UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

Pandora, NASA’s newest exoplanet mission and the first satellite to launch through the agency's Astrophysics Pioneers program, is now making unique observations of worlds beyond our solar system and the stars they orbit. The mission will determine the atmospheric make-up of at least 20 exoplanets, including the presence of hazes, clouds, and water. The results of the mission will lay a firm foundation for interpreting measurements by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, as well as future observatories focused on finding habitable worlds. In fact, Pandora’s near-infrared detector is a spare originally developed for Webb. Launched into low Earth orbit on Jan. 11, Pandora is an ambitious small satellite (SmallSat) funded by NASA’s Astrophysics Pioneers program. Pioneers are designed to explore compelling questions about the universe with fast-paced, low-cost missions that require a higher-than-usual tolerance for failure.  Pandora’s telescope, jointly developed by Livermore and Corning ...

  NASA’s Deep Space Network facility in California is marking the addition of a brand new 34-meter-wide (114-foot-wide) radio frequency antenna to the agency’s deep space communications and navigation system. The network uses giant dish antennas located at three global facilities to support more than 40 spacecraft exploring the solar system and interstellar space. The new Deep Space Station 23 (DSS-23) is located at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex, near Barstow, and is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. After completing a testing campaign from May through July to demonstrate its capabilities, the new DSS-23 began operations on Aug. 3, tracking NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Since then, it has been communicating with dozens of missions such as NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Psyche, Juno, Voyager 1, and other robotic spacecraft in deep space. It is the fifth antenna at Goldstone (joining three 34-meter antennas and one 70-meter...

The Trishuli River (Nepali: त्रिशूली नदी) is one of the major tributaries of the Narayani River basin in central Nepal. The river is formed by the merger of the Kyirong Tsangpo and the Lende Khola originating in Gyirong County of Tibet, which join together near the Rasuwa Gadhi on the Nepal–Tibet border. The valley of the river used to be the traditional trade route between the Kathmandu Valley and Tibet. Source  location:  Gosaikunda, Rasuwa, Nepal Mouth   location:  Narayani River River system: Narayani River Left Tributaries:  Budhi Gandaki River, Marshyangdi River, Seti Gandaki River Right Tributaries:   Zarong-chu The sources of the Trishuli River lie in the Pekhu Kangri range (called Langtang Himal in Nepal) in Kyirong County in Tibet. Two major rivers, Kyirong Tsangpo (or Kerung Khola) and Lende Khola, merge near Rasuwa Fort at the Nepal border to form the Trishuli river. Trishuli river and its major tributary Langtang Khola merge near Syaphru (or S...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Rasonque (daraxonrasib), a RAS inhibitor for the most common form of pancreatic cancer—delivering a new treatment option to patients with advanced pancreatic cancer months ahead of schedule.  Rasonque, a tablet taken once daily, targets multiple forms of a protein called RAS, a key driver of tumor growth in most patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, which arises from cells lining the ducts of the pancreas.   RAS Protein: Ras, from "Rat sarcoma virus", is a family of related proteins that are expressed in all animal cell lineages and organs. All Ras protein family members belong to a class of protein called small GTPase, and are involved in transmitting signals within cells (cellular signal transduction). Ras is the prototypical member of the Ras superfamily of proteins, which are all related in three-dimensional structure and regulate diverse cell behaviours. When Ras is 'switched on' by incoming signals, it subs...

" ‘Butcher of Bosnia’ Ratko Mladic dead: Serbian state media " - The Hindu Ratko Mladić (Serbian Cyrillic: Ратко Младић, pronounced [râtko mlǎːdit͡ɕ]; 12 March 1942 – 27 August 2026) was a Bosnian Serb military officer who led the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) during the Yugoslav Wars. Widely referred to as the "Butcher of Bosnia",[a] he was found guilty in 2017 of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). He served a life sentence for these crimes in The Hague until his death on 27 August 2026. A long-time member of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, Mladić began his career in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) in 1965. He came to prominence during the Yugoslav Wars, initially as a high-ranking officer of the JNA and subsequently as the Chief of Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska in the Bosnian War of 1992–1995. In July 1996, the Trial Chamber of the ICTY, proceed...

Samarthak, the first Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV), built by Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T), Kattupalli, was delivered to the Indian Navy on 27 Aug 2026 . The ship comprises over 75 percent indigenous content and has been conceived as a versatile trial and evaluation platform. Further, the ship is engineered to perform maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, Offshore patrolling and support Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations, when required. The ship has been aptly named ‘ Samarthak’, meaning ‘The Proponent ’ . The name signifies the ship’s intended role as a dependable enabler of multiple missions. True to its designation, Samarthak is not limited to one specific task but is engineered to support a wide spectrum of activities, thereby embodying the concept of a multi-purpose vessel.  The delivery of Samarthak is yet another milestone in the Indian Navy’s indigenous shipbuilding journey and a reaffirmation of the Government’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bha...

Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), a leading Defence Public Sector Undertaking, achieved another milestone in indigenous shipbuilding with the formal handing over of ICGS Ajit (Yard 1277), a state-of-the-art Fast Patrol Vessel (FPV), to the Indian Coast Guard today. Built with more than 65 per cent indigenous content, ICGS Ajit reflects the growing capabilities of India’s domestic defence shipbuilding industry and the Government’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. The 51.43-metre-long and 8-metre-wide vessel has a displacement of 330 tonnes at a draught of 2.5 metres. It is powered by twin marine diesel engines driving controllable pitch propellers (CPP), a first-of-its-kind feature in this class of Fast Patrol Vessels, providing improved propulsion efficiency and operational performance. With a top speed of more than 27 knots and an endurance of 1,500 nautical miles, the vessel is equipped with an advanced integrated machinery control system to enhance operational readiness, efficiency and susta...

Relevance:  "  Scientists fear leaks in 2 lakh barrels of nuclear waste undersea " - The Times of India " Deep-sea radioactive waste mystery: Scientists begin hunt for 200,000 nuclear barrels dumped in the Atlantic Ocean " - The Times of India From 1946 through 1993, thirteen countries used ocean disposal or ocean dumping as a method to dispose of nuclear/radioactive waste with an approximation of 200,000 tons sourcing mainly from the medical, research and nuclear industry. The waste materials included both liquids and solids housed in various containers, as well as reactor vessels, with and without spent or damaged nuclear fuel. Since 1993, ocean disposal has been banned by international treaties. (London Convention (1972), Basel Convention, MARPOL 73/78). There has only been the disposal of low level radioactive waste (LLW) thus far in terms of ocean dumping as high level waste has been strictly prohibited. Ocean floor disposal (or sub-seabed disposal)—a more deli...

  About the Project What is the Ken-Betwa Link Project? The Ken–Betwa Link Project (KBLP) is a major water-resources development project intended to address the long-standing water scarcity and irrigation challenges of the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The project envisages transfer of water from the Ken basin to the Betwa basin through a system comprising the Daudhan Dam, link canal and associated works. KBLP is the first priority project under the National Perspective Plan for Interlinking of Rivers to enter the implementation stage. What is the scheme of the project? This project involves transfer of water from the Ken to the Betwa River through construction of the 96.7 m high Daudhan Dam on the Ken River in Panna and Chhatarpur districts of Madhya Pradesh, about 40 km from Khajuraho. A 216.465 km-long Ken–Betwa Link Canal will take off near the Daudhan Dam and merge into Barua Sagar near Jhansi. Other components include the Lower Orr Project, Kotha Bar...