Tsunami Warning in Japan

• A tsunami warning was issued in Japan following an earthquake of magnitude 7.6.
• An earthquake is the shaking of the Earth’s surface caused by seismic waves produced by the sudden release of energy from movements in the Earth’s crust or upper mantle.

Tsunami

• A tsunami is a series of powerful ocean waves caused by the sudden, large-scale displacement of water, usually in oceans or large lakes.
• The term “tsunami” is a Japanese word meaning “harbour wave.”
• Major Examples: Include the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused by a magnitude 9.1–9.3 earthquake near Sumatra, and the 2011 Japan tsunami caused by a magnitude 9.0 undersea quake.

Causes of Tsunamis

• Earthquakes: It is the most common cause (about 80%). Megathrust earthquakes at subduction zones with a magnitude of 7.0 or above mainly trigger tsunamis.
• Landslides: Coastal or submarine landslides can violently displace water, creating large waves near the source that diminish with distance.
• Volcanic Activity: Explosive underwater eruptions or the collapse of volcanic islands can push large water volumes upward, generating tsunamis.
• Other Causes: Large oceanic meteorite impacts or underwater explosions can cause tsunami-like waves.

Characteristics of Tsunami Waves

• Speed: In deep oceans, tsunamis may travel at over 800 km/h, yet appear only as low, broad swells.
• Wavelength: They have extremely long wavelengths, often hundreds of kilometres between crests.
• Shoaling Effect: As they enter shallow water, speed drops, but wave height and force increase dramatically, sometimes surpassing 10m at the shore.
• Wave Train: Tsunamis arrive as a series of waves minutes to hours apart, often preceded by a sudden recession of water from the shore.

Karnataka Hate Speech Bill, 2025

• Karnataka has introduced the Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, to create India’s first State-level law explicitly defining hate speech.

Key Provisions of Karnataka Hate Speech Bill, 2025

• Explicit Definition: Covers expressions causing injury, hostility, or disharmony based on religion, caste, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, disability, or place of birth.
• Punishment Range: Imprisonment from 2 to 10 years with fines, based on severity and recurrence.
• Collective Liability: If a crime is linked to an organisation, office-bearers can be held as culprits.
• Online Regulation: The State is empowered to remove or restrict digital content carrying hate speech.
• Suo Motu Action: Enables police to act without a formal complaint in specified circumstances.

India’s Legal Framework Against Hate Speech

• BNS Section 196 (Ex-153A IPC): Penalises promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, language, etc.
• BNS Section 299 (Ex-295A IPC): Punishes deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
• BNS Section 353: Penalises statements likely to incite offences against State or disturb public order.
• IT Act 2015 (Section 66A): Previously used for online content, struck down by the Supreme Court (Shreya Singhal Judgement) for being vague and overbroad.
• Tehseen Poonawalla Judgment (2018): Mandated nodal officers to prevent hate crimes and mob violence, especially related to targeted group attacks.

Challenges in Hate Speech Regulation

• Low Convictions: Only 1 in 5 cases under Sec. 153A result in conviction (20.2%, NCRB).
• Over-criminalisation Risk: 2,000+ arrests annually, but weak evidence collection leads to acquittals.
• Online Escalation: 70% hate speech content originates online/off social media (NCRB).
• Subjective Definition: SC noted (2023) that difficulty in “defining hate speech objectively” leads to misuse.
• Political Influence: Hate speech FIR filings rise by 30–50% before elections (Common Cause study, 2022).

Way Forward

• Clear Definition: Adopt harm-based definitions (incitement + targeting) to avoid vague interpretation. (Law Commission 267th Report).
• Independent Nodal: Create independent nodal authorities outside the police chain for hate speech monitoring. E.g. UK’s Crown Prosecution Service Hate Crime Units.
• Digital Protocols: Mandate 48-hour takedown windows and traceability for repeat hate content pages.
• Evidence Standards: Develop forensic documentation protocols for voice/video hate content to improve conviction. E.g. Delhi Police Cyber Forensics Lab protocols for hate speech.

India-UK Defence Partnership

• India and the UK are deepening defence cooperation through joint exercises and a 10-year Defence Industrial Roadmap signalling a stronger Indo-Pacific partnership.

India–UK Defence Partnership

• Operational Interoperability: Regular high-end exercises strengthen joint warfighting skills and trust; E.g., Ajeya Warrior 2025 trained both armies in complex multi-domain operations in Rajasthan.
• Maritime Cooperation: Shared Indo-Pacific priorities push both navies to coordinate on sea control and air defence; E.g., KONKAN 2025 saw INS Vikrant operate with HMS Prince of Wales.
• Defence Industrial Synergy: Complementary strengths allow co-production. E.g., 10-year Defence Industrial Roadmap supports Make in India while boosting UK defence manufacturing.
• High-Value Defence Deals: Government-to-government agreements boost strategic trust; E.g., the £350-million deal to supply Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMM) to the Indian Army.
• Advanced Technology Collaboration: Joint work on emerging propulsion enhances future capabilities; E.g., UK–India cooperation on maritime electric propulsion for Indian naval platforms.

Potential of India–UK Defence Partnership

• Indo-Pacific Stability: Joint carrier operations and maritime coordination strengthen a rules-based order and deter coercive actions in critical sea lanes.
• Counter-Terror & Intelligence: Deeper information-sharing and joint training enhance India–UK capability to tackle cross-border terrorism and emerging hybrid threats.
• Resilient Supply Chains: Defence-industrial collaboration reduces dependence on single-source suppliers and supports secure, diversified global defence ecosystems.
• Humanitarian Operations: Combined expertise in logistics, airlift, and disaster relief boosts joint response capacity for regional crises, from evacuations to natural disasters.
• Emerging Tech Governance: Cooperation in cyber, AI-enabled defence systems, and space domain awareness helps shape global norms for responsible military technology use.

The Unit – a Pilot Gold Backed Digital Trade Currency

• Several reports and expert circles are speculating that BRICS may unveil a pilot gold-backed digital trade currency called “The Unit”, though no official announcement has been made yet.

Pilot Gold-Backed Digital Trade Currency

• A digital, blockchain-based settlement currency designed for cross-border trade within BRICS, backed by physical gold and BRICS national currencies.

Launched by:

• Developed as a pilot by the International Research Institute for Advanced Systems (IRIAS), supported informally by BRICS members.

Aim:

• Reduce reliance on the US dollar for international trade.
• Provide a stable, neutral settlement instrument anchored in gold.
• Build an alternative financial architecture for the Global South.

How It Works?

• 40% gold + 60% BRICS currency basket: The Unit’s value is anchored in physical gold while balancing currency exposure, ensuring stability and diversified risk across the five BRICS economies.
• Daily value recalibration: Its price updates every day based on gold rates and currency fluctuations, keeping the Unit aligned with real-world macroeconomic movements.
• Blockchain-based settlement (Cardano): Transactions run on a permissioned Cardano blockchain, enabling secure, traceable, tamper-proof settlement across countries.
• Not a national currency replacement: The Unit serves only as a cross-border settlement tool, reducing dollar dependence while leaving domestic monetary policy untouched.

Key Features

• Gold-anchored stability: Pegging to physical gold protects the Unit from extreme volatility and fiat currency shocks, making it a reliable trade-settlement medium.
• Transparency through blockchain: Blockchain ensures all transactions are auditable and immutable, reducing manipulation risks and increasing trust among BRICS members.
• AI-led governance: The AI-governed Unit Foundation minimizes political bias in decision-making, providing consistent oversight and automated, rules-based management.
• Reserve sovereignty: Member countries keep gold reserves domestically while still backing the Unit, avoiding the geopolitical risks of pooling gold offshore.
• Improves gold liquidity: By using gold in active trade settlement rather than storage, the Unit increases gold’s transactional role and deepens global gold-market liquidity.

Significance

• Major step toward de-dollarisation by offering a non-Western settlement option.
• Strengthens BRICS’ role in global monetary reform and south-south cooperation.
• Potential to become the first large-scale gold-backed digital settlement system if scaled.

Boreendo

• UNESCO has inscribed Pakistan’s Boreendo, a rare clay vessel-flute linked to the Indus Valley musical tradition, on the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding list.

What it is?

• The Boreendo is a spherical clay vessel-flute, producing mellow, breathy tones used in folk melodies, pastoral songs and winter gatherings in Sindh.
• Origin: It originates from Keti Mir Muhammad Lund in Sindh, with roots tracing back to Mohenjo-daro artefacts, indicating a long sonic lineage from the Indus Valley Civilization.

Characteristics

• Terracotta Craft: Handmade from sun-dried and kiln-fired clay, keeping the instrument fully eco-friendly.
• Spherical Vessel Design: Egg-shaped hollow body with 1 inlet and 3–5 holes enables simple melodic variation.
• Tilt-Based Sound Control: Pitch and tone shift by tilting the mouthpiece rather than complex fingering.

Indus Valley Flute Tradition

• Archaeological excavations at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa have revealed terracotta and bone flutes, some nearly identical to the modern Boreendo.
• Flute fragments were found at Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, and adjoining sites of the Indus Valley Civilization (3300–1300 BCE).

Key Characteristics

• Made from clay, bone, or shell.
• Carefully drilled finger holes; sometimes uneven spacing (microtonal scales).
• Cylindrical or spherical forms similar to today’s vessel flutes.
• Evidence suggests both solo and group musical performances.

50 Years of CITES

• CITES marked its 50th anniversary at CoP20 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where member nations adopted major species protection decisions and debated livelihoods, sustainable use, and wildlife trade governance.

What Is CITES?

• CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is a legally binding multilateral treaty regulating international trade in wild animals and plants to ensure it does not threaten species survival.

History:

• Conceived by IUCN (1963) and text finalized in 1973 (Washington D.C.).
• Entered into force on 1 July 1975.
• Membership: 185 Parties (as of 2025), making it one of the world’s largest conservation agreements.
• Operates through three Appendices (I, II, III) providing graded trade restrictions.

Key Functions of CITES:

• Regulates international wildlife trade via permits and certificates.
• Maintains Appendices that assign protection levels based on extinction risk.
• Coordinates enforcement against illegal wildlife trade.
• Promotes sustainable use, scientific assessment, and global cooperation.

CITES Summit (CoP20):

• The 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) is the decision-making summit held every 2–3 years, shaping global wildlife trade policy.

Host:

• Hosted by Uzbekistan (Samarkand) — first CoP in Central Asia.
• Marked the 50th anniversary of CITES.

Major Outcomes

• Species Additions & Uplistings
• 77 species added to CITES Appendices.
• Sharks & rays (oceanic whitetip, whale shark; all manta & devil rays) added to Appendix I.
• Galápagos land iguanas (3 species) and marine iguana added to Appendix I.
• African reptiles such as Home’s hinge-back tortoise added to Appendix I.
• Downlistings due to Conservation Success:
• Saiga antelope (Kazakhstan) removed from Appendix II with export flexibility.
• Guadalupe fur seal (Mexico) downlisted from Appendix I added to II.

India’s Role:

• India successfully opposed EU proposal to list guggul (Commiphora wightii) in Appendix II, citing lack of scientific assessment.

Thailand–Cambodia Border Tension

• Renewed fighting has erupted along the Thailand–Cambodia border, with artillery, rockets, drones and airstrikes used by both sides, causing rising civilian and military casualties.

What the conflict is?

• A long-running border dispute along their 817 km undemarcated frontier, rooted in colonial-era mapping.
• Both sides claim sovereignty over specific stretches near ancient temple complexes and forested highlands.

Historical Background

Colonial-Era Mapping (1907):

• The border was first mapped by France (colonial ruler of Cambodia) in 1907; Thailand (then Siam) later contested parts of this map, especially around ancient temples and high ground.

Preah Vihear Temple Dispute:

• In 1962, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) awarded the Preah Vihear temple to Cambodia, but Thailand disputes parts of the surrounding territory.
• In 2013, the ICJ reaffirmed Cambodia’s sovereignty over land around the temple and asked Thailand to withdraw forces, but Bangkok has questioned the ruling’s scope.

Periodic Armed Flare-Ups:

• Major clashes occurred in 2008–2011, including a deadly artillery exchange in 2011 around Preah Vihear and nearby temples, killing soldiers and civilians and displacing thousands.

Recent Escalations in 2025:

• Tensions rose after May 2025 skirmishes and a Thai soldier’s death, followed by stricter border measures and trade bans.

Places and Areas Under Tension

Preah Vihear Region:

• Hilltop UNESCO World Heritage temple and surrounding high ground remain symbolic and strategic flashpoints.
• Mekong River is the major waterway in Preah Vihear Province, featuring significant spots like the Preah Nimith Waterfall

Border Provinces (Thailand):

• Surin, Buri Ram, Sa Kaeo, Sisaket, Trat – reports of shelling, cross-border fire, and large-scale evacuations into temporary shelters.

Border Provinces (Cambodia):

• Adjacent districts in Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pailin, Koh Kong seeing civilian casualties, infrastructure damage, and internal displacement.

Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025

• The Pew Charitable Trusts released the “Breaking the Plastic Wave 2025” report to assess rising plastic pollution impacts and propose system-wide solutions.

Key Findings of the Study

Plastic Production

• Growth: Global plastic pollution will more than double from 130 Mt in 2025 to 280 Mt by 2040.
• Output: Annual primary plastic production will rise 52% by 2040, increasing twice as fast as waste-management capacity.
• Waste Gap: The global share of uncollected plastic waste will nearly double from 19% in 2025 to 34% by 2040.

Health Impacts

• Health Burden: Plastic-related health impacts are projected to increase by 75% by 2040.
• Costs Burden: Annual costs of health effects from plastic chemicals have exceeded US$1.5 trillion.
• Toxic Chemicals: Of the ~16,000 chemicals used in plastics, at least 25% are harmful to human health.

Climate & Microplastic

• Emission Surge: Greenhouse gas emissions from the plastic system will rise 58%, reaching 4.2 Gt CO₂-equivalent by 2040.
• If treated as a country, the plastic industry would become the world’s third-largest emitter.
• Microplastic: Pollution from microplastics is expected to increase by more than 50% by 2040.
• Major Sources: Microplastics account for 13% of plastic pollution in 2025, mainly from tyre wear and paint, agriculture, and recycling.

Key Recommendations for System Transformation

• Reduce virgin plastic production and shift toward reuse and refill systems.
• Mandate strict design standards to remove hazardous chemical additives from the supply chain.
• Expand collection and sorting systems in the Global South.
• Extend regulations beyond packaging to agriculture, construction, automotive and microplastics.

UNESCO Recognises Deepavali as Intangible Cultural Heritage

• UNESCO inscribed Deepavali on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity during the 20th ICH Committee session hosted at New Delhi’s Red Fort.
• Deepavali becomes India’s 16th element on UNESCO’s ICH list, following recent additions such as Kumbh Mela (2017), Kolkata Durga Puja (2021) and Garba of Gujarat (2023).
• UNESCO: UN specialised agency (est. 1945) promoting cooperation in education, science, & culture; headquartered in Paris, with 194 members (India a founding member) and 12 associate members.

Deepavali

• Origins: A 2,500-year-old Indian festival with roots in ancient harvest celebrations, later assimilated into multiple religious traditions across regions.
• Hindu Traditions: Marks Rama’s return to Ayodhya, Lakshmi’s birth, Krishna’s defeat of Narakasura, and the Pandavas’ return – symbolising victory of light, dharma and renewal.
• Other Religions: Observed as Mahavira’s Nirvana (Jainism), Bandi Chhor Divas marking Guru Hargobind’s release (Sikhism), and Tihar/Newar Buddhist observances in Nepal.
• Cultural Practices: Celebrated over five days (Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj) with diyas, pujas, home decoration, gifting, and region-specific rituals across India and Nepal.
• Deepavali drives major economic activity across textiles, gold, handicrafts, fire crackers and e-commerce; increasingly observed globally with official recognition in several countries.

20th UNESCO ICH Committee Session

• India is hosting the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage from 8-13 December 2025 at the Red Fort, New Delhi.
• Agenda: Examine new nominations for inscription, assess safeguarding reports, review listed elements, decide on international assistance, and discuss best practices for safeguarding “living heritage.”
• Participation: Involves 800+ delegates from 180+ countries, including Committee members, UNESCO officials, experts, accredited NGOs and ICH practitioners.
• Significance: Enhances India’s cultural diplomacy and soft power, showcases national heritage, strengthens cooperation with UNESCO, and positions India as a leader in global heritage discourse.

Sudden Stratospheric Warming

• Meteorologists have warned that a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event might occur in December 2025.
• SSW is a rapid rise in temperature of up to 50°C within a few days in the stratosphere.
• It is triggered by Rossby waves rising upward from the troposphere that dissipate in the stratosphere, transferring energy and momentum.
• This weakens the strong, circulating polar winds called the polar vortex; as the air stops spinning, it compresses due to deceleration, and heats up significantly.
• The warmed air mass in the stratosphere then spreads downward, disrupting the jet stream and letting cold Arctic air spill into the mid-latitudes.
• Surface Impact: It causes prolonged cold spells, snowstorms, and unusual weather in North America, Europe, and Asia, with effects appearing after 1 to 3 weeks.
• The polar vortex is a year-round low-pressure, cold-air region around the poles, which becomes strongest in winter. “Vortex” refers to the anticlockwise airflow that keeps colder air near the Poles.
• Rossby waves are large-scale bends in high-altitude winds and ocean currents caused by Earth’s rotation and variations in Coriolis forces.

Cosmic Filaments

• Researchers have recently identified a cosmic filament approximately 50 million light-years long that contains at least 14 galaxies.
• Uniqueness: The galaxies were spinning in the same direction as the filament, in a coordinated motion that current models did not predict.
• Significance: The discovery indicates that ‘cosmic-web’ structures strongly influence how galaxies gain angular momentum and develop.
• The cosmic web is the large-scale structure of the universe, a vast, intricate network that shows how matter organises itself across billions of light-years.

Cosmic Filaments

• Cosmic filaments are extensive, thread-like structures that link galaxy clusters, creating the vast cosmic web network.
• They are the universe’s largest known structures, often extending hundreds of millions of light-years.
• Composition: They mainly consist of invisible dark matter, intergalactic gas, and galaxies.
• Formation: Gravity initially compressed matter into sheets, which then further collapsed at their intersections to form long, thin filaments.
• Structural Role: They form the backbone of the universe’s structure and act as cosmic highways that channel pristine gas and smaller galaxies from surrounding voids toward dense clusters.
• Significance: Filaments govern galaxy formation and growth; they impact galaxy structure, spin, and star-formation rates.

Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan

• Sikkim is hosting a supercar rally under Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan initiative, covering key border routes to promote battlefield and border tourism.

Bharat Ranbhoomi Darshan

• A digital platform (mobile app + web portal) developed by the Ministry of Defence with the Ministry of Tourism to enable public access to India’s historic battlefields and border sites.
• Covers 77 sites along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and Line of Control (LoC) such as Galwan Valley, Doklam, Longewala and Nathu La, previously restricted due to security sensitivity.
• Aims to boost border tourism and awareness of military history while offering virtual tours, key historical content, route details, and a single-window permit system for restricted border sites.