Lizard Island

A recent drone analysis showed that at least 97% of coral at Lizard Island has been wiped out in just three months.

• Lizard Island is located in the north of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Pacific Ocean.
• Lizard Island has become ground zero for studying the effects of rising sea temperatures.
• The coral bleaching event at the island is part of a global trend.
• According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), over 70.7% of coral reefs worldwide have been impacted by bleaching-level heat stress since January 1, 2023.
• The Great Barrier Reef has experienced five mass bleaching events in the past eight years.
• Coral bleaching occurs when corals expel algae from their tissues due to extreme heat stress, making them appear white and vulnerable to diseases.
• The study used drone imagery at 20 meters altitude to map the coral bleaching, followed by in-person snorkelling observations.
• UNESCO has expressed "utmost concern" about the mass coral bleaching and has called on the Australian government to make data on the extent of coral death public.
• The Australian Institute of Marine Science is expected to release its annual report on coral reef conditions soon.

Mutual Evaluation Report of India

Financial Action Task Force has recently adopted Mutual Evaluation Report of India in its plenary held in Singapore.

• Mutual Evaluation Report of India is a comprehensive review of a country's systems and mechanisms to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
• It is an initiative of Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
• It assesses how well India has implemented the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Standards.
• The FATF standards includes international recommendations for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the global financial system.
• This evaluation was conducted during the financial year 2023-24.
• The report was adopted at the FATF plenary held in Singapore between June 26th and June 28th, 2024.
• India achieved an outstanding result in this evaluation.
• The report places India in the 'regular follow-up' category, which is a positive outcome shared by only four other G20 countries.
• FATF has recognized India's efforts in several areas such as:
  • Mitigating risks from money laundering and terrorist financing.
  • Transitioning from a cash-based to a digital economy.
  • Implementing the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) Trinity and regulations on cash transactions.
• The Department of Revenue led India's engagement with FATF during the mutual evaluation process, involving a multi-disciplinary team from various government bodies and sectors.
• India is already a member of the FATF Steering Group, and this performance is expected to enhance its role in the organization.
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – Is an intergovernmental organization established in 1989.
• It acts as the international watchdog to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

Mobile Number Portability and Unique Porting Code

TRAI has recently issued the Telecommunication Mobile Number Portability Regulations, 2024 which introduces an additional criterion for the rejection of the request for allocation of a Unique Porting Code.

Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

• MNP is a facility that allows telecom users to change their service provider while retaining their original mobile number.
• It is a facility that allows a telecom service user to move from one operator to another operator irrespective of geographical area.
• It was introduced in India in 2011 and has been a key reform in the telecom sector.
• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) oversees MNP implementation.
• Benefits
  • Enhances consumer choice.
  • Promotes competition among telecom operators.
  • Improves service quality.
• Process
  • Subscribers can port within a Licensed Service Area (LSA) or between LSAs.
  • Porting within an LSA takes 3 working days, while inter-LSA porting takes 5 working days.
  • Corporate number porting also takes 5 working days.

Unique Porting Code (UPC)

• A Unique Porting Code (UPC) is a key element in the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) process in India.
• It is a unique code generated for a subscriber who wants to port their mobile number from one service provider to another.
• The Subscribers can send an SMS 'PORT' followed by their mobile number to 1900 to receive the UPC.
• Validity
  • 4 days for all areas except of Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and North East.
  • 30 days for Jammu & Kashmir, Assam, and North East regions.
• Significance
  • Ensures secure and authenticated porting requests.
  • Prevents unauthorized porting.
• Eligibility Criteria
  • Cleared outstanding dues (for postpaid connections).
  • Minimum 90 days activation with current operator.
  • No pending legal issues or contractual obligations.

Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance Consortium (InTGS)

• Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance Consortium (InTGS) is part of the larger "Dare2eraD TB" initiative launched by India's Department of Biotechnology (DBT) on World TB Day in 2022.
• InTGS aims to perform Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains across India.
• It is a joint initiative of Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• It was proposed on lines of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG)
• Objectives – To develop a central bio-repository and database of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains & mutations in India.
• Map genetic diversity of MTB (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) isolates from new TB cases and their treatment outcomes clinical strains.
• Study the association between MTB mutations and drug resistance patterns.
• Assess household transmission of TB in India.
• Combine epidemiological data with Whole Genome Sequencing results for actionable public health information.
• Implementation – Multi-laboratory network involving RePORT India Consortium and TB laboratories of the National TB Elimination Program
• “Dare2eraD TB” program – It is an umbrella TB program of Department of Biotechnology.
• It comprises initiatives such as:
  • Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance Consortium,
  • Indian TB Knowledge Hub- Webinar Series and
  • Host Directed therapies against TB and developing an evidence-based regimen for treating extra-pulmonary TB.

Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus)

• The Rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) is one of the cat family's smallest members.
• They are smaller than house cats and have slender bodies.
• The world’s two smallest cats are the Rusty-spotted cat and the black-footed cat.
• Historical records indicate that they exist only in rom India and Sri Lanka but it was also recorded in the western Terai of Nepal in 2012.
• In Sri Lanka, they are called ‘Kola Diviya’ or ‘Handun Diviya’.
• It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List as it is fragmented and affected by the loss and destruction of its prime habitat, deciduous forests.
• It was thought to occur only in moist forests, but recent records demonstrate that it also inhabits dry deciduous forests, bamboo forests, wooded grasslands, arid scrubland, and rocky hill slopes.
• They favour rocky areas and dense vegetation and probably do not occur in evergreen forests.
• They are carnivores and eat birds and small mammals, sometimes domestic ducks and poultry.