The World Bank released the South Asian Development Update report.

Key Highlights of the report

• Output growth in South Asia to remain higher than all other emerging market and developing economy (EMDE) regions.
• Climate change is increasingly exposing South Asia to extreme heat, floods, and other weather shocks.
  • In India, smaller firms are more exposed to both heat and flooding.
• Female Labor Force Participation: Remains low at 32%, highlighting potential for income increases through gender equity.
  • Marriage penalty: Marriage reduces women's labor force participation in South Asia.

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare celebrated World Mental Health Day and two years of Tele MANAS.

• Theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day: “It is time to prioritize Mental Health at Workplace”.

About Tele MANAS

• Aim: Provide universal access to affordable, quality mental health care through 24/7 tele-mental health services as part of the National Mental Health Programme across all Indian states and UTs.
• It operate as a two-tier system:
  • Tier 1: State Tele MANAS cells with trained counselors and mental health specialists.
  • Tier 2: Specialists from District Mental Health Programme (DMHP) or medical colleges for physical and eSanjeevani audio-visual consultations.

South East Asia Region countries set a new target to eliminate measles and rubella from the region by 2026.

• The resolution was adopted at the  77th Regional Committee Session of the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region.

About Measles

• It is a highly contagious, serious airborne disease caused by a virus.
• It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes.

About Rubella

• It is a contagious viral infection transmitted by airborne droplets
• It occurs most often in children and young adults.

According to a recent Study, Cacao farming has surged in Congo Basin due to rising chocolate demand leading to deforestation.

About Congo Basin

• It is located in the western equatorial Africa (See map).
• It has the world’s second-largest tropical forest after the Amazon.
• Known as the “lungs of Africa”, it is the largest carbon sink in the world.
• It is home to the world's largest tropical peatlands.
• Peatlands are terrestrial wetland ecosystems in which waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing

Gujarat will establish a Caracal Breeding and Conservation Center in Kutch's Chadva Rakhal region.

About Caracal (Medium-sized wild cat)

• Characteristics: Secretive, nocturnal animal known for its quickness and ability to catch flying birds; Territorial, and lives mainly alone or in pairs. 
• Habitat: Dry savannah and woodland areas, scrubland and rugged terrain in mountainous regions.
• Distribution: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia, arid areas of Pakistan and India (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh).
• Conservation Status: Least concern (IUCN); Schedule I (WPA, 1972).
• Conservation Efforts: In 2021, National Board for Wildlife and MoEFCC listed caracal as critically endangered under Species recovery program

South Korean author Han Kang gets Nobel Prize in Literature for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes fragility of human life.

About Nobel Prize

• Established by Alfred Nobel in 1895. First Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901 and they have been awarded annually since then.
• An international award administered by Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.
• 6 Categories: Peace, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature and Economic Science.
  • In 1968, Sweden's central bank established Economic Sciences award in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
• From 1974, Statutes of Nobel Foundation stipulate that prize cannot be awarded posthumously, unless death has occurred after announcement of Nobel Prize. 

Scientists at Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, have identified a promising new target for cancer treatment by activating a DNA repair enzyme called TDP1.

About TDP1 (Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1) 

• It is an important enzyme in humans that plays a crucial role in DNA repair by removing damaged DNA bases.
• This breakthrough points to a promising avenue for precision medicine in treating cancers, especially those resistant to current therapies.

A Brahmi inscription found in Dharanikota village at Amaravathi mandal in Palnadu district, Andhra Pradesh.

• Script on the inscription is written in Prakrit language and Brahmi characters of 2nd century C.E. 

About Brahmi Inscriptions

• Brahmi is one of the oldest known Indian scripts, dating back to Mauryan Period. 
• Brahmi is the originator of most of the present Indian scripts, including Devanagari, Bengali, Tamil, and Malayalam etc.
• Important Brahmi Inscriptions: Ashokan Edicts, Hathigumpha Inscription, Nasik Cave Inscriptions etc.