News In Short-22-04-2025

UNESCO Adds 16 New Global Geoparks

Syllabus: GS1/ Geography

Context

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added 16 new sites across 11 countries to its Global Geoparks Network.

About

• The newly featured geoparks are located in China, North Korea, Ecuador, Indonesia, Italy, Norway, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, and Vietnam.
• With the new entries, the Network now comprises 229 sites across 50 countries, collectively spanning nearly 855,000 km².

What Are UNESCO Global Geoparks?

• The UNESCO Global Geoparks Network, brings together territories recognized for their rich geological heritage, rock formations, mountain or volcanic ranges, caves, canyons, fossil sites or ancient desert landscapes, which bear witness to our planet’s history, evolution and climate. 
• Established: The Global Geopark designation was established in 2015 by UNESCO.

India and Global Geoparks

• Current Status: India does not yet have any site designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark.
• Potential Sites (Under Consideration):
  • Lonar Crater (Maharashtra): Impact crater formed by a meteorite.
  • St. Mary’s Island (Karnataka): Columnar basaltic lava formation.
  • Siwalik Fossil Park (Himachal Pradesh): Paleontological significance.

Source: IE

Kokborok Language

Syllabus: GS1/ Culture 

Context

• Kokborok Sahitya Parishad an indigenous linguistic organisation has demanded inclusion of Kokborok language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution of India with native script preferably with Devanagari or Bengali Script.

About Kokborok

• Kokborok is the language of the Borok people and was notified as one of the official languages of Tripura in 1979.
  • Other official languages are Bengali, and English.
• The word Kokborok is composed of two words, viz., kok which means “language” and borok means “man”. Thus Kokborok means “the language of man” or “the language of the Borok people”. 
• The dialect belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group of languages and its root can be traced to the Sino-Tibetan speech family. It is closely related to the Bodo language and the Dimasa language of the neighbouring state of Assam.
• The Kokborok dialect has no script of its own and is written in Devanagari, Bengali and Roman scripts.

Source: IE

BharatNet

Syllabus: GS2/ Governance

Context

• In India, more than 2.18 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been made service ready (as on March 19) under the BharatNet project.

What is BharatNet?

• The government of India launched BharatNet in October 2011, under the Ministry of Communications.
• It is an ambitious project aimed at providing affordable high-speed internet access to every Gram Panchayat in the country. 
• BharatNet operates as the world’s largest rural broadband connectivity program. 

Amended BharatNet 2023

• In 2023, the government approved the Amended BharatNet Program (ABP) at a cost of Rs. 1,39,579 crores.
• The program provides for internet access by Optical Fibre (OF) connectivity to 2.64 lakh GPs in ring topology and also to provide connectivity to the remaining non-GP villages (approx. 3.8 lakhs) on demand basis. 
• The ABP is aiming at;
  • Provision of optical fiber connectivity to non-GP villages on demand basis,
  • Provision for Operation and maintenance for 10 years, including monitoring of network uptime through Centralized Network Operating Centre (CNOC) and payment to Project Implementation Agency (PIA) as per Service Level Agreement (SLA),
  • Provision of Power backup of adequate level at GPs and Blocks,
  • Provision of Remote Fibre Monitoring System (RFMS) at Block for fibre monitoring.

Working of BharatNet

• Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) was incorporated in 2012 for the execution of the project.
• In 2016, the Telecom Commission approved to implement the project in three phases:
  • Phase I: Focused on laying optical fiber cables to connect 1 lakh Gram Panchayats by utilizing existing infrastructure. 
  • Phase II: Expanded the coverage to an additional 1.5 lakh Gram Panchayats using optical fiber, radio, and satellite technologies. 
  • Phase III: Aims at future-proofing the network by integrating 5G technologies, increasing bandwidth capacity, and ensuring robust last-mile connectivity. This phase is ongoing, with a focus on improving accessibility and reliability.

Source: IE

Article 355

Syllabus: GS2/Polity and Governance

Context

• The Supreme Court answered a plea to invoke Article 355 of the Constitution.

About

• It is a part of Part XVIII: Emergency Provisions.
• Article 355 mandates it the “duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution”.
• Used during events like:
  • Law and order breakdown in a state.
  • Threats to the sovereignty or unity of the country within a state.
  • Communal riots or insurgencies.

Source: TH

Indonesia-China Maritime Cooperation 

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations

Context

• Indonesia and China have reaffirmed their commitment to maritime cooperation, amid ongoing tensions over Chinese activity near the Natuna Islands.

South China Sea

• It is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. 
• It is located between southern China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia.
• It is a crucial maritime gateway and junction for shipping between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Dispute in South China Sea

• Southeast Asian countries like China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan have had disputes over the contentious South China Sea region for centuries.
• The two primary points of contention are: The Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands in the sea.
• Nine-dash line: China stakes claim to most of the region and at the heart of this claim is the U-shaped ‘nine-dash line’ that includes as much as 90 percent of these waters.
  • This dotted line was adopted from Chinese maps in the 1940s, and represents Beijing’s claim over the sea and all the land features that are contained within the line.

Natuna Island

• Natuna Island, also known as Bunguran Island is the largest island in the Natuna Islands archipelago, located in the northernmost part of Indonesia’s Riau Islands Province. 
• Location: It is located in the South China Sea and lies approximately halfway between Peninsular Malaysia and the island of Borneo.​
• Topography: The island features Mount Ranai, its highest point, reaching 1,035 meters above sea level.

Source: TOI

Rare Earth Elements (REEs)

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

Context

• Amid the ongoing U.S.–China trade war, Chinese authorities have reportedly imposed export controls on rare earth elements (REEs) and magnets.

About

• Rare earth elements are a series of seventeen substances that are present in the earth’s crust. 
  • Unlike what the name may indicate, rare earths occur plentifully in nature, but the rarity comes from the ability to isolate them chemically and make them usable in industrial applications. 
• Demand for rare earth metals such as neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium and yttrium is increasing alongside technological advancements.
• Heavy and light rare earths occur naturally in several countries, such as India, China, Myanmar, Japan, Australia and North Korea.
  • China is the world’s largest producer of rare earths followed by the USA.
• Significance:  
  • They are used in everyday technologies like a cellphone and computer.  
  • They are also used in advance medical technologies like MRIs, laser scalpels and even some cancer drugs.  
  • In defense applications, they are used in satellite communications, guidance systems and aircraft structures.  
  • They are critical in a number of green technologies, especially those that are going to support net zero carbon emissions goals, like wind turbines and electric vehicles.

Source: TH

RBI Mandates 2.5% Additional Run-off Factor on Digital Deposits

Syllabus :GS3/Economy

In News

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has eased the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) norms for banks, reducing the additional run-off factor for digital deposits.

Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR)

• It is an essential component of the Basel III reforms, which are global regulatory standards on bank capital adequacy and liquidity endorsed by the G20 Leaders.
• It ensures that banks maintain enough easily sellable assets to cover 30 days of withdrawals and obligations. 
• It acts as a financial safety net, protecting depositors by enabling banks to manage sudden market disruptions or customer panic without freezing up.

Purpose

• The changes aim to improve banks’ liquidity resilience, align India’s regulations with global standards, and provide a non-disruptive enhancement to the system.

Do you know? – The run-off factor represents the percentage of deposits that could be withdrawn by depositors during a stress scenario.  – Internet and Mobile Banking (IMB) refers to services like internet banking, mobile banking, and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which allow customers to transfer funds digitally from their accounts.

Source :IE

SPADEX Mission: Demonstration of Second Docking 

Syllabus: GS3/Space

In News

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has successfully completed the second docking of two satellites, SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target), as part of the Space Docking Experiment (SpaDeX) mission.

Do you know? – Docking is the process of bringing two fast-moving spacecraft into the same orbit, then manually or autonomously bringing them together to join.  – This capability is essential for missions requiring large spacecraft that a single launch vehicle cannot carry.  – It is crucial for space station construction and for transporting crew and supplies to the station.

SPADEX Mission

• The PSLV-C60 / SpaDeX mission was launched on 30 December 2024.
• It is a cost-effective technology demonstrator by ISRO, showcasing in-space docking using two small spacecraft launched by PSLV. 
• The first docking occurred on 16 January 2025, and the first undocking was on 13 March 2025.
  • India becomes the fourth country, after the U.S., Russia, and China, to successfully conduct a spacecraft docking experiment.

Objectives

• It aims to develop and demonstrate technology for spacecraft rendezvous, docking, and undocking.
• It aims to support future space missions, such as sending an Indian astronaut to the moon, returning moon samples, and building an Indian space station.
• It will also demonstrate the transfer of electric power between docked spacecraft, crucial for future applications like in-space robotics, spacecraft control, and payload operations.

Source :TH

Bullseye Galaxy: Galaxy with Nine Rings

Syllabus :GS3/Space

In News

• A team of researchers recently discovered the Bullseye Galaxy (LEDA 1313424) using the Hubble Space Telescope. 

About Bullseye Galaxy 

• It is nearly 2.5 times the size of the Milky Way and may evolve into a Giant Low Surface Brightness (GLSB) galaxy in the future.
• It has nine rings, a rare feature for galaxies and the unique structure is believed to have formed after a blue dwarf galaxy passed through it 50 million years ago, creating gas ripples that led to the formation of rings.
• The Bullseye Galaxy’s current ring structure may be a transitional phase, and over billions of years, these rings may fade, leaving behind a GLSB galaxy. 

Do you know ? – Giant low surface-brightness (GLSB) galaxies, such as Malin 1, are massive spiral galaxies with diffuse stellar disks and large hydrogen gas disks.  – They also have lower-than-usual black hole masses at their centers. – They have unusual characteristics, such as rapid dark matter halo rotation, which may explain their expansive, low-density disks.

Source :TH

Pope Francis

Syllabus: Personalities in News

Context

• Pope Francis, leader of the Roman Catholic Church has passed away and India has announced a three-day state mourning, as a mark of respect.

About

• Pope Francis was the 266th pope, in a lineage dating back to Saint Peter in 30 CE. 
  • He assumed the papacy in 2013, taking over from Pope Benedict XVI.
• Pope Francis was the first non-European pope in more than a millennium and the first Latin American pope. 

Office of Pope

• In Christianity, there are three major branches — Catholic, Protestant, and (Eastern) Orthodox.
  • And among them, the Pope is the supreme spiritual leader of Roman Catholics.
• The papacy oversees the Holy See, the central governing body of the Church and Vatican City.
• The Ring of the Fisherman, the Pope’s signet ring bearing the seal of his papacy, is broken off to symbolise the end of his rule.

Election of Pope

• The College of Cardinals, the Church’s most senior officials worldwide, chooses the pope. 
• Within 15-20 days, cardinals under age 80 arrive from all over the world to participate in the papal conclave, the secret election process to determine a successor.
• A candidate must receive a two-thirds majority of votes to be elected.
• In India, four cardinals are eligible to vote in a papal conclave.

Source: IE