Mosura Fentoni

Context: Paleontologists, aided by more than 60 fossil finds, discovered Mosura fentoni, a three-eyed predator that roamed in the oceans of Earth from 506 million years ago.

• The discovery was published in Royal Society Open Science.

About Mosura Fentoni

• Classification: Belongs to a group called Radiodonts, a predator during the Cambrian Period. 
  • Radiodonts are an ancient group of arthropods, ancestral to modern insects, spiders, and crustaceans.
• Nickname: Nicknamed the “sea moth” for its body resemblance to a moth and finger-sized length.
• Body Structure: Mosura had an unusual abdomen with 16 body segments and gill-like structures likely for enhanced respiratory efficiency.
  • These structures resemble those in modern horseshoe crabs and woodlice, suggesting evolutionary convergence- the mechanism by which bodily similarities develop in unrelated groups independently .
• “Third Eye”: It featured a prominent third eye in the center of its head, aiding in orientation underwater.
• Swimming Style: Used multiple swimming flaps to “fly” underwater, similar to stingrays.
• Feeding: Mouth resembled a pencil sharpener, lined with serrated plates.
• Predatory Adaptations: Mosura had forked, jointed claws, distinct from other radiodonts, possibly to grab and guide prey.
• Vision: Nerve clusters near the eyes suggest Mosura had vision processing abilities.

India Pledges At UN Peacekeeping Ministerial in Berlin

Context: India, a major troop contributor to UN peacekeeping, pledged significant resources at the UN peacekeeping ministerial meeting in Berlin

About UN Peacekeeping

• UN Peacekeeping led by the United Nations Department of Peace Operations (DPO) supports countries in transitioning from conflict to peace by deploying troops, police, and civilians.
• Core Principles: Consent of parties, impartiality, and Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.

New Pledges Of India at UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, 2025

• A Quick Reaction Force (QRF) company, One women-led Formed Police Unit (FPU), A counter-IED and explosive ordnance disposal unit, A K-9 (canine) unit, A SWAT police unit and a mixed armed police unit or armed police support.

India and Peacekeeping Efforts

• India currently contributes 5,384 personnel, including 153 women, across 10 UN peacekeeping missions (as of Sept 2024).
• It remains one of the largest troop-contributing countries globally.
• India deployed the first all-female FPU to Liberia in 2007.
• Nearly 180 Indian peacekeepers have died in service, the highest number among all contributing countries.

About Berlin UN Peacekeeping Ministerial, 2025

• The Berlin Ministerial is part of a series of high-level meetings aimed at galvanising political support and generating tangible commitments to improve UN peacekeeping.
• It follows previous Ministerial meetings held in Accra (2023), Seoul (2021), New York (2019) Vancouver (2017) and London (2016). 
• The 2025 Ministerial also coincides with the 80th anniversary of the UN and the 10-year anniversary of the Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping.

e-Zero FIR Initiative

Context: The Ministry of Home Affairs has launched the e-Zero FIR Initiative to auto-register high-value cybercrimes.

About the e-Zero FIR Initiative

• The e-Zero FIR will automatically convert cyber financial crime complaints registered on the 1930 helpline or the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP), into FIRs. 
  • Threshold: Complaints of cybercrime above Rs 10 lakh will automatically be converted into FIR.
  • Pilot Project: The initiative is initially being launched as a pilot project for Delhi.
• Vision: To bolster the cybersecurity grid to build a ‘cyber-secure Bharat’
• Implementing Agency:  Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs
• Integrated Approach: The e-FIR process will integrate I4C’s NCRP system, Delhi Police’s e-FIR system and NCRB’s Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems.
• Law: The e-FIRs will be registered in accordance with the new provisions of Section 173 (1) and 1(ii) of Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita.
• Significance: The e-Zero FIR will be registered irrespective of the geographical jurisdiction of the crime, ensuring swift action without bureaucratic delays.

Tulare Lake in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Context: The Tulare lake has  reappeared after 130 years in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Reason of reappearance

Tulare Lake resurfaced after 130 years due to a combination of natural and human-induced factors. 

• Excessive Snowmelt & Rainfall: Massive snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada in 2023–24, triggered by record snowfall, and a series of intense atmospheric rivers led to excess water accumulation.
• No Natural Outlet: Tulare Lake has no natural drainage, causing water to accumulate. 
• About Tulare Lake
• Tulare Lake was once the largest freshwater body west of the Mississippi River.
• It disappeared in the late 19th century due to agricultural drainage and irrigation projects.
• Dubbed as:  The “ghost lake”.
• It is an important source of water for local indigenous communities, like the Tachi Yokut tribe, who called the lake “Pa’ashi.” 
• The lake was also used for transportation, with steamships carrying supplies from Bakersfield to San Francisco.

About San Joaquin Valley

• The San Joaquin Valley is the southern part of California’s Central Valley.
• It is located in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth.
• It is known as a major agricultural hub, often referred to as a breadbasket of the U.S. due to its large-scale food production.
• The valley covers eight counties from Northern California and one from Southern California.
  • Entire San Joaquin and Kings counties.
  • Most of Stanislaus, Merced, and Fresno counties.
  • Parts of Madera and Tulare counties.
  • A large portion of Kern County (Southern California).

Geographical Features

• It is Bounded by 
  • North: Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta.
  • South: Tehachapi Mountains.
  • West: California coastal ranges (Diablo and Temblor).
  • East: Sierra Nevada Mountains.
  • The valley is divided into two major basins:
    • San Joaquin Basin (North): Drained by the San Joaquin River and its tributaries.
    • Tulare Basin (South): An endorheic basin (no outlet to the sea), centered on Tulare Lake.

K. Veeraswami vs Union of India and Others judgment

Context: Recently, the Vice-President highlighted the need to revisit the 1991 Supreme Court ruling in K. Veeraswami vs Union of India, which restricts criminal investigation against judges without prior approval. 

Key Highlights of the K. Veeraswami vs Union of India and Others judgment(1991)

• This landmark judgment dealt with issues related to judicial accountability and the prosecution of judges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
• Judges of the High Courts and Supreme Court are considered public servants under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
  • A public servant is an individual employed by the government or government agency to serve the public.
• No criminal case can be registered against a High Court or Supreme Court judge without the prior approval of the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
• This ruling established a special procedure for investigating corruption allegations against higher judiciary members.

New OCI Portal

Context: Recently, the Union Home Minister launched a revamped Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) portal.

About OCI Portal 

• The Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) portal is an online platform designed for Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) to register as OCI cardholders.
• Features of the New OCI Portal
  • Enhanced Functionality, Advanced Security and User-Friendly Interface: 

OCI Scheme

• The OCI scheme was introduced in 2005 through an amendment to the Citizenship Act, 1955.
  • It allows eligible individuals to obtain an OCI card, granting them visa-free entry and certain privileges in India, such as property ownership and economic participation
• Eligibility Criteria: Eligible individuals must have been:
  • Citizens of India on or after January 26, 1950, or
  • Eligible for Indian citizenship on that date.
• Exclusions: Individuals who are or had been citizens of Pakistan or Bangladesh cannot apply.
• • Also ineligible if their parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents were citizens of these two countries.
  • However, a foreign origin spouse of an Indian citizen or an OCI Card holder can apply for an OCI card if their marriage has been legally registered and has lasted for at least two years. 

Benefits for OCI Card holder

• OCI Card holders gets multiple entry  and multi-purpose life-long visa for visiting India.
• They are free to not register with local police authorities for staying in the country. 

Limitations

• OCI Card holders can not vote and  become member of a Legislative Assembly or of a Legislative Council or of Parliament.
• They are also not eligible to hold Indian constitutional posts like the President, Vice President, Judge of the Supreme Court or High Court.

New Generation Barcodes

Context: GS1 will introduce the new generation barcodes in the form of QR Codes (2D barcodes) from the year 2027.

• Feature: 
  • The Barcodes will be powered by GS1 and GS1 DataMatrix
  • The New codes will contain new information like sell-by dates, product instructions, allergens and ingredients, as well as prices.

About Barcodes

• Barcodes are machine-readable symbols that use parallel lines and spaces of varying widths to represent data, typically numerical or alphanumeric information.
• Origin: The first barcode was devised by Joe Woodland and was read in an Ohio supermarket in June 1974 to speed up checkout queues and stocktaking.
• Types of barcodes:
  • 1D barcodes: These are Linear barcodes, such as UPC and EAN, using a series of parallel bars and spaces. 
  • 2D barcodes: These are in the form of QR codes, encoding  data in a two-dimensional grid of squares, dots, or other shapes
• Application: 
  • Inventory Management: To facilitate quick and accurate tracking of stock levels and inventory movements.
  • Point of Sale (POS): It enables fast and efficient scanning of products during checkout.
  • Healthcare: Barcode systems help track medication inventory and usage.
  • Product Tracking: These enable manufacturers to track products throughout the production process.
  • Supply Chain Operations: They enable the tracking of shipments from origin to destination, improve the accuracy of order fulfillment.
  • Government Programmes: GS1 standards are used in Indian national programmes such as FASTag, Ayushman Bharat and ROHINI (a hospital registry).

About Barcode Standards

• These are sets of rules that define how barcodes are created, printed, and read primarily managed by organizations like,
  • ISO (International Organization for Standardization):
    • Example: ISO/IEC 15416: This standard defines the characteristics of linear barcodes, including dimensions, spacing, and character sets.
  • GS1 (Global Standards 1): It is a not-for-profit organization behind global barcode standards.
    • Example: GTIN (Global Trade Item Number): GS1 assigns unique GTINs to products, preventing barcode duplication and ensuring product authentication.

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