tidbits times

#initiatives27 India’s income tax legislation defines a “crypto-asset” as a digital representation of value that relies on a cryptographically secured distributed ledger or a similar technology to validate and secure transactions. The OECD Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) defines crypto-assets similarly, but also includes “similar technology to validate and secure transactions, which includes cryptocurrencies, as well as cryptography- based tokens”. Source: The Indian Express

#global27 The European Union is set to make labelling of AI-generated content mandatory from August 2, in a move to ensure transparency and enable human users to distinguish manipulated content online. Falling under the purview of Article 50 of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), which sets a framework for the use and supply of AI systems within the bloc with a risk-based categorisation, the ‘Code of Practice on Transparency of AI-Generated Content’ stipulates certain obligation for AI developers and providers to maintain the integrity of the information ecosystem, with administrative fines up to €15 million for non-compliance. Source: The Hindu

#environment27 Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from paddy fields worldwide have doubled since the 1960s, a new study in NatureFood has found. In the most recent decade, 2011-2020, paddy fields around the world produced around 1.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO-e) emissions every year — a 90.4% increase from the annual emissions between 1961 and 1980, the study reported. The National Innovations in Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) project, for example, suggests the ‘System for Rice Intensification’ technique to reduce emissions. Here, young seedlings are transplanted in a precise manner and fields are not continuously flooded during irrigation. Source: The Hindu

#global27 Portfolio management service (PMS) is registered under the SEBI (Portfolio Managers) Regulations, 2020. It is a professional investment service where a qualified fund manager takes charge of the equity, debt and other securities portfolio of a customer — who is a high net-worth individual. Only corporate entities, companies or LLPs with SEBI registration can legally offer these services in India. SEBI mandates that no PMS provider can accept less than Rs 50 lakh per client. Source: The Indian Express

#initiatives27 The inscribed serial property comprises two component parts – Chaukhandi Stupa and the Archaeological Remains of Sarnath (Dhamekh Stupa, Dharmrajika Stupa, Mulagandgakuti Vihara, Ashokan Pillar, etc.) – located within Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. Together these two components preserve the architectural and archaeological remains of the ancient site of Sarnath, known in the Buddhist tradition under different names – Rishipatana, Ishipatana, Mrigadava. They all refer to a sacred geography, where the Buddha visited in the 6th century BCE and delivered his first sermon known as the “Turning of the Wheel of the Law” (Dharmachakra pravartana). Source: PiB

#global27 At its narrowest point, the Strait is just 29 km wide, with just two channels for inbound and outbound traffic. The strait located at the mouth of the Red Sea, which leads to the Suez Canal — the gateway to Europe.  Source: The Indian Express

#global27 White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) is India’s rarest heron and one of the world’s most threatened birds, listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN since 2007. In India, it survives mainly in the Lohit River basin of Arunachal Pradesh. Proposed dams may alter river flow, sediment load, and water turbidity, degrading its feeding habitat and increasing the risk of local extinction. Source: The Hindu

#global27 For all the impressive forces the MOP is capable of, a mountain can be much more formidable. Iran hasn’t released geological surveys of Pickaxe Mountain — which locals know as Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La. But the Karkas Range that it is part of is predominantly volcanic in origin, with surveys indicating it consists mainly of volcanic rocks from the Eocene period.Volcanic rocks like andesites and rhyolites are generally hard and difficult to excavate. The mountain itself is also steep and rugged, a topology that lends itself to subterranean facilities as the valleys can host access roads while the ridges provide rock cover. Source: The Hindu

#initiatives27 Aerosol Radiative Forcing (ARF) is the change in Earth’s energy balance caused by atmospheric aerosols interacting with solar and terrestrial radiation. Scattering aerosols, such as sulphates, cool the surface by reflecting sunlight, while absorbing aerosols, like black carbon and dust, warm the atmosphere. ARF influences temperature, cloud formation, monsoon circulation, precipitation patterns, and climate change projections. Source: PiB

#global27 QDENGA is a live attenuated vaccine, which means it contains weakened versions of dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4. These weakened versions cannot cause the disease itself, but can teach the immune system to identify the foreign virus and make antibodies against it. QDENGA, a vaccine for dengue manufactured by Takeda Biopharmaceuticals, a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. The vaccine can be used in individuals aged 4 to 60, and is given in two doses, three months apart. It is designed to protect against all four dengue serotypes (variations of the virus). The company has still not announced an official price of the vaccine for India. Source: The Hindu

#initiatives27 Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister, MDoNER, said the launch was part of Prime Minister Modi's vision for “Ashtalakshmi” — India's eight northeastern states — which he described as having moved from the periphery to the centre of India's developmental paradigm over the past twelve years. He said the Ministry had worked with the Chief Ministers of all 8 NE states to define a unique selling proposition (USP) for each state, and to promote each USP “bottom up as opposed to top down.” Source: PiB

#initiatives27 The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted by consensus at the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva in June 2022, is the first multilateral WTO agreement with an environmental sustainability objective. It prohibits government support to illegal fishing activities and overexploitation of stocks, contributing to the protection of marine life. The Agreement entered into force on 15 September 2025 after acceptance by two-thirds of WTO Members. India is the 123rd Member of the WTO to deposit its Instrument of Acceptance. Source: PiB

#global27 Senegal is a party to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which regulates fishing operations related to tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean. Not only does ICCAT ban the retention of certain species of sharks, but it also specifies that fins cannot total more than five percent of the overall weight of sharks onboard. Dakar Port (Port of Dakar) is located in Dakar, the capital city of Senegal, on the Cape Verde Peninsula in West Africa + It lies on the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the busiest and most strategically located ports in West Africa. Source: The Hindu

#initiatives27 The mission will deploy multiple customer payloads into LEO at an altitude of 450 kilometres (280 miles). These include Skyroot's SCOPE satellite, DCUBED's technology demonstration payload, Grahaa Space's SOLARAS S3 satellite, and Cosmoserve Space's Embrace, a robotic arm designed to capture orbital debris. The maiden flight will also carry two symbolic payloads—"Cosmic Bloom", a floral-shaped artwork, and an 18-karat gold micro-rocket. Source: PiB

#science27 This pushed researchers towards aptamers — short, synthetic strands of DNA or RNA that bind to target proteins with high selectivity. They are also cheaper, more stable, and, unlike antibodies, can be produced entirely within a laboratory, sidestepping the biological systems that make antibody manufacturing difficult.Over the last two decades, scientists have developed aptamers for hundreds of disease-relevant proteins and have become the recognition element of choice in advanced biosensor designs. Source: The Hindu

#initiatives27 India and the UK signed the Migration and Mobility Partnership (MMP) Agreement on 4 May 2021. The agreement aims to facilitate faster movement of working professionals which is an important pillar of the India-UK economic partnership. In November 2022, the Young Professional Scheme between India and the UK was announced, made on the sidelines of the G20 Bali Summit. Under the scheme, 3,000 visas are issued every year. Graduates aged 18–30 years receive a two-year visa. The scheme allows them to live and work in each other's country. Source: PiB

#science27 Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. When it bonds with oxygen, it forms tritiated water, or HTO. Because tritiated water is chemically almost identical to regular water, it is extremely difficult to separate the two. For many decades, officials in the global nuclear industry have opted to dilute tritiated water, i.e. mixing it in large quantities of regular water. Source: The Hindu

#initiatives27 Launched in 2016 and funded by the Embassy of Switzerland to India and Bhutan, the Capacity Building Project on Low Carbon and Climate Resilient City Development in India (CapaCITIES) programme has driven low-carbon, climate-resilient urban development. By directly strengthening local capabilities, the programme has supported India's 2070 net-zero emissions objective by aligning local action with national missions and state-level goals. Source: PiB

#initiatives27 A major outcome of the summit was the finalisation of the Administrative Arrangement under the India–Australia Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. It enables long-term exports of Australian uranium to India for peaceful purposes under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Australia possesses the largest uranium resources globally, accounting for more than one-third of the global total. Assured access to Australian uranium would strengthen the fuel base for India's expanding nuclear power programme. Source: PiB

#global27 The Indian Navy has commissioned several warships in the last two years, including six of the seven planned under Project 17A. Source: The Indian Express