1) Derecho: is “a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm” that is associated with a “band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms”. The name comes from the Spanish word ‘la derecha’ which means ‘straight’.
- Straight-line storms are those in which thunderstorm winds have no rotation unlike a tornado
- Being a warm-weather phenomenon, a derecho generally – not always – occurs during summertime beginning May, with most hitting in June and July. They are rare.
2) Sabizabulin: A newly published phase-3 study for the drug sabizabulin, initially developed to fight cancer, has shown that it cuts risk of death by about one-fourth in patients hospitalized with moderate to severe Covid-19
- An orally bioavailable, small molecule tubulin inhibitor, with potential antineoplastic, antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities.
3) Justice Rohini Commission: The commission was set up on October 2, 2017 under Article 340 of the Constitution. It was tasked with sub-categorisation of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and equitable distribution of benefits reserved for them.
- The argument for sub-categorisation — or creating categories within OBCs for reservation — is that it would ensure “equitable distribution” of representation among all OBC communities.
4) Blackout challenge: It is a challenge in which people are encouraged to choke themselves until they become unconscious due to the lack of oxygen.
- TikTok, the video social media platform, is being sued in the United States by the parents of two young girls who died after taking part in a viral ‘blackout challenge’ in 2021.
5) Dragon fruit: In India, dragon fruit is also referred to as Kamalam and super fruit due to its health benefits.
- It is hardy and grows in diverse climatic conditions with varied soils, especially in the semi-arid and arid regions of India.
- It prefers slightly acidic soil and can tolerate some salts in soil too.
- It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals.
- The low maintenance and high profitability of dragon fruits has attracted the farming community throughout India.
- This has led to a steep increase in dragon fruit cultivation in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Gujarat and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as in many north eastern states
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