Kozhikode Gets WHO Recognition as Age-Friendly City
Syllabus: GS1/Society, GS2/ Governance
Context
- Kozhikode city has received global recognition by becoming a member of the World Health Organization’s Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC).
What is an Age-Friendly City?
- An age-friendly city ensures that urban environments, infrastructure, and services are accessible and inclusive for older adults. It addresses challenges related to:
- Accessible public spaces (parks, transportation, buildings),
- Affordable and suitable housing, healthcare access and social support,
- Age-friendly communication tools,
- Participation in community activities.
WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC)
- Establishment: 2010
- The mission of the Network is to stimulate and enable cities and communities around the world to become increasingly age-friendly.
- The Network seeks to do this by:
- inspiring change by showing what can be done and how it can be done;
- connecting cities and communities worldwide to facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge and experience; and
- supporting cities and communities to find appropriate innovative and evidence-based solutions.
| UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) – Kozhikode was inducted into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network under the Literature category in 2022. – It became the first Indian city under the UNESCO “City of Literature”. |
Source: TH
Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY)
Syllabus :GS 2/Health
In News
- Scientists from the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF), Chennai, and Washington University School of Medicine have discovered a new subtype of Maturity-Onset Diabetes of the Young (MODY), bringing the total recognized subtypes to 14.
Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY)
- It is a type of monogenic diabetes first described as a mild and asymptomatic form of diabetes that was observed in non-obese children, adolescents, and young adults.
- It is caused by defects in pancreatic islet cell development that impairs insulin secretion.
- It is usually inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion, and patients generally have heterozygous mutations.
Latest Developments
- The newly identified genetic variant, found in Indian patients, affects potassium channel function in pancreatic beta cells, leading to disrupted insulin secretion and a shift from congenital hyperinsulinism to diabetes.
- Unlike other MODY forms, it does not respond to standard treatments like sulphonylureas.
| Diabetes or Diabetes Mellitus (DM) – It is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood glucose levels. This condition arises when the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin or becomes resistant to the insulin it does produce. Types of Diabetes: 1. Type 1 Diabetes: An autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system attacks the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. 2. Type 2 Diabetes: The most common type, often associated with lifestyle factors like obesity and sedentary lifestyle. The body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn’t produce enough. Gestational Diabetes: Develops during pregnancy and usually resolves after childbirth. Symptoms: Frequent urination, Increased thirst, Excessive hunger, Blurred vision and Fatigue. |
Source: TH
BrahMos Missile Manufacturing Unit
Syllabus: GS3/Defence
Context
- The production of supersonic cruise missile, BrahMos, is set to begin in Lucknow, with the inauguration of the BrahMos missile manufacturing unit.
About
- The BrahMos missile manufacturing unit will be officially inaugurated on May 11, marking a historic milestone in India’s defence manufacturing journey.
- The facility is being set up by BrahMos Aerospace with a ₹300 crore investment.
- The unit has been completed–from construction to production–within 3.5 years.
- It will also be the first-of-its-kind hi-tech unit in the state.
Significance
- Strategic Impact: Enhances India’s defence capabilities.
- Industrial Impact: Brings modern manufacturing technologies to the state, stimulating growth of allied industries.
- Employment Generation:
- 500 direct jobs (engineers & technicians).
- Thousands of indirect jobs across skill levels.
About BrahMos
- It is a joint venture between India’s DRDO (50.5%) and Russia’s NPOM (49.5%).
- Etymology: BrahMos = Brahmaputra (India) + Moskva (Russia), symbolizing strength and peace.
- BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles are known for their speed, precision, and versatility.
Source: IE
HAROP Drone
Syllabus: GS3/Defence
Context
- India reportedly used HAROP drones to target multiple Air Defence systems in Pakistan.
About
- It is developed by IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) and is the second-generation system following the HARPY platform.
- They cause destruction by crashing into their targets with the explosive payload that they carry, earning names such as “suicide drones” and “kamikaze drones”.
- Dual-Role Capability: Acts both as a surveillance drone and a precision strike missile.
- Features:
- Endurance Up to 9 hours.
- Operational Range up to 1,000 km, enabling deep-strike operations without frontline exposure.
- Fully autonomous search and tracking.
- Two-way data link allows operators to make real-time targeting decisions and abort missions if needed.
- Attack can be cancelled mid-flight, allowing re-loitering — reducing collateral damage risks.
- Effective against: Radars, Missile systems, Mobile units, Enemy bunkers/hideouts.
Source: IE
INS Arnala
Syllabus: GS3/Defence
Context
- The Indian Navy took delivery of a new shallow-water vessel designed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).
About
- INS Arnala is the lead ship of the Arnala-class anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvette, it is named after Arnala Island, which is located off the coast of Maharashtra.
- Indigenously designed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.
- Role: The ship has been designed for underwater surveillance, search & rescue operations and Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO).
- Features:
- The ship is capable of full-scale sub-surface surveillance of coastal waters as well as search and attack. It can also carry out ASW operations in coordination with aircraft.
- Arnala also boasts a combat management system and armament consisting of lightweight torpedoes and ASW rockets.
Source: PIB
Vultures
Syllabus :GS 3/Environment
Context
- At least 123 vultures died in South Africa’s Kruger National Park after consuming a poisoned elephant carcass left by poachers.
Vultures
- They are large, social raptors found on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.
- There are 23 species, split into New World vultures (Americas) and Old World vultures (Europe, Asia, Africa), which evolved separately through convergent evolution and are not closely related.
Status in India
- India has nine species of vultures in the wild.
- These are the Oriental White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Slender billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), Long billed Vulture (Gyps indicus), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Red Headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), Indian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus), Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis), Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) and Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus)
Importance
- Vultures play a crucial role in maintaining sanitation by consuming dead animals quickly, preventing the spread of dangerous pathogens like botulism and anthrax.
- With highly acidic stomachs, they effectively sterilize carcasses and their surroundings.
Threats
- Use of Diclofenac and pesticides were also the major causes of mortality.
- Lack of Nesting Trees
- Electrocution by power lines
- Food Dearth and Contaminated Food
Conservation status
- Bearded, Long-billed, Slender-billed, and Oriental white-backed are protected in the Schedule-1 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. Rest are protected under ‘Schedule IV’.
- The Ministry for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change launched a Vulture Action Plan 2020-25 for the conservation of vultures in the country.
- Establishment of Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres
- Ban on the veterinary use of Diclofenac in India
Source: TH
Small Snail Infestation in Idukki’s Cardamom Sector
Syllabus: GS3/ Environment
Context
- In Kerala’s Idukki district, a promising cardamom season is being threatened by a snail infestation.
About
- Snails feed on the young panicles and flowers of cardamom, causing considerable damage to the crop.
- In response, farmers are using chemical molluscicides, such as metaldehyde pellets.
- However it is raising serious concerns about the long-term ecological impact on the Western Ghats’ biodiversity.
Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)
- Cardamom, a tropical spice, is produced from the seeds of the plant Elettaria cardamomum, a member of the ginger family.
- This plant is native to southern India and Sri Lanka, and is now cultivated widely in other tropical regions.
- Growing conditions: Cardamom thrives in warm, humid climates with well-drained, organic-rich soil and partial shade.
- It needs a temperature range of 10 to 35 degrees Celsius and prefers a pH between 4.6 and 6.5.
- It is typically grown in highland areas, generally at altitudes between 600 and 1500 meters above sea level.
- It is cultivated mainly in States like Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
Source: TH
Pulitzer Prize 2025
Syllabus: Miscellaneous
Context
- Columbia University has announced the 2025 Pulitzer Prizes, awarded on the recommendation of the Pulitzer Prize Board.
Pulitzer Award
- The Pulitzer Award was established in 1917, named in honour of newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer.
- Significance: It is considered the highest honor in American journalism and one of the most respected awards in literature and the arts.
- The Pulitzer Prize is awarded in over 23 categories, which include:
- Journalism (15 categories)
- Books, Drama, and Music (8 categories).
- Each winner receives a certificate and a US$15,000 cash award. The winner in the public service category is awarded a gold medal.
| First Recipients – Herbert Bayard Swope of the New York World received the first Pulitzer Prize for Reporting for his series titled “Inside the German Empire,” which provided an in-depth look into wartime Germany. – Gobind Behari Lal: First from India to win the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1937. He was a member of the Ghadar Party in America. |
Winners of 2025
- Fiction: James by Percival Everett
- Drama: Purpose by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
- Biography: Every Living Thing by Jason Roberts
- Commentary: It was awarded to Mosab Abu Toha, for his powerful personal narratives published in The New Yorker, detailing the physical and emotional devastation in Gaza during the ongoing Israel–Palestine conflict.
Source: TH
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