News Summary · 3 minutes read
Stay ahead in your UPSC CSE preparation with our daily News Summary. Designed to save time, it highlights key national and international events from leading newspapers and government websites.
Perovskite Solar Panels
- A new type of solar cell made using perovskite-structured materials that absorb sunlight very efficiently ⇒ Seen as a major alternative to traditional silicon solar panels.
- Advantages: Higher efficiency, lower production Cost, lower weight and more flexibility.
- Challenges: Shorter lifespan, toxicity (lead), and recycling issues (harmful solvents).
- Way Forward:
- New water-based recycling methods, using safe salts such as sodium acetate and sodium iodide, are showing promise to recover almost 99% of materials without toxic solvents.
- Research is ongoing to create perovskite cells without lead, using safer materials.
- Coatings and hybrid designs are being developed to enhance the longevity of perovskite cells.
- Perovskite: A crystal with ABX₃ structure that absorbs sunlight super-efficiently, helping to create cheaper and smarter solar panels for the future.
- A and B refer to positively charged particles, while X refers to a negatively charged particle.
M23 Rebels
- A Rwanda-backed rebel paramilitary group based in the eastern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) ⇒ A member of the Congo River Alliance, a coalition of rebel groups in eastern DRC.
- Recently, the DRC suspended the political party of former President Joseph Kabila, the People’s Party for Reconstruction and Democracy (PPRD), accusing it of supporting the M23 rebels.
2025 Hindu Kush Himalaya Snow Update
- A report released by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
- Snow persistence over the Hindu Kush Himalaya region between November and March this year was 23.6% below normal levels ⇒ A record low in the last 23 years.
- Snow persistence in the Ganga basin this year has been 24.1% below normal ⇒ It was 30.2% above normal in 2015.
- Mekong region ⇒ 51.9% decline in snow persistence ⇒ Most alarming.
- Snow persistence measures the fraction of time snow remains on the ground after snowfall.
- Snowmelt contributes about 23% to the total yearly water flow in major river basins.
- ICIMOD: An intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre based in Kathmandu ⇒ Founded in 1983 ⇒ Aims to secure a greener, more inclusive, and climate-resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH).
- 8 member countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan.
- Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH): Extends 3,500 km over 8 eight member countries of ICIMOD ⇒ Source of 10 large Asian river systems: Amu Darya, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, Salween, Mekong, Yangtse, Yellow River, and Tarim.
- Locate the source and mouth of these rivers on the map.
- 10 highest peaks in HKH: Nanga Parbat, K2, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu, Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Kangchenjunga.
- Locate these peaks on the map.
International Conclave on the Buddha Dhamma and the Culture of North-East India
- Inaugurated by Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein in Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh.
- Organised by the International Buddhist Confederation in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Culture.
SpaDeX Mission
- Refers to the Space Docking Experiment by ISRO ⇒ To demonstrate the technology needed for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft named SDX01 (Chaser) and SDX02 (Target) in a low-Earth circular orbit.
- Launched using PSLV-C60 on 30 December 2024 ⇒ Satellites were docked for the 1st time on 16 January 2025 ⇒ 2nd docking took place on April 20, 2025.
- Applications: Human spaceflight, in-space satellite servicing and other proximity operations
Eight Core Industries of India
- Includes cement, fertilisers, steel, electricity, coal, refinery products, natural gas, and crude oil ⇒ 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production.
- Index of Eight Core Industries: Recorded 4.4% growth in FY25 compared to FY24.
Quick Picks
- Global Education Monitoring Report: Released by UNESCO.
- India’s Automobile exports: Increased by 19% in FY25.
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