News in Shorts: 18 April 2025

Dawoodi Bohra Community

Context: A delegation of Dawoodi Bohra community members met PM Modi at his residence.

Who Are the Dawoodi Bohras?

• It is a religious group within the Ismā’īlī branch of Shia Islam.
• They trace their religious roots to the Fatimi Imams, who were direct descendants of Prophet Mohammed through his daughter Fatima and son-in-law Imam Ali.
• Term Bohra: It comes from the Gujarati word which means “trade”. 
  • Around one million members worldwide, settled in over 40 countries.
  • Largest population of this community lives in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh in India. 
• Beliefs and Practices
  • Believe in one God, the Quran as His message, and Prophet Muhammad as the last prophet.
  • Regards Ali bin Abi Talib as Muhammad’s successor.
• Language: Speak Lisan al-Da’wat, a mix of Gujarati, Arabic, Urdu, and Persian.
• Practice of excommunication in the Dawoodi Bohra community: Its leader has the power to excommunicate its members for challenging his authority. 
  • Excommunicated members can not access mosques or burial in the community.

A Colossal Squid

Context: A juvenile Colossal Squid (30 cm) was filmed in its natural habitat for the first time in 100 years of its discovery near the South Sandwich Islands in the south Atlantic Ocean.

About Colossal Squid

• Scientific Name: Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni
• Family: The colossal squid is part of the “glass” squid family (Cranchiidae). 
  • Three known glass squid species are found in the Antarctic ocean.
• Discovery: The colossal squid was first described in 1925 based on specimens from the stomach of a commercially hunted sperm whale.
• Features:
  • Heaviest Invertebrate: The colossal squids are the heaviest invertebrate on the planet who can grow up to 7m (23ft) in length and weigh up to 500kg (1,100lb)
  • Identifier: They have hooks on the ends of the two long tentacles and in the middle of each of the eight shorter arms
    • They also has the largest eyes documented in the animal kingdom.
  • Habitat: It is known to inhabit the circumantarctic Southern Ocean.
  • Prey and predator: It is an ambush predator, with a diet including various fish like lanternfish and deep-sea smeltand and is likely a key prey item of the sperm whales and seabirds.

Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics

Context: The Experimental High Energy Physics (HEP) group of Bose Institute has been awarded the Breakthrough Prize 2025 in Fundamental Physics as a part of ALICE  collaboration at CERN.

About the Breakthrough Prize in  Fundamental Physics

• It is a set of international awards that recognize top scientists in the fields of Fundamental Physics.
• It was founded in 2012 by Yuri Milner to recognize those individuals who have made profound contributions to human knowledge. 
• It is dubbed as the “Oscars of Science”.
• Prize amount: $3 million per laureate or team.
• Prize for 2025 is awarded to researchers from more than 70 countries representing four experimental collaborations at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS), CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid), ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) and  LHCb (Large Hadron Collider beauty).

Bose Institute

• Bose Institute, Kolkata is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology.
• It is participating in the A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) at CERN. 

A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE)

• A Large Ion Collider Experiment (ALICE) is one of the major experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC).
• ALICE studies the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP), a state of extremely hot and dense matter that existed in the first microseconds after the Big Bang.

About the CERN

• CERN stands for European Organization for Nuclear Research.
• It’s the world’s largest particle physics laboratory, located near Geneva, on the Swiss-French border.
• It was founded in 1954 with the goal of uncovering the fundamental structure of the universe.

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

Context: India has officially signed an agreement to host the headquarters of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), strengthening its global wildlife conservation leadership.

About the Agreement

• The central government and IBCA signed an agreement officially establishing India as the alliance’s headquarters and secretariat.
• Operational Provision: The agreement outlines provisions related to visas, privileges, immunities, and other facilities for IBCA personnel and premises.
• Budgetary Commitment: The Government of India will provide Rs 150 crore in funding from 2023-24 to 2028-29.
  • This corpus will support infrastructure development, recurring expenses, and operational efficiency of the IBCA secretariat.

About the IBCA

• IBCA is a treaty-Based Organisation which became a full-fledged intergovernmental organisation after five countries, including India, ratified the agreement.
• Founding Members: The founding countries include India, Liberia, Eswatini, Somalia, and Nicaragua.
• Launched in April 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.
• Conservation Focus: Dedicated to the global conservation of seven big cats i.e. tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar, and cheetah.