The year 2024 marked the centenary year of Vaikom Satyagraha (1924).
About Vaikom Satyagraha
Cause: The movement was initiated against the practice of untouchability.
In Vaikom in the erstwhile Travancore princely State, members of the lower castes, particularly Dalits, were denied the right to walk on roads leading to the Vaikom Shiva Temple.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in partnership with the International Coral Reef Initiative, confirmed that the world is witnessing its fourth global bleaching event.
About
The bleaching-level heat stress has impacted 83.7% of the planet’s coral reef area and mass coral bleaching has been recorded in at least 83 countries and territories.
The ongoing global coral bleaching event is the biggest to date.
A recent study by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has accurately estimated the abundance of helium in the Sun’s photosphere.
Background
Helium is the second most abundant element in the Sun after hydrogen, playing a vital role in its structure and energy dynamics.
To accurately measure its abundance in the Sun’s photosphere has been a long-standing challenge due to the lack of helium spectral lines in the visible range.
Chinese researchers have tested a new hydrogen bomb that uses magnesium hydride to create a sustained fireball without nuclear materials.
What are the Concerns?
Legal Loophole: Under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), nuclear weapons are primarily defined by the use of fissile materials.
Fissile-free fusion devices will circumvent these treaties, challenging the current global nuclear arms control framework.
India’s first human gene therapy trial for haemophilia was conducted through a collaboration between Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council’s Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (BRIC-inStem) and CMC Vellore.
What is Hemophilia?
It is a rare genetic disorder that impairs the body’s ability to control blood clotting or coagulation.
This can lead to spontaneous bleeding as well as bleeding following injuries or surgery.
India has achieved a record of over 145 million tonnes of cargo movement on inland waterways in 2024-25.
About
The number of National Waterways increased from 5 to 111, with the operational length growing from 2,716 km (2014–15) to 4,894 km (2023–24).
Massive infrastructure development includes Multi-Modal Terminals (MMTs), Inter-Modal Terminals (IMTs), community jetties, floating terminals, and green tech like Hybrid Electric and Hydrogen Vessels.
Experts have raised concerns about the overuse of the potent antibiotic ceftazidime-avibactam, leading to reduced efficacy and increased drug resistance.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR)
Antimicrobials (including antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals, and antiparasitics) are used to treat infections in humans, animals, and plants.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) occurs when pathogens no longer respond to these medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, illness, disability, and death.
In recent years, the relevance of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been questioned due to institutional paralysis, stalled negotiations, and rising protectionism.
