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31/10/2025

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CA-31/10/2025

King Charles III and Queen Camilla made a memorable visit to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, widely known as Neasden Temple, in London.

About Neasden Temple
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, commonly known as the Neasden Temple, is a masterpiece of traditional Hindu architecture located in Neasden, northwest London. It is a spiritual and cultural hub for the Hindu community and a popular attraction for visitors of all faiths. 

Key Facts and History
Europe's First Traditional Hindu Temple: Opened on August 20, 1995, it was the first traditional, hand-carved stone Hindu temple in Europe.

• Construction: The temple was constructed entirely using traditional ancient techniques and materials. Over 3,000 tonnes of Bulgarian limestone and 2,000 tonnes of Italian Carrara marble were shipped to India, where over 1,500 skilled artisans carved the pieces by hand. These carved pieces were then shipped to London and assembled like a massive jigsaw puzzle.
• No Steel Used: The structure uses no steel and its construction followed the principles of Shilpa Shastra, ancient Hindu architectural texts.
• Founding: The temple was built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a socio-spiritual Hindu organisation, under the guidance of its spiritual leader, Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
• Cost: The entire project was funded through donations from the Hindu community and the construction was primarily carried out by volunteers. 

Architecture and Design
The temple complex consists of two main buildings: 

• The Mandir: The main place of worship, built from stone, featuring stunning intricate carvings of deities, historical figures, and floral motifs. It is a serene space for prayer and reflection.
• The Haveli: A traditional-style wooden building made from Burmese teak that serves as a community and cultural centre, welcoming area, and place for events. 

Community and Activities
The Neasden Temple plays a significant role in the local community: 

• Worship and Festivals: It is a vibrant centre for daily worship (puja and arti) and major Hindu festivals, most notably Diwali and the Hindu New Year, which feature elaborate celebrations and food offerings (Annakut).
• Charity and Volunteering: The temple is involved in extensive charitable activities, including blood donation drives, health fairs, and food distribution initiatives in partnership with various London charities.
• Education: It hosts the "Understanding Hinduism" exhibition, which provides insights into the principles, history, and practice of the Hindu faith. 

The Global Virus Network (GVN) has expanded its international coalition by incorporating three distinguished Centers of Excellence located in the Americas, broadening its capacity to address pressing viral threats on a global scale.

About Global Virus Network (GVN)
The Global Virus Network (GVN) is a worldwide coalition of leading medical virology laboratories and experts dedicated to preventing and controlling global viral threats and facilitating pandemic preparedness. Founded in 2011 by Robert Gallo, William Hall, and the late Reinhard Kurth, the GVN connects top scientists to leverage their collective expertise, as no single institution possesses expertise in all viral areas. 

Mission and Goals
The GVN's mission is centered around three core principles: 

• Research: Fostering international collaboration to advance knowledge about how viruses cause disease and to develop new diagnostics, antiviral drugs, and vaccines.
• Education and Training: Training the next generation of virology leaders through mentorship programs, courses, and fellowships to address the global shortage of experts.
• Advocacy and Public Education: Serving as an authoritative source of science-driven information for the public, press, and policymakers, and advocating for sustained funding and evidence-based public health policies. 

Key Activities and Impact
The GVN responds to existing and emerging viral threats by:

• Establishing Task Forces: The GVN assembles expert task forces to address specific pathogens, such as the Chikungunya, Zika, Human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1), and SARS-CoV-2 (including Long COVID) task forces.
• Enhancing Global Resources: The network has more than 80 Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in over 40 countries, working together to provide real-time virus informatics, surveillance, and response strategies.
• Convening Meetings and Webinars: GVN hosts international meetings and webinars to facilitate information exchange and collaboration among scientists, government agencies, and industry partners.
• Forming Strategic Partnerships: GVN collaborates with organizations like the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and a coalition of healthcare and pharmaceutical companies (including Moderna, Gilead, and Johnson & Johnson) to accelerate the development of countermeasures.
• Promoting local capacity: It works to expand research and manufacturing capacity, such as for mRNA vaccines, in low- and middle-income countries to build regional resilience and ensure equitable access to innovations. 

The GVN is a non-profit organization headquartered in Tampa, Florida, at the University of South Florida, with its scientific director, Robert C. Gallo, also directing the USF Health Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation.  A team at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has reported a significant rise in infections caused by a lesser-known bacterium Bordetella holmesii that mimics whooping cough in north India.

About Bordetella holmesii
Bordetella holmesii is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause pertussis-like respiratory symptoms (whooping cough) and serious invasive infections like bacteremia (bloodstream infection), primarily in asplenic or immunocompromised individuals. It was first recognized as a distinct species in 1995. 

Key Characteristics and Infections

• Gram-negative coccobacillus: Describes the shape and cell wall type of the bacterium.
• Asaccharolytic and nonmotile: It does not use sugar for energy and is not mobile.
• Produces a brown pigment: A key distinguishing feature in laboratory cultures.
• Invasive infections: In susceptible individuals (especially those with sickle cell disease or without a functional spleen), it can cause severe illnesses beyond respiratory issues, including:
  • Bacteremia (most common in asplenic patients)
  • Pneumonia
  • Meningitis
  • Endocarditis (heart valve infection)
  • Suppurative arthritis (joint infection)
  • Cellulitis (skin infection)
  • Pyelonephritis (kidney infection)

• Respiratory illness: It can cause symptoms similar to Bordetella pertussis (whooping cough), including a severe, paroxysmal cough, a "whoop" sound when breathing in, and post-tussive vomiting. These symptoms are often milder in adults and teens. 

Diagnosis and Treatment Considerations

• Misdiagnosis is common: Routine diagnostic tests for B. pertussis often cannot differentiate it from B. holmesii because they are not species-specific (e.g., PCR assays targeting the IS481 insertion sequence). This has led to an underestimation of its prevalence.
• Fastidious growth: The bacterium is slow-growing in lab cultures, requiring specific conditions and time (up to 48 hours or more to visualize colonies), which can delay identification.
• Treatment: There are no universally accepted treatment guidelines. B. holmesii has lower susceptibility to macrolides and third-generation cephalosporins (common empirical antibiotics for B. pertussis and other infections). Fluoroquinolones and carbapenems may be more effective options. Clinical recovery is often favorable with appropriate treatment.
• Vaccination: The existing pertussis vaccine (DTaP/Tdap) does not offer cross-protection against B. holmesii. 

Bordetella holmesii is an emerging and under-recognized pathogen, and awareness of its existence and appropriate diagnostic methods are important for accurate epidemiological surveillance and clinical management. 

What is Whooping cough?
Whooping cough, also known as pertussis or the "100-day cough," is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. The illness is known for characteristic severe, uncontrollable coughing fits that can make breathing difficult and often end with a high-pitched "whooping" sound when the person gasps for air. 

Symptoms
Symptoms typically appear 5 to 10 days after exposure and progress in stages: 

• Initial Stage (1-2 weeks): Symptoms resemble a common cold, including a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, mild fever, and a mild, occasional cough. During this stage, the infected person is most contagious.
• Severe Stage (1-6 weeks, sometimes longer): The cough worsens into violent, rapid coughing fits (paroxysms) due to thick mucus buildup in the airways. These fits can cause the face to turn red or blue, vomiting, and extreme exhaustion. Infants may not cough or "whoop" at all; instead, they may gag, struggle to breathe, or experience life-threatening pauses in breathing called apnea.
• Recovery Stage (weeks to months): Coughing fits gradually become less frequent and severe, but a lingering cough can continue for a long time. 

Causes and Transmission
The bacteria are spread easily from person to person through tiny droplets in the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. Humans are the only known host for the bacteria. 

Risk and Complications
Anyone can get whooping cough, but it is most dangerous for infants, especially those younger than 6 months who are too young to be fully vaccinated. Complications in infants can be severe and include pneumonia, slowed or stopped breathing, seizures, and in rare cases, brain damage or death. In adults and older children, complications tend to be less severe but can include bruised or cracked ribs, broken blood vessels in the eyes, or hernias from intense coughing. 

Treatment and Prevention

• Treatment: Antibiotics are used to treat the infection. They are most effective when started early in the illness to reduce its severity and can shorten the contagious period.
• Prevention: Vaccination is the most effective preventive measure. Vaccines (DTaP for children, Tdap boosters for adolescents and adults) are recommended for all age groups to provide protection, although immunity can fade over time. Pregnant women are advised to get vaccinated during each pregnancy to pass some immunity to their newborns. 

Recently, a photographer in Spain spotted the world’s first-ever white Iberian lynx.

About Iberian Lynx
The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is an endangered wild cat species endemic to the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. Once on the verge of extinction, its population has made a remarkable recovery due to intensive conservation efforts. 

Physical Characteristics

• Appearance: The Iberian lynx has a distinctive appearance with a short, tawny or yellowish-brown coat covered in dark spots that are unique to each individual, much like a human fingerprint. It has long legs, a very short tail with a black tip, prominent black ear tufts, and a "beard-like" facial ruff.
• Size: It is a medium-sized cat, about half the size of the Eurasian lynx. Males are larger than females, typically weighing between 10 to 16 kg (22 to 35 lbs).
• Activity: They are generally solitary and mostly nocturnal, with activity patterns closely linked to their prey's movements. 

Habitat and Diet

• Habitat: The lynx lives in Mediterranean forests and scrubland, favoring a mosaic of dense cover for shelter and open grassland patches for hunting, often at altitudes below 1,300 meters.
• Diet: The Iberian lynx is a highly specialized predator, with the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) making up over 80% of its diet. An adult lynx needs about one rabbit a day, while a female raising kittens requires three. This dependence on a single prey species makes it vulnerable to fluctuations in rabbit populations due to disease. 

Conservation Status and Efforts

• Status: Thanks to successful conservation programs, the Iberian lynx's status was upgraded by the IUCN from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2024.
• Population Recovery: In 2002, the population had dropped to fewer than 100 individuals, making it the world's most endangered feline. As of 2024, the population has increased to over 2,000 individuals across Spain and Portugal.
• Threats: Key threats still include habitat loss and fragmentation, road accidents (a leading cause of death), illegal hunting, and the susceptibility of rabbit populations to disease.
• Conservation Initiatives: Ongoing efforts, including captive breeding and reintroduction programs, habitat restoration, management of rabbit populations, and the establishment of wildlife corridors, have been crucial to its recovery. These collaborative initiatives involve governments, NGOs, local communities, and the European Union. 

The Axial Seamount underwater volcano near the Oregon coast could erupt soon, scientists have warned, following the detection of more earthquakes in the region.

About Axial Seamount
Axial Seamount is the most active submarine volcano in the northeast Pacific Ocean, located about 300 miles (480 km) off the coast of Oregon, USA. It is an underwater shield volcano and a key site for scientific research, featuring the world's first cabled underwater volcano observatory. 

Key Features

• Location: Situated on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, a tectonic plate boundary where the Pacific and Juan de Fuca plates are spreading apart. It also lies above the Cobb hotspot.
• Structure: The seamount rises about 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) above the seafloor to a summit depth of approximately 4,600 feet (1,400 meters) below sea level. Its summit has an unusual, rectangular-shaped caldera.
• Activity: Axial Seamount has effusive, non-explosive lava flows, similar to K?lauea in Hawaii, so it poses no tsunami or safety threat to people on land. It erupts frequently on a predictable cycle of inflation and deflation, with documented eruptions in 1998, 2011, and 2015.
• Hydrothermal Vents: The volcano is home to hydrothermal vents, or underwater hot springs, which release mineral-rich plumes heated by magma. These vents support unique deep-sea ecosystems based on chemosynthesis, including giant tubeworms, spider crabs, and bacterial mats. 

Scientific Importance and Monitoring
Axial Seamount is considered the most closely observed patch of seafloor in the world. It is a central part of the Ocean Observatories Initiative's (OOI) Regional Cabled Array, a high-tech network of sensors that stream real-time data on seismic activity, seafloor deformation (uplift and deflation), and changes in water temperature and chemistry to shore. 

This extensive monitoring has allowed scientists to:

• Make the first successful eruption forecasts for a submarine volcano, based on observed patterns of seafloor inflation caused by rising magma.
• Study how deep-sea ecosystems recover after being covered by lava flows.
• Gain valuable insights into plate tectonics and general volcanic processes, which helps improve understanding and prediction capabilities for land-based volcanoes. 

Current Status
As of late 2024 and early 2025, scientists have reported increased seismic activity and significant uplift of the seafloor, indicating a buildup of magma that suggests another eruption could be imminent, possibly before the end of 2025. 
  A butterfly and moth survey is set to be conducted at the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary in Mulugu, Telangana.

About Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary
Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the oldest sanctuaries in Telangana, India, is a biodiversity hotspot known for its rich dry deciduous forests, diverse wildlife, and scenic location along the Godavari River. 

Key Details

• Location: Situated in the Mulugu district, near the borders of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana.
• Area: The sanctuary covers an area of approximately 812 square kilometers (314 sq mi).
• Establishment: It was declared a wildlife sanctuary by the erstwhile Hyderabad Government on January 30, 1952, due to its rich biodiversity.
• Topography & Flora: The landscape features an undulating terrain of plains and hills, with many streams and springs. The vegetation is primarily southern tropical dry deciduous forest, featuring quality teak, thiruman, maddi, bamboo, and madhuca trees.
• Lifeline: The perennial Dayyam Vagu river divides the sanctuary into two halves. 

Wildlife
The sanctuary is home to a variety of animal species, including endangered ones: 

• Mammals: Tigers, leopards, sloth bears, Indian bison (gaur), sambar deer, spotted deer (cheetal), nilgai, blackbuck, chinkara, four-horned antelopes (chousingha), wild boars, wolves, dholes (wild dogs), and Indian giant squirrels.
• Birds: A wide variety of bird species are found here, making it a bird watcher's paradise.
• Reptiles: Reptiles such as the Mugger crocodile, python, cobra, and krait also inhabit the region. 

Cultural Significance & Tourism

• Sammakka Saralamma Jatara: The sanctuary holds significant cultural importance as it hosts the biennial Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, one of Asia's largest tribal festivals, which attracts millions of devotees.
• Activities: Visitors can enjoy wildlife safaris (jeep safaris), bird watching, and exploring nearby attractions such as the Godavari River, Laknavaram Lake, and Bogatha Waterfalls.

The Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary offers a mix of rich ecological systems and cultural heritage, making it a key spot for conservation and eco-tourism in Telangana. Recently, the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs successfully concluded the 3rd National Conference on the National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA).

About National e-Vidhan Application
The National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA) is a Mission Mode Project under the Digital India Programme that aims to make the functioning of all State/UT Legislatures paperless and integrate them on a single digital platform under the vision of 'One Nation, One Application'. The Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MoPA) is the nodal ministry for its implementation. 

Key Objectives

• Go Paperless: To automate and digitize the entire legislative process, significantly reducing the use of paper and promoting environmental sustainability (a single e-budget presentation saved an estimated 1.5 crore pages of paper).
• Enhance Efficiency and Transparency: To streamline legislative functions, ensure real-time access to information for all stakeholders (members, departments, public), and provide online access to live proceedings, debates, and reports.
• "One Nation, One Application": To bring all 37 State and UT legislatures and the two Houses of Parliament onto a unified platform, creating a massive, integrated data repository.
• Improve Accessibility: To make legislative information accessible anytime, anywhere, to both members and the public, using a device-neutral and multilingual approach. 

Core Features

• Member-Centric Design: Members can use handheld devices/tablets to access all relevant house business, including contact details, rules of procedure, list of business, notices, bulletins, bills, questions and answers, and committee reports.
• Key Modules: The application includes modules for Bills Management, online handling of Questions and Notices, E-Voting, E-Attendance, Digital Display, and a Reporter's module for preparing verbatim records.
• Multilingual Support: The public portal is available in 23 languages, and the platform integrates AI/ML-based real-time translation services to boost linguistic inclusivity.
• Secure Cloud Hosting: The NeVA platform is hosted on the advanced National Government Cloud (NGC) 2.0 (Meghraj), ensuring robust scalability, security, and data integrity.
• mNeVA Mobile App: A user-friendly mobile application available on Android and iOS for convenient access to information and legislative functions. 

Current Status (as of late 2025)

• Implementation Progress: 28 State Legislatures have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for NeVA implementation, and 18 Legislative Houses have completely transformed into "Digital Legislatures".
• Recent Milestones: The Puducherry Legislative Assembly inaugurated its NeVA platform in June 2025, and the Delhi Legislative Assembly signed an MoU in October 2025, aiming for full implementation within 100 days.
• NeVA 2.0: An upgraded version, NeVA 2.0, has been introduced, offering enhanced features like automatic generation of member bio-profiles and a revamped member dashboard.
• Ongoing Evaluation: NITI Aayog commissioned an evaluation study of NeVA's implementation and impact across 23 legislative houses, with the study period running from September 2024 to January 2025.
• Conferences: The 3rd National Conference on NeVA concluded in October 2025, where states adopted a "New Delhi Resolution on NeVA 2025" to accelerate implementation and explore the use of AI. 

The NeVA project represents a significant step towards modernizing India's democratic institutions, enhancing governance, and reducing the environmental impact of legislative processes. 
 

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