·       It is one of the costliest herbal spices across the globe and popularly known as Red Gold or the Golden Condiment.

·       The commercial part of Saffron is Stigma, which is the female part of flower also termed as Saffron filament or Saffron thread or Saffron stigmata.

·       The seeds of Saffron are called corms or bulbs, and Saffron plant regenerates from the vegetative multiplication of its underground corms.

·       It contains crocin, picrocrocin and saffranal which are very important constituents for both medicinal and aesthetic purposes.

·       Distribution: The saffron plant is native to Greece and Asia Minor, but it is now cultivated in many parts of Europe (especially Italy, France, and Spain), China, and India.

·       Iran is largest producer. India is the 2^nd largest producer.

·       In India around 90% of saffron production comes from Kashmir, where it has been grown for centuries.

Required Climatic conditions

·       It grows at an elevation of 1,500-2,000 m above mean sea level.

·       Saffron cultivation requires explicit climatic conditions with temperatures ranging from not more than 35oC or 40oC in the summer to about -15oC or -20oC in the winter.

·       It can be grown in dry, moderate and continental climate types.

·       Soil: It thrives on loamy, sandy, and calcareous soils.

·       Saffron grows best on acidic soil. It thrives well when the soil pH is 6.5 to 7.5

·       OROV is a segmented single-stranded RNA virus that is part of the genus Orthobunyavirus of the Peribunyaviridae family.

·       The virus was first detected in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955.

·       Italy reported it’s first-ever case of Oropouche in June 2024 and it was also the first case ever to be detected in continental Europe.

·       The virus has been found to circulate in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

·       Transmission – It is spread by the bite of infected midges (small flies) and mosquitoes.

·       There is no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the disease.

·       Culicoides paraensis midge, found in forested areas and around water bodies, or certain Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitos.

·       Symptoms – They are similar to dengue and include headache, fever, muscle aches, stiff joints, nausea, vomiting, chills, or sensitivity to light.

·       Severe cases may result in neuro invasive disease such as meningitis.

·       Symptoms typically start 4–8 days after being bitten and last 3–6 days.

·       Most people recover without long-term effects.

·       Treatment – Is supportive and there is no specific vaccine or antiviral treatment available for the disease.

·       Outbreaks – There are outbreaks of Oropouche fever in parts of Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Cuba.

·       It is a multi-purpose (drinking water and power) project proposed by Karnataka, which involves building a balancing reservoir near Kanakapura in Ramanagara district, Karnataka.

·       It is about 90 km away from Bengaluru and 4 km ahead of the border with Tamil Nadu.

·       The project is proposed at the confluence of the Cauvery River with its tributary Arkavathi.

·       The plan involves building a 99-metre-high, 735-metre-long concrete gravity dam, an underground powerhouse, and a water conductor system.

·       The expected capacity of the dam is 66,000 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water

·       Once completed, it is expected to supply over 4 TMC of water to Bengaluru cityfordrinking purposes.

·       The estimated cost of completing the project is around Rs 14,000 crores, covering an area of over 5,000 hectares.

Issue:

·       Tamil Nadu — the lower riparian state — has claimed that the project is against the interest of the state’s water requirement.

·       Tamil Nadu says, Mekedatu area represents the last free point in Karnataka from where Cauvery water flows unrestricted into Tamil Nadu, and Mekedatu dam project is an attempt by Karnataka to lock this free flow of water.

·       The lower riparian state has to give its no-objection for any project that comes up on the Cauvery as per the Cauvery tribunal and Supreme Court order.

·       It belongs to the family Dicroglossidae, a large group of Asian frogs with over 220 species.

·       It is found both male and female Charles Darwins adopting an inverted position on the walls of tree cavities, keeping their bodies completely above the water while mating as well as laying eggs.

·       Behaviour: Charles Darwin males produced three types of ‘complex’ calls to woo females.

·       When the ‘aggressive’ calls fail to ward off competing males, they begin fighting—kicking and boxing, using forelimbs and hind limbs, and biting off body parts or even the entire head.

·       IUCN: Vulnerable

·       Concern: The study revealed that these frogs increasingly use artificial objects as breeding sites, such as plastic sapling bags and human trash comprising discarded plastic, glass, and metal containers.

·       This shift is likely a response to the loss and fragmentation of forest habitats, forcing the frogs to adapt to the rapidly changing environment on these small islands.”

·       The ‘Monastery of Saint Hilarion’ lies in the Gaza Strip which continues to reel under Israel’s relentless assault.

·       It is situated on the coastal dunes of the Nuseirat Municipality, just 10 km south of Gaza city.

·       The present-day archaeological remains of the site span more than four centuries, from the time of Hilarion to the Umayyad period.

·       The ruins comprise “five successive churches, bath and sanctuary complexes, geometric mosaics, and an expansive crypt” making the monastery “one of the largest in the Middle East”.

·       Historical significance – The site dates back to the 4th century CE being founded by Hilarion the Great, considered the father of Palestinian monasticism.

·       It is one of the largest monasteries in the Middle East.

·       The monastery was likely abandoned after a 7th century earthquake, only to be uncovered by local archaeologists in 1999.

·       It contains archaeological remains spanning over four centuries.

·       In December 2023, the site was granted ‘provisional enhanced protection’ under the 1954 Hague Convention and its Second Protocol.