Findings of the Study on Mars' Red Color

 WHO FCTC

The World Health Organization (WHO) commemorates 20 years of its first global treaty, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

About WHO FCTC

• Genesis: Adopted in 2003 and enforced in 2005.
• Purpose: The treaty provides a legal framework for tobacco control, including large pictorial health warnings, smoke-free laws, and higher taxes.
• India’s Role: India ratified the treaty in 2004 and served as the regional coordinator for South-East Asia.
• Impact: WHO FCTC has reached 5.6 billion people with at least one tobacco control policy, contributing to a decline in global smoking rates.

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Red Color of Mars
A new study published in Nature Communications challenges the long-standing belief regarding Mars' red color.

Findings of the Study on Mars' Red Color

• Earlier studies suggested Mars' red hue was due to anhydrous hematite formed through recent weathering.
• The new research reveals that poorly crystalline ferrihydrite (Fe5O8H • nH2O) is the primary iron oxide in Martian dust.
• Ferrihydrite was formed during a cold, wet period on early Mars under oxidative conditions, suggesting that Mars underwent aqueous alteration before becoming the dry, desert-like planet we see today.

Veer Narayan Singh (1795-1858)
Veer Narayan Singh, a notable freedom fighter during the 1857 Revolt, was remembered on his punyatithi (death anniversary) on February 25.

About Veer Narayan Singh

• He was a landlord from Sonakhan, Chhattisgarh, with ancestral roots in the Gond tribe, later joining the Binjhwar tribe and settling in Raipur district.
• Key Contributions:
  • During the 1856 famine, he distributed grains from his warehouse to the poor to combat hunger.
  • Arrested by the British in 1856 for looting a trader's grain stocks.
  • Escaped from prison in 1857, raised an army of 500 men at Sonakhan, and led the 1857 Revolt in Chhattisgarh. He is regarded as the "first Chhattisgarhi freedom fighter."
• Ethical Values: Patriotism, leadership, courage, empathy, and compassion.

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