1) Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867: Centre has issued a notification for implementation of amendments to provisions of PRB Act 1867.
- Amendments were brought under Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023
- Key Highlights
- Removed provision of imprisonment and rationalised quantum of fines.
- Press Registrar can suspend or cancel certificate of registration on grounds of irregularity, not furnishing annual statement, etc.
- Jurisdiction of Press and Registration Appellate Board extended
2) Fungi: UN Biodiversity has urged people to use word ‘funga’ along with ‘flora and fauna’, to highlight importance of fungi.
- Fungi, along with Animalia, Plantae, Protista, and Monera, form the Five Kingdom Classification of biology.
- Characteristics of Fungi:
- Cell Type: Eukaryotic
- Cell wall: Present with chitin
- Nuclear membrane: Present
- Body organisation: Multiceullar/loose tissue
- Mode of nutrition: Heterotrophic (Saprophytic/Parasitic)
3) Kakapo or owl parrot: Genetic mapping of Kakapo will help in their conservation.
- It is found in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
- IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
- Threats – Habitat loss, introduction of new predators increases in hunting.
- Features:
- Large, flightless, nocturnal parrot.
- Breeds once every two to five years.
- Feeds on leaves, stems, roots, fruit, nectar, seeds, etc.
4) Fiberization: Pace of laying out optical fibre in the country has increased since the launch of 5G services.
- Fiberisation is the process of connecting radio towers with each other via optical fibre cables.
- It facilitates full utilisation of network capacity and carries large amounts of data used in 5G services.
- It will also aid in providing additional bandwidth and stronger backhaul support.
- In India, currently around 38% of the towers are fiberized, compared to 80%-90% in U.S., Japan and China
