Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a two-day visit to Kazan, Russia where he will be participating in the 16th summit of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) grouping. Being hosted by Russia, the summit is being seen as an attempt by non-Western powers to project their clout amid the conflict in Ukraine.
It will be the first summit of the grouping after it was expanded at its summit in Johannesburg last year. The new members included Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
About BRICS:
It is an intergovernmental organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Originally identified to highlight investment opportunities, the grouping evolved into a geopolitical bloc.
Bilateral relations among BRICS are conducted mainly based on non-interference, equality and mutual benefit.
The founding countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China held the first summit in Yekaterinburg in 2009, with South Africa joining the bloc a year later.
Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates joined in 2024.
Saudi Arabia is yet to officially join, but participates in its activities as an invited nation.
Combined, the BRICS members encompass about 30% of the world's land surface and 45% of the global population.
All five initial member states are members of the G20, with a combined nominal GDP of US$28 trillion (about 27% of the gross world product), a total GDP (PPP) of around US$65 trillion (33% of global GDP PPP), and an estimated US$5.2 trillion in combined foreign reserves.
The BRICS countries are considered the foremost geopolitical rival to the G7 bloc comprising the leading advanced economies, implementing initiatives such as the New Development Bank, the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement, the BRICS pay, the BRICS Joint Statistical Publication and the BRICS basket reserve currency.
Topic: East Asia
2. Taiwan strait
Why in the news?
China's military began a live-fire exercise in Taiwan strait, maintaining pressure on the self-ruled island after staging large-scale drills and President Xi Jinping called for troops to prepare for war.
About Taiwan strait:
It is also called Formosa Strait.
It separates the island of Taiwan and continental Asia.
The chief ports located here are Amoy in mainland China and Kao-hsiung in Taiwan.
Several rivers including the Jiulong and Min rivers from China’s Fujian Province drain into the Taiwan Strait.
The biggest islands along the Taiwan side include Penghu (or Pescadores), Xiamen, and Pingtan.
The Taiwan Strait constitutes a critical corridor connecting the South China Sea to the East China Sea and also serves as a busy navigational waterway, on which millions of tons of cargo are ferried annually.
It is also one of the most important fishing grounds in China and more than a hundred economically important fish species are found here.
Strait:
It is a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water.
It is similar to a canal cutting through an isthmus (a narrow strip of land), but a strait is formed naturally and canals are built by people.
Straits are often important transportation routes since they allow ships to pass from one body of water to another.
Geography
Topic: Climatology
3. Hurricanes
Why in the news?
Cuba's capital remained largely paralyzed and the rest of the island braced for the fourth night of a massive blackout that has generated a handful of small protests and a stern government warning that any unrest will be punished.
Hurricane Oscar made landfall Sunday before crossing the island’s eastern coast as a tropical storm with winds and heavy rain, leaving at least 6 dead after a night that saw protests by several dozen people in urban neighborhoods like Santos Suárez and central Havana.
About Hurricanes:
Hurricanes are the biggest and most violent storms on the planet.
Tropical cyclones or hurricanes use warm, moist air as fuel, and therefore form over
warm Equatorial water.
Mechanism:
When the warm, moist air rises upward from the surface of the ocean, it creates an area of low air pressure below.
When this happens, the air from the surrounding areas rushes to fill this place, eventually rising when it becomes warm and moist too.
An eye forms in the centre. It is the calmest part of the cyclone. Before the wind
reaches the centre it gets warmed up and rises upwards.
When the warm air rises and cools off, the moisture forms clouds. This system of clouds and winds continues to grow and spin.
This disturbance is fuelled by the ocean’s heat and the water that evaporates from its surface.
Such storm systems rotate faster and faster.
Storms that form towards the north of the equator rotate counterclockwise, while
those that form to the south spin clockwise because of the rotation of the Earth.
Names in Different Regions of the World:
Typhoons: Tropical cyclones are known as Typhoons in the China Sea and Pacific Ocean
Hurricanes: In the West Indian islands in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean
Willy-willies: In north-western Australia
Tropical Cyclones: In the Indian Ocean Region
Categorization of Hurricanes:
Hurricanes are categorized on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which rates them on a scale of 1 to 5 based on wind speed.
Hurricanes that reach category three or higher are classified as major hurricanes.
Topic: Physical Geography
4. Halmahera Sea
Why in the news?
An earthquake measuring 5.7 magnitude struck the Halmahera Sea in Indonesia, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said.
About Halmahera Sea:
It is a regional sea located in the central eastern part of Australasian Mediterranean Sea.
It is centered at about 1°S and 129°E and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the north, Halmahera to the west, Waigeo and West Papua to the east, and the Seram Sea to the south.
It covers about 95,000 km. and its topography comprises a number of separate basins and ridges, the chief of which is the Halmahera Basin reaching a depth of 2039 m.
The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the Halmahera Sea as being one of the waters of the East Indian Archipelago.
Earthquake:
It is the shaking of the Earth's surface. It is caused due to release of energy, which generates waves that travel in all directions.
The vibrations called seismic waves are generated from earthquakes that travel through the Earth and are recorded on instruments called seismographs.
The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter, and the location directly above it on the surface of the earth is called the epicenter.
Environment and Ecology
Topic: Biodiversity
5. Cheetah
Why in the news?
A female cheetah is pregnant and expected to deliver cubs soon at the Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district.
About Cheetah:
It is a large cat and the fastest land animal.
It has a tawny to creamy white or pale buff fur that is marked with evenly spaced, solid black spots.
The head is small and rounded, with a short snout and black tear-like facial streaks.
It reaches 67–94 cm. at the shoulder, and the head-and-body length is between 1.1 and 1.5 m.
Adults weigh between 21 and 72 kg.
It is capable of running at 93 to 104 km/h; it has evolved specialized adaptations for speed, including a light build, long thin legs and a long tail.
Four subspecies are recognised today that are native to Africa and central Iran. An African subspecies was introduced to India in 2022.
It lives in a variety of habitats such as savannahs in the Serengeti, arid mountain ranges in the Sahara, and hilly desert terrain.
It lives in three main social groups: females and their cubs, male "coalitions", and solitary males.
It is active during the day, with peaks during dawn and dusk.
It feeds on small- to medium-sized prey and prefers medium-sized ungulates such as impala, springbok and Thomson's gazelles.
It breeds throughout the year. After a gestation of nearly three months, females give birth to a litter of three or four cubs.
It is threatened by habitat loss, conflict with humans, poaching and high susceptibility to diseases.
It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Kuno National Park (KNP):
It is located in the Sheopur district in Madhya Pradesh.
It is nestled near the Vindhyan Hills.
It is named after the Kuno River (One of the main tributaries of the Chambal River) that cuts across it.
Initially established as a wildlife sanctuary, it was only in 2018 that the government changed its status into a national park.
It was selected under ‘Action Plan for Introduction of Cheetah in India’.
Vegetation:
It is primarily a grassland region, though a few rocky outcrops are found here too.
Flora:
Kardhai, Salai, and Khair trees dominate the forested area of Kuno National Park, which is mostly mixed forest.
The park has a total of 123 tree species, 71 shrub species, 32 exotic and climbing species, and 34 bamboo and grass species.
Fauna:
It is home to the jungle cat, Indian leopard, sloth bear, Indian wolf, striped hyena, golden jackal, Bengal fox and dhole, along with more than 120 bird species.
Topic: Protected Areas
6. Zeilad Wildlife Sanctuary
Why in the news?
The Rongmei Naga Council Manipur (RNCM), a powerful Naga citizens’ group, has strongly opposed the proposed oil exploration at Zeilad Wildlife Sanctuary in Manipur‘s Tamenglong district.
The project has sparked widespread concern and opposition within the Rongmei community.
About Zeilad Wildlife Sanctuary:
It is located in the Tamenglong district of Manipur.
It was established in 1982 and was located specifically on the Indo-Myanmar border.
It covers an area of 21 sq.km.
It is in the basin of the Barak River and has hilly terrain.
A group of seven lakes, Zeilad, Guiphuapzei, Nrouzei, Tuangpuizei, Goulungzei, and Napsemzei, are part of this sanctuary. Zeilad Lake is the biggest and most famous.
It encompasses semi-evergreen and wet hill forests.
It is a haven for various species of flora and fauna, including migratory birds and exotic fish species.
Tiger, Leopard, Leopard cat, small Indian civet, Common Langur, Hoolock gibbon, Great Indian Hornbill, barking deer, flying squirrel, etc. are found here.
Marine animals like fish, tortoises, pythons are spotted in the lake waters.
Topic: Protected Areas
7. Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary
Why in the news?
The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has deferred its nod for oil exploration in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat district by the Vedanta Group.
About Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary:
It is an isolated protected area of evergreen forest located in the Jorhat district of Assam, India.
It was given the status of a wildlife sanctuary in 1997 by the Assam Government.
It is the only sanctuary in India named after a gibbon due to its distinction for containing the densest gibbon populations in Assam.
It is situated at an altitude between 100 and 120 m.
Its topography gently slopes downward from southeast to northwest.
The Bhogdoi River creates a waterlogged region dominated by semi-hydrophytic plants along the border of the sanctuary.
Flora:
The upper canopy of the forest is dominated by the Hollong tree, while the Nahar dominates the middle canopy. The lower canopy consists of evergreen shrubs and herbs.
Fauna:
It contains India’s only gibbons–the hoolock gibbons, and Northeastern India’s only nocturnal primate–the Bengal slow loris.
Indian elephants, tigers, leopards, jungle cats, wild boar, three types of civet, four types of squirrels, stump-tailed macaque, northern pig-tailed macaque, etc. are also found here.
Topic: Carbon Sequestration
8. Enhanced Rock Weathering
Why in the news?
A Darjeeling-based company is transporting basalt dust from Jharkhand and using it as an organic fertilizer to enrich soil and accelerate carbon sequestration. It has used about 500 tonnes of dust. With $500,000 in investments from carbon-credit companies, it is utilizing a geo-chemical process known as enhanced rock weathering to tackle atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).
About Enhanced Rock Weathering:
It is a nature-based process that accelerates the natural weathering of rocks to remove CO2 from the atmosphere and help address climate change.
It involves spreading finely ground silicate rocks (like basalt) on land.
This increases the surface area of the rock, which speeds up the chemical reactions between the rocks, water, and air.
Natural process:
Rocks naturally decompose over thousands of years, primarily through rain and heat.
This breakdown leads to the formation of bicarbonates as atmospheric CO2 reacts with minerals like calcium and magnesium.
These bicarbonates eventually make their way to the oceans via aquifers, where they have the capacity to store/ sequester carbon for thousands of years.
Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric CO2. It is one method of reducing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere with the goal of reducing global climate change.
Accelerating carbon removal:
Given the urgent need to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels - supported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - there’s a growing focus on accelerating natural carbon removal processes.
Benefits:
Carbon sequestration: ERW can help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Improved soil: ERW can improve soil pH, nutrient uptake, and fertility.
Reduced ocean acidification: ERW can help mitigate ocean acidification.
Challenges:
The challenge lies in making ERW a practical climate solution.
The processes of mining, grinding, and transporting rock consume significant energy, primarily from fossil fuels, which could negate the CO2 benefits.
Effective enhanced weathering requires large areas of land, necessitating participation from numerous farms or coastal regions to achieve meaningful carbon removal.
Enhanced weathering is simply more expensive than more direct ways of dealing with carbon emissions.
Economy
Topic: International Trade
9. SWIFT System
Why in the news?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the multi-nation Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) group should explore a SWIFT-like cross-border payments system immune to Western sanctions as well as use national digital currencies in financing investment projects to end U.S. dollar dominance.
About Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) System:
It is a member-owned cooperative that provides safe and secure financial transactions for its members.
It was founded in 1973 by 239 banks from 15 countries.
It is a network that banks use to communicate with each other securely, mainly to give instructions for transferring funds between accounts.
It is the largest and most streamlined method for international payments and settlements.
It works by assigning each financial organization a unique code with either eight or 11 characters, known as a bank identifier code, or BIC.
By standardizing communication protocols, SWIFT ensures that financial institutions can reliably conduct cross-border transactions, reducing the risks and inefficiencies associated with international banking.
Although SWIFT is crucial to global financial infrastructure, it's not a financial institution.
It does not hold or transfer assets but facilitates secure, efficient communication between member institutions. It transmits essential details such as the recipient’s account information and transfer amount.
Headquartered in La Hulpe, Belgium, the system is overseen by the central banks of the G10 countries, the European Central Bank, and the National Bank of Belgium.
Its shareholders represent around 3,500 member organizations.
Its shareholders elect a board of 25 directors who govern the organization and oversee management of the SWIFT system.
As its membership allows countries to easily conduct international financial transactions, exclusion from SWIFT is an economic sanction that can be used against countries whose actions are condemned by the global community.
G10 countries:
The Group of Ten (G10) consists of 11 industrialized nations that meet on an annual basis or more to consult, debate, and cooperate on international finance.
The member countries are Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Government Schemes
Topic: Infrastructure
10. UDAN Scheme
Why in the news?
Government to extend the UDAN scheme for 10 years, targets 350-400 airports by 2047.
Since its launch in October 2016, the scheme has operationalised 601 routes and 71 airports, facilitating travel for over 1.44 crore passengers.
About UDAN Scheme (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik):
It is a regional airport development and Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of the Union Government of India which aims to provide connectivity to un-served and under-served airports of the country through the revival of existing airstrips and airports.
Components:
Enhancement and Expansion of Airports: The initial component of the UDAN Scheme involves the improvement of existing airports and the establishment of new ones, ultimately fostering swifter regional connectivity.
Capped Airfare and Sustainable Routes: The second component includes introduction of new, capped airfare and the establishment of financially viable regional routes. This initiative aims to enhance accessibility and economic sustainability in underserved regions.
Objectives:
Enhancing Accessibility Through Affordable Airfare- Focused on creating economically viable and profitable flights on regional routes to make air travel affordable for the common man, even in small towns.
Catalyzing Mass Connectivity through UDAN- Aiming to stimulate regional air connectivity and ensure accessibility to air travel for the broader population through strategic measures.
Revitalizing Un-Served and Underserved Airports- Envisioning the revival of un-served and underserved airports across the country by rejuvenating existing air-strips and airports, with the scheme operational for a duration of 10 years.
Market-Driven Expansion of UDAN- Operating as a market-driven scheme, UDAN conducts periodic bidding rounds to expand coverage, encompassing more destinations, stations, and routes for sustained growth.
Airlines’ Strategic Role in UDAN Bidding- Illustrating the crucial role of interested airlines in the UDAN scheme, where they assess demand for specific routes connecting airports and submit proposals during bidding rounds.
Inclusive Economic Growth through Rapid Connectivity- Dedicated to fostering inclusive economic development by accelerating connectivity, leading to widespread economic empowerment.
Advancing Air Transport Infrastructure in Remote Regions- Strategic initiatives aimed at advancing air transport infrastructure in remote areas, contributing to comprehensive regional development.
The UDAN Scheme is a key element of the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) which was released by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India) in 2016.
It is bolstering connectivity in remote and regional areas of the country, addressing critical aspects of national infrastructure development.
It is ensuring affordability in air travel, aligning with broader goals of inclusivity and economic development..
Nearly 50% of seats on Udan flights are offered at subsidized fares under the scheme.
Participating carriers receive Viability Gap Funding (VGF), an amount shared between the central government and the concerned states.
It supports infrastructure projects that are economically justified but fall marginally short of financial viability.
VGF will be shared between the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the State Government in a ratio of 80:20.
In case of the North-Eastern states and Union Territories, the VGF sharing ratio will be 90:10.
The scheme is jointly funded by the central government and state governments to support its implementation.
It is designed to run for a period of 10 years. There is provision for the scheme’s extension beyond the initial 10-year period.
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