Recently, UPSC Chairperson resigned 5 years before expiration of his term.

About UPSC Chairman(Article 316) 

• Appointment:  By the President
• Term: 6 years/ 65 years of age, whichever is earlier.
• Eligibility: Held office for at least ten years either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State.
• He/she is ineligible for further employment either under the Government of India or under the Government of a State
• Removal: By President, if he/she is  
  • an adjudged insolvent;
  • engages during his term of office in any paid employment outside the duties of his office;
  • unfit to continue in office by reason of infirmity of mind or body.

Supreme Court granted bail to an accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA). 

• The Court noted the accused had been in custody for 9 years and the trial was progressing slowly. 

Bail Under UAPA

• Law: Section 43D(5) of UAPA imposes strict conditions for bail, generally prohibiting it if the accusation seems prima facie true. 
• SC judgement: In K A Najeeb vs. Union of India (2021), SC held that UAPA’s bail restrictions should not override constitutional rights (Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21).

China and the Philippines reached a deal to end confrontation in the disputed Shoal island in South-China Sea which is claimed by China under the ‘Nine-dash line’.

About Nine Dash Line

• It is a visual representation of China's claims on Chinese official maps and comparative maps of disputed claims in the South China Sea.
• It covers almost 90% of the South China Sea and overlaps with the Exclusive Economic Zone claims of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
• Claims by China under Nine-dash line were rejected by a UN Tribunal in 2016.

European Space Agency (ESA) has announced Ramses mission to study Asteroid Apophis.

• Asteroid Apophis is a near earth object that is expected to pass within 20,000 miles of Earth’s surface by April 2029.

About Ramses Mission

• It is a planetary defense mission against a hazardous asteroid. 
• It will survey the asteroid’s shape, surface, orbit, rotation and orientation.
• Other Planetary defense mission
  • NASA’s OSIRIS-Apophis EXplorer (OSIRIS-APEX)
  • NASA’s DART asteroid impactor and
  • ESA’s Hera asteroid detective

Invasive “Zebra mussel” has been found for the first time in the Colorado river (USA).

• Fingernail-sized mollusc, native to the Caspian and Black Seas and probably arrived in the Great Lakes in the 1980s via ballast water.

About Zebra Mussel:

• Habitat: Slow rivers, canals, lakes, water pipes etc.
• Characteristics: 
  • Feeding: Uses filter feeders that siphon particles of plankton/algae from water.
  • Byssal threads: Use root-like protein byssal threads to firmly attach to hard surfaces like rocks, native mussels, docks. 
  • Biofouling: Accumulation of adults on surface.

A new study used RCP for studying impact of Climate change on India’s tropical dry deciduous forest

• Study concluded that non-timber forest produce such as bael (wood apple) and bahera, is expected to thrive, while species like chironji, mahua and amla (Indian gooseberry) will be negatively impacted. 

About RCP

• IPCC introduced RCPs in Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). 
• It describes four different 21st-century pathways of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and atmospheric concentrations, air pollutant emissions and land use

Government has launched a new online vaccination portal for childhood vaccination. 

• It is similar to COWIN (Open source digital Platform).  

About U-WIN Portal:

• Function: Captures every vaccination event for pregnant women and children up to the age of six years under the Universal Immunization Programme.
• Importance: 
  • Locate the nearest vaccination center, register all births, child’s birth weight, etc.
  • This will allow the government to study micro-trends across areas.
  • Linked to the government’s existing eVIN platform (provides real-time information on vaccine stocks and flows) for inventory management.
  • Provides digital vaccine certificate.

A six-member student team from India have secured 4 Gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 1 honourable mention in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2024.

• This is the best performance by an Indian in IMO since the country’s debut in 1989.

About IMO

• It is the World Championship Mathematics Competition for High School students and is held annually in a different country.
• First IMO was held in 1959 in Romania.
• Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are awarded, as well as Honourable Mentions for good effort.