Malaysia is aiming to improve its environmental image by putting forward “orangutan diplomacy”, a type of Animal diplomacy.

About Animal Diplomacy

• Involves giving or lending animals as a sign of friendship or goodwill between countries. 
  • These creatures possess cultural significance or are indigenous to the country that gifts them.
• Considered as an element of soft power.
• Key Examples: China’s panda diplomacy; Australia’s koala diplomacy, etc.
• Ethical Concern: Animals are being used as a means (considering them as an object) to fulfil interest of Nations.

Wildlife authorities in Himachal Pradesh have started a survey to estimate the population of the Himalayan ibex along with blue sheep. 

About Himalayan Ibex 

• It is a goat with sweeping horns. 
• Habitat: Above the tree line in the Himalayas up to 5500 m, grazes on alpine pastures but always close to rocky precipitous terrain. Occasionally enters forests.
• Distribution:  Mountains of Pakistan, China, India (Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir), Afghanistan, etc. 
• Conservation status: Schedule I of Wild Life Protection Act (WPA), 1972.

About Blue Sheep (Bharal)

• Habitat: Open grassy slopes in high mountains from 2,500-5,500 m. 
• Distribution: Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan
• Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN) and Schedule I of WPA, 1972

Ministry of Commerce and Industry shared certain items to Ministry of Finance to address Inverted Duty Structure (IDS). 

About Inverted Duty Structure

• Refers to situation where import duties on input goods are higher than on finished goods.
  • In other words, the GST rate paid on purchases is more than the GST rate payable on sales.
• Impact of IDS: 
  • Affects domestic industry, manufacturers’ have to pay high price for raw material than on finished products.
  • Expensive inputs make their products costly and cannot compete in the export market. 
  • Taxpayers who face an inverted duty structure will always have Input Tax Credit (ITC) in their GST electronic credit ledger
  • Creates working capital issues for the taxpayers as their resources remain blocked in the form of Input Tax Credit (ITC) due to high input tax. 
    • Also, IDS leads to refund-related issues under the GST regime.

Recently, a plane of Singapore Airlines experienced severe mid-air turbulence (irregular motion of the air). 

• One of the primary kinds of turbulence is called the Clear-air turbulence and it is caused by wind shear. 

About Wind shear

• Defined as the change in wind speed, wind direction, or both, over some distance.
• Occurs either horizontally or vertically. Also, it can occur at both high and low altitude.
• Usually associated with the weather phenomenon such as jet streams, mountain waves or temperature inversion layers, thunderstorms etc. 

SAM pilot models was recently launched in Telangana.

About SAM:

• It is a sustainable urban water management technique
• It involves drilling shallow water borewells to pump out water. The underneath layers are recharged during rainfall causing rise in water tables. 
• It is part of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
• National Aquifer Mapping and Management program (NAQUIM) aims to characterize aquifers and develop plans for Ground Water management.

About Jagannath Temple

• Location: Puri, Odisha
• Dedicated to: Lord Vishnu along with his brother Lord Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra. 
• Built by: Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva (1112-1148 AD) and was completed by Anangabhima Dev
• Festivals: Devasnana Purnima, Chariot Festival
• Features: 
  • Built on a raised platform
  • No shadow of the temple falls on the ground at any time of the day.
  • The idols of the holy trinity are carved out of wood rather than stone or metal idols.

Political scientist Ian Bremmer defines a geopolitical recession as a situation where established global power frameworks are crumbling.

• According to him, like economic recession, Geopolitics have boom and bust cycles, too.
• During geopolitical recession, responding to a crisis becomes significantly more challenging due to the decreased resilience of political institutions.

Reasons for current geopolitical recession

• Long-term rise of China and the Global South, combined with a decline of European and Japanese economic power.
• Tensions over trade between the US and China.

India has initiated discussions with Sri Lanka to acquire graphite mines. 

• It is among 30 critical minerals declared by India.

Graphite

• Also known as plumbago or black lead.
• Stable form of naturally occurring Carbon.
• Properties: 
  • Grey to black metallic lustre.
  • Extremely soft and cleaves (splits into layers) with very light pressure.
  • Good conductor of heat and electricity.
  • Resistant to attack by ordinary chemical agents.
• Applications: EV battery-making components, lubricants, pencils, foundry facings, paints crucibles etc.