US returns 22 artifacts taken after Battle of Okinawa to Japan, here''s how they were discovered

About Battle of Okinawa:

• The battle of Okinawa (April 1–June 21, 1945) was the last major battle of World War II. It was fought between U.S. and Japanese forces at Okinawa.
• Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyus Islands and lies 350 miles from mainland Japan. The Americans wanted control of Okinawa because it had four airfields and could support tactical and strategic air operations.
• Code named Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa and other islands in the Ryukyus began on April 1, 1945. The immense size of the invasion forces made it the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War.The United States secured Okinawa on June 22, 1945.
• The enormous casualties and the brutal fighting that occurred on Okinawa forced military planners to reconsider the invasion of Japan. It directly influenced the American decision to use atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Biomining at landfills in Ghazipur, Bhalswa set to miss latest deadline

About Biomining:

• It is the technique of extracting metals from ores and other solid materials, typically using micro-organisms (bacteria, algae, fungi, or plants). It may also be used to clean up sites that have been polluted with metals.
• Process:
• Valuable metals are commonly bound up in solid minerals. Some microbes can oxidize those metals, allowing them to dissolve in water.
• It is the basic process behind most biomining, which is used for metals that can be more easily recovered when dissolved than from solid rocks.
• A different biomining technique, for metals which are not dissolved by the microbes, uses microbes to break down the surrounding minerals, making it easier to recover the metal of interest directly from the remaining rock.
• When the metal of interest is directly dissolved, the biomining process is called “bioleaching,” and when the metal of interest is made more accessible or “enriched” in the material left behind, it is called “biooxidation.”
• What metals are currently biomined?
• Most current biomining operations target valuable metals like copper, uranium, nickel, and gold that are commonly found in sulfidic (sulfur-bearing) minerals.
• Microbes are especially good at oxidizing sulfidic minerals, converting metals like iron and copper into forms that can dissolve more easily.
• Compared to typical mining that uses hazardous chemicals and has a large CO2 footprint, biomining represents an environmentally friendly alternative, producing very little (if at all) hazardous waste.

Krishi Sammelan was organised by ICAR-CPCRI

About Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI):

• The CPCRI was established in 1970 as one of the agricultural research institutes in the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). 
• Headquarters: Kasaragod, Kerala
• Mandate:
• To undertake research on coconut, arecanut, cocoa, cashew, oil palm and spices at the time of establishment
• The research on cashew, oil palm and spices was later delinked from CPCRI to form separate institutes.
• In 2023, a new mandate crop, Palmyra Palm, was added to its institute.
• The research programmes of the institute are organized under five divisions viz. Crop Improvement, Crop Production, Crop Protection, Physiology, Biochemistry and Post Harvest Technology and Social Sciences. 
• The Institute also holds the International Coconut Gene Bank for South Asia at Kidu in Karnataka. 
• The Institute also serves as the headquarters of the All-India Co-ordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Palms.

Express View on Eu’s AI law: Strive for an intelligent balance

About European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act:

• It is the world’s first comprehensive Artificial Intelligence law. It lays down rules and guidelines for specific risks associated with the use of AI in areas like biometric authentication, facial recognition, high-risk domains such as healthcare, and deep fakes.
• Taking a horizontal, risk-based approach that will apply across sectors of AI development, the EU AI Act classifies the technology into four categories: Prohibited, high-risk, limited-risk, and minimal-risk. 
• Systems that violate or threaten human rights through, for example, social scoring—creating “risk” profiles of people based on “desirable” or “undesirable” behaviour — or mass surveillance are banned outright.
• High-risk systems, which have a significant impact on people’s lives and rights, such as those used for biometric identification or in education, health, and law enforcement, will have to meet strict requirements, including human oversight and security and conformity assessment, before they can be put on the market.
• Systems involving user interaction, like chatbots and image-generation programmes, are classified as limited-risk and are required to inform users that they are interacting with AI and allow them to opt out.
• The most widely used systems, which pose no or negligible risk, such as spam filters and smart appliances, are categorised as minimal-risk. They will be exempt from regulation, but will need to comply with existing laws.
• The law will apply to any companies doing business in the European Union, and allows for penalties of up to 7% of global turnover or €35 million, whichever is higher, for those that don’t keep their use of AI under control.
• The act also enshrines the right of consumers to make complaints about the inappropriate use of AI by businesses and to receive meaningful explanations for decisions taken by an AI that affect their rights.

India hosts 41st IPHE meeting, focuses on accelerating hydrogen economy

About International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE):

• IPHE, established in 2003, is an international inter-governmental partnership currently consisting of 23 member countries and the European Commission.
• Objective: To facilitate and accelerate the transition to clean and efficient energy and mobility systems using fuel cells and hydrogen technologies. 
• It serves as a mechanism to organize and implement effective, efficient and focused international research, development, demonstration and commercial utilization activities related to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
• It also provides a forum for sharing information on policies and technology status, as well as on initiatives, codes, and standards to accelerate the cost-effective transition to the use of fuel cells and hydrogen in the economy.
• Members: Australia, Canada, European Commission, India, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Chile, France, Italy, Norway, UAE, Belgium, China, Germany, Japan, South Africa, United Kingdom, Brazil, Costa Rica, Iceland, South Korea, Singapore, and the United States.

WMO report out: 6 charts that tell you everything about the health of our planet

About State of Global Climate Report 2023:

• It is an annual report published by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). Many experts and partners contribute to the report, including UN organizations, National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), and Global Data and Analysis Centers, as well as Regional Climate Centres, the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW), the Global Cryosphere Watch and the Copernicus Climate Change Service operated by ECMWF.
• Highlights of the 2023 Report:
• 2023 was the hottest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1.45 °Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 °C) above the pre-industrial baseline. It was the warmest ten-year period on record.
• On an average day in 2023, nearly one third of the global ocean was gripped by a marine heatwave, harming vital ecosystems and food systems. Towards the end of 2023, over 90% of the ocean had experienced heatwave conditions at some point during the year.
• The global set of reference glaciers suffered the largest loss of ice on record (since 1950), driven by extreme melt in both western North America and Europe, according to preliminary data.
• In 2023, renewable capacity additions increased by almost 50% from 2022, for a total of 510 gigawatts (GW), the highest rate observed in the past two decades.

Key Facts about World Meteorological Organisation (WMO):

• It is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. 
• Established in 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the UN for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology, and related geophysical sciences.
• Headquarters:  Geneva, Switzerland.
• Currently, it has a membership of 191 countries.
• Governance Structure:
• Its supreme body is the World Meteorological Congress, which consists of representatives of all members. It meets at least every four years to set general policy and adopt regulations.
• A 36-member Executive Council meets annually and implements policy. The Secretariat, headed by a secretary-general appointed by the congress for a four-year term, serves as the administrative centre of the organization.

Startups ‘reverse flip’: Pine Labs, Zepto, Meesho in queue for India return

About Reverse Flipping:

• It is a term used to describe the trend of overseas start-ups shifting their domicile to India and listing on Indian stock exchanges. 
• The general motivation for a reverse flip is the increased certainty of an exit at a higher valuation in India. This trend has been gaining traction in recent years, as start-ups look to capitalise on India’s large and growing economy, access to deeper pools of venture capital, favourable tax regimes, better intellectual property protection, a young and educated population, and favourable government policies. 
• The Economic Survey 2022-23 recognised the concept of reverse flipping and proposed ways to accelerate the process, such as simplifying the processes for tax vacations, taxation of ESOPs, capital movements, decreasing tax layers, and the like.

What is flipping: 

• Flipping is when an Indian company transforms into a 100% subsidiary of a foreign entity after it has moved its headquarters overseas, including a transfer of its intellectual property (IP) and others.
• It effectively transforms an Indian startup (company) into a 100% subsidiary of a foreign entity, with the founders and investors retaining the same ownership via the foreign entity, having swapped all shares.
• What’s the harm to India from flipping?
• Brain drain of entrepreneurial talent from India.
• It results in value creation in foreign jurisdictions rather than in India.
• It also results in the loss of Intellectual Property and Tax Revenue for the country.

ISA Council opens the first part of its 29th session

About International Seabed Authority (ISA):

• It is an autonomous international organization established in 1994 to regulate mining and related activities in the international seabed beyond national jurisdiction, an area that includes most of the world’s oceans.
• The ISA came into existence upon the entry into force of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which codified international law regarding territorial waters, sea lanes, and ocean resources.
• It organizes and controls all mineral-resources-related activities in the Area (the seabed and ocean floor and the subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction) for the benefit of humankind as a whole. 
• Headquarters: Kingston, Jamaica
• Members: As of May 2023, ISA has 169 Members, including 168 Member States and the European Union.
• Functions:
• The ISA is responsible for granting licenses and regulating activities related to the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in the international seabed. 
• It ensures that these activities are carried out in a manner that protects the marine environment and promotes the equitable and efficient utilization of resources.
• Structure:
• The supreme authority of the ISA is the assembly, in which all ISA members are represented. 
• The assembly sets general policies, establishes budgets, and elects a 36-member council, which serves as the ISA’s executive authority. 
• The council approves contracts with private corporations and government entities for exploration and mining in specified areas of the international seabed.
• The council oversees implementation of the seabed provisions of the UNCLOS and establishes provisional rules and procedures (subject to approval by the assembly) by which the ISA exercises its regulatory authority. 
• The secretary-general of the ISA is nominated by the council and is elected by the assembly to a four-year term.

Key facts about the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS):

• UNCLOS, also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities.
• It lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world''s oceans and seas, establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources. 
• It became effective on 16th November 1982. It covers a wide range of issues, including:
• The definition of maritime zones, such as the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf.
• The rights and responsibilities of coastal states and flag states.
• The conservation and management of marine resources.
• The protection of the marine environment.
• The peaceful settlement of disputes.

Spring Begins. Know About Vernal Equinox That Brings on A New Season

About Spring Equinox:

• As Earth revolves around the Sun, there are two moments each year when the Sun is exactly above the equator. These moments — called equinoxes — occur around March 19, 20 or 21 and September 22 or 23.
• Equinox literally means “equal night," since the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world during the equinoxes. The March equinox marks when the Northern Hemisphere starts to tilt toward the sun, which means longer, sunnier days. 
• In the Northern Hemisphere, the March equinox is called the vernal equinox, because it signals the beginning of spring (vernal means fresh or new like the spring).
• The September equinox is called the autumnal equinox, because it marks the first day of fall (autumn).
• When the Northern Hemisphere starts to tilt toward the sun in spring, the Southern Hemisphere starts to tilt away from the sun, signaling the start of fall.
• Thus, in the Southern Hemisphere, the March equinox is called the autumnal equinox, and the September equinox is called the vernal equinox.
• While the March equinox brings later sunrises, earlier sunsets, chillier winds and dry, falling leaves in the Southern Hemisphere, while the reverse happens in the Northern Hemisphere.

FSSAI sets up lab network to test food for pathogens

About Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):

• It is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. It has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which is a consolidating statute related to food safety and regulation in India.
• Mission: Set globally benchmarked standards for food, encourage and ensure that food businesses adhere to these standards, adopt good manufacturing and hygiene practices, and ultimately enable citizens to access safe and right food.
• Functions:
• It is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.
• It lays down standards and guidelines in relation to articles of food and provides for licensing, registration, and accreditation for food business operators.
• Anyone selling or importing food in India needs a food license issued by FSSAI.
• Its officers carry out food import controls and ensure that the contain no harmful ingredients. It is also responsible for the accreditation of food testing laboratories throughout India.
• The FSSAI is responsible for the Food Certification in India. It is mandated to specify systems for enforcing its standards, for accreditation of certification systems, and for certification of food safety management systems for food businesses.