Short News
Short News
African Swine Fever (ASF)
- Context (PIB): ICAR-NIHSAD (Bhopal) developed India’s first indigenous live-attenuated ASF vaccine for pigs, administered with a 14-day booster.
- Disease Profile: Highly contagious viral haemorrhagic disease in pigs with mortality near 100%; classified as a WOAH notifiable disease.
- Transmission & Safety: Spreads via direct contact, swill feed, or soft ticks; causes zero human health risk.
- Global Context: Vietnam became the first nation to commercially produce an ASF vaccine in 2022 alongside the US.
African Swine Fever (ASF)
- Nature & Classification: Highly contagious haemorrhagic viral disease in swine; classified as a WOAH notifiable disease needing mandatory reporting.
- Transmission: Spreads through infected pigs, swill feed, or soft tick bites; highly environmental-resistant in pens, clothes, and pork.
- Symptoms & Mortality: Causes high fever, skin haemorrhages, and respiratory distress, with mortality rates frequently approaching 100%.
- Public Health: Non-zoonotic infection that cannot transfer to humans, posing zero risk to human health.
Appointment of the UN Secretary-General
- Context (IE): UNSC conducted its initial straw poll to select the next UN Secretary-General starting January 2027.
- Role & Governance: Governed by Article 97, the UNGA appoints the chief administrative officer upon UNSC recommendation.
- Straw Poll Procedure: Informal, secret voting allows 15 UNSC members to mark Encourage, Discourage, or No Opinion.
- Selection Criteria: Candidates require at least 9 Encourage votes and zero vetoes from P5 permanent members.
Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania)
- Context (TH): SC-NBWL recommended adding the pygmy hog to the IDWH Centrally Sponsored Scheme for species recovery.
- Habitat & Traits: World's smallest, rarest wild pig; endemic to Assam's grasslands (like Manas) and host to the endangered sucking louse.
- Ecosystem Role: Serves as a vital grassland health indicator; daily soil rooting aerates earth and improves local habitat quality.
- Status & Conservation: Classified as IUCN Endangered and WPA Schedule I; conserved via the Pygmy Hog Conservation Program since 1995.
Phoenix Species Project
- Context (IUCN): Global initiative launched to revive 100 of the world’s most threatened species from imminent extinction.
- Funding & Genesis: Backed by $200 million from Re:wild and Bezos Earth Fund, alongside major philanthropic partners.
- Key Feature: Largest single private effort focused strictly on Critically Endangered species across diverse global habitats.
- CBD Alignment: Supports Target 4 of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework to halt species loss and improve conservation status.
Taxation and Other Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Context (TH): Union Government introduced the bill in Lok Sabha, amending the Income-tax Act, Finance Act, and Payment Settlement Act.
- Objective: Seeks to attract foreign capital, lower supply-chain risks, and boost high-tech manufacturing under the "China Plus One" strategy.
- Key Exemptions: Offers 10-to-15 year tax reliefs for foreign OEMs, component warehousing, and rough-diamond trading in notified zones.
- Digital Infrastructure: Enables foreign cloud providers to operate via leased data centers without individual project notifications, boosting investment flexibility.
Lab-Grown Diamonds
- Context (TH): Lab-grown diamonds (LGDs) are scalable alternatives as 40 global natural diamond mines face exhaustion within 50 years.
- Properties & Tech: LGDs possess identical chemical, physical, and optical properties to natural diamonds, made via CVD (plasma) or HPHT (pressure).
- Industrial Application: Due to extreme hardness and thermal conductivity, LGDs are vital for lasers, electronics, and precision cutting tools.
- Key Regions: Russia leads global diamond volume, while Gujarat, India dominates LGD production alongside global cutting and polishing.