ernational Space Station. The Soyuz capsule with astronauts from Canada, Russia and the United States landed in the steppes of Kazakhstan at 8-47 a.m. (0247GMT), less than a minute ahead of the scheduled time, on 25 June 2019 after a 3 hour flight from the orbiting lab.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/20674-astronauts-back-on-earth
#Astronauts #Earth #DavidSaint #spacecraft #Canada

Baseline analysis of 2nd SDG
Almost one in three Indian children under five years will still be stunted by 2022 going by current trends, according to an analysis of the country’s food and nutrition security released on 25 June 2019. Over the last decade, child stunting — which is a measure of chronic malnutrition — has reduced at a rate of about 1% per year, the slowest decline among emerging economies.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/20673-baseline-analysis-of-2nd-sdg
#SDG #Baseline #Indian #Indianchildren #hunger #Foodgrain

Seven Zonal Cultural Centres
To protect, promote & preserve various forms of folk art and culture throughout the country including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand & Odisha, the Government of India has set up seven Zonal Cultural Centres (ZCCs) with headquarters at Patiala, Nagpur, Udaipur, Prayagraj, Kolkata, Dimapur and Thanjavur. These ZCCs organize various cultural activities & programmes on regular basis all over the country.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/20672-seven-zonal-cultural-centres
#ZCCs #RSMs #EZCC #SCZCC #Odisha #folkart #LokKalaDarshan

India-Pakistan clash over Nizam
A decades-old legal dispute between India and Pakistan over around £35 million belonging to the Nizam of Hyderabad at the time of Partition and deposited in a London bank account has reached an important stage in the U.K. High Court.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/index.php/study-material/news-for-aspirants/20671-india-pakistan-clash-over-nizam
#Nizam #Pakistan #NatWestBank #India #MuffakhamJah #RoyalCourts

Nobel Peace Prize 2019
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed won the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize on 11 October 2019 for his peacemaking efforts with Eritrea. Ethiopia and Eritrea, longtime foes who fought a border war from 1998 to 2000, restored relations in July 2018 after years of hostility.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21681-nobel-peace-prize-2019.html
#NobelPeacePrize2019 #Tokarczuk #WorldFoodProgram AbiyAhmed

‘Dhruv’ scheme kicked off
Union HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal kicked off the Prime Minister Innovative Learning Programme “Dhruv” at the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) head office in Bengaluru under which 60 talented students selected from science, mathematics and performing arts streams will undergo a 14-day programme with an objective to enrich their skills and knowledge and realise their full potential.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21680-dhruv-scheme-kicked-off.html
#Dhruv #HRD #RameshPokhriyal #Isro #IITDelhi #NarendraModi

India joins global alliance for smart city technologies
India has joined the league of 15 of the world's leading city networks and technology governance organisations that will work towards advancing the responsible and ethical use of smart city technologies.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21679-india-joins-global-alliance-for-smart-city-technologies.html
#India #GSATG #WEF #G20 #Commonwealth #TechnologyGovernance

Chandrayaan 2's orbiter observes solar flares
One of the eight scientific payloads on board Chandrayaan-2’s orbiter, circling the Moon’s orbit at 100km, has measured solar flares between September 30 and October 1, which, in turn, will help scientists better understand various processes on the Sun.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21678-chandrayaan-2-s-orbiter-observes-solar-flares.html
#Chandrayaan2 #XSM #Moon #CLASS #Isro #orbiter

First-ever Olympic Hospitality House
India will have its first-ever Olympic Hospitality House in Tokyo during the Summer Games next year. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and JSW Group announced a partnership to build the facility.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21677-first-ever-olympic-hospitality-house.html
#Olympic #OHH #IOA #JSW #Tokyo #Nagano #KirenRijiju

India jumps in Brand Finance Nation ranking
India jumped two levels to 7th position in the Brand Finance Nation ranking of 2019 despite the reduction in the overall economic growth due to slowdown in the manufacturing and construction sectors.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21676-india-jumps-in-brand-finance-nation-ranking.html
#BFN #ranking #BrandFinanceNation #manufacturing #Canada

ICON Satellite launched
NASA launched a satellite on 10 October 2019 night to explore the mysterious, dynamic region where air meets space. The satellite — called ICON, short for Ionospheric Connection Explorer — rocketed into orbit following a two-year delay.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/21675-icon-satellite-launched.html
#ICON #Satellite #NASA #Earth #spacecraft

Strengthen collaboration in science and tech
India and Canada discuss ways to ramp up cooperation in science and technology by strengthening existing international connections, sharing best practices, and initiating new collaborations between governments and institutions, a statement said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/24934-strengthen-collaboration-in-science-and-tech.html
#Strengthencollaboration #science #Canada #India #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

India in HFI 2020
India has placed 111 out of 162 countries in the Human Freedom Index (HFI) 2020. The Human Freedom Index 2020, which uses data from 2008 to 2018, by the Cato Institute in the United States and Fraser Institute in Canada, noted a decrease in personal freedoms since 2008 globally.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/27599-india-in-hfi-2020.html
#HFI2020 #India #Canada #UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses #ksgnews

Watch: KSG DYK - Which one of the following is not part of “five eyes countries”? #SHORTS #UPSC #IAS
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XdUbnAJyIDw

Today's Headlines - 03 August 2023
ISRO rocket debris on Australian shore
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)

A large object found on the shores of western Australia a couple of weeks ago has been confirmed to be the debris of an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) rocket, the Australian Space Agency said. ISRO has agreed with the assessment, saying the debris could be from one of its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rockets. The ISRO said the agency was still to decide on the future course of action.

Are such incidents normal?

Junk from space objects falling to the earth are not unheard of. Most such incidents involve relatively small fragments from rockets that survive the friction of the atmosphere.
These usually do not make big news, also most of the time the space junk falls into oceans thus posing little danger to human populations.
But there have been a few highly publicised falls as well. In recent times, a large chunk of a 25-tonne Chinese rocket fell into the Indian Ocean in May 2021.
The most famous such case remains that of the Skylab space station, a predecessor to the currently operational International Space Station, which disintegrated in 1979.
Large chunks from this disintegration fell into the Indian Ocean, some of them falling on land in Western Australia.

Isn’t it dangerous?

The threat to life and property from falling space junk is not negligible. Even when falling into the oceans, which is more likely since 70 per cent of the earth’s surface is ocean, large objects can be a threat to marine life, and a source of pollution.
However, there are no recorded incidents of these falling objects causing any appreciable damage anywhere on the earth. When they have dropped over land, so far, it has been over uninhabited areas.

What happens if these objects cause damage?

There are international regulations governing space debris, which include junk falling back on the earth.
Most space-faring countries are signatories to the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects.
This convention is one of the several international agreements that complement the Outer Space Treaty, the overarching framework guiding the behaviour of countries in space.
The Liability Convention deals mainly with damage caused by space objects to other space assets, but it also applies to damage caused by falling objects on earth.
The Convention makes the launching country “absolutely liable” to pay compensation for any damage caused by its space object on the earth or to a flight in air. The country where the junk falls can stake a claim for compensation if it has been damaged by the falling object.
In the current case, if the PSLV junk had caused any damage in Australia, India could have been liable to pay compensation, even if the object fell into the ocean and was then swept to the shores.
The amount of compensation is to be decided “in accordance with international law and the principles of justice and equity”.
This provision of the Convention has resulted in compensation payment only once so far — when Canada sought damages from the then Soviet Union, for a satellite with radioactive substance that fell into an uninhabited region in its northern territory in 1978. The Soviet Union is reported to have paid 3 million Canadian dollars.

#upsc #news #headline #ISRO #rocket #australian #space #technology #PSLV #satelite #launch #Vehicle #atmosphere #Indian #ocean #western #marine #earth #damage #countries #liability #canada #soviet #canadian #dollars #territory #shores #satellite

Today's Headlines - 04 August 2023
CERT-In flagged Akira ransomware
GS Paper - 3 (ICT)

The central government’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issued an advisory flagging the emergence of a new ransomware called Akira. The Gurgaon police have also raised an alert about Akira.

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is essentially a kind of malware — software used to gain unauthorised access to systems to steal data. This data can then be used by cyber criminals to demand a ransom.
Akira targets computer systems that run on Windows and Linux operating systems and is known to spread laterally across networks.
According to the advisory issued by the government, Akira steals personal data, encrypts it, and later extorts money from the victims.
In case a user refuses to pay, the ransomware actors threaten to release their data on the dark web.

What is Akira?

Akira is a new family of ransomware that was used for cyber attacks in the US and Canada in March this year.
This is different from the Akira ransomware that was flagged by Microsoft Defender Antivirus in 2017. In the US, the ransomware was reported to actively target several organisations and expose their sensitive data.
Akira uses a double-extortion technique to exfiltrate and encrypt data to increase the chances of extracting money from its victims.
It was first flagged in April, and a majority of its victims are from the US. The reason you are hearing about Akira right now is because of the number of organisations that it has impacted in the US and the latest advisory from the government.

How is Akira different from other ransomware?

Their routine includes exfiltrating data from hacked networks, then triggering encryption and posting a ransom demand.
Reportedly, once the gang is convinced that it has stolen enough data to extort money from the victim, they deploy Akira’s payload.
They Delete Windows Shadow Volume copies (a technology by Microsoft Windows that creates backup copies) from the devices using a PowerShell command: essential text-based instructions used to perform tasks, and manage systems, files, and settings.
After using the PowerShell command, the ransomware proceeds to encrypt a wide range of data file types and adds ‘.akira’ extension to them.

#upsc #news #headline #CERT #flagged #Akira #ransomware #ict #computer #emergency #police #cyber #linus #darkweb #victims #canada #antivirus #technique #shadow #powershell #system #software

Today's Headlines - 08 September 2023
G20 agrees to give African Union membership
GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)

Group of 20 nations agreed to grant the African Union permanent membership status, and leaders are expected to announce the decision during a summit in India. The move would give the 55-member African Union, which is currently classified as an “invited international organization,” the same status as the EU. It’s part of a drive to provide African countries with a stronger voice on global issues such as climate change and emerging-market debt, particularly as emerging markets in the so-called Global South take on a more prominent role in world affairs.

More about the News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is hosting the G20 summit, has made it a priority to grant the African Union full membership.
Countries like Germany, Brazil, and Canada have also expressed their support for African Union membership to the G20.
The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world's major developed and developing economies.
The members represent around 85% of global GDP, over 75% of global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
The European Union is keen to take some credit for the G20 step. Leaders from the bloc plan to hold a high-level meeting with African leaders on the sidelines of the summit, which is being skipped by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Dubbed a “mini-summit,” the Europe-Africa meeting will include a discussion of the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine on global food security — a situation that threatens to escalate after Putin refused to revive a UN-backed deal to allow grain shipments after talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Other topics include efforts to reform the global financial architecture, improving conditions for private investments and infrastructure projects in Africa, as well as the situation in the Sahel region.
Flashback
The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent.
It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).

#upsc #news #headline #G20 #African #union #membership #internationalrelations #20nations #leaders #climatechange #market #organization #global #south #news #primeminister #NarenderaModi #G20Summit #germany #brazil #canada #intergovermentalforum #GDP #world #population #european #vladimirputin #projects #AU #55members #unity