UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

 Astronomers generally divide black holes into three categories according to their mass: stellar-mass, supermassive, and intermediate-mass. The mass ranges that define each group are approximate, and scientists are always reassessing where the boundaries should be set. Cosmologists suspect a fourth type, primordial black holes formed during the birth of the universe, may also lurk undetected in the cosmos. A swirling vortex of hot gas glows in this multiwavelength composite, marking the approximate location of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (pronounced ey-star) at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. NASA, ESA, SSC, CXC, STScI Stellar When a star with more than eight times the Sun’s mass runs out of fuel, its core collapses, rebounds, and explodes as a supernova. What’s left behind depends on the star’s mass before the explosion. If it was near the threshold, it creates a city-sized, superdense neutron star. If it had around 20 times the Sun’s mass or more, the star’s cor...

  South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) is set to become the first coal PSU in India to adopt paste fill technology for coal mining—marking a major step toward sustainable and environmentally friendly mining practices. To implement this innovative underground mining technology, SECL has signed a ₹7040 crore agreement with TMC Mineral Resources Private Limited. Under this agreement, large-scale coal production will be undertaken using paste fill technology in the Singhali underground coal mine located in SECL’s Korba area. Over a period of 25 years, the project is expected to produce approximately 8.4 million tonnes (84.5 lakh tonnes) of coal. What is Paste Fill Technology? Paste filling is a modern underground mining method that eliminates the need to acquire surface land. After coal extraction, the mined-out voids are filled with a specially prepared paste made from fly ash, crushed overburden from opencast mines, cement, water, and binding chemicals. This process prevents land ...

India has nominated Ms. M. Revathi, Joint Wireless Advisor at the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), as its candidate for Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This marks India’s most significant bid in decades to influence global radio spectrum governance. A specialized UN agency based in Geneva, the ITU ensures that the world’s communication systems work together, safely, securely, and fairly. The Radiocommunication Bureau of the ITU regulates the global radio frequencies and satellite orbits—crucial for 5G, 6G, space broadband, disaster response, managing these finite resources. As Director, Ms. Revathi would play a central role in shaping next-gen radiocommunication standards and ensuring equitable spectrum access. ITU is the United Nations specialized agency for digital technologies (ICTs). ​The Organization is made up of a membership of 194​ Member States and more than 1000 companies, universities and international and ...

SAARC Development Fund (SDF) (also known as SAARC Development Fund Secretariat For Regional Integration) is a regional financial institution based in Thimphu, Bhutan. SDF was founded in 2010 by the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), an intergovernmental organization comprising eight countries in South Asia, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It carries out and manages various projects and programs across three key areas: Social, Economic, and Infrastructure. The SDF has its roots in two distinct regional funds known as the SAARC Fund for Regional Projects (SFRP) and the SAARC Regional Fund (SRF). These funds were proposed during the 5th SAARC Summit in Malé in November 1990, with the objective of identifying and executing regional projects that emerged from the SAARC process. These funds eventually became a part of the South Asian Development Fund (SADF), which Bhutan started during the...

  India hosted the 8th meeting of the AITIGA Joint Committee to review the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi, from April 07 to 11, 2025. The event was conducted in a hybrid format. The meeting was co-chaired by   Shri Rajesh Agrawal, Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India and Deputy Co-Chair Dr. Sugumari S. Shanmugam Senior Director Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Malaysia.   The meeting saw participation from delegates representing ASEAN countries, including Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. The committee's primary objective was to advance the ongoing review of the AITIGA, aiming to modernize the agreement to be more effective, user-friendly, and conducive to trade. Five out of eight Sub-Committees (SCs) under the AITIGA JC also conducted hybrid meetings on the margins of the 8 th  AITIGA JC. Out ...

  Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the Release Trials of Long-Range Glide Bomb (LRGB) ‘Gaurav’ between April 08-10, 2025 from the Su-30 MKI aircraft. During the trials, the weapon was integrated to multiple stations in different warhead configurations, with land target on Island. The trials successfully demonstrated range close to 100 kms with pin-point accuracy.            LRGB ‘Gaurav’ is a 1,000 kg class glide bomb, designed and developed indigenously by Research Centre Imarat, Armament Research and Development Establishment and Integrated Test Range, Chandipur. Senior officials of DRDO and the Indian Air Force (IAF) participated and reviewed these trials.  The system has been realised with the support of Development-cum-Production Partners - Adani Defence Systems & Technologies, Bharat Forge and various MSMEs. The trials are paving the way towards induction of the weapon into the IAF. The Centre f...

  A new study conducted in Kolkata shows that the toxicity value of PM2.5 experiences a sudden jump when the pollution reaches around 70 µg m -3 . PM 2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller, is a significant air pollutant posing serious health risks, including respiratory and cardiovascular problems, and is a key indicator of air quality. The Government of India has taken several initiatives and policy measures to combat air pollution and the latest is the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) launched in 2019 by the MoEFCC. The programme is focused on the reduction of particulate matter by 40 % by 2026 with respect to 2017 through strategies and action plans for 131 non-attainment cities (not attaining the National Ambient Air Quality Standard of India) in India for different states. Kolkata has been identified as one of such cities in India. Bose Institute, an autonomous research institute under Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India whi...

 It was unveiled by  China at research station in Antarctica. It was jointly developped by  Three Gorges University (CTGU) and Shanghai Normal University (SHNU). CGTN

Biomass is an Earth observing satellite planned for launch by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2025 from Kourou, French Guiana[1] on a Vega C launch vehicle. The mission will provide the first comprehensive measurements of global forest biomass. It is meant to last for five years, monitoring at least eight growth cycles in the world’s forests. The Biomass satellite is part of ESA's Living Planet Programme, which consists of Earth observation missions.[3][4] Its initial launch date was set to 2020, but that has since been delayed to 2025. The entire cost of the mission was placed at around 400 million euros. The main scientific instrument aboard Biomass will be a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) operating at 435 MHz. The satellite will measure 10 x 12 x 20m, weigh around 1.2 tonnes and it is set to orbit the Earth at an altitude of 666 km. All devices for assembly of the satellite structure, including vertical transport equipment, assembly and disassembly of satellite panels, assemb...

  Following a signing ceremony Tuesday in Bangladesh’s capital city of Dhaka, NASA congratulates Bangladesh as the 54th nation to commit to the safe and responsible exploration of space that benefits humanity. In 2020, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords, a first-ever set of practical guidelines for nations to increase safety of operations and reduce risk and uncertainty in their civil exploration activities. That group of signatories has grown to more than 50 countries today. The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements, including the Registration Convention and the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices for responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.  NASA News

  Renewable Capacity Statistics 2025   released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) today shows a massive increase in renewable power capacity during 2024, reaching 4 448 gigawatts (GW). The 585 GW addition last year indicates a 92.5% share of the total capacity expansion, and a record rate of annual growth (15.1%). Although 2024 marks yet another benchmark in renewable energy capacity and growth, progress still falls short of the 11.2 terawatts needed to align with the global goal to triple installed renewable energy capacity by 2030. To reach this goal, renewable capacity must now expand by 16.6 % annually until 2030. In addition, progress yet again reflects significant geographic disparities. As in previous years, most of the increase occurred in Asia, with the greatest share being contributed by China – almost 64% of the global added capacity – while Central America and the Caribbean contributed the least at only 3.2%. The G7 and G20 countries respectively...

On December 30, 2024, ISRO’s PSLV-C60 launched twin SPADEX satellites and after injecting satellites at 475 km altitude, the specially configured upper stage (PS4) of PSLV-C60 (called PSLV Orbital Experimental Module in short POEM-4) was also almost in the same orbit. Subsequently, POEM-4 was de-orbited by engine restarts to a nearly circular orbit at 350 km altitude with 55.2 o   inclination. PS4 was then passivated by venting the leftover fuel to minimise any potential risk for accidental break-up. During its mission life, POEM-4 hosted altogether 24 payloads (14 payloads from ISRO and 10 from various NGEs) and all payloads worked as expected yielding valuable science data. While the POEM-4 was in orbit, it was continuously tracked by ISRO’s Radar Facilities and United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) facilities as well. The tracking data was in turn utilised in the re-entry prediction process. It was observed that POEM-4’s orbit had decayed to 174 km x165 km and the platform wa...

In a significant move towards accelerating India’s skilling goal, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), in collaboration with the World Economic Forum (WEF), deliberated on the “India Skills Accelerator” initiative during a high-level roundtable at Kaushal Bhawan in New Delhi. The India Skills Accelerator will function as a national public-private collaboration platform designed to enable cross-sectoral efforts in unlocking innovative ideas and driving systemic progress on complex challenges that demand a multi-stakeholder approach. At its core, the Accelerator aims to catalyze change across three critical levels: i) by improving awareness and shifting mindsets around future skills needs, ii) increasing collaboration and knowledge sharing among stakeholders, and iii) committing to upgrade institutional structures and policy frameworks to support a more adaptive and responsive skilling ecosystem. As India navigates rapid technological and economic change, skill ...

  During the Summit, which was hosted in the historical city of Samarkand, in Uzbekistan, the Leaders decided to  establish a Strategic Partnership between the two regions , marking a new phase in relations. The new era of cooperation with the Central Asian countries will be articulated around topics such as transport, critical raw materials, energy, climate, and connectivity. The  Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor , which aims to connect both regions and to which the EU pledged €10 billion in 2024, will get a renewed impulse. President  von der Leyen  announced that  an Investors Forum will be organised in Uzbekistan this year  to further mobilise private investment for the corridor. At the same time, the leaders endorsed a  Joint Declaration of Intent on Critical Raw Materials  that will also attract private investment and generate true added value in the region. Further cooperation is also envisaged in the development of dams and clean ener...

  Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today participated in the 6th BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Summit hosted by Thailand, the current chair. The theme of the Summit was - "BIMSTEC: Prosperous, Resilient and Open”. It reflected the priorities of the leaders and the aspirations of the peoples of the BIMSTEC region, as well as the efforts of BIMSTEC in ensuring shared growth in times of global uncertainties. The Summit adopted the following: i. Summit Declaration ii. BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030 document, which lays out the road map for the collective prosperity of the region. iii. Signing of the BIMSTEC Maritime Transport Agreement, which provides for – National Treatment and assistance to vessels, crew and cargo; mutual recognition of certificates/ documents; Joint Shipping Coordination Committee; and dispute settlement mechanism. ⅳ. Report of the BIMSTEC Eminent Persons Group constituted to make recommendations for future ...

  In a first-of-its-kind initiative, India is set to begin an ambitious, inter-ministerial scientific study aimed at detecting zoonotic diseases that could spill over from birds to humans, focusing on the critical intersection of human, bird, and forest health. The study entitled, “Building a surveillance model for detecting zoonotic spillover in increased bird-human interaction settings using the One Health approach: A study at selected bird sanctuaries and wetlands” was launched at the Indian Council of Medical Research Headquarters, here today. This unique study will be conducted in select bird sanctuaries and wetlands across Sikkim, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, leveraging the One Health approach to monitor the health of both human populations and migratory bird species, as well as the environment in which they coexist. With India being a vital hub along the Central Asian migratory bird flyway, bird sanctuaries represent an interface where the risk of zoonotic transmission is hei...

  Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Army conducted four successful flight-tests of the Army version of Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha on April 03 & 04, 2025. The four operational flight-trials were carried out against high-speed aerial targets. The missiles intercepted the aerial targets and destroyed them, registering direct hits. The trials were carried out to intercept four targets at long-range, short-range, high altitude and low altitude, proving the operational capability. The MRSAM is developed jointly by DRDO and Israel Aerospace Industries for use by the Indian Army. The MRSAM Army weapon system comprises multi-function radar, command post, mobile launcher system and other vehicles. PIB

The bilateral Naval Exercise   INDRA 2025   between   Indian and Russian navies   was held from   28 Mar to 02 Apr 2025 . This  14th edition  of the exercise included a wide range of activities and structured drills designed to enhance  interoperability  towards countering common  maritime threats . PIB

  During 03-04 April 2025, H.E. Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India paid an Official Visit to Thailand and participated in the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok, on the invitation of H.E. Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand. Prime Minister Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome by Prime Minister Shinawatra at the Government House in Bangkok. Acknowledging the deep civilisational, cultural, religious and linguistic bonds and 78 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Thailand, both leaders held wide ranging discussions on various areas of bilateral cooperation including defence and security, trade and investment, connectivity, science and technology, innovation, space, education, health, culture, tourism and people-to-people exchanges. They also exchanged views on sub-regional, regional, and multilateral issues of mutual interest. Both leaders witnessed exchange of several MoUs covering various areas of cooper...