GoM for land leasing issues
The Prime Minister’s Office has set up a group of 12 ministers to resolve differences over the proposed Model Agricultural Land Leasing Act, 2016. The GoM includes the ministers of defence, home, agriculture and rural development.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22100-gom-for-land-leasing-issues.html
#GoM #PMO #GDP #NITIAayog #MALL #Agriculture

Human-induced climate change has made El Ninos, La Ninas, and the climate phenomenon that drives them more extreme in the industrial age, new research has found. With greater intensity, these events can worsen storms, drought, and coral bleaching in El Nino years.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22099-climate-change-affects-el-ninos.html
#ElNinos #ENSO #PacificOcean #GRL #GIoT #ClimatePhenomenon

Codeshare agreement
SpiceJet on 25 November 2019 said it has signed a codeshare agreement with Emirates that will allow passengers of the Dubai-based airline to book tickets on the Indian budget carrier using Emirates' ticketing system from early 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22098-codeshare-agreement.html
#Codeshareagreement #SpiceJet #Dubai #MoU #AjaySingh

First ever WHO study on Adolescents
Adolescents in India are comparatively more active than their peers globally, according to a WHO study which says factors such as increased domestic chores among girls and the focus on sports like cricket among boys contribute to their physical activity.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22097-first-ever-who-study-on-adolescents.html
#WHO #Bangladesh #Adolescents #India #WorldHealthOrganisation

Watch: KSG DYK - What are reasons for increasing number of cyclones in the Arabian Sea #SHORTS #UPSC #IAS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpaxJmatOvQ

Watch: KSG DYK - Matua, a volcanic island, recently was in news, is present in? #SHORTS #UPSC #IAS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23d2OzqreDs

Today's Headlines - 26 August 2023
Fukushima nuclear water release
GS Paper - 3 (Nuclear Energy)

Twelve years after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown, Japan is releasing the power plant’s cooling water into the ocean. Japanese officials say it’s safe, but experts are divided. It’s hard to have a purely fact-based discussion about Japan’s Fukushima water release plan. Due to several scandals and a lack of transparency, trust appears to be low in both TEPCO, the company that operated the now-defunct Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant, and the Japanese government, with its close ties to the atomic energy industry.

Fukushima: Why is the water being released into the Pacific Ocean?

Storage tanks holding the cooling water at the ruined facility are full. Japan has had to cool the reactors at the nuclear power plant since they were destroyed during a catastrophic tsunami in 2011.
It takes 170 tons of cooling water per day to keep them cool. In addition, rain and groundwater have been seeping into the site. There are 1,046 storage tanks holding 1,343 million cubic meters of water.
Once the water has been filtered, it is considered safe and sent through a one-kilometer (0.62 mile)-long tunnel before being released into the Pacific Ocean — a process that will take an estimated 30 years to complete. The radioactive waste, meanwhile, will remain on land.
Is Japan allowed to release filtered cooling water into the sea?

Both Japan’s atomic agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have approved the plan.
The IAEA said Japan had met international safety standards and that “discharges of the treated water would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment.
They said it had been common practice for nuclear power plants worldwide to release used cooling water into the ocean for decades routinely.
However, environmental and fishing experts, as well as neighboring states, have accused Japan of downplaying the level of radiation in the cooling water.
They are concerned about far-reaching ocean contamination, potential environmental damage, a fall in fishing revenue and loss of reputation.
How will the water be prepared before it’s released?

Before it’s released into the ocean, the contaminated cooling water and groundwater will be sent through a filter system called the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS).
ALPS can filter 62 different radionuclides — radioactive elements — but can’t filter out the radioactive isotope tritium.
So, TEPCO wants to dilute the water until the concentration of tritium is reduced to about 1,500 Becquerel per liter or less than a fortieth of the national safety standard. A becquerel (Bq) is a unit that measures the rate at which radioactive material emits radiation or how many atoms in the material decay in a given time.
TEPCO says that if the levels of tritium remain too high after filtration, they will repeat the process before releasing the water.
How dangerous is tritium?

Tritium is a form of hydrogen that occurs naturally in Earth’s atmosphere. It is radioactive but far less dangerous than cesium-137 or strontium-90 — both of which are life-threatening.
It emits a weak beta particle that can be stopped by a sheet of plastic or human skin.
It’s a different story if strontium-90 gets into the human body: “Strontium is absorbed by the bones, and once it’s in the crystalline structure of the bones, you can’t get rid of it again.

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