Researchers successfully teleported a quantum state of light over 30 kilometers of fiber optic cable.

• This breakthrough shows the potential for quantum and classical networks to share the same infrastructure.

About Quantum Teleportation

• It is a method for transferring quantum information between two points using entangled states & preserving their identities across distances.
  • This entanglement links two particles in a way that changes to one particle instantly affect the other, even over long distance.
• Significance: It paves the way for a quantum internet, offering benefits like faster encryption, improved sensing, and global connectivity for quantum computers.

India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) marks two years of remarkable success.

Key developments:

• Bilateral merchandise trade surged from USD 12.2 billion (2020-21) to USD 26 billion (2022-23).
• Trade moderated to USD 24 billion in 2023-24, with India’s exports growing 14% to Australia.

About Ind-Aus ECTA

•  Ind-Aus ECTA entered into force 2022.
• 96% of imports from India are now tariff-free, set to reach 100% by 1 January 2026.
• Over 85% of Australian goods exports to India are tariff-free, increasing to 90% by 2026.
• Building upon this success, the India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) is now in progress.

Kamarajar Port records 154% surge in cargo handling capacity.

About Kamrajar Port (Tamil Nadu)

• Location: Situated on the Coromandel Coast, 24 km north of Chennai Port, Chennai.
• Major Port status:  It is the 12th major port of India, and the first port in India which is a public company.
• It is the only corporatized major port and is registered as a company. 
  • Declared a major port under the Indian Ports Act, 1908, in March 1999.
  • Incorporated as Ennore Port Limited under the Companies Act, 1956, in 1999.
  • Operates under the Landlord Port Model, characterized by a public-private partnership approach.

Other Ports in Tamil Nadu

• Chennai Port (formerly Madras Port): This is the second largest container port in India and the largest port in the Bay of Bengal.
• Kattupalli Port: It is a deep-water port.

Indian Army contingent left for Nepal to take part in the 18^th Battalion Level Joint Military Exercise, SURYA KIRAN.

• It is an annual Joint military exercise between India and Nepal conducted alternatively in two countries.
• Objective: To enhance interoperability in jungle warfare, counter terrorism operations in mountains, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief under United Nations Charter. 
• Significance: It highlights the strong friendship and trust between India and Nepal, fostering professional engagement and strengthening defense cooperation.

Delhi High Court has ordered the signing of an MoU between the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Delhi Government for implementing PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM).

About PM-ABHIM

• Announced in FY 2021-22 Budget with a financial outlay of Rs. 64,180 crore (2021-22 to 2025-26).
• It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with some Central Sector Components.
• Objective: Fill critical gaps in health infrastructure, surveillance, and health research spanning both urban and rural areas.
• Key Components: Rural Health & Wellness Centres; Urban Health & Wellness Centres; Block Public Health Units (BPHUs); Integrated Public Health Labs; Critical Care Hospital Blocks.

According to RBI data, REER Index of Rupee touched a record 108.14 in November 2024, strengthening by 4.5% during 2024.

About Effective Exchange Rate (EER)

• EER measures the value of a currency against a basket of other currencies. 
  • These grasp a country’s international competitiveness in terms of its foreign exchange rates.
• Nominal EER (NEER) adjusts nominal bilateral exchange rates by applying weighted trade data of its trading partners. 
  • Increase in NEER indicates appreciation of Rupee. 
• Real EER (REER) takes into account price level differences between trading partners.
  • Increase in REER implies indicates a loss in trade competitiveness.

Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, is launching India's first Fishing Cat Collaring Project at Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Coringa Sanctuary is located in Godavari estuary (Andhra Pradesh), where the Coringa River confluences into Bay of Bengal.

About Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)

• A powerful feline, about twice the size of a house cat.
• Habitat: Inhabit wetlands and mangroves. 
  • In India, found mainly in Sundarbans, Himalayan foothills along Ganga & Brahmaputra valleys, and Western Ghats.
• Diet & Behavior: Nocturnal hunters that prey on fish, frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and scavenged carcasses.
• Threats: Destruction of wetlands, depletion of main prey-fish due to unsustainable fishing practices. 
• Conservation Status: Vulnerable (IUCN Red List); Schedule I (WPA, 1972).

Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended imposition of anti-dumping duty on import of Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) Paste Resin from China and five other countries.

• DGTR (earlier known as Directorate General of Anti-dumping and Allied Duties (DGAD)) was named in May 2018 as an integrated single window agency for providing comprehensive and swift trade defence mechanism in India.

Anti-Dumping Duty

• Anti-dumping duty is a tax measure to rectify the situation arising out of dumping of goods (export of goods at price lower than its normal value) and its trade distortive effect.
• Anti-Dumping Duties are enabled by Article VI of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994.