A recent working paper from Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) extends the earlier minerals assessment for 23 minerals by assessing the criticality levels of 43 select minerals for India based on their economic importance (demand-side factors) and supply risks (supply-side factors) which are determined through the evaluation of …

The CJI clarified that the hearing of a batch of petitions seeking legal recognition of same sex marriage scope would be limited to developing a notion of a “civil union” that finds legal recognition under the Special Marriage Act. A “civil union” refers to the legal status that allows same-sex couples specific rights and responsibilities normally conferred …

Union Minister says, India set to be major contributor to world’s “Circular Economy”. The circular economy is a systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. The circular economy is based on three principles: Eliminate waste and pollution Circulate products and materials (at their highest value) Regenerate nature It …

A decentralised web that caters to the next generation of the Internet, leveraging blockchain technology to create a more open and transparent web called Web3 is in the talks. About Web3 Web3 is built on top of existing Internet infrastructure and not in competition with previous versions of the web platform. It allows for …

Context: Astronomers have detected a repeating radio signal from an exoplanet, YZ Ceti b, suggesting the presence of a magnetic field — one of the prerequisites for a habitable planet — around it. What is YZ Ceti B: YZ Ceti b is a terrestrial exoplanet that orbits an M-type star. Its mass is 0.7 Earths. It takes 2 …

India is now the most populous country in the world, having overtaken China in population, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said in its State of World Population (SOWP) report, ‘8 Billion Lives, Infinite Possibilities’, released recently. Highlights of the report Demographics: The population of the world is 8,045 million, of …

Twitter has removed a policy that prohibited misgendering or deadnaming of transgender people on the social media platform. What is deadnaming? A deadname is essentially the name that a trans, non-binary, and/or gender-expansive person was called before they adopted a more self-affirming name. The act of calling a trans, non-binary, and/or gender-expansive person by the deadname is known …

A group of researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel reported that they had been able to pick up distress noises made by plants which was already shown by Jagadish Chandra Bose more than a century ago. A physicist-turned-biologist who lived between 1858 and 1937, made pioneering contributions in both the fields. He was the first …

Two Indian climbers were rescued from Mt. Annapurna in Nepal. Annapurna is a mountain situated in the Gandaki Province, Nepal. It is the tenth highest mountain in the world at 8,091 metres. The entire massif and surrounding area are protected within the 7,629-square-kilometre Annapurna Conservation Area, the first and largest conservation area in Nepal. For decades, Annapurna …

Offsets have come under fire as a way for companies to compensate for carbon emissions through eco projects elsewhere. How does offsetting work? Buying offsets is a way to compensate for environmental damage. Companies make a financial contribution to projects that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and in exchange can keep polluting …