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Skygazers watched a rare celestial event when the moon came between Earth and Mars. The phenomenon is known as occultation. Important points: An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. The term is often used in …

China has asked Japan to take back its decision to release more than 1 million tonnes of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. Important points: The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is a disabled nuclear power plant located on a 3.5-square-kilometre site in the towns of …

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has constituted an eight-member National Task Force (NTF) to combat air pollution and monitor remedial steps to improve air quality. Important points: Composition: Senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Ministries of Housing and Urban Affairs, Petroleum, Transport, Power, Agriculture, Health …

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a Global Diabetes Compact to better fight the disease while marking the centenary of the discovery of insulin. The programme was launched at the Global Diabetes Summit co-hosted by the Government of Canada. Important points: The Global Diabetes Compact has the vision of reducing …

The team of researchers from Purdue University have created an ultra-white paint. The newer paint is whiter and keeps the surface areas it is painted on cooler and thus can act as a breakthrough in combating the woes of global warming. Important points: The new ultrawhite white paint reflects 99% …

Recently, the UK’s Home Department has approved the extradition of Nirav Modi, a diamond merchant to India in connection with the Rs. 13,758-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud. India and the UK entered into an extradition treaty in 1992. Important points: Extradition is the process by which one state, upon …

Recently, the Union government told the Bombay High Court that making FASTag mandatory for all vehicles does not breach a citizen’s fundamental right to freedom of movement in any way. A Public Interest Litigation was filed in the Court challenging the government’s decision to make FASTag, the electronic toll collection …

Recently, the United States (US) placed 11 countries, including India in the Currency Practices Monitoring List (Currency Manipulators Watch List). India was on the list in the December 2020 report as well. In 2019, the US Treasury Department had removed India from its currency manipulator watch list of major trading …

Recently, Odisha has released the final data on the dolphin census, indicating a spectacular growth in numbers. Important points: The population of dolphins in Chilika, India’s largest brackish water lake, and along the Odisha coast has doubled this year (2021) compared with last year. Three species were recorded during the …

Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has inaugurated three new initiatives/services of National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI). IP Guru, NIXI Academy, NIXI-IP-INDEX have been launched to facilitate adoption of IPv6 and create an environment to ensure smooth transition from IPv4 to IPv6. Important points: NIXI is …

Recently, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs launched the EatSmart Cities Challenge and Transport 4 All Challenge. The challenges aim at creating an environment of right food practices and habits and to make public transport safe, affordable, comfortable, and reliable. Important points: EatSmart Cities Challenge: The EatSmart Cities Challenge …

Recently, Singapore’s Foreign Minister while addressing the 6th edition of the Raisina Dialogue suggested India to reassess its stand on Regional Trading Agreements (RTA) such as Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). The Raisina Dialogue is India’s premier conference on geopolitics and …

Recently, the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) flagship State of World Population Report 2021 titled ‘My Body is My Own’ was launched. This is the first time a United Nations report has focused on bodily autonomy, defined as the power and agency to make choices about your body without fear …

Sputnik V, the vaccine against Covid-19 developed by Russia, has been cleared for emergency use by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). It is now the third coronavirus vaccine to get emergency use approval, after Covishield (Serum Institute of India) and Covaxin (Bharat Biotech). Important Points About the Sputnik …

Researchers from IIT Guwahati have developed a technique to improve the performance of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which power most of the portable devices used today. Important Points The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was jointly awarded to Stanley Whittingham, John Goodenough and Akira Yoshino for work that led to the …

Recently, Astronomers have discovered a new active galaxy called Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 (NLS1) which has been identified as the farthest gamma-ray emitting galaxy. Important Points Scientists from Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) in collaboration with researchers from other institutions, studied around 25,000 luminous Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) from …

Recently, the Indian Rupee depreciated to a nine-month low of 75.4 against the USD, it is one of the biggest losers among the emerging market currencies. Over the last three weeks since 22nd March 2021, Rupee has lost 4.2% against the USD. Important Points Reasons for the Decline: Rising Covid-19 …

According to a report released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), illegal sale of Danube Sturgeon, one of the most endangered species in the world, is rampant in the lower Danube (River) region, especially in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. Danube is the second longest river in Europe after the …

Researchers from Sweden’s University of Gothenburg have been able to obtain data from underneath Thwaites Glacier, also known as the ‘Doomsday Glacier’. They find that the supply of warm water to the glacier is larger than previously thought, triggering concerns of faster melting and accelerating ice flow. Important points: Called …

The second phase of the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) will be completed by September 2021, taking India’s total computational capacity to 16 Petaflops. Important points: NSM was announced in 2015, with an aim to connect national academic and R&D institutions with a grid of more than 70 high-performance computing facilities …