·       It is a new species of plant discovered in the tropical rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia.

·       It belongs to a group of plants known as mycoheterotrophs.

·       Unlike most plants, mycoheterotrophs do not perform photosynthesis.

·       Instead, they act as parasites, stealing carbon resources from the fungi on their roots.

·       This adaptation takes advantage of the mycorrhizal symbiosis, which is usually a mutually beneficial relationship between colonizing fungi and a plant’s root system.

What happens in mycorrhizal symbiosis?

·       The fungi help the tree absorb water and nutrients from the soil, while the tree provides the fungi with sugars produced through photosynthesis.

·       This symbiotic partnership is vital for the health and growth of both organisms.

·       But Thismia malayana, instead of contributing to the exchange, acts as a parasite, siphoning off carbon resources from the fungi without offering anything in return.

·       By stealing nutrients from fungi, this newly discovered species thrives in the low-light conditions of dense forest under stories, where its highly specialised flowers are pollinated by fungus gnats and other small insects.

·       The unusual plant is around 2 cm long and is typically found hidden in leaf litter and growing near tree roots or old rotten logs.

·       Despite its small size, Thismia malayana is very sensitive to environmental changes and has been classified as Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List.

·       It is an initiative by the All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA), aims to assist bank customers with grievance redressal amid the rapid expansion of technology and Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines on retail banking.

·       It is a non-resolving advisory platform guiding customers on the remedies available per RBI guidelines.

·       It serves as an additional channel alongside the normal Banking Ombudsman process.

How does it work?

·       Under this initiative, customers can register their complaints on the Bank Clinic website and within five working days, they will receive a reply detailing the available remedies and relevant RBI guidelines for their specific issue

·       The goal is to ensure timely and effective redressal of customer issues.

·       It guides customers on available remedies but does not directly resolve queries.

Benefits:

·       The Bank Clinic helps build goodwill with customers.

·       It provides valuable feedback to banks, highlighting areas where service deficiencies exist.

What is AIBEA?

·       The All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) is a national trade union representing bank employees across India.

·       Founded in 1946 on April 20th in Kolkata. It’s headquarter is in Chennai.

·       AIBEA plays a crucial role in advocating for the rights, welfare and interests of bank workers.

·       It is the oldest ongoing data collection project for civil war, with a history of almost 40 years.

·       Its definition of armed conflict has become the global standard of how conflicts are systematically defined and studied.

·       UCDP produces high-quality data that are systematically collected and are comparable across cases and countries.

·       The program is a unique source of information for practitioners and policymakers.

·       It is iteratively improved and expanded upon by means of the active research and development activities undertaken by the VIEWS consortium.

·       The current version of the VIEWS system offers predictions for so-called state-based conflict, that is, inter- or intrastate conflicts over government or territory.

·       Violence in India in 2023 – The overall level of violence in India remained roughly the same as in 2022, with an increase of 10 fatalities compared to the previous year.

·       The most violent non-state conflict in 2023 was between the ethnic Kuki and Meitei people in Manipur, resulting in 102 recorded fatalities.

·       It is a next-generation space capsule that can accommodate 7 passengers, or a mix of crew and cargo, for missions to low-Earth orbit.

·       It features wireless internet and tablet technology for crew interfaces.

·       It was developed in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

·       Five Eyes Alliance:The Five Eyes Alliance refers to an intelligence-sharing partnership among five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

·       These nations collaborate closely on intelligence matters, sharing information to protect their shared national interests.

·       Origins of the Alliance:The alliance traces its origins back to World War II when the UK and the US decided to share intelligence after successfully breaking German and Japanese codes.

·       It began as the Britain-USA (BRUSA) agreement, later evolving into the UK-USA (UKUSA) agreement, with Canada joining in 1949 and New Zealand and Australia in 1956.