Israel has completed the takeover of a new security corridor known as the Morag axis.

 Morag axis

• This area consists mainly of agricultural land located between Khan Younis and Rafah, stretching from east to west across the Gaza Strip.
• The name "Morag" refers to an illegal Israeli settlement that was established in the region between 1972 and 2005.

More than 60 Indian nationals forced into ‘cyber slavery’ rescued from Myanmar.

About Cyber Slavery

• It is an emerging form of organized crime involving exploiting individuals through digital means under coercive or deceptive conditions. 
• Trans-national nature: It involves human trafficking of tech-savvy youth across borders under the pretext of employment.
• Forms of cyber slavery: 
  • Coercive involvement in cybercrime e.g. money laundering and crypto fraud, 
  • Forced employment in online frauds e.g. digital arrest, 
  • Exploitation in the gig economy, or involuntary slavery. 

Researchers at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE) rediscovered a velvet worm (phylum Onychophora).

About Velvet worms

• Onychophora commonly known as velvet worms, walking worms or peripatus due to velvety texture and caterpillar like appearances.
• Velvety texture: Their skin has numerous papillae (small projections) that give them a velvety appearance.
• Size: from 0.5 to 15 cm in length.
• Habitat: They are found in moist environments, such as forests, under rocks, and in leaf litter
• Colour: Such as orange, red, brown, green, blue, gold, etc.
• Carnivorous: They can shoot adhesive slime up to 30 cm to catch their prey such as beetles and other insects.
• Diversity: 183 species in the world, only one species in India (Assam).

Malnutrition-related diabetes has been officially recognized and named “type 5 diabetes” at International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) World Diabetes Congress.

• Also called J-type diabetes, is known to be associated with undernutrition and low weight (body mass index (BMI)).
• It is a type of diabetes linked to chronic undernutrition, especially during childhood or adolescence.

Other Types of Diabetes

• Type 1: Autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells that prevents your pancreas from making insulin.
• Type 2: high blood sugar levels, often due to insulin resistance or insufficient insulin production. 
  • Mainly caused by obesity and overnutrition (Body does not use insulin well).
• Gestational: Occurs with high blood glucose during pregnancy and can cause complications for both mother and child.

Recently, Indian Air Force planes faced GPS Spoofing in Myanmar's airspace.

GPS spoofing

• It is also known as GPS simulation, refers to the practice of manipulating or tricking a GPS receiver by broadcasting false GPS signals.
• It misleads the GPS receiver into believing it is located somewhere it is not, resulting in the device providing inaccurate location data.
• It exploits weak satellite signals by overwhelming receivers with fake transmissions, causing devices to display false location data.
• It has the potential to affect various industries extensively, including logistics and supply chain, telecommunications, energy, and defense.

On April 12, “Pink moon" also known as April's first ‘full moon’, was observed in the night sky. 

About Pink Moon

• The name actually comes from a springtime wildflower “Phlox subulata”, which bursts into bloom around this time of year in North America leading to the naming of natural phenomenon.
• This particular full moon is also termed as “micromoon” because it appears slightly smaller than usual. 
  • This is due to the moon being at apogee, the farthest point in its orbit from Earth.

The civil society organisations have warned the Meitei community against climbing the Thangjing Hill.

Thangjing Hill

• It is a mountain peak in the Indian state of Manipur, in the Churachandpur district, to the west of Moirang.
• The range forms part of the western border of the Imphal Valley.
• Sacred Hill: The Thangjing Hill is believed by Manipuris to be the abode of Thangching, the ancestral deity of Moirang.
  • The Meiteis of the Moirang region carry out an annual pilgrimage to the top of the hill.
• Streams rising in the western slopes of the hill flow into the Leimatak River, which flows north to join the Irang River. 
• To the south rises the Tuila River, which joins the Tuivai River, a major river of the Churachandpur district.

Traditional harvest festivals are being celebrated in different parts of India.

• Marking the 1st day of the New Year, they are a way of thanksgiving for the abundant harvest at the coming of spring. 

Traditional harvest festivals in India

• Baisakhi (Punjab): Marks the beginning of harvesting of Rabi crops. Bhangra and Gidda dances are performed.
• Vishu (Kerala and Tamil Nadu): Marks the traditional spring equinox when day and night are equal.
• Poila Boishakh (West Bengal): Traders begin the new financial year by opening fresh account books, known as Haal Khaata.
• Others: Bohag Bihu or Rongali Bihu (Assam), Puthandu (Tamil Nadu), Makar Sakranti (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana), Lohri (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K), Pongal (Tamil Nadu)