, Vatapi (Badami).
• Hiuen-Tsiang, a Chinese traveller, had visited the court of Pulakesi II.
• Later, Persian emperor Khosrau II exchanged ambassadors with Pulakesi II.
• The Badami Chalukya dynasty went into a brief decline following the death of Pulakesi II due to internal feuds.
• It recovered during the reign of Vikramaditya I, who succeeded in pushing the Pallavas out of Badami and restoring order to the empire. 
• The empire reached its peak during the rule of the illustrious Vikramaditya II, who defeated Pallava Nandivarman II and captured Kanchipuram. 
• The Rashtrakuta Dantidurga overthrew the last Badami Chalukya king, Kirtivarman I, in 753.
• At their peak, they ruled a vast empire stretching from the Kaveri to the Narmada.
• Art and Architecture:
• It saw the evolution and proliferation of a new style of architecture known as Vesara, a combination of the South Indian and the North Indian building styles. 
• The rock-cut temples of Pattadakal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Badami, and Aihole constitute their most celebrated monuments.
• Government:
• The army consisted of infantry, cavalry, elephant corps, and a powerful navy.
• Hiuen-Tsiang mentions that the Chalukya army had hundreds of elephants intoxicated with liquor prior to the battle.
• Rashtrakuta inscriptions use the term Karnatabalato refer to their powerful armies.
• The government levied taxes called Herjunka, Kirukula, Bilkode, and Pannaya.
• The empire was divided into Maharashtrakas(provinces), then into smaller Rashtrakutas (Mandala), Vishaya (district), and Bhoga (group of ten villages).
• Many autonomous regions existed, ruled by feudatories like Alupas, Gangas, Banas, and Sendrakas.
• Local assemblies looked after local issues.
• Groups of mahajanas(learned brahmins) looked after agraharas (like Ghatika, a place of higher learning), like the ones at Badami (2000 mahajans) and Aihole (500 mahajanas).
• Coinage:
• The Badami Chalukyas minted coins of a different standard compared to the northern kingdoms.
• The coins had Nagari and Kannada legends. They minted coins with symbols of temples, lion or boar facing right, and the lotus.
• Religion:
• They initially followed Vedic Hinduism.
• Later, from the time of Vikramaditya I, the people took an inclination towards Shaivism, and sects like Pashupata, Kapalikas, and Kalamukhas existed.
• They actively encouraged Jainism, as attested to by one of the Badami cave temples and other Jain temples in the Aihole complex.