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"  Astronomers Create the Largest 3D Map of the Early Universe’s Hydrogen Glow " - Gadgets360 The Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) is a major spectroscopic survey at McDonald Observatory aimed at understanding dark energy—the force accelerating the universe's expansion. Using the 10-meter Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) and VIRUS spectrographs, it maps over one million galaxies 9–11 billion light-years away.  HETDEX is currently collecting data on at least one million galaxies that are 9 billion to 11 billion light-years away, yielding the largest map of the early universe ever produced.  Key Details of HETDEX: Goal: To measure the expansion rate of the universe and determine if dark energy changes over time by mapping the 3D positions of over a million distant galaxies (specifically, Lyman-alpha emitters). Instrument: The survey uses VIRUS (Visible Integral-Field Replicable Unit Spectrograph), which consists of 150 spectrographs connected by 33,000+ op...

In a significant move for the advancement of the   National Green Hydrogen Mission , the Government of India notified the Green Ammonia and Green Methanol Standards for India on 27 th   February 2026. The standards issued by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), outlines the emission thresholds and eligibility conditions that must be compiled in order for ammonia & methanol produced to be classified as ‘Green’, i.e., produced using Green Hydrogen derived from renewable sources. Green Ammonia Standard for India -  Green Ammonia shall have a  total non-biogenic greenhouse gas emission , arising from Green Hydrogen production, ammonia synthesis, purification, compression, and on-site storage, of  not more than 0.38 kg CO₂ equivalent per kg of ammonia (kg CO₂ eq/kg NH₃) , calculated as an average over the preceding 12-month period. Green Methanol standard for India -  Green Methanol shall have a  total non-biogenic greenhouse gas emission , ...

India’s First Riverine Lighthouses to Come Up on Brahmaputra (NW-2) as Sarbananda Sonowal Lays Foundation Stones Aawa Paani Jhoki movement NITI Aayog and UNICEF India Sign Statement of Intent to Strengthen Nutrition and Health Outcomes in Aspirational Districts and Blocks Convention on Cluster Munitions Megamaser Common Leopard

Key Facts Common Name: Indian leopard or common leopard Scientific Name: Panthera pardus Population: No official countrywide population estimate is available. However, within the 17 tiger bearing states of India, the leopard occupies an area of around 1,74,066 km2, nearly double the area occupied by the tiger Height: 45-80 cms Length: Head-body length: 100-190 cm, Tail length: 70-95 cm Weight: Male: 30-70 kg, Female: 28-60 kg Status: Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and included in Appendix I of CITES. Listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List Characteristics Nine subspecies of the leopard have been recognized, and they are distributed across Africa and Asia. Each of them vary to some degree in appearance and biology as one moves across this wide geographical range, but their exceptionally beautiful black-spotted coat, supreme stealth, and elusive nature remains common. The leopard is the smallest of the big cats, and known for its ability to adap...

An  astrophysical maser  is a naturally occurring source of  stimulated   spectral line  emission, typically in the  microwave  portion of the  electromagnetic spectrum . This emission may arise in  molecular clouds ,  comets ,  planetary   atmospheres ,  stellar atmospheres , or various other conditions in  interstellar space . This galaxy has a far more exciting and futuristic classification than most — it hosts a megamaser. Megamasers are intensely bright, around 100 million times brighter than the masers found in galaxies like the Milky Way. The entire galaxy essentially acts as an astronomical laser that beams out microwave emission rather than visible light (hence the ‘m’ replacing the ‘l’). A megamaser is a process where some components within a galaxy (like gas clouds) are in the right stimulated physical condition to radiate intense energy (in this case, microwaves). Astrophysical Maser - Wikipedia Megamaser ...

  The   Convention on Cluster Munitions   ( CCM ) is an international   treaty   that prohibits all use, transfer, production, and stockpiling of   cluster munitions , a type of   explosive weapon   which scatters submunitions ("bomblets") over an area. Additionally, the convention establishes a framework to support victim assistance, clearance of contaminated sites, risk reduction education, and stockpile destruction. The convention was adopted on   30 May   2008 in   Dublin ,  and was opened for signature on   3 December   2008 in   Oslo . It entered into force on   1 August   2010, six months after it was   ratified   by 30 states.   As of September 2024, a total of 124 states are committed to the goal of the convention, with 112 states that have ratified it, and 12 states that have signed the convention but not yet ratified it. Countries that ratify the convention are obliged "never u...

In a significant step towards strengthening collaborative efforts for improving nutrition and health outcomes, NITI Aayog and UNICEF India today signed a Statement of Intent to support strategic interventions in Aspirational Districts and Aspirational Blocks. The SOI was signed by Shri Rohit Kumar, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme, NITI Aayog and Mr. Arjan de Wagt, Deputy Representative, UNICEF India. This collaboration aims to leverage the strengths of both institutions to advance efforts toward improved maternal and child nutrition outcomes in underserved regions. The partnership will support the promotion of multi-stakeholder engagement and strengthen implementation systems for nutrition and health interventions at the block level. Shri Rohit Kumar noted that the Aspirational Districts and Blocks Programme has demonstrated the importance of convergence, collaboration and data-driven governance in accelerating development outcomes...

  In a time when water scarcity is emerging as one of the most pressing climate challenges, Korea district of Chhattisgarh has demonstrated that the most powerful solutions do not begin with large dams or heavy machinery; they begin with people. Through the spirit of  Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari , the district transformed a vulnerable landscape into a model of resilience by asking a simple yet revolutionary question: What if every farmer voluntarily dedicates just 5% of their land to water? The 5% Model: Small Commitment, Transformational Impact Under the Aawa Paani Jhoki movement, farmers voluntarily set aside 5% of their agricultural land to construct small recharge ponds and terraced pits. These structures capture rainwater directly within fields, ensuring that every monsoon drop is retained, absorbed, and reused. The results have been remarkable: Rainwater that once flowed away now recharges the soil and aquifers Soil erosion has reduced significantly Crop moisture levels ha...

India took a pioneering step in inland waterway navigation as  Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), Sarbananda Sonowal  laid the foundation stones for four river lighthouses along the banks of the Brahmaputra River, marking the first time lighthouse infrastructure will be established on an inland waterway in the country. The four sites — Bogibeel in Dibrugarh district, Pandu in Kamrup (Metro) district, Silghat in Nagaon district, all along the south bank of the river, and Biswanath Ghat in Biswanath district, the only one in the north bank, — are located at strategic points along Brahmaputra (National Waterway-2), one of India's most important inland cargo and passenger corridors. The combined project outlay for all four lighthouses stands at approximately ₹84 crore. Each lighthouse will rise to 20 metres with a geographical range of 14 nautical miles and a luminous range of 8–10 nautical miles, powered entirely by solar energy. Alongside navigation infrast...

ADB Issues Green Bond to Raise Awareness of Glacier Melt Chile becomes the first country in the Americas to be verified by WHO for the elimination of leprosy International community agrees way forward on global minimum tax package United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships enters into force on 17 February 2026 WMO - WHO initiatives launched to address extreme heat in South Asia

  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has issued a green bond to raise awareness of glacier melt, engaging with investors on ADB’s projects and programs that will help communities in Asia become more resilient against the impacts of melting glaciers. The $100 million 5-year issue was arranged by BNP Paribas and Morgan Stanley, proceeds of which will be used in accordance with  ADB’s Green and Blue Bond Framework . The notes will be listed on the Luxembourg Green Exchange (LGX). Glacier- and snow-fed river basins support water security for around 2 billion people in Asia. Rising temperatures are accelerating glacier retreat and altering snowfall patterns, intensifying both near-term flood risks and long-term water stress, particularly in South Asia and Central and West Asia. As these hydrological shifts become more pronounced, investments in climate adaptation and resilient water systems are increasingly urgent. Projects eligible for financing under ADB's Green and Blue Bond progr...

  The World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), congratulates Chile for becoming the first country in the Americas – and the second globally – to be officially verified as having eliminated leprosy disease. Leprosy (Hansen disease) was historically recorded in Chile at the end of the 19th century on Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The disease was limited in mainland Chile, with sporadic introductions, contained through isolation and treatment measures in the Island, where the last secondary cases were managed by the late 1990s. Since then, Chile has not reported any locally acquired case of leprosy for more than 30 years, with the last locally acquired case detected in 1993. However, the disease was never removed from the country’s public health agenda; it has remained a notifiable condition, monitored through mandatory reporting, integrated surveillance, and continuous clinical readiness across the health system. The World Health Organiz...

The 147 countries and jurisdictions working together within the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) have agreed on key elements of a package that charts a course forward for the co-ordinated operation of global minimum tax arrangements in the context of a digitalised and globalised economy. Following months of intense negotiations, the comprehensive package for a  “ side by side” arrangement  announced today represents a significant political and technical agreement which will set the foundation for stability and certainty in the international tax system. It will preserve the gains achieved so far in the global minimum tax framework and protect the ability for all jurisdictions, particularly developing countries, to have first taxing rights over income generated in their jurisdictions. The package includes five key components: First, a series of simplification measures will reduce compliance burdens for multinational enterprises (MNEs) and t...

The convention, also known as  Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships, which enters into force on 17 February 2026. Convention  creates a harmonized and simplified system for recognizing judicial sales of ships across borders, helping ensure smoother international trade.   Convention was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2022. Under the Convention, a judicial sale conducted in one State Party is recognized by all other Parties. To ensure transparency, each State where a sale occurs must issue a notice of judicial sale and, as appropriate, a certificate of judicial sale. International Maritime Organization (IMO) serves as the repository for these instruments and they will be made publicly available through a dedicated module on the IMO’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System ( GISIS ) platform. Ratified Nations: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, t...

  At Mumbai Climate Week, the WMO-WHO Climate and Health Joint Programme, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Wellcome announced two new integrated initiatives to protect South Asians from extreme heat. The two complementary initiatives are funded by The Rockefeller Foundation and Wellcome.   The two complementary initiatives are funded by The Rockefeller Foundation and Wellcome.   The  South Asia Climate–Health Desk , established as part of the WHO–WMO Climate and Health Joint Programme and implemented with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), India Meteorological Department (IMD), and other partners will improve how climate and weather information is translated into action to protect health.    The  South Asia Scientific Research Consortium , supported through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, will deepen the region’s scientific understanding of how heat affects dif...

NEW SERIES OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT (GDP) ESTIMATES WITH BASE YEAR 2022-23 World Wetlands Day 2nd February Ruddy shelduck Over 100,000 Schools have been saturated by UIDAI’s special drive on mandatory biometric update in Aadhaar “Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report” for the Quarter October - December, 2025 World Wildlife Day 2026

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is releasing the New Series of Annual and Quarterly National Accounts Estimates with base year 2022–23, which replaces the previous series with base year of 2011–12. As per the International best practices, base year revision is undertaken periodically and differs from regular revisions in National Accounts primarily because of nature of changes. In Annual revisions, changes are made only on the basis of updated data becoming available without making any changes in the conceptual framework or using any new data source, to ensure strict comparison over years. In case of base year revisions, changes are made to:  ➢ Capture structural changes in the economy  ➢ Incorporate latest data sources  ➢ Improve estimation methodologies  ➢ Enhance coverage and accuracy  The Financial Year (FY) 2022–23 has been selected as base year, as it represents a recent normal year (after COVID), with availability of robust...

  The day marks the date of the adoption of the  "Convention on Wetlands of International Importance" ( Ramsar Convention )  held in 1971 in the Iranian city of Ramsar. On 30 August 2021, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2 February as World Wetlands Day to raise awareness of wetlands. UN News <<< About    "Convention on Wetlands of International Importance"  ( Ramsar Convention )

  The   ruddy shelduck   ( Tadorna ferruginea ) is a bird   species   in the   family   Anatidae . It is a distinctive waterfowl, 58 to 70 cm (23 to 28 in) in length with a wingspan of 110 to 135 cm (43 to 53 in). It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the tail and the flight feathers in the wings are black, contrasting with the white wing-coverts. It is a   migratory bird , wintering in the Indian subcontinent and breeding in southeastern Europe and central Asia, though there are small resident populations in North Africa. It has a loud honking call. The ruddy shelduck mostly inhabits inland water-bodies such as lakes, reservoirs and rivers. The male and female form a lasting pair bond and the nest may be well away from water, in a crevice or hole in a cliff, tree or similar site. A clutch of about eight eggs is laid and is incubated solely by the female for about four weeks. The young are cared fo...