PM Modi gifts Meghalaya Stole, Nagaland Shawl to German Chancellor

• Meghalaya stoles were originally woven for the Khasi and Jaintia royalty, who considered them a symbol of their power and status.
• The stoles were worn during ceremonial occasions and festivals.
• They are made using locally sourced wool, and natural dyes.
• These stoles are famous for their warmth and softness.
• The designs used in the stoles reflected the royal family''s beliefs, myths, and legends, and were a testament to their cultural heritage.
• They were used as a form of diplomatic gift-giving. The Khasi and Jaintia kings would often present these stoles to other rulers as a symbol of goodwill and respect.

Nagaland shawls:

• These shawls are known for their vibrant colors, intricate designs, and the use of traditional weaving techniques, which have been passed down from generation to generation.
• One of the most striking features of the Naga shawl is the use of geometric and symbolic designs.
• The designs are inspired by the tribe''s myths, legends, and beliefs, with designs having specific meanings and significance.
• The Naga shawl is made from locally sourced materials such as cotton, silk, and wool.
• The colors used in these shawls are symbolic. E.g., Red color symbolizes courage, while black represents mourning.
• The colors use natural dyes made from plants and roots.
• The shawls are often worn during festivals, ceremonies, and other special occasions as symbols of rank and lineage. They are also used as blankets, seat coverings, and even as bags.
• The shawls are known for their durability and can last for several generations.

India asks IMF, FSB to prepare technical paper on crypto assets

• FSB is an international body that monitors and makes recommendations about the global financial system.
• It was established in April 2009 after the G20 Summit in London as the successor to the Financial Stability Forum.
• Mandate:
• To coordinate at the international level the work of national financial authorities and international standard-setting bodies and to develop and promote the implementation of effective regulatory, supervisory, and other financial sector policies.
• The FSB, working through its members, seeks to strengthen financial systems and increase the stability of international financial markets.
• Headquarters: Basel, Switzerland.
• The board includes all G20 major economies.
• The FSB consists of 68 member institutions. It comprises several central banks, ministries of finance, and supervisory and regulatory authorities from 25 jurisdictions, as well as 10 international organizations and six Regional Consultative Groups (RCGs).
• Framework:
• The Plenary, which serves as the sole decision-making body.
• The Steering Committee, which takes forward operational work in between Plenary meetings.
• Three Standing Committees, each with specific but complementary responsibilities.
• The FSB’s decisions are not legally binding on its members.
• India and FSB: India is an active Member of the FSB, having three seats in its Plenary represented by Secretary (Dept of Economic Affairs), Deputy Governor-RBI, and Chairman-SEBI.

International Monetary Fund (IMF):

• It is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency founded at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944.
• Objective: To secure international monetary cooperation, to stabilize currency exchange rates, and to expand international liquidity (access to hard currencies).
• Headquarters: Washington D.C, USA.
• Currently, it has 190 member countries.
• The IMF''s resources mainly come from the money that countries pay as their capital subscription (quotas) when they become members.
• Each member of the IMF is assigned a quota based broadly on its relative position in the world economy.
• Functions:
• The IMF provides loans—including emergency loans—to member countries experiencing actual or potential balance of payments problems.
• It provides technical assistance and training to governments, including central banks, finance ministries, revenue administrations, and financial sector supervisory agencies.

New method creates material that could create next generation of solar cells: Research

• A perovskite is a material that has the same crystal structure as the mineral calcium titanium oxide (CaTiO3), the first-discovered perovskite crystal.
• The mineral was discovered in the Ural Mountains of Russia by Gustav Rose in 1839 and is named after Russian mineralogist Lev Perovski.
• Generally, perovskite compounds have a chemical formula ABX3, where ‘A’ and ‘B’ represent cations, and X is an anion that bonds to both.
• A large number of different elements can be combined together to form perovskite
• Due to its compositional flexibility, scientists can design perovskite crystals to have a wide variety of physical, optical, and electrical characteristics from insulating, semiconducting, metallic, and superconducting characteristics.
• Applications:
• They have applications in various fields of optoelectronics, including photovoltaic solar cells, photodetectors, light-emitting devices, etc.
• Solar cells are currently the most prominent perovskite application, as synthetic perovskites are recognized as potential inexpensive base materials for high-efficiency commercial photovoltaics.

Indian air force to participate in exercise desert flag viii

• It is an annual multinational large-force employment warfare exercise hosted by the UAE Air Force.
• The IAF would be participating with five Light Combat Aircraft, LCA Tejas and two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.
• Participants: Air Forces from UAE, France, Kuwait, Australia, the UK, Bahrain, Morocco, Spain, the Republic of Korea, and the USA would also be participating.
• The exercise is scheduled from the 27th of February to the 17th of March.

India’s Joint Military Exercises with the UAE:

• With the UAE, India has In-UAE BILAT (bilateral naval exercise) as well as Desert Eagle-II (bilateral air force exercise).

Return of vultures: Once nearly extinct species spotted in Dudhwa & Banbasa, seen nesting in Terai

• It is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae. It is one of the two largest Old World vultures and true raptors.
• **Distribution:**This species is found along the Himalayas and the adjoining Tibetan
• Threat: Himalayan vultures are also susceptible to toxicity induced by diclofenac, a drug whose residues are in domestic animal carcasses.
• But their population have however not shown signs of rapid decline as witnessed in populations of other Gyps vultures across Asia.
• Conservation status
• IUCN: Near Threatened

Other Vulture species found in India

• India is home to 9 species of Vulture namely the Oriental white-backed, Long-billed, Slender-billed, Himalayan, Red-headed, Egyptian, Bearded, Cinereous and Eurasian Griffon.

IREDA to establish office in Gujarat’s GIFT city to finance Renewable Energy projects in foreign currency

• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).
• It was set up as a specialized non-banking finance agency for the renewable energy sector.
• IREDA plays a key role in renewable energy project financing which gives confidence to the financial institutions/banks to lend in the sector.

GIFT City

• The Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) is India’s first and only International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) where banks, stock exchanges and financial services firms have set up their global operations.
• It consists of a multi-service Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which houses India’s first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and an exclusive Domestic Tariff Area (DTA).

IFSCA

• It is a statutory authority established under the International Financial Services Centres Authority Act, 2019.
• Mandate: To develop and regulate the financial products, financial services, and financial institutions in the International Financial Services Centres (‘IFSC’).
• Before the establishment of IFSCA, the domestic financial regulators, namely, RBI, SEBI, PFRDA and IRDAI regulated the business in IFSC.
• GIFT-IFSC is the maiden IFSC in India.
• The International Financial Services Centres Authority consists of nine members, appointed by the central government.
• Term: All members of the IFSC Authority will have a term of three years, subject to reappointment

Taiwan says ''Fab 4'' chip group held first senior officials meeting

• The “Chip 4” or “Fab 4” alliance includes four of the world’s top producers of semiconductors: the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.
• It represents more than 70 percent of the value of the global semiconductor industry.
• It was first proposed by the US in March 2022 as part of wider plans aimed at enhancing the "security" and "resilience" of semiconductor supply chains, including by reducing the world''s reliance on chips made in China.
• It is intended to cooperate on policy implementation that would support sustainable semiconductor manufacturing in the member states’ home countries.
• Goals:
• Support industry efforts to diversify their manufacturing base in semiconductor production.
• Protect the Intellectual Property (IP) of companies in member countries.
• Develop policies regarding the export of the most advanced semiconductors and equipment.

Semiconductor

• Semiconductors are materials that have a conductivity between conductors (generally metals) and nonconductors or insulators (such as most ceramics).
• They can be pure elements, such as silicon or germanium, or compounds like gallium arsenide or cadmium selenide.
• Due to their specific electrical properties, semiconductors serve as a foundation for computers and other electronic devices.
• Semiconductors are used in many electrical circuits because of the ability to control the flow of electrons in this material, for example, with a controlling current.

Brazil Confirms BSE Case, Halts Exports to China

• It is also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).
• It is a transmissible, slowly progressive, degenerative, and fatal disease which affects the central nervous system of adult cattle.
• Causes: It is caused by a protein called a prion, which is normally found on cell surfaces, called a prion,
• When this protein gets altered, it destroys the nervous system tissuethe brain and spinal cord.
• Transmission: A cow gets BSE by eating feed contaminated with parts that came from another cow that was sick with BSE.
• Symptoms:
• A common sign of BSE in cows is incoordination. A sick cow has trouble walking and getting up.
• It usually takes four to six years from the time a cow is infected with the abnormal prion to when it first shows symptoms of BSE.
• There are no vaccines available for this disease.

Shri Sarbananda Sonowal celebrates Unying Festival at Boleng

• The festival of Unying is celebrated to herald the season of cultivation, the beginning of the Adi community’s New Year, arrival of spring seasons as well as a great way to strengthen the bond among the community.

Adi community

• They are believed to have come from southern china in the 16th century.
• The Adi constitute a major group and inhabit the lower part of the Lower Dibang Valley district, especially the Roing and Dambuk areas of Arunachal Pradesh.
• They are experts in making cane and bamboo items.
• The Adis are basically dependent on agriculture. Both wet rice cultivation and shifting cultivation are practised.
• Solung (a harvesting festival where animal sacrifices and rituals are performed) and Aran ( a hunting festival where all the male members of the family go hunting) are two major festivals of the Adi tribes.

Scientists From Australia Discover New Layer at Earth''s Inner Core

• It is a 400-mile-wide (644-kilometer-wide) ball of metal.
• IMIC exists in a solid state as an alloy of iron and nickel because of the extreme pressure at the center of the Earth.
• Its temperature is estimated to be about 5,500-6,000 degrees (Celsius/9,930-10,830 Fahrenheit), similar to the sun''s surface temperature.
• It has a distinct anisotropy, which is a property of a substance that allows it to take on different characteristics depending on the angle from which it’s approached.
• The concept of the innermost part of the inner core was first proposed in 2002 by seismologists from Harvard University— Miaki Ishii and Adam Dziewonski.

Inner core of the Earth:

• It is a solid metallic ball made mainly of iron.
• The inner core is solid due to the pressurecaused by the weight put on it by the Earth’s other top layers.
• It is distinct from the outer core, which is a liquid.
• Radius:
• The inner core has an average radius of 1220 km.
• The boundary between the inner and outer core is located at approximately 5150 km below the surface of the Earth.
• This boundary is called the Lehman Seismic Discontinuity.
• Temperature: Inner core temperatures reach extraordinary levels, estimated to be between 7,200–8,500ºF (4,000–4,700ºC).
• Properties:
• It is predicted to have very high thermal and electrical conductivity.
• The inner core generates its own magnetic field and spins a bit faster than the rest of the planet.