Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India studied Assam cascade frogs in two Himalayan streams of the Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh.

• Study was conducted to find correlation of different water parameters with the abundance and density of the population of a species.

Assam cascade or hill stream frog.

• Endemic to Himalayan regions in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.
• It is used as an indicator species to monitor long-term conditions of hilly streams.

Indicator Species: 

• They reflect the biotic or abiotic state of an environment; reveal evidence of environmental change.
• Indicate the diversity of other species, taxa, or entire communities within an area. 

DRDO successfully conducts the first phase of field firing trials of 'Zorawar' tanks.

About Zorawar tanks

• It is a light-tank designed to provide the Indian army with enhanced capabilities at high altitude.
• Jointly developed jointly by the DRDO and private sector firm L&T.
• Named after the legendary General Zorawar Singh who led multiple successful victories in Tibet.
• Key Features: 
  • It can be Integrated with drones and battle management systems for enhanced situational awareness. 
  • Designed for rapid deployment and maneuverability in mountainous regions.
  • Tanks are amphibious, making them versatile for operations in riverine regions.

Ministry of Corporate Affairs Cracks down on errant Nidhi companies.

About Nidhi company

• Nidhi Company is declared by the Central Government under Companies Act, 2013.
  • It complies with the Nidhi Rules, 2014 made by the Central Government for regulation of such class of companies. 
  • Rules have been amended subsequently in 2022, etc. 
• The objective of Nidhi Companies is to cultivate the habit of thrift and savings amongst its members.
  • It receives deposits from, and lends to, its members only, for their mutual benefit.
  • Key Criteria:
    • Not less than two hundred members.
    • Net Owned Funds of ten lakh rupees or more.

Recently, a study of the first tardigrade fossil discovered enabled them to classify them and retrace their evolutionary history.

About Tardigrades (Water Bears or Moss Piglets)

• They are tiny eight-legged aquatic animals found in almost all habitats on Earth.
• They comprise of two main classes: Heterotardigrada and Eutardigrada.
• They can survive extreme environmental conditions like punishing heat, freezing cold, ultraviolet radiation and even outer space.
  • They are able to survive harsh conditions, as they are capable of almost stopping their metabolism (known as cryptobiosis), reviving only when conditions are better.

Government introduced stringent regulations under Quality Control Order (QCO) for enhancing fire safety in Furniture for non-domestic use.

About QCO

• The Central Government, after consulting BIS, publishes QCOs in exercise of the powers conferred under the BIS Act, 2016 thereby bringing the products under BIS Mandatory Certification.
  • Products covered are based on considerations like public interest, health and safety, unfair trade practices etc.
• The products under QCOs shall conform to corresponding Indian Standards and shall bear the Standard Mark under a Licence or Certificate of Conformity (CoC) from BIS. E.g. IS 15768:2008 for textiles

Recently, the third edition of India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X) Summit concluded in USA.

• Key highlights of the Summit: Release of the INDUS-X Impact Report and launch of the official INDUS-X webpage.

About INDUS-X Initiative

• Launched in June, 2023 by the the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD).
• Objective:  Expand the strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between our governments, businesses, and academic institutions.
• Other key Features:
  • It acts as an ‘Innovation Bridge’ connecting defence startups of India and the USA.
  • It is a part of the U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET).
  • It is steered by iDEX on behalf of Ministry of Defence and DIU under the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

As per CM Monitor 2024, CM accounted for 93% of global casualties in 2023 with children constituting half of it.

Cluster Munition

• Weapons consisting of a container or dispenser from which many submunitions or bomblets are scattered over wide areas. 
• Many submunitions are unreliable and can fail to explode, posing risks to civilians during and after conflicts.

Convention on Cluster Munitions (India not a party)

• It is an International treaty (enforced in 2010) of more than 100 states prohibiting the use, production, transfer and stockpiling of CM. 

Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) disposed of proceedings against the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in the alleged co-location case.

Co-location or Proximity Hosting

• Allows brokers to place their servers on the premises of stock exchanges (equipped with suitable infrastructure) for a fee. 
• Due to their proximity with stock exchange servers, they provide faster price feeds, quicker execution of trades leading to significant profits.
• Guidelines for co-location were released by SEBI in 2015. Further, measures to strengthen the Algorithmic Trading and Co-location framework  were announced in 2018.