Indian Army Conducts Exercise Akhand Prahar-II in Jaisalmer

What’s the News?

• The Indian Army conducted Exercise Akhand Prahar-II in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, to strengthen combat readiness through technology-enabled combined-arms operations.
• The exercise was jointly conducted by the Black Mace Brigade and Battle Axe Division in the desert sector.
• Lieutenant General AVS Rathee, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Konark Corps, commended the participating formations for their technological capabilities, operational excellence and combat readiness.

Exercise Akhand Prahar-II

• Objective: To enhance operational effectiveness by integrating New Generation Equipment (NGEs) and Force Multipliers (FMs) into conventional military operations.
• Features:
  • Tested integrated battle drills in a multi-domain operational environment.
  • Focused on coordination among combat elements, precision operations, situational awareness and rapid decision-making.
  • Demonstrated the integration of advanced technologies with conventional combat capabilities.
  • Assessed battlefield adaptability and preparedness for evolving challenges of modern warfare.
• Significance: Strengthens the Army’s ability to conduct coordinated, technology-driven combat operations in the western desert sector.

Additional Info

• Konark Corps:
  • Also known as the XII Corps or Desert Corps of the Indian Army.
  • Headquarters: Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
  • Functions under the Southern Command, headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra.
• Exercise Akhand Prahar-I:
  • Preceded Akhand Prahar-II and demonstrated integrated combat readiness.
  • Conducted as part of the tri-services Exercise Trishul, involving coordination with the Indian Air Force.
• Military Concepts:
  • Combined-Arms Operations: Coordinated employment of infantry, armour, artillery and other combat capabilities.
  • Force Multipliers: Technologies or capabilities that increase the operational effectiveness of existing military forces.
  • Multi-Domain Operations: Coordinated military activities across land, air, cyber, space and electromagnetic domains, as applicable.

Sources

• ETV Bharat
• The Times of India

Invasive Lantana Camara Spreads Across Over 13 Million Hectares in India

What’s the News?

• American lantana (Lantana camara), an invasive alien plant species, has spread across more than 13 million hectares in India, threatening native biodiversity and forest ecosystems.
• A major assessment estimated that 44% of India’s forest cover is potentially threatened by lantana invasion.
• Research in Madhya Pradesh’s dry deciduous forests found lower plant species richness in lantana-invaded areas, highlighting its ecological impact.

Lantana Camara?

• Scientific Name: Lantana camara.
• Family: Verbenaceae.
• Native Region: Tropical Central and South America.
• Introduction to India: Brought as an ornamental garden shrub during the early 19th century.
• Characteristics:
  • A fast-growing, woody, flowering shrub that forms dense thickets.
  • Spreads through seeds dispersed mainly by birds.
  • Exhibits allelopathy, releasing chemicals that inhibit the growth and germination of neighbouring plants.
  • Thrives in disturbed habitats, particularly forests affected by fires, grazing and deforestation.
• Listed among the world’s 100 worst invasive alien species by the IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group.

Extent and Ecological Impact

• Extent of Invasion:
  • A large-scale study estimated lantana invasion across approximately 15.48 million hectares of surveyed Indian forests.
  • Around 44% of India's forest cover was assessed as potentially threatened by invasion.
  • Himachal Pradesh: Around 3,25,282 hectares of forest were affected, according to the India State of Forest Report 2023.
  • Uttarakhand: Lantana habitat expanded by 93% despite approximately 25 years of eradication efforts, reaching altitudes of 900–2,000 metres.
• Biodiversity Impact:
  • Forms dense thickets that suppress native grasses, shrubs and tree regeneration.
  • Reduces food availability for herbivores and alters wildlife habitats.
  • A Madhya Pradesh study recorded 98 plant species in invaded plots, compared with 132 species in uninvaded plots.
  • Can alter forest carbon storage and increase difficulties in ecological restoration.

Management Measures

• Cut-Root-Stock Method: Removal of the plant's regenerative rootstock to prevent regrowth.
• Ecological Restoration: Replanting native grasses, shrubs and trees in cleared areas.
• Monitoring: Regular surveillance, mapping of invaded habitats and community participation to prevent reinvasion.

Additional Info

• Invasive Alien Species (IAS):
  • Non-native species whose introduction or spread threatens biodiversity and ecosystems.
  • Examples in India include Lantana camara, Parthenium hysterophorus (Congress grass) and Prosopis juliflora (Vilayati babul).
• National Biodiversity Authority (NBA):
  • A statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
  • Constituted an Expert Committee on Invasive Alien Species following directions from the National Green Tribunal to address ecological and socioeconomic risks.

Sources

• Hindustan Times

Three Physicists Win 2026 Europhysics Prize for Altermagnetism

What’s the News?

• The European Physical Society (EPS) awarded the 2026 Europhysics Prize to Jairo Sinova, Libor Šmejkal and Tomas Jungwirth for discovering altermagnetism, a third fundamental class of collinear magnetism.
• The discovery challenges the century-old classification of collinear magnetic materials into ferromagnets and antiferromagnets.
• It opens new possibilities for spintronics, quantum materials and next-generation computing technologies.

Altermagnetism?

• Definition: A distinct form of magnetic ordering that combines properties of ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism.
• Characteristics:
  • Like antiferromagnets, it exhibits zero net magnetisation because opposing magnetic moments cancel.
  • Like ferromagnets, it can exhibit spin-polarised electronic bands, enabling spin-dependent electrical transport.
  • Its unusual properties arise from the symmetry of magnetic ordering within the crystal structure.
• Discovery:
  • The theoretical framework was developed by researchers associated with Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany, and the Czech Academy of Sciences.
  • A comprehensive classification was published in 2022, followed by experimental confirmation in 2024.
• Applications:
  • Development of faster, energy-efficient memory and computing devices.
  • Advancement of spintronics through rapid magnetic dynamics and spin-polarised currents.
  • Research into unconventional superconductivity and quantum materials.

Additional Info

• Europhysics Prize:
  • Awarded by the Condensed Matter Division of the European Physical Society (EPS).
  • Established in 1975 to recognise outstanding achievements in condensed matter physics.
  • The 2026 award ceremony was held in Graz, Austria, during the 32nd General Conference of the EPS Condensed Matter Division.
• Awardees:
  • Jairo Sinova: Professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany.
  • Libor Šmejkal: Researcher associated with the Max Planck Institutes and the Czech Academy of Sciences.
  • Tomas Jungwirth: Researcher associated with the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of Nottingham, UK.
• Types of Magnetic Order:
  • Ferromagnetism: Magnetic moments align parallel, producing net magnetisation.
  • Antiferromagnetism: Opposing magnetic moments cancel, producing zero net magnetisation.
  • Altermagnetism: Opposing magnetic moments cancel, but the electronic structure exhibits distinctive spin splitting.
• Spintronics: A technology that utilises both the charge and spin of electrons for information storage and processing.

Sources

• News Minimalist
• ScienceDaily

Widespread Protests Erupt Across European Countries Over Rising Living Costs

What’s the News?

• Several European countries, including France, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Albania and Spain, have witnessed large-scale protests over rising living costs, unaffordable housing, unemployment and deteriorating education standards.
• The demonstrations, involving students, trade unions and other groups, have led to violent clashes, arrests and property damage in some cities.
• France has emerged as the main centre of unrest, while protests in other countries reflect distinct domestic grievances rather than a single coordinated movement.

Major Protests Across Europe

France:

• Student demonstrations over teacher shortages, inadequate school infrastructure and education funding expanded into protests against rising fuel prices, inequality and declining public services.
• Over 5.5 lakh people participated, according to government estimates.
• Clashes, arson and looting occurred in cities including Paris, Marseille and Lyon.

Italy:

• Demonstrations in Milan and Bologna highlighted inflation, low wages, employment concerns and public-service issues.
• Some protests escalated into clashes with police and property damage.

Belgium:

• Student-led protests in Brussels and Liège opposed rising university registration fees, education reforms and reduced access to higher education.
• Police deployed tear gas and water cannons during confrontations.

Portugal:

• Protests in Lisbon and Porto focused on unaffordable housing, rising rents and stagnant wages.
• House prices increased by approximately 124% between 2015 and 2024, intensifying housing affordability concerns.

Albania:

• Anti-government demonstrations targeted Prime Minister Edi Rama over alleged corruption, unemployment and poor education standards.
• Protests were also linked to opposition against a controversial luxury coastal development project.

Spain:

• Housing protests intensified following the eviction of an elderly woman in Madrid.
• Demonstrators demanded rent controls, stronger tenant protections and restrictions on evictions.

Government Responses

• France: Announced plans to deploy 3,000 additional substitute teachers and withdrew proposed increases in certain university registration fees.
• Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez proposed emergency housing legislation, but its rejection in Parliament prompted a call for early elections.
• Italy: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned violent incidents while recognising the right to peaceful demonstrations.

Additional Info

• Yellow Vest Movement (France):
  • Emerged in 2018 against fuel tax increases and subsequently expanded into wider economic and social demands.
  • Some Yellow Vest activists have supported the latest demonstrations.
• European Union (EU):
  • A political and economic union comprising 27 member states.
  • France, Italy, Belgium, Portugal and Spain are EU members.
  • Albania is not an EU member; it is an EU candidate country.

Sources

• Firstpost
• Organiser
• India Today