• Cerrado is located in Brazil

Additional Information

• South America is witnessing its worst forest fire season in nearly two decades, breaking a previous record for the number of blazes seen in a year.
• Satellite data assessed by Brazil’s space research organisation  INPE have identified 346,112 fire hotspots in all 13 South American countries this year.
•  Brazil, the continent’s largest country, has been affected the worst, accounting for 60% of the region’s current fires.
• According to Grist magazine, three of the world’s six largest ecosystems—the Amazon, the Cerrado (the world’s most biodiverse savanna), and the Pantanal wetlands—have been badly impacted.
• The second largest of Brazil’s major habitat types, after the Amazonian rainforest, the Cerrado accounts for a full 21 percent of the country’s land area (extending marginally into Paraguay and Bolivia).

• • Cerrado is the world’s most biodiverse savanna, home to 5% of the planet’s animals and plants. 
  • Cerrado is the largest savanna region in South America.
• The Cerrado is sometimes referred to as an “upside-down forest” because almost 70% of its forest’s biomass is underground.

Its thick atmosphere traps heat in a runaway greenhouse effect, making it the hottest planet in our solar system

Additional Information

• Venus is the second planet from the Sun, and Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. Venus is the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon. 
• Venus has an extremely high surface temperature of around 462 degree Celsius, even hotter than Mercury.
• Venus is often called Earth’s twin because it is similar in mass, density, and size. 
• Venus is unusual because it spins the opposite direction of Earth and most other planets. Venus rotates clockwise (east to west).
• Venus does not have any moons.

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• Recently, the Union Cabinet had approved India’s first mission to Venus, which ISRO plans to launch in March 2028. This will be India’s second interplanetary mission, following the 2013 Mars Orbiter Mission.

Venus missions launched by other countries

• Various missions
  • • There have been several missions to Venus in the past by the United States, the erstwhile USSR, Japan, and a collaborative mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) with Japan.
    • Recently, several space agencies have announced Venus missions:
      • NASA’s DaVinci in 2029 and Veritas in 2031
      • ESA’s EnVision mission (planned for early 2030s)
      • Russia’s Venera-D mission (under development)
• Why the Renewed Race to Venus?

• • There is renewed global interest in Venus due to its importance in understanding planetary evolution, climate change, and the potential for life in extreme conditions.
  • NASA, the ESA, and Russia have announced Venus missions, especially after the 2020 discovery of phosphine gas, a potential biomarker, in Venus’s atmosphere, sparking speculation about microbial life.
  • Venus’s proximity and its value as a comparative study to Earth make it a key target for space exploration.
  • Beyond science, the race to Venus fosters international collaboration and highlights space capabilities, with India’s planned mission advancing its global space ambitions alongside the U.S., Russia, and China.

Additional Information

• It is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae.
• It is also called Ilish, and holds an exceptional position in culinary customs and social practices of Bengal. 
• Distribution: It is found in rivers and estuaries in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Myanmar (also known as Burma) and the Persian Gulf area.
• It has a history of migrating to Allahabad in the Ganga river system from Bangladesh.
• Though it’s a saltwater fish, it migrates to sweet waters of the Ganges from the Bay of Bengal.
• IUCN status: Least Concerned

Additional Information

• The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, also known as the Tirupati Balaji Temple, is a hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. 
• The temple is situated at a height of 853 m above sea level and is positioned on Venkata Hill, which is one of the saptagiri (seven hills) of Tirumala Hills.
• It is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu.
• It has been mentioned in holy scriptures such as the Garuda Purana, Brahma Purana and many others.
• A popular practice in the temple is the donation of hair and various riches in order to please the god.

Architecture:

• The Temple is constructed in Dravidian architecture and is believed to be constructed over a period of time starting from 300 AD.
• Three entrances lead to the sanctum sanctorum – the first is called Mahadwaram.
• A gopuram (gateway), measuring 50 ft, is placed infront of the entrance.
• There are two circumambulation (parikrama) paths. 
• The main shrine houses a gold-plated tower that is called Ananda Nilayam, and a temple inside the tower houses the main deity.
• The temple’s vast courtyards, pillars, and halls are adorned with exquisite sculptures and designs that capture the essence of Hindu spirituality.

Additional Information

• The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), or the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal being their total elimination. 
• It was adopted on 7 July 2017, opened for signature on 20 September 2017, and entered into force on 22 January 2021
• None of the nuclear powers have signed the treaty including India.

Treaty Obligations

• The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) prohibits States Parties from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, acquiring, possessing, or stockpiling nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. 
• Signatories are barred from transferring or receiving nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices, control over such weapons, or any assistance with activities prohibited under the Treaty. 
• States are also prohibited from using or threatening to use nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices.
•  Lastly, States Parties cannot allow the stationing, installation, or deployment of nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices in their territory. 
• In addition to the Treaty’s prohibitions, States Parties are obligated to provide victim assistance and help with environmental remediation efforts.