🔳 India became the 7th largest coffee producer in the world

◼️The exports reached $1.29 billion in the last financial year.

◼️This is almost double the exports of $719 million in 2020-21, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a release.

◼️The ministry also said that India exported over 9,300 tonnes of coffee in the first half of this month, with Italy, Belgium and Russia being the top buyers.

◼️ Karnataka leads in coffee production, contributing 248,000 metric tonnes in 2022-23, followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

#UPSC #PSC #prelims #currentaffairs #geography

🔆 Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb Islands

📍 Location
✅ The Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb islands are located in the eastern Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global trade route.
✅ Abu Musa is another strategically important island in the region.

📍 Recent Context
✅ Iran has summoned China's ambassador to protest a joint China-UAE statement regarding the sovereignty of these islands.
✅ Iran has held control over these islands since 1971, a move that has been contested by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

📍 Significance
✅ Strategic Importance: Proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil supply passes.
✅ Geopolitical Tensions: Sovereignty disputes highlight the region's sensitive geopolitical dynamics.

📍 Current Status
✅ Despite claims by the UAE, the islands remain under Iranian control, adding to the complexity of regional diplomacy.

#UPSC #PSC #currentaffairs #prelims #geography

🔳 Critics Choice 2025 Awards: 'Anora' won the Best Film Award; 'Emilia Perez', 'Wicked' and 'The Substance' won 3 awards each

📌 2025 Critics' Choice Awards:
📌 Best Film: Anora

🔹 Best Actor: Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)
🔹Best Actress: Demi Moore (The Substance)
🔹 Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)

◼️ Best Supporting Actress: Zoe Saldana (Emilia Perez) TV Awards:

🔹 Shogun took the top spot with 4 awards, including Best Drama Series.
🔹Hacks won 3 awards including Best Comedy Series.
🔹 Baby Reindeer won the award for best limited series.

#UPSC #PSC #currentaffairs #prelims #awards

Womens in Indian Science
#prelims #science_and_technology #UPSC #PSC

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◼️Bisleri International and Observer Research Foundation jointly released a book on 'Water Credit Valuation' at Raisina Dialogue 2025

◾️Launched at the Raisina Dialogue 2025, this comprehensive book titled ' Trading Blue Gold: A Blueprint for Water Credit Valuation in India ' aims to expand the framework beyond the beverage sector.

#UPSC #PSC #currentaffairs #prelims #books_and_authors

🔳 Sansad Bhashaani initiative will revolutionise parliamentary documentation and accessibility through AI and real-time translation

◾️In a major step towards modernising parliamentary procedures, the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop the Sansad Bhashaani initiative.

◾️It is designed to integrate AI-powered tools that will facilitate multilingual support, optimize documentation, and improve overall parliamentary operations.

◾️The initiative will deploy cutting-edge AI applications such as real-time speech-to-text transcription, speech-to-speech translation, and interactive AI chatbots.

◾️These technologies will ensure seamless translation of parliamentary debates, committee reports, and legislative documents into multiple Indian languages, thereby fostering inclusivity and broader public engagement.

#UPSC #PSC #currentaffairs #prelims #polity #science_and_technology

Kilauea Volcano

✅Why in news: Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, started erupting again.

✅Location: Situated on the southeastern part of the Hawaii’s Big Island, as a part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
✅Volcano Type: It is an active shield volcano, formed by the eruption of highly fluid lava.

✅Kilauea has covered around 90% of its surface in lava flows within the last 1,000 years.
✅It is an elongated dome built of lava eruptions from the central crater and features long, shallow slopes.
✅It has two rift zones stretching to the east and southwest.

📍Volcanoes in India:

✅Barren Island (Andaman Islands): India's only active volcano.
✅Narcondam (Andaman Islands): Dormant volcano.
✅Baratang (Andaman Islands): Known for mud volcanoes.
✅Deccan Traps (Maharashtra): Vast volcanic plateau formed by ancient eruptions.
✅Dhinodhar Hills (Gujarat): Extinct volcano.
✅Dhosi Hill (Haryana): Ancient volcanic site with historical significance.

#Places_in_news #UPSC #PSC #currentaffairs #prelims

🔆GPS Spoofing:

✅GPS spoofing, also known as GPS simulation, refers to the practice of manipulating or tricking a GPS receiver by broadcasting false GPS signals. 
✅Essentially, it misleads the GPS receiver into believing it is located somewhere it is not, resulting in the device providing inaccurate location data.
✅This form of cyberattack undermines the reliability of GPS data, which is vital for a variety of applications, from navigation to time synchronization and more.

📍How Does GPS Spoofing Work?

✅It exploits the inherent vulnerabilities in the GPS infrastructure – the weak signal strength of GPS satellites.
✅The Global Positioning System (GPS) functions by sending signals from satellites to GPS receivers on Earth.
✅These receivers then calculate their position based on the time it takes for these signals to arrive.
✅However, due to the weak signal strength of the GPS satellites, these signals can be easily overwhelmed by fake signals, resulting in inaccurate location data on the receiving device.
✅Typically, a GPS spoofer begins by acquiring a basic understanding of the victim’s GPS setup, including the types of signals it uses and how they are processed.
✅With that information, the attacker then sends counterfeit GPS signals that mimic the real ones.
✅These fake signals are stronger, causing the receiver to recognize them as authentic signals.
✅As a result, the victim’s GPS receiver ends up processing these counterfeit signals, leading to erroneous location information.

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🔆 Vedic and Associated Literature

📍 Shruti: "That which is heard"; the authoritative religious texts of Hinduism, including the four Vedas and their embedded texts: Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads.

📍 Smriti: "Remembered texts"; includes Vedangas, Puranas, epics, Dharmashastras, and Nitishastra.

📍 Vedas: The four ancient Sanskrit texts:
✅ Rig Veda
✅ Yajur Veda
✅ Sama Veda
✅ Atharva Veda

📍 Samhita: A collection of hymns associated with the Vedas.
📍 Brahmanas: Ritualistic texts explaining Vedic sacrifices.
📍 Aranyakas: "Forest books" forming part of the Vedic corpus.
📍 Vedangas: "Limbs of the Veda"; auxiliary texts.
📍 Gayatri Mantra: Verses from the Rig Veda invoking wisdom and enlightenment.
📍 Puranas: Hindu texts containing the history of various dynasties.
📍 Itihasa-Purana: Texts claiming to refer to past events.
📍 Dharmasutras: The earliest Dharmashastras, written in aphoristic style.
📍 Dharma-Shastra: Texts codifying social and ritual duties within the Varna system.

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