TITBITS:
1. Invoking the Constitution and the Supreme Court,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for the Uniform Civil Code,
saying it's time the country moves towards a civil code that is
"secular" and not "communal" and "discriminatory"
as the existing one.
2. The centre's expert panel on the Western Ghats is
in advanced discussions on the extent of ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs) to
be finalised in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, and may recommend separate
notifications for these three states first if an agreement is reached soon,
rather than waiting for consensus from all six states.
3. India will offer end-to-end semiconductor solutions
to the world and will become a manufacturing hub for cutting-edge technologies
by leveraging its large skilled youth base, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
during his 78th Independence Day speech. He also urged young people to design
products and services in India, and take a lead in creating games for the
world.
4. The Union government launched the National Pest
Surveillance System (NPSS) powered by artificial intelligence to help farmers
to connect with agriculture scientists and experts by mobile phones on
controlling pests.
5. Astronomers from the Indian Institute of
Astrophysics (IIA) have found a new method to predict the amplitude of the
upcoming solar cycle. Besides, their research can also help in space weather
forecasting. The astronomers have discovered a new correlation using 100 years
of solar data from the IIA's Kodaikanal Solar Observatory.
6. India faces a significant economic and health
burden from dengue, exacerbated by limited success with current vector control
methods.Innovative approaches using the Wolbachia
bacterium in mosquitoes have shown promise globally.India, with no active Wolbachia program yet, could benefit from
adopting these strategies to combat dengue and other mosquito-borne diseases.
7. Astronomers from the Indian Institute of
Astrophysics have made a breakthrough in solar cycle forecasting using a new
method.By analysing 100 years of data, they discovered that the width of
supergranular cells during a solar minimum is linked to sunspot numbers in the
subsequent solar maximum, improving space weather predictions.