NEWS: 31 killed in U.S. strikes on Yemen; Houthis hit back

GS-2 INTERNATIONAL RELATION

Counter actions

• The rebels say their armed forces launched an attack on a U.S. carrier in the Red Sea;
• ‘hell will rain down upon’ the militant group and Iran, its main backer, Trump warns;
• Tehran slams America
• location:The Red Sea lies between Africa and Asia
• Dimension:The Red Sea has a maximum length of 2250 km, a maximum width of 355 km and a maximum depth of ~3040 m.
• It is bordered by the Sanai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez (which leads to the Suez Canal) in the north, and the Gulf of Aden in the south.

[Bordering Countries] The countries bordering the Red Sea are given by:

• DESSEY (Djibouti, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Eritrea, and Yemen).
• It is connected to:
  • The Mediterranean Sea, through the Suez Canal, in the north,
  • Israel and Jordan, through the Gulf of Aqaba
  • The Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait

NEWS:Global intelligence chiefs converge in Delhi meet

GS-3  INTERNAL SECURITY(Role of External State and Non-state Actors in creating challenges to Internal Security).

• Counterterrorism and intelligence-sharing systems among issues discussed at the conference, which is held a day before Raisina Dialogue
• Global challenges and intelligence sharing mechanisms, as well as immigration and extradition, were among a host of issues discussed at the fourth conference of global intelligence and security chiefs hosted by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval
• The conference is usually held a day before the annual three-day Raisina Dialogue
• “The top points on the agenda were counterterrorism, Indo-Pacific cooperation, global challenges, global security and intel-sharing mechanisms, immigration and extradition, and transnational crimes, narcotics and terror funding,”

 Raisina Dialogue

• The Raisina Dialogue is an annual conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, which aims to address the most challenging issues faced by the world. It was structured along the lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue.
  • It is a component of India’s “intelligence diplomacy, plays a crucial role in the national security framework, alongside the diplomatic corps and the armed forces.The conference takes place in New Delhi and is attended by people from political, business, media, and civil society backgrounds.
  • The Dialogue is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion
• involving heads of state, cabinet ministers and local government officials, who are joined by thought leaders from the private sector, media and academia.
• Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF), in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, hosts the conference.
• Similar Dialogues around the World:
  • Munich Security Conference (MSC):
  • Shangri-La Dialogue:
  • Oslo Freedom Forum.

NEWS:Centre has approved Chandrayaan-5 mission: ISRO

GS-2 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY(Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, Robotics, Nano-technology, Bio-technology and issues relating to Intellectual Property Rights.)

• unlike the Chandrayaan-3 mission which carried the 25-kilogram rover ‘Prayagyaan’
• the Chandrayaan-5 mission would carry a 250-kg rover to study the moon’s surface.
• The Chandrayaan-4 Mission, expected to be launched in 2027, aims to bring samples collected from the moon.

The Chandrayaan missions are a series of lunar exploration missions by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). These missions aim to study the Moon’s surface, composition, and environment, showcasing India’s growing capabilities in space exploration. 

Chandrayaan-1 (2008)

• Objective: India’s first lunar mission, aimed at mapping the Moon’s surface and studying its mineral composition.
• Key Achievements:
  • Discovered water molecules (H₂O) and hydroxyl (OH) on the lunar surface, particularly in the polar regions.
  • Confirmed the presence of magnesium, aluminum, silicon, and iron in lunar soil.
  • Mapped the Moon’s surface in high resolution using the Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) and Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M³).
• Duration: Operated for 312 days (planned for 2 years) but lost communication prematurely.

Chandrayaan-2 (2019)

• Objective: To explore the Moon’s south polar region, study its surface, and attempt a soft landing using a lander and rover.
• Components:
  • Orbiter: Successfully placed in lunar orbit, continues to study the Moon’s surface and exosphere.
  • Vikram Lander: Crash-landed during the descent phase, failing to achieve a soft landing.
  • Pragyan Rover: Could not be deployed due to the lander’s failure.
• Key Achievements:
  • The orbiter is still operational and has provided high-resolution images and data on the Moon’s surface.

Chandrayaan-3 (2023)

• Objective: To successfully land a rover on the Moon’s south pole and conduct in-situ experiments.
• Components:
  • Lander (Vikram): Successfully achieved a soft landing on the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023.
  • Rover (Pragyan): Deployed to explore the lunar surface, analyze soil, and study the Moon’s composition.
• Key Achievements:
  • India became the first country to land near the lunar south pole and the fourth country (after the US, Russia, and China) to achieve a soft landing on the Moon.
  • Confirmed the presence of sulfur, aluminum, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon, and oxygen on the lunar surface.
  • Conducted experiments to study the Moon’s thermal properties and seismic activity.

Future Plans: Chandrayaan-4 (LUPEX)

• ISRO is collaborating with Japan’s JAXA on the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX), also referred to as Chandrayaan-4.
• Objective: To explore the Moon’s polar regions, particularly water ice, and demonstrate technologies for sustainable lunar exploration.
• Timeline: Expected to launch in the 2026 or later.
• ISRO is responsible for providing the lander, the spacecraft designed to safely land on the Moon. On the other hand, JAXA is expected to contribute the H3 launch vehicle, used to launch the mission into space, and the rover, which will explore the lunar surface.
• LUPEX will have to navigate the challenge of exploring the permanently shaded polar regions of the Moon, where temperatures are extremely low and conditions are challenging due to the lack of direct sunlight.
• The mission may also investigate the possibility of establishing a long-term station or base on the Moon.

NEWS:Congress targets govt. over India’s air quality ranking

GS-3 ENVIRONMENT(Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment)

• The World Air Quality Report 2024, released by Swiss company IQAir, ranked India as the 5th most polluted country globally.

Key Findings of the World Air Quality REPORT

• India: India is the 5th most polluted country in 2024, improving slightly from 3rd place in 2023.
  • Polluted Cities: Delhi remains the most polluted capital globally with a Particulate matter (PM) 2.5 concentration of 91.6 µg/m³ (micrograms per cubic metre).
    • 6 of the world’s 10 most polluted cities and 13 of the top 20 are in India, with Byrnihat (Assam-Meghalaya border) topping the list at a PM2.5 concentration of 128.2 µg/m³.
• Other polluted cities include Mullanpur (Punjab), Gurugram, Faridabad, Bhiwadi, and Noida
• PM2.5 Reduction: India saw a 7% decrease in PM2.5 levels, averaging 50.6 µg/m³ in 2024, down from 54.4 µg/m³ in 2023.
• However, this is still 10 times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO’s) recommended safe limit of 5 µg/m³.
• 35% of Indian cities reported PM2.5 levels exceeding this limit.