Also in News

• US Chamber of Commerce released 12th edition of its International IP Index. 
  • Top countries on the index are USA, UK and France. 
  • India’s position remained unchanged at 42 out of 55 economies.
• IP Index is different from the Global Innovation Index. 
  • It is co-published by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Cornell University, and INSEAD.  
  • It ranks India at 40^th position out of 132 economies.

• The RBI issued draft guidelines on the Disclosure framework on Climate-related Financial Risks, 2024.

• About Framework:
  • Objective: Regulated Entities (REs) should disclose information about their climate-related financial risks and opportunities for the users of financial statements.
  • It will be Applicable on
    • All Scheduled Commercial Banks (excluding Local Area Banks, Payments Banks and Regional Rural Banks)
    • All Tier-IV Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs)
    • All All-India Financial Institutions (viz. EXIM Bank, NABARD, NaBFID, NHB, and SIDBI)
    • All Top and Upper Layer Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs)

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) warned users against charging mobile phones using public ports amidst the rising incidents of juice jacking.

• About juice jacking
  • It is a form of cyberattack where hackers load malware  with public USB charging stations to maliciously access electronic devices.
  • It can lock a device, export personal data and passwords to the cyber criminals.
    • These kinds of attacks are mainly reported from public spaces such as airports, hotels, and shopping centres.

• First ever herpetofaunal (reptiles and amphibians) survey has been conducted in the Core Area of the MTR.

• About MTR
  • Located in Tamil Nadu.
  • It has a common boundary with Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala) on West, Bandipur Tiger Reserve (Karnataka) on North.
  • It is part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, first Biosphere Reserve established in 1986 in India.
  • Forest Type: Ranging from tropical evergreen forest, moist deciduous forest, moist teak forest, dry teak forest, grasslands and swamps.
  • Fauna: Tiger, Elephant, Indian Gaur, Panther, Barking Deer, Mouse Deer, etc.

• The Prime Minister launched India's first indigenous green hydrogen fuel cell inland waterway vessel under the Harit Nauka initiative.
  • It is manufactured by Cochin Shipyard. 
• Harit Nauka – Green Transition Guidelines for Inland Vessels has been launched by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
  • It aims at laying out Central Government’s focus on bringing about the shift of inland vessels to greener technologies.  
  • Focus areas of guidelines include promotion of alternative clean fuels, creation of green ecosystem, promoting R&D and strengthening institutional capacity. 

• Calcutta High Court held that differentiating between contractual and permanent employees for purpose of extending maternity leave is impermissible as it violates Article 14 and Maternity Benefit Act 1961.

• Maternity Benefit Act 1961:
  • It provides paid maternity leave to women workers.
  • Amendment in 2017 brought following changes:
    • Extended paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. However, for having two or more surviving children, this duration is 12 weeks.
    • Every establishment with 50 or more employees shall have the creche facility and allow four visits a day to creche. 

• World Health Organization (WHO) has released update on Measles.  

• About Measles
  • Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus.
  • It can affect anyone but is most common in children.
  • It infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. 
  • Humans are the only natural hosts of measles virus.
  • It is covered under the Universal Immunization Program of India
  • Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose, and a rash all over the body.
  • It can be prevented by the MR (measles rubella) vaccine.

• Researchers have found an entire new class of viroid like life forms in the human gut. They called them ‘Obelisks’. 
  • They are named after the highly-symmetrical, rod-like structures formed by its twisted lengths of RNA.
  • Their ability to code for proteins makes them different from viroids.
• Viroids are plant pathogens consisting of circular, single-stranded RNA without the protein coat that is typical for viruses.
  • Viroid RNA does not code for any protein.
• They replicate by entering host cells, forcing them to produce copies of the viroid RNA.

Japan (Capital: Tokyo)

• Japan starts 4th discharge of nuclear-contaminated water despite backlash. 

• Political Boundaries
  • Island country lying off east coast of Asia.
  • It stretches from Sea of Okhotsk (north) to East China Sea (south).
  • Four main islands from north to south are Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. 
  • Honshu is largest among them. 
  • Maritime borders: PR China, North Korea, South Korea, Philippines, Russia, Northern Mariana Islands (US), and Republic of China (Taiwan).

• Geographical features
  • Located at Circum-Pacific "ring of fire"
  • Highest mountain: Mount Fuji
  • Longest river: Shinano River