WTO panel rules against India in IT tariffs dispute

A World Trade Organization (WTO) panel has ruled that India has violated global trading rules in a dispute with the European Union (EU), Japan, and Taiwan over import duties on IT products. About World Trade Organization (WTO) Details Purpose Regulate and facilitate international trade between nations Establishment 1995 Headquarters Geneva, Switzerland Membership 164 member… Continue reading

What is Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

Central idea: The article reports on a recent study which found evidence that coastal life forms have colonized plastic items in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast area in the North Pacific Ocean where plastic waste has accumulated due to ocean currents. What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP)? Features Location North Pacific… Continue reading

What is Polar Crown Prominence (PCP)?

Central idea: The article talks about an astrophotographer named Andrew McCarthy capturing an image of a plasma waterfall on the sun. The phenomenon is called Polar Crown Prominence (PCP). Polar Crown Prominence (PCP) PCP is a solar phenomenon that occurs on the sun’s Polar Regions. It is a type of solar prominence, which is a… Continue reading

India’s first Mangrove Pitta Birds Census conducted in Odisha

Central idea: The article talks about the first-ever census of mangrove pitta birds conducted in two coastal districts of Odisha, India. About Mangrove Pitta The mangrove pitta (Pitta megarhyncha) belongs to the family of pittas, the Pittidae. The mangrove pitta species is distributed in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. These pitta species… Continue reading

Constitution Bench formed in Same-Sex Marriage Case

The Supreme Court has announced the formation of a new Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to hear a series of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriages. What is a Constitution Bench? The constitution bench is the name given to the benches of the Supreme Court of India. The… Continue reading

Top-notch Aspirational Toilets to usher in change

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued a directive to all state governments to ensure that 25% of public toilet seats added in any city or urban unit are “aspirational toilets.” What are Aspirational Toilets? The aspirational toilets scheme was launched in September 2022 as part of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0,… Continue reading

SpaceX Starship: World’s biggest rocket set for first test flight

SpaceX is preparing for the first test flight of Starship, which is the most powerful rocket ever built. About SpaceX Starship Starship is a fully reusable spacecraft designed and built by SpaceX with the primary goal of sending humans to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Key objectives SpaceX aims to use Starship to establish a… Continue reading

Omicron evolved strategies to evade T Cell Immunity

Central idea: The SARS-CoV-2 virus has the ability to evade CD8 T cells, which are important in reducing the viral load and clearing the infection by detecting and killing infected cells. What is the news? A recent study has revealed that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has the ability to modulate MHC I expression in host cells.… Continue reading

In news: Pralay Ballistic Missile

India is going to buy 250 more Pralay ballistic missiles for the services to strengthen them on the northern borders, further boosting the firepower of the defence forces. Pralay Ballistic Missile Pralay is a tactical missile developed from India’s K-series of submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). It has a range of 150-500 km and can carry… Continue reading

India’s Forex Reserves rise $6.30 bn to $584.75 bn

India’s forex reserves increased by $6.306 billion to $584.755 billion last week, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Why discuss this? In October 2021, India’s forex reserves reached an all-time high of $645 billion. Since then, the reserves have been declining. What is Foreign Exchange (Forex) Reserve? Foreign exchange reserves are important assets… Continue reading

NISAR to map Himalayas’ Seismic Zones

Central idea The ISRO and the NASA have jointly developed a forthcoming satellite called NISAR. It will map the most earthquake-prone regions in the Himalaya. What is NISAR? NISAR stands for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar. The mission aims to provide global measurements of the causes and consequences of land surface changes using advanced radar imaging.… Continue reading

In news: Mahad Satyagraha

Central idea B.R. Ambedkar’s life was full of milestones, and he was the first Dalit to study at Elphinstone College in Bombay. He was also the chair of the drafting committee of the Constitution of India and became the first law minister of independent India. Moreover, he contributed significantly to the movement for Dalit emancipation,… Continue reading

What is Magnetoresistance?

Researchers in the UK, led by Nobel laureate Andre Geim, have discovered magnetoresistance in graphene – a single-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms bonded in a honeycomb pattern – that further distinguishes this ‘wonder’ material. Graphene’s anomalous Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) Graphene displayed an anomalous giant magnetoresistance (GMR) at room temperature. GMR is the result of… Continue reading

Madhya Pradesh’s Gond Painting gets GI Tag

The Gond painting of Madhya Pradesh has received the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag. Other recent GI tags awarded in UP 10 products from UP got GI Tag on March 31: Aligarh Tala Bakharia Brassware Banda Shazar Patthar Craft Pratapgarh Aonla (Amla) Ramnagar Bhanta (Brinjal) Muzaffarnagar Gur (jaggery) Banarasi Pan Nagina Wood Craft Hathras Hing… Continue reading

Supreme Court rulings on Encounters

Central idea: A gangster-turned-politician son and his aide were killed in an encounter in UP. Why discuss this? The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Supreme Court have laid down proper guidelines and procedures to be followed to prevent any misuse of power by the law enforcement agencies. However, this encounter has brought to… Continue reading

Dabba Trading and its impact on the Economy

Central idea The National Stock Exchange (NSE) has issued a series of notices warning retail investors about entities involved in ‘dabba trading’. The NSE cautioned investors not to subscribe or invest using these products offering indicative, assured or guaranteed returns in the stock market as they are prohibited by law. The entities involved in dabba… Continue reading

Uthirameur Inscription: Ancient Tamil proof of Democratic Provisions

PM Modi referred to an over 1,100-year-old inscription found in Uthirameur, Tamil Nadu, which talks about rules for a local body, including provisions for disqualifying a member. What are Uthiramerur inscriptions? Uthiramerur inscriptions are a set of ancient Tamil inscriptions found in Uthiramerur, a town in the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu. These inscriptions date… Continue reading

India signs MoU with World Food Programme for sending wheat to Afghanistan

India signed an MoU with the World Food Programme (WFP) to send 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan. Reason: Utilizing WFP supply chain The MoU signed between India and the World Food Programme (WFP) paves the way for sending 10,000 metric tonnes of wheat for the people of Afghanistan. The WFP has a massive… Continue reading

Role of Parliamentary Committees

Central idea: This article discusses the importance and functions of parliamentary committees in India. Why in news? As little as 25% of the Bills introduced were referred to committees in the 16th Lok Sabha, as compared to 71% and 60% in the 15th and 14th Lok Sabha respectively. This represents a declining trend of national… Continue reading

UGC releases National Credit Framework (NCrF)

The University Grants Commission (UGC) released the National Credit Framework (NCrF), which will allow students to earn educational credits at all levels, irrespective of the mode of learning i.e. offline, online, or blended. What is National Credit Framework (NCrF)? The NCrF is a meta-framework that integrates the credits earned through school education, higher education, and… Continue reading

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