Current Affairs

ICMR-NICPR study found nicotine pouches entering Indian cities via online platforms, hookah shops and gig delivery; WHO warned (May 2026) of health dangers. Pouches are tobacco-free sachets (nicotine, flavourings, plant fibres) placed between lip and gum. Legal status unclear: not listed under COTPA, 2003; Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 disputed (DCGI approves patches/gums; Schedule K exempts <2 mg gums/lozenges); PECA, 2019 inapplicable. Imports regulated under FTDR Act, 1992 (DGFT ITC-HS) and Customs Act, 1962 (Section 11); WCO HS update created oral nicotine codes; ITC-HS 2404 91 30 “restricted”. Duty-free shops (Customs Act Section 58) per Calcutta HC (2024) are deemed outside India; pouches sold at some airports though not on permitted list unless classified as food.

UNGA-endorsed UN world map (base draft by UN Geospatial, 1 July 2026; resolution passed 4 September 2026) depicts Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin between Indian and Chinese lines; Jammu & Kashmir shows LoC dotted line; Kalapani-Lipulekh-Limpiyadhura reflects India’s administrative control. “Correct the Map” (Togo, backed by African Union) adopts Equal Earth equal-area projection. Map is non-binding but a reference; MEA said India’s vote supported equal-area mapping, not boundary endorsement, and inaccurate depictions are unacceptable.

India joined a US-led international 6G development initiative with 24 other countries after the G20 Innovation Ministerial Meeting in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (US). It aims to build future telecom networks aligned with collective security, technological competitiveness and innovation, including access to global ecosystems, standard-setting, R&D collaboration, stronger network security, a robust semiconductor ecosystem, opportunities for Indian tech firms and reduced dependence on single foreign suppliers. India-US cooperation covers 6G, semiconductors, AI, data centres and emerging technologies; the G20 Innovation Ministerial Statement was adopted, emphasising emerging technologies, prosperity, productivity, economic opportunities and quality of life.

Indonesia’s 2026 fire season saw early peat fires as strengthening El Nino and drought dried wetlands, enabling smouldering, flameless underground combustion lasting months. Peatlands are waterlogged, oxygen-poor wetlands accumulating organic peat; they cover ~3% of land yet store ~30% global soil carbon (twice forests). Indonesia has ~36% tropical peatlands (Kalimantan, Sumatra, Papua; peat >20 m in Kalimantan). Haze drove “unhealthy” air across Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines; indices neared 75× WHO limits. NASA: peat fires emit 3× PM2.5, 5× SO2 and high CO, raising respiratory illness.

A study in peer-reviewed journal Icarus reconstructs an ancient Martian flood originating from the Valles Marineris canyon system using two-dimensional hydraulic modelling. It estimates ~1,245 trillion cubic metres water release, potentially raising the mean level of a hypothesised ancient Martian ocean by ~34 metres. Valles Marineris, the Solar System’s largest canyon (>4,000 km; equatorial), likely hosted paleolakes (ancient lakes). Evidence includes valleys, basins, sediments, deltas, channels, and Oceanus Borealis (hypothesised northern-lowlands ocean).

Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) data show alternative fuel passenger vehicles (PVs) exceeded petrol/ethanol PVs in India’s retail sales for the first time: alternative powertrains 41.95% vs petrol/ethanol 40.85%; diesel 17.21%. Alternative split: CNG 25.28% (largest), strong/plug-in hybrids ~9%, EVs 7.63%. In Aug 2025, petrol led alternatives by 11 points. Drivers include fuel costs and E20 rollout concerns. Rural PV sales rose 24.99% YoY vs urban 10.93%. Total EV sales (all segments) were 2.98 lakh units, up 52.9% YoY.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Geneva (Switzerland), warned that El Nino may intensify through 2027, raising risks of extreme weather, agricultural stress and economic instability, amid unusually warm ocean waters. El Nino involves warming in the central/eastern tropical Pacific, weakened trade winds and eastward warm-water shift; in India, weaker southwest monsoon, droughts, heatwaves. La Nina is cooling with stronger trade winds, often strengthening monsoon and flood risk. Above-average June-August temperatures are forecast globally.

FAO’s August 2026 technical brief “Traditional herbal medicines as alternatives to antimicrobials in the livestock sector” notes traditional herbal medicines (plant-based extracts with multiple active compounds) and ethnoveterinary medicine (EVM) as anti-infective options to reduce unnecessary antimicrobial use. Challenges include limited evidence, variability, poor standardisation, safety and regulatory gaps. In India, NDDB’s alternate methods project in 8 states targets 1.1 million EVM interventions by March 2025 with >80% reported success; DAHD recommends EVM in treatment guidelines and trains farmers.

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has crossed ₹200 crore in cumulative disbursements under India’s Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) framework, under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, for research and commercial use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge. Recent ABS proceeds relate to bitter gourd, okra, chilli and onion, involving Nunhems India, East-West Seeds India and Bayer Science and Innovation. SBBs/UT Councils must use funds per Section 32(2) for PBRs, in-situ/ex-situ conservation, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity heritage sites, capacity-building and local livelihoods, aligned with CBD, Nagoya Protocol and Kunming-Montreal GBF (Target 13).

Bhutan is the first in WHO South-East Asia Region to be validated for eliminating dog-mediated rabies deaths as a public health problem. WHO requires zero human deaths for ≥2 consecutive years and capacity to prevent re-emergence. Rabies is a viral zoonosis mainly spread via dog bites; India’s National Rabies Control Programme targets zero dog-mediated human deaths by 2030. Bhutan used One Health with mass dog vaccination, surveillance and PEP.

Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gujarat, commissioned India’s first spherical tokamak and began plasma experiments. A tokamak confines extremely hot plasma using strong magnetic fields, as fusion-temperature plasma cannot be contained by material walls. India joins global spherical tokamak research; examples include UK MAST-U/ST40/STEP, US NSTX-U, Japan QUEST; programmes also in China, South Korea, Russia, Italy and Spain. Benefits: continuous low-carbon power, no chain reaction, inherent safety and advances in magnets/materials.

Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology began the third phase of underwater archaeological exploration off Poompuhar (Puhar) coast in Mayiladuthurai district. Puhar, meaning river estuary, lies near where the Cauvery enters the Bay of Bengal and was an ancient port city, Kaveripoompattinam, once capital of Early Chola kings. Excavations indicate great antiquity; offshore pottery dates to 4th century BCE. Silappathikaram and Manimekalai mention it; the town faced repeated tsunami destruction.

America’s Poison Centers reported ~40% rise in vitamin B6 poisoning cases over the last decade, though poisoning remains extremely rare. Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) is a water-soluble vitamin found in foods and fortified products; supplements are oral capsules, tablets or liquids. It supports brain development, nerve and immune health, hemoglobin, antibodies, protein metabolism and glucose regulation. Deficiency risk: kidney disease, malabsorption, autoimmune disorders, some epilepsy drugs, alcohol dependence; causes anemia, confusion, depression, glossitis, neuropathy. Large doses can cause incoordination, numbness and sensory changes.

Russia’s annual Eastern Economic Forum (Vladivostok) promotes Far East investment and Asia-Pacific cooperation. Established by President Vladimir Putin in 2015, it is a key platform linking Russian and global investment communities, attracting leaders from China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia and Myanmar. The Russian Far East is easternmost Russia; cold, sparsely populated; borders the Pacific and Arctic and China, Japan, Mongolia, the US and DPRK; spans four time zones; resources include gold, diamonds, oil and gas; holds about one-third of Russia’s coal and hydro-engineering resources.

The Supreme Court held that the Bar Council of India (BCI) and its chairperson lack jurisdiction to discipline or penalise law students, reiterating BCI’s statutory role under the Advocates Act, 1961. Created by Parliament, BCI regulates and represents the Indian bar, sets professional conduct standards, exercises disciplinary control over advocates, sets legal education standards and recognises law degrees, and conducts the All India Bar Examination for Certificates of Practice.

NSE’s proposed IPO aims to raise ~₹30,000 crore after nearly a decade of SEBI-related delays. SEBI bars an exchange from listing on its own platform due to conflict-of-interest, as exchanges act as first-level regulators. NSE proposes a Permitted-to-Trade (PTT) route: list on BSE, then seek SEBI permission to trade on NSE without NSE listing, with BSE as primary compliance platform and NSE SOPs for surveillance/price bands. SEBI rejected BSE’s similar PTT plan in 2017; SEBI Chair Tuhin Kanta Pandey said no substantive decision yet; BSE MD Sundararaman Ramamurthy cited no legal basis for self-trading.

A study proposes that ultra-heavy dark matter captured in dense stellar remnants can accumulate at the core and collapse into tiny black holes (initial mass ~40 tonnes). Their survival depends on Hawking evaporation versus continuous dark-matter feeding; if feeding dominates, the black hole may grow and consume the host star. Long-lived millisecond pulsars (neutron stars, <10 ms; ~1 billion years) and white dwarfs (~10 billion years) constrain such dark matter, inferred via gravity, not light.

The Delhi High Court held that maternity leave cannot cause loss of role or career prospects for women employees, including in private companies, applying Section 12 of the Maternity Benefit Act. On return, women are generally entitled to the previous position, without reduced responsibilities, authority or advancement prospects. If unavailable for documented reasons, an equivalent role must be offered. Centre must act within six months on accommodations, lactation/creche, grievance redressal and anti-retaliation.

Government constituted a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to examine the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2026 and report to Parliament. A JPC is a temporary, ad-hoc committee formed by a motion in one House and agreed by the other; membership from both Houses is fixed by the motion. It can summon officials, seek documents, record testimony, allow dissent notes, and submits persuasive recommendations; government must file an Action Taken Report.

Studies on dragonflies (order Odonata; includes damselflies) note 360° ultraviolet-sensitive panoramic vision enabled by >16 opsin genes (humans: 4). India has ~600 species, with high diversity in the Northeast and Western Ghats; the Western Ghats-endemic Blue Hawklet (Hylaeothemis apicalis) is now rarely observed amid declines. Early flyers (~300 million years), they have aquatic nymphs in wetlands / ponds / streams; adults are aerial predators aiding pest control and indicating ecosystem health. Threats include pesticides (e.g., fipronil), droughts, erratic rainfall and predation.

Analysis cautions that weakening natural carbon sinks could undermine global Net Zero strategies by reducing the share of anthropogenic CO₂ removed. Natural sinks (absorbing more CO₂ than released) include forests, oceans, soils/wetlands and peatlands. In 2025, oceans absorb ~12 GtCO₂ and forests ~6 GtCO₂, against ~48 GtCO₂ emissions (~40% absorbed). Drivers: deforestation (global forest area down ~1.5 million sq km since 1990), fires, climate-change stress, ocean warming, ecosystem degradation and inadequate financing/valuation in climate markets.

Belgian PM Bart De Wever’s India visit (first in 20 years) agreed a Letter of Intent for structured defence cooperation (training/exchanges, R&D, joint exercises/seminars, maritime security, defence industry), plus intelligence-sharing against crime. About 15 Belgian firms engaged; projects include New Lachaussée-Tembo €50 million ammo line (~100 million rounds/year) and Exail Belgium-L&T autonomous mine-countermeasure systems for 12 vessels (expandable to 59). India offered an Investment Fast-Track, regular India-Belgium Business Forum, fintech-regulatory coordination, semiconductor supply-chain cooperation, and a renewable-energy pact. Trade: US$13.01 billion (2025-26); Belgian FDI ~US$4.2 billion (Apr 2000-Dec 2025); target doubling trade in five years. Noted: India-Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union Joint Commission (1997), Antwerp diamond hub, and discussions on Ukraine/West Asia stressing UN Charter, international law and safe maritime shipping.

Botanical Survey of India scientists discovered a new flowering plant, Osbeckia ulotricha (family Melastomataceae), in shola grasslands of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, Western Ghats. Endemic to 1,200-1,500 m, it is woolly-haired with apically clustered leaves, urn-shaped hypanthium and bristled ovary; flowers/fruits Feb-May; grows on damp shola-montane grassland margins. The reserve spans Kerala-Tamil Nadu; established 2001; UNESCO WNBR (2016); has evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, montane rainforests and shola-grasslands; rivers Thamirabarani, Neyyar, Karamana; includes Shendurney, Peppara, Neyyar WLS and Kalakkad-Mundanthurai TR.

British scientists are exploring a pneumonia vaccine using reverse vaccinology, which leverages whole-genome data, bioinformatics and computational analysis to identify vaccine targets and model epitopes for safer, effective designs. Coined by Rino Rappuoli (2000), it was first applied to MenB (serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis) and used for Bacillus anthracis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and M. tuberculosis. Steps include genome sequencing, in-silico selection, high-throughput immunization screening and animal-model testing.

UNEP’s “Limiting Overshoot” report warns the world will likely temporarily breach the 1.5°C (above preindustrial) target within a few years; breaching 1.5°C is now unavoidable. It, for the first time, outlines an overshoot-peak-decline pathway. Even if all national plans and net-zero targets are met, peak warming is 1.8°C; current policies imply ~2.6°C by 2100 (1.9-3.6°C). Overshoot costs include faster sea-level rise, coral collapse, >25% glacier-mass loss by 2100, up to 14% food-output decline by 2050 without adaptation, and tipping risks (West Antarctic/Greenland ice sheets, AMOC, Amazon). Cutting methane is highlighted as the most effective near-term lever.

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology launched the BIO-NIVESH platform to connect biotechnology startups with investors and increase private capital for scale-up and commercialisation. Envisaged as a recurring platform across cities, it uses two-way engagement on investment lens and scientific-regulatory pathways. The inaugural edition has 20 biotech/deep-tech startups and ~50 investors, selected by innovation, scalability, market potential, development stage, and regulatory readiness.