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    Posted 16 Jan 2025

    8 min read

    US Entity List

    US removed three Indian entities from its restrictive lisEntity List. 

    • These entities are Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Indira Gandhi Atomic Research Centre (IGCAR) and Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL). 
    • This step could potentially revitalize the Indo-US Nuclear Cooperation Agreement of 2008. 

    About US Entity list

    • Includes names of certain foreign persons (including businesses, research institutions, government organizations, etc.). 
    • Such persons are subject to specific license requirements for trade in specified items  that could support terrorism, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs, etc. 
    • Tags :
    • Indo-US Nuclear Deal
    • Entity List
    • BARC)
    • WMD

    Siachen Glacier

    4G and 5G Services deployed to Siachen Glacier. 

    About Siachen Glacier

    • It is a Piedmont glacier 
    • Located in Karakoram Range (between Saltoro Ridge to the west and the main Karakoram Range to the east).
    • Originates near Indira Col West and demarcates Central Asia from the Indian subcontinent.
    • World's second-longest non-polar glacier (after Fedchenko Glacier in Tajikistan).
    • Source for the Nubra River, a tributary of the Shyok (part of the Indus River system).
    • Known as the highest and coldest battlefield. 
    • In 1984, India took its control under Operation Meghdoot.
    • Tags :
    • Operation Meghdoot
    • Siachen Glacier
    • Karakoram Range
    • Saltoro Ridge
    • Nubra River
    • Indira Col West

    Body Mass Index (BMI)

    Endocrinologists from the Diabetes Foundation India updated India's obesity guidelines after 15 years, replacing "overweight" with Obesity Grades I and II. 

    • The 2009 guidelines were based solely on BMI criteria.

    About BMI

    • It is a statistical index used to determine a person’s healthy weight range for their height
    • It is calculated by taking a person's weight (in kilograms) divided by their height (in m2)
    • Limitations
      • Does not differentiate between lean body mass and fat mass, based on gender despite physiological differences
      • Does not measure the distribution of body fat.
    • Tags :
    • Obesity
    • BMI
    • Overweight

    Melanistic Royal Bengal Tiger

    A Melanistic Royal Bengal Tiger was poached in the Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR), Odisha.

    • STR harbours the only population of melanistic tigers in the world. 

    About Melanistic Royal Bengal Tiger

    • Also known as Black tigers, however, they are not a separate subspecies.
    • They have more black pigmentation or thick stripes on their body due to a single mutation in the gene Transmembrane Aminopeptidase Q (Taqpep).
    • They are also described as being pseudo-melanistic, as they are not entirely black 
      • Melanism causes an increased production of melanin (produced by melanocytes, and gives colour to hair, skin, and iris). 
    • Tags :
    • Taqpep
    • Melanistic Royal Bengal Tiger
    • Simlipal Tiger Reserve
    • Melanin

    Kampala Declaration

    African Union (AU) Extraordinary Summit on the Post-Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)

    adopted the 10-year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan, and the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa.

    About Kampala Declaration

    • Kampala declaration is the successor to the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods, adopted in 2014.
    • Implementation period will be 2026-2035
    • It set forth six commitments that should transform and strengthen the agri-food system on the continent.
    • Tags :
    • Agri-food Systems
    • Kampala Declaration
    • African Union

    Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary

    Government of India has designated areas around Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary as Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs).

    About Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary

    • Location: Middle altitudinal range of the Himalayas in Mandi District, Himachal Pradesh.
    • Named after the goddess Shikari Devi, to whom a temple is dedicated in the sanctuary.
    • Streams: Juni Khud, a tributary of Beas River. 
    • It is recognised as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International. 
    • Vegetation: Alpine pastures and Temperate Deciduous Forest.
    • Fauna: Asiatic Black Bear, Leopard, Barking Deer, Giant Flying Squirrel etc.
    • Tags :
    • Eco-Sensitive Zones
    • Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary

    Blue Ghost and RESILIENCE

    SpaceX Falcon9 launched U.S.-based Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 and Japan-based ispace’s RESILIENCE lunar lander.

    About Blue Ghost Mission

    • It will deliver 10 S&T instruments to the lunar surface as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
    • It will conduct several first-of-its-kind demonstrations, including testing regolith sample collection, Global Navigation Satellite System abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation.

    About RESILIENCE

    • It is part of ispace’s Hakuto-R Moon Mission 2 which also includes TENACIOUS micro rover.
    • Its commercial customer payload includes Water electrolyzer equipment, Deep space radiation probe etc.
    • Tags :
    • Lunar Mission
    • Hakuto-R Mission 2
    • Blue Ghost
    • Lunar Lander

    Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan

    Ministry of Defence launches Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan website and app as part of its 'Battlefield Tourism' plan.

    • It will be a one-stop destination for information and clearances for battlefield visits, featuring virtual tours and historical narratives.
    • Indian Army, in conjunction with Ministry of Tourism, has shortlisted some other border sites that have witnessed military action in the past
      • These include Kibithoo and Bum La Pass (Arunachal Pradesh), Rezang La and Pangong Tso (Ladakh), and Doklam (site of 2017 conflict).
    • Tags :
    • Border Area Development
    • Battlefield Tourism
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