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1. The Union Government recently issued the seventeenth instalment of the PM Kisan Nidhi scheme, initiated in February 2019. Under this scheme, the government provides Rs 6,000 annually to landholding farmers in three equal instalments directly into their bank accounts, regardless of land size. It's a Central Sector Scheme fully funded by the Government of India and administered by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. However, the State/UT Governments are responsible for identifying beneficiary farmer families.
2. Four medical students from Maharashtra, studying at a university in Russia, tragically drowned in the Volkhov River near St. Petersburg. The Volkhov River, located in northwestern Russia, originates from Lake Ilmen, passes through Novgorod, and flows north-northeast into Lake Ladoga. It traverses a flat, swampy region and was historically part of the Baltic Sea–Black Sea trade route, navigable only by small vessels. Notably, the town of Volkhov housed the Soviet Union's first hydroelectric station in 1926. According to data from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in 2022, there were approximately 16,500 Indian students in Russia.
3. Iran recently summoned China's ambassador to register a complaint over a joint statement issued by China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) regarding the sovereignty of the Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb islands. These islands, situated in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, are the subject of a long-standing dispute between Iran and the UAE. Iran asserts historical ownership of the islands, which were allegedly occupied by the British in the early 20th century and later seized by Iran after British withdrawal in 1971. Conversely, the UAE claims sovereignty over the islands, contending they belonged to the emirate of Ras al-Khaimah until Iran purportedly forcibly took control just before the formation of the Emirati Federation in 1971.
4. In a recent study published in Nature, researchers introduced a new type of portable optical atomic clock designed for use on ships. Unlike the highly precise optical atomic clocks found in laboratories, this iodine clock prioritizes portability and durability. It maintains a frequency accurate to within a second every 9.1 million years. Atomic clocks, such as the one developed by Louise Essen in 1955 and currently operational in India's Ahmedabad and Faridabad, utilize atomic vibrations for precise timekeeping. They surpass traditional clocks in accuracy due to the stable, high-frequency oscillations of atoms. For example, a cesium atomic clock loses or gains a second every 1.4 million years. Cesium clocks function by inducing cesium atoms to transition energy levels in response to microwave radiation, with resonance occurring at a specific frequency of 9,192,631,770 Hz. The clock's precision relies on a system detecting deviations in resonance frequency and adjusting microwave radiation accordingly.
5. Recently, Pakistan, Somalia, Denmark, Greece, and Panama were selected as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC), serving a two-year term from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026. The election process involves regional groups nominating candidates, with each regional group typically agreeing on candidates to present to the General Assembly. The new members, representing the African, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, and Western European and Others groups, will replace outgoing countries such as Mozambique, Japan, Ecuador, Malta, and Switzerland. The UNSC, established in 1945 under the UN Charter, consists of 15 members, including five permanent members (P5) and 10 non-permanent members elected annually for two-year terms. The Security Council plays a vital role in global peace and security, although challenges exist due to the veto power of its permanent members.