CURRENT-AFFAIRS

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• NASA is gearing up to launch the Europa Clipper mission, which aims to explore Europa, one of Jupiter’s icy moons.
• Overview of the Europa Clipper Mission:
• The Europa Clipper mission is designed to investigate Jupiter's enigmatic moon, Europa. This ambitious mission will deploy a spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter to conduct an in-depth study of the moon.
• As the first NASA spacecraft specifically dedicated to exploring an ocean world beyond our planet, Europa Clipper seeks to uncover whether the ice-covered moon could harbor life. Europa is believed to have a substantial ocean of liquid water beneath its frozen surface.
• The spacecraft measures 100 feet (30.5 meters) from end to end and about 58 feet (17.6 meters) across, making it the largest spacecraft NASA has ever built for a planetary exploration mission. Europa Clipper will perform 49 close flybys of Europa while orbiting Jupiter, gathering essential data to assess potential habitats beneath its thick icy shell.
• Equipped with nine scientific instruments and a gravity experiment that utilizes the telecommunications system, the spacecraft will maximize data collection during each flyby by operating all instruments simultaneously. Scientists will then integrate this data to form a comprehensive understanding of the moon's characteristics.
• To meet its energy requirements while navigating the Jupiter system, the spacecraft features extensive solar arrays designed to harness adequate sunlight.

​​​​​​

• A leopard was recently discovered dead in the Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) located in the West Champaran district of Bihar.
• About Valmiki Tiger Reserve:
• Location: Nestled along the India-Nepal border in northern West Champaran, the Valmiki Tiger Reserve is the only tiger reserve in Bihar.
• Area: Covering approximately 880 square kilometers, it includes both the Valmiki National Park and the Valmiki Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Geography: This reserve marks the easternmost edge of the Himalayan Terai forests in India and is situated within the Gangetic Plains bio-geographic zone, featuring a mix of Bhabar and Terai landscapes.
• Surroundings: It is bordered to the north by Nepal’s Royal Chitwan National Park and flanked on the west by the Gandak River, all set against the backdrop of the majestic Himalayan mountains.
• Drainage: The reserve is intersected by several rivers, including the Gandak, Pandai, Manor, Harha, Masan, and Bhapsa.
• Vegetation: The area hosts diverse vegetation types, such as moist mixed deciduous forests, open land, semi-evergreen formations, freshwater swamps, riparian fringes, alluvial grasslands, high-hill savannahs, and wetlands.
• Flora: Notable plant species found here include sal, rohini, sihor, teak, bamboo, semal, mandar, shisham, jamun, and gular.
• Fauna: The reserve is home to a variety of wildlife, including tigers, leopards, fishing cats, leopard cats, sambar, hog deer, spotted deer, blackbuck, gaur, sloth bears, langurs, and rhesus monkeys.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• Tata Steel Ltd. recently announced the commissioning of ‘India’s largest blast furnace’ at its Kalinganagar facility in Odisha, as part of the Phase II expansion of the plant.
• About the Blast Furnace:
  • A blast furnace is a vertical shaft furnace that produces liquid metals through a chemical reaction. It introduces pressurized air at the bottom, which interacts with a mixture of metallic ore, coke, and flux fed into the top.
  • The structure of the blast furnace is a steel shaft lined with heat-resistant refractory materials. The hottest area of the furnace, where temperatures exceed 300°C, is cooled by water. The entire setup is supported externally by a robust steel frame.
  • Blast furnaces are primarily used to generate pig iron from iron ore, which is then processed into steel. They are also utilized for processing other metals such as lead and copper. The operation is continuous, with raw materials regularly added at the top, while molten metal and slag are tapped from the bottom at consistent intervals.
  • Once ignited, a blast furnace typically runs for four to ten years with only brief pauses for scheduled maintenance. The process relies on the rapid combustion facilitated by the pressurized air flow.
  • Blast furnaces are significant consumers of materials and energy within the iron and steel manufacturing process.
• What is Pig Iron?
  • Pig iron is an intermediate product and the initial output of iron production derived from iron ore. It contains a high carbon content, usually ranging from 3.5% to 4.5%, along with various elements such as silica, manganese, sulfur, phosphorus, titanium, and other trace elements. Pig iron is produced directly from the blast furnace and is cast into molds for further processing.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• The Supreme Court (SC) recently emphasized that Advocates-on-Record (AoR) in a particular case must only mark the appearance of lawyers authorized to represent and argue that case on the specific day.
• About Advocate-on-Record (AoR):
• The role of AoR was established by the Supreme Court under Article 145(1) of the Indian Constitution, which empowers the court to create rules for regulating its practices and procedures. An AoR is a legal professional authorized to represent clients and advocate for them in the Supreme Court, possessing special rights of audience.
• AoRs hold the exclusive authority to file and conduct cases in the Supreme Court. They are responsible for all procedural requirements, which must be fulfilled with the assistance of a registered clerk. This includes drafting and filing petitions, applications, and other legal documents. All notices, orders, and correspondence from the Supreme Court are directed to the AoR.
• Specializing in the procedures of the Supreme Court, AoRs are well-versed in the rules and regulations governing the court, making them essential for navigating legal matters at the highest level. No other High Court in India has a comparable provision for advocates.
• According to Order IV Rule 5 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013, the following requirements must be met to become an AoR:
• The advocate must be enrolled with a State Bar Council.
• The advocate must have a minimum of four years of prior experience.
• The advocate must undergo one year of training under a senior AoR.
• The advocate must pass an examination conducted by the Supreme Court.
• The advocate must maintain an office in Delhi within 10 miles of the Supreme Court and commit to employing a registered clerk within one month of registration.
• Once registered, an AoR is assigned a unique identification number, which must be included on all documents filed in the Supreme Court.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• India's third domestically built 700 MWe nuclear power reactor has successfully achieved criticality and is anticipated to begin commercial electricity generation shortly.
• About Criticality in a Nuclear Reactor:
• Nuclear reactors utilize uranium fuel rods—slender tubes made of zirconium containing pellets of fissionable material—to generate energy through the process of fission. Fission involves splitting the nuclei of uranium atoms, which releases neutrons that subsequently split more atoms, producing additional neutrons in the process. This reaction generates significant energy in the form of high heat and radiation.
• To contain this energy, reactors are housed within robust structures sealed under thick, reinforced concrete domes. Power plants then harness this energy and heat to produce steam, which drives generators to create electricity.
• Criticality refers to the state in which a reactor maintains a sustained fission chain reaction. In this state, each fission event releases enough neutrons to continue the series of reactions, representing the normal operational condition for nuclear power generation. Inside the reactor, fuel rods continuously produce and lose neutrons, ensuring the stability of the nuclear energy system. Technicians are equipped with procedures—some automated—to address any deviations in neutron production.
• Controlling Criticality:
• During the startup of a reactor, the number of neutrons is gradually increased in a controlled manner. Neutron-absorbing control rods within the reactor core are employed to fine-tune neutron production. These rods are composed of neutron-absorbing materials such as cadmium, boron, or hafnium. The deeper the control rods are inserted into the reactor core, the more neutrons they absorb, leading to reduced fission activity.
• Technicians adjust the position of the control rods depending on the desired level of fission, neutron production, and power output. In the event of a malfunction, technicians can remotely insert control rods into the reactor core to quickly absorb neutrons and halt the nuclear reaction, ensuring safety and control over the process.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

• India has reached a significant milestone in its cybersecurity initiatives by achieving Tier 1 status in the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2024.
• The GCI serves as a reliable benchmark for assessing countries' commitments to cybersecurity on a global scale, aiming to raise awareness about the importance and various facets of the issue. Each nation’s development and engagement level is evaluated across five key pillars: Legal Measures, Technical Measures, Organizational Measures, Capacity Development, and Cooperation, which are then combined to produce an overall score. The index is published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• Key Highlights of GCI 2024:
• The report recognizes 46 countries in Tier 1, the highest of five tiers, designated for "role-modeling" nations that exhibit strong commitments across all five cybersecurity pillars. India achieved an impressive score of 98.49 out of 100, placing it among the ‘role-modeling’ countries and reflecting its dedication to robust cybersecurity practices worldwide. In contrast, most countries are classified as either “establishing” (Tier 3) or “evolving” (Tier 4) in their cybersecurity efforts.

​​​​​​

• Manipur’s Tamenglong district is preparing to welcome its migratory visitors, the Amur falcon, and the district administration has enacted a ban on hunting, capturing, killing, and selling of this bird.
• The Amur falcon is a small raptor belonging to the falcon family, locally referred to as Akhuipuina. These birds primarily arrive in Manipur and Nagaland, breeding in southeastern Siberia and northern China. They undertake long migrations in large flocks, traveling approximately 20,000 km one way through India to winter in southern and eastern Africa, making this journey twice a year.
• Conservation Efforts:
  • The Amur falcon is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and is listed in Schedule IV. Hunting these birds or possessing their meat can result in penalties, including imprisonment for up to three years or fines up to ₹25,000.
  • In 2018, the forest department launched a conservation program that involved radio-tagging the birds to monitor their migratory routes.
• IUCN Status:
  • The Amur falcon is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN.
• Threats:
  • Despite its status, the species faces threats from illegal trapping and killing during migration, as well as habitat loss due to agricultural activities and land reclamation.