1. India: Global Leader in Nagoya Protocol Compliance

India has emerged as the top country in the world for issuing Internationally Recognised Certificates of Compliance (IRCC) under the Nagoya Protocol. Data from the Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) Clearing-House reveals that India accounts for over 56% of all such certificates issued globally.

• Exam-Centric Facts:
• The Achievement: Out of a global total of 6,311 certificates, India alone has issued 3,561 IRCCs, placing it significantly ahead of countries like France, Spain, and Argentina.
• Nagoya Protocol: A 2010 supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that focuses on the "Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from the Utilization of Genetic Resources."
• IRCC Purpose: These digital certificates serve as legal evidence that a user has accessed genetic resources or associated traditional knowledge with Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and established Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT).
• Nodal Agency: The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), based in Chennai, manages the issuance of these certificates in India under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

2. Declaration of a 'Naxal-Free' India

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced in the Lok Sabha that India has achieved the goal of becoming free from Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) or Maoist insurgency.

• Exam-Centric Facts:
• Strategic Success: The Home Minister noted that the top leadership structure of the Maoists, including the Politburo and Central Committee, has been almost entirely dismantled.
• The Red Corridor: Previously, the "Red Corridor" spanned across 12 states; the government’s multifaceted approach combined targeted security operations with massive infrastructure development in tribal regions.
• Force Contribution: The credit for this achievement was attributed to the CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces)—specifically the CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) and CRPF—alongside state police and local tribal communities.
• Zero-Tolerance Policy: The success follows a rigorous policy of "a bullet for a bullet" while maintaining open doors for the rehabilitation of cadres who surrender their arms.

3. ESA Launches 'Celeste' Satellites for LEO Navigation

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched the first two satellites of the Celeste mission from New Zealand. This mission is designed to test a new Low Earth Orbit (LEO) navigation layer to complement the existing Galileo system.

• Exam-Centric Facts:
• The Mission: Celeste is part of ESA’s LEO-PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) initiative.
• Objective: To demonstrate how a constellation in LEO can provide more resilient, robust, and accurate signals compared to traditional Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) systems like Galileo or GPS.
• Key Benefits: LEO satellites are closer to Earth, resulting in stronger signals that can penetrate "urban canyons" (areas with tall buildings) and polar regions more effectively.
• Future Scale: The initial demonstration phase will eventually expand to a constellation of 11 satellites to validate technologies for autonomous vehicles and emergency services.

4. 'Bhavasagara': National Repository of Deep-Sea Fauna

The Bhavasagara Referral Centre in Kochi, Kerala, has been officially designated as India's first National Repository for Deep-Sea Fauna.

• Exam-Centric Facts:
• Location: The center is part of the Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE) in Kochi, an institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• The Collection: It currently houses over 3,500 taxonomically identified specimens, ranging from rare deep-sea invertebrates like echinoderms and mollusks to various deep-sea fish species.
• Legal Status: Designated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• Mandate: The center will act as the official custodian for all new deep-sea species discovered in Indian waters and will maintain genetic data (DNA sequences) for marine research.

5. Arundhati Roy Wins National Book Critics Circle Award

Acclaimed Indian author Arundhati Roy has been honored with the prestigious National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Award in the United States for her latest literary work.

• Exam-Centric Facts:
• Category: She won in the Autobiography category for her memoir titled Mother Mary Comes to Me.
• Significance: The NBCC Awards are considered among the most prestigious literary honors in the US, with winners selected by a jury of nearly 800 professional book critics and editors.
• About the Book: The memoir explores Roy's complex relationship with her mother, Mary Roy (a famous educator and women's rights activist), and her own journey as a writer and activist.
• Previous Achievements: Arundhati Roy is best known globally for her debut novel The God of Small Things, which won the Man Booker Prize in 1997.