2 Min Series 18 November 2025

 18^th November 2025

1. Sentinel-6B Satellite: Recently, the Sentinel-6B satellite, the newest addition to a long-running international ocean-monitoring program, was successfully launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

• About Sentinel-6B: Developed jointly by NASA, NOAA, and the European Space Agency (ESA).
  • Designed to deliver high-precision measurements of global sea-level rise and its far-reaching impacts.
• Equipped with six advanced scientific instruments.
• Orbits Earth at 2 km/s, completing one orbit in 112 minutes.
• Data will improve: Weather forecasting
• Storm & flood prediction
• Coastal protection planning
• Safety of undersea pipelines & cables
• Shipping operations
• Part of a long series of satellites monitoring sea level since the 1990s.
• Works alongside its twin Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (operational since 2020).
• Together, they provide sea-level measurements accurate to ~1 inch across 90% of the world’s oceans.

2. Adam Chini Rice: Recently, BHU scientists successfully revived the aromatic black rice Adam Chini using mutagenesis, making it shorter, faster-maturing, higher-yielding, and still retaining its trademark aroma.

• About Adam Chini Rice: A traditional, aromatic, short-grained black rice from Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
• Known for its sugar crystal–like grains, strong fragrance, and excellent cooking quality.
• Cultivated mainly in Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur, and Sonbhadra—the Vindhyan foothill agro-ecosystem.
• GI Tag: Awarded GI status on 22 February 2023 (valid till November 2030).
• Key Characteristics: Short, bold, aromatic grains with strong natural fragrance.
• Drought-tolerant and disease-resistant, suited to Eastern UP’s semi-arid climate.
• Intermediate amylose → soft, flavourful cooked texture.
• Traditional type: tall (165 cm), long-duration (155 days), low-yielding (20–23 q/ha).

3. AJEYA WARRIOR Exercise: Recently, the eighth edition of the India–UK Joint Military Training Exercise ‘AJEYA WARRIOR-25’ commenced at the Foreign Training Node, Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan.
   • About AJEYA WARRIOR Exercise: It is a bilateral training exercise between the armies of India and the UK.

• Conducted every two years since 2011 and now considered a key defence exercise.
• Exercise 2025: 2025 edition strengthens India–UK cooperation, professionalism & commitment to regional stability and global peace.
• Total 240 personnel, with equal participation from Indian Army & British Army.
  • Indian Army represented by Sikh Regiment troops.
  • Conducted under United Nations mandate.
  • Focus: Counter-terrorism operations in semi-urban environments.
• Training includes: Brigade-level joint mission planning
• Integrated tactical drills
• Simulation-based scenarios
• Company-level field training replicating real-life contingencies
• Objective: Share best practices, enhance tactical proficiency & develop coordinated responses to complex operations.

4. Foraminifera: Recently, a global scientific review identified 57 new living species of foraminifera, tiny marine organisms widely used in ocean research.

• About Foraminifera (forams): Single-celled marine organisms found in the open ocean, coastal waters, and estuaries.
• Most possess protective shells and are either:
  • Planktonic — floating in the water column (only ~40 species), or
  • Benthic — living on the sea floor (majority of the ~8,000 living species).
• They occupy diverse seabed habitats and move by crawling with pseudopodia.
• Generally <500 microns in size, though some tropical species can reach 20 cm.
• With no rigid cell wall, they are highly flexible and capable of changing shape.
• Meaning of “Foraminifera”: Their shells contain many tiny holes called foramen (Latin for “window”).
• Through these holes, the organism extends pseudopodia (false feet) to capture food.

5. Smart Technological Solutions: Recently, Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) signed a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on developing smart technological solutions aimed at strengthening India’s national security.

• Key Highlights: Collaboration areas include: Logistics Management, Operational logistics at tactical, operational & strategic levels, Chip design & hardware security and Homomorphic / blockchain-based encryption
• Focus on capacity building of researchers & scientists in operational/military science, logistics, and technical research.
• Planned activities: Joint research, seminars, conferences, workshops, and round-table discussions.
• GSV already collaborates with Indian Army, Air Force & Navy for logistics and supply chain research.
• New MoU strengthens GSV’s role in cutting-edge defence research.
• GSV: India’s first university dedicated to transportation & logistics; Central University under Ministry of Railways (est. 2022).
• Covers full transport ecosystem: Railways, Highways, Ports, Aviation, Maritime, Shipping, Inland waterways, Urban transport & logistics networks.

6. LPG Import: Recently, the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas announced that Indian public sector oil companies have concluded the country’s first major structured LPG import contract with the United States.

• Key Highlights: Indian PSU oil companies sign a one-year structured contract to import ~2.2 MTPA LPG from the US Gulf Coast for 2026.
• This volume equals ~10% of India’s annual LPG imports.
• Marks the first structured US LPG contract for the Indian market.
• Contract negotiations followed a visit by officials from IOCL, BPCL & HPCL to the US (21–24 July 2025).
• Purchases benchmarked to Mont Belvieu prices, the global hub for LPG pricing.
• India continues diversification of LPG sources to secure affordable & reliable supply.
• Under PM Modi’s leadership, PSU companies maintained LPG availability at lowest global prices for households.
• Despite >60% surge in global LPG prices last year, Ujjwala beneficiaries received cylinders at ₹500–550, while actual cost exceeded ₹1100.
• Government absorbed ₹40,000+ crore subsidy burden to protect families, especially women.
• New 2026 sourcing deal strengthens India’s energy security and supports affordable clean cooking fuel access.

7. Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs): Recently, the Ministry of Power convened a meeting of the Consultative Committee of Members of Parliament to review the status and future trajectory of Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) across the country.

• About PSPs: Highlighted as crucial for storing surplus green power and supplying electricity during non-solar hours.
• Floating solar suggested as a solution to reservoir evaporation losses.
• States play a pivotal role: site & water allocation, faster clearances, and removal of charges like green energy cess, water tax, and reservoir lease fees.
• 224 GW PSP potential identified across India.
  • 10 PSPs (≈7 GW) commissioned
  • 10 PSPs (≈12 GW) under construction
  • 56 PSPs (≈78 GW) in planning & development
• Key Government initiatives to accelerate PSP development: Guidelines for PSP development
  • Exemption from free power & LADF obligations
  • 25-year ISTS charge waiver for projects awarded by 30.06.2028
  • Budgetary support for enabling infrastructure
  • Renewable Consumption Obligations for storage systems
  • Off-stream closed-loop PSPs exempted from CEA concurrence

8. United Nations Convention against Cybercrime: Recently, the Supreme Court asked the Central Government to decide whether India should ratify the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime.

• About United Nations Convention against Cybercrime: Adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in December 2024 to boost global cooperation against cybercrime.
• Aims to enhance international collaboration, improve prevention strategies, and support capacity-building, especially for developing nations.
• Will come into force 90 days after 40 countries ratify it.
• India has not signed the treaty yet.
• It is the first universal, legally binding global instrument dedicated to strengthening collective cybercrime defences.
• Drafted and developed by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

9. Pseudomonas Aeruginosa: Recently, a new study confirmed that roundworms (C. elegans) can pass on learned avoidance of the deadly bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa PA14 to their descendants.

• Key Findings: Earlier studies had conflicting results; this study was an independent replication using the same protocol to resolve the disagreement.
• Worms were trained for 24 hours on PA14, and their behaviour—and that of their next two generations—was tested.
• Choice assay used: worms chose between harmless coli (OP50) and pathogenic PA14; sodium azide was used to freeze worms instantly at their first choice.
• Naïve worms were initially attracted to PA14; trained worms strongly avoided it.
• Importantly, their descendants (F1 & F2)—who never encountered PA14—also showed increased avoidance, though the effect weakened each generation.
• The inherited avoidance remained statistically significant up to the second generation, under tightly controlled conditions.
• Findings highlight that microbial signals (including small RNAs) can imprint heritable behavioural changes in worms.
• A comparison article emphasized that reliable claims of transgenerational inheritance require strict, reproducible protocols.
• Studies using alternate immobilization methods (like cooling instead of azide) failed to detect these effects, suggesting methodology strongly influences outcomes.