Recent Update: The Indian government has recently declared that Pakistani citizens will no longer be eligible to travel to India under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES). Overview of the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme (SVES): Introduced in 1992, the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme was designed to promote easier movement across …

The Indian Navy’s guided missile destroyer, INS Surat, recently carried out a successful test launch of a medium-range surface-to-air missile in the Arabian Sea. Overview of INS Surat INS Surat is the fourth and final vessel in the Project 15B stealth guided missile destroyer series, also known as the Visakhapatnam …

The 2025 Conferences of the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions are taking place in Geneva from April 28 to May 9. These meetings aim to address global concerns around hazardous chemicals, including chlorpyrifos. Understanding Chlorpyrifos Chlorpyrifos is a pesticide labeled as “moderately hazardous” by the World …

In a recent verdict, the Supreme Court underscored that the use of the Doctrine of Prospective Overruling—or assigning future effect to a judgment—should not become a standard approach. The Court must first be convinced that the situation genuinely warrants such an application. Understanding the Doctrine of Prospective Overruling This legal …

A team of Indian researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has introduced a groundbreaking method to precisely estimate the amount of Helium present in the Sun’s photosphere. This approach relies on indirect spectral analysis. Context Helium, the Sun’s second most prevalent element, poses challenges for direct detection in …

The keel for Yard 3040—the fourth vessel in the Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel (NGOPV) series under construction by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) in Kolkata—was recently laid in a ceremonial event. Overview of NGOPVs Each NGOPV has an estimated displacement of around 3,000 tonnes and is built …

The Measles-Rubella (M-R) Elimination Campaign for 2025–26 is targeting full immunisation coverage by delivering two doses of the M-R vaccine to all eligible children. Understanding Measles Measles is an extremely infectious viral illness that mainly affects young children. It can lead to severe complications or even death, particularly in undernourished …

BRIC-inStem, based in Bengaluru, in collaboration with CMC Vellore, has successfully completed India’s inaugural human gene therapy trial for Haemophilia—a significant milestone in the country’s medical research. Understanding Gene Therapy Gene therapy is an advanced biomedical strategy aimed at correcting or replacing defective genes to treat or prevent diseases. Instead …

A powerful earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale recently struck Istanbul, with its epicenter located in the Sea of Marmara. Overview of the Sea of Marmara The Sea of Marmara is a relatively small inland body of water entirely surrounded by Turkey, acting as a natural divider between the …