Current Affairs Exam

NISAR: Earth’s Radar Eye

April 20, 2025April 20, 2025 by rawan239

NISAR Launch Date: Expected in June 2025 on a GSLV rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Exact date to be announced.
Mission Overview: Joint NASA-ISRO Earth observation satellite to map the entire Earth’s surface every 12 days.
Objectives: Monitor ecosystem changes, ice sheet dynamics, vegetation patterns, sea level rise, groundwater variation, and track natural hazards. Aims to provide insights into climate change and natural hazards.
Key Feature: High Precision: Will capture changes as small as one centimetre.
Technological Advancement: Uses dual-frequency radar (L-band from NASA, S-band from ISRO) for detailed Earth surface monitoring.
Antenna: Features a 12-metre drum-shaped wire mesh reflector, the largest in space, for enhanced signal focus.
Delay and Upgrade: The mission faced delays due to a key component, the 12-metre antenna, needing improvement. It was shipped back to the US for upgrades.
Upcoming ISRO Missions: EOS-09 (Earth Observation Satellite) and Gaganyaan TV-D2 Mission (Crew Escape System test) are scheduled before NISAR.
Axiom-4 Mission: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will travel to the ISS, becoming the second Indian in space.

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SMT

April 20, 2025April 20, 2025 by rawan239

Electronics Manufacturing Surge in India: Electronics manufacturing in India has increased fivefold in the last decade, exceeding Rs 11 lakh crore. This was highlighted at the inauguration of VVDN Technologies’ SMT line.
What is SMT: Surface Mount Technology (SMT) is a method for mounting electronic components directly onto the surface of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs).
SMT vs. Through-Hole Technology (THT): SMT is more compact, economical, and efficient compared to traditional THT. SMT enables automated production.
SMT Advantages: SMT offers cheaper production costs, higher component density, and improved electrical performance compared to THT. SMT supports microelectronics by allowing components to be packed closer together. The process for SMT production setup is faster than THT. SMT overall makeup is far less complex than THT.
SMT Soldering Techniques: The primary soldering methods in SMT are reflow soldering and wave soldering.
SMT Applications: SMT is widely used across various industries, including consumer electronics, medical devices, and aerospace.

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UNESCO’s Memory

April 20, 2025April 20, 2025 by rawan239

UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MoW) Programme: Launched in 1992 to preserve and ensure access to documentary heritage worldwide, guarding against “collective amnesia.”
MoW Register: A compendium of significant documents (manuscripts, oral traditions, audio-visual materials, archives) of global value, updated biennially. As of 2025, it contains 570 entries.
India’s New Additions (2025): Manuscripts of the Natyashastra (by Bharata Muni) and the Bhagavad Gita (attributed to Vyasa), both preserved at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune.
Natyashastra Significance: An ancient Sanskrit treatise on performing arts defining drama, performance, emotion, and music. It’s particularly known for its exposition of “rasa” – the aesthetic experience.
Bhagavad Gita Significance: A Sanskrit scripture embedded in the Mahabharata, synthesizing Vedic, Buddhist, Jain, and Charvaka thought. It’s a
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dialogue between Arjuna and Krishna, providing ethical and spiritual guidance.

India’s Existing Contributions: 13 entries including the Rig Veda, works of Abhinavagupta, archives of the Non-Aligned Movement’s first summit, and the Dutch East India Company archives (joint submission).

UN Security Council

April 20, 2025April 20, 2025 by rawan239

UNSC Reform Push: Kuwait’s UN representative, chairing UNSC reform talks, indicates India is a strong contender for permanent membership if the UNSC expands.
UNSC’s Core Function: The UNSC is a key UN organ responsible for global peace and security. Member states are obligated to follow its decisions.
UNSC Structure: The council has 15 members: 5 permanent (P5) with veto power (China, France, Russia, UK, US) and 10 non-permanent, elected for 2-year terms.
Geographic Representation: The 10 non-permanent seats are distributed to ensure geographic representation from Africa/Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Western Europe/others.
G4 Advocacy: India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan (G4 nations) are actively pushing for UNSC reform.
India’s Position: India views the current UNSC as outdated and not reflective of today’s world.
G4 Proposal: The G4 proposes expanding the UNSC to 25 or 26 members, including 11 permanent and 14-15 non-permanent seats. They urge members to present reform models to enable official negotiations.

Dal Lake

April 19, 2025April 19, 2025 by rawan239

Shikara Capsizes: A tourist shikara overturned in Dal Lake, Srinagar due to strong winds. A tourist family and a boatman were involved.
Rescue: Local boat owners rescued the individuals. No casualties were reported.
Investigation: Authorities have launched an inquiry into the incident, suspecting passenger movement may have contributed to the capsizing. The boat is under inspection.
Dal Lake Significance: Dal Lake is an urban lake in Srinagar, known as the “Jewel in the crown of Kashmir” or “Lake of Flowers.” It’s vital for tourism and recreation.
Lake Details: The lake has a shoreline of 15.5 km, surrounded by Mughal gardens, houseboats, and hotels. It’s relatively shallow (average 5 ft, max 20 ft) and covers 18 sq km, with floating gardens (“Raad”) that bloom in July-August.
Weather Impact: The rainfall that caused the incident led to a drop in temperatures in Kashmir, providing relief to residents and tourists.
Wider Weather Events: Other regions like Himachal Pradesh are also experiencing
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heavy rainfall and snowfall, causing disruptions.

UK Woman Definition?

April 19, 2025April 19, 2025 by rawan239

UK Supreme Court Ruling: Defines “woman” in the Equality Act 2010 based on biological sex, not gender identity.
Biological Sex as Defining Factor: Individuals not born female cannot gain legal protections as women under the Act via a Gender Recognition Certificate. Transgender women are excluded from this definition for equality purposes.
Protections for Transgender Individuals: The Act still protects trans individuals under “gender reassignment.”
Implications: Allows women-only services (shelters, etc.) to exclude trans women. Impacts employment/equal pay cases as trans women may not be valid comparators.
Scottish Government Guidance deemed incorrect Court ruled Scottish government’s guidance that those with Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) in the female gender could be used to define the term ‘woman’ was incorrect.
For Women Scotland (FWS) Fought to define ‘woman’ based on biological sex.

Why in News?

Ongoing Debate: The ruling addresses the contentious issue of gender identity vs. biological sex.
Clarity & Confidence: Aims to give “clarity and confidence” for women and service providers like hospitals, sports clubs and shelters, and women can now feel
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safe that services and spaces designated for women are for women.

Transgender rights Transgender rights activists argue that the ruling is blow to some of the most marginalised people in society and gender should be based on gender identity

Potential Impact: This decision may influence similar legal discussions globally regarding gender identity and equality laws and reflects long drawn-out culture wars that are being fought over gender on both sides of the Atlantic

Ironwood TPU 7

April 19, 2025April 19, 2025 by rawan239

Google Launches Ironwood: Google has released Ironwood, its 7th generation Tensor Processing Unit (TPU).
AI-Focused Design: Ironwood is specifically designed for advanced AI models like Large Language Models (LLMs) and Mixture of Experts (MoEs), enabling proactive AI and insights generation.
High Performance: Each Ironwood pod can support up to 9,216 chips, delivering 42.5 Exaflops of computing power. It offers a 24x performance boost compared to the El Capitan supercomputer.
Energy Efficiency: Ironwood doubles the performance per watt compared to previous generations, using liquid cooling for power efficiency.
Scalable AI: Ironwood integrates with Google Cloud’s Hypercomputer architecture, enabling scaling of generative AI workloads.
TPU Specialization: TPUs, like Ironwood, are Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) designed to accelerate machine learning workloads, specialized for AI computational tasks, differentiating them from CPUs and GPUs.
TPU vs CPU vs GPU: CPUs are general-purpose, GPUs handle parallel processing (especially graphics), and TPUs accelerate machine learning. TPUs are optimized for AI tasks with specialized cores.
Processing Units Explained: Processing units (CPUs, GPUs, TPUs) are hardware components that act as the “brain” of a computer, handling tasks like calculations.
TPUs for Efficiency: TPUs are engineered to handle tensor operations, processing large data volumes, and executing complex neural networks efficiently, reducing AI model training time significantly.

Shinkansen & Bullet Trains

April 19, 2025April 19, 2025 by rawan239

Free Shinkansen Trains for India: Japan will provide two Shinkansen train sets (E5 and E3 series) to India at no cost in early 2026. This is to help test and inspect the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor.
Purpose of the Trains: The trains
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will be fitted with inspection equipment to collect crucial operational data, especially regarding India’s environmental conditions (high temperatures, dust).
E5 and E3 Series Details: The E5 series is a high-speed train (320 km/h) in service since 2011. The E3 series is a slightly older model for mini-shinkansen services. Both have aerodynamic designs and advanced safety features.
Next-Generation Shinkansen (E10/Alfa-X): The inspection data will help fine-tune the design of the E10, the next-generation Shinkansen (up to 400 kmph), planned for adoption by both countries
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in the early 2030s.
Mumbai-Ahmedabad Project: The project, implemented by NHSRCL, uses Japanese Shinkansen technology and is largely funded (80%) by a low-interest loan from JICA.
Project Timeline: The initial completion deadline of 2022 has been revised to 2028, with a partial opening expected by August 2027.
Significance for India: The Shinkansen represents modern engineering, punctuality, and safety. India will gain hands-on experience before the E10 rollout. The trains are expected to be modified for Indian conditions (luggage space, weather resistance).
National Rail Plan 2030: The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor aligns with India’s broader rail modernisation strategy under the National Rail Plan 2030.

Banarasi Shehnai GI

April 19, 2025April 19, 2025 by rawan239

Banarasi Shehnai receives GI Tag: Recognizes the instrument’s specific origin and cultural significance tied to Varanasi.
Cultural Heritage: Reinforces Varanasi’s rich musical and craft heritage on a national level.
Traditional Wind Instrument: Highlights the Banarasi Shehnai’s place in the Banaras Gharana of Indian classical music.
Ustad Bismillah Khan’s Legacy: Acknowledges his role in popularizing the Shehnai globally. He elevated the Shehnai to prominence in Indian classical music with his performance at the Calcutta All India Music Conference in 1937. He was awarded India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 2001.
Auspicious Instrument: Emphasizes its importance in weddings, religious ceremonies, and temple rituals.
Protection and Authenticity: The GI tag protects the Banarasi Shehnai from imitation, ensuring authenticity and quality.
Prime Minister’s Involvement: PM Modi presented the GI certificate to a Banarasi artisan, underscoring the importance of this recognition.
Other GI Tags: The article notes GI tags for Banarasi Tabla and Banarasi Bharwan Mirch, indicating a broader recognition of Varanasi’s unique products.
Benefits of GI Tag: Authorizes only those residing in the geographical territory to use the popular product name. It also protects the product from being copied
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or imitated by others.
Legal Framework: Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 & WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

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Threat Report 2024

April 19, 2025April 19, 2025 by rawan239

First-Ever Digital Threat Report 2024: India launched its first Digital Threat Report 2024 focusing on strengthening cybersecurity in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector.
Unified Cybersecurity Framework: Emphasizes the need for a unified cybersecurity framework to protect India’s financial backbone, developed collaboratively by CERT-In, CSIRT-Fin, and SISA.
Rising Cyberattack Costs: The BFSI sector saw a surge in cyberattacks, with global data breach costs rising to USD 4.88 million and USD 2.18 million in India.
Digital Growth and Threat Exposure: BFSI’s digital growth, projected to reach USD 3.1 trillion in payments by 2028, is widening its cyber threat exposure.
Phishing Surges and AI Impact: Phishing attacks in India surged, with AI making these attacks more convincing via sophisticated email generation and chatbot scams.
Cloud Vulnerabilities Exploited: There has been a 180% increase in attacks exploiting cloud vulnerabilities like misconfigured services.
Key Recommendations: Proactive measures include employee training, regular vulnerability scans, real-time threat intelligence, and defense-in-depth strategies.
Multi-Dimensional Cyber Insights: The report integrates real-world cyber intelligence, offering a multi-dimensional perspective on emerging threats.
Collaborative Cyber Defense: The interconnected nature of the BFSI ecosystem necessitates coordinated cybersecurity efforts at national and sectoral levels.
Securing Digital Transactions: Securing digital transactions is crucial for economic stability as India’s BFSI sector rapidly expands.