231 stolen antiquities returned to India in last 9 years

Antiquity

• The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, implemented on April 1, 1976, defined “antiquity” as “any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship; any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave; any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages; any article, object or thing of historical interest” that “has been in existence for not less than one hundred years.”
• For “manuscript, record or other document which is of scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic value”, this duration is “not less than seventy-five years.”

Indian laws

• In India, Item-67 of the Union List, Item-12 of the State List, and Item-40 of the Concurrent List of the Constitution deal with the country’s heritage.
• Before Independence, an Antiquities (Export Control) Act had been passed in April 1947 to ensure that “no antiquity could be exported without license.” In 1958, The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act was enacted.
• Then in 1971, Parliament saw an uproar over the theft of a bronze idol from Chamba and some important sandstone idols from other places.
• This, along with the UNESCO convention, prompted the government to enact The Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972 (AATA), implemented from April 1, 1976.
• The AATA states-
  • It shall not be lawful for any person, other than the Central Government or any authority or agency authorised by the Central Government in this behalf, to export any antiquity or art treasure.
  • No person shall, himself or by any other person on his behalf, carry on the business of selling or offering to sell any antiquity except under and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a licence.”
• This licence is granted by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). After the AATA was implemented, the Centre asked traders in antiquities and art objects to declare their possessions of antiquities by June 5, 1976, and individual owners by July 5, 1976.

Quad leaders to meet tomorrow in Hiroshima, White House confirms

• The Quad leaders unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism.
• They also released the ORAN Security Report to support industry investment in open, interoperable and secure telecom platforms. Quad Investors’ Network has been launched as a private sector-led platform to facilitate investments in strategic technologies.

Quad

• Known as the ''Quadrilateral Security Dialogue'' (QSD), the Quad is an informal strategic forum comprising four nations, namely -- United States of America (USA), India, Australia and Japan. One of the primary objectives of the Quad is to work for a

  free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.

• The group met for the first time in 2007 on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). It is considered an alliance of maritime democracies, and the forum is maintained by meetings, semi-regular summits, information exchanges and military drills of all the member countries.

Formation of QUAD

• Since its establishment in 2007, the representatives for the four-member nations have met periodically**. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the first to pitch the idea for the formation of Quad in 2007.**
• In fact, its origins can be traced back to the evolution of Exercise Malabar and the 2004 Tsunami when India conducted relief and rescue operations for itself and neighbouring countries and was later joined by the US, Japan and Australia. Therefore, China issued formal diplomatic protests to the members of the Quad.

Principles of Quad

• The motive behind the Quad is to keep the strategic sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any military or political influence.
• It is basically seen as a strategic grouping to reduce Chinese domination. The core objective of the Quad is to secure a rules-based global order, freedom of navigation and a liberal trading system. The coalition also aims to offer alternative debt financing for nations in the Indo-Pacific region.

INSV Tarini to Return to Indian Shores After 17000NM Voyage

• INSV Tarini is returning home after successfully completing the 17000-nautical miles trans-ocean inter-continental voyage in seven months.
• The ‘flag in’ event will showcase the exemplary valour, courage and perseverance of the crew, especially the two women officers, who participated in the entire expedition. The two women officers undertook the voyage from Goa to Rio de Janerio via Cape Town and back, spanning over 188 days of sailing on the vessel.
• The current sailing expedition of INSV Tarini is part of the run-up towards the Navy''s next big project to send a woman to circumnavigate the globe solo.
• The officers that participated in this expedition were shortlisted from volunteers after rigorous selection at the Ocean Sailing Node (OSN).
  • Ocean Sailing Node was established on 24 Aug 2016 with the aim of promoting and undertaking ocean sailing activities and is located at INS Mandovi.

INS Tarini

• It is the second sailboat of Indian Navy after INSV Mhedi.
• It is known for circumnavigating the globe with an all-women officer crew in the historic expedition titled ''Navika Sagar Parikrama'' in 2017.

Shri Bhupender Yadav Inaugurates Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management at Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education in Dehradun

• The establishment of the CoE-SLM was announced by the Prime Minister of India during the 14th Conference of the Parties (COP-14) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in September, 2019.
• Aims:
  • To set Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) targets,
  • Develop drought risk and early warning systems,
  • Mainstream gender considerations,
  • Promote good governance of land tenure and rights,
  • Assess the impacts of land degradation on greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.
  • To facilitate the restoration of degraded land through technical support, capacity building, and knowledge sharing at the national and sub-national levels.
  • To promote South-South Cooperation and address land degradation issues through sustainable land management practices.
• Objectives: The CoE-SLM has set forth specific objectives to guide its actions:
  • Assessing land degradation,
  • Capacity building on sustainable land management frameworks aligned with SDGs,
  • Strengthening the assessment, monitoring, and reporting of land-based indicators outlined by the UNCCD.

BHUPENDRA YADAV RELEASES YOUNG TIGRESS FROM CORBETT NATIONAL PARK TO MOTICHUR RANGE OF RAJAJI TIGER RESERVE

• Rajaji National Park is an Indian national park and tiger reserve spread over three districts of Uttarakhand: Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal.
• It is situated along the hills and foothills of the Shiwalik ranges and represent the Shiwalik ecosystem.
• In the year 1983, Rajaji Wildlife Sanctuary was merged with Motichur and Chilla wildlife sanctuaries and made into Rajaji National Park. It was named after the famous freedom fighter Rajgopalachari popularly known as "Rajaji"
• It''s location in a transition zone between temperate western Himalaya and central Himalaya enhances the species diversity.
• Flora:
  • The area is covered with diverse forest types ranging from semi-evergreen to deciduous and from mixed broad-leaved to Terai grassland and has been classified as Indus-Ganges Monsoon Forest type.
  • Some popular floras found in this park include: Rohini, Palash, Shisham, Sal, Sandan, Khair, Arjun, Baans, Semul, Chamaror etc.
• Fauna:
  • Rajaji Tiger Reserve has a sizeable population of Tiger and Asian Elephants. It is home to a variety of wild animals like Leopard, Jungle cat, Himalayan Black Bear, Sloth Bear, Striped Hyena, Goral, Sambar, Wild Pig, Spotted Deer, Barking Deer etc.
  • Large number of butterflies and small birds are also observed that simply add beauty to this region.

Sebi proposes institutional mechanism for AMCs for deterrence of possible mkt abuse, fraudulent transaction

Asset Management Companies (AMCs):

• It is a firm that invests the funds pooled from individual investors in securities with the objective of optimal return for investors in exchange for a fee.
• AMC maintains the diversity of portfolio by investing in both high-risk and low-risk securities such as stock, debt, real- estate, shares, bonds, pension funds, etc.
• Because they have a larger pool of resources than the individual investor could access on their own, AMCs provide investors with more diversification and investing options.
• AMCs are colloquially referred to as money managers or money management firms.
• Those that offer public mutual funds or ETFs are also known as investment companies or mutual fund companies.
• SEBI is the Indian Capital Market Regulator which governs and controls every AMC in India.

Researchers Reveal How Vitamin K May Help Prevent Diabetes

• It is a fat-soluble vitamin that comes in two forms.
• The main type is called phylloquinone, found in green leafy vegetables like collard greens, kale, and spinach.
• The other type, menaquinones, are found in some animal foods and fermented foods. Menaquinones can also be produced by bacteria in the human body.
• Vitamin K helps to make various proteins that are needed for blood clotting and the building of bones.
• Vitamin K is found throughout the body including the liver, brain, heart, pancreas, and bone.
• It is broken down very quickly and excreted in urine or stool. Because of this, it rarely reaches toxic levels in the body even with high intakes, as may sometimes occur with other fat-soluble vitamins.

Border Roads Organisation rescues over 70 people stranded at HP’s Baralacha La Pass

• It is a high mountain pass located along the Leh-Manali highway that connects Leh district in Ladakh and Lahaul district in Himachal Pradesh.
• It is situated in the Zanskar range.
• It lies close to River Bhaga, which originates from the Surya Taal Lake & is a tributary of the River Chenab.
• Elevation: It is located at the height of 16,040 feet above the sea level and is one of the highest motorable passes in India.
• It also finds mention in Rudyard Kipling''s celebrated novel ''Kim'', wherein the source of the Suraj Tal is used by the novel''s character Lama to enter into India from Tibet.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO)

• It is a road construction executive force in India that provides support to Indian Armed Forces.
• It was formed on 7 May 1960 to secure India''s borders and develop infrastructure in remote areas of the north and north-east states of the country.
• Motto: The organisation motto is Shramena Sarvam Sadhyam (everything is achievable through hardwork).
• BRO develops and maintains road networks in India''s border areas and friendly neighboring countries.
• This includes infrastructure operations in 19 states and three union territories (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and neighboring countries such as Afghanistan, Bhutan, Myanmar, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka.
• Officers and personnel from the General Reserve Engineer Force (GREF) form the parent cadre of the BRO.
• It is also staffed by Officers and Troops drawn from the Indian Army''s Corps of Engineers on extra regimental employment (on deputation).

Forest guards suspended for failing to halt encroachment in Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary

• It is located in the Western Ghats, in Belgaum District near Jamboti Village, Karnataka.
• It shares its boundary with the north of Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, north-west of the Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, north of Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary and east of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in December 2011.
• Rivers: Sanctuary forms the headwaters of a number of rivers like Tillari, Malaprabha and Mhadei and several perennial streams.
• At the western boundary of the sanctuary many geo-morphological lime stone formations and caves are situated.
• Vegetation: Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests.
• The sanctuary has been named after the Bhimgad Fort, constructed and commanded by Shivaji in the 17th century as a defence from Portuguese troops.
• It is famed for its Barapede caves which serve as the only known breeding area of a threatened species on the verge of extinction called Wroughton''s free-tailed bat.
• Flora: The area is also home to several endemic plant species such as Ancistrocladusheyneanus, Diospyrospaniculata, Euonymus indicus, Myristicaarborea, etc.
• Fauna: Major animals found here include Elephants, King Cobras, Wild Dogs, Foxes, Chitals, Spotted Deer, Sambar, Sloth Bear, Gaur, Leopards and Tigers.

Russia says Ukrainian city of Bakhmut captured

Wagner Group:

• What is it? The Wagner Group also known as PMC Wagner is a Russian paramilitary organization.
• Origin: The group is believed to have been founded in 2014 by a Russian veteran of the Chechen war who so admired Hitler he named the group after Richard Wagner, the führer''s favorite composer.
• The skull is the symbol of the Wagner Group.
• The organization first came to the world''s attention in 2014, fighting alongside Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
• The organization has also been active across Africa in recent years — Libya, Sudan, Mozambique, Mali and the Central African Republic.
• Today there are thought to be some 10,000 Wagner Group members.
• The S. government has called Wagner a "proxy force" of Russia''s defense ministry.

‘führer’

• Führer, also spelled Fuehrer means leader.
• It is a title used by Adolf Hitler to define his role of absolute authority.
• As early as July 1921 he had declared the Führerprinzip (“leader principle”) to be the law of the Nazi Party.