The Ganges river dolphin is found in parts of the Ganges, Meghna, and Brahmaputra river systems in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. They are locally known as Susu, which refers to the noise the dolphin is said to make when it breathes. The Gangetic river dolphin is India’s national aquatic animal. …

Widely known as the world’s “Atoms for Peace and Development” organization within the United Nations family, the IAEA is the international centre for cooperation in the nuclear field. The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations generated by the discoveries and diverse uses of …

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have agreed to temporary measures to offset Iran’s decision to restrict access to inspectors. In December 2020, Iran’s Parliament passed the law demanding a suspension of some inspections if the USA failed to lift sanctions. Important points: Iran will stop the implementation …

The Supreme Court has asked the Centre and four States to file their response within three weeks on a plea seeking a direction to repeal the provisions criminalising begging. Important points: The plea has referred to the August 2018 verdict of the Delhi High Court which had decriminalised begging in …

Egypt announced the discovery of what is being touted as the most important find since the unearthing of King Tutankhamun’s tomb almost 100 years ago. A three-millennia-old “lost golden city” from the era of 18th-dynasty king Amenhotep III, who ruled ancient Egypt from 1391 to 1353 B.C., was found in …

In the Antarctic floats a massive glacier, roughly the size of Britain, whose melting has been a cause of alarm for scientists over the years. Now, a new study has pinned the cause of the melting to the presence of warm water at a vital point beneath the glacier. The …

Three labourers were killed and two others injured during an operation to douse a forest fire at Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR) in Maharashtra. Important points: It is situated in Gondia and Bhandara districts of Maharashtra. Gondia District shares common boundaries with the state of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the …

Recently, India’s Prime Minister (PM) and the PM of the Netherlands held a Virtual Summit. It was the first high level Summit attended by the PM of Netherlands after the general elections held in March 2021. Earlier in 2019 the King and Queen of the Netherlands visited India to give …

The US Treasury Secretary has urged G20 nations to move towards a global minimum corporate tax. It is an attempt to reverse a “30-year race to the bottom” in which countries have resorted to slashing corporate tax rates to attract multinational corporations (MNCs). Important points: The US proposal envisages a …