Prelims Focus-26th September 2023

1. Cabomba furcata

In News: The wetlands of Kole, a Ramsar site of international importance and valuable biodiversity, had to face the threat of the alien species Cabomba furcata.

• Cabomba furcata is popularly called Pink Bloom because of its enormous bloom. 
• It is a native of Central and South America, introduced in Kerala as an aquarium plant and escaped in the wild. 
• It is an underwater perennial that grows in stagnant or slow-flowing freshwater.  
• The natural spread potential of the plant is high because it can easily fragment and spread both actively and passively. 
• It requires large amounts of oxygen to grow and chokes waterways and drains. 
• This reduces native aquatic plant diversity and causes economic damage by affecting freshwater fish yields.

2. Caribbean box jellyfish

In News: Despite having no brain, Caribbean jellyfish can learn to avoid obstacles using visual and mechanical cues, researchers have shown.

• Caribbean box Jellyfish are barely a centimeter long and have no brain. 
• It belongs to the Cnidaria family (a group of animals that includes jellyfish, sea anemones and corals).
• The Caribbean box jellyfish,  Tripedalia cystophora, can navigate  murky water and a maze of submerged mangrove roots.  
• These jelly-like, claw-sized creatures can learn from visual cues to avoid swimming into obstacles. 
• It has a cognitive ability  never before seen in an animal with such a primitive nervous system. 
• Their efficiency is called “associative learning” and is comparable to much more advanced animals such as fruit flies or mice. 
• They have four visual sensory centers called rhopalia, each with lens-shaped eyes and about a thousand nerve cells to help avoid harm.  
• They can respond to “operant conditioning,” meaning they can be trained to “anticipate an imminent problem and try to avoid it.”

3. Five Eyes Alliance

In News: Recently, the US ambassador to Canada claimed that “intelligence shared between Five Eyes partners” informed the prime minister about the possible involvement of Indian agents in the killing of a Khalistan separatist.

Five Eyes Alliance: 

• • Establishment: After World War II 
  • Member States: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain and the United States. 
  • The term “Five Eyes” refers to joint efforts by the five countries to gather and share signals intelligence (SIGINT) to address common security threats and challenges. 

• Objectives: 
• Intelligence Sharing: Alliance members work together to share signals intelligence, including intercepted communications and electronic data, to improve their collective understanding of global security threats.  
• Counterterrorism and National Security: The Five Eyes network focuses on counterterrorism and  other national security issues by sharing critical intelligence and collaborating on joint operations. 
• Cyber ​​Security and Cyber ​​Threats: Due to the growing importance of cyber threats, the Alliance is working together to monitor and intervene in the cyber activities of competing nations and non-state actors.  
• Information and technology sharing: Five Eyes partners share knowledge and technological advances in  intelligence gathering, analysis and cryptography.

4. International Day of Sign Languages

In News: Indian Sign Language Research and Training Center (ISLRTC) celebrates Sign Language Day on 23 September every year.

• The UN General Assembly declared September 23  as International Sign Language Day. 
• The choice commemorates the date that the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD) was established in 1951.
• WFD is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization of deaf people from 133 countries. 
• Founded: September 23, 1951 
• Headquarters: Helsinki, Finland 
• Purpose: It promotes the human rights of the deaf according to the principles and goals of the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other human rights treaties. 
• Theme for 2023:  A World where Deaf People Everywhere can Sign Anywhere!

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