India, China, Brazil, South Africa oppose ''carbon border tax''

• The European Union has proposed a policy — called the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism — to tax products such as cement and steel, that are extremely carbon intensive, with effect from 2026.
• BASIC, a group constituting Brazil, India, South Africa and China, and therefore large economies that are significantly dependent on coal, has reiterated their right to use fossil fuel in the interim during their countries’ eventual transformation to clean energy sources.

carbon border adjustment tax

• It is a duty on imports based on the amount of carbon emissions resulting from the production of the product in question. As a price on carbon, it discourages emissions. As a trade-related measure, it affects production and exports.
• There is the risk that it becomes a protectionist device, unduly shielding local industries from foreign competition in so-called ‘green protectionism’.
• If implemented as planned**, EU importers will have to buy carbon certificates** corresponding to the carbon price that would have been paid in the EU, if the goods had been produced locally.
• The price of the certificates would be calculated according to the auction prices in the EU carbon credit market. The amount of certificates required would be defined yearly by the quantity of goods and the embedded emissions in those goods imported into the EU.

TRAI organises Conference on ‘Rating of Buildings or Areas for Digital Connectivity’

• In the year 2022, TRAI has also completed 25-years of its existence. The Conference is organized as a part its year-long silver Jubilee celebration.
• It is a regulatory body set up by the Government of India under section 3 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997.
• It is the regulator of the telecommunications sector in India. It consists of a Chairperson and not more than two full-time members and not more than two part-time members.
• The TRAI Act was amended in 2000, establishing a Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).

Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT)

• It was set up to adjudicate any dispute between a licensor and a licensee, between two or more service providers, between a service provider and a group of consumers, and to hear and dispose of appeals against any direction, decision or order of TRAI.
• Composition: The Tribunal consists of a Chairperson and two Members appointed by the Central Government.
  • The Chairperson should be or should have been a Judge of the Supreme Court or the Chief Justice of a High Court.
  • A Member should have held the post of Secretary to the Government of India or any equivalent post in the Central Government or the State Government for a period of not less than two years or a person who is well versed in the field of technology, telecommunication, industry, commerce or administration.

India joins Moscow talks for inclusive government in Kabul

• The Moscow format is one of the several dialogue platforms on Afghanistan — which began before the Taliban takeover of Kabul.
• It consists of Russia, China, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and India.
• The key objective of the Moscow format of consultations is to facilitate the national reconciliation process in Afghanistan to establish peace.
• During the meeting, the participants discussed issues related to Afghanistan, including the current humanitarian situation and the ongoing efforts of various stakeholders to provide assistance, intra-Afghan talks, formation of an inclusive and representative government.

Indian Railways to allot only LHB Coaches under the Bharat Gaurav Trains Scheme

• In November 2021 the Indian Railways allowed private players to run theme-based Bharat Gaurav trains to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and historical places to the people of India, and from abroad.
• Any operator can lease trains from the Railways to run on a theme-based circuit as a special tourism package. The operator has the freedom to decide the route, the halts, the services provided and, most importantly, the tariff.
• The service provider can take custody of the trains for a minimum period of two years and a maximum period of up to the residual life of the coaches.
• Henceforth, only Linke Hofmann Busch ( LHB) coaches will be allotted under the Bharat Gaurav Trains scheme.
• Ministry of Railways has decided not to levy the overhead components in the Fixed and Variable Haulage Charges for operation of Bharat Gaurav Trains under the scheme.
• The existing service providers, who have already been allotted ICF rakes would be given option to switch over to LHB rakes for the remaining period of agreement on the revised charges. However, if they opt to continue with already allotted rakes, benefit of revised charges would be available with prospective effect.

Poland likely to invoke NATO''s Article 4, will raise missile blast with UN

• If the missile''s origins are Russian, this is the first time since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in late February that Russian weaponry has impacted a NATO country.

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

• It came into being after World War II as a counter to the Soviet Union’s possible expansion attempts in Europe. Then-US President Harry S Truman signed the 12-member treaty on April 4, 1949.
• After the collapse of USSR in 1991, several eastern European nations previously members of the Soviet Union joined NATO. As of now, NATO comprise 30 members.

Differences between Articles 4 and 5 of the NATO

• Under Article 4, any member state can convene a meeting of NATO members to "consult" when it feels its independence or security are threatened. It sends a strong political symbol to the greater world that NATO is concerned about a particular situation.
• Article 5 is known as the "one-for-all and all-for-one" article. It states that an "armed attack" against one member is an attack against all and sets in motion the possibility of collective self-defense.
• In theory, Articles 4 and 5 can only be invoked at the request of a NATO member. However, Article 5 has only been invoked once -- immediately following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States.
• Article 5 was not invoked when Russia invaded Ukraine, because Ukraine is not a NATO member. But Poland is a NATO member, so if an investigation found any evidence it was a deliberate attack, it could have invoked Article 5.

ISRO to make history with maiden private rocket launch

• VKS rocket is developed by the the non-government entity/startup, Skyroot Aerospace Pvt Ltd (SAPL).
• Apart from being the nation’s first private launch, it will also be the maiden mission of Skyroot Aerospace, named ‘Prarambh’. It will carry a total of three payloads in space, including one from the foreign customers.

VKS rocket

• It is a single stage spin stabilized solid propellant rocket with mass of approx. 550 kilograms.
• The rocket goes to the max altitude of 101 kilometers and splashes into the sea and the overall duration of launch is 300 seconds only.
• Skyroot was the first startup to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with ISRO for launching its rockets.

Modi gifts Italian PM a Patan Patola scarf

• The ancient art of double ikat or Patola woven in pure silk dates back to the 11th century. The Patola fabrics bear an equal intensity of colours and design on both sides.
• This peculiar quality has its origins in an intricate and difficult technique of dyeing or knot dyeing, known as ‘bandhani’, on the warp and weft separately before weaving.
• One of the major practitioners of the dwindling art form is the Salvi family from North Gujarat.
• The weaving process: Patola is woven on primitive hand-operated harness looms made out of rosewood and bamboo strips. The loom lies on a slant. The other commonly worn Patola is the Rajkot Patola, woven on a flat loom.
• Price: The base price of a Patola saree in the Patan weave starts from Rs 1.5 lakh up and can go up to Rs 6 lakh.

National Conclave on Technical Textiles “Protech” under National Technical Textiles Mission

• Technical Textiles are textile products which are manufactured primarily for their functionality and use rather than the aesthetic appeal.
• These products are broadly classified into 12 different categories- Agrotech, Oekotech, Buildtech, Meditech, Geotech, Clothtech, Mobiltech, Hometech, Sportstech,Indutech, Protech, Packtech.

Technical Textiles Mission in India

• The Ministry of Textiles has launched NTTM to increase the penetration level of technical textiles in India while leveraging the extraordinary growth rate of the sector.
  • The Indian Technical Textiles Sector has an Annual Average Growth Rate (AAGR) of 12% which is three times the world average of 4%.
• The aim of the mission is to position India as a global leader in Technical Textiles.
• The mission will comprise of the following four components:
  • Research, Innovation and Development
  • Promotion and Market Development
  • Export Promotion
  • Education, Training, Skill Development
• Implementation: The NTTM has been approved with an implementation period of four years starting from FY 2020-21 till FY 2023-24. The total outlay of the mission is INR 1480 Cr.
• Target: The Mission has a target to take domestic market size of technical textile sector to $ 40-50 Bn by the year 2024 with an average growth rate of 15-20% per annum.

NCW launches Digital Shakti 4.0 for making women digitally skilled

• Digital Shakti started in June 2018 to help women across the nation to raise the awareness level on the digital front, to build resilience, and fight cyber-crime in the most effective ways.
• The Digital Shakti 4.0 is focused on making women digitally skilled and aware to stand-up against any illegal/inappropriate activity online.
• NCW launched the campaign in collaboration with CyberPeace Foundation and Meta.
• Through this project, over 3 Lakh women across India have been made aware of cyber safety tips and tricks.
• It is helping women in reporting & redressal mechanisms, data privacy and usage of technology for their benefits.

Sports Ministry funds Vinesh Phogat''s training camp in Bulgaria

• The funding is being provided under Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
• The TOPS Scheme has seen successes in the form of PV Sindhu (badminton) and Sakshi Malik (wrestling), who won the silver and bronze medals respectively in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

TOP Scheme

• What is it? It is a flagship program of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) which is an attempt to provide assistance to India’s top athletes.
• Launch: It was started in September 2014 and was revamped in April 2018 to establish a technical support team for managing the TOPS athletes and providing holistic support.
• Mission Olympic Cell: It is a dedicated body created to assist the athletes who are selected under the TOP Scheme. The MOC is under the Chairmanship of the Director General, Sports Authority (DG, SAI).
• TOPS Elite Athletes’ Identification Committee:
  • It was constituted to identify the elite athletes who could achieve the Olympic podium.
  • MYAS is responsible for appointment of TOPS members with emphasis on ensuring representation from ‘High-Priority’ sports (Archery, Badminton, Boxing Hockey, Shooting and Wrestling).
  • The total members of the committee are to be decided by MYAS. TOPS constitution does not stipulate minimum/maximum members for the committee.