1) Neora Valley National Park: Recently, Royal Bengal Tiger has been seen in the Neora Valley National Park (West Bengal).
- This has confirmed the presence of the big cats at an altitude of 10,509 feet above sea level.
- Lies in the catchment of the Neora River and is part of a global biodiversity hotspot located in the Eastern Himalayas.
- Declared as an Important Bird Area.
- Links the Pangolakha Wildlife Sanctuary (Sikkim) and the Toorsa Strict Reserve (Bhutan).
- Forest Type: Subtropical Mixed Broadleaf Forest, Lower Temperate Evergreen Forest, Upper Temperate Mixed Broadleaf Forest and Rhododendron Forest.
- Key Fauna: Red Panda, Himalayan Tahr, Himalayan Black Bear, etc.
2) Near Infrared Light: Researchers have found that Near-infrared light ruptures cancerous cells with high effectiveness.
- Near-infrared has shown high effectiveness than visible rays because of its higher penetrative power.
- However, researcher raised concern that its high penetrative power may cause damage to vital tissues.
- About Near Infrared Rays: A portion of radiation that is just beyond the visible Electromagnetic (EM) Spectrum is referred to as near-infrared.
- It is part of the Infrared Light (IR).
- Other Applications: Used in by satellites to observe vegetation and soil composition.
- EM spectrum also consists of Radio waves, Microwaves, Visible, Ultraviolet light, X-rays and gamma-rays (arranged in low to high energy or frequency).
3) Kilonova Explosion: A team of researchers have developed a method to model the kilonova explosion.
- A kilonova is a bright blast of electromagnetic radiation that happens when two neutron stars or a neutron star and a stellar-mass black hole collide and merge.
- A neutron star is formed when a star having a mass more than 1.44 times that of the Sun (as per Chandrasekhar limit) blows off its gaseous envelope in a supernova explosion
- They are among the densest objects in the cosmos.
4) TDS on e-commerce: Central Board of Direct Taxes clarified that provisions for tax deducted at source (TDS) by e-commerce operators will be applicable to multiple e-commerce operator model framework, such as ONDC.
- Income-tax Act, 1961 mandates e-commerce operators to deduct 1% TDS from total sale amount of goods or services facilitated through their digital platform.
- ONDC is aimed at promoting open networks for all aspects of exchange of goods and services over digital networks.
- It was incorporated under Section 8 of the Companies Act in 2021.
- Quality Council of India and Protean eGov Technologies Limited are its founding members
