Two out of five amphibians are facing extinction threat due to climate change: study Context Climate change is emerging as one of the most serious risks to frogs, salamanders, and caecilians, according to a new report that examined two decades of data from around the […]
MGNREGS runs out of funds; Ministry seeks more budget Context Six months into the fiscal year, the major rural employment program, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), has run out of funding and is running a deficit of 6,146.93 crore, according to […]
Trio wins Chemistry Nobel for ‘quantum dots’ Context Alexei Ekimov, Louis Brus, and Moungi Bawendi have been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on quantum dots, which are very small crystals with unusual properties that have found application in a range […]
LPG subsidy for Ujjwala beneficiaries raised to ₹300 Context The Union Cabinet increased the subsidy on LPG cylinders under the Ujjwala scheme to 300 from 200 per cylinder on Wednesday, ahead of Assembly elections in five states. What is the Ujjwala Scheme? The Indian government […]
Seven dead as glacial lake bursts in Sikkim Context Following flash floods that engulfed Sikkim on Wednesday, at least seven people were murdered, and dozens more suffered injuries or went missing. The lake, which was created by the gradual melting of a Himalayan glacier, is […]
WHO approves use of malaria vaccine with adjuvant tech Context The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday authorized the use of the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine, which was created by the Serum Institute of India and the University of Oxford using adjuvant technology from Novavax. The […]
IAF likely to induct Astra BVR air-to-air missile by year-end Context Defence sources state that the first batch of the indigenous Astra Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air Missile, for which the Indian Air Force (IAF) has placed two contracts with Bharat Dynamics Ltd. (BDL), is […]
Medicine Nobel 2023 goes to duo who paved the way for mRNA COVID vaccines Context The 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been given to American physician-scientist Drew Weissman and Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó. The discovery of successful mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 was […]
Biologists in slow race to help North America’s rarest tortoise Context Less than 2,500 tortoises are believed to remain in the wild in Mexico, and experts warn that dangers to the species are growing due to pet and food hunting. Bolson Tortoise: With a carapace […]
‘Ultra-long g-secs to see good demand from insurers, pension funds in H2’ Context According to officials, insurance companies and provident funds, which are eager and have been searching for opportunities to park long-term assets, may readily absorb India’s first-ever issue of 50-year government bonds and […]