India in WHO physical activity report
India is among the top ten ranking countries with the lowest level of insufficient physical activity among adolescents. Bangladesh tops the list while USA’s adolescents figure fourth on the list of 146 countries.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22072-india-in-who-physical-activity-report.html
#India #WHO #USA #WorldHealthReport #AdolescentHealth #LancetChild

WTO report on trade-restrictive measures
The G20 countries have imposed as many as 28 new trade-restrictive measures such as tariff increases, import bans and stricter customs procedures for imports between mid-May and mid-October 2019, according to a WTO report.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22071-wto-report-on-trade-restrictive-measures.html
#WTO #G20 #UNCTAD #OECD #tariffincreases

First ever PICSA Index
Bangalore emerged as India's highest ranked city at No. 83 in a new index of the world's 113 cities in terms of economic and social inclusivity, topped by Zurich in Switzerland.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22070-first-ever-picsa-index.html
#PICSA #Bangalore #Mumbai #GDP #India #Bilbao

First ever pact for expeditious grant of patents
The patent offices of India and Japan have inked an agreement for expeditious grant of patents to Indian entities and individuals, the commerce and industry ministry said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22069-first-ever-pact-for-expeditious-grant-of-patents.html
#Japan #PPH #India #JPO #MSMEs #JapanPatentOffice

International resolution on 5G approved
The international resolution approved by UN body International Telecommunication Union at its global meet has resolved concerns raised by the telecom sector on 5G and has put everyone across the globe at par for the roll-out of the next-generation technology, ITU-APT Foundation of India said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22243-international-resolution-on-5g-approved.html
#Internationalresolution #5Gapproved #5GBTS #5Gservices

India, Japan focus on Indo-Pacific
Ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's India visit, India and Japan are holding their inaugural 2+2 defence and foreign minister-level dialogue on 30 November 2019 which would focus on cooperation in building a free and open Indo-Pacific in view of China's growing footprint.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22242-india-japan-focus-on-indo-pacific.html
#Japan #IndoPacific #ShinzoAbes #NarendraModi


India renews commitment to Bhutan
The 2nd Annual India-Bhutan Development Cooperation Talks were held in Delhi on 29 November 2019 with India renewing its commitment to support projects under Bhutan’s ongoing five year plan (2018-23).
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22241-india-renews-commitment-to-bhutan.html
#Bhutan #SDPs #TSTirumurti #HICPDs #RuchiraKamboj

India-ASEAN FTA
The proposed scope of the review of the free trade agreement between India and ASEAN could include issues like customs procedures, further liberalisation of trade in goods and exchange of data, Parliament was informed.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22240-india-asean-fta.html
#ASEANFTA #Indiatrade #US #PiyushGoyal #India

Fund for NETRA
The Centre has proposed Rs 33.3 crore for ISRO's 'Project Netra' for securing Indian satellites from space debris and other dangers, according to documents related to supplementary demand for grants.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22292-fund-for-netra.html
#NETRA #ISRO #LokSabha #SSA #GEO #MOTR #LEO #spacecraft

3rd phase of PMKVY in FY21
The government is planning to launch the third phase of its flagship Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) in the next financial year, Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mahendra Nath Pandey has said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22291-3rd-phase-of-pmkvy-in-fy21.html
#PMKVY #FY21 #MahendraNathPandey #SkillDevelopment #Japan

MNREGA jobs to differently-abled persons
Chhattisgarh is ranked sixth in the country in terms of providing employment to differently-abled persons under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), an official said on 8 December 2019.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22290-mnrega-jobs-to-differently-abled-persons.html
#MNREGA #PwDs #PRIs #AndhraPradesh #MahatmaGandhi

Volcanic rocks trigger global warming effects
Greenhouse gas emissions directly from the movement of volcanic rocks can create massive global warming effects -- more than previously believed -- according to a study which may lead to changes in the way scientists estimate climate change.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22289-volcanic-rocks-trigger-global-warming-effects.html
#Volcanic #LIPs #Greenhousegas #NAIP #globalwarming #PETM

WHO report on Physical activity
Teenagers worldwide do not get enough exercise, compromising their current and future health, the World Health Organisation said.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22288-who-report-on-physical-activity.html
#WHO #Physicalactivity #Bangladesh #worldwide #globaltrends

SEZs deemed to be multi-sector SEZs
The central government has notified that all notified and existing Special Economic Zones (SEZs) shall be deemed to be multi-sector economic zones. This would release land parcels in single commodity SEZs for other sectors.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22400-sezs-deemed-to-be-multi-sector-sezs.html
#SEZs #EPZ #amendment #Asia #TamilNadu #manufacturing

Threat to outer space security
Rising space power China on 23 December 2019 attacked the newly created US Space Force as a "direct threat to outer space peace and security". Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters that China is "deeply concerned about it and resolutely opposed to it".
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22399-threat-to-outer-space-security.html
#SpaceForce #DRDO #satellite #orbit #OST #BNSS

What is Wi-Fi calling?
Wi-Fi calling is the buzz word in the Indian telecom industry right now. Airtel has already launched its Wi-Fi calling service in the country (available only in some areas for now), while Reliance Jio is still testing it in some circles and is expected to announce it very soon.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22398-what-is-wi-fi-calling.html
#WiFiCalling #RelianceJio #TamilNadu #telecom #Indiantelecom

China, South Korea, Japan meet
The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea are holding a trilateral summit in China this week amid feuds over trade, military maneuverings and historical animosities. Most striking has been a complex dispute between Seoul and Tokyo, while Beijing has recently sought to tone down its disagreements with its two neighbors.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22397-china-south-korea-japan-meet.html
#China #THAAD #Asiantroika #ShinzoAbe #Japan #nuclear

FC sets up group on farm exports
The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC) has set up an eight-member group under ITC chairman Sanjiv Puri to suggest performance incentives for states to encourage farm exports and promote crops that would “enable high import substitution”.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22890-fc-sets-up-group-on-farm-exports.html
#FC #ITC #APEDA #FY19 #RadhaSingh #Article280

India gets Champion of Migratory Species award
India was accorded Champion Plus status by the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species Wild Animals (CMS), a United Nations body, for its commitment to the small grants programme (SGS) for conservation of migratory species and for keeping its energy projects compliant with the guidelines of Energy Task Force, at the 13th conference of parties (COP13) which began in Gandhinagar on 17 February 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22889-india-gets-champion-of-migratory-species-award.html
#India #MigratorySpecies #SGS #COP13 #GIFT #COP

India becomes 5th largest economy
ndia emerged as the world's fifth largest economy by overtaking the UK and France in 2019, says a report. A US-based think tank World Population Review in its report said that India is developing into an open-market economy from its previous autarkic policies.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22888-india-becomes-5th-largest-economy.html
#India #PPP #WPR #GDP #Japan #France

First ever a solar-powered Aircraft flies successfully
Persistent High Altitude Solar Aircraft (PHASA-35) has the potential to stay to remain airborne for nearly a year and has been designed to work unmanned within the stratosphere, above the weather and conventional air traffic.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22887-first-ever-a-solar-powered-aircraft-flies-successfully.html
#solar #Aircraft #PHASA35 #HALE #DSTL #satellite

Tendulkar wins Laureus Sporting Moment Award
Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and footballer Lionel Messi were declared joint winners of the prestigious Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award at a glittering ceremony on 17 February 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/22886-tendulkar-wins-laureus-sporting-moment-award.html
#Tendulkar #LSMA #ICCWorldCup #wins #FLM

Japan confirms its scrapping US missile defense system
Japan's National Security Council has endorsed plans to cancel the deployment of two costly land-based U.S. missile defense systems aimed at bolstering the country's capability against threats from North Korea, the country's defense minister said 25 June 2020.
Read More: https://www.ksgindia.com/study-material/news-for-aspirants/24120-japan-confirms-its-scrapping-us-missile-defense-system.html
#Japan #USmissile #NorthKorea #AegisAshoresystems

Watch: KSG DYK - Which of the following countries is “not” a member of NATO? #SHORTS #UPSC #IAS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D5IV9YwlFI

KSG Podcast - Russian space agency’s threat on ISS | best daily editorial analysis for upsc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98ODuwby-7g
#UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

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

KSG Podcast - Russian space agency’s threat on ISS | best daily editorial analysis for upsc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98ODuwby-7g&list=PLCUwtp5IghZmJBi1h7xiAhsORKmmumVsR&index=67
#UPSCOnlineClasses #OnlineClassses #IASOnlineclasses

Today's Headlines - 21 July 2023
Unlock mysteries of the cosmos
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)

The United States and India have jointly unveiled plans to construct a Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India, a major scientific alliance aimed at unravelling the mysteries of the universe. The mega astronomy project, projected to cost Rs 2,600 crore, will study gravitational waves, which are often described as changes in the ‘fabric’ of the universe. The new observatory was among the US-India partnership initiatives.

More about the observatory

The LIGO observatory in India will be built in Maharashtra’s Hingoli district, near the city of Aundha.
The government has acquired 174 acres of land to set up the observatory, which is expected to be operational by 2030.
This will be the third LIGO site in the world. The first two are both in the US, one in the state of Washington and the other in Louisiana.
Other similar instruments that detect gravitational waves include KAGRA in Japan and Virgo in Italy, both of which are smaller than LIGO and have 3-km arms.
The LIGO-India project is a joint collaboration between the Government of India’s departments of atomic energy (DAE) and science and technology (DST), the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States, and several other national and international research and academic institutions.
In India, the four institutions leading the project include IUCAA, Gandhinagar’s Institute of Plasma Research (IPR), Indore’s Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), and the Directorate of Construction, Services & Estate Management (DCSEM) under the DAE.
Why are gravitational waves important?

Gravitational waves are invisible ripples in spacetime that travel at the speed of light. They were first detected in September 2015 by both the LIGO observatories in the US. Before that, most inferences about the universe were based on observations of electromagnetic energy.
The study of gravitational waves dates back to 1916, when Albert Einstein proposed their existence in his theory of general relativity.
He suggested that massive objects in the sky, such as black holes or neutron stars, can disrupt space-time due to the emission of waves that would be ejected from the source.
Studying gravitational waves can help uncover the history of the universe and understand many more complex mechanisms.
For example, earlier this year, Indian scientists proposed that gravitational waves emitted from black holes could help determine the rate of expansion of the universe.
They suggested that the multiple gravitational waves released from binary black holes reach Earth at various time stamps, which can be used to calculate the expansion rate of the universe.
How does LIGO work?

LIGO is essentially a massive L-shaped instrument, with each arm being 4 km long. Each arm encases a steel vacuum tube called an interferometer.
Laser pulses are shot through each arm and bounced back off a mirror at each end. A detector monitors the timing and movement of these pulses.
When a gravitational wave passes through the detector, the pulses will not return on time. Scientists can use this and other such signals to study gravitational waves. LIGO is highly sensitive and can detect gravitational waves from distant galaxies, hundreds of millions of light years away.
For instance, the first gravitational wave observed by LIGO in 2015, according to the estimates of scientists, was caused by the collision of two black holes about 1.3 billion years ago.

#upsc #news #mysteries #cosmos #Spacetechnology #Laser #Interferometer #Gravitational #Observatory #LIGO #astronomy #Louisiana #NSF #KAGRA #Japan #IUCAA #IPR #DAE #DST #RRCAT #DCSEM #electromagneticenergy #galaxies

Today's Headlines - 01 August 2023
Key takeaways of WMO report
GS Paper - 3 (Environment)

According to a new report, released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Asia is the world’s most disaster-prone region and it experienced 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters in 2022. These events directly affected more than 50 million people with about 5,000 getting killed and economic damage worth $ 36 billion, the report added. Although, in 2021, the continent had been affected by around 100 natural disasters, the extent of these hazards was more prominent in 2022 — the number of people and facilities affected, and economic damage has increased.

What are the key takeaways from the report?

According to the report, while the mean temperature over Asia in 2022 was about 0.72 degree Celsius above the 1991–2020 average, it was about 1.68 degree Celsius above the 1961–1990 average.
This rise in temperatures has had some severe fallouts, including an uptick in the occurrence of extreme weather events.
For instance, droughts ravaged numerous parts of Asia in 2022. China particularly suffered the most as last year, the Yangtze River Basin, located in the country’s southwest, experienced the worst drought in the last six decades.
This not only affected crops and vegetation, as well as the drinking water supply but also caused an economic loss of about $ 7.6 billion.
Many other regions were hit by severe floods and extreme monsoon rainfalls. Pakistan is the most notable example – it received 60 percent of normal total monsoon rainfall within just three weeks of the start of the 2022 monsoon season, and the heavy rains resulted in urban and flash floods, landslides, and glacial lake outburst floods across the country.
More than 33 million people were affected, over 1,730 people died and almost eight million people were displaced, according to the report.
Apart from natural disasters, climate change has exacerbated glaciers melting in Asia due to high temperatures and dry conditions.
Four glaciers in the High Mountain Asia region, centred on the Tibetan Plateau, have recorded significant mass losses, with an accelerating trend since the mid-1990s.
At the same time, these four glaciers show an overall weaker cumulative mass loss than the average for the global reference glaciers during the period 1980–2022.
Even thesea surface temperatures in Asia are getting warmer than ever before. The report pointed out that in the north-western Arabian Sea, the Philippine Sea and the seas east of Japan, the warming rates have exceeded 0.5 degree Celsius per decade since the 1980s. It is about three times faster than the global average surface ocean warming rate.

India in report

In India, heavy rainfalls “lasting from May to September triggered multiple landslides and river overflows and floods, resulting in casualties and damage”.
In total, this flooding resulted in over 2,000 deaths and affected 1.3 million people — the disaster event caused the highest number of casualties of any disaster event in 2022 in India.
The report also said economic loss due to disasters relating to floods exceeded the average for the 2002–2021 period. Pakistan incurred a loss of over $ 15 billion, followed by China, over $ 5 billion, and India, over $ 4.2 billion.
Another extreme weather event that became a mainstay in Asia last year was heat waves.
The report noted that India and Pakistan experienced “abnormally warm conditions” in the pre-monsoon season (March–May), the report mentioned. China, Hong Kong and Japan also saw the mercury rising to record high levels in 2022.

#upsc #news #headline #WMO #report #enviroment #world #meteorological #organization #disasters #economic #temperature #asia #china #yangtze #river #basin #country #rainfalls #monsoon #pakistan #tibetan #plateau #mountain #celsius #arabian #sea #philippine #japan #glaciers

Today's Headlines - 04 August 2023
The crypto project WorldCoin
GS Paper - 3 (Economy)

A new cryptocurrency project called WorldCoin, from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, has claimed over 2 million sign-ups across the world after its official launch on 24 July 2023. OpenAi was the company behind the AI chatbot ChatGPT.

What differentiates WorldCoin from many existing cryptocurrencies?

It is its use of biometrics. Its unique method of sign-up, involving scanning of irises, has rung alarm bells in countries such as France, Germany and Kenya.
India also has at least 17 sign-up locations – mostly at Delhi Metro stations in the NCR region and a few in Bengaluru. In comparison, the United States has 10 locations and Japan has three locations, according to the WorldCoin website.

What is WorldCoin?

The Worldcoin protocol is intended to be the world’s largest identity and financial public network, open to everyone regardless of their country, background or economic status.
WorldCoin wants to offer users an account that only “real humans” can get, through what it calls a “World ID”.
For this, a customer has to sign up and do in-person eyes scan at particular locations, where their irises would be scanned through a ball-like object called an ‘orb’.
Once the orb’s iris scan verifies the person is a real human, it creates a World ID for them.
The reasoning given here is that biometric data would help differentiate between humans and Artificial Intelligence systems and prevent duplication of IDs from the same person.
It can then be used as an ID in a variety of everyday applications – such as a cryptocurrency wallet – without revealing the user’s identity.
The project has three aspects: a World ID or a digital identity for “proving an individual’s unique personhood,” a Worldcoin token (WLD) that is its cryptocurrency, and a World App that enables “payment, purchases and transfers globally using digital assets and traditional currencies.”
It says that creating a World ID (through the orb scanning) is not essential for accessing the app or tokens. But it provides certain incentives for doing so.

Who owns WorldCoin?

San Francisco and Berlin-based company Tools for Humanity is behind WorldCoin. Altman is its Co-Founder and Alex Blania is its Co-Founder and CEO.
The company’s website simply states that it is a technology company that was built to ensure a “more just economic system”, and re-directs visitors to the WorldCoin website.
The Worldcoin can help address how the economy will be reshaped by generative AI technology.

#upsc #news #headline #crypto #project #worldcoin #economy #world #chatGPT #OpenAi #currencies #germany #kenya #delhimetro #US #japan #location #financial #worldID #human #intelligence #technology #visitors #humanity #berlin #francisco #CEO

Today's Headlines - 12 August 2023
Malabar naval exercise held

GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)

India, Japan, the United States and Australia hold the Malabar navy exercise off the coast of Sydney on 11 August 2023, the first time the war games previously held in the Indian Ocean have taken place in Australia. Japanese and Indian navy vessels stopped in Pacific Island countries Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea on the way to Sydney, highlighting the strategic importance of the region at a time of friction between China and the United States.

More about the Exercise

The U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet said in Sydney the exercise was "not pointed toward any one country" and would improve the ability of the four forces to work with each other.
The deterrence that our four nations provide as we operate together as a Quad is a foundation for all the other nations operating in this region.
Oceania, the island nations that are just northeast of Australia...all of our nations now are focusing on those countries.
Indian Navy Vice Admiral Dinesh Tripathi said there had been large changes in the world since the United States and India held the first Malabar Exercise in 1992 at the end of the Cold War. When Australia participated for the first time in 2007, it "sent some signals around the world".
Australia dropped out of the so-called Quad in 2008 after protests from China over its participation in Malabar.
The Quad was revived and Australia rejoined Malabar in 2020, although China continues to criticise the grouping as an attempt to contain it.
Ships from the four nations were joined by Australian F-35 fighter jets, as well as P-8 surveillance aircraft and submarines.
The underwater battlespace is seen to be the front line in terms of competition and potential future conflicts.
Malabar is being held off the east coast of Australia, instead of the west coast which faces the Indian Ocean, because ships were nearby after the larger Talisman Sabre exercise involving 13 nations which closed recently.

#upsc #news #headline #malabar #naval #internationalrelations #japan #australia #japanese #indiannavy #solomon #island #papua #newguinea #wargames #indianocean #china #US #island #coldwar #aircraft #survillance #fighter #battlespace #talisman #world

Today's Headlines - 21 August 2023
Russia’s Luna-25 crashes
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)

Russia’s Moon mission ended in failure after its spacecraft Luna-25 spun out of control and crashed into the moon, Russian space agency Roscosmos said on 20 August 2023.

What happened to Luna-25?

Luna-25 was supposed to land on the Moon on 21 August 2023, days ahead of India’s Chandrayaan-3. Its intended landing site was close to Chandrayaan-3’s, near the lunar south pole.
The crash was confirmed a day after Roscosmos reported an “abnormal situation” which its specialists were analysing.
The space agency had said on 19 August 2023 that it had lost contact with the aircraft as it was shunted into pre-landing orbit.
On 19 August 2023, in accordance with the flight program of the Luna-25 spacecraft, an impulse was provided for the formation of its pre-landing elliptical orbit.
Communication with the Luna-25 spacecraft was interrupted. The measures taken on 19 and 20 August 2023 to search for the device and get into contact with it did not produce any results. According to the results of the preliminary analysis, due to the deviation of the actual parameters of the impulse from the calculated ones, the device switched to an off-design orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the lunar surface, Roscosmos said.
The space agency also said, A specially formed interdepartmental commission will deal with the issues of clarifying the reasons for the loss of the Moon [mission].
What was the Luna-25 mission?

Although launched on 10 August 2023, almost a month after Chandrayaan-3’s launch on 14 July, Luna-25 rode on a powerful rocket to reach the lunar orbit in just six days.
It was supposed to land on the lunar South Pole before Chandrayaan-3, and its success would have made Russia the first country to do so. Luna-25’s mission life was for one year, and its lift-off mass was 1,750 kg.
It did not carry a rover, but had eight payloads mainly to study the soil composition, dust particles in the polar exosphere, and most importantly detect surface water on the moon.
Significance

The failure of Luna-25 underlines how tricky soft-landings on the Moon are, and echoes India’s heartbreak of 2019.
Since 1976, there has been just one country, China, which has been successful in getting its spacecraft to soft land on the moon.
It has done that twice, with Chang’e 3 and Chang’e 4. All other attempts in the last ten years, by India, Israel, Japan and now Russia, have remained unsuccessful.
If Chandrayaan-3 is able to land successfully, India would become just the fourth country in the world, after the United States, the erstwhile Soviet Union and China, to have landed a spacecraft on moon, and the first-ever to land close to the lunar south pole.

#upsc #news #headline #Russia #luna #crashes #space #technology #moonmission #failure #spacecraft #india #chandrayaan #aircraft #southpole #flight #situation #interdepartmental #comission #reasons #orbit #firstcountry #soilcomposition #particles #polar #exosphere #israel #japan #softland #world #india #states #soviet #china #southpole #rocket #collision #agency

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.

#upsc #news #headline #fukushima #nuclear #energy #water #japan #meltdown #powerplant #coolingwater #dicussion #tepco #daiichi #pacificocean #facilityarefull #catastropic #tsunami #rain #groundwater #cubic #meter #kilometer #tunnel #radioactive #sea #discharges #enviroment #experts #radiation #level #ALPS #filtersystem #filtration #dangerous #tritium #hydrogen #strontium #particle #humanbody

Today's Headlines - 29 August 2023
Crew-7 mission to space station
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)

Four astronauts from four countries, including the US, Denmark, Japan, and Russia, launched aboard a SpaceX rocket towards the International Space Station (ISS) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This was the first US take-off in which all the astronauts atop the spacecraft belonged to a different country — until now, NASA had always included two or three of its own on its SpaceX flights. The mission has been known as Crew-7.

Why has such a diverse group of astronauts gone to the ISS?

The Crew-7 mission is a result of the ongoing cooperation among different countries in space, especially since the launch of the space station in 1998.
The International Space Station Program involves the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, and the participating countries of the European Space Agency, and is one of the most ambitious international collaborations ever attempted.
The program “brings together international flight crews, multiple launch vehicles, globally distributed launch, operations, training, engineering, and development facilities; communications networks, and the international scientific research community”.
What is the mission?

The Crew-7 is the eighth flight operated by NASA and Elon Musk-owned SpaceX as part of the agency’s commercial crew program, which has been taking astronauts to the ISS since SpaceX’s first crewed mission in 2020.
During their stay at the space station, the Crew-7 astronauts will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations to prepare for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The research will include a collection of microbial samples from the exterior of the space station.
The team will also analyse how sleeping in the microgravity environment differs from Earth by examining astronauts’ brain waves while they sleep.
Yet another experiment will look at the formation of biofilms in wastewater on the space station, which could be key to finding better ways to recycle water for drinking and hygiene while in space (Yes, astronauts have long used recycled sweat and urine to drink and shower on the station).

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Today's Headlines - 05 September 2023
A sunrace of significant global missions
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)

In the wake of the Indian Space Research Organisation's successful launch of its inaugural solar mission, Aditya-L1,, let's embark on a journey through key missions from space agencies worldwide, all dedicated to unravelling the enigmatic secrets of the Sun.
A Sunrace
USA
US: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the US space agency, launched the Parker Solar Probe in August 2018. In December 2021, Parker flew through the Sun's upper atmosphere, the corona, and sampled particles and magnetic fields there. This was the first time ever that a spacecraft touched the Sun, according to NASA.
In February 2020, NASA joined hands with the European Space Agency (ESA) and launched The Solar Orbiter to collect data to find out how the Sun created and controlled the constantly changing space environment throughout the solar system.
Other active solar missions by NASA are Advanced Composition Explorer launched in August, 1997; Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory in October, 2006; Solar Dynamics Observatory in February, 2010; and Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph launched in June, 2013.
Also, in December, 1995, NASA, ESA and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) jointly launched the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO).
Japan
JAXA, Japan's space agency, launched its first solar observation satellite, Hinotori (ASTRO-A), in 1981. The objective was to study solar flares using hard X-rays, according to JAXA. JAXA's other solar exploratory missions are Yohkoh (SOLAR-A) launched in 1991; SOHO (along with NASA and ESA) in 1995; and Transient Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE), along with NASA, in 1998.
In 2006, Hinode (SOLAR-B) was launched, which was the successor to Yohkoh (SOLAR-A), the orbiting solar observatory. Japan launched it in collaboration with the US and the UK. The objective of Hinode, an observatory satellite, is to study the impact of the Sun on the Earth.
Yohkoh's objective was to observe solar flares and the solar corona. It was the first satellite to track almost an entire 11-year solar activity cycle.
Europe
In October, 1990, the ESA launched Ulysses to study the environment of space above and below the poles of the Sun, giving scientists information about the variable effect the Sun has on the space surrounding it. Other than solar missions launched in collaboration with NASA and the JAXA, the ESA launched Proba-2 in October, 2001.
Proba-2 is the second of the Proba series, building on nearly eight years of successful Proba-1 experience, even as Proba-1 was not a solar exploratory mission. On-board Proba-2 were four experiments, two of them were solar observation experiments.
Proba stands for Project for On-Board Autonomy. Upcoming solar missions of the ESA include Proba-3, scheduled for 2024 and Smile, scheduled for 2025.
China
The Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) was successfully launched by the National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in October, 2022. The ASO-S mission is designed to reveal connections among the solar magnetic field, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Solar flares and CMEs are eruptive solar phenomena, thought to be driven by changes in the Sun's magnetic field.

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Today's Headlines - 08 September 2023
JAXA successful launch lander SLIM on Moon
GS Paper - 3 (Space Technology)

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) congratulated Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on 7 September 2023 for the successful launch of the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM).

More about SLIM

Japan launched its H-IIA rocket on 7 September 2023 carrying the JAXA Moon lander which is scheduled to land on the Moon early next year.
The rocket carried an X-ray telescope called the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), which will study the origins of the universe. XRISM will measure the composition and speed of intergalactic space.
This space mission aims to help scientists to understand celestial object formation and the universe's creation.
This mission was conducted in collaboration with NASA, and it will involve studying light at various wavelengths, temperature assessments, and analysing the shapes and brightness of celestial objects.
Onboard the rocket is JAXA's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft also known as the "Moon Sniper" for its precision landing technology.
This launch follows India's recent achievement of becoming the fourth nation to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon with its Chandrayaan-3 mission. The launch comes two weeks after India successfully landed Vikram lander on the lunar South Pole.
Japan had previously experienced two unsuccessful attempts to land on the Moon. The first resulted in a loss of contact with a lander carried by a NASA rocket, and the second, an attempt by a Japanese start-up, ended in a crash during the lunar descent in April.

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Today's Headlines - 09 September 2023
India, ASEAN agree to deepen strategic ties
GS Paper - 2 (International Relations)

India and 10-nation ASEAN agreed to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership with concrete actions through practical implementation of the 'Plan of Action' to implement the ASEAN-India partnership for peace, progress and shared prosperity.

More about agreement

In a joint statement on maritime cooperation, it was agreed to support India's connectivity initiatives in the region to ensure seamless connectivity in the Indo-Pacific, besides boosting cooperation in a range of areas including blue economy, space and food security among others.
The two sides agreed to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership with concrete actions through practical implementation of the 'Plan of Action' to implement the ASEAN-India partnership for peace, progress and shared prosperity.
They reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region, and other lawful uses of the seas and unimpeded lawful maritime commerce and to promote peaceful resolutions of disputes, in accordance with universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The two sides agreed to further strengthen ASEAN-India cooperation on maritime safety and security, promote cooperation in a Blue Economy and develop new and renewable energy including marine-based renewable energy, among others.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries including the US, China, Japan and Australia are its dialogue partners.
ASEAN-India dialogue relations started with the establishment of a sectoral partnership in 1992.
This graduated to a full dialogue partnership in December 1995 and a summit-level partnership in 2002. The ties were elevated to a strategic partnership in 2012.
What is ASEAN?

On 8 August 1967, five leaders – the Foreign Ministers of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – came together in Bangkok.
Thailand was brokering some disputes among Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, and it eventually led to the signing of a document.
The five Foreign Ministers who signed it – Adam Malik of Indonesia, Narciso R. Ramos of the Philippines, Tun Abdul Razak of Malaysia, S. Rajaratnam of Singapore, and Thanat Khoman of Thailand – would subsequently be hailed as the Founding Fathers of probably the most successful inter-governmental organisation in the developing world today. And the document that they signed would be known as the ASEAN Declaration.
The ASEAN Declaration signed by the five leaders conveyed the aspiration to further regional cooperation. These were about cooperation in the economic, social, cultural, technical, educational and other fields, and in the promotion of regional peace and stability and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter.
Its major pillars that help lay out a blueprint for cooperation are Political-Security Community (APSC), Economic Community (AEC) and Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC).

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