• Western Disturbances = eastward-moving extratropical cyclones affecting India mainly in winter.

• ENSO has 3 phases: El Niño, La Niña & Neutral.

• El Niño weakens Indian monsoon; La Niña generally strengthens it.

• Thermocline = boundary between warm surface water & cold deep water.

• IMD heat wave criteria (plains): Temperature ≥ 40°C. Departure from normal is 4.5°C–6.4°C above normal, or actual temperature exceeds 45°C.

• Wet Bulb Temperature combines heat + humidity impact on humans. Wet-bulb temperature above 35°C can be fatal.

• “Feels Like Temperature” = apparent temperature felt by body due to heat + humidity.

Interlink:
https://t.me/bpscweb/43682
https://t.me/bpscweb/43165

#CA2026
#GEOGRAPHY

National Council of Educational Research and Training launched AI-based digital companion app “e-Jaadui Patra” for parents and teachers.

• e-Jaadui Patra has 3 AI bots - “Teacher Tara”, “Parent Tara” and “Katha Saki”.

• “Katha Saki” AI tool can generate large numbers of stories, including customised bedtime stories for children.

#CA2026

• China’s Decree 834: first national supply-chain security regulation.

• Decree 835 deals with counter-extraterritorial rules.

• Aim: strengthen China’s control over industrial supply chains.

• Linked to global “China+1” manufacturing shift.

• Vietnam & India are major alternatives to China manufacturing.

• U.S. Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act targets forced-labour imports.

• EU “Blocking Statute” protects firms from foreign sanctions/laws.

• India may consider its own supply-chain security framework.

#CA2026

• Current Account Deficit (CAD) = Excess of imports over exports in the Balance of Payments.

• India’s CAD rises mainly due to high crude oil and gold imports.

• India imports nearly 85–90% of its crude oil requirement.

• Higher crude oil prices widen CAD and weaken the rupee.

• Persistent CAD increases demand for US dollars and pressures forex reserves.

• CAD is measured as a percentage of GDP.

• Import cover = Number of months imports can be financed using forex reserves.

• CAD is financed through capital inflows like FDI, FPI and external borrowings.

#CA2026
#ECONOMY

Colour Perception & Human Vision

• Colour is produced by interaction of light with objects and interpretation by the brain; it is not physically stored inside objects.

• Objects appear coloured because they reflect specific wavelengths and absorb others; e.g., a red apple reflects red light.

• Visible light contains different wavelengths forming the visible spectrum (VIBGYOR), roughly 400–700 nm.

• Cone cells in the retina detect colours, while rod cells mainly help in dim-light vision.

• Retina converts light into nerve impulses which are interpreted by the visual cortex of the brain.

• Colour perception may change under different lighting conditions due to variation in reflected wavelengths.

• Colour blindness results from absence or defect of cone cells.

• Black objects absorb most visible light, whereas white objects reflect most wavelengths.

#SCIENCE
👇👇

• PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) has been renamed as PMOS - Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome.

• The renaming was published in medical journal The Lancet after 14 years of global collaboration.

• PMOS highlights that the disorder is not limited to “ovarian cysts” but involves endocrine, metabolic and reproductive systems.

• PMOS symptoms include irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, acne, excess hair growth, obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

• In PMOS, follicles in the ovary often remain immature (“arrested follicles”) instead of maturing and releasing eggs.

• India has a high prevalence of PMOS/PCOS - estimated around 16%–18% among women.

• The term “metabolic” was added because PMOS is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.

• The “thrifty genotype hypothesis” is linked with higher susceptibility to obesity and Type-2 diabetes in calorie-abundant environments.

#CA2026

Bubiyan Island is Kuwait’s largest island, located in the north-western Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran, and hosts the China-backed Mubarak Al Kabeer Port under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

#CA2026
#PLACE

• United States Virgin Islands is an unincorporated territory of the United States in the Caribbean Sea.

• Little Saint James is a private island in the Caribbean formerly owned by Jeffrey Epstein.

#CA2026
#PLACE