The 6th edition of Exercise Peaceful Mission is being hosted by Russia in the Orenburg Region of South West Russia from 13th to 25th September 2021. India participated for the first time in the 5th edition of the Exercise (2018). Important points: It is a Multilateral and Joint Counter Terrorism Exercise, which is conducted biennially as part of military diplomacy between Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states. The …

Recently, scientists have unraveled the mystery behind Odisha’s ‘Black Tigers’ in Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) The STR is the only tiger habitat in the world with melanistic tigers, which have broad black stripes running across their bodies and thicker than those seen on normal tigers. Important points: Black Tigers are a rare colour variant of the tiger and are not …

Recently, NITI Aayog and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and RMI India’s have launched the Shoonya Campaign. It is an initiative to promote zero-pollution delivery vehicles by working with consumers and industry. RMI is an independent nonprofit organization founded in 1982. Important points: The campaign aims to accelerate adoption of Electric Vehicles (EVs)in the urban deliveries segment and create consumer awareness about the benefits of zero-pollution delivery. …

Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has added a new variant of Covid-19 in the list of Variants of Interest (VOI) and named it Mu (B.1.621). It has also added C.1.2 as a new VOI. According to INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium), India has so far not seen Mu and C.1.2, and the Delta variant and its sub-lineages continue …