संदर्भ 

भारत और जापान ने औपचारिक रूप से समुद्री संबंधों को प्रगाढ़ करने पर सहमति व्यक्त की है, जिससे समुद्री क्षेत्र में क्षेत्रीय सहयोग के प्रति उनकी साझा प्रतिबद्धता की पुष्टि होती है।

समुद्री सहयोग की प्रमुख विशेषताएँ 

स्मार्ट द्वीप और अक्षय ऊर्जा: जापान ने अंडमान और निकोबार व लक्षद्वीप द्वीपों को स्मार्ट, हरित द्वीपों में बदलने के लिए समर्थन दिया है, जिसमें अक्षय ऊर्जा, आपदा-प्रतिरोधी बुनियादी ढाँचा एवं सतत् समुद्री पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र शामिल हैं। 

बंदरगाह डिजिटलीकरण और उत्सर्जन में कमी: दोनों पक्षों ने बंदरगाह संचालन में डिजिटल तकनीकों के उपयोग पर सहमति व्यक्त की है ताकि दक्षता बढ़ाई जा सके, लॉजिस्टिक लागत कम की जा सके, और कार्बन उत्सर्जन को न्यूनतम किया जा सके। यह भारत की स्मार्ट पोर्ट पहल के अनुरूप है। 

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संदर्भ 

भारी वर्षा के कारण सिक्किम के लाचेन जिले में एक सैन्य शिविर में भूस्खलन हुआ, जिससे हताहतों की संख्या में वृद्धि हुई और संपत्ति की हानि हुई।

भूस्खलन क्या है? 

भूस्खलन एक भूवैज्ञानिक घटना है जिसमें गुरुत्वाकर्षण के प्रभाव में चट्टान, मृदा या मलबे का एक द्रव्यमान अचानक और तेजी से नीचे की ओर खिसकता है। 

भूस्खलन सामान्यतः उन क्षेत्रों में होता है जिनमें निम्नलिखित विशेषताएँ होती हैं: जैसे कि उर्ध्वाधर ढाल (पहाड़ी या पर्वतीय क्षेत्र), संधियों एवं दरारों की उपस्थिति, सतही जल प्रवाह की दिशा या अत्यधिक जल-संतृप्त भूमि।

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यूक्रेन द्वारा ऑपरेशन स्पाइडरवेब के अंतर्गत किए गए असमान्य (Asymmetric) हमले, जिसमें रूसी हवाई अड्डों पर लंबी दूरी के ड्रोन हमले शामिल थे, ने व्यापक ध्यान आकर्षित किया और आधुनिक वॉरफेयर के महत्त्वपूर्ण सबक सिखाए।

सिर्फ 32% पैसा खुद जुटा पा रहे शहरी स्थानीय निकाय

3 soldiers killed, 6 missing in Sikkim landslide

In News

Karnataka's Minister of Forest, Ecology, and Environment has ordered a study on the carrying capacity of the Western Ghats following landslips in Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, and other areas during pre-monsoon rains.

Western Ghats

They are older than the Himalayas and  are a mountain range of immense global importance.

They are known for their unique geomorphic, ecological, and climatic influence on the Indian subcontinent.

 They affect monsoon weather patterns and moderate the tropical climate.

They are recognized as one of the world’s eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biodiversity.

They pass through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

They are an example of Block Mountains formed as land warped into the Arabian Sea. 

They  are a biodiversity hot spot, a biologically rich but threatened region, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

They are home to exceptionally high levels of endemism and at least 325 globally threatened species, including plants, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. 

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In News

India leads in grassroots crypto adoption, with $6.6 billion invested by retail investors and 800,000 jobs expected by 2030, but faces unclear and challenging Virtual Digital Assets regulations.

Challenges 

India’s strict capital controls and regulated payment systems clash with the decentralized nature of Virtual Digital Assets (VDAs). 

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised concerns early on, banning financial institutions from crypto dealings in 2018—a ban overturned by courts in 2020. 

The government then introduced taxation measures in 2022, including a 1% TDS on VDA transactions above ₹10,000 and a 30% capital gains tax without loss offsetting. 

Despite these efforts, most trading shifted offshore, resulting in significant tax revenue losses (over ₹2,488 crore) and high volumes on non-compliant platforms. 

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Context

The Centre has asked pharma companies for details of expenditure on marketing in the last one year.

About

The Union government is keeping a close watch on the marketing practice of pharmaceutical companies amid reports of these companies continuing to offer a range of freebies to doctors.

The Uniform Code for Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices (UCPMP) is being implemented to check unethical marketing practices.

The details sought by the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) have to be submitted by 31 July, failing which action will be taken against them.

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Context

Under its ‘Operation Spider’s Web’, Ukraine launched first-person view (FPV) drone attacks on five airbases across Russia.

First-person View Drones

FPV or first-person view drones are smaller in size and have cameras built in on the front, which sends live video to the operator. 

This enables precise flying and manoeuvrability by the operator from a remote location, almost like an aircraft. 

These drones used Russian mobile-telephone networks to relay their footage back to Ukraine.

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Context

The Ministry of Rural Development launched the second phase of the NAKSHA (NAtional geospatial Knowledge-based land Survey of urban HAbitations) programme.

Why India Needs a NAKSHA-like Programme for Land Management?

Fragmented Land Records System: India has a state-specific, inconsistent system of land record-keeping, often using outdated manual records causing ownership disputes, legal uncertainty for buyers, investors, and institutions.

Land Disputes and Litigation: Over 66% of civil cases in Indian courts are land/property-related. Lack of digitised, tamper-proof land maps is a key cause.

Urbanisation & Infrastructure Push: As per the 2023-24 Economic Survey, nearly 40% of India’s population is expected to be living in urban areas by 2030. Streamlining land and property record systems is essential for the planned development of cities.

Boost to Agrarian Reforms: Digitised khasra maps linked with land records can support: easy credit access, crop insurance schemes, PM-KISAN & other DBT initiatives. 

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